Message 58 - By
Leroy Surface
Getting the Covenant Right
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of
the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend
for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in
unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude
1:3-4
The year of 1989 was a year of much
conflict in my heart. I had just
completed a three year period of ministry during which I had cried out against
the sins of the church in general, and against the hidden sins of several well
know ministries that God had spoken to me about specifically through the
numerous visions He had given to me of things to come. At that time, my monthly publication was
called “The Watchman,”
and our radio ministry, which was heard on several stations throughout the
southern states, was called “The
Sounds of His Coming.”
Some people would have thought this period of ministry was a wonderful
time in my life. I had preached as
a “watchman on the wall”
who saw, in visions from the Lord, much sin and corruption that was in the
churches and super ministries of that day.
I saw and preached the downfall of the two largest ministries in the
world, long before their scandals broke on national news, but I received no joy
in seeing those “mighty ones”
fall. In fact, at the end of the
three year commission God had given to me in March of 1986, I was in great
inner turmoil, because every time another well known preacher fell to scandal,
I actually relived in my heart, the “scandal”
of my own backsliding, which had taken place over ten years before. It was at such a time in my own ministry
that I told the Lord, “If you can
show me scandals in the church and ministries before they happen, surely you
can show me the answer to the sin problem that is in the heart of man. If you do not give me the answer to this
sin problem, I will close my Bible and never preach again.” I said this, not as a “threat” to God, but simply because
I could not continue to condemn others for sin when I did not have the answer
for sin; to do so was to condemn myself.
During this same time period, I began
hearing the voice of the Spirit speaking in my heart, “Restore the covenant of grace.” It seems strange to me today that at
that time I made no connection between what I was telling God and what He was
telling me. How could the “Covenant of Grace” be the
answer for the sin problem, if grace was only a “covering for sin?” I saw the words of Jude, the half
brother of Jesus, who told us that ungodly men had crept into the churches
(wolves in sheep’s clothing) “turning
the grace of God into lasciviousness.” A question gnawed at my heart. If the “grace of God” was “turned
into lasciviousness” before the end of the first century, who, in the
nineteen hundred years since Jude wrote these words, has “turned it back” into the grace of God? The Greek word that was translated “lasciviousness” is “aselgeia,”
which means “licentiousness.”
The “American Heritage Dictionary” defines licentiousness
as, 1. Lacking moral discipline or
ignoring legal restraint, especially in sexual conduct.” 2. “Having no regard for accepted rules or standards.” For many in the church today, “grace” is simply a “license to sin.” They, however, would never say it exactly
that way.
It is the Corinthian church of the first
century that epitomizes those who “turn
the grace of God into lasciviousness.” The apostle Paul begins his indictment of
them by pointing out the “envying,
strife, and divisions” that were among them (I Corinthians 3:3).
He began chapter five by
telling them that it was “commonly
reported (common knowledge)”
that there was fornication among them, and rather than grieving over that
condition, they were “proud”
and “puffed up” (I Corinthians 5:1-2). In chapter
six, he reproves them for using the secular courts to settle their
differences. They were suing one
another at law, and seeking advantage over one another. The entire epistle of I Corinthians is
written in this tenor. They abused
marriage (chapter seven); they “sat at meat (fellowshipped) in the idol’s temple” (I Corinthians 8:10); they “fellowshipped devils” (I Corinthians 10:20-21); they “abused the sacraments (chapter eleven); and in chapters twelve through fourteen, they were totally ignorant
of spiritual things (I Corinthians 12:1,
14:38), even though they thought they were “very spiritual.”
Paul exposes the root of their problem in I Corinthians 3:3 where he says to them, “Are ye not carnal, and walk
as men?” The doctrine
of “total depravity” is
certainly confirmed in the Corinthian church; but on what basis do we believe
that these “sinners” were
also the children of God? Their
religion was of “human
origin;” their service to God was only in the realm of “human understanding,” and
their walk was not “with God”
or “in the Spirit,” but “as men.” They must have believed they were “under grace (therefore God cannot
see us; Ezekiel 9:9),” but they were actually under
the righteous judgment of God and in danger of His wrath (Ephesians 5:3-7) because of their “lasciviousness” which they called “grace.”
Not everyone believes that grace is a
license to sin, however. There are
those who believe that “law”
is the answer to the sin problem.
They believe they are “saved
by grace,” but “kept by
their works.” This was
the error of the Galatian church, which shows up in many different forms in our
modern day churches. “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians
3:3). These also “walk as men” (I Corinthians 3:3), but they do not
walk as the Corinthians walked.
Their “walk” is a
very strict and straight walk, but it is also a very “human walk.” The lascivious among us tell us that the
only reason the “law”
cannot save us is that it is impossible to keep the law. Saul of Tarsus and the other Pharisees
have all proven this premise to be wrong.
The apostle Paul writes of those things he trusted in before he was
converted to Christ; “If any other
man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised
the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of
the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching (concerning) the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal,
persecuting the church; touching (concerning) the
righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom
I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I
may win Christ” (Philippians
3:4-8). Saul of Tarsus kept the
Law of Moses perfectly, but he was not saved, simply because, “…it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
In Matthew
23:27-28 Jesus spoke directly to the Pharisees saying, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even
so ye also outwardly appear righteous
unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
Notice that He repeatedly called them “hypocrites,”
which is translated from the Greek word “hupokrites.” Strong’s Greek Dictionary defines
the word as “an actor under an assumed character (a stage player).” They were only playing a part, but in so
doing, they kept the Law of Moses to such perfection that Jesus testifies of
them in John 15:22, saying, “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but
now they have no cloke (no covering)
for their sin.” Their “cloke for sin” had been a
self righteous covering that hid what was truly in their hearts. Jesus tore it away by exposing the
contents of their heart.
About twenty three years ago we held the
first of what has become our annual Thanksgiving Camp Meeting. It was during that time that I had begun
preaching the wonderful news of the provision Jesus Christ made for us at
Calvary (i.e., the gospel of Christ that makes those who believe it free from
sin). An evangelist, who was very
much a “holiness”
preacher, came to one of the night services. This man had preached in our church
numerous times in the past, and I thought he would rejoice to hear the things
God was revealing to us. Instead,
at some point in my message that night, he understood that I was telling the
people that the children of God are not sinners, because sin has been taken out
of their heart and nature through faith in Christ, who came to “take away the sin of the world”
(John 1:29). We who knew and respected this man were
amazed to see anger rise up in him until, at the close of my message, he “exploded.” He stood
up and literally ran out of the service, saying, “It’s not sin until you commit it!” This man was not a “lascivious” man.
