©2011-2025, David E.
Robinson: At the Gates of Yerushalayim Ministries
Lessons
from the Wilderness, Volume 60
A
Re-Visit to an Epistle From 2014 [i]
[ii] [iii] [iv] [v]
Fellowship
(koinwni>a), "joint interest, or the having one common stock.
The fellowship of the saints is twofold:
1. With God (1
John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 13:14).
2. With one
another (1 John 1:7).
Fellowship with God consists in:
- knowledge of his will (Job 22:21; John 17:3)
- agreement in design (Amos 3:2)
- mutual affection (Romans 8:38, 39)
- enjoyment of his presence (Psalm 4:6)
- conformity to his image (1 John 2:6; 1 John 1:6)
- participation of his felicity [that which brings happiness from G-d]
(1 John 1:3, 4; Ephesians 3:14- 21; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
Fellowship of the saints may be considered:
- as a fellowship of duties (Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:1; 1
Thessalonians 5:17, 18; James 5:16)
- of ordinances (Hebrews 10:24; Acts 2:46)
- of graces, love, joy, etc. (Hebrews 10:24; Malachi 3:16; 2
Corinthians 8:4)
- of interest spiritual, and sometimes temporal (Romans 12:4, 13;
Hebrews 13:16)
- of sufferings (Romans 15:1, 2; Galatians 6:1, 2; Romans 12:15)
- of eternal glory (Revelation 7:9)" [vi]
Author’s
Note: In my
attempt to go through my past posts and update them, this one is timely, as the
question of what is required of a congregation in the eyes of church leadership arises again and again, I thought it wise to update and include some thoughts
concerning the Holy Spirit and some so-called “movements”, that is , what is
being passed on as truth in the church, and the demands of denominations and
leaderships being put upon those who attend, and what they demand of believers
to gather in fellowship. Sometimes, it looks more like the leaders of churches
want cattle and not sheep. So, we need to visit this once more.
You are
looking at a response to a document, one that came to me via a friend – it was
circulated by the Pastor of a church he was thinking about joining and asked me
what I thought – and I thought plenty. The document was entitled:
“Requirements for Participation in
Fellowship.”
While we uphold the American tradition and
constitutional right of Americans to freely assemble together in groups of like
minds, we have to wonder at whether or not as the document claims:
“According to the New Testament, the requirements for participation in
fellowship in the local assembly are as follows…”
What is the Scriptural basis for such claims? [Note: this is in no way to impugn the
reputation or beliefs of the writers of this document of fellowship or others
like it.] The fact is, in any gathering of the holy ones of
G-d, many
sincere leaders and believers can be mistaken, their words misunderstood, or
they teach as doctrine, the things of men. Therefore, clarity needs to be
established.
There is a two-fold reason I come to this topic again. First
reason: what I am attempting here is to look at the “requirements” set
forth in this document and determine if they have a truly Biblical base, and if
they do, that they are being applied properly against the only back-drop
available to us, G-d’s Holy Word. As
always, it is the Scriptures that should determine these matters, not man’s
traditions or man’s interpretations of the Holy Word.
The second is also valid I believe. A congregation
has not only the right but also the duty to practice its due diligence in who
it allows to: a) sit within the congregation and b) hold its helpers and those
in leadership to a higher standard. That
being said, are we then having a litmus test of any who come through the doors
of the church? Are not all welcome, the new believer, the not-yet-believer, the
lost, the lonely, the desperate – do we include these, or do we shut our doors
to them, and turn them away?
Now, concerning the leaders of the church, there are three
principal passages in the New Testament that explicitly discuss the guidelines
for church leaders. They are: 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; and 1 Peter
5:1-5. The question becomes, do these also verses spell out the requirements
for those who sit in the pew to worship, learn, and have fellowship with one
another, or are the seekers and the lost left behind?
Before we begin, let us pray:
We humbly ask the Holy Spirit of G-d to lead
us in this discussion, and to provide us insight and Truth, as only He can; we
ask this in the blessed name of our Savior, Messiah Yeshua, Christ Jesus.
Amein
Requirements for Fellowship: Are they truly
required?
Why do we have questions concerning these “requirements”
at all? It is because that we have seen
certain movements that have occurred in the Church in the past that were
discredited after time and proper reflection are beginning to make their way
back into G-d’s Church, and it is our desire that no one be hurt by the
misapplication of these principles, especially in and for the name of Christ.
I am not accusing
anyone of being a part of these “movements”, or of being influenced by them,
but one has to wonder, especially in the light of statements contained in the
document we are looking at, what is it these requirements are trying to guard
against?
The document
contains certain “buzzwords” that identify one or more of these “movements”,
and that is why we question it. I have
to admit; I do not know where this epistle will take me or you, beloved
reader. I have placed the outcome in the
hands of G-d, so that I can approach this without preconceived notions. I am teachable and correctable; may G-d
always see me as such. My prayer is that
others are also. We will first look at
the document, article by article, and then examine the entry from the Cyclopedia quoted above. Again, I approach this with all reverence and
no malice, only wanting the Truth of G-d’s word to be first and foremost the
deciding factor in all things. May G-d
bless us in this endeavor, beloved, may G-d lead us.
