It is written that Jesus said: "man shall not live by bread
alone but BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD"
(Mat.4:4).
Jesus was not uttering something brand new, for He was
quoting what the books of Moses had said, namely the book of
Deuteronomy, and specifically chapter 8 and verse 3.
Those words by Jesus as pretty plain and easy to understand.
No theology degree from some school of learning needed to
interpret those words. They mean what they say and say what they
mean. Christ was saying that men/women who are called to serve
the Eternal God, are to conduct their lives in all its various
forms of thoughts, actions, and deeds, the way of life, by
letting the WHOLE of God's word teach and guide them as they
live. They are to walk the walk of the word of the Lord. Jesus
expects His followers to read and study ALL of God's word, and
let that whole word mould and shape their speech, conduct and
thoughts.
What an undertaking! Pretty serious stuff Jesus was talking
about. He was saying that the children of the heavenly Father
were to read every book of the Bible to LEARN and be INSTRUCTED
in HOW TO LIVE in all aspects of life here and now.
The Old Testament is not just a collection of different
historical events, songs, and psalms, poetry, and old laws,
written down just to entertain us when we feel we need to be
entertained. What Jesus said led to the apostle Paul saying these
words: " For whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written FOR OUR LEARNING......Now these things were OUR
EXAMPLES.......Now all these things happened unto them for
types(marg. of KJV) and they are written for OUR ADMONITION, upon
whom the ends of the world are come......All scripture is given
by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness "
(Rom.15:4; 1 Cor.10:6,11; 2 Tim.3:16).
So the Christian desires to do as Jesus taught, to live by
every word that comes from the mouth of God. The Christian starts
to read the Bible, beginning with the first book - Genesis. But
soon he is into the books of Moses such as Exodus, Numbers,
Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, that contain ALL THOSE MANY LAWS,
STATUES, PRECEPTS, and JUDGMENTS. Some are to the modern space
age mind, VERY STRANGE, OUT OF DATE in many respects, NOT
really applicable in our culture and society and context of
living. And there are SOME MANY. Then we have the New
Testament, with OTHER laws, some of which seem to alter the old
laws found in the books of Moses.
A little confusing to the average Christian's mind. How can
you apply the words of Jesus in Matthew 4:4 and clear away the
smoke, the haze, the WONDERING about WHICH laws, statutes,
precepts, judgments, ARE FOR US TODAY TO FOLLOW AND LIVE BY?
I hope this article will serve you and many others in
answering and helping you find the correct way as to HOW indeed
to live by every word of God.
A FOUNDATIONAL KEY
We need to keep in mind at all times that this study of
living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, is
JUST THAT. It entails EVERY WORD OF GOD! It may be that the
answers to some of our questions are found WAY OUT in another
part of the word of God. In fact we shall see that is the case
for some of our answers. So, this HOW TO LIVE, WHAT LAWS TO
FOLLOW, is a study of the WHOLE word of God, from Genesis to
Revelation. We must read and meditate, study and search, ALL the
words that proceed from the Lord, as given to us and as found in
the Bible.
TEN BASIC CATEGORIES TO HELP YOU KNOW
HOW TO LIVE BY EVERY WORD OF GOD
Some laws, commandments and the like, may fall under one or
more of the following basic categories. One or more should be
used to answer your questions on any given law, commandment,
statute, or precept in the Bible, and how, if in any way it
should be applied today for the Christian. The list is NOT in the
order of importance.
1. MORAL LAWS (i.e."You shall not murder" - "Honor your father
and mother.")
2. SACRIFICE LAW (i.e.The physical rites for the
Priesthood, Tabernacle, and Sacrifices).
3. NATIONAL LAWS (i.e. The 50th year of Jubilee for the nation).
4. HISTORICAL/NATIONAL/CULTURE LAW (i.e. Man dies and his brother
marries his wife to raise up children).
5. CULTURAL CARNALITY LAW (i.e.Laws regulating more than one
wife - Polygamy).
6. PHYSICAL LAWS (i.e.Clean and Unclean foods; Plague in the
physical building).
7. NEW TESTAMENT DIRECT ALTERATION (i.e. Physical circumcision).
8. EXAMPLES AND/OR COMMANDS OF THE NT (i.e. Cannot lust after the
opposite sex in the mind).
9. THE SPIRIT OF THE NT (i.e. Spirit leading the Church to ordain
7 as deacons in Acts 6).
10.NOT EFFECTED BY ANY OF THE ABOVE (i.e.The weekly 7 day
cycle).
ONE MORE IMPORTANT POINT
With all the above, and I shall expound each quite
thoroughly presently, we need to remember the VERY IMPORTANT
section of scripture as found in Deut.17 and verses eight through
thirteen.
Please read those verses carefully. The point to see for
our study is that the word of the Lord is NOT all encompassing.
The Bible is not a text book that covers EVERY situation in life,
every circumstance that may arise, every problematic disputation
that many need to be solved from time to time, through the course
of life within the community of God.
Within that body of people, we today call the Church of God,
there will need to be JUDGMENTS made by the leaders of that
community, based upon the laws and principles, examples, and
whatever else can be gleaned from God's word in order to
arrive at the correct sentence of judgment.
You will notice this is not some high handed, authoritarian
mind set that is here being talked about, where leaders rule with
a pompous, self-righteous, vain ego of dictatorial cult
leadership. The sentence of the law is to be taught to the
enquirer, and to those who are coming for help because the matter
is too HARD for them.
You will notice in 1 Timothy 3 the qualifications for those
who will oversee the church of God is very demanding. They are
to guide and teach, to take care of the church of God. They are
to fulfil the role of what you are reading about in Deut.17 at
times. They are to judge HARD matters and bring the sentence of
the law, when there is possibly no SPECIFIC law stated in the
word of God concerning the matter.
EACH OF THE TEN POINT
It's time to move down each of the above ten points I've
given you. We need to expound and amplify each one so you will be
able to use them as tools whereby you can read the Bible, all of
it, in order to do as Jesus said - live by EVERY WORD that
proceeds out of the mouth of God.
1. MORAL LAW
This is perhaps the least difficult category for most people
to deal with, the one that gives, on the whole, the least amount
of trouble for Christians to understand in the light of having to
live by every word of God.
Most can see that the Lord instituted MARRIAGE, for an
example, at the BEGINNING, with Adam and Eve, the Lord Himself
bringing them together as husband and wife. Then reading on in
the book of Genesis, it is clear from examples given that
taking another man's wife in sexual union, adultery, was WRONG,
that is was displeasing to the Lord and even sin.
Coming to Exodus and the other books of Moses, it is pretty
simple to see the command that "you shall not commit adultery"
and "you shall not covet your neighbors wife" law .
Reading on through all the Bible to the end of the book of
Revelation, it is clear that the law of adultery continues, never
being "done away" or allowed to be practiced in the Christian's
life without it being a sin against God, and earning the death
penalty.
Most Christians will see that laws and commandments such as
ones called "moral" laws, are in effect, and remain in effect to
the end, while there are flesh and blood people on this earth.
Even the unconverted world, the majority at least, can see that
it is not good for their society if people murder each other,
steal from each other and the corner store, and practice many
other morally wrong ways of life, that unchecked and wilfully
allowed would soon have our nations in utter degradation and
moral free for all, to the point that our society would totally
break down and collapse.
2. SACRIFICE LAWS
Again in the main, most can understand the obvious
implications here with the laws governing sacrificing and the
system of ancient Israel that went along with it, namely the
Priesthood and the Temple.
As the Temple and Levitical priesthood came to an official
and literal end in 70 A.D. with the destruction of the Jerusalem
Temple by the Roman armies, the Christian has generally no
problem realizing physical sacrificing in a central location
through a literal priesthood in a literal Temple, has no
importance or bearing on living today by every word of God.
The book of Hebrews portrays to us in plain words that these
physical sacrifices and the priesthood/temple that went along
with them, was to COME TO AN END, TO PASS AWAY, for this present
age. That side of the sacrificial laws gives no trouble, and
Christians think little about them in any physical living way of
life. Even the Jews(except possibly for a minority sect) realize
those physical laws are not for today. Many Christians do no
know, for they have never heard, that the strict Orthodox Jews
believe another Temple in Jerusalem cannot, should not, will not,
be built unto the MESSIAH comes in glory. It is He they say who
will again build the Temple. And without a Temple, there can
be no sacrificing by a priesthood. Exodus 35 to 40 and Leviticus
1 to 10 were for the Old Covenant. They are not for us today in
this present age. There are of course many other such passages as
those in other parts of the OT.
Yet what is not often understood are some of the laws that
were also part of the sacrificing system, needing that system to
complete the law. For us to live by every word of God we need to
see how this interlocking law worked, then we shall understand
how some laws in the OT are not for us to observe today.
Examples are often the best way to teach and make the point
stated easy and clear to comprehend. Hence I will use many
examples from here on out.
THE NAZARITE VOW
Numbers chapter 6. Please read from verse one to verse
twenty one. The first number of verses tell you what the man or
woman putting themselves under a Nazarite vow could NOT do. The
duration of this vow was voluntary. The individual set the length
of time.
Now notice what is written starting with verse thirteen.
When the days were FULFILLED, the length of time the
individual had allotted themselves to be under this vow was now
at an end. Did they just say, "O, well time is up, it's over,
back to normal again" and proceed to "get back to the norm"? No,
it was not to be done that way. It was not at all to be that
simple. It was quite an elaborate ceremony that the person had
to go through, and notice what and who it involved.
It involved, set in stone, no buts or maybe or perhaps about
it. To sign off from this vow involved physical sacrifices, the
priesthood and the temple!
This law of the Nazarite was absolutely TWO FOLD - a
beginning part with of course its duration to the end and the
rules for that part of the vow, and an ending part with the rules
for that section of the vow. BOTH parts were a MUST! That was
the law of the Nazarite vow. It took both parts to make the law.
Now AFTER 70 A.D. with the end of the Temple, the Levite
priesthood, and physical sacrificing, the Nazarite vow - that law
- ALSO CAME TO AN END! It is today IMPOSSIBLE to observe that
law, as there is no Temple in Jerusalem with a priesthood
performing animal sacrifices. Today, at this present time, you
cannot observe the nazarite vow even if you wanted to!
Oh, you could take the principles I guess of the vow, and
dedicate yourself for a time to serving the Lord in some special
way, but the specific law of the Nazarite vow as laid out in the
book of Moses IS NOT FOR US TODAY!
So living by every word of God for the Christian during this
present age DOES NOT include the Nazarite vow.
TEMPLE PURIFICATION SACRIFICE LAWS
Lev.12. As we read through the whole Bible it becomes very
plain that God is PERFECTLY PURE HOLINESS - RIGHTEOUS AND
SINLESS. With ancient Israel the Eternal was dealing with a
people that were in the main, CARNAL, without the Spirit of
God leading, guiding and helping them. The Lord had not chosen to
give them all, His Spirit(see Numbers 11). He did decide to have
them build a Tabernacle, as the book of Hebrews tells us, like as
to the one in heaven. God would come and live among Israel
WITHIN that Temple or Tabernacle of congregation.
There are certain functions of the human body that although
created by the Eternal, and so in that sense perfect and holy on
a physical level, are regarded even by humans as physically
unclean to be openly displaying them in a public manner to all
and everyone around us. The process of human elimination is such
that we keep those functions private in the main. A woman flowing
during her monthly period is another bodily function that is kept
private as much as possible from others. It is natural, it was
created by God, it is pure in that sense but it is unclean and
impure from a certain physical point of view.
When our pet dog is in heat, it is natural, it is the way
the Lord made dogs, it is pure from that point, but nevertheless
when our dog is in heat we do not want it jumping up on to our
lovely new chesterfield, for it is unclean from a certain
physical viewpoint.
The Lord in dealing with a majority of carnal people in
Israel, within the context of a Tabernacle that He would dwell
within, and that they as a physical sinfilled people would come
before to worship Him, took some physical functions of the body
to teach them PURITY AND HOLINESS from IMPURITY. Leviticus 12 is
one example - the purification of the woman after childbirth.
Such a function by the body was created by God, so perfectly pure
from that view, but from a human perspective, such cleansing is
impure and must be looked after with care and privacy. I think we
all understand there are certain things of the human body we do
not want deposited just anywhere.
Such a law as Lev.12 was to teach a carnal people lessons of
holiness by using physical carnal functions of the body. Certain
laws like this kept people(and there were ones for men also) from
entering the Tabernacle of Holiness, where the Holy perfect God
was dwelling at times.
Such laws were very much tied up with the physical
Tabernacle, and with physical sacrifices, for after the
fulfilment of the required stipulations of the law, there was the
required animal sacrifice.
These kind of laws were great teaching tools for holiness,
no uncleanness(from a human perspective) was allowed in the
presence of a Holy God. For a carnal minded people these laws
would constantly remind them that they could not approach the
Eternal while unclean, even while physically unclean. It would
serve a purpose in also teaching a deeper lesson, namely, that
they should be mentally and of heart, humble and clean of
attitude when approaching the throne of God.
As the Temple, Levite priesthood and animal sacrifices are
no longer, together with the New Covenant fact that God today
lives within each member of the body of Christ via the Holy
Spirit, the Christian is not under obligation to live by these
particular laws in this age.
3. NATIONAL LAWS
CITIES OF REFUGE
Numbers 35:9-28. Six cities were chosen for the
administration of the law of MANSLAUGHTER in Israel of old. This
law shows us the importance that the Eternal places upon human
life. We may think it rather severe, but it certainly taught
Israel the value of human life and the value of being VERY
CAREFUL at all times, so we are responsible persons in how we
live in relation to the lives of others.
This law was a NATIONAL law. It was part of the written
constitution of the government of the nation of Israel. One of
the laws of the land. A part of the court system of the land.
Now stop and think! Putting this kind of a law into the
context of an individual Christian living today, what are you
going to come up with, for obeying it? Why, for an individual
Christian, even for a local church congregation, IT IS NOT
POSSIBLE TO OBSERVE THIS LAW!!
Try, next time you see someone in a car kill another person
on the road, going over to them, or meeting them in court, and
telling them to go live in a certain town until the President
dies. Try telling the relatives of the one who died that if the
person responsible for the death of their loved one steps out of
the city limits, they can kill them, and see what the courts and
police of our land have to say to you.
I think you get the point. A single Christian or church
organization CANNOT put this law into effect.
It is a NATIONAL LAW! Only the NATION can establish and
enforce such a law today, or any day. This kind of law in the
word of God cannot be established or obeyed by the individual
child of God. Not even the church of God can establish and obey
such a law as this one. It was given by God to a NATION, to be
part of its constitution and laws of the supreme court of the
land.
LAND SABBATH LAWS
Lev.25. This was also given to Israel as to be part of their
NATIONAL constitutional laws. They were laws that ALL had to
obey. Everyone in the agriculture business was obligated to
observe these laws. Such laws were tied up with other laws of the
nation, note verse 10. God would bless the nation in a miraculous
way, see verses 20,21.
The individual Christian today could not possibly enforce
these laws upon the nation they live under.
Certain principles can be taken from these laws and applied
by the farming Christian in our lands. Resting the land is good
farming practice. Many farmers out west still rest a section of
their land each year, one section one year, another section
another year, and so on till all land has had a rest.
But the specific land rest laws as written in the books of
Moses, were for the NATION of Israel. They were national laws,
and not intended to be applied today by individual NT Christians.
4. HISTORICAL/NATIONAL/CULTURAL LAWS
MARRIAGE TO BROTHER'S WIFE UPON HIS DEATH
This is somewhat like the above law but with some
differences. Please turn to Deut.25 and read verses five to ten.
A man dies without leaving any children. His wife is now a
widow. The dead man has a brother who under this law was to marry
his brother's wife and raise up children, the firstborn taking
the name of the dead brother, so this brother's name would
continue in Israel(verses 5,6).
There was a provision by which the brother could refuse to
take this widow to be his wife(verses 7-10). Probably the most
famous example of this taking place is in the book of RUTH, and
how Boaz married Ruth.
This was a NATIONAL law of the land, a part of the
constitution. It was on the books of the land for all people who
found themselves in that particular situation. If you today as
an individual Christian would try to enforce that law, even in
your own family, well I think you know how far you would get.
Most of the time not very far at all, unless the other parties
were all in agreement. It is not a law that individual Christians
need concern themselves with. It was for a nation who had that
law as part of their national court statutes.
It was probably a law that back in that HISTORICAL period,
and that CULTURE of time, was not unusual, certainly not thought
about as unusual as we in our culture of North America think it
is today. The whole culture of marriage back in that period of
history was in many way quite different than our culture of
marriage. Parents were much more involved in arranging marriages
for their children. You had the "dowry" practice in marriage and
many other customs that we today in Britain and the USA think
rather strange and even odd. But for them at that time and in
their culture, such practices were thought of as quite normal.
So this law instituted by the Lord in Israel was probably
accepted without a second thought. Israel was a young nation.
People were much more conscious about family trees and continuing
family names back then, than we are today. It would seem that at
this time in history even God was more concerned with this fact
than He is today for the nations of Israel.
It was a way of preserving the people of Israel, and
inheritances in families. A way of keeping certain things moulded
together in a close knit nation with many laws that jig- sawed
together to produce the whole under God.
Today such laws are not needed in our nations as they were
under the economy of ancient Israel.
Then again, it is a law for the nation, NOT FOR INDIVIDUAL
CHRISTIANS to enforce or try to obey.
CORNERS OF THE HARVEST FOR THE POOR
You can read about another law that would fall under this
category in Leviticus 19:9,10; Deut.24:19-22. God instituted in
Israel under the OC a law for the POOR of the land. It was then
an HISTORICAL NATIONAL law. It was part of their constitutional
laws of the whole land. When they harvested they were to leave
SOME for the poor to gather and eat thereof. They were not to
pick every single grape on the vine, or every fig on the
tree.
It was a CULTURAL law also, because they were a farming
community in the main. So it was to be a part of their
work-a-world culture. It was to be national culture practice, as
a way of life in Israel. Everyone would be raised with this law,
it was known by all in the nation, it was a national way of life.
Now you put yourself as an individual Christian today, doing
the same thing. The grain farmer leaves the corners of his field
unharvested for the poor to glean. Well first of all, the poor
would not know about what they could come and glean unless a sign
was posted. And some have indeed done that very thing. But today
when it comes to GRAIN, say wheat, most poor would not bother to
go to all the trouble of gleaning and grinding and baking, as
they can obtain welfare and buy their baked products from the
supermarket. Some poor may come to pick fruit left on the trees,
but by and large, it just is not the cultural thing to do anymore
for most people in our modern city life.
This particular law as outlined in the above verses, would
at best be a judgment call on the part of the individual
Christian produce farmer, to obey in the letter or not. Certainly
it could be obeyed, and would not be wrong to obey by such a
Christian, if he thought he could make it work as it was intended
to work for the culture of ancient Israel. In some areas of some
countries it could well work just fine. The other way is to take
the PRINCIPLE of this national culture law and apply the spirit
of it, which says, the POOR of the land should be helped if you
are in the position of being able to help them. This was
certainly upheld by the church of God in the days of the apostles
- see Gal.2:9,10.
TITHE FOR THE POOR
Deuteronomy 14:28,29. Whatever you want to say about this
tithe, one thing is clear, we are talking about a tithe and it
was for certain people WHO NEEDED some extra help, and it was
EATING. So it would correspond today to our FOOD STAMPS or
FOOD BANKS for the needy and the poor.
It was ancient Israel's WELFARE PROGRAM in the main. It was
a NATIONAL CULTURAL law of the land.
Yes, certainly individual Christians could follow this law
if they so chose. There is nothing preventing them to so learn
how the Jews understood and practiced this law and observe it
themselves, giving help in a physical way to the needy.
But the main point I want you to see is that this was a
national historic law that was given to Israel in the time of
Moses to be the basic welfare law of the land. It was part of the
constitutional laws of the country. Today our nations of the
West have taken the spirit of that law and are fulfilling it
through the welfare programs we have established as our national
laws. We all through our taxes help fund this poor tithe law.