His lifestyle was very clean.
No one could look at his life and say “That man is a sinner.” He was not one of those who “commit sin” and claim the
grace of God as a “covering”
for his sin; instead, he “covered”
sin in his heart with a self-righteous lifestyle. He was a very good man, but the fact
that he had never “committed”
the sin that was in his heart was a “cloak”
that hid his inward sin from the eyes of man. That night, his “cloak” was torn away by the message of truth, and all
that saw and heard his reaction to the truth knew that something was wrong in
his heart. His “righteousness” had been the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees. Of that kind
of righteousness, Jesus had this to say; “…except
your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter
into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew
5:20).
Getting the Covenant Right
My good friend, B.H. Clendennen,
who is “present with the
Lord” today, used to tell the story of a teacher who gave her young
students a test. The “test” was in the form of a
puzzle of the United States, and the object of the test was to place all the
states in their proper places in the shortest time. A prize would be given to the first one
to finish the puzzle. To the
amazement of the teacher, one young boy finished the puzzle in half the
expected time. She commented to
him, “You must have really studied
the map of the states very well to have completed the nation so quickly.” He answered, “No, teacher. I do
not know much about the states, but I did notice there was a picture of a man
on the opposite side of the puzzle.
I turned the pieces of the puzzle over, because I knew that if I got the
man right, the nation would be right.” What a powerful truth this little
illustration contains. It is
obvious that if the people of the nation are righteous, the nation will be a
righteous nation. The lingering
question is this; “How do you get
the man right.” This
question is at the root of almost every religion known to man. To resolve that question is the reason
Christ, who made the worlds (Hebrews 1:2),
came into the world. To use Brother
Clendennen’s analogy of the little boy and the
puzzle, turn it over again and you will find an “image” of Christ.
When we get our “image of
Christ” right, only then will we get the man right. The apostle John says it best; “We shall be like Him, because we
shall see Him as He is” (I
John 3:2).
A couple of weeks before our 2013 Spring
Camp Meeting, I went to the church one night to pray. As I walked past the sound booth, I saw
a copy of our February 2013 “Behold
the Lamb,” which is titled “The
New Covenant.” Suddenly I experienced a “flashback.”
First I remembered the story Brother Clendennen
told about “getting the man
right.” In the same
instant, I remembered the command I had heard from the Lord, twenty four years
before, to “restore the covenant of
grace.” It was at the
time that I was yet seeking for an answer to the sin problem which is “in the heart of man.” I still, however, had not made the
connection between “the answer to
the sin problem” and “the
covenant of grace.” It
was in that “flashback”
moment that I suddenly realized that everything God has revealed to me during
the past twenty four years concerning the cross and the blood of Christ, has
been restoring His covenant of grace in me. It was in that moment that I heard the
voice of the Lord saying to me, “When
the covenant is right, the man will be right; when the covenant is right, the
church will be right; and I will pour out my Spirit and confirm the covenant
with signs following.” At this, I was overwhelmed with the feeling
that we were very close to “getting
the covenant right,” and seeing a mighty move of God. Within days I saw God perform two great
miracles within two hours, in the same day. They were miracles that could be seen by
the natural eye, and could not be denied.
One of the miracles is such that it can still be seen and cannot be
explained by natural causes. Days
later, our Spring Camp Meeting began with small crowds, but ended four days
later with large crowds and the greatest outpouring of the Holy Ghost this
preacher has seen in many years. I
believe these things were done to confirm the words the Lord had spoken to me,
which I had related to the church; “When
the covenant is right, the church will be right, and I will pour out my
Spirit.” In this message
I will give five criteria that must be in place before we will have the “covenant of grace” right
according to the scriptures. When
these five criteria are met, the “blessings”
of the covenant will begin. The
first criterion is this:
1. Know Who Christ Is
To know who
Christ is, is to know who He was before He was “made flesh” in the womb of Mary. It is a revelation from God that is most
clearly revealed in the scriptures by the apostle John. In defining Christ we must be careful to
say only what the scriptures of John and the other apostles say, because it is
only in their writings that we will find the correct understanding. We must not look outside of the
scriptures for our understanding of Christ, because no man, or any group of
men, has any “private
interpretation” beyond that which the apostles understood.
John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without
him was not any thing made that was made.” John begins by telling us about one, whom
He calls “The Word,” who
existed “in the beginning
“with God” and “was
God.” Compare these
first three verses in John’s gospel (John
1:1-3) to the first three verses of the Bible.
Genesis
1:1-3: “In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth. And the earth was
without form, and void; and darkness was
upon the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And
God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” In these first three verses of the Bible, we
find “God” in the first
verse, “The Spirit of God” in the second verse, and “The Word of God (God said)” in the third verse. None of
these had a beginning, because they were “in
the beginning” with God, and they were God. They are contained in the first four
words of the Bible, “In the
beginning, God.”
The apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews 11:3, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the
word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear.” We know that God
did not use “faith” to create the worlds, because “faith”
is to simply “believe God.” It is because we “believe God” that we understand that God “spoke
the worlds into existence.”
When Paul tells us that the worlds
were framed by “the word of God,” he uses the
Greek word “rhema,”
which means “an utterance.”
The worlds were framed by the “utterances of God.” The first
chapter of Genesis tells us what those “utterances”
were that “framed”
the earth when it was “without form
and void.”
Genesis 1:3: “And
God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
Genesis 1:6: “And
God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the
waters….”
Genesis 1:9: “And
God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one
place, and let the dry land
appear: and it was so.”
Genesis 1:11: “And
God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit
after his kind, whose seed is
in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.”
Genesis 1:14: “And
God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the
day from the night.”
Genesis 1:20: “And God said, Let the waters bring
forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the
open firmament of heaven.”
Genesis 1:24: “And
God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind,
cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was
so.”
Genesis 1:26: “And
God said, Let us make man in our image….”
What God “said” was only an utterance, but “when” God said, “The
Word,” which was “in the
beginning with God” and who “was
God” went forth “from
God” to create all things.
“All things were made by Him
(The Word), and without Him was not was
not anything made that was made” (John 1:3). When the apostle John speaks of “The Word” he uses the Greek
words “Ho Logos,” which
is defined by Strong’s Greek Dictionary as “The Divine Expression,
i.e. Christ.”