To first understand why questions have risen, we have to
give you some background on some of the modern day “movements” that we are
afraid are trying to creep back into the Church.
Founded in the 1970’s, a movement called “Christian
Growth Ministries” started out in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Founded by Derek Prince, Bob Mumford, Charles
Simpson, Don Basham, Ern Baxter and John Poole, this movement propagated a
church government of delegated authority and covenant loyalty known as “Shepherding”
or “Discipling”. The idea
was that the love of G-d came about by the church government,
through submission to one man, and then trickling down. “Prophetic” or personal revelations (rhema
words) from the leader and were given on a par with Scripture. To their credit, after about a decade of such
teaching, (but not before personal enrichment by the tithes and offerings),
these men began to see that what they had created was little more than a
technique of “mind control” and starting with Derek Prince, one by one publicly
repented for what they had done, and the harm it had caused.
Today though, these movements, are disguised under new
terminology, new leaders, and slick new packaging, and are once again making
inroads into the Christian community.
Under the guise of “Apostle”, new leaders and a new wave
is moving, seen as the next form the church must undergo.
There is what is called the “New Apostolic
Reformation”, and it has new “buzz-words”, words most
Christians have heard, yet they now carry little known but new meanings: words
like “Apostolic”; “The Local Church”; “Apostolic
Mandate”; “Submission”; “Tithing”; “Church
Government”; “Theocracy”; “Five-fold Ministry”
and others. This movement is designed to
bring “unity” to churches in a localized area, all under the “Apostolic
Mandate” of one leader or a main church congregation, who then
delegates authority to the churches under their “care” and “leadership”,
with the tithes and offerings of all these churches eventually making their way
into a generalized coffer, to be distributed in a manner to be determined. [vii]
Now, this is not to say all of this happens at
once. Like all movements of this type,
it takes time to develop over an area.
But as church memberships shrink or grow, pastors sometimes look for
outside help, and deception can slip in.
I’m not saying that pastors deliberately set out to deceive or be
deceived; but as the times get harder in America, much more diligence is needed
to protect the flock, and we know that satan’s ministers appear
as ministers of light, so we must always be watchful. The word of G-d says to:
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NKJV)
21Test all things; hold fast what is good. [viii]
We are to be
watchmen, let it be so, and if we are despised or cast off or out, so be
it. Better to be cast off than cut off by
the Lord for being silent. As I’ve said,
I’m teachable and correctable. If any
can show me my arguments aren’t Biblical, I will humbly repent and stand before
G-d and man corrected. If you find,
though, that my arguments are based upon solid Scriptural teaching, then what
you do is between you and G-d. I’ve done
my job.
Let me just say
this, I have seen the damage that wrong teaching can do. I’ve seen hurt men and women reject Christ
because of the damage done by unbiblical doctrine. I would take no part in shouting out a
warning if I did not believe a warning is needed. I seek to hurt no one, yet Truth is
everything. May G-d see us all through
the times ahead, as we look at the claims to being in a setting of fellowship
within a typical Christian church…
As I said at the
beginning, there are Biblical mandates for leaders, and we will discuss these
later. But what of the souls in the pews? Most churches today either are
denominational, or they are what is called non-denominational; but all have a
system in place to preach, to teach, to study, and these things are all
controlled by leadership. Is there room in the discussion for those who want
more than the milk of the Word? Is leadership open to allowing questions, or
are the congregants silence, told to toe the line or be put out? I do not know
what your congregation expects of you, oh dear leaders and helpers; I do not
know what they expect of you, oh faithful in the pews, I do not have a clear
answer for you. But Jesus did:
Matthew
11:20-30 (ESV)
20 zThen he began to denounce the cities
where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 a“Woe to you, Chorazin!
Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in bTyre and Sidon, they
would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 cBut I tell you, it will be
more bearable on dthe day of
judgment for bTyre and
Sidon than for you. 23 And you, eCapernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to fHades. For if the mighty works done in you had been
done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 cBut I tell you that git will be more
tolerable on dthe day of
judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
25 hAt that time Jesus declared,
“I thank you,
Father, iLord of heaven and
earth, that jyou have
hidden these things from the wise and understanding and krevealed them to little children; 26 yes,
Father, for such was your lgracious
will.7 27 mAll things have been handed
over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son nexcept the Father, and no one knows the Father
except the Son and anyone oto
whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 pCome to qme, all who labor and
are rheavy laden, and I will
give you rest.
29 Take my
yoke upon you, and slearn
from me, for I am tgentle
and lowly in heart, and uyou
will find rest for your souls.
30 For vmy yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.” [ix]
Let
us remember, all who labor and are heavy burdened: the sheep need rest for
their souls. May this be our only requirement for fellowship.