Some have estimated that the tax payers contribute more than a
tenth or tithe to maintain this help to the needy and poor.
Certainly the Church of God should not be trying to impose
this law upon its members for the law is already in place as
instituted by our governments. On the other hand the NT does
tell Christians to serve and help their brothers and sisters in
Christ in literal and practical ways as needed.
5. CULTURAL CARNALITY
LAW OF THE FIRSTBORN FOR TWO WIVES
Deut.21:15-17. Here we see a law regarding a man with more
than one wife, commonly called Polygamy. It is not the place or
the time to discuss the subject of Polygamy. I do have an article
covering that subject for those interested in the topic as
to what the word of the Lord teaches on the matter. But I will
say that from the BEGINNING(as Jesus often said) it is clear that
God intended a ONE man ONE wife at ONE time marriage bond. That
was God's IDEAL for men and women. The Lord could have created a
few women out of a few ribs from Adam if He thought the ideal for
marriage was a man with more than one wife. But that was NOT the
case. The ideal for the King over Israel was that he should not
multiply wives to himself (Deut.17:17).
The fact is that the Eternal was dealing mainly with a
CARNAL group of people. A nation of persons that for the
MAJORITY, DID NOT HAVE the Spirit of God with them. Only a
selected few were given the Spirit, see Numbers 11, and
especially verse 29.
You will remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees in
Matthew 19 concerning DIVORCE, and as to why Moses allowed it for
many reasons. Jesus said that from the BEGINNING it was not so,
but because of the carnality of the heart, divorce for just about
any reason was allowed. It was not God's IDEAL, it was ALLOWED
because of the hardness of their hearts.
So with having more than one wife. It was not so from the
beginning, it was not God's ideal, it was because of their carnal
heart, ALLOWED!
By this time in history, way before for that matter, many
people of the earth, without the Spirit of the Lord, wanted more
than one wife. There is something in the carnal heart of the male
that for many, desires the beauty of more than one woman. Under
these circumstances God would allow the Israelite men to have
more than one wife. He would allow them to be like many other
cultural carnal people around them, at least in this respect. BUT
in allowing this cultural carnality of more than one wife, He
would set down certain laws to regulate certain aspect of this
practice.
God knew that under this marriage there would be other
aspects of carnality also shown, one being the fact that
favoritism to one wife above another wife would manifest
itself in various ways. The carnal mind in such a situation
probably would love one wife more than another wife, and the
children of the one loved the most would get special favors, and
treatments.
The firstborn son was to be acknowledged as the firstborn
for inheritance purposes, even if he was born of the wife that
was not loved as much as another wife.
Under the Old Covenant DIVORCE for all kinds of reasons was
ALLOWED. Under the Old, more than one wife at one time was
ALLOWED. It was never God's IDEAL, it was not so from the
beginning. The New Covenant, the Spirit poured out into all true
Christians, such allowances and liberties are brought back to a
more original ideal. Jesus did give some circumstances for
divorce, but having more than one wife at one time, it not
allowed under the NT church age.
PLEDGE TAKING
Deut.24:10-13. Reading this in the KJV may seem hard to
understand. You take a pledge from someone, out of his house.
Something that is your pledge that what you have lent to him will
be returned. But you are not to keep his pledge overnight. You
are to deliver this pledge back to him for the night, so he can
sleep in his own raiment.
The Bible Commentaries will explain all this. It was the
CULTURAL practice back in those days, that if you were to borrow
something from your neighbor, for two or more days, you would
give them something important to your comfort, as a pledge that
what you were borrowing would be returned to them. Something like
what we call a SECURITY DEPOSIT today in our culture. I am a
landlord, and when a tenant moves in to one of our apartments we
take a security deposit of a certain amount of money that they
get back when they move out and have left the apartment in as
good a shape as when they moved in.
Back in the days of ancient Israel, it was a cultural
practice that if you borrowed something from a neighbor, and you
were poor, the most important thing you could give him for a
pledge was your BED ROLE, what you slept in. The carnal mind was
such that the lender would probably say: "you'll get this back
when you return to me what you have borrowed." God knowing the
workings of the carnal mind, said it would not be so, but the
lender would each night return the bed clothes to the borrower.
This would be the righteous way to transact such
lending/borrowing arrangements.
This cultural practice is pretty well none existent in North
America today. So this specific law in the book of Moses,
Christians would not be under as expected to obey. Now our
culture may employ other types of practices for lending and
borrowing, but this one here in Deuteronomy may never be applied
at any time in the Christians life. If our culture never uses
this specific pledge law then God does not expect the Christian
to observe it.
MARRIAGE - DIVORCE
Deut.24:1-5. I have already alluded to the subject of
divorce under the Old Covenant. Because of the hardness of the
hearts of the carnal people of Israel, God ALLOWED under the laws
of Moses, for divorce on a wide and broad spectrum. In so doing
though, not to make marriage a travesty and a laugh, as it would
ultimately become through cultural carnality taking its course,
God did set a few laws within that law, as can be seen from this
passage before us.
When a man took a wife he was not to go out to war nor enter
any business, but to have a whole year with his wife at home.
Wow! A year long honey-moon ! Well the culture of the day
could allow for such things back then. And as carnal people who
did not have the Spirit of God, it was probably needed if the
marriage was to last, for God had already allowed for divorce on
a wider scale than before because of their hard heartedness. So
having a year long honey-moon may have strengthened the marriage
so cultural carnality of divorce would be less prominent.
Not only do we live in a culture and society today that
makes it just about impossible for the average man to take a year
off work to be with his new wife, but under the New Covenant
Spirit this section of scripture is NOT to be applied by the
Christian. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 19 and other passages
that what was ALLOWED under Moses, is not allowed under the New
Covenant, but only in certain exceptions.
Many of the old cultural carnality laws in the books of
Moses the Christian today will not live by. They were for THAT
culture which was basically carnal, unconverted, and devoid of
the Spirit of the Lord in their minds and hearts.
SLAVERY LAWS - THE BUYING AND SELLING OF PERSONS
There is not one scripture in the word of God that tells us
the Eternal called such practices as RIGHTEOUS, HOLINESS, or
JUST. The practice of slavery probably goes back not far from
the beginning of the human race. Certainly when some of the
large empires came on the scene after the scattering of the
people from the tower of Babel, slavery and the buying and
selling of persons was not far behind.
In the books of Moses we find God simply addresses this
issue with certain laws to regulate, and give some kind of human
benevolence to what is really a cultural carnal practice. He
never states He approves of it. Obviously He ALLOWED it in
Israel just as He allowed many other things because of the
hardness of their hearts. If I may be allowed to indulge in some
paraphrasing of what God was saying to Israel, I think it was
something like: "I realize you are a people that are carnally
minded, that I have not given My Spirit to except for a few. I
realize you will WANT to, and WILL practice in your life some of
the ways of the nations around you. One of those ways will be
the practice of slavery and the buying and selling of persons. I
shall ALLOW you to be so carnally minded and to practice this
cultural way of life, but in ALLOWING it, I will impose certain
rules and regulations that will give this practice at least some
compassion and benignity."
The laws God gave to Israel regulating the buying and
selling of persons, were instituted for a people that wanted to
practice this cultural carnality way of life. Certainly the
individual Christian or the Christian community today is under no
obligation to practice and live by these laws. In fact the NT
Christian community will not live by such laws, for they were
only ALLOWED to be practiced by God, by a carnal people, because
of the hardness of their hearts. The Christian has a new heart,
moulded and shaped by the Holy Spirit, and wherein such cultural
carnal laws cannot be rooted or formed.
To be continued
Living by Every Word of God...How?Part Two6. PHYSICAL LAWS
There are many physical laws stipulated in the books of
Moses. Some as we have already seen were directly connected to
the Tabernacle/Temple worship together with animal sacrifices to
be offered upon being completed. I have talked about such laws as
the physical cleansing of a woman after childbirth.
Yet there are other physical laws different from those
physical laws, some of which have no connection with the Temple
or animal sacrifices. Such laws would be the CLEAN and UNCLEAN
food laws of Lev.11 and Deut.14. Please read these sections of
Scripture. Note how God is emphasizing HOLINESS, Israel was to
be HOLY as God was HOLY, even in matters of DIET!
You will notice there is NOTHING in these passages of
scripture to say these laws were tied to the priesthood,
tabernacle, or sacrificing of animals.
Then as you read all of the word of the Lord you will find
the CLEAN and UNCLEAN creatures existed in the days of NOAH, way
BEFORE Moses and the giving of the Old Covenant to Israel.
Also the New Testament must be considered, and this is where
CARE must be taken and HONESTY, for some passages in the NT have
been taken to say these food laws were merely ceremonial and not
creationally designed to be GOOD or NOT GOOD for the human body
to eat. It is a very true saying: "You are what you eat." We are
made of atoms and molecules that must be replenished by the atoms
and molecules of the food we eat. The human body was created in
such a way that to feed it and try to live on a diet of wood and
grass.....well we would soon be six feet under the wood and
grass, turning back to dust.
There are certain PLANTS that if eaten would do two things,
either make us sick in a literal way, or KILL us!
So knowing those facts of this physical life, should it be
thought a STRANGE thing that the Eternal would have laws
concerning DIET that if obeyed would produce HEALTH and if
disobeyed would produce a body not as healthy as it should and
could be.
Once more, it is not the purpose nor the place to expound
all the truth of this subject and the truth of some verses in the
NT that are often given to teach that the food laws of the books
of Moses are "done away." Needless to say, that is NOT the case.
The laws regarding DIET in the Old Testament are VERY MUCH for
the Christian today, and they are laws that the child of God
would do well to HEED and OBEY!
As we are to live by every word of God, that would include
the PROPHETIC word also. There is a prophecy in the book of
Isaiah chapter 66 that is an END TIME prophecy, concerning the
coming of the Lord with FIRE and POWER to plead with all nations.
It is more than interesting to note that God is at this time
still upholding His food laws, and those rebelling against them
He will deal with in no uncertain way.
There are physical laws as in Lev.13,14, that although they
had some connection with the priest and sacrifice, upon
examining them, and many Christian man and woman in the medical
skill have done so, can hardly be said to be JUST ceremonial in
nature and so worthless for the Christian today under the New
Covenant. Surely the world HAS and is STILL experiencing the
terrible penalties in sickness and death, for not giving more
heed to some of the aspects of these laws. Certain aspects as
COMMON SENSE, but often common sense is not learned until after
the pain and penalty has been experienced.
We have the law of QUARANTINE expressed in such laws, which is as
the world knows VERY WELL, a MUST in the air borne disease of TB.
There is the health law of SANITATION also unfolded in such laws.
The men in the ARMIES of Israel were to carry a little spade
with them on their exploits, you know to dig a hole in the ground
to deposit the result of a bodily function.
Sanitation is EXTREMELY important to health and the well-being of
any people. Such laws are not dependant upon a priesthood, a
Temple, or animal sacrifices. They work and are in force and
effect even when the ones just mentioned are not. Any people
finding themselves in a situation(say after an earthquake) where
sanitation becomes a large problem, soon know the dire results
with the outbreak of diseases that are in the main the result of
poor or no sanitation. There is another old saying that goes:
"Cleanliness is next to godliness." And when it comes to the
physical, it is true, for the Eternal God knows what is good for
the human body to maintain it free from disease, sickness, and in
keep it in tip-top healthy shape.
Many aspects and certainly the PRINCIPLES of these physical
laws are for Christians, individually and collectively, as well
as the nations of the earth, to LOOK INTO and OBEY today! In so
doing much sickness in the world could be avoided.
7. NEW TESTAMENT DIRECT ALTERATION
VOWS, OATHS, SWEARING
Numbers 3; Deut.23:21-23. Oaths and Vows were laws under
the Old Covenant, they were ALLOWED and permitted. There were
rules and regulations regarding those laws.
One of the important points to remember and to apply in
governing your life by trying to live by every word of God is:
Does the NT have a DIRECT ALTERATION to any of the Old Covenant
laws of Moses or even before Moses for that matter?
We must read all the word of God to learn how to live by all
the word of God. So it is important we read the NT to see if
there are any passages that clearly ALTER a law found in the Old
Testament.
When it comes to the law of OATHS and VOWS for the Christian
TODAY under the New Covenant, we do INDEED find verses in the NT
that DIRECTLY ALTER those laws. Such laws are NOT to be followed
or obeyed or lived by today for the Christian!
Matthew 5:33-37, " Again, you have heard that it has been
said by them of OLD TIME, You shall not foreswear yourself, but
shall perform unto the Lord your OATHS. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, SWEAR
NOT AT ALL; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the
earth, for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is
the city of the great King. Neither shall you SWEAR by your head,
because you cannot make one hair white or black. BUT LET YOUR
COMMUNICATION BE, YES, or NO: for whatsoever is more than these
comes of evil."
Now that is pretty straightforward, little to interpret
here. Jesus DIRECTLY ALTERED the laws concerning Oaths and Vows
and Swearing as under the Old Covenant, for the Christian under
the New Covenant. The Christian today is NOT to enter into any
OATHS, VOWS, or SWEARING !
James 5:12, " but above all things, brethren, SWEAR NOT,
neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by ANY OATH: but
let your yes be yes, and your no be no, lest you fall into
condemnation."
The laws of our land(at least in Britain, Canada, and the
USA) allow for you as a Christian to AFFIRM and not to have to
swear on the Bible. I hope most of you know that fact. If you
find yourself in court for any reason, and you are asked to put
one hand on the Bible and raise the other while you swear to tell
the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, YOU DO NOT
HAVE TO COMPLY! You can tell them that as a Christian you will
AFFIRM. And you do not have to put a hand on the Bible to do that
either.
A number of years ago, I was in court. The lady came forward
with a Bible to do what she had probably done thousands of times
before. This was in a small town, where obviously she had never
encountered someone who would not swear on the Bible to tell
the truth. I said to her that I did not do such a thing, but
would be quite willing to AFFIRM as a Christian that I would tell
the truth. She blinked, her mind no doubt going blank, and
repeated what she wanted me to do, that is swear on the Bible. I
once again, told her I would affirm to tell the truth. This time
she not only blinked again, but stuttered, paused and stuttered,
only to repeat she wanted me to swear on the Bible.
It was obvious by now to me that this poor lady that was
turning red with embarrassment in front of the Judge, did not
know there was a provision in the laws of the land that
Christians did not have to swear on the Bible in courts of law
but could affirm to tell the truth. As she is telling me for the
third time to swear on the Bible and looking over at the Judge at
the same time, the Judge knowing what I'm going to say, finally
stepped in to tell her that I did not have to swear on the Bible
but could affirm to tell the truth. He took over for her and
asked me to affirm, which I readily did.
I once had a Judge ask me where in the Bible did it say we
are not to swear. He knew the law of the land that I as a
Christian did not have to swear on the Bible but could affirm to
tell the truth, yet maybe he had never encountered it before, so
he politely asked me where he could find the no swearing verse. I
politely gave him the answer, and he seemed quite pleased to have
it.
The same holds true for legal documents. If at the end of
them you see SWORN on this day.....etc. all you need do is cross
out the word "sworn" and replace it with the word "affirmed." My
wife and I have had to do this a number of times in our life when
dealing with legal documents.
It can be quite a WITNESS to the world at times when as a
Christian we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of
God.
PHYSICAL CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:28,29. "For he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one INWARDLY; and circumcision
is that OF THE HEART, in the SPIRIT, and not in the letter, whose
praise is not of men, but of God."
1 Corinthians 7:19, "Circumcision is NOTHING, and
Uncircumcision is NOTHING, but(what is important) the keeping of
the commandments of God."
Galatians 5:6, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision
avails any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by
love."
The Jerusalem conference of Acts 15 led to the official
presentation of the truth that was already being taught by Paul
and others, that physical circumcision was NOT required to be
saved.
What we see in the above NT scriptures is BOTH an ALTERATION
and even a "done away with" law concerning physical circumcision.
True NT circumcision for the Christian was not in the flesh
but in the HEART. It was a SPIRITUAL matter, not something
physical. There was in that sense an ALTERATION from the flesh
to the spirit. Made very CLEAR by the words of the NT.
Then going even beyond that, the above words in 1 Cor.7:19 make
it plain that physical circumcision EITHER WAY, doing it or not
doing it, IS NOTHING today!!
Now, I will probably get some flack from some who want to
uphold physical circumcision as a "good" thing health wise. Such
can argue all they like, but Paul made it very clear that
physical circumcision is NOTHING! Look, when was circumcision
introduced by God? Was it from the beginning? Was it with Adam?
No! It was with ABRAHAM! A number of thousands of years had
gone by from the beginning and MEN DID NOT PRACTICE CIRCUMCISION.
We have no record as coming from God that any were to so
practice.
If the nations before Abraham were obeying all of God's
health laws, then there would have been health WITHOUT
circumcision. God did not make the male, He did not create the
male CIRCUMCISED! For thousands of years before Abraham males
got along just fine without circumcision thank you, so did
Abraham himself before God introduced it to him, and ordered it,
for him and his seed.
My mother did not believe in circumcision, so guess what.
Yes you've got it. Oh, it takes a little more work on the part
of parents to teach certain cleanliness habits to uncircumcised
males as they grow from small children to adults, and a few other
things we shall not go into here, but you can read about them in
the clinical sex books on the market. Health wise I stand as one
to prove that the words of Paul are very true. Circumcision is
nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing.
The old law of physical circumcision is ALTERED and even
"done away with" as for Christians under the New Covenant to have
to observe. So it is written in the New Testament.
8. EXAMPLES AND/OR COMMANDS OF THE NT
ATTENDANCE AT SABBATH SERVICES
Luke 4:16; Acts 17:2. What we would call today "going to
church on the Sabbath" is given to follow by the Christian today
from EXAMPLES in the NT. We can certainly see that Jesus made it
a custom to attend "church" services, as we read through the
Gospel accounts.
So also the apostle Paul as we follow his journeys in the
book of Acts. And we have a more direct command from Paul as
found in Hebrews 10:24-25, which with the above would include
assembling on the Sabbath if possible.
Jesus observed the Festivals of God, the ones He gave to
Israel in Leviticus 23. This can be seen again from reading the
Gospels. Paul and the apostles likewise in the book of Acts (Acts
2:1; 18:21; 20:6,16). There may not be any direct command in the
NT that says, "You shall observe the feasts of Leviticus the
twenty-third chapter." But there is NO verse(although some try
to use a few) in the NT that says, "The feasts of Leviticus
23 are now under the New Covenant, not to be observed." When
EXAMPLES by Christ and Paul are given to show they continued to
observe these feasts under the NC, then those examples, WHEN
other things are "all weighed together" to prove the point fully,
do portray a picture that should be followed by the Christian of
the NT age.
REMEMBER THE LORD'S DEATH WITH BREAD AND WINE
Matthew 26:17-29; 1 Corinthians 11:20-28. Here we see both
example and command. Jesus ALTERED the NT Passover service from
a festive meal of roast lamb to the relative simple symbols of
bread and the cup(the fruit of the vine). Paul also was inspired
to say that people were to "examine themselves" and then to eat
those symbols.
ANGRY WITH YOUR BROTHER AND LUST IN THE MIND
Matthew 5:21-30. Under the Old Covenant certain laws were in
effect that were quite letter of the law specific. One was
MURDER, another was ADULTERY. Jesus comes along under the NC and
with direct command goes one step further with those laws. He
goes to the heart and spirit of those laws. He teaches that now
to have a wrong attitude and mind and heart within such laws
against your neighbor or the spouse of your neighbor, was just as
guilty as if they had committed the literal act itself.
John was also inspired to give instruction on the "spirit"
of the NT law command. He that did not love his neighbor, or
hated his neighbor was a murderer, and no eternal life was in him
(1 John 3:14,15).