Isaiah 55:11-13: “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of
my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led
forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into
singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir
tree, and instead of the brier shall
come up the myrtle tree: and it
shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
There is no word in the Hebrew which is the equivalent of the Greek word “logos.” Even so, this text in Isaiah is a
promise of Christ, whom God would send into the world to “take away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The “new creation” is promised
in the words, “instead of the thorn
shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle
tree;” the “thorns”
and the “briers” being
the “sin” that entered
into the heart and nature of man through Adam’s transgression. Notice the two phrases, “It shall accomplish that which I
please” (verse eleven),
and “It shall be to the LORD for a name” (verse thirteen). “Thou
shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”
(Matthew 1:21).
Revelation
19:11-13: “And
I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and
in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew,
but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name is called The Word (the logos; the divine
expression) of God.” This text speaks of the second coming of
Christ to this earth to “execute
judgment” upon the ungodly (Jude
1:15). It speaks of Jesus, the “only begotten Son of God,”
but notice that He returns to earth in His eternal name; “His name is called ‘The
Word of God.” This is He, who was “in the beginning with God” and, who “was God.”
I
John 5:7: “For
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” These words written by the apostle John,
who knew Jesus Christ better than any of the other disciples, give the simplest
and best definition of the Godhead to be found in the scriptures.
Who is Christ? Christ is the eternal Word of God. He is as eternal as God is, because
Christ is the one who was “in the
beginning with God” and who “was
God.” He was not created
by God, because He was with God in the creation. Neither was He “begotten” by God because, as the “Word of God,” He
was eternally “with God,” and He “was God.”
Christ is the creator of all things, because, as John says, “All
things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was
made” (John 1:3).
2. Know What Christ Came to Do
The Bible never
mentions “The Christ” by
that name (title) until God sent the angel Gabriel with a message to the
prophet Daniel. He told Daniel
about one whom he called “The
Messiah (The Christ),” who
would come “to finish the
transgressions, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation
for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness” (Daniel
9:24-27). This short prophecy (four
verses) is the most significant promise in the entire Bible concerning the
purpose of Christ’s coming into the world. It was, of course, a prophecy of Jesus;
but to correctly understand who Jesus is, we must first look back to the
beginning to see who Christ is.
There are many other prophecies in the scriptures that tell what Christ
would be, and what He would do, but none of them identify Him as Christ. Isaiah foretold the sufferings, death, burial, and resurrection of
one he called “the servant”
in the fifty third chapter of Isaiah. It is only after the fact (of Calvary)
that we understand that Isaiah spoke of The Christ. The same is true of the promise of a “virgin” who would give
birth to “Immanuel (God with
us; Isaiah 7:14):” the prophecy had to be fulfilled before it could be
understood what was meant. The
message of “The Christ” was
such that God did not reveal it in a dream or vision to one of the
prophets. Instead, He sent His
angel (Gabriel) to tell Daniel about the coming Messiah (The Christ), and what
He would be sent to do.
Daniel
9:24-25: “Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the
Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.” This is the only prophecy in the Old
Testament that gave the knowledge to the children of Israel of a specific
person who would come at a specific time to do a specific thing. He would come exactly 483 years after
King Artaxerxes of Persia gave a decree to “restore
and rebuild Jerusalem,” which he gave in the year 457 B.C. He would be “The Messiah (the anointed one, i.e. The Christ),” whom God would send into the
world to (1) “finish the transgression,” (2) “make an end of
sins,” (3) “make reconciliation for
iniquity,” and to (4) ”bring in everlasting
righteousness.” All of
Israel was talking about the coming of “The
Christ” in the same year that Jesus appeared at John’s baptism,
and was anointed by the Holy Ghost to begin His ministry. Not only were they looking for one
called “The Christ,” but
they were expecting Him the same year He appeared among them, and they knew
what the angel Gabriel had told Daniel that He would do. John the Baptist introduced Jesus at the
Jordan River as “The Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
Word began to spread throughout
Judea that “The Christ” had
come. Andrew was the first of the
twelve “chosen disciples”
to recognize Him as such. He ran to
his brother Peter, crying, “We have
found The Messiah, which is, being interpreted, The Christ” (John 1:40-41). Next it was Philip, who went to
Nathaniel, saying “We have found
Him…” (John 1:45). Peter, when questioned by Jesus,
answered, “Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God” (Matthew
16:16). Martha, on the occasion just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the
dead, said to Him, “I believe that
thou art the Christ, the Son of God,
which should come into the world” (John 11:27). All of
these knew that He was “come into
the world” to “make an
end of sins.”
3. Know Who Jesus Is
I John 1:1: “That which was from the
beginning….” The translators erred in the translation of the
first two words of John’s first Epistle. John was writing to tell us about a “person,” not a “thing.” The Greek word “hos,”
which is the first word in this epistle, is better translated as “who” instead of “that which.” A very brief study of the Greek, which
any one of us can do with a “Strong’s
Concordance,” will confirm that what John actually said in the
introduction to his epistle is as follows:
I John 1:1-4: “He who was from the beginning, whom we have heard, whom we have seen with our eyes, whom we have looked upon, and our hands
have handled, of the Word of life;
(For the life was manifested, and we
have seen it, and bear witness,
and shew unto you that eternal life,
who was with the Father, and was
manifested unto us;) He whom we have
seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us:
and truly our fellowship is
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto
you, that your joy may be full.” The words, “He who was from the
beginning,” speak of Christ, who
is “The Word,” and in
the Greek language, “The
Logos,” which is “the
divine expression of God.”
Notice that He is called “The
Word,” “The Life,” and “That Eternal Life.”
Each of these speak of The Christ, who was “with God, and was God” for all eternity, past and
future. When John speaks of “whom we have heard, whom we have seen
with our eyes, whom we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,”
he speaks of Jesus of Nazareth, whom John knew to be “The Christ” of eternity, the “creator of all things.”