Let
us then begin. This is a long post; read and digest what you can, but please
finish it, no matter how long it takes.
CLAIM
#1:
“Saving
faith in Jesus Christ and confession of such faith (John 3:16; Acts
16:31). This faith must be expressed by
confession because there is no salvation apart from confessing that Jesus is
Lord and Savior (Romans 10:10)”
First, we must look
at the Scriptures cited to see if they support the claim made as it is worded. Make no mistake: if you are going to set up
requirements for fellowship, then we must:
a) State the
requirement clearly.
b) Back it up with
Scripture – IN CONTEXT.
c) Define the terms
according to the Sacred Language (Hebrew) or the Majority Text (the accepted
Greek text).
This way, G-d’s
intent cannot be watered down by man’s translations of the Holy Writ. And
please, learn to read your Word in context, not just one or two verses taken
out of the context in which they were written; I will only use the Scriptures
mentioned for space, but you, dear reader, take your time and read ALL
Scripture that pertains to the verses mentioned.
John
3:16 (KJV)
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [x]
Acts
16:31 (NKJV)
31So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be
saved, you and your household.” [xi]
Romans
10:10 (1901 ASV)
for
with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [xii]
“…believeth. “In the New Testament, when belief is said to lead to eternal life, as
is the case here, the tense expressing continuous action is always used while
the tense expressing a single action is never used. Stress is thus placed on a continuous faith rather than
on an isolated moment of faith. Never in these passages expressing belief in eternal life is
one’s eternal security said to be guaranteed by a single, isolated act of
faith” (George Allen Turner and Julius R. Mantey, The Gospel According to John, p. 99, who for the final sentence,
given as footnote 20, cite E. A. Mills, “Terms for Belief in John’s Gospel”;
thesis in Asbury Theological Seminary, 1952). See related notes (Mt 24:13n. Ga
2:20n. 1 Ti 4:1n. He 6:4n, 6n, 9n. 1 J 5:13). T#865. ver. *18, *36. Jn 1:12. +4:39. +5:44. 6:35, 47. 12:46. 20:29. Is 28:16. 45:22. Mt 11:28. Mk 9:23. Lk 7:50. Ac *10:43. 16:31. Ro 1:16. *4:5. 9:33. 10:4. Ga 3:7, 9, 22. Ep 2:8-10. 1 Ti 4:10. He *6:12. 10:38, 39. 1 P 2:4-6.”[xiii]
“believeth” is
the word (G4100) πιστεύω pisteuō (pist-yoo'-o)
From G4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with respect
to, a person or thing), that is, credit;
by implication to entrust (especially
one’s spiritual wellbeing to Christ): - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in
trust with. [xiv]
The same Greek word is used in Acts 16:31. If
we go to Thayer’s definition of “believeth” we find:
πιστεύω
pisteuō
Thayer Definition:
1) to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit,
place confidence in
1a) of the thing believed
1a1) to credit, have confidence
1b) in a moral or religious reference
1b1) used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which
a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul
1b2) to
trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something:
saving faith
2) to entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity
2a) to be entrusted with a thing
Part of Speech: verb [xv]
Now, let’s look at Webster’s 1829 Dictionary
for the definition of “believeth”:
BELIE'VE, v.t. To credit upon the authority or testimony of
another; to be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of
another, or upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of
the mind, or by other circumstances, than personal knowledge. When we believe
upon the authority of another, we always put confidence in his veracity.
When we believe upon
the authority of reasoning, arguments, or a concurrence of facts and
circumstances, we rest our conclusions upon their strength or probability,
their agreement with our own experience, &c.
2. To expect or hope
with confidence; to trust.
I had fainted, unless I
had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psa 27.
BELIE'VE, v.i. To have a firm persuasion of anything. In some
cases, to have full persuasion, approaching certainty; in others, more doubt is
implied. It is often followed by in or on, especially in the scriptures. Believing
in is to hold as the object of faith. "Ye believe in God, believe also in
me." John 14. To believe on, is to trust, to place full confidence in, to
rest upon with faith. "To them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name." John 1. Johnson. But there is no
ground for much distinction.
In theology, to believe
sometimes expresses a mere assent of the understanding to the truths of the gospel,
as in the case of Simon. Acts 8. In others, the word implies, with this assent
of the mind, a yielding of the will and affections, accompanied with a humble
reliance on Christ for salvation. John 1:12. 3.15.
In popular use and
familiar discourse, to believe often expresses an opinion in a vague manner,
without a very exact estimate of evidence, noting a mere preponderance of
opinion, and is nearly equivalent to think or suppose. [xvi]
When we look at
these definitions, we can see: yes, the word “believeth” or “believe” does
carry with it the implication of faith, particularly saving faith; yet, does
this constitute the second premise that that there is “no salvation apart from
confessing Jesus is Lord and Savior”?