RETURNING GOOD FOR EVIL
Matthew 5:38-41. In some situations we are under the NT commands
NOT to seek rightful justice. There will come times when others
may do things to us that could warrant justice on our part to be
persuasively sort for. Sometimes such temptation for revenge
and justice must not only be passed over, but doing good from us
to our enemy must come forth. This is not to say a Christian is a
"door-mat" for everyone to wipe their dirty boots on. Paul did
appeal to the Roman Authorities at times when the religious Jews
wanted to wipe their muddy shoes on him, as we see from the book
of Acts. Yet there were times when Paul and Peter and other
servants of the Lord, endured evil from men and returned good.
The situation, circumstance and the Holy Spirit, will lead and
guide you to know when justice on your part needs to be put to
one side and simple goodness returned to those who may have done
you wrong.
COMMANDED TO SERVE WHEN IT IS POSSIBLE
1 John 3:16-19. The very context of these verses show that
John did not have in mind the literal giving of your life for a
brother/sister, although some have indeed done that very thing.
The NT command is not that we just love in WORD, and in some
inner mental mind set, but if we see our brother with a physical
need and we HAVE the physical goods, whatever they be, to help
them in their need, WE MUST DO SO! If we do not John can hardly
envision that person having the love of God in them. It would
just not be the way the love of God flowing into and out of a
person would practice his Christian life.
Of course the "good Samaritan" parable given by Jesus is the
capstone to serving others when it is possible for you to do so.
That parable was both an example and a command for the child of
God to follow in this age.
9. THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
Acts 6. This is really the NT category of Deut.17 I talked
about in the first part of this study. It allows for the leading
and directing and inspiring by the Holy Spirit within the
community of God, to make judgments for the betterment of the
whole body, or the body of a local congregation or groupings of
congregations, depending on the circumstances of the time and the
needs of the people. It may also apply on a more individual
basis where hard matters are an issue and certain judgments must
be handed out.
The example of Acts 6 and the choosing of seven by the
church and apostles to wait on tables, or to be more specific in
this situation, serve the widows with daily needs, to administer
physical necessities to them as the need arose. This judgment to
so organize had no SPECIFIC law as such from the books of Moses.
You will find in Acts 6 the apostles did not quote a book,
chapter, and verse of the OT to specifically authorize them
to make this judgment. Maybe it could be argued there are
PRINCIPLES in the OT to cover the establishment of "servers" or
"deacons." But none are given or alluded to by the apostles.
Then on the other hand, and this is an important hand, there are
no scriptures in the OT to oppose this judgment decision either.
What is one of the most important factors here, probably THE
most important factor of all? It is this: The working decision
of the judgment MUST NOT contradict the teachings of God that are
still in effect for the individual and collective Christian
community to observe. Let me give you an example as to what I
mean.
The church, be it a local or a grouping of churches, its
ministers or its whole membership, cannot, because of a situation
say concerning travel, decide to hold the feast of Tabernacles in
the 6th month instead of the 7th month. They cannot sit down and
say, "Well for our members the way most are with their jobs, it
would be better to have the fall Festivals in the 6th month."
Such a judgment would directly break an iron clad law of God that
the fall Festivals are to be in the 7th month.
Any so called "leading by the Spirit" over such matters
should send bells ringing off in a Christian's mind, if any group
of persons made a judgment as I've outlined above. The obvious
question would be WHOSE spirit is such a judgment coming from? If
it is not from God, then we are left with only one other possible
answer.
Acts 6 was breaking NO command, law, statute, precept, of
God. Certain situations in any given age will arise for any given
congregation of God's people, that were not there before, and a
judgment must then be rendered if it is of sufficient importance.
Today, we could possibly use an example of a church
congregation having a media outreach of the printed word. A
church that has the funds to produce a magazine, booklets and the
like, to send near and far, maybe around the world. We have
nothing in the OT or the NT on the matter in any specific way. To
do such an undertaking requires manpower and skilled leadership
over different departments of that manpower. The church with the
final blessing of the ministers(Acts 6 principle) may be involved
in the choosing of the skilled leaders over this publication
outreach. There is no establishment and example and law of this
publication work found in the Bible, but on the other hand it is
not AGAINST any law or commandment in the Bible either.
The Spirit leading in the church and body of Christ will
guide into the right judgments on such new specifics for a new
situation and age in the life of the people of God.
This must also be applied at times on a personal individual
basis for a minister or group of ministers. Another example will
explain.
Back in the 80's when I was in Ontario, near the city of
Toronto, a young man in the congregation came to me for help and
for counsel. He told me he was homosexual. I talked to him for a
number of hours that day. He wanted to know what God's stand was
on homosexuality. At the end of it all he said he understood. I
told him the thing that God hates the most is someone who
PRACTICES homosexuality. For we all have our different sins of
the mind we must root out and clean out, and fight against. Some
weeks went by and then he came to me again to talk more about the
same subject. This time he told me other things he did not tell
me the first time. He had and was still visiting with and
spending time with other homosexuals who were practicing this
sin. Then he told me he was thinking about moving into the city
of Toronto. Well for you that do not know, and think Canada is
lily white when it comes to sin as compared to the USA, this will
shock you. The city of Toronto has the SECOND largest homosexual
community in North America, next to San Francisco.
He still seemed like he wanted help from me to overcome
homosexuality and wanted me to tell him what he should do.
I told him I would tell him what he should NOT DO. I told
him that if he was to stand any chance of overcoming this sin, of
never practicing it, he had to GIVE UP his homosexual friends,
get away from them, put them out of his life. Then I told him
that if he moved into the city of Toronto to live, it would be
the end of his life in the church and walk with God.
Now to give that judgment, about not moving into Toronto to
live, I could not quote any Bible verse that said: "No Christian
having problems with homosexuality shall live in Toronto." On
the other hand there was no scripture that said I could not
render such a judgment if everything pointed to that being the
best judgment under his circumstance. I had to act as given in
Deut.17 and this category we are looking at here of the leading
of the Holy Spirit under the NT age.
I had to see the overall teaching of the word of God on this
matter, understand the present situation of the area we lived in,
the facts of the city of Toronto, the facts that this young man
was too close to this sin for comfort at the present, and render
my judgment. I am sorry to tell you, he did not listen to me. He
did move into Toronto to live, would not give up his homosexual
friends, and our church congregation never saw him again.
The Spirit of the Lord must be allowed to LEAD, to TEACH, to
render JUDGMENTS where such judgments may never have been
rendered before in quite that manner for that situation of the
time. But remember the Spirit of God will NEVER contradict the
words of the Eternal that we are still to apply and live by as
Christians today.
10. NOT EFFECTED BY ANY OF THE ABOVE
As we use the above 9 categories to help us determine HOW we
are to live by every word of God, we also need to remember that
there are some things that are NOT effected by ANY of those
overall categories.
Let's take the example of FASTING, say on the Day of
Atonement. It is not governed by SACRIFICIAL laws, or by NATIONAL
laws, for you as a individual can fast without it being a law of
the nation. It has nothing directly to do with HISTORICAL
National laws as far as you personally being able to fast on the
festival of Atonement. It has nothing to do with CULTURAL
CARNALITY laws. You do not have to live in a certain culture to
decide to fast on this or any other day of the year. There is no
NT DIRECT ALTERATION to do with fasting per se. In fact we find
NT statements like as when Jesus said, "WHEN you fast" not IF
you fast. So EXAMPLES and COMMANDS under the NT would be used
for fasting.
The DAYS of the week or month, are not effected by any of
the above nine categories. SACRIFICING, having a Temple with a
priesthood, does not effect the days of the month as to whether
those days are there or not. When the Temple was not in existence
during the 70 year captivity of Judah in Babylon, the days of
the week did not end, they continued as ever before. Not
performing animal sacrifices on certain days or no days at all,
does not "do away" with the days themselves.
The months of a year are un-effected by any of the nine
categories above. There is no ALTERATION in the NT that would
tell us something like: "You shall from this point on begin the
first day of the year in the middle of summer." Living under a
nation that has its own National culture calendar does not effect
the calendar Moses and the leaders of Israel had. The one does
not have to effect the other in any foundational way. Two
calendars can co-exist alongside each other just fine, the Jews
have been doing it for centuries with the Hebrew and Roman
calendars.
The above TEN categories must be used with each other and
with WISDOM in logical ways. To jump the gun and say, "everything
I can find that has any connection with physical sacrifice, I
will take as not having to be observed today because animal
sacrificing does not have to be observed(and cannot be observed
as there is no Temple in Jerusalem)" will lead you to "doing
away" with not only every day of the week, but every day of the
month and year also, as animal sacrificing in ancient Israel was
to be performed on every day of the year. When the Jews were in
captivity for 70 years in Babylon and were not able to practice
daily animal sacrificing, they did not believe the days of the
year had ceased to exist and that time was no more.
The festivals of Leviticus 23 have the tabernacle,
priesthood and sacrifices attached to them. This does not by
itself and automatically mean that just because there is no
Temple, priesthood and sacrifices today, the festivals are thrown
out the window also. The Jews sure do not think this is the case,
not at all. The baby does not have to get thrown out with the
bath water. Care must be taken.
There may be PORTIONS of a law in the Old that has been
changed in the New, while leaving the rest. It could be one
aspect or portion of a law or two or more aspect of the law that
has been changed, while the foundation of the law remains.
Again I use the Festivals as an example.
Under the OC the Feasts of God were to be observed in a
central location in Israel, at the place where God placed His
name. At first it was in Shiloh, and later that place was in
Jerusalem. Jesus comes along under the NC and in John 4 tells the
woman at the well that the time was COMING and even NOW was, that
Jerusalem would no longer be the only place to worship God. There
was an ALTERATION to this ASPECT of the law. He did not say the
Festivals of God were "done away" only the specific aspect of a
central location in Israel to observe them and worship God
through them at this location WAS ALTERED under the NC. The basic
foundation of the festivals THEMSELVES would remain solid and
firm as before, but the portion of that law concerning a central
location in Palestine would become VOID and not applicable to NT
Christians.
We see from 1 Corinthians 5 that the Gentile/Jewish church
at Corinth were observing the feast of Unleavened Bread and
literally putting the literal leaven out of their homes during
this feast as was commanded under the OC. From this EXAMPLE in
the NT we are taught that THIS ASPECT of the festival law is
STILL to be followed by Christians today.
Now another aspect of the festival law must have JUDGMENT
applied to it. I refer to the aspect of observing the Feast of
Tabernacles in make-shift booths, made from the branches of trees
(see Lev.23:41-43; Nehemiah 8:14-18). As this was to be done in
a central location (after Shiloh it was Jerusalem) in Palestine,
during the 7th month (our Sept./Oct) and as it was very pleasant
in the main at this time of the year in Jerusalem, it was no big
hardship for anyone, young or old. Now under the NC age we have
first of all the aspect of a central location in Palestine NOT IN
EFFECT, and secondly a WORLDWIDE membership of God's people
called and chosen from EVERY NATION, far and near, east and west,
north and south. WITHOUT ANY LIMITATION as to land surface. Do
you see what this means under our judgment here called for?
We have no SPECIFIC mention in the NT as to a judgment on
THIS aspect of the Festival law. Yet for TODAY one surely must
be made. God's people living in parts of the world where in
Sept./Oct. it would be very hard and severe weather to be out in
booths made from branches of trees, especially for the very young
and elderly, the Spirit of the law of the NT would I believe lead
to see that THIS aspect of the law of the feast of Tabernacles is
NOT in force today. Certainly if some in climates that favor
such booth dwelling for seven days WANT to experience tent living
during this feast, they have the liberty to so do. But I believe
the church of God has judged correctly for centuries now
that the aspect of Lev.23:41-42, and as followed in Nehemiah 8,
was for an OC people who dwelt in Palestine and were coming to a
central location in that land, and that Christians today are
under no obligation to observe that portion or aspect of that law
of the feast of Tabernacles.
The NT Spirit would have all persons, of every age, in every
land on earth, ENJOY and be BLESSED at the observance of the
feast of Tabernacles. Many young and old, and some inbetween,
living in some areas on this earth, would come to dread and very
much dislike the feast of Tabernacles, if they were absolutely
and only to observe it living in make-shift booths made from the
branches of trees. And God's festivals are to be a WONDERFUL
BLESSING for everyone everywhere, not an endurance trial.
I have given you the basic keys and points to use TOGETHER,
and the word "together" is of prime importance, for often it is a
combination of these categories that must come together to answer
the question of HOW do I live by every word that proceeds out of
the mouth of God.
Now you have them, keep them close at hand for reference.
Use them wisely as you prove all things and hold fast to that
which is good.
..............
Permission is given to copy, e-mail, web-site, print, and
distribute any article by Keith Hunt to others who are interested
in the word of the Lord.
Overcoming for NT Christians #1All about what we must overcome to be saved
by
Keith Hunt
On page two is the full reproduction of an article by Ralph
Orr that appeared in the May 17th, 1994 WORLDWIDE NEWS, published
by the Worldwide Church of God.
There is much to agree with in Mr.Orr's article. As I am not
in contact with him, have never spoken to him, have not written
to him, I only have his article to study and ascertain
the reasons behind his writing on this subject.
I can not look into his heart as God can. I do not want to
impute wrong motives when there may have been none.
The article was relatively short and it may have been written
to dispel the idea that Christian overcoming is NOT trying to
amass more "good" points (in the way of prayer, fasting, Bible
study, tithing, and the like) as opposed to "bad points" in order
to take our list to God and demand His favor and grace, so
earning our salvation by deeds or works of right doing.
Truly, if some think this is what is meant by OVERCOMING(mor
prayer, more fasting, more study, more giving of our money to the
Church or poor etc.) then as Ralph Orr has said:
"Can we ever be confident that eternal life is ours? Does there
come a day when we know our efforts have finally made us
acceptable to God? Is overcoming achieved by fasting? By
prayer? By hard and continual sacrifice? Is it by going through a
series of severe trials? Is it by living sinless for a time? How
many fasts, how many prayers, how many offerings does God
require? How many trials and tests, and how many sinless
commandment-keeping days must we live before God will give us
eternal life? How do we measure such a thing? Is it by
years in the Church? Does God keep us living long enough so we
have plenty of time to overcome all that is required? If so, does
that mean that those who have died after less than a year as a
Christian had less to overcome than those who died after decades
in the faith? We know we will go to our graves having tried to
keep the commandments perfectly, but still having fallen short.
Will our failure doom us? After all, isn't commandment keeping
required for eternal life? Isn't that what overcoming is all
about?"
The HEART of the truth of the matter is contained in Ralph
Orr's article, yet there are statements that could lead people to
a false understanding of this subject. So I will endeavor
to make the truth PLAIN.
Can you overcome enough for God?
by Ralph Orr
As Christians we want to do God's will. We wish to obey him, to
keep His commandments, to love God and fellow humans. Yet in our
honest moments we recognize how weak we are. Obeying God,
trusting God and living daily from a pure heart motivated only by
love, eludes us. Paul's words ring so true, for they are our
words: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this
body of death?" (Romans 7:24).
Then, too, those tough scriptures in Revelation cry out, "To him
who overcomes ..." They were written, a cynic might argue, to
taunt us, to frustrate us, because there is no hope that we will
ever attain the goal. "To him who overcomes, I will give the
right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise
of God" (Revelation 2:7). "He who overcomes will not be hurt at
all by the second death" (verse 11).
"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my
throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His
throne" (Revelation 3:21).
What is required?
Perhaps you have read these scriptures or heard them preached,
and afterward thought: "I better fast more. I better study more.
I better pray more. I haven't overcome enough. I've got to do
more or I'm not going to be in God's kingdom." We've
unconsciously concluded that Christ's sacrifice is not enough to
guarantee our salvation, that we must be overcomers and conquer
our carnal pulls and desires. We conclude we must learn to
withstand every blow of Satan and this world, build holy
righteous character and only then will we be true overcomers.
If so, how much must we overcome to have eternal life?
Can we ever be confident that eternal life is ours? Does there
come a day when we know our efforts have finally made us
acceptable to God?
Is overcoming achieved by fasting? By prayers? By hard and
continual sacrifice? Is it by going through a series of severe
trials? Is it by living sinless for a time?
How many fasts, how many prayers, how many offerings does God
require? How many trials and tests, and how many sinless
commandment-keeping days must we live before God will give
us eternal life? How do we measure such a thing?
Is it by years in the Church? Does God keep us living long enough
so we have plenty of time to overcome all that is required? If
so, does that mean that those who have died after less than
a year as a Christian had less to overcome than those who died
after decades in the faith?
We know we will go to our graves having tried to keep the
commandments perfectly, but still having fallen short. Will our
failure doom us? After all, isn't commandment keeping required
for eternal life? Isn't that what overcoming is all about?
Already overcomers
The good news is that God says you have already overcome! You are
already an overcomer. You are an overcomer now! You have overcome
your flesh, this world and Satan! How could that be?
How could anyone say that of a Sinner? John, the apostle who
wrote those troublesome verses in Revelation, gives us God's
answer. As a prelude to God's answer, we can read shocking yet
encouraging words in 1 John 2:13. "I write to you young men, John
says, "because you have overcome the evil one."
God is telling us that John knew people who had already overcome
Satan the devil. They didn't need to overcome. They already had
overcome. Could that be said of you and me?
Yes, it can. In fact, God already has said it. He says we already
are overcomers. He says we have already overcome Satan, this
world and even our flesh. We've overcome all we need to overcome
to have eternal life.
"For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the
victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it
that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the
Son of God.... God has given us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son. He who has the Son has life" (1 John 5:4-5, 11-12).
The victory is ours
Yes, we are overcomers. We have overcome. The victory is ours.
Eternal life has come to us not through our fasts, prayers,
trials and tests, nor through our commandment keeping, but
through Jesus Christ. Revelation reminds the Church of its need
to overcome. John's epistle reveals how overcoming is possible.
Christ's sacrifice and our faith in Christ, evident in our
willingness to testify to others about it, makes us overcomers.
It is just as we read in Revelation 12:11: "They [Christians)
overcame him [Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by their word
of their testimony."
That does not mean we can ignore our need to grow in Christian
character. If we love God we will strive to be more like Him. But
in the Scriptures growing and overcoming are two separate
ideas.
Only if we turn our back on Jesus Christ through disbelief or
willful disobedience will we be condemned. "If we deliberately
keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the
truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful
expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the
enemies of God" (Hebrews 10:26-27, emphasis mine).
God knows our frailty. God knows our inability to obey perfectly.
For each of us, trapped in this body, subject to its lusts, its
weakness and open to Satan's corrupting influence, God provides
a way to overcome it all. That way is Jesus Christ. Whoever is
going that way has overcome.
End of article by Orr.
I want you to note the second paragraph under the heading The
victory is ours in Mr.Orr's article. It reads: "Christ's
sacrifice and our faith in Christ, EVIDENT IN OUR WILLINGNESS TO
TESTIFY TO OTHERS ABOUT IT, makes us overcomers" (emphasis
mine).
Depending on what Ralph Orr means by the words I've enlarged
in the above quote, his sentence is the nut shell of the truth.
The Bible explains over and over again WHAT IS MEANT by our
willingness to testify to others about it - Christ's sacrifice
and our faith in Christ.
Like any study on any topic in the Bible, we are to "search
the scriptures" - find all verses that use the word
OVERCOME/ING/ETH in relation to our question. Also find and
note any other verse/s that have bearing on the topic.
So let's begin.
TWO GREEK WORDS
There are three words used in the New Testament(NT) that we
need to be concerned with in this study - OVERCOME, OVERCOMETH,
and OVERCAME (as found in the KJV). For these three words in
English there are only two in the Greek of the NT.
In STRONG'S CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE the numbers are 3528 and
2274.
In this article we shall look at 2 Peter 2:19,20. The Greek
for OVERCOME in these verses is number 2274.
We shall also look at these important verses: 1 John 2:13,14;
4:4; 5:4,5; Revelation 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21; 12:11; 21:7.