I
John 5:1: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the
Christ is born of God.” This is possibly the greatest truth of
the entire gospel, but I offer it in this message as the third criteria of
getting the covenant right, because it is impossible to believe that Jesus is “The Christ,” in a saving
way, if you do not know who Christ is and what He came to do. Many, who “profess Christ as their savior,” are so superficial in
their “faith” that they
believe “Christ” is
Jesus’ last name. Others
believe there are “many
Christ’s.” For these to believe that Jesus is Christ has no
saving power whatsoever. Jesus is “The Christ” whom God sent
into the world to “make
reconciliation for iniquity and to make an end of sins.” Notice in the scriptures, the
believer’s confession of faith always speaks of “The Christ,”
using the definite article to indicate that there is one and only one “Christ.” All of these knew
the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27, and
each of them believed that Jesus was, and is, “The Christ”
of that prophecy. Andrew told Peter
just two days after the Holy Ghost came upon Jesus of Nazareth, “We have found the Messiah (The
Christ)” (John 1:41). A few
months later Peter would reply to Jesus’ question of who they believed He
was with these words, “Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living
God” (Matthew 16:16). Martha told Jesus just before He raised Lazarus
from the dead, “I believe that thou
art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world”
(John 11:27). The language indicates that each of
these understood much about “The Christ” long before they
ever heard of Jesus of Nazareth.
Each of these had received the “revelation
of Jesus,” that He is
“The Christ” who was promised to come into the world.
When we understand that Jesus is “The Christ” of eternity who
was “made flesh (prepared a
flesh and bone body; Hebrews 10:5-10;
Psalm 40:6-10)” so that He could “dwell
among us” (John 1:14),
many other prophecies come to light that tell us more clearly who Jesus, the
son of Mary was and is, and what He was sent to the cross to do. In the same day that sin entered into
the world through Adam’s disobedience, God gave the promise of “the seed of the woman” who
would “bruise the head of the
serpent” (Genesis 3:15). Jesus is “the seed of the woman.” When God told Abraham to offer his
son Isaac for a “burnt
offering” (Genesis 22:2),
Abraham told Isaac, “God will
provide himself a lamb…” (Genesis
22:8). Jesus is “The Lamb of God” who was
offered to “take away the sin of
the world” (John 1:29). In Isaiah
7:14 the prophet says, “Behold,
a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel.” Jesus is “the son of the virgin (Mary);” He is “Immanuel,” which means “God with us;” He is “The
only begotten Son of God” (John
3:16), which means He is the only one who was born a “son of God” from the womb of a woman. The prophet Isaiah gave promise that “The Redeemer” would “come to Zion” (Isaiah 59:20). Jesus is that redeemer.
John
1:14: “And the Word
was made flesh, and dwelt among us….”
For all eternity before Jesus was born to Mary, Christ was the “eternal Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14), not having flesh and bones (Luke
24:39). The apostle Peter spoke
of the “Spirit of Christ”
that was in the prophets when it testified beforehand of “the sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow”
(I Peter 1:10-11). It was for the purpose of those “sufferings” that He was “made flesh” and dwelt among
us.
In Hebrews
10:5 the apostle Paul speaks of Christ when He was “made flesh” in the womb of Mary. “Wherefore when He (Christ,
the eternal Spirit) cometh into the
world, he saith, ‘Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me…I come to do thy will, O God.” The “flesh
and blood body” that was prepared in the womb of Mary is the Son of God.
Luke
1:35: “And the angel answered and said unto her (Mary), The Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God.”
Luke
2:11-12: “For
unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Saviour, which
is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger.” The “incorruptible
seed” (I Peter 1:23),
which was planted in the womb of Mary, was
“Christ, the Lord.” That baby, which was born of Mary and
laid in a manger, was “Christ, the Lord.” He was
“The Christ,” who was “in the beginning
with God,” and “was God.” He was
the creator of all things; but that baby in the manger was not “in the
beginning with God.” We should
understand it this way. The baby
Jesus was The Christ. The baby did
not “become Christ,”
because Christ is eternal. Instead,
Christ became the baby Jesus. The
angel Gabriel announced to the shepherds, the birth of “a savior, which is Christ
the Lord.” Gabriel had
told Joseph, “She (Mary) shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their
sins (Matthew 1:21).
The baby Jesus was The Christ that was in
the beginning with God; but, the baby Jesus was not “in the beginning
with God.” The baby Jesus
was the Son of God, and the Son of God is The Christ. He did not become “The Christ,” as some teach; instead, in the womb of
Mary, Christ became the Son of God.
The angel Gabriel had told Mary, “That
holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
Christ was in the beginning with
God, but the Son was not in the
beginning. I realize that many will
believe this statement to be erroneous; but if you do, please show me by the
scriptures that the Son of God was not
“made of a woman, made under the
Law” (Galatians 4:4).
It was by the will of God that Christ was “made flesh” and came to
this earth as a man. That “man” was Jesus of Nazareth,
who was also “the only begotten Son
of God.” It is important
to understand the words of Paul in Galatians
4:4-5, “But when the fulness of
the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law,
to redeem them that were under the
law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” The “only
begotten Son of God” was “begotten
(born)” of a woman. Christ, who was “with God” and who “was
God” in the beginning, is the incorruptible seed that became the Son
of God in the womb of Mary.
Philippians
2:5-7: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”
The apostle Paul reveals the same understanding as the apostle John
concerning the eternal nature of Christ.
Paul says He was “in the
form of God,” and “equal
with God,” but He “made Himself of no reputation...and
was made in the likeness of men.”
Matthew
16:15-17: “He
saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God. And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not REVEALED it unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven.” Peter
received a revelation from God of
who Jesus of Nazareth is; “Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus confirmed to Peter that such
knowledge is a “revelation from My Father.” It is based upon this revelation of Jesus that the apostle
John can tell us, “Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ
is born of God.” This is
not a superficial statement that John makes. He had served Jesus Christ for over
sixty years when he wrote these words in his first epistle. Long before John met Jesus,
however, he had some knowledge of “The
Christ.” This knowledge of Christ had been taught
in the synagogues for almost five hundred years before Jesus was born to
Mary. This “knowledge of
Christ” was also a “revelation from God,” brought
directly to the prophet Daniel. It
is commonly referred to today, as “The
Seventy Weeks Prophecy.”
In these words from God, sent directly to Daniel by the angel Gabriel,
was the promise that before seventy weeks of years (490 years) would pass, six things would be accomplished, all
in the last “week (the last
seven years)” of the
prophecy. At the beginning of the
seventieth week, one called “The
Messiah, the Prince (The Christ),”
would come. His sole purpose in
coming is revealed in Daniel 9:24,
because it was “The Christ” who
would come to fulfill these promises.