If we look upon
Acts 16:31, and see it in it’s context, this is what we see:
Acts 16:28-34 (1901 ASV)
But Paul
cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29And he
called for lights and sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul
and Silas, 30and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be
saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be
saved, thou and thy house. 32And they spake the word of the Lord unto him,
with all that were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night,
and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. 34And he
brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly,
with all his house, having believed in God. [xvii]
Here, we see that
the only requirement for the jailer was to believe in Jesus Christ. Paul did not tell him, “Believe and confess and
you will be saved…” But in fairness to
the word “confess”, the implication is there.
For what does “confess” (or “confession”) really mean?
There are several examples in the Greek New Testament
where the words are translated “confess” in English. Two examples are:
1) James 5:16 (KJV)
16Confess your
faults [trespasses,
sins, iniquities] one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availed much. [xviii]
Here the word for
“confess” is the word ἐξομολογέω
exomologeō (ex-om-ol-og-eh'-o) (G1843), defined by Thayer as: “…forth from the
heart, freely; …to profess publicly, openly…”[xix]. Strong’s Concordance defines it as: “…to acknowledge
or (by implication, of assent) agree fully: --confess, profess, promise…”[xx]
The second example is taken from 1 John 7:9:
2) 1 John 1:9 (1901 ASV)
If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. [xxi]
The word used here is ὁμολογέω homologeō (hom-ol-og-eh'-o)
(G3670); “1) to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent…; 2b)
not to deny…; 2b3) to confess, i.e. to admit or declare oneself guilty of what
one is accused of…”[xxii]
In James 5:16, an examination is taking place. The sick or infirmed are to examine
themselves, see their sin, agree that it is so and declare it openly. This way, hindrances and impediments to their
healing are removed.
Does this guarantee a
healing? No, as we see at the end of verse 16 “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much…” Young
translates this as “…Be confessing to one another the trespasses,
and be praying for one another, that ye may be healed; very strong is a working
supplication of a righteous man…”[xxiii] This
“confession” then is the coming into agreement with the Word of G-d as to the
nature of ourselves, to then make an open avowal, to agree with G-d that we are
in need of a healing, and want our sins removed to clear the way for this to
happen.
Our first example is usually understood within the
Catholic Church context. “Confess your
sins one to another…” is the embodiment of the Catholic confession, but it must
be realized that it is not man that we are to be confessing to; we are coming
into agreement with G-d over our sins.
Let me say one thing to this: no matter how transparent we attempt to
be, some sins I’m just not going to tell you about. These are between my Father and me. If it needs to be revealed, then the Spirit
directs me to do this, and no matter what, even to my own hurt, I’ll do
it. Why it is this way, I don’t know but
just look at Scripture if you don’t believe this to be true.
Paul says he was buffeted by satan with a “thorn in his side”. Scholars and commentators have speculated for
almost 2000 years about what this “thorn” was, yet Paul, by lead of the Spirit,
never revealed it to us. If “confession”
is so good for the soul as they say, why wasn’t Paul transparent to us? G-d’s grace is truly sufficient, my
beloved. That is all I need to
know, and that is all you need to know also.
In our second example, 1 John 1:9, we see the
“confession” most associate with, but just don’t understand what it means. Go with me to Romans 10:9-10.
Romans 10:9-10 (KJV)
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [xxiv]
“…That if thou
shalt confess…” Confess is the
word homologeō; if we consent, if we
agree that Jesus is Lord… This is the agreement.
“…and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…”; this is the doing.
Again, if we look
at Thayer’s definition:
(G3670) ὁμολογέω homologeō
Thayer Definition:
1) to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with,
assent
2) to concede
2a) not to refuse, to promise
2b) not to deny
2b1) to confess
2b2) declare
2b3) to confess, i.e. to admit or declare oneself guilty
of what one is accused of
3) to profess
3a) to declare openly, speak out freely
3b) to profess oneself the worshipper of one
4) to
praise, celebrate
Part of Speech: verb [xxv]
We can see, by
Thayer’s definition, that the Philippian jailer met the requirement of
“confession” when he “…rejoiced greatly, with all his
house, having believed in God…” The Bible does tell us that “…every knee shall bow,
and every tongue confess [agree with G-d] that Jesus is Lord…”, but the
requirement that there is no salvation without confession, is only partially
true: what we are required to do is believe. First and foremost. From here, we will then confess to Him; if we
are truly His, nothing can prevent that!
But first, we must believe – this is our salvation, to
believe on the One sent by G-d.
Once we believe, we will confess (agree) that He is our Lord. You won’t confess Him if you do not believe,
and there is no salvation in speaking “Jesus is Lord” if the heart doesn’t
agree [Matt 7:21]. Therefore, the
premise that there is no salvation apart from confessing that Jesus is Lord and
Savior is false- there is no salvation apart from believing- and this comes
only from G-d [John 6:44; John 14:6].