In all of the above verses that use the English words
overcome, overcame, overcometh, the Greek word is number 3528.
2 PETER 2:19,20
The Greek used for overcome is number 2274 in both of these
verses. The Greek tense of the word is the PERFECT TENSE.
From the Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised(published by
Zondervan) we learn this about the perfect tense: "The perfect
conveys the double notion of an action terminated in the past
time, and of its effect existing in the present: as 1 Cor.7:39."
This Greek is translated as "A wife is bound" in the
Interlinear Greek-English by Berry.
A wife is bound by the law to her husband Paul said. When did she
become bound? At the time of her marriage, when it was deemed
legal. Now that was an action accomplished at a certain time and
the next day after you would say it was an action of past time.
But a week later, or a month later, or a year later, is that
marriage bond still bound, is she still bound to her husband by a
past action? Yes of course she is! The one time past action and
its effect CONTINUES EXISTING IN THE PRESENT. There was a time
the action was taken and en- tered into, the marriage bond was
proclaimed legal, it now took effect - it was STARTED into
effect, and CONTINUES in effect during the PRESENT. Time does not
disannul the action taken in the past.
This is the PERFECT TENSE in the Greek.
Now read 2 Peter 2:19,20 with this understanding of the tense
for the word overcome. Read all the way to verse 22. Peter is in
context talking about people who had"known the way of
righteousness" - who had at one time "escaped the pollutions of
the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ" but had at SOME POINT, at some specific time in their
lives made a choice to "turn from the holy commandment delivered
unto them" and return to the pollutions of the world as a dog "is
turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her
wallowing in the mire."
They had when Peter was writing ALREADY DONE THIS, it was an
ACTION they had already done in the past at some specific time,
but that action they had taken in the past was CONTINUING AS A
LIFE STYLE IN THE PRESENT!
Because of this fact (these individual's life style and
practices in the present is due to an action taken in the past)
it was only natural that Peter was inspired to use the PERFECT
tense for the word overcome.
They, these false prophets(verse 1,15), had in the PAST gone
astray and were then at that time overcome by the pollutions of
the world and had become the "servants of corruption" but were
also at the PRESENT continuing to be overcome by the same
corruptions they had willfully turned to and espoused at a past
point in their lives.
They had chosen an action to live by in the past and were
continuing under that action in the present.
1 JOHN 2:13,14
The word is again overcome and it is number 3528 in Strong's
Concordance. The Greek tense is again PERFECT.
I want you to also note that the Greek for "ye have known" in
verses 13 and 14 is also in the PERFECT tense.
In verse 13 John writes to "you fathers" and to "you little
children" and in verse 14 to "you fathers."
He says to them "ye HAVE KNOWN" as the Interlinear
Greek-English by Berry reads. Now was it ONLY in the past that
these fathers and little children knew the Father, the one from
the beginning? Did they not know Him NOW IN THE PRESENT? Of
course they knew Him, the Father, the one from the beginning, AS
JOHN WAS WRITING TO THEM, AS THEY WERE READING HIS LETTER WHEN
THEY RECEIVED IT.
John knew they had known Him in the PAST, and he knew they
knew Him in the PRESENT as he wrote to them. So he used the
PERFECT tense for these Greek words - an action done in the past
but continues its effect in the present.
There was a time when the "fathers" and "little children" whom
John is addressing CAME TO KNOW THE TRUE GOD AND HIS TRUE WAY OF
LIFE. At one point they were blinded and did not know the true
God, then at a certain time in their lives the knowledge of the
truth came to them, they had the blindness removed, they saw the
Eternal God in "spirit and in truth" and came to KNOW Him. When
John was writing to them this coming to know the true God was
PAST ACTION in their lives. But that action did not
STOP in the past, it was not "over and done with" - they
CONTINUED to know Him who was from the beginning. That action of
knowledge from the past in their lives was still continuing in
the PRESENT.
So also was the OVERCOMING of the "young men" a PAST action,
but it did not STOP in the past, it was not just a one time
action and then forgotten about. It was not an attitude of,
"Well I'm saved - once saved always saved, so I can live as I
like."
They had at one point in their lives come to see the truth of
the true God, had accepted it, had repented and accepted Christ
as their savior, had been baptized and had their sins forgiven,
had come up from the water to live with God's help through the
Holy Spirit, a life of wanting to serve and obey the way and
commandments of the Lord. Satan had been overcome. His thoughts
of "you are too wicked for God to forgive you," "sin is
pleasurable," "you will never remain true to God," "Jesus never
did live and die for you," "God is lying to you, there is no
eternal life for humans" had been rejected and cast away.
They had in the past at that point in their lives OVERCOME the
wicked one. They had come to know the true Father and had
overcome Satan by repentance and baptism. But DID IT STOP THERE
at that past action? NOT AT ALL!
When John wrote to them they were STILL KNOWING THE FATHER AND
WERE STILL OVERCOMING THE WICKED ONE!
Their past action was continuing in the present. What they had
come to know in the past, what they had overcome in the past,
namely, the wicked one, was still with them in the present.
In English we could translate the PERFECT tense in these
verses like this: "I write to you, fathers, because ye have known
and do continue to know Him who is from the beginning. I write to
you young men, because ye have overcome and continue presently to
overcome the wicked one
After our coming to the knowledge of the true God and His way
of life, after repenting and being baptized, does Satan NEVER
BOTHER US AGAIN? I think not! He is always there waiting and
watching, ready to try and get us to give up, turn our back on
God, stop living for the Lord. He is there to talk to us, put
thoughts in our mind to "pack in this Christianity and follow
me." The wicked one is always going about like a roaring lion
trying to devour whom he can. He never gives up firing his darts
at us.
We must put on the whole armor of God to be able to withstand
the Adversary, as Paul taught us in Ephesians 6.
The young men John was writing to HAD overcome the Devil and
were CONTINUING in the present to overcome him. That is the
meaning of John in these verses using the perfect tense.
1 JOHN 4:4
The word for overcome is number 3528 in Strong's. It is in the
PERFECT tense.
Notice the context. Verse one is talking about FALSE PROPHETS
and so false spirits - spirits of demons as opposed to the ONE
true Spirit of God.
Now ask yourself: Were demons, false spirits, false prophets,
only for a certain point in time, and then they would be no more,
for only some time in the past, but not for the present?
Anyone reading their Bible would have to say NO to such ideas
in the above question. Satan, demons, false spirits, and false
prophets are with us TODAY, IN THE PRESENT. They were there in
our PAST, years before coming to the knowledge of the true Spirit
of God, they were there as we came to know the true God, they
were there as we repented and as we were baptized, AND THEY WERE
THERE AFTER OUR BAPTISM, THE MINUTE AFTER, THE HOUR AFTER, THE
DAY, WEEK, MONTH, AND YEARS AFTER. The false spirits and false
prophets "are gone out into the world" and HAVE NEVER GONE
AWAY, HAVE NEVER STOPPED TRYING TO DESTROY US FROM BEING TRUE
CHRISTIANS.
John says to those he is writing to, to those he knows are
faithful true Christians: "YE ARE OF GOD, little children, and
HAVE OVERCOME them: because greater is He that is in you, than he
that is in the world."
Jesus said to His disciples that those who would love Him and
keep His words, the Father would love, and BOTH the Father and
Jesus would come and make their abode with him (John 14:23).
The Father and Christ come to live in the Christian via the
Holy Spirit when the Spirit is given to that Christian.
Are you born with the Holy Spirit? No, not at all! So there is
a specific time when you will receive it then? Yes, of course. It
will be an action at some point when you will receive the Holy
Spirit. After you have received it, does it continue in the
present? Yes, the one time action in a point of time does not end
after that action has been taken. As long as you are a true child
of God you have His Spirit from the PAST into the PRESENT.
So the overcoming of the false spirits in the world, by the
little children whom John was writing to, did NOT END in the past
when they initially overcame them to be a true Christian, but the
trying, putting to the test these spirits and prophets, was
continuing IN THE PRESENT as they and John lived from day to day
and year to year.
So he used the PERFECT tense for the word "overcome" in verse
4.
John was combating the PRESENT trouble that he and his readers
were battling, namely, false prophets inspired by demonic
spirits. They were not speaking the words of God but the
words of the corrupt world. It was not new. False spirits and
false prophets had been around from the beginning. It was not the
first time his readers had overcome them, nor would it be
the last time.
These false prophets were presently there at the time John was
writing to them, speaking perverse things, doing away with the
commandments of God, living in sin, practicing unrighteousness,
walking in darkness, saying they had never sinned, and presently
had no sin, seducing the true brethren if they could. But those
who had the true Spirit of the Lord were remaining faithful to
the original "faith once delivered" and had and were continuing
to overcome the false seducers.
Again, if we were to put verse 4 into English remembering that
the word for overcome is in the perfect tense, we would render it
something like this: "Ye are of God little children, and have in
the past as you are in the present time, overcoming them, because
greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."
1 JOHN 5:4,5
The words we are concerned with in these verses are the words
rendered "overcometh" in the KJV. All three of these words are
number 3528 in Strong's Concordance.
The first "overcometh" is in the PRESENT tense, as is the
third "overcometh." The second time the word is used in verse
four, it is in the AORIST tense.
What is the present tense in grammar? From the book Essentials
of New Testament Greek by Ray Summers, page 11, we find this
statement:
"The present tense indicates progressive action at the
present time-'he is loosing.'" The World Book Dictionary says:
"Grammar,denoting action now going on or a state now
existing ."
Now what about the AORIST tense? Let me quote from the
Analytical Greek Lexicon, under "The use of the Tenses."
"The aorist is strictly the expression of a momentary or
transient action ...... and in the indicative mood ordinarily
signifies past time. It is, however, used of a prolonged action,
if there is no positive need to make a direct expression of that
circumstance. It is thus of constant use in the narrative of past
transactions."
A little confused about the aorist tense? It is not easy to
get because in some cases you have to understand the writers
intention in how he is using it. Generally it is past single
action, yet the single action started at a past time could be
prolonged action, but it is viewed as one single action.
Two Greek scholars render this aorist tense word "overcometh"
in slightly different English words. Jay P. Green Sr. uses the
English word "overcoming" while George Ricker Berry uses the
English word "over-came." See their respective Interlinear
Greek-English Bibles.
The word overcoming to our English grammar minds, connotes
prolonged action, while the word overcame leads us to think of
past action completed.
I believe the way John was using this aorist tense word in
verse 4 was to denote a specific action take in the past but
prolonged action leading to the present. So both the above
Greek scholars are correct.
Bear with me, I hope to now show you what John was saying,
namely, that overcoming for Christians started at a given point
in their lives in the past, yet as prolonged action leading
into the present progressive action at the present time.
I will use Berry's Greek-English Interlinear - quote: "Because
all that has been begotten of God OVERCOMES the world...." The
Greek for overcomes is in the present tense. Are Christians
PRESENTLY, TODAY, being begotten of God? Yes indeed! Were people
being begotten of God when John was writing this letter? Yes!
Those to whom John was writing, were they remaining faithful to
the truths of God, and not allowing themselves to be seduced by
false spirits and false antichrist prophets? Read the whole
letter and you will find the answer to that question very clear.
John knew the true Christians he was writing to, WERE
PRESENTLY AT THAT TIME, CONTINUING WITH PROGRESSIVE LIFE STYLE
ACTION, TO OVERCOME THE SEDUCTIONS OF THE WORLD, THAT WANTED
THEM TO REJECT THE TRUTHS OF GOD, AND RETURN TO THEIR FORMER
UNREPENTING SIN FILLED LIVES.
John knew that the truly begotten children of God would be
continuing in the faith, resisting the temptation to "throw in
the towel" and go back into the corrupting life style of
the unconverted world. Knowing that, and with that thought in
mind, his NEXT THOUGHT is WHAT keeps the faithful child of God
returning to the fold of Satan, turning around from living the
way of the Lord, and with deliberate "mind set action" following
the way of the wicked one. John's thought was not just WHAT keeps
the Christian on the straight and narrow, but also WHEN did that
action START!
He saw the true Christian DOES HAVE VICTORY over the world of
Satan. That victory DID START at a certain point in the PAST life
of the people of God, hence he uses the AORIST tense for the
second "overcometh" word in verse 4.
A person is part of this deceived, sinful, false spirit world,
UNTIL God calls them (John 6) to His light and truth. When that
light comes we are in the state Paul was in Romans 7:7-12. We now
see clearly what sin is and our position in relation to it as
sinners. We must NOW CHOOSE, God does not force us, it is up to
us to now choose the way we shall go - life on the one hand,
death on the other. God wants us to choose life(Deut.30:15-19)
but it is our decision to make.
At some point of time we must make a decision which WAY we
will go, the way of the world of Satan, or the way of the Lord.
Is the world going to continue to rule our thoughts and actions,
while we "thumb our nose" at God, or will we resist the pull of
rejecting God's call and humbly REPENT and be BAPTIZED?
If we BELIEVE God and His word. If we have faith in the truth
of God when He said His Son Jesus was sent to die for our sins,
and that both of them will come and live within the repentant
sinner to empower them to live their way and not the world's way.
If we have faith, we then at a certain time in our lives make
that single mind action, we repent and we get baptized.
We have then AT THAT SPECIFIC TIME, DONE A SINGLE ACTION IN
OUR LIVES. But does that single action of faith STOP after we
have initially repented and come up out of the waters of
baptism? Not at all, God forbid!
Our single specific action RESULTS in a prolonged action of
singleness. We continue in that past single action of the moment,
into prolonged action, which LEADS into present PROGRESSIVE
action at the present time.
Notice John does not say we HAVE and DO CONTINUE to overcome
the world and remain faithful to God's way, by doing more
fasting, or offering more prayers, or giving more money to God,
or having more sinless days in our life. He says we overcame the
world in the past and continue to overcome in the present BY
FAITH!
As Paul was inspired to say, we are SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH
FAITH, and not of works lest any man should boast. We cannot
amass "good" works of any kind, take them to God and demand we
have earned His grace and mercy, simply because ANY ONE SIN
earns for us the DEATH PENALTY which no amount of good works can
cancel. We can only have it erased through the mercy of God
applying the blood of Jesus TO WASH IT AWAY!
It was FAITH in the past that saved us from the death penalty
- faith in the promise of God that if we would repent of our
sins, look to Jesus' sacrifice for us, on our behalf, to pay
the penalty, trust God for deliverance, trust that He would come
and live in us via His Holy Spirit, trust that He would give us
His faith(Gal.2:20) to help us remain in a humble yielded
heart attitude of wanting to live His way of light and life, then
that FAITH would keep us from returning to the corruptions of the
world, as a dog returns to its vomit again.
Faith and trust in God that He will do what He has promised to
do through Jesus and His Spirit, is what gives us VICTORY, which
was ours in the past and is ours presently today.
This is what John is focusing their minds on. Not on some deed
or deeds, doing more of this work or that work, but on living IN
FAITH, in the faith of Jesus Christ WITHIN them.
Open your Bible friend to that wonderful verse of Galatians
2:20 and read it slowly - meditate upon it.
John started in verse 4, IN THE PRESENT - begotten children
of God now with continuous life style action, overcoming the pull
of the world to draw us back into its corrupt way of living - he
then moves back into the PAST, when it all started and continued.
He answers the question of what gave us the victory. It was not
of works but faith. Then in verse 5 he brings us back to the
PRESENT - FULL CIRCLE!
"Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that
Jesus is the Son of God" (Berry's translation).
John finishes with the present tense - progressive action at
the present.
To remain true to God, to stay walking on the straight and
narrow road, to live the way of the Lord, to be a David in heart
attitude of humility and repentance when guilty of sin, to
not allow the false spirits to seduce us back into the continuing
life style of the world of Satan, to OVERCOME rejecting truth and
living in error, takes BELIEVING in Jesus, that He is THE Son of
THE God. It takes believing, it takes FAITH, that all He did and
said, and promised to do, IS TRUE.
It takes believing Jesus was the true Son of God, that the way
He lived, in following the Father, was the correct way, was the
way of light, and having the faith of Jesus in us, would
continue for us the victory march, we would be continually
resisting and overcoming the pull of the evil world, carnal human
nature, and the seductive whisperings of the wicked one trying to
get us back into his life style of willful rebellious "I know
exactly what I'm doing" attitude of sin.
This attitude of knowingly rejecting truth and righteousness,
going into a life style of sin, even claiming it was not sin,
following the corruptions of the world, loving the sin of the
world, walking in darkness, willfully rejecting the commandments
of God even while still claiming to "know the Lord" - all of this
attitude was what John was combating in his letter.
It was an attitude of willful rejection of the light of God,
it was an attitude of trampling all over Jesus and His blood, it
was being again OVERCOME by the seductions of the wicked one and
his world.
Those who looked to Jesus and God in "truth and spirit" - with
faith and trust, who looked to God for power and strength to
remain loyal to His way of life, who looked in faith to God that
when they sinned in moments of weakness, when they confessed and
repented, they would find grace and Jesus as their advocate, and
so having the victory at all times over the world and spirits of
falsehood and deception.
THE VERSES OF OVERCOMING IN REVELATION
We are looking in this study at these verses 2:7,11,17,26;
3:5,12, 21; 21:7. All of these verses using the words
overcometh, overcame, are in the PRESENT tense in the Greek.
We have seen the "present tense indicates progressive action at
the present time - 'he is loosing.' "
When it comes to the Christian's relationship with God's way
of life it is I think best to describe the present tense in these
words: A progressive habitual practicing life style in
conformity to the will of God.
The person knows the calling of the Lord, has come to see what
sin is, that they have sinned, wants to repent, desires the
forgiveness of God, looks for mercy through the sacrifice
of Jesus, wants to be free from the hold of Satan and the
corrupting sin of his world. They want to serve the true God in
spirit and in truth, they are willing to do and live the way of
the Lord.
Such a person is humbled and repentant, willing to be
corrected by God, led by Him, willing to be taught, moulded, and
shaped into the image of Christ.
It is a mind set - leaving the ways of sin - willing to do the
ways of the Lord.
The Christian knows that after conversion neither Satan, the
corrupt world, or carnal human nature, disappear - they are still
there, ready to pull the child of God back into their net of open
willfulness sin and rejection.of God. The Christian knows he will
still sin at times. He does not want to, he sets his mind not to
sin, but the weakness of the flesh, the seductions of the wicked
one, the world with its lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
the pride of life, will at times trip up the Christian and he
will sin.
He will find himself/herself as the apostle Paul in Romans 7,
wanting to serve the law of God, wanting to do the right thing,
in mind and spirit desiring to do the will of the Lord, yet
seeing another law in their members that fights the law of the
mind, and which leads into sin at times.
The Christian does not want to leave God, does not desire to
just "give it all up" or to "raise the surrender flag" to sin and
turn away from serving the Lord. He does not want to be like the
pig, turning to wallow in the mire again. He wants to continue
walking with the Eternal down the pathway of light.
This is the bottom line, crying out for mercy through the
blood and advocating work of Jesus, WHEN the true Christian sins.
Not wanting to leave the truth revealed and desiring to not
listen to or act upon the pulling of the world and Satan back
into a mind set of rebellion towards the Father.
Jesus tells us over and over again in the book of Revelation
that OVERCOMING is very very IMPORTANT. Anyone trying to just
ignore the topic or make light of it as if it's nothing to be
concerned about, has never read or just does not believe Jesus
when He said in Rev.3:5 these words:
"He that OVERCOMETH, the same shall be clothed in white
raiment; AND I WILL NOT BLOT OUT HIS NAME OUT OF THE BOOK OF
LIFE.
HE THAT ENDURES TO THE END - SHALL BE SAVED
Jesus spoke those words to His disciples just before His
death. It was another way of saying the same things as He said in
Revelation 3:5.
The clear inference in Revelation is that he who does not
overcome will have his name taken out of the book of life. But
again we must ask: OVERCOME WHAT? ENDURE TO THE END IN WHAT WAY?