(1) He would “…finish
the transgression.” (2) He would “…make
an end of sins.” (3) He
would “…make reconciliation
for iniquity.” (4) He would “…bring in everlasting righteousness.” (5)
He would “…seal up the vision
and prophecy.” (6) He
would “…anoint (be
anointed) the most Holy.” The
actual definition of the word “Christ
(Strong’s #5547)” is “anointed.” Thus, Jesus of Nazareth was proven to be
“the holy one (the anointed
one) of God” when the Holy
Ghost came upon Him at the Jordan River (See also; Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:14-21;
Acts 10:38). God confirmed that He is the Father of
Jesus of Nazareth when the multitude heard His voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
John
1:32-34: “And
John (the Baptist) bare record,
saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon
him. And I knew him not: but he
that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt
see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And
I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.”
John 1:29: “The
next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
Over sixty years later, after all the
other apostles have become martyrs for their testimony of Jesus, the apostle
John writes these words (I John 3:5):
“And ye know that he (Jesus, the Christ) was manifested to take away our sins.” Regarding Jesus being the “seed of the woman,” John
writes, “For this purpose the Son
of God was manifested, that he might destroy
the works of the devil” (I
John 3:8). Jesus, through His
death on the cross, “bruised the
head of the serpent.” The
apostle Paul confirms this when he writes of Jesus, “…that through death, He
(Jesus) might destroy he that had the power of death, that is, the devil”
(Hebrews 2:14). Jesus Christ will return to this earth a second time. It is not necessary for Him to return,
however, to “make an end of
sins” and “bring in
everlasting righteousness.” These things He did at His first coming,
which was the purpose of His death on the cross.
-----------------------------------------------
The word “destroy” in I
John 3:8 is translated from the Greek word “luō” (#3089), which means “loosen.” According
to a comparison given in “Strong’s”
#4486, it speaks of a “reduction to the constituent particles.”
The Son of God was manifested
to “disassemble the works of the
devil,” that is, He went to the cross to “undo what the devil did” in the Garden of Eden.
The word “destroy” in Hebrews
2:14 is translated from the Greek word “katargeō”
(#2673), which
Strong’s defines as “to be (render) entirely
idle (useless). It
should be understood, however, that this is the same Greek word that was used
by Paul in I Corinthians 15:26, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” When “death”
is “destroyed” (Revelation 20:14), it’s not
coming back. When the devil was
destroyed through the death of the Son of God at Calvary, he cannot return to
those who abide in Christ.
-----------------------------------------------
4. Know What He Did
Christ, who was with God and was God,
became a man in order to have a body and blood to offer to “take away our sin.” Of course he lived a perfect sinless
life while on earth, but that was not what He came to do. There is an erroneous doctrine that
tells us that Jesus obeyed the law and pleased God so perfectly that His “merit” gave Him an “overabundance” of favor
with God. According to this
doctrine, his “perfect
lifestyle” is imputed to us in the form of “unmerited favor,” and God “sees us” with the “righteousness
of Christ” even though we are still sinners, who sin every day. This is a false doctrine which has its
roots in Roman Catholicism of the dark ages. Christ came into the world to “make an end of sins” (Daniel 9:24-25). He was “made flesh (prepared a fleshly body)” in the womb of Mary, to fulfill the promise God gave that
the “seed of the woman”
would “bruise the head of the
serpent,” which He did through His death on the cross. He came as the “Lamb of God” to “take
away the sin of the world,” and He finished all that He came to do “through death” at
Calvary.
Hebrews
2:14: “Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same; that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” We see all around us that Satan is
raging “because he knoweth that he
hath but a short time” (Revelation
12:12). He was “cast out of Heaven” when
Jesus died on the cross, and “they
overcame him by the blood of the Lamb…” (Revelation 12:10-11).
II
Peter 2:24: “Who his own self bare our sins in his
own body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were
healed. For ye were as sheep going
astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”
Hebrews
9:27-28: “And
as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment: So Christ
was once offered to bear the sins of many.” Christ came into the world to “bear our sins” on the
cross. He is not “bearing our sins” today as
He sits at the right hand of the father, however. Everything He did for our redemption
from sin He did through His death on the cross, and when He said “it is finished,” everything
He came into the world to do was accomplished. Peter says Jesus “bare our sins in His own body on the
tree, that (in order that) we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness.” The
Greek text has no word for “should”
in this text. Peter actually said “that we, being dead to sins, live
unto righteousness.” This
is an absolute fact of the gospel for those who “abide in Christ.”
Our sin, often referred to as our “sin
nature,” is what Jesus nailed to the cross for “everyone who believeth” (Romans 1:16).
Hebrews 10:1-2: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things,
can never with those sacrifices
which they offered year by year continually
make the comers thereunto perfect.
For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.”
Hebrews 10:4: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins.”
Hebrews 10:10: “…we
are sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once
for all.”
Hebrews 10:14: “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
The Extremities of Religion
In a vision from the Lord in June of 1970,
I saw a sleeping church. While the
church “slept,” a huge snake
with two heads, one at each extremity, wrapped itself around the church. While it is hard to imagine this, each
of the heads looked upon the church with the appearance of great love, but if
anyone woke up and tried to escape from its coils, it became extremely
vicious. Someone, at some time,
painted the devil bright red with horns, a forked tail, and a pitchfork. We need to lose that image of the devil. Instead, he is very “religious” and his greatest desire is to be “god” in the church, and
receive the worship of the people.
The apostle Paul warned Timothy of things to come, saying, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a
hot iron” (I Timothy 4:1-2). In II
Corinthians 11:13-15, the apostle Paul speaks of those ministers who are
deceived by the devil, saying, “…such
are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light. Therefore it is
no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of
righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
II
Timothy 3:12-13: “Yea, and all that will live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” Not everyone who believes a wrong
doctrine is to be counted as the “evil
men and seducers” that Paul warned of. Some are “deceivers” and some are “deceived.”
Among the millions in this generation who have been deceived, many of
them are very sincere in their love and service for God, but they will never
know the “glorious liberty of the
sons of God (Romans 8:21)” until they “get the covenant right.”
The church quickly moved away from the
truth, and into apostasy, after the passing of the eyewitness apostles and
their immediate successors. By the
fourth century A.D, that which was called “the
church” was apostate in both life and doctrine, and continued so for
over twelve hundred years until the reformation in the sixteenth century. Until that time, only one doctrine was
tolerated by the apostate church, and those who did not submit to the authority
of the bishops and Cardinals under the Pope were persecuted in the most
horrible ways, even to their death.