Then will our hearts rejoice, and our tongues confess. [see John 20:31; 1 John 5:13; 1 John 3:23;
John 14:1; Matt 7:21; John 9:35-38; Rom. 10:13-15]
CLAIM #2:
“Repentance from sin (Acts 2:38). There must be a turning away from the life of
sin and self-interest. “If any man be in
Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things
become new” (II Cor. 5:17)”
Acts 2:38 (KJV)
38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [xxvi]
2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. [xxvii]
Repentance is the
act of not just turning away from the old life; it must be accomplished by the
act of turning to something.
Let us look for a minute at what Paul preached in
Thessalonica and how it can serve as a model for us today.
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (1901 ASV)
For they
themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and
how ye turned unto God
from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from
the dead, even Jesus, who delivereth
us from the wrath to come. [xxviii]
Paul did not come into Thessalonica full of fire and
bluster about how they were going to hell because of the many gods that were
worshipped there, gods such as Apollo, Venus, or the other many and varied
Roman Gods. He didn't come in denouncing
the ribald lifestyle, the partying, the sexual immorality, and all the other
vices found in that day.
What Paul did was simply this: he preached Christ.
When he did this, what happened? They turned from idols, from false gods, from
wicked ways and turned to God. Notice
his words here. Paul says that
they..."turned to God from idols..." not “they turned from idols to
God..." What's the difference you
say?
Let's look at this model: "... how ye turned to God from idols
...". Wrapped up in this statement
is what Christ should affect in all of us today, repentance that leads to
salvation. Repentance and believing
are essential to salvation; they are the two steps in the process of redemption
and are wrapped up neatly here in one package.
When Paul preached Christ, when we
preach Christ the same thing happens; those
that hear will turn to God from idols.
Here is the work of faith: they turned to God. Faith did this; it accomplished its work.
John
6:29 (KJV)
29Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him
whom he hath sent. [xxix]
When Christ was preached, not only did they turn to God from idols, but
they also turned from idols. This
was truly repentance. You see, this
followed the turning to God; it didn't precede it.
Preach Christ, they'll turn to God; they will turn to
God and the idols fall.
Let’s take a practical look at repentance. Repentance is hard to preach. How can you describe it? Try this: raise your hand and hold it so that
your palm is facing you. Now turn it
around. Where's your palm? It is facing away from you. Think about it. You cannot turn to Jesus Christ without
turning away from something. This
turning away is repentance, it is t’shuvah.
Preach Christ.
At times, I sometimes think it’s a novel idea. We see so much else preached today: we hear
prosperity, blessings, “who I am in Christ", and a host of other soft,
easy doctrines. Preach the cross, and
suffering for Christ? Almost unheard
of. Die to self? “What does that mean?” they may ask; it means
you don't matter anymore; it is Christ alone.
Repentance? From
what? Addictions, idols, TV, whatever,
just don't call it what it is – and what it is , is sin. Today, like in Paul's time, we need to hold
up Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) as the Savior from sin. Man needs to know he is a lost sinner. They can sit and weep about their sins till
judgement day and it won't do them a bit of good. What is needed then? Well, a healthy dose of
Johnathan Edwards "Sinners in the hands of an Angry God"[xxx] would be
a good place to start...
Addicts will weep and moan about their additions, drunks
will cry in remorse for their drunkenness, the immoral will bewail their indiscretions,
and some will want to repent, but if they repent before they turn to Christ it
is all for nothing. Repentance does no
good unless you turn to Christ first. It
is only when a person turns to Christ that he turns from something. He will turn from his sin; if he doesn't turn
from it, it is because he has never turned to Christ. As the Thessalonians turn
to God from their idols, what happened?
They got busy with the labor of love.
They turned from idols to serve the true and living God and their faith abounded
and was spoken of all around. It was
because they realized that things happen in proper order: turning to God meant
that they had to turn toward Christ and then from their idols.
So, we can see, that the new creation only exists as the
word says, “if any man be in Christ…” We
return to G-d, that is repentance. The
Hebrew concept of repentance is to return from where you started; G-d is that
starting point, not just a turning. I
can (and did) go round and round, because all I did was turn. I had to re-turn.
CLAIM
#3:
“Scriptural
water baptism in the name in the name of Jesus
(Acts
2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; Col. 3:17)
There are two areas
in the church today where controversies abound more than in most others, and
that is water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I don’t believe that either one of them will
be settled in this epistle. Here are the
texts given in the claim:
Acts 2:38 (DARBY)
38 And Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized,
each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins, and ye
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [xxxi]
Acts
8:16 (1901 ASV)
for as yet it was fallen
upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
[xxxii]
Acts 10:48 (CEV)
48 Peter ordered them to be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ, and they asked him to stay on for a few days.[xxxiii]
Acts
19:5 (GNB)
5 When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [xxxiv]
Colossians 3:17 (NABWRNT)
17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do
everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him. [xxxv]
It has to be said
here, that the act of water baptism was a practice of the early church. What also must be said is, how is it used in
this context, the context of claim #3, or of Scripture? If there is attached to the act of water
baptism any significance other that as a sign or show of one’s agreement with
the death and resurrection of Christ, then we have to say that that basis is
unscriptural and unbiblical.