Are we to overcome so we never miss a day of praying on our
knees? Are we to overcome so we fast at least one day a week? Are
we to overcome till we never miss a single penny in tithes to
God? Must we overcome till we never go a day without reading the
word of the Lord?
Maybe we must overcome till we never again have a thought of
lust or envy towards anyone. Perhaps it is overcoming till we
never allow any wrong words to come out of our mouth. Or
overcoming till we never ever offend anyone in any way.
Must we overcome till we are the most perfect husband or wife,
father or mother, son or daughter, brother or sister? Is it that
we must overcome till we never have a lazy bone in our body, but
every second of every day is "redeeming the time"?
Well, I'm sure you can add to my list many more "things" we
can work at in overcoming.
Does God set us a task that only people like a Job could come
close to achieving?
But we must endure to the end to be saved Jesus said in
Matthew 24. Look at the context of that verse. The context is not
prayer, fasting, tithing, parenthood, marriage, lust, pride,
envy, laziness, or any individual specific sin or error. The
context is that INIQUITY - LAWLESSNESS - SIN IN GENERAL would
abound and the LOVE of many would go COLD. They would give in to
sin in general, would stop the desire to withstand it in their
heart attitude, loose the love of the truth and righteousness as
a way of life and mind set to live, and GROW COLD! They would be
allowing false prophets - seducing evil spirits - to talk them
into casting away the light of truth, to exchange the darkness of
the wicked one for the light of God's way of life. They would
allow themselves to be led into deception, back into the iniquity
and corruption of the world of Satan. They would again go back to
being COLD for God, not able to love His standard and pathway of
living. They would be COLD to God's call, to His correction, to
His Spirit that leads into all truth.
Let's ask the question once more: HOW ARE WE SAVED? Is it by
our "good" works or deeds? Is it by overcoming this or that sin
till we have a pretty impressive report card with all A's and
only a few B's?
No! Not at all.
We are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. No amount
of perfect works can erase one sin, no matter how little a sin it
is. But does God throw out His grace and mercy to just anyone?
Does He give His free gift of mercy - forgiveness - grace - to
those who have set their hearts and minds to be UNrepentant, to
be bold faced, rebellious sinners? Does God grant mercy to those
who laugh at Him, spit in His face, walk all over the blood of
Jesus as if it means nothing, say in their mind they will not let
God rule them or tell them how to live?
God answers the above question. He tells us who He will give
His mercy to, and to what kind of man or woman He will walk with.
CONDITIONS FOR RECEIVING GRACE
God tells us in Isaiah 66:2 the type of person He will look at
with favor: "....but to this man(or woman) will I look, even to
him that is poor and of CONTRITE spirit, and TREMBLES at MY
WORD."
The Lord wants an individual to HUMBLE themselves, be
repentant and of an attitude that is willing to be taught,
moulded and shaped by the word and Spirit of God. He wants to
see in the person a mind that has a very deep reverence and
respect, a healthy fear of the Lord when He speaks via His word -
today that being His written word as contained in the pages of
the Bible.
Is there ANYTHING that we must do to receive the mercy and
grace of God? Does the Eternal lay down some conditions that we
must meet in order for us to be granted and given His gift of
grace and forgiveness?
It is written; "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon
Him while He is near. Let the wicked FORSAKE HIS WAY: and let him
RETURN unto the Lord, and He WILL HAVE MERCY upon him
"(Isa.55:7).
Those that want to receive the gift of grace, mercy,
forgiveness, from the Lord, must acknowledge they are wicked,
they are sinners, they have broken the law of God that defines
what sin is(1 John 3:4; Rom.7:7; Ex.20). They must be willy to
SET THEIR MINDS to forsake their way of life they have been
living, and to TURN THEIR LIFE AROUND TO FOLLOW THE WAY GOD TELLS
THEM HOW TO LIVE. They must be willing as Jesus said, to live by
EVERY WORD OF GOD and not just by physical bread (Mat.4:4).
In short, the man who will be given grace or mercy from the
Lord MUST REPENT AND BE CONVERTED. His mind must be changed from
carnal stubborn hostility to the way, laws, and thoughts of God,
into a humble, teachable attitude of a willing mind set to
conform to the will, the word, the life of the Eternal and
Merciful God.
Is there something we must do? Are there any conditions we
must meet to be FORGIVEN of our sins?
This question was asked of Peter on the great day of Pentecost
when the Holy Spirit was poured out - his answer was:
REPENT and be BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ FOR THE REMISSION(the forgiveness) OF SINS, and ye
shall receive the GIFT of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
Later Peter again showed the people what conditions they must
meet in order to be forgiven of their Sins:
"REPENT ye therefore, and be CONVERTED (turned around
from your way to God's way - Isa.55:7) THAT(in order that) YOUR
SINS MAY BE BLOTTED OUT, so that (original Greek) times of
REFRESHING (grace, mercy, forgiveness) shall come from the
presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
REPENTANCE, being deeply broken up and sorry for all the sins
committed, being heart sick over the times you have broken the
holy and righteous commandments of the Lord, being humbled to the
realization that you are a sinner and have come under the death
penalty (Rom.6:23). Having a contrite attitude of mind that now
leads you to want to forsake your life style and ways of doing
and thinking, to turn around and desire to let God teach,
correct, mould and shape you into His image, ALL THIS IS PART OF
REPENTANCE AND EVERYONE MUST MEET THE CONDITION OF REPENTANCE AND
CONVERSION TO RECEIVE THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS - GRACE!
The Lord is looking for a CHANGE in HOW WE SET OUR MINDS! He
is wanting to see that we acknowledge Him as the only true God,
that we acknowledge He is HOLY, PURE, and in Him is NO SIN. He
wants us to acknowledge that His LAW and COMMANDMENTS are as Paul
said - holy, just and good (Rom.7).
He wants us to admit and confess that the breaking of His law
is SIN. He wants us to confess that we have by our life style
BROKEN THAT LAW AND ARE SINNERS. He wants us to acknowledge OUR
WAYS have only brought DEATH upon us, that our ways ARE NOT HIS
WAYS, our THOUGHTS are NOT HIS thoughts.
God wants us to be VERY SORRY, REPENTANT, for doing things
"our way" and He wants to see in us a CHANGE OF MIND, a NEW "mind
set" that CONVERTS us to desire to conform to the WAY and MIND of
HIM - the Lord.
He wants to see in us an attitude of HUMILITY, whereby we will
stop looking at things the way that seems right to us, and be
willing to ask God to teach, lead, correct, and mould us to
conform to His way of life.
The Father wants to see in us the attitude of "not my will be
done, but your will be done Lord."
The Eternal is not looking to see how MANY "good" works we can
chalk up for ourselves in whatever time He allots us on this
earth, so we can earn or demand that He shows us grace and
forgiveness. He is not interesting in giving salvation to us
based on WORKING FOR IT THROUGH DEEDS.
As the Psalmist said, He knows our frame, He knows we are
dust, He knows we are carnal flesh, He knows that we shall sin
from time to time right up to the day we die. He knows that we
shall be in a constant battle against sin, Satan, human nature,
and the world's corruptions, and at times we shall slip up and
miss the mark.
God is not interested in having thousands, or millions, of
SELF RIGHTEOUS JOB'S in His family.
He is wanting and He is interested in having HUMBLE REPENTANT
JOB'S who see God for what He is - ALMIGHTY PERFECT HOLY
CHARACTER. He is wanting latter end Job's, men and women who
really see with the spiritual eye what God is all about, and then
can say as Job did: "Wherefore I ABHOR myself, and REPENT in dust
and ashes"(Job 42:6).
Humble REPENTANCE - a constant heart attitude of repentance
which leads to a desire to serve the will of the Lord's is a
MUST, is a condition we must manifest to receive the gift
of grace and mercy from the Lord that saves us from death into
eternal life.
Some came to Jesus to ask Him about ones that died from the
hands of Pilate. He knew what was on their minds, namely, were
such allowed to die by God in that way because they were sinners
above sinners.
Jesus' answer to them was NO! Certain deaths come upon certain
people not because God thinks they are worse sinners than other
sinners. Then He hit them between the eyes so to speak, by
saying: "I tell you, Nay, but, EXCEPT YOU REPENT, ye shall all
likewise perish" (Luke 13:1-3).
Jesus was speaking about perishing in the second death - the
lake of fire death, eternal death.
There are conditions to receiving the grace that saves you.
The Eternal Father wants to give us His mercy and grace. He
wants to enter a NEW covenant of eternal salvation with us. He
wants to save us by His grace and forgiveness. He tells us so in
the Psalms, but He also tells us the conditions He requires from
us to be saved.
David was a man who knew how merciful the Lord was, for he had
need of that mercy many times in his life.
Here are some of David's words as recorded in his Psalm that
is number 103 in the KJV.
"..... Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all His
benefits: Who FORGIVETH ALL THINE INIQUITIES.......The Lord is
MERCIFUL and GRACIOUS, slow to anger, and PLENTEOUS in
MERCY.......For as the heaven is high above the earth, so GREAT
is His MERCY towards them that FEAR HIM.......Like a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that FEAR
HIM.......But the MERCY of the Lord is from everlasting to
everlasting.......UPON THEM THAT FEAR HIM.......TO SUCH AS KEEP
HIS COVENANT, AND TO THOSE THAT REMEMBER HIS COMMANDMENTS......."
(verses 2,3,8,11,13,17,18).
I did not write those words friends, they have been in your
Bible all along, for thousands of years.
Clearly God lays down conditions for receiving His forgiveness
and grace that will save us.
They are the conditions we've already seen in Isaiah, the
conditions Peter was inspired to proclaim, the conditions Jesus
preached when in the flesh on this earth.
The conditions are a HUMBLE REPENTANT HEART ATTITUDE that
produces the right kind of Godly RESPECT and FEAR, AND a turning
AWAY - a CONVERTING from the way that seems right to man, to a
"mind set" of an OBEDIENT HEART to the WILL, the WAY, the
COMMANDMENTS of the Lord.
That is the attitude of mind the Lord is looking for in those
He will save through GRACE and FAITH in Christ Jesus. He is not
looking to see if you amass a list of "good" deeds that out
number the "bad" deeds. He is looking for the same attitude that
was in King David of Israel.
A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART
What a legacy to have said of you that you were a man or woman
whom God claimed was "after mine own heart." That is precisely
what the Lord did say about King David (Acts 13:22).
If you include all the Psalms of David, there is more written
about him than any other person in the Bible outside of the life
of Jesus.
What a man! Many talents and gifts. A man who came from being
a shepherd to being King of Israel. A man used MIGHTILY by the
Lord. Look at his life, read it again friend. David was certainly
not a Job. He had faults, weaknesses, sins of various kinds, some
it seems plagued him off and on all his life. We are not given
any record of all the list of "righteous" deeds David did as
opposed to his "unrighteous" deeds. Nor DOES IT MATTER! For David
was not saved by works - he did not EARN a place in the book of
life, he is there because God forgave him of his sins through
grace.
Why was God so merciful and gracious to David? He certainly
did sin some pretty big sins as we would count sin.
Again, if you look at the "mind set"(I keep coming back to
that phrase because I think most of us understand what it
portends) of David, you will find the answer to the above
question.
At some point in his life he came to see the true God, and the
true ways and mind of that God. He made a decision, he chose to
set his sails of a living life style in the wind and ways of the
Lord. He chose to go the way of life as the way of the Eternal,
to walk in the light from God. He chose to humble himself in
repentance, turn from the way of man, the way of Satan, the way
of the corruptions of the world, and to LISTEN to and OBEY as a
mind-set of life, the true God.
David chose at an early age it would seem, to FEAR the Lord,
to enter God's covenant, to desire with his heart and mind to
serve God, to let the Eternal teach him, guide him, correct him,
mould him, and fill him with the Holy Spirit.
David set his heart to love the Lord and to remember His
commandments to do them!
David sinned at times, but when he saw his sin, when God
corrected him, he immediately ACKNOWLEDGED and CONFESSED his sin,
he immediately REPENTED of his sin, he never tried to justify his
sin in his own eyes. He saw where he had fallen short,
where he had missed the mark, where he needed the MERCY and
FORGIVENESS of God. He knew that no amount of good deeds could
cancel his sin, only the grace of God could save him from death,
the penalty he had earned by sinning.
He did not want to leave the way of the Father. He did not
want to go back into the unrepentant life style of the world of
Satan. He did not desire to tell the Lord to "get lost" or
"I know what is the right way to go God but I'm just NOT going to
obey you or serve you any more."
He never had that attitude of mind towards the Lord, where
he knew the truth but would choose to reject it and allow Satan
and the world to fully control him in mind and body.
David always had his mind set to NEVER GET COLD for the Lord,
to always LOVE the Lord, to serve Him, listen to Him, obey Him,
to desire to walk in the light of His COMMANDMENTS. David never
wanted to LEAVE following the way of the Lord, he always wanted
to "stay with it" - "endure through to the end" - "be a man of
God" till his dying day.
This was David's basic foundational "mind set" and THAT WAS
MEETING THE CONDITIONS OF BEING SAVED BY GRACE AND OVERCOMING!
Because of that heart attitude in David, GRACE and MERCY was
always given to him. In God's eyes David HAD BEEN an overcomer
from the day he chose to walk with the Lord, and in God's eyes
David was an overcomer in his PRESENT continuous day by day life.
David just needed to KEEP that heart attitude, to ENDURE with
that right mind set TO THE END OF HIS LIFE ON EARTH, and he would
be SAVED into inheriting(now in this life we are only heirs, not
yet inheritors - Rom.8) eternal life.
David did have VICTORY, he was a child of God, he was under
the grace of God, he was an OVERCOMER in the Father's eyes, his
name was in the book of life, but David had NOT YET, while he was
alive, FINISHED the course, finished the race. If at any time
along the way, he had willfully chosen to discard the truth of
God shown to him, had chosen to trample the Lord under his feet,
to count the blood of the covenant as nothing, then his name
would be erased from the book of life.
David was in a SAVED condition all the days of his life with
the Lord because of his "trust and obey" attitude of mind, but he
was still a free moral agent, able to make choices, he was never a
robot, neither are we. He could have chosen at any time to "walk
away" from the pathway and light and commandments of God, and
gone back into the life style of the wicked one - Satan the
devil.
David was not "once saved always saved." Neither are we. No
such doctrine can be found in the pages of the Bible. Jesus said:
He that shall ENDURE - OVERCOME - unto the END, the same shall be
SAVED.
To be continued
........................................
Written June 1995
Overcoming for NT Christians #2All about what we must overcome to be saved OVERCOMING
Part Two
by
Keith Hunt
IS OVERCOMING ONLY IN THE PAST?
Mr.Ralph Orr has written: "God is telling us that John knew
people who had already overcome Satan the devil. THEY DIDN'T NEED
TO OVERCOME. They already had overcome. Could that be said of you
and me? Yes, it can. In fact, God already has said it. He says we
already are overcomers. He says we have already overcome Satan,
this world and even our flesh.
WE'VE OVERCOME ALL WE NEED TO OVERCOME TO HAVE ETERNAL
LIFE."
Most of the above is indeed correct. We are overcomers when we
make the choice to set our minds to follow the call of the Lord
unto repentance, turn from our ways to serve and obey the ways of
God, to accept Jesus as our personal savior from sins, to leave
off living the life style of Satan, to come out of the
corruptions that are in the world, and to subdue our carnal
fleshly desires.
I am a little disturbed by Mr.Orr's statement, "They didn't
need to overcome. They already had overcome."
This seems to imply overcoming is ALL IN THE PAST, no
overcoming in the present or in the future.
I could be wrong, but I get a sense of the teaching of "once
saved always saved" being promulgated here. A teaching of
"everything was finished at the cross, nothing going on for
salvation in the present, it was all over when you accepted Jesus
as your savior."
This teaching is a popular doctrine of some Theological
Schools and ministers. It is a teaching that being saved -
salvation - is an entirely PAST transaction, and leads into the
idea of "once saved always saved" theology.
Of course many "scholars" in other Theological Schools of
learning, have blown to pieces the teaching that salvation or
being saved is only a past transaction, one famous scholar to do
this comes to mind, his name is Herbert Lockyer. This man is
highly respected in theological circles of this world. I have a
full set of his books in my personal library.
Herbert Lockyer shows from the NT Greek and many passages of the
NT that salvation and being SAVED is a THREE FOLD ONGOING
PROGRESSIVE TRANSACTION - it is both PAST, and PRESENT, and
FUTURE.
You really do not need a degree in theology to come to see
that what Herbert Lockyer wrote concerning being saved, is the
correct one. All you need to do is read and believe what God has
written in His word. I understood from a child that salvation was
a process with past, present and future aspects. I came to see
that just from reading my Bible. The very words of Jesus "he that
endures(overcomes) to THE END, the same SHALL BE SAVED" clearly
teaches that overcoming or enduring as a true Christian is not
ALL in the PAST, but is also OUT PROM THE PRESENT INTO THE
FUTURE TO THE END OF OUR PHYSICAL LIFE ON EARTH!!
Yes, we have overcome Satan, this corrupt world, and even our
carnal flesh. Yes, we are already overcomers. We became
overcomers when we first chose to follow the calling of the
Lord, when we chose to walk with Him in spirit and in truth, when
we chose to repent of sin, and set our mind to remember His
commandments to do them, when we chose to have faith in Jesus as
our savior and living advocate.
But as previously stated: When we became in the past
overcomers, DID THE DEVIL, THE WORLD OF SIN, AND OUR CARNAL FLESH
VANISH AWAY TO BE NO MORE?
I THINK NOT! Satan, the corrupt world, and our carnal nature,
is still very much alive, and ready at the opportunity given to
pull us back into their snare of captivity and life style,
their "mind set" of deliberate willful rejection of Jesus, and
disobedience to the will and light and commandments of God.
Satan is still as a roaring lion going about seeking who he
can devour.
Is he still going after true Christians? You bet he is,
otherwise Paul had no need to instruct us to put on the whole
armor of God, so we could withstand the fiery darts of the
wicked one(Eph.6).
We are still needing to PRESENTLY overcome Satan. We will need
to overcome him tomorrow, next week, next month, and in the next
years ahead of us, to the day we die.
We are still today, at this present time, needing to
withstand the corruptions that are in the world, that could, if
we chose, pull us back into rejecting Christ, and deliberately
walking in the darkness of the habitual life style of sin. The
world is still with us today as it was yesterday, and will be
with us till Jesus returns to bring the Kingdom of God. We must
continue as overcomers to overcome the evil world, now, tomorrow,
and to the day we die.
We are still having to withstand and be overcomers against out
fleshly carnality that is still a part of our physical nature. We
must still today and tomorrow and for as long as we shall live on
this earth, be overcoming the carnal pulls that say "being a
Christian is too hard, why don't you just give it up and enjoy
sin and living as you want" or "believing this Jesus stuff is
just mentally caging, give it up and be your own boss."
Yes, we have in the past overcome Satan, the sin filled
world, our human nature. God has indeed said we have overcome.
God does say, as long as we remain faithful to Him, that we are
already overcomers. But Satan,the world, and human nature, are
still present with us, and will still need to be overcome as
long as we are living.
When we take our last breath, and have remained walking with
the Lord, remained with the heart attitude of David, then we
shall have ENDURED - OVERCOME TO THE END.
Then our victory we have now in Christ Jesus will be SEALED
FULLY AND UNCHANGEABLY, OUR NAMES CAN NEVER THEN BE BLOTTED OUT
OF THE BOOK OF LIFE - OUR CALLING AND ELECTION IS THEN
INDISPUTABLE, UNQUESTIONABLE UNTO THE GLORIOUS DAY OF THE
RESURRECTION AND ETERNAL LIFE.
THE EXAMPLE OF SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO
What a wonderful example of Christian overcoming these three
lads left us. Their story is found in the book of Daniel, chapter
3.