In the reformation, the apostate church received a “deadly wound (Revelation
13:3)” by the revelation
given to Martin Luther of “Justification
by faith.” Sadly, that “wound” was also “healed” by the same
reformers who dealt the deadly blow.
Jeremiah
51:9-10: “We would have healed Babylon, but she
is not healed: forsake her, and let
us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth
unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. The
LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the
work of the LORD our God.”
The Roman Catholic Church of the dark ages was the “mystery Babylon” of that age. It was an apostate church which held its
people in absolute bondage through “fear
of death” (Hebrews 2:15). In Revelation
13:1-9, it is the Roman Catholic Church of the dark ages that is depicted
as one of the heads of a “beast”
that had seven heads and ten horns, and caused the entire world to worship
it. In verse three, the apostle John says, “I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed.” The “deadly
wound” was dealt to the beast by the reformation preaching of Martin
Luther in the sixteenth century.
Having dealt the “deadly
blow,” Luther and numerous other “reformers”
should have forsaken the Catholic Church (Revelation 18:4).
Instead, they tried to “reform
it,” and in so doing, they “healed”
the beast.
“Reformation”
by definition does not
seek to “replace,” but to
“change” its object into
a better “form.” Luther’s aim in the reformation
was to correct a few errors in a church that had been apostate for over twelve
hundred years. His goal was to “heal” that long apostate
church that he should have forsaken.
Instead of forsaking it, Luther was driven out of it by excommunication
and a death warrant against his life.
Basically, Luther remained Catholic in doctrine with only a very few
minor “reforms,” which
are still found in the church that goes by his name. It was the same with John Calvin. He also tried to correct and improve
certain doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, and gave us the doctrine of “penal substitution” which
was an improvement over the Catholic doctrines of “penance” and “purgatory,”
but was built on the same erroneous
foundation as the apostate church.
It is the doctrine of “penal
substitution” that says, “Jesus
took the penalty for our sins.”
The intent of this doctrine was to tell those who were bound by the
Catholic Church to “do
penance” for their sins, and receive forgiveness through the purchase
of “indulgences” with
money, that “Jesus took the
penalty! You do not have to
‘do penance’ or ‘purchase forgiveness,’ because Jesus
has ‘freely forgiven’ every sin you will ever commit.” This was the intent of the doctrine of “penal substitution.” The result of it, however, is that the “error” has been
intensified. As bad as the Catholic
system of selling indulgences was (it was an abomination), the modern system
grants unlimited indulgences to sin, and does so freely, because, they say, “Jesus took the penalty.” If Jesus “took the penalty” it follows that the “believer” of that doctrine
believes they can continue in sin without suffering the penalty of eternal
damnation. From this position comes
the doctrine of “unconditional
eternal security,” which in its extremity says that even an apostate
will go to heaven if they have ever in their lifetime professed Jesus Christ as
their savior. In its lowest form
(to date), this doctrine says that even adulterers will go to heaven if their
faith is “in the cross.”
Luther sought to reform the apostate
Catholic Church from the inside until he was driven out. Working from the outside, Calvin sought
to reform the heretical doctrines of the Catholic Church into a better
form. Jacobus
Arminius tried and failed to reform Calvinist doctrine and gave us the Arminian doctrine of “free
will.” John Wesley, who I
believe was a great man of God, adopted and brought his reforms to the Arminian doctrine, giving us the Wesleyan doctrine and the
Methodist Church. The original
foundation of each of these, however, can be nothing more or less than that
which was laid by Catholic philosophers; not
by the apostles of Jesus Christ.
Recently, while doing a study of both the
Calvinist and Armenian doctrines concerning man’s “will,” I
was struck by the irrefutable fact that neither of these are the gospel of
Christ. Instead, they are
philosophies, developed by men to explain the internal workings of the human
nature. It is obvious that one of
these doctrines must be terribly wrong.
I have come to the understanding that both are wrong, because they are “man centered” doctrines and
not “Christ centered.” What difference does it make if
man’s “will” is “bound” or “free?” Salvation is not of man or by man; “salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9). To those who believe in the bondage of
man’s will, the Word of God says, “…the
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely” (Revelation
22:17). To those who believe in
the freedom of man’s will, the Word of God says, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Romans 9:15-16). Does
the Word of God contradict itself? Absolutely
not! But it does contradict every doctrine of man.
The Wrong Foundation
If I were to pick through the rubble of
nineteen hundred years of doctrine, I could “piece
together” a pretty good doctrine. I would take a little bit of Luther, and
little bit of Calvin, and a little bit of Arminius. I would add a little bit of Wesley, a
little Spurgeon, perhaps a little more of Finney, and even a dash of
Moody. If I were smart enough to
choose the best of each, I would have a fairly decent “doctrine,” but it would be a concoction of
religion. Perhaps all of these were
men of God, I do not know; but I do know that none of them forsook the errors
of the past, but tried to “reform”
them, because they were “reformers.” Calvin built on Augustine, and tried to
reform the Catholic Church.
Arminius tried to reform Calvinism, which he was originally built
upon. John Wesley, who brought one
of the greatest revivals of religion of all time, built on the Arminian foundation, while Charles Spurgeon, who was one of
the great expositors of all time, built on the Calvinist foundation.
A house which is built on a faulty or
rotten foundation should not be reformed; it should be forsaken. It should be utterly destroyed;
otherwise, it will soon fall of its own weight, taking with it the lives of its
occupants. Jesus warned us of the
house which is built without a foundation; it will be destroyed in the
storm. Likewise, the spiritual
house that is built upon the wrong foundation will guarantee that the occupants
will never enjoy the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Those who believe their “will” is in bondage will continue in sin, believing that
every sin they will ever commit is already forgiven. Those who believe their “will” is free, while
believing their past sins are forgiven, will struggle throughout their
lifetime, trying to “make the right
choices,” believing they are “free”
to do so. Neither of these
understand, nor was there a single “reformer”
in history who understood, or dared to tell us that Jesus Christ died “to take away our sin;” that
is, to take sin out of our heart and nature.