The act of baptism
has nothing at all to do with salvation, at least not water baptism. I have
covered this extensively in my epistle titled “Baptism is not water” which I you
can find on my blog at:
https://davidseedofabraham.blogspot.com/2014/12/is-baptism-required-for-salvation-yes.html
So, what can I say
of this matter? Without knowing the
context of Claim #3, about how baptism is viewed, I hesitate to pass
comment. What I will say is this: if we
as the body of Christ choose to withhold fellowship from another believer
because he or she has not been water baptized, then shame be upon our
heads. The only baptism that matters is
the one defined by Christ in Mark:
Mark
10:38-39 (NABWRNT)
38 † Jesus said to them, “You do not
know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized
with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
39 They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The
cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am
baptized, you will be baptized; [xxxvi]
Only the baptism of
the blood is what matters. The daily
dying to self, the carrying of your cross, the agonizing over sin, these form
and are the baptism we share with Christ.
Water cannot save, nor is it ever in the Word a prerequisite for
fellowship or membership of the body of Christ.
As a symbol, as an outward declaration of our faith, water baptism
serves a purpose in the believer’s life; it is a sign of belonging, a sign of
believing, and a declaration of allegiance to the only One who saves. Any other
significance is attached to it, as to say that it is required for salvation, is
wrong. Just remember the thief on the cross: Yeshua promised him he would be in
paradise with Him; he was not baptized in water.
CLAIM
#4
“Acknowledge
scriptural baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-46; Mark 16:17). Acts 19:1-6 describes a situation in which
Paul met “certain disciples” (verse 1) who had not yet heard of this
experience. “And when Paul had laid his
hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and
prophesied” (verse 6). Clearly, this baptism was the normal experience for a
Christian in that day, and it was promised just as clearly to future
generations and to “afar off” believers (Acts 2:39).”
There is no greater
area of misunderstanding in all of Christendom than that of the ministry of the
Holy Spirit. This is not surprising,
since around 250AD theologians and scholars have disagreed on just about every
aspect of this member of the Godhead.
Less is written
about Him in the Scriptures than there is about the Father or the Son, yet He
is found throughout the Bible, starting in Gen. 1:2. To reach the depth of understanding that is
needed is far beyond the scope of this epistle, but I will share with you (in
as condensed a form as I can) some history, and then some commentary.
Please bear with
me, for truly, the misunderstanding of the baptism of the Spirit has led to
more abuse of believers and the cause of Christ than any other doctrine. Deception comes in when we take away from
Scripture something that is not there and call it doctrine. So, a brief outlined history:
HISTORY
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE EARLY CHURCH
Þ Background Thoughts:
à
The Holy Spirit
dwells within us; the relationship between Holy Spirit and believers needs to
strengthen, to increase.
à
The Holy Spirit
is our constant companion.
à
With the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the righteousness of Christ is in us.
à
The purpose
of being filled with the Holy Spirit is not to speak in tongues (though this is
just one of the possible manifestations of being baptized in the Spirit), But
to be a Bold witness for Jesus Christ, in the Spirit, is the power of Christ.
à
This power,
from on high, comes only from a relationship with the Savior and the dwelling
of the Holy Spirit.
à
This power
isn’t just for a select few within the church, for their enrichment or enjoyment,
but is given corporately to the Church, the body of Christ, for edification and
encouragement, and for the individual as well, should they truly be quickened
in Messiah.
à
As the Holy
Spirit quickens the Word to our soul, TRUTH is imparted.
à
Careful:
fear breaks faith; hold to truth.
à
In this
vein, the Church today needs a closer relationship with the Holy Spirit, it
needs to embrace the Spirit of God.
Þ The Person and the Work of the Holy Spirit
The theology of the
Spirit in the Tanakh [Old Testament] has many iterations and much discussion,
as the concept is introduced in the Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary [AYBD]:
“The manifestation of divine presence and power perceptible especially in
prophetic inspiration. The concept was only incidental in late biblical thought
but developed in early Judaism and Christianity to a fundamental dogma.
Theological conceptions or teachings concerning the spirit are referred to as pneumatology.”[xxxvii]
To go a bit deeper,
again fromthe AYBD: “Concept.
The combination of the terms “holy” (Heb qōdeš
[lit.
“holiness”]; Gk hagios) and “spirit”
(Heb rûaḥ, Gk pneuma) does not occur in Greek literature, and in the OT only
in two historically late texts. The juxtaposition of rûaḥ and qōdeš is
oxymoronic in that a concept of dynamic power beyond human control, rûaḥ, has been combined with a word of
static character, qōdeš (Westermann
1981: 224). The combination becomes a technical expression in Christian usage
first through the evangelist Luke and in rabbinic literature.” [xxxviii]
Later in the
historical context comes this:
“…The transition
from charismatic leadership to kingship changes the perception of the spirit of
God.[xxxix]… Alongside
the gift of the spirit to the Messiah, we find in the exilic and postexilic
writings the announcement of the gift of the spirit to the whole people—chiefly
in the form of a word of Yahweh. Here, too, the spirit appears as a permanent
gift. The verbs employed indicate this by suggesting a substance in liquid form
(“pour out” [Ezek 39:29; Joel 3:1, 2]; “be emptied out” [Isa 44:3; 32:15]).