At this time the Jews were in captivity under the power of
Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar.
The King made an image of gold and set it up in the plain of
Dura. There was a great dedication day proclaimed and many people
of leadership and power were gathered together. It was at this
time of dedication that a herald cried out that: "At what time ye
hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp... and all kinds of
music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that
Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: and whoso falleth not down
and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a
burning fiery furnace" (verses 5,6).
So the people of many nations obeyed the dictates of the world
and society they lived in. The Christian reader knows that such a
decree by the world is CONTRARY TO AND AGAINST THE WAY, WILL, AND
COMMANDMENTS of the true Eternal God. The three lads Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, also knew this law of the king of Babylon
was opposed to the life style they were commanded to live by the
only true God.
We are obviously entering the story of how these three Jews
would handle this situation, AFTER they had become servants of
the Lord. We are not told how old they were or when in the past
they had chosen to walk with the Lord, but the context shows they
were already God's children, already living in the truth and
light of the Eternal.
At some point in their past life they had overcome Satan,
their carnal nature and the sin of the world. They were living as
overcomers, having the same mind set as ancient King David. God
would have already acknowledged they had overcome and were
already overcomers.
But was their overcoming all in the past? Was there any
overcoming to do in the present time as it came to them? Were
they "once saved so always saved" and the present or future
did not matter?
They were living for the Lord now, yet what about tomorrow?
Could they not make a choice to stop following the will of the
Lord, were they now robots? Or were they expected to face each
temptation to reject the way of God as it came to them?
The King of Babylon was wanting people to live a certain way,
practice habitually what was a sin as far as the Lord was
concerned. The King wanted the people to set their minds in
a mode that was against the way and thoughts of the true God.
The leaders of Babylon wanted the Jews who served the Lord, to
abandon their religion which was founded on the revealed truth of
God, they wanted them to cast it aside, and live in open
rebellion to what they knew was the light of God's word and
commandments.
The three Jewish lads were faced with a choice - obey the
dictates of the unsaved corrupt world, and turn around and walk
in the opposite direction to the way God was going, or withstand
and overcome the PRESENT situation by remaining faithfully true
to the will and way and commandments of God.
They now had to choose - would they remember God's
commandments to do them, or turn back and follow the mind set of
the world?
IN FAITH - WITH FAITH FOR VICTORY - they determined to press
forward as before, remaining on the pathway they were already on
- keeping the victory flag flying as before, continuing to be
overcomers as they already were, staying with the life style of
the Lord as revealed by His word and commandments.
They had already set their heart attitude as that of David,
sometime in the past, and would now at this juncture in life that
they found themselves in, choose to not waver from it, but even
if it cost them their lives they would sooner "die in the Lord"
than turn from the truth given them.
This situation was not for them a weakness of the flesh,
stumble from the perfect way of the Lord into a one time sin.
THEY WERE BEING ASKED, COMMANDED NO LESS, TO GIVE UP FOLLOWING
THE WAYS OF THE TRUE GOD!
They were expected to renounce the truth they had had revealed
to them, walk away from it, reject the true God, set their mind
on a new course of habitual life style action, and practice
willful deliberate sinning.
If they had given in and changed back to living for Satan, the
world and their own carnal flesh, they WOULD NO LONGER HAVE BEEN
OVERCOMERS AND THEIR NAMES WOULD HAVE BEEN BLOTTED OUT OF THE
BOOK OF LIFE!
You can read the rest of Daniel 3 for the inspiring outcome of
what happened to those lads as they continued to be overcomers in
the PRESENT.
MANY THINGS COULD MAKE US QUIT BEING OVERCOMERS
We have seen one example in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, that could determine for us that we will
deliberately reject the truth of God, and turn to walk and live
in continual sin and darkness.
There are many other ways Satan, the world and carnal human
nature could, if we will allow it, turn us from following the
truth and way of God as revealed to us in His word and
commandments.
The three Jewish lads were commanded by the world to commit
idolatry and reject the way of the Lord.
Satan can use many forms of IDOLATRY to get us to stop
overcoming in the present and turn away from God.
Anything that comes between us and God is idolatry. It could
be a job that must be given up or not entered into if we would
follow the truth of the Lord. Possibly you are working as a
stripper for a night club when called by the Lord. You will have
to give up that profession to live the way of God. Or if you are
under financial stress and have children to support, when someone
offers you the job of being a topless waitress for BIG money,
then to stay as an overcoming Christian you will have to resist
the temptation to take the job, and look to God in FAITH to
provide for your physical needs.
Maybe you are in line for a huge promotion in your company,
with great dollars to go with it, but you will have to work two
Saturday mornings a month - no way out of it at all. Then to
remain as an overcomer in the Lord, you will have to make a
decision in the present NOT TO ACCEPT the job promotion.
It could be a person or persons that would take you out of
being an overcomer. Your unconverted mate wants you to stop
following the truth and faith of God. Your mother or father will
give you a million dollars but only if you turn away from serving
the true Lord, and His way of life. Some nice guy or gal, great
in every way except they are not interested in God's way of life,
will marry you but only if you renounce your faith in the
Eternal. Under all the above situations a decision in the present
must be made. You have overcome in the past. God says you are an
overcomer, but now in the present you can if you choose, turn
away and stop living God's life and be overcome again by the
world and Satan and human nature.
You are born into a family that runs a drug ring, money is
everywhere, all physical things you can have. One day you can
inherit leadership of the drug cartel, then the Lord
calls you to His truth and way of life.
You are faced with making a decision. Will you accept the
calling of the Lord? Will you choose to overcome the pull of the
sin of the world? Will you choose to overcome the desires of
carnal human nature and Satan? If you choose LIFE you will have
overcome. God will call you an overcomer.
As long as you stay in the right heart attitude and mind set
of the Lord you are an overcomer.
But 10 years later you hit bottom financially speaking,
children need hospital care costing ten's of thousands of
dollars. You have no house to mortgage, no health insurance to
cover the cost, no rich friend to help you out. You job does not
pay that well and your wife works in a factory for minimum wage.
Who comes along at this time but your nephew who took over the
drug cartel you could have inherited. He offers you a partnership
and lots of money to solve your problems. Ah, it's decision time
again. Will you give up the way and life of the Lord? Will you
return to the world and Satan? If you make the choice to continue
in LIFE, to continue to follow the path and truth of God, you
will have OVERCOME in the present not just the past. God will
still keep your name in the book of life, it will not be blotted
out and you will still be considered as an overcomer.
Your husband is killed in a car crash by a drunk driver and
you are angry at the Lord for allowing it to happen. You make a
cool mental choice to stop serving the Lord and return to the
world. You have stopped overcoming and your name is taken out of
the book of life.
You know the truth of God about the Sabbath command. You have
proved it over and over again during the last 30 years you have
kept the 7th day holy. You were an overcomer 30 years earlier
when it was revealed to you the 7th and not the 1st day is the
Sabbath, and you decided to follow the truth of God. But now
today, in the present, a preacher comes along who tells you it
does not matter if you work on the Sabbath at your regular job if
you must, for God will understand, and you are under grace and
the New Covenant today, not the Old Covenant. You really know
better but it sounds kind of good, and it sure would help your
present job problems and money troubles, so you make a decision
to leave the truth of God and follow this false prophet. Your way
of life as a mind set, in some practices, goes back to the world
and Satan.
You were a one time overcomer, God said you were an overcomer,
your name was in the book of life, but NOW in the present and
future you have(as long as you continue in that mind set) NOT
OVERCOME, but have BEEN OVERCOME by the world, human carnality,
and Satan.
You are blessed with certain entertainment talents - singing,
music, acting, sports etc. The promoters, talent scouts, business
managers of T.V. and the Movies are on your heels, after your
abilities, knowing you could be a "great one." At the same time
God is calling you to His truths and way of life. To accept the
life of fame in the entertainment world would mean breaking the
Sabbath command, doing what you are told, when you are told and
sometimes HOW you are told, by those in control of your
abilities. You know it would be impossible to serve the Lord and
at the same time serve the world and its demands(I do not
mean by this example that it would not be ever possible for a
true Christian to be in the entertainment industry - with God all
things are possible).
You make a deliberate choice to choose the promoters of the
entertainment world and their dictates above the calling of God.
You did not get off of first base with God. You reject His call.
You did not overcome! You never even started the race. Your name
is not entered into the book of life, as you willfully refuse the
voice of God and chose DEATH above LIFE. You never overcame.
But suppose you did accept the calling of God? You rejected
the prying and pulling and sweet talk of the promoters and
managers to make you into a "supper star" if you followed
their dictates. Then you did at that specific time heed the
calling and truth of the Lord, you did overcome the world. God
said you overcame, and you started along the road of true
Christianity. Your mind was set to follow and serve God in His
way of life as outlined in His word and commandments. Our heart
attitude was as the great King David of ancient Israel.
Five years go by and you have tripped up into sin, you have
fallen short, missed the mark of perfect holiness, you have
sinned in thought, word, or action. You did not want to, your
desire was not to sin, you wanted to keep all of God's
commandments, but at times human nature and Satan working on the
law of sin and death that was still within our body, pulled us
away from the law of our mind that wanted to serve God's law, and
brought us into, for a time, the captivity of sin(Romans
7:13-23).
You did at those times, acknowledge your sins, you confessed
them, you knew you were a sinner. You went to God in humble
repentance, asked Jesus to intercede on your behalf as
your High Priest, you asked for mercy and forgiveness (1 John
1:8-2:2; Heb.4:14-16).
Because your heart attitude and mind set is to follow the way
and commandments of the Lord as your basic practice and life
style, God does have grace and mercy, your sins are forgiven and
washed away by the blood of the lamb. Your name remains in the
book of life, just as David's name did when he sinned and
repented. God still says you are an OVERCOMER!
Five years has gone by from the beginning when you first
accepted the Lord's calling and overcame. The managers and
promoters have not forgotten you, they are still remembering
your talents, they know that if you would come under their domain
and dictates, if you would give yourself over to them, serve them
as a mind set and way of life, they could still make you into a
world class "supper star."
So they call you, send letters to you, wanting to rule and
manage you into stardom. More and more pressure is exerted on you
to accept their offer to come over onto their team, to leave the
way of the Lord and follow the lure and pleasure and fame of the
world.
You have a CHOICE to make! You know that to follow and serve
the promoters means you will have to break the commandments of
the Lord, to reject the truths of God, to turn your back on Him
and walk the other way, the way of darkness.
You are in the position of our three Hebrew lads of Daniel
chapter three. If you set your mind to serve the world, you
reject God and His commandments, your name is taken out of
the book of life, you are NO LONGER an overcomer BUT HAVE BEEN
OVERCOME by Satan and the world.
If you choose to remain faithful to God, His way of life and
His commandments, you CONTINUE in the PRESENT to be an overcomer.
Your name remains in the book of life. If you continue to walk
with the Lord to the end of your life, you will have ENDURED TO
THE END - OVERCOME TO THE END and will be SAVED INTO THE KINGDOM
OF GOD.
SOME DID NOT OVERCOME TO THE END!
Turn to first Kings and chapter three. Verse 3 tells us that :
"Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his
father..." He had come to the place where he now sat on the
throne of Israel to rule and guide them. Read Solomon's words to
the Lord in verses 5 through 9.
What an attitude! Humble, repentant and submissive. Surely an
attitude and mind set that God would look to as we have seen in
Isaiah 66:2. And it was indeed so. The Lord was very pleased with
Solomon and his heart.
He not only would give to Solomon understanding and wisdom of
the way of the Lord, but also that for which he did not ask -
physical wealth like no other ever had before. Read the book of
PROVERBS and the book of ECCLESIASTES. Truly Solomon came to
know the truths and ways of the Eternal God of Israel. He came to
know the commandments of the Lord.
See what is written in the last two verses of Ecclesiastes:
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God,
and keep His commandments: for this is the whole of man. For God
shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
Solomon STARTED OUT well - as someone who did OVERCOME! He
overcame his human nature and the world to ask for the wrong
things. He asked for the right things. His attitude of mind was
pleasing to the Lord. God gave him the mind of truth and right
knowledge. He did walk with the Lord as his father David did. God
looked upon Solomon as an overcomer.
David overcame to the end, his heart remained faithful in its
desire to serve the Lord and His commandments.
Would the heart of Solomon be as David's? Turn to 1 Kings
chapter 11.
Let's begin in verse one: "But king Solomon loved MANY STRANGE
women... Solomon clave unto these in love.....and his wives
TURNED AWAY HIS HEART"(verses 1-3).
Notice verse 4, "For it came to pass, when Solomon WAS OLD,
that his wives TURNED AWAY HIS HEART AFTER OTHER GODS: and his
heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, AS WAS THE HEART OF
DAVID HIS FATHER."
Read on with verses 6, 9 and 10.
Solomon did EVIL as a life style, his HEART - mind set - did
not go FULLY after the Lord as did David his father.
Solomon's heart was TURNED AWAY from the Lord. God had
appeared to him TWICE and had corrected him concerning his life
style of going after other gods. Yet Solomon DID NOT KEEP THAT
WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED!
Solomon had overcome in the past, he had been called by God an
overcomer! Then at some point in his latter days, when he was
old, he allowed idolatry to come between him and the true God.
Satan, the world, and human nature PULLED at his heart attitude
regarding certain commandments of God. His strange wives turned
his mind away from God and His truths to following the dictates
and practices of the unconverted world.
He did not it would seem overcome and endure walking with God
to the END as did his father David. Solomon turned away from the
truth he knew and started to walk in ways of darkness.
Turning to the Mew Testament we see examples of those who
knew the truths of God, started out on the correct pathway, were
originally overcomers, but swerved and turned aside to again
follow the corruption of habitual darkness and sin in the world.
Turn to 1 Timothy chapter one. Let's pick it up in verse 5,
"Now the end (goal, purpose) of the commandment is charity (love)
out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith
unfeigned (sincere). FROM WHICH some HAVING SWERVED HAVE TURNED
ASIDE unto vain jangling. Desiring to be teachers of the law;
understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm."
Paul knew of some who had started out well, accepted the
calling of God, had walked the life style of the commandments of
the Lord, had overcome, until and up to a certain time in their
lives, then their attitude of mind, set a different course of
action. They willfully TURNED ASIDE from the light of truth and
started to live a life contrary to the will and commandments of
God. They turned unto VAIN JANGLINGS of the world.
Oh, you will notice, they wanted to be recognized as teachers
from the Lord, claiming they were teaching the law of God in its
purity, but Paul said they DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING
ABOUT!
Many people are doing that very same swerving away from the
truth of God unto the goo-bady-goo of the world, TODAY! Many so
called ministers in the Church of God, are today, turning aside
from the truth they once knew and taught unto teachings of the
lost world. They still want to teach people and be thought of as
ministers from God, yet they are walking in darkness and have
lost their understanding of the truth. They are no longer
overcomers!
Notice what Paul later in this chapter said to Timothy: "This
charge I commit unto thee that thou by them mightest war a good
warfare; HOLDING FAITH (enduring to the end - continuing to
overcome in the present) and a good conscience; WHICH SOME HAVING
PUT AWAY concerning faith have made shipwreck: of whom is
Hymenaeus and Alexander "(verses 18-20).
Here Paul mentions TWO people by very name that HAD PUT AWAY
AND MADE SHIPWRECK their faith!
They had started out as overcomers. They had in the past
overcome. They had been recognized by God at one time as ones who
had overcome, they had had their names written in the book of
life at one time. Now their names were blotted out, for they had
turned aside from the light of the truth of God, had put away the
faith they had, made a choice to turn from the word and
commandments of the Lord and had chosen to set their minds to
follow the way of Satan and the world of sin.
They had chosen at one time to overcome the world, board the
ship of victory, set their sails to the wind of the Lord, head
for the land of promise, but at some point along the journey,
they willfully chose to put a hole in the bottom of the ship and
sink it to the depths of the sea.
At that point in time they stopped being overcomers and were
then overcome by Satan, the world and human nature.
Writing to Timothy in his second letter, chapter two, he tells
him to STUDY(verse 15), in order to rightly understand God's
word. He tells him to shun vain babblings as it will be like a
cancer. Two individuals are named who had departed from the truth
by teaching false doctrine.
The teaching of those two persons - teaching error - had
certain results. It resulted in the OVERTHROWING OF THE FAITH OF
SOME!
Some who had at one time started on the pathway of the true
faith, had overcome in the past, were NOW - later - in the
present - themselves OVERCOME by false doctrine, false preachers,
false prophets, and their FAITH(you are saved by grace through
faith) had been OVERTHROWN! They had given up serving the Eternal
God, they had set their minds to STOP walking in the light, and
to return to the darkness they had come out of.
As a way of life and habitual practice they now lived the way
of the corrupt evil world.
It is possible for someone who had at one time in the past
been given the truth of the Lord, who had accepted it, who began
to walk in it, to FORSAKE IT, THROW IT ASIDE AND RETURN TO SATAN
AND LIVING IN SIN!
The Bible teaches NO SUCH DOCTRINE as once saved always saved!
Paul went on to teach Timothy that the servant of God must be
able to teach, and in teaching be patient, "In meekness
instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure
will give them REPENTANCE TO THE ACKNOWLEDGING OF THE TRUTH; And
that they may RECOVER(Greek is "awake") themselves out of the
snare of the devil, who are taken CAPTIVE BY HIM at his will"
(verses 24-26).
This could apply to those who are first coming into the light
of the truth, but it could also apply to those who have walked in
the light and THEN DEPARTED FROM IT, being taken again into the
snare and net of the wicked one, for a time. With the correct
teaching from the servant of God, mingled with patience and
meekness, it could be possible such individuals will again find
repentance to the acknowledging of the truth of Cod.
To end this section let me give the reader a few scriptural
verses (and there are many others) that show being saved is NOT
JUST all in the past, over and done with, with no present and
future application. Here are a few verses showing salvation is a
process - an overcoming to the end: Hebrews 2:1-4; 12:1,2,15-17;
10:35-39.
FALSE PROPHETS CAN LEAD US AWAY FROM GOD
We have already seen from the sections of scripture above that
false teachers, can cause some to reject the true faith of God
and be led back into the world of Satan and sin.
Since Satan and man have been on this earth that has been the
case. God calls, reveals His truth and commandments to some, they
accept and start to follow, they overcome the wicked one. But
Satan does not go away, he does not play "lay-down-rollover and
die" games. He stays around ever to try and get us to TURN AWAY
from the Lord.
One of his fiery darts he shoots at us to destroy and turn us
away from the will and commandments of the Lord, is FALSE
PROPHETS AND TEACHERS.
Turn to Deuteronomy the 12th chapter. Read verses 29-32. When
God calls someone to His way of life He will give them His word
of truth. He wants us to live by His word. He talks to us through
His word, tells us HOW to serve and worship Him in spirit and in
truth.
God does not want us going about asking our unconverted
relatives or neighbors about how to serve the true God. He does
not want us looking to the unrepentant world to see how they
serve their gods, and then adapt their customs and traditions and
ways to serve our God with them. Much of popular Christianity is
founded upon doing that very thing. If the reader has not yet
read books like THE TWO BABYLONS by Hislop or BABYLON MYSTERY
RELIGION by Woodrow, then I recommend you do so. If you have
trouble locating those books please write to me for addresses.
Now let's move to chapter 13th of Deuteronomy. Verse 1 and 2,
God tells us about a person coming to us as a PROPHET, a
PREACHER, a VISIONARY. They can even bring to pass a SIGN OR
WONDER. They can perform miraculous feats. BUT the words they
preach, if you follow them, will LEAD YOU AWAY FROM THE TRUTH OF
GOD! Will lead you to LIVE and PRACTICE as a "mind set" a way of
life that is in direct opposition to the way, will, and
commandments of the true Eternal.