Adam did not have “sin” in his heart or nature when he walked away from
the “Tree of Life” and
ate of the “tree of knowledge of
good and evil.” He was
created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis
1:26). He breathed the breath
(the Spirit) of God (Genesis 2:7). He was crowned (clothed) with the glory
and honor of God (Hebrews 2:7). God gave Adam authority over every work
of His hands (Genesis 1:28; Psalms 8:6; Hebrews 2:8). In fact,
according to the correct meaning of Psalms
8:5, Adam was made “just a
little lower than God (the elohiym).” Adam was not created with a “sin nature,” but being a
man, he did have a “human
nature” and a “free
will” to choose between the two trees in the midst of the
garden. He could have eaten
of the “Tree of Life” and
lived forever in the paradise of God.
Instead, he “chose”
to eat of the only tree in the garden that God had forbid him to eat of,
saying, “in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis
2:17). Adam did not choose “sin;” he had never heard of
sin and had no consciousness of sin whatsoever (Hebrews 10:2). He chose
to eat of a tree that promised to make him “as
gods, knowing both good and evil.” I realize that what I say will be
offensive to many, but those who believe they have a “free will” to “make
the right choices” and thus “please
god” have already made the wrong choice; they are “eating” of “the tree of knowledge of good and
evil,” believing that with such “knowledge”
they can “choose the
good” and “shun the
evil.”
Deuteronomy
30:19-20: “I
call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you
life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore
choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love
the LORD thy God, and that thou
mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life….” Moses set both life and death before
the children of Israel in the last day of his life among them, and pleaded with
them to “choose life.” This is likened unto the two trees that
were set before Adam and Eve in the midst of the garden. If they chose “life” they would “live.” Only if they “chose life” could they “love, obey, and cleave” to Him “who is our life” (Colossians
3:4). The “life” that Moses set before the children of Israel was
the LORD, who had spoken to their father’s from Mount Horeb forty years
before. If they chose Him, they
would have life. The “death” that was set before
them was the “Law of Moses,”
which was a “tree of knowledge of
good and evil” to them.
These “two trees”
are “two covenants;” the “old” and the “new,” the “covenant of law” and the “covenant of grace.” In II Corinthians 3:7-9, the apostle Paul calls the Law of Moses a “ministration of death” and
a “ministration of
condemnation.” In the
same verses, he calls the New Covenant of grace a “ministration of the Spirit” and a “ministration of righteousness.”
We have a “Tree of Life.”
Our “Tree of Life”
is Christ. Jesus said, “As the living Father hath sent me,
and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me”
(John 6:57). Christ came to take sin out of the heart
and nature of all who would “choose
Him.” He not only “reconciled us to God,” but
He “restored us” to the
condition of Adam before he disobeyed God.
As long as we abide in Christ, who is our “tree of life,” and eat daily of Him, we “cannot sin.” On the other hand, if we cease to “eat of Him” and turn to
trust in our ability to make right or wrong choices at the tree of knowledge of
good and evil, we, as Adam did, will die a spiritual death, and sin will
revive. “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment
came, sin revived, and I died” (Romans
7:9).
What Does
“Cannot” Mean?
Please read the entire second chapter of II Peter. Notice that it speaks of the “false teachers (verse one)” that Peter foretold would be in the church. Notice that “many shall follow their pernicious ways (verse two)” and “the way of
truth shall be evil spoken of” (verse
two). Notice that they will be “covetousness,” that is, “greedy for money” and will “make merchandise” of their
followers by use of “feigned (fictitious) words” (verse three). Notice
that they will “walk after the
flesh in the lust of uncleanness” (verse ten). Notice that
they have “forsaken the right
way” and have followed the way of the prophet Balaam, who prophesied
for money (verse fifteen). Notice that they are “wells without water” (verse seventeen), that they “speak great swelling words of
vanity” to “allure (entrap)” the people “through the lusts (desires) of the flesh (human nature)”
(verse eighteen). Now, let us return to verses 12-14, where Peter compares them
to “natural brute beasts,” and
please understand as we do so, that Peter is speaking about teachers of false
doctrines that would come into the churches.
II
Peter 2:12-14: “But
these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of
the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own
corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to
riot in the day time. Spots they are
and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings
while they feast with you; Having
eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin….”
These whom Peter speaks of are
not mere “pew warmers” who
occasionally attend church while claiming to be saved; these are the teachers
of false doctrines that stand in the pulpits service after service, spewing out
beautiful words that are designed to deceive. It is obvious, however, that these
teachers of false doctrines do not have a “free
will” to make the right choices, because Peter says they “cannot
cease from sin.” On
the other hand, they are not what they are because their “will” is “bound.” If the doctrine of “sovereign grace” and “bondage of the will” is correct, then God must receive
these into heaven at the end, because they have “already believed in Jesus Christ,” as they say. Peter obviously did not know anything
about such doctrines, however, because he said they shall “receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time” (verse thirteen).
How is it that
Peter speaks of these false teachers as being those who “cannot cease from sin?” Surely they must, as “believers” in Jesus Christ,
have the ability to stop sinning.
The reason for their “bondage
to sin,” even while professing Jesus as their savior, is found in the
doctrine they believe and teach.
Peter said they are “false
teachers” and they are teaching a “false
doctrine.” We are not
told what their false doctrine is, but what they are is a result of the
doctrine they believe. What about
the doctrine of “penal
substitution” that says Jesus died on the cross to “take the penalty for our sins?” What about the doctrine that says “every sin you will ever commit has
already been forgiven?”
What about the doctrine that says “we
are all sinners, we sin every day, and we will be sinners as long as we live in
this body of flesh?”
These are all false doctrines that were given to us within the past five
hundred years. Many sincere
Christians believe these doctrines because it is all they have ever heard, but
if they have been truly “born of
God” their “experience”
will deny their doctrine. There
are, however, multitudes that “love”
these doctrines because they “love
unrighteousness (II Thessalonians 2:12)” and want to believe that sin cannot keep them out of heaven
as long as “their faith is in
Jesus.” Paul also speaks
of those who “profess Jesus,”
but “cannot cease from sin.” “They
profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and
disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). They are like the Jews Jesus spoke to in
John 8:21-24; “Then said
Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in
your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill
himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from
beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye
shall die in your sins: for if ye
believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Churches today are filled with people
who “cannot cease from sin”
because they have believed the tradition given to us by false teachers, and do
not believe that Jesus is “…the
Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (John
11:27). How can I make such a
statement? The prophecy of “The Christ,” Daniel
9:24-27, says He would come to “finish
the transgression, make an end of sins, make reconciliation for iniquity, and
bring in everlasting righteousness.” The Jews did not believe that Jesus is “The Christ.” The false teachers do not believe that
Christ came to “make an end of
sins.” They do not
believe that He is “the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” They do not believe that Jesus is “He (the Messiah; the
Christ) who came into the world to “make
an end of sin.” They “cannot cease from sin,” and
except they repent of their error, they will “die in their sins.”