According to Ezekiel, the gift of the spirit enables the people to live
according to the commandments (36:27); it creates new life (37:5, 14; cf. Gen
2:7; Eccl 12:7). In addition, there is reference to the “gift of prophecy”
(Joel 3:1–5), the end of social inequalities (Joel 3:2 and Jer 31:34),
understanding and learning (Isa 29:24), growth in nature (Isa 32:15), peace and
community (Isa 32:17), and immediate relation to God (Ezek 39:29).[xl]
In
the Messianic Writings [the New Testament], the concept is even further complicated
through the letters of Paul, John, and the Synoptic Gospels, but the best
understanding comes from the discussions in Paul’s Epistles:
[Again, form the AYBD] …(In regards to
the letter to the Philippians)… The pointed reply of Paul (3:2) deprives the
opponents of the distinction of as well as the demand for circumcision, and,
interpreting it figuratively in a play on words, transforms it into a mark of
the Christians (“we are the true circumcision” 3:3). The metaphorical extension
of circumcision as an ethical symbol (Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; 9:25; 1QS V
5:25) means that insistence on circumcision fails to appreciate the
eschatological position of the community. Outward circumcision is set aside
(Rom 2:28): circumcision of the heart is wrought by the spirit “inwardly” (Rom
2:29; Col 2:11). The opponents’ demand that believers be circumcised would
insist on linking the old and new condition of the community and merely
revalidate “confidence in the flesh” (3:3). To counter this, Paul exhorts the
community to reorient their thinking (Phil 3:15) toward their newly given
Christian status.
Romans.
Paul’s doctrine of the spirit is most fully expounded in Romans. The body of
primitive Christian formulas which surfaced in the dispute with enthusiasts and
Pauline opponents has been incorporated in Romans as well. In the style of a
dialogue (6:3; 7:1) addressing both Jewish and Christian interlocutors, the
letter probes the relationship between law and spirit. In Romans, Paul values nomos, “law,” more highly than he did
even in Galatians (Hübner 1982).
Rom 7:1–6 describes the “change of regime”
from “law,” which brings enslavement to sin and flesh, to the service “in the
new life of the Spirit” (7:5–6) which took place in baptism.
7:7–25 describes previous pre-Christian
existence (7:5); 8:1–17, the new spiritual condition (7:6). 8:1–4 here explains
for the Christian the meaning of the law which no longer enslaves to sin. In
8:5–8 Paul contrasts an orientation according to the flesh and an orientation
according to the spirit. In 8:9–11, 12, and 13–17 he describes consequences of
the new life in the spirit. Paul uses the opposition then-now to describe the
present condition of the Christian as being dead to the law (7:4) and liberated
from the law (7:6), in analogy to the images in 7:1–3. This basic notion is
further developed in 7:7–8:17. Exegetes argue, however, whether nomos, “law,” according to Paul, is
completely abolished as a norm for the Christian (Käsemann An die Römer HNT, 181) or whether it is the power
of the spirit which is supposed to facilitate the fulfillment of the nomos (Wilckens Römer EKKNT, 119).[xli]
Now, how close does
this bring us to an understanding of the Spirit? I’ll bet most of you skipped
this – but we have to set up understanding, you have to go deep. What follows
next is an outline of what we do as believers.
I hope you don’t
skip it but there is a lot there; if you want to read and ponder it later, just
go down to the next colorful line… {but you’ll miss a lot!!}
Þ POINTS TO REMEMBER
1) GOD: Implants,
Cares, Creates
©
Creation,
Providence, and the Plan of Salvation are the objective work of God
©
The Holy Spirit
needs to be the instructor, our teacher of Truth.
2) The subjective work of God:
©
Are the
Persons God works His objectives for.
©
Is the
Application of His Divine Saving Work to Humankind.
Þ The Jobs/Ministries of the Persons
of the Trinity:
©
Different
Ministries and Works of the Godhead
©
Holy Spirit
quickens Salvation to our Spirit, to bring about the Plan of God.
Þ The Ministries of the Trinity:
©
The Father:
Å
Highlighted
in Creation and Providence (God, the Father, Our Provider)
© The Son:
Å
Has affected
salvation to Mankind
© The Holy Spirit:
Å
Applies the
redemptive work to us by giving us faith to yield to God for the purpose of
salvation.
Þ
REMEMBER:
The Father: Creation and
Providence
The Son: Redemption
The Holy Spirit: Applies Redemption to Us
Þ The Holy Spirit quickens us, i.e. draws us to
God...