Notice what the Lord says to us in such circumstances as this:
"Thou shalt not harken unto the words of that prophet, or
that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God PROVETH you, to
know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul. Ye shall WALK after the Lord your God, and
FEAR Him, and KEEP His COMMANDMENTS, and OBEY His voice, and ye
shall SERVE Him, and CLEAVE to Him. And that prophet, or that
dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he hath spoken
to TURN YOU AWAY from the Lord your God......"(verses 3-5).
You will notice the penalty for such false prophets was not a
slap on the wrist, but DEATH! God did not take lightly those who
would TURN PEOPLE AWAY from following the commandments of the
Lord.
Yet responsibility also lay with those who would listen and
TURN AWAY from the life style of the Lord, back to the darkness
of Satan.
Again this section of scripture shows that overcoming is not a
once upon a time event, all over in the past and nothing for the
present or future.
Anyone at any time, once started on the road of salvation,
can, because they are always a free moral agent, GIVE IT UP AND
TURN AWAY, TURN BACK TO SERVING FALSE PROPHETS AND THE
CORRUPTIONS OF THE WORLD!
Some in the Church of God over the last 20 years especially
have wondered why God has allowed FALSE prophets and FALSE
doctrines to separate and divide the Church. Many have come,
preachers from within the Church of God, coming in the name of
Jesus, claiming to be His ministers, coming with so called "new
light" or "new revelations from God" that HAVE LED PEOPLE TO
BREAK AND ABANDON THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD. The present leaders of
the Worldwide Church of God now teach that God says His FOURTH
COMMANDMENT - the Sabbath commandment - is not binding upon
Christians under the New Covenant. They now teach you can keep
the 7th day as you personally choose - doing what seems right to
you. The reader needs to request my full in-depth study on this
called THE WCG COVENANT/SABBATH QUESTION: AN ANSWER.
God has allowed this to come upon the Church of God TO PROVE
YOU, TO KNOW WHETHER YOU LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND
SOUL.
God is dividing the sheep from the goats - those who hear only
His voice and another they will not follow, from those who do not
love the truth that they might continue to be overcomers and not
have their names blotted out of the book of life.
Many in the Church of God can see that TRIALS, PERSECUTIONS,
having to lay your life on the line, and other "things" could
lead to some turning away from living the truth and return to the
way of the world, but most have not given it much thought that
Satan could use, and God would allow, another more clandestine
way to enter the Church and destroy people from the grace and
faith of God.
It is a way that most would not think about too deeply because
on the surface it proclaims itself "Christian."
The NT is full of it. Paul warned and wrote about it. Peter
did also. John had much to say about it, as did Jesus Himself.
It is the truth that Satan will come among the children of God
as being LIGHT, as making himself out to be "Christian" - making
himself as if he is a true minister of God, coming as a wolf but
dressed in sheeps clothinq. Coming and saying, "God has spoken"
- "This is from God" - "I bring new revelations from the
Lord."
They would come offering LIBERTY, while serving corruptions.
Claiming grace does away with God's law, or parts of the law,
certainly the Sabbath law.
The NT says MANY WOULD FOLLOW THEM, MANY WOULD TURN AWAY
FROM THE HOLY COMMANDMENTS GIVEN TO THEM, AND RETURN TO LIVING
IN SIN, AS A DOG RETURNS TO ITS VOMIT!
Yet many of them would continue to say they were "Christians."
Many of them would continue to say Jesus is the Lord. They would
still use His name, do works in His name, they would continue to
believe they are saved and should be in the Kingdom at Christ's
coming. The truth of the matter is, they will have willfully
rejected the knowledge of the truth of God, willfully accepted
the lies of Satan, willfully made a choice to reject God and His
commandments, with clear heart set their minds to serve sin. They
will again have become SLAVES to sin and will be habitually
practicing as a way of life - WICKEDNESS and LAWLESSNESS!
It is to such that Jesus will say: "Why do you call me Lord,
but will not do the things I say" and "I never knew you, depart
from me you that work iniquity - (lawlessness)."
Truly as Jesus said, in that day there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
I now encourage you to read 1,2,3,John and Jude, KEEPING IN
MIND what I have written under this section of this study.
John was writing at a time when the Church of God was being
BLOWN APART by false prophets and false teachers, teaching
HERESIES about Jesus and DOING AWAY WITH THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.
Those to whom John wrote were remaining faithful to the faith
once delivered to the saints. They had overcome in the past, and
they were overcoming in the present. They were walking on the
straight and narrow pathway of light, they had their mind set to
serve the will and commandments of the Lord. They were living
with the heart attitude of King David and so God called them
people after His own heart. God called them overcomers and their
names were not blotted out of the book of life.
THE TEACHING OF JESUS
During His earthy ministry Jesus explained very clearly what
OVERCOMING as a Christian was all about.
Turn to the gospel of Luke chapter 8.
Jesus gives the people a parable: "A sower went out to sow his
seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; 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 among thorns;
and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And some fell on
good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold."
Matthew records that the good seed on good ground brought
forth "some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold"
(Mat.13:8).
Jesus' disciples wanted to know the meaning of this parable,
so the explanation was given.
Continuing in Luke: "The seed is the WORD OF GOD." Paul was
inspired to say that, "....FAITH comes by HEARING and hearing by
the WORD OF GOD" (Rom.10:17). Back to Luke: "Those by the wayside
are they that hear; then cometh the DEVIL, and taketh away the
words out of their heart, lest they should BELIEVE and be SAVED."
Here we see God calling, revealing His truths to some, but
Satan is "Jonny on the spot" - they have the words of truth taken
out of their heart immediately. They never get off the batters
mound, never even hit the ball so they can start to base one.
This was probably the case with the rich young man who came to
Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life (Mat.19).
Jesus told him to "keep the commandments" to which he replies he
had, but what did he still lack. Jesus then told him to sell all
that he had, give it to the poor and follow Him.
Hearing that, the rich young man could not do it, he went away
sorrowful. He was given truth, the word of the Lord was spoken
to him, but Satan came along and snatched it away from him. He
never even got STARTED on the road to salvation. He never got
saved! He never overcame!
He never had his name written down in the book of life!
Back to the book of Luke: "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."
Ah, did you see it? God calls, truth is revealed to them, they
HEAR IT, they RECEIVE IT WITH JOY, they BELIEVE, have saving
FAITH, come under GRACE, for how long did Jesus say?
Was it a once saved always saved teaching from Jesus? Not at
all! It was a "WHICH FOR A WHILE BELIEVE" that Christ taught they
endured. Then LATER ON in a time of some trial or temptation as I
have covered in this study already, they FELL AWAY! They did
overcome originally at the beginning, they did start on the saved
pathway. God did say they were overcomers, they had overcome the
devil, the world and human nature. But physical life was not yet
over, Satan was still alive and walking around, the corrupt world
was still out there, human nature was still part of them. While
all those factors remained overcoming them was still for the
present and for the future. Remaining faithful to the humble
heart attitude that David had was still to be endured with. While
they were still alive in the flesh the possibility to turn away
from God's life style and turn to walking in the pathway of the
darkness of the wicked one, STILL REMAINED!
And sure enough, Jesus knew that some who would start out
well, would NOT FINISH WALKING THE NARROW PATHWAY TO LIFE BUT
WOULD "FALL AWAY."
Jesus continued: "And that which fell among the thorns, are
they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with
the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring
no fruit to perfection."
Have you ever planted seeds and then neglected to weed? Oh,
the seeds will take root and spring up, they will start on the
road to perfection, but soon the weeds will dominate the ground
and choke them out so they will not produce the desired fruit and
perfection.
Jesus saw that some would hear the word, take root, would
believe, start out being saved, but "things" of one sort or
another would dry them up, encase them, choke them off from
continuing to overcome. Their names would be taken out of the
book of life.
Then Jesus spoke last of all about the good seeds that fell on
good ground: "But on the good ground are they, which in an HONEST
and GOOD HEART, having heard the word, KEEP IT, AND BRING FORTH
WITH PATIENCE."
Yes there it is, all I have been saying in this study, in a
few choice words from the Lord Jesus.
The word goes forth, God calls, truth is revealed, and some
HEAR IT. They hear it with what kind of heart? Why the heart of
David, a heart that is after the very heart of God. They hear it
with a good, honest, repentant, humble, teachable heart. A heart
that sets its mind to KEEP THE WORD AND COMMANDMENTS of the Lord,
and to live the habitual life style that is the way of the Lord.
So they overcome and CONTINUE to do so with ENDURANCE, WITH
PATIENCE up to the very end of their life on earth.
As recorded in Matthew, some of these Christians will produce
fruit or works that are a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some
thirtyfold.
Yes, some will pray, study, fast, help the poor, serve the
brethren, do other "works" MORE than OTHERS.
That is NOT overcoming. That is "works." We are not saved by
our works! WE SHALL BE REWARDED ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS! We are
saved by GRACE through FAITH.
All the good seeds on good ground have the same HONEST AND
GOOD HEART. They all have the heart of David, who heard the word
of the Lord and repented and set his mind to keep the way, the
commandments of God, with the help of the Spirit of God. All the
good seed on good ground overcame and continued overcoming to the
END.
JESUS TAUGHT A CONTINUING OVERCOMING
The plain truth on this subject is again shown to us in the
gospel of John chapter 8. We pick it up in verse 31, "Then said
Jesus to those Jews which BELIEVED on Him. IF ye CONTINUE in my
word, then are ye my disciples indeed: And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free."
We have already seen Jesus knew being saved and overcoming was
not just a one time event, but was something to stick with unto
the end.
Here Jesus tells those that believed on Him, they would be His
true disciples IF THEY CONTINUED IN HIS WORD. Being saved and
overcoming to Jesus was not just for a certain time in the past
BUT WAS TO CONTINUE IN THE PRESENT.
Those that would practice this continual life way of living
would KNOW THE TRUTH - their heart attitude would be what God was
looking for and He would look to that person as He did with
David. They would have the truth and it, the truth would make
them free. God would help them on the straight and narrow and
show them grace when they did stumble and bloody their knees.
On hearing these words from the lips of Jesus, the
"believing"(what kind of believing is another question) Jews got
somewhat proudly indignant. They claimed they were never in
bondage to any man, so how could they be set free, they asked.
Jesus replied: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever
COMMITTETH SIN is the SERVANT OF SIN. And the servant abideth not
in the house forever: but the Son abideth forever. If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
The word "committeth" is in the present progressive tense.
Jesus is saying that those who willfully set their minds, set
their heart attitude to reject the way and life of God, who
deliberately harden their hearts against doing the will and
commandments of the Lord, then those individuals become the
SLAVES, the servants, the habitual followers of sin. That kind
of a servant or slave cannot remain in the master's house for
always, the time will come when he must be cast out, when it must
be said to them "depart from me you that work iniquity."
But to those who accept the Son, His work today, tomorrow, and in
the future, to those who will be saved from sin by grace through
faith in the Son, who will come to God with a repentant heart and
a mind set to continue obeying the word, Then those individuals
will find the truth and will be truly set free from sin and
death, to truly be the real disciples of the Son.
PAUL KNEW OVERCOMING WAS CONTINUAL
The apostle Paul was at one time NOT SAVED, then at a certain
point of time in his life Jesus called in no uncertain way, truth
was revealed to Paul. A choice was to be made - LIFE on the one
hand - DEATH on the other hand. Paul chose LIFE! You can read it
all in Acts chapter 9.
After Paul had overcome Satan, the world and his human nature,
after he had accepted the calling of the Lord, after he was saved
from death and sin, did he think it was ALL OVER, ALL NOW IN THE
PAST, NOTHING TO OVERCOME IN THE PRESENT, NO ENDURING TO THE END?
Did Paul think and believe that in being saved he was "always
saved"?
Let the great apostle answer that question for himself:
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one
receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man
that striveth in the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an
incorruptible. I THEREFORE SO RUN, not as uncertain: so fight I,
not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body,
and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, WHEN I HAVE
PREACHED TO OTHERS, I MYSELF SHOULD BE A CAST AWAY"
(1 Cor.9:24-27).
Paul knew from the teachings of Jesus, from the Old Testament,
that being saved was not a one time event, but was continuous
from the day it started. He knew a person could fall away if they
deliberately chose to reject God and His commandments. He saw
examples in the OT where that did happen. He knew of persons
during his life time that had overcome and started out on the
pathway of light, but had along the way THROWN IN THE TOWEL,
MADE SHIPWRECK their faith, turned AWAY from the Lord and had
again become the slaves to sin and Satan.
Paul knew that as a free moral agent able to make choices each
and every day of his life, IT WAS NOT IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO
CASTAWAY HIS FAITH AS OTHERS HAD DONE!
He had to be on guard, vigilant, yielded to God and Christ,
submissive to their will, humble and of a repentant mind, at all
times so he would continue as an overcomer to the end.
He knew he was living a victorious life, he knew he had
victory over Satan, the world, and carnal nature. He knew that
victory was not in his own power or own deeds of righteousness,
for Paul knew the scripture that said "our own righteousness is
as filthy rags before Him." Paul knew he could remain an
overcomer unto the end through Jesus Christ that lived within
him.
Because of this, the power to be an overcomer to the end, at
the time of his departure from this physical world into the sleep
of death, and to be with the Lord in the resurrection, Paul could
say with absolute confidence these words to Timothy:
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand. I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED
MY COURSE, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH: Henceforth there is laid up for
me a CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, which the Lord the righteous judge,
shall give me AT THAT DAY, and not to me only, but unto all them
also that love HIS APPEARING" (2 Tim.4:6-8).
Paul overcame when he was first saved, his name was written at
that time into the Lambs book of life. Paul continued to
overcome, he remained faithful to the way of the Lord, he
endured with the heart of David, and overcame to the end.
What kept him in the true love of God for all those years? I
could not answer that question any better than to use the very
words of Paul himself:
"WHAT SHALL WE SAY TO THESE THINGS? IF GOD BE FOR US WHO CAN
BE AGAINST US? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him
up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things? WHO SHALL LAY ANYTHING TO THE CHARGE OF GOD'S ELECT?
It is God that justifieth. WHO IS HE THAT CONDEMNETH? It is
Christ that died, yea rather, is risen again, who is even at the
right hand of God, WHO ALSO MAKES INTERCESSION FOR US. WHO SHALL
SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril,
or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all
the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. NAY, IN
ALL THESE THINGS WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM THAT
LOVED US. FOR I AM PERSUADED, THAT NEITHER DEATH, NOR LIFE, nor
angel, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, WHICH IS IN
CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD" (Rom.8:31-39).
What a great heart attitude the apostle Paul had. It was the
same as the heart of David, the heart of Abraham, the heart of
Noah, the heart of Joseph, that of Daniel, that of Esther,
that of Ruth, that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that of
Moses, that of Elijah, that of John the Baptist, that of Mary the
mother of Jesus, and that of all the faithful from the beginning.
They were overcomers FROM THE TIME THEY STARTED TO WALK WITH
THE LORD TO THEIR DYING DAY.
They all knew they were sinners, they all confessed their
sins, they all repented of their sins, they all looked to God in
faith through the Messiah, for mercy and forgiveness - for
grace to save them from the penalty of sin - death.
They all looked to God for the help of His Holy Spirit to
guide and teach them the truths of the word of the Lord.
They all loved the precepts, statutes, laws, and commandments
of God. They all willfully set their minds and hearts to follow
the word of the Lord, to walk in the light of the truth that
sets a person free.
They all knew they would slip and stumble and sin at times as
they walked with the Lord, but they also knew that upon
repentance and a humble heart, God would forgive them through the
sacrifice of His Son, and they would find grace to help in the
time of need. They all knew they could overcome Satan, the world,
and their own human carnal nature through the love, the
sacrifice, the power, and the grace of God.
They all knew it was not human "works" or "deeds" that made
them an overcomer in the sight of the Lord God, but it was a
humble, repentant, submissive and obedient heart towards Him,
that would keep their names written in the book of life, and
guarantee for them a place in the better resurrection at the
coming of the Son of God to stand on the earth in the latter
days.
Do you have the kind of mind set towards God that He can say
"He/She is someone after my very own heart."?
I hope you do!
For of such will be they that inherit the Kingdom of God.
Those with such overcoming hearts will hear Jesus say: "Well done
thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy
Lord."
"HE THAT OVERCOMETH SHALL INHERIT ALL THINGS: AND I WILL
BE HIS GOD, AND HE SHALL BE MY SON" (Rev. 21:7)
.........................................
Written June 1995. All articles and studies by Keith Hunt may be
copied, printed, published, emailed, and distributed, as the
Spirit leads.
My Hunt trusts nothing with be changed without his consent.
Being a Peacemaker!It's vital to practice itBLESSED ARE THE
PEACEMAKERS.......
by
Keith Hunt
Do you want to be a literal child of God? You do - then you
will have to be a person of PEACE, for it is written, "Blessed
are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God
(Mat.5:9).
The greatest peacemaker in the universe is the heavenly
Father, but mankind, as a whole, is not at peace with the Father,
because of sin. Sin (the breaking of the law of God - I John 3:4)
cuts us off from being at peace with the Father. Notice Isaiah
59:1,2. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot
save; neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your
iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins
have hid His eyes from you, that He will not hear."
Yet the Father wants a reconciliation - a peace - between
Himself and mankind whom He created. So He cries out to those who
could be His children, "Seek you the Lord while He may be found,
call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked FORSAKE HIS WAY,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him RETURN unto the
Lord, and He will have MERCY upon him; and to our God, for He
will abundantly PARDON " (Isa.55:6,7).
God wants peace!
He is the greatest peacemaker in all the universe. He wants
- He DESIRES, that every last person who has ever lived or will
ever live, should repent and not perish. For it is written, "The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering towards us, not willing(not
wanting) that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come to
repentance" (2 Pet.3:9, emphasis mine).
Repentance is vitally important for each of us if we are not
to perish - if we are to make peace with God.
Jesus said, ".......except you repent, you shall all
likewise perish." (Luke 13:3). Paul was inspired to write, "And
the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commands all
men every where to REPENT " (Acts 17:30). We have literature on
the subject of repentance - what it really is. Study it on this
website.
The wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23. The heavenly Father
could not just turn a "blind eye" to our sins. He could not just
ignore them as if we had never transgressed His holy, just, and
good law and commandments (Rom.7:12). Our sins had to be paid in
full to make peace with Him, but instead of each one of us having
to die He made a way by which we could be made at peace with Him.
He sent His Son to overcome sin in the flesh, to take our sins
upon Himself, and to die in our place. Notice it in Romans
3:23-25, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God. Being JUSTIFIED (forgiven of sin - declared sinless) freely
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom
God has sent forth to be a PROPITIATION (atoning sacrifice)
through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the
remission of sins(forgiveness of) that are past, through the
forbearance of God."
God the Father is the great peacemaker. He has made a way
whereby all mankind can have peace with Him. That way is through
Christ Jesus. Paul instructed the church at Ephesus, "But now in
Christ Jesus you who sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood
of Christ. For He is our(Jew and Gentile) peace, who has made
both one ... so making peace. And that He might reconcile both
unto God in one body by the cross ... And came and preached peace
to you(Gentiles) which were far off, and to them (Jews) that were
nigh. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father " (Eph.2:13-18).
The way of peace with the Father is through Jesus Christ.
The Father is the greatest peacemaker in the universe. He has
gone out of His way to make peace with the humans He created. If
we are willing to repent of our sins, if we are willing to
separate ourselves from unrighteousness and follow
righteousness(see Ps.119:172 for a definition as to
righteousness), if we are willing to separate ourselves from the
world of Satan and walk in the light and truth of God's word,
then the Father says, "...you shall be my sons and daughters..."
(2 Cor.6:14-18). We can then be the children of God!
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
How would you like to be remembered? What kind of reputation
do you desire? What kind of image do you want? What words would
you like to be carved on your tombstone - maybe the words: "Here
lays a child of God" ?
If you earnestly desire to be the son or daughter of God,
you will have to be a peacemaker. For it is written, "Blessed are
the PEACEMAKERS, for they shall be called the CHILDREN of God."