I John 3:9: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit
sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and
he cannot sin, because he is
born of God.”
In the beginning of this message I told of
a period of time, almost twenty five years ago, that I was desperately seeking God
to give me the answer to the sin problem which is in the heart of man. It was during that time that I took I John 3:9 as my text one Sunday
morning. I explained, as I had been
taught by others, that the words, “doth
not commit sin,” actually meant that we “do not ‘practice’ sin;” that “sin is not our habit, even though sin
is still in us, and we occasionally fail and commit sin from time to
time.” I believed
strongly in living holy. I preached
against sin more than most, but I “knew
by experience” that the children of God do sin. In the middle
of my message, the Spirit of God gave me a severe rebuke. I heard these words in my spirit, “Stop making excuses for what my Word
says.” I was so shaken
that I quickly closed the service and went home. I was in absolute confusion. I studied the scriptures and I prayed
for understanding. I soon
discovered that the Greek wording for “doth
not commit sin,” used the word “poieo” for “commit,”
which means “to make or do
(a single act).” What John actually said is stronger than
anything I could have imagined; “Whosoever
is born of God doth not make or do a single act of sin….” If John had meant to say we “do not practice sin,” he
would have used the Greek word “prasso,” which means “to practice.”
Incidentally, most of the modern versions of the Bible, written during
and since the twentieth century, have substituted “prasso” for “poieo,”
giving us a lie and not the truth.
When I came before the Lord after discovering these things, I said to
Him, “Lord, I don’t
understand this scripture; my experience tells me it is not so, but your Word says it is so, therefore, I will believe your word. I will even preach it, because your Word
says it.” It was only after I committed to preach exactly what the
Word says, that I received understanding of what it says.
The key to understanding I John 3:9 is found in the phrase, “for His seed remaineth in Him.” Notice that I have emphasized both “His” and “Him,” because they both
refer to Christ. It is the word “seed” that refers to those
who are “born of God.” We are “His seed!”
Look again at the fifth and sixth
verses of this same chapter. “And
ye know that he was manifested to
take away our sins; and in him is no
sin. Whosoever abideth in HIM sinneth not.” We who are “born of God” are “His seed” and our “dwelling place” is “in Christ.” As long as we “abide (remain) in Him” we “cannot sin,” because He has taken our sin away, and in
Him there is no sin. This does not
teach “human perfection.” Let those who “trust in the flesh” to serve God be warned (Philippians 3:3). If the adversary can by any means move
you away from absolute rest and trust in Christ, sinful desires will revive in
your heart, and you will sin. This is true for every one of us. It is only those who “abide in Christ” that “cannot sin.” The “choice
to sin” is not set before them.
Christ has taken their sin away and there is no sin in Christ, in whom
they dwell.
Things That Were Common
Knowledge
I
John 3:5-6: “And ye know that he was
manifested to take away our sins; and in
him is no sin. Whosoever
abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither
known him.” Please notice that I have placed special
emphasis on the words “And ye know,” because it was “common knowledge” in the
first century church that Christ came into the world to “take away our sins.” We will point out that the use of the
word “sins” (plural) in verse
five is an error on the part of the translators. The apostle John believed exactly what
John the Baptist had said, “Behold,
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
SIN of the world” (John
1:29). Christ came into the world to take
away the sin that entered through
Adam’s disobedience (Romans 5:12). He “took
it away” through His “obedience
to death (Romans 5:19), even the death
of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Sin has polluted the heart and nature of
every person that has been born into this world since the transgression of
Adam. Jesus came to take sin out of
the heart and nature of those who believe the gospel and trust in Him. If He only took our “sins” away, He would be
plucking the evil fruit from a corrupt tree. The “corrupt
tree” is sin in the heart and nature of man, and the “evil fruit” is the sins
that we have committed. Christ did
not come to “pluck the fruit”
(take away the sins we commit); He
came to “lay the axe at the
root” of the tree (take sin
out of our heart and nature), and in this, He destroyed the corrupt tree.
According to the apostle John, it was also
common knowledge in the first century church that “…in Him is no sin.” Christ had no sin in His heart and
nature, and He took sin out of our heart and nature. John tells us, “whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not.” Oh, how simple and how wonderful this
is. Jesus promised “rest” to everyone who would
“come unto Him.” What wonderful rest it is when sin is
taken away, and we struggle with it no more.
5. Trust in Him that Did It
The final criteria for “getting the covenant right” is to simply “trust in Christ” who
finished our salvation through His death on the cross. In criteria #1, “Know who Christ is,” there is a great emphasis in
knowing that Christ is the creator of all things. This is most important, because only the
creator of the old could discard it and bring in the new. He came to nail the old creation to His
cross and create a new creation in Himself. “Knowing
this, that our old man is crucified with
him, that the body of sin might
be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For
he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:6-7).
Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10, “We are
his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus….”
In II Corinthians 5:17, he says, “If any man be in Christ (created in Christ), he is a new creature (new
creation): old things are passed away (the
old creation man is passed away); behold,
all things (everyone who is in Christ)
are become new.” Only the
creator could do it, and there is absolutely nothing we can do but believe what
He came to do and trust in Him who did it.
Ephesians
1:12: “That
we should be to the praise of his glory, who
first trusted in Christ.”
The first eleven verses of Ephesians record at least ten things God did
for the complete redemption and restoration of fallen humanity. In verse eleven, the apostle tells us
that God “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.” In the twelfth verse, he tells us what His will is; “That we should be to
the praise of his glory…,” and in the last phrase of the same
verse he tells us of whom he speaks; we “…who
first trusted in Christ.”
Those who “first trusted in Christ” were those who received the
Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost.
Paul included himself among those as one who was “born out of due season.” The existence of such a people on earth
brought great glory to Christ.
There is no hint of that church being sinful, or of even one of those
who God poured His Spirit upon having a sin problem. Paul tells us about that first church in
Ephesians 1:22-23; “…the church, which is his body,
the fulness of him that filleth all
in all.” When we “get the covenant right,”
that is what the church will be again.
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Message 58 - By Leroy Surface - Getting the Covenant Right
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