How do we build a reputation as "the children of God"? The
seventh Beatitude of Christ as they are called, tells us one way
- being peacemakers.
We are all called to be peacemakers in one way or another.
We are probably going to get at least one chance in this life
time to be a peacemaker, and most of us will no doubt get many
opportunities to peacemake.
Being a peacemaker can be extremely rewarding. Helping bring
peace where there is conflict, tension, and strife, brings about
a healthy sense of satisfaction.
Peacemaking can also be a tough role to play. And yet it is
absolutely crucial if you are to be a child of God.
Senator Hubert Humphrey put it this way: "Negotiating
between conflicting parties is like crossing a river by walking
on slippery rocks It's risky, but it's the only way to get
across."
We see "breaches" all around us. In families. Between labor
and management. Between nations. Between political parties. And
between Christian brothers and sisters.
We have been called as Christians to be REPAIRERS of the
breach. Restorers of paths to dwell in. Where a relationship has
been ripped, torn apart, we are called to bring about
reconciliation and peace. Where there's a rupture, create a
rapture. Where there is a scar, create a star - healing where
there was only hurt.
Paul instructed, "If it be possible, as much as lies with
you, live peaceably with ALL men" (Rom.12:18 - emphasis mine).
Peacemakers. Who are they? Are they only politicians or
world leaders? Ah, not at all! They are people like you and me.
Everyone can be a peacemaker. The mother who resolves the
conflict between her toddlers is a peacemaker. The student who
helps settle disputes between her class mates is a peacemaker.
The man or woman who helps in resolving family arguments, is a
peacemaker. Those who help restore a spiritual brother or sister
from being overcome by sin, is a peacemaker(Gal.6:1).
Every one of us can be a peacemaker - no matter who we are
or what we do. There are great blessing here and now, and in the
future, for being a peacemaker. You want to see good days in this
physical life, then do as Peter instructed: "For he that will
love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from
evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil,
and do good; let him SEEK PEACE and ensue it" (1 Pet.3:10,11).
Notice this important verse found in Hebrews 12:14, "Follow peace
with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the
Lord."
Now it follows that if we can not see God without following
peace and holiness, then by following holiness and peace we shall
see God! It is just that important. To be a child of God you must
FOLLOW PEACE. Those that do shall one day live for eternity and
be called the children of God.
PEACEMAKERS
Abraham was very rich in cattle, silver, and in gold. He and
his household together with Lot his nephew and all that he
possessed, went up out of Egypt to the area of Bethel. So large
were their combined flocks and herds, the land "was not able to
bear them" (Gen.13:6). Verse 7 says, "And there was STRIFE
between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's
cattle...."
Did Abram, as the older man, get all steamed up with
indignation and demand his rights? Look at it - verses 8 and 9.
What an example of peacemaking we have recorded for us. "And
Abram said unto Lot, Let there be NO STRIFE ... between me and
you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we be
brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself
...from me. If you will take the left hand, then I will go to the
right; or if you depart to the right hand, then I will go to the
left."
Among other things, Abram was a peacemaker. It is no wonder
then that he is called the father of the faithful and a friend of
God.
We too can not only be a friend of God but a child of God,
if we are peacemakers.
The Bible contains many examples of people who were
peacemakers. There is Moses and his peacemaking efforts as found
in Exodus 2:13 and chapter 32, where he acts as a peacemaker
between God and the people of Israel. There is the example of
Abimelech in Genesis 26. We have the example of Mordecai as a man
of peace - Esther 10. And there is David - a man after God's own
heart - who tried numerous times to make peace with King Saul who
was often out to "nail his hide to the wall." David returned good
and peace for the evil Saul wanted to do to him.
These are but some of the examples left us in the Bible
concerning people of peace.
Rolan Hayes was one of three children born to a Black family
on a fifteen-acre cotton farm in Tennessee. At the age of five
Roland lost his father to an accident. His mother moved the
family soon after the death of her husband, to Chattanooga. While
in that town they sang in a church choir. And one day the choir
director played for them a recording of Caruso and of Melba, two
of the great singers of the day. Roland Hayes was so moved by the
music that he said, "I believe that God has called me to sing a
message of peace and brotherhood around the world."
With determination and effort over many years he did indeed
become an international solo concert singer.
In 1924 he was booked for a concert at the Beethoven Concert
Hall in Berlin. En route to Germany, Roland stopped in Prague. He
was called into the American consul's office. "Mr. Hayes," the
consul said, "I have bad news for you. You are going to have to
cancel your concert in Germany. The French have taken over the
Rhineland and they are holding it with troops made up of Negroes
from America. The Germans are furious. No black-skinned person
will be able to sing in Germany at this time."
"Thank you for telling me this, Mr.Consul," Roland said, "I
will surely pray about it." The days passed and he could not
bring himself to cancel the concert.
On the night of the concert, Roland and his black
accompanist carefully made their way to the auditorium and
slipped in through a back door. Once inside, they peered through
the curtains and saw that the place was packed to overflowing.
Now Roland realized he was an internationally controversial case.
When the curtain went up, Roland Hayes stood in the curve of the
baby brand piano. He folded his hands, looked upward, and said a
private prayer to God: "God, make me a horn for the Omnipotent to
sound through."
As he stood silently praying, he began to hear hissing, then
stomping, and then catcalls and boos. Somebody shouted, "Don't
disgrace the Beethoven Concert Hall with plantation songs about
black men from America." Hate seemed to fill that auditorium. His
accompanist said, "Mr.Hayes, we better get out of here!" Then
objects began to fly onto the stage, narrowly missing the
soloist. Roland Hayes later recalled the incident and remarked,
"I just stood there and prayed, 'God, what will I do?'" An idea
entered his mind. To the accompanist he said, "Let's begin with
Beethoven's 'This Is My Peace.' " The accompanist slowly and
softly began to play. A surprised murmur ran through the hall as
the German concertgoers heard the music of their favorite,
Beethoven.
Roland Hayes opened his mouth and began to sing "This Is My
Peace." His mighty voice rolled through the auditorium, and the
audience fell into silence. By the time he finished, there was
absolute attention. He went on to sing several classical numbers
and ended the concert with Negro spirituals and plantation songs.
At the close of the concert, some members of the audience jumped
up on the stage, hoisted Roland on their shoulders, and paraded
him around the auditorium. He was the hero of the continent, and
he was an inspiration in settling the dispute between France and
Germany.
It's not always easy to be a peacemaker, but there can be
great rewards here and now, in trying. And the best of all is
that you can be called the CHILD of God.
Another great Black leader that advocated the peaceful means
to procure change, was the Baptist minister of the 1960's -
Martin Luther King, Jr. At a young age, and while studying for
the ministry, Martin attended a lecture about the tremendous
social change that had occurred in India as a result of the
efforts of a lawyer named GANDHI. Though born in India, Gandhi
spent much of his early life in South Africa. He returned to
India at the age of 46. He quickly saw that India was nothing
more than a British colony and that it was slowly dying under
such bondage. He advocated a nonviolent - peaceful protest
against the British for India's independence. It was most
important to be nonviolent Gandhi taught. Sometimes protesters
forgot this and turned to violence and bloodshed. When they did,
Gandhi would fast, refusing to eat until the violence ended.
It took years, seventeen long years, but through the combined
efforts of people like Gandhi, the unity of the Indian people,
and adverse world opinion, the British granted India its
independence in 1947.
Martin Luther King left the lecture so excited he went out
and bought all the books he could about Gandhi and his philosophy
of nonviolence. Martin recognized the differences between his
country and Gandhi's. In the United States, blacks were only
about ten per cent of the population. Still, he could not get rid
of the feeling that somehow Gandhi's philosophy could be applies
to the plight of the blacks in the USA. Martin was living for the
most part in the South, where there was still WHITES ONLY signs
on Coke machines or water fountains or over doorways. Where
blacks had to ride at the back on public buses. On trains in the
South, blacks had to sit in the rear of the dining car, and a
shade was pulled down to separate them from the rest, as if the
sight of blacks in a car would offend the white diners.
This was the world the blacks lived in, in the South. Martin
was determined to do something about it - but only through
peaceful means.
During the 50's and on into the 60's Martin Luther King
became the most prominent voice for the Civil Rights Movement.
His philosophy and teaching throughout all those years up to his
assassination and death on April the 4th, 1968, was a nonviolent
PEACEFUL approach to "equal rights" for blacks.
Yes, the "Civil Rights Movement" was from time to time
during those years, to be infiltrated by those who recommended
violence as the solution to the black problem of the South, and
indeed, violence did flare up at times, blacks being the
instigators, but Martin Luther King would have no part of it. He
stood only for a peaceful solution - peaceful marches and public
demonstrations.
It was on Monday January 30, 1956, that Martin's house was
bombed for the first time. He was not at home that evening.
When he did arrive home, summoned by a brief and frightening
telephone call, he found his house filled with people and the
street outside jammed with onlookers. The crowd of blacks was
angry; police stood by, expecting at any moment to have to quell
a riot. The Mayor and Commissioner of Montgomery were there to
grab Martin on his arrival and to express their sympathy. The
crowd was not mollified. Rage filled the air.
Having seen for himself that Coretta and Yoki(his wife and
daughter) were all right, Martin turned to the most immediate
problem. The crowd might loose control at any moment and burst
into violence. He made his way to the front porch and held up his
arms. He spoke to the crowd. He assured them his wife and baby
were fine. He was all right. They must not let their anger hurt
the nonviolent cause for which they were working. He quoted
Jesus. He spoke of love. Gradually the crowd quieted. Then,
Martin Luther King, Jr. channelled the high emotion of the crowd
from negative to positive and made his first public utterance
about the possibility of his own death: "Remember, if I am
stopped, this movement will not stop because God is with this
movement. Go home with this glowing faith and radiant assurance."
Shouting "Amen!" amid tears, the crowd dispersed.
As the leader of the successful Montgomery bus boycott,
Martin Luther King Jr., was in great demand as a speaker. Many
young whites were receptive to his pleas for black equality.
Inspired by King and the nonviolent peaceful civil rights
movement, young black students started their own nonviolent
protests. Tired of segregation they wanted to do something about
it. So began the "sit in lunch counter" campaigns across the
South. These "sit-ins" adhered completely to nonviolent
principles. This is the list of rules governing behavior at
sit-ins drawn up by Nashville, Tennessee, college students in the
spring of 1960:
Don't strike back if cursed or abused. Don't laugh out. Don't
hold conversations with your fellow workers. Don't leave your
seats until your leader has given you instructions to do so.
Don't block entrances to the stores and aisles. Show yourself
courteous and friendly at all times. Sit straight and always face
the counter. Report all serious incidents to your leader. Refer
all information to your leader in a polite manner. Remember love
and nonviolence. May God bless each of you.
There was much sorrow and pain yet to endure for those who
stood for de-segregation and equality through peaceful means. But
their efforts were not in vain. During those years of the 60's,
mountains were moved, the wall of bigotry was broken down,
segregation was smashed, blacks did get to use the same water
fountain as whites, sit on any seat they wanted to on the buses,
and be treated as an equal part of the human creation of God
Almighty.
All this was accomplished by the use of PEACE!
The world finally honored the peaceful efforts and teaching
of Martin Luther King Jr. They presented him with the NOBEL PRIZE
FOR PEACE in 1964.
Shortly before he died, King gave a sermon in which he
related how he would like people to remember him: "...I'd like
someone to mention that day of my funeral, that Martin Luther
King Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like someone
to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr., tried to love
somebody."
Ah yes, the fruit of the Spirit is ..love, joy,
PEACE........
Those that are peacemakers will be called the children of
God.
THE CHILD OF GOD
Do you want to be a child of God? Do you want to be a son or
daughter of the greatest peacemaker in the universe? If you do
then you will have to practice peacemaking. And it may not be
easy, for the NATURAL way of man is to dislike, distrust, impute
evil motives, slander, and hate, those we think have "done us
dirt" in one way or another.
It is human nature to fight against and even go to war, with
those whom we perceive to be our enemies. They may not really be
our enemy, but we think they are, or they may very well have
"done us evil." Which ever the case is, the natural way to go -
the way of least resistance - is to hate and war, and not to try
and peacemake. It is not a proclivity for most of us, to say,
"Please forgive me if I have done or said something to offend
you. I would like us to be friends." Or, "I ask your forgiveness
for the wrong I have done to you."
It is not easy for human nature to say, "I realize their is
a wall between us. I would like for us to talk, get things out in
the open, lay the cards on the table, and say sorry where the
word sorry is needed to be said. I would like us to forgive where
forgiveness is due, and be at peace with each other."
No, it is not easy to PRACTICE the above words. But we must
try to do so as Christians if we want to be called a child of
God.
With the power of the Holy Spirit in us we can be
peacemakers!
Now brethren, it is commonly noised abroad that there is in
many of the churches, dissent, bickering, strife, antagonisms,
jealousy, suspiciousness, back-biting, and other "works of the
flesh" that are anything but peace and love.
This should not be!
The fruits of the Spirit, are among other things, "....love,
joy, PEACE ....... (Gal.5:22). Where there is little evidence of
these fruits in a church's life, there can only be a lack of the
Spirit of God among the church's membership.
The spiritual "thermometer reading" of any group will be
determined by the amount of heated love, joy, and peace, the
group produces. If there is little love and peace, there will be
a VACUUM, and the vacuum will need to be filled. It will usually
be filled with anger and strife, the works of the flesh
(Gal.5:19-21).
Notice what God is NOT the author of, as well as what He IS
the author of. "For God is NOT the author of confusion (tumult -
mrg. reading) BUT of peace...." (1 Cor.14:33).
Yes, God is the greatest peacemaker in the universe - He
wrote the book on it. He is the author of peace. And those who
will seek to be peacemakers will be called the children of God.
Are you "at odds" with someone? Is there strife between you
and another, or resentment, or anger, or maybe bad feelings over
something? Then you need to do what YOU can do, to bring about
peace. Do not wait for the other guy to make the first move
towards peace - he may never do so, or as you are waiting for
him, he is waiting for you.
Paul instructs, "If it be possible(some carnal minded
individual may never want to be at peace with you), as much as
lies in you(you at least should smoke the peace pipe) LIVE
PEACEABLY with all men" (Rom.12:18 added comments and emphasis
mine).
I was having my car professionally washed and waxed one day,
and while waiting in the lounge they provided for their
customers, I came across a card in a rack of BLUE MOUNTAIN ARTS.
The poem on it by Paula Finn was entitled: "I THINK WE NEED TO
TALK." Here are the words:
"Lately things haven't been quite right between us.....
We've allowed some negative feelings to build up, and those
unexpressed feelings have kept us from being as close as we
could be.
We need to trust our love enough to share the truth....., to
express criticism as well as praise, to be honest about our
disappointments as well as our hopes, to communicate our
hurts and frustrations, rather than keeping them inside.
We have to find ways to put into words what we need from
each other, so the other person....can find ways to give it.
And we need to be realistic in our expectations, and
remember that no one person can ever meet them all.
We have to talk more freely about our own feelings and
listen more sensitively to each other's, to realize that
feelings are neither right nor wrong, bur they are all
important, and that our differences can really be strengths
if we bring them out into the open and work together to
solve them.
It will take effort and courage on both our parts, but we
need to realize that keeping anger inside will only make it
stronger and will cause us to hurt each other even more.
We have to talk.
I'm not quite sure how to begin....... but I know we must."
Yes, communicating through word or letter, to those we are
having problems with is the key. Jesus taught:
"...if you bring your gift to the altar, and there you remember
that your brother has something against you. Leave your gift
before the altar; first be reconciled to your brother, and then
come and offer your gift... Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that
despitefully use you and persecute you. That you may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven, for He makes the sun
to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just
and the unjust. For if you love them that love you, what reward
do you have? Do not even sinners do the same? And if you honor
you brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the
criminals of society do the same among themselves? Become you
therefore spiritually mature even as your Father which is in
heaven, is spiritually mature" (Mat.523,24,44-48 paraphrased
myself).
Then also notice Jesus' words in Matthew 18:15, "...if your
brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault
between you and him alone; if he shall hear you, you have gained
your brother."
For those who claim they love Christ, who claim they are
followers of Jesus, they must obey this teaching of being
peacemakers, for Jesus said, "If a man love me, he will keep my
words..." (John 14:23).
That's it, there's no way around it - Christians must put
forth the effort to be peacemakers! The child of God is to seek
peace and pursue it (1 Pet.3:11). There is joy to the counsellors
of peace (Prov.12:20). Proverbs 20 and verse 3 says, "...It is an
honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be
meddling." The words of Zechariah admonish us to love the TRUTH
and PEACE " (Zech.8:19). Jesus taught us to "....have peace one
with another...." (Mark 9:50). Unity of the Spirit is bonded
together by PEACE (Eph.4:3).
Peace is an integral part of true wisdom and righteousness;
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then
PEACEABLE... The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them
that make peace" (James 3:17,18). We are to do the things that
will produce peace (Rom.14:19).
HOW TO BE A PEACEMAKER
Who are the peacemakers? They are not necessarily the people
who me talking about peace all the time. Peacemakers are those
who are doing something, creating something, building something -
bridges, mostly!
You would like peace in your family, in your community, in
your place of work, in your church. There will be no peace
anywhere as long as there is war going on in YOUR heart and in
your life.
To be a peacemaker you must first be at peace with God and
yourself. You can be a peacemaker once you have your life
together, once you've let the heavenly Father and Christ Jesus
become your friends. When you have made your peace with them by
repenting of sin in your life and accepting Jesus as your Savior,
once you have made peace to God through Christ, once you are at
peace in your own heart and mind, when all your anger,
bitterness, hate, resentments, jealousy, and animosities, have
been washed away from your heart by the blood of Christ, then you
are ready to make peace with others - with those whom you need to
make peace with.
So you are at peace with the two main persons of the
universe, now what should you do next? I think the next move is
for you to PRAY!
Pray for humility and wisdom. Pray that you will be able, in
word and deed, to go about the job of making peace in the light
of God's word.
Once you have done the above, you are ready to ACT! It's no
use just wishing for peace but doing nothing. Just thinking about
peace will not automatically bring about peace. You must act. Be
determined that you are going to communicate, in verbal or
written word, with the person or persons you need to have peace
with. Then fulfil that communication.
It will take effort, it may not be easy, but most things in
life that are rewarding and lasting, do not come at the snap of
the fingers, but takes work and effort.
Yes, all of us can be peacemakers - wherever we are. There
may be a tension inside of you, in your home, or in your place of
business. But you can resolve this tension if you give it all
you've got. Tackling the problem of tension is no different than
tackling any other problem. You can make peace in much the same
way that you solve other problems. The people who ultimately win
at what they go after are people who give it all they've got.
This true story may help you win at peacemaking.
It happened on the slopes of Squaw Valley. The handicapped
skier was a girl by the name of Kim. She was about eighteen and
blind. Kim was being led down the giant slalom. She made it
through forty-four gates, and she was lined up straight with the
finishing line. Her guide behind her said, "Straight ahead Kim;
go for it!"
Kim dug in and was flying over the snow when she hit a rut.
The poles flew out of her hands. She fell flat on her face. She
knew she'd have to get her body across the finish line or be
disqualified. She looked beaten, looked like she was out of it,
but she didn't stop. She reached out for her poles. When she
couldn't find them, she started swimming over the snow, straight
ahead, until she crossed the finish line.
"Kim, you made it!" the judge called out. But she didn't
hear him. She just kept on snow swimming on her stomach for
another five, ten, fifteen feet.
The judge kept shouting, "You made it, Kim; you can stop!"
She still did not hear him. Finally a second voice, then another,
then all of the spectators shouted, "You made it, Kim!"
Kim stopped, still flat on her belly. Then she heard the
applause. She jumped up to her feet and danced for joy.
You can do it, too! You can be a peacemaker - you can be
called a child of God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the
children of God."
.............
Written in 1991
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