©
Makes
Available to us what Jesus Supplies
©
Makes our
Salvation Clear
·
This is
accomplished through the quickened Gospel Message
·
Understand that Salvation only comes from the Shed
Blood of Christ Jesus.
·
We must
spend time studying the Holy Spirit, spend time with Him before we can go on to
understand what the Holy Spirit does.
à
Wherever the
absence of Jesus is Chaos Exists.
©
The Holy Spirit
comes in the Power of Christ Preached, quickening it to convict of sin and draw
men unto the Living Christ. We MUST allow ourselves to be used by the Holy Spirit,
as the Body of Christ, and as individuals. We MUST impart the Words of Life to
a lost world. This boldness for Christ we use to confess and preach Christ to
men must come from the Holy Spirit.
Þ
The
Importance of the Doctrine of The Holy Spirit:
à
Its
significance to us:
Point #1:
The Holy Spirit is the point where the Trinity becomes real and personal to the
believer. We meet God here, with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit comes only
by the will of G-d; the full potential of our calling comes from the yielding
of our will to the Holy Spirit. If allowed to by us, and not stifled by our
will, He will give us everything. To be filled with the Holy Spirit allows us
to be an Empowered Believer: This
Empowerment allows us to do God’s work with boldness, to be and work in God’s
Glory: All honor to Him And to Bring
Glory to God.
à
All we
receive from God is because of the Gift of God:
GRACE, the unmerited favor of
God.
à
All we can
do is share God’s word with the lost:
The Holy Spirit quickens them in their soul and God saves- salvation is
by the will of G-d.
©
Some reasons
why there is confusion about the Holy Spirit, and why His power is denied:
©
The Father
seems removed from us at times, far away in Heaven
©
The Son,
lived in past times, and people feel He is unknowable
©
There is
confusion as to the truth of the Holy Spirit: He is active and resident within
us, but people don’t realize this truth
à
The Holy
Spirit is the embodiment of the Fullness of God, of the Trinity. The Trinity works through the Holy Spirit to
bring the salvation of God to us...
©
God’s word
is Holy. When we come to God’s Word and
seek to be taught by the Holy Spirit, it is precious in God’s eyes.
©
Fostering a
relationship with the Holy Spirit allows Him to teach us: the secret is to get alone with God, with the
Holy Spirit and to earnestly seek to learn of Him.
1.
Point
#2: We live in the period [the NOW] when the Holy Spirit’s work is more prominent:
©
The THEN
consisted of God’s primary work (His ministry) was performed in the Old
Testament Period which led to:
©
The Son’s,
Jesus, work was in His three-year ministry up to crucifixion, resurrection, and
ascension...
Å
And we live in
the NOW-BUT NOT YET: The Holy Spirit’s ministry started at Pentecost
[Acts 2:1-41] and continues to this present day and age; therefore, we must be
in touch with the activities of the Holy Spirit’
2.
Point
#3: This current
culture in which we live [ the NOW-BUT NOT YET] demands experiential situations;
the converse to that is when the Holy Spirit allows us to experience God:
©
We can only
lay claim to our errors, God does all else.
©
Therefore, in a culture that demands an “experience”, IT
CAN BE DECEIVED.
Only in a true relationship with God through the Holy Spirit can TRUTH be revealed.
Þ
It’s through
the Holy Spirit’s work that we feel God’s Presence: He becomes real to us and transcends the
natural. He:
Å
Allows the
Word to saturate your being:
Å
With it, the
gates of hell cannot prevail
Å
You must go
in the Power of the Holy Spirit though, for this is the Believers Warfare
Å
Must put
yourself in the hands of God Almighty and do not resist the Holy Spirit, allow
Him to move in You.
Þ
Some
Difficulties:
©
Understanding
is often incomplete, or confusing:
Å Revelation of the Holy Spirit is limited
because the Son and the Father are spoken of more
Å Remember, the Holy Spirit’s main job is to
declare the Son. By allowing the Holy Spirit to work, we experience God’s
Glory. All we should see is Christ.
(John 14:16 NIV)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give [1] you another
Counselor [2] to be with you forever [3]--
1
"GIVE": See Luke 11:13, note
2
"COUNSELOR": Greek <parakletos> meaning <one
called alongside to help;> thus, <a consoler, an advocate;> in 1 John
2:1, "one who speaks to the Father in our defense." Christ is the
Christian's Paraclete with the Father when the Christian sins; the Holy Spirit
is the Christian's indwelling Paraclete to help his ignorance and infirmity,
and to make intercession (Rom 8:26 - 27). See Holy Spirit, acts 2:4, note.
Furthermore, Christ also intercedes as well as advocates (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25). See
1 John 2:1, note
3
"FOREVER": <Holy Spirit> (N.T.): vv. 16 -
18,26; John 15:26. (Mat 1:18; Acts 2:4, note)
©
Why the
difficulties?
Å
Jesus the
Son appeared or manifested Himself to us in human form; He was reported on,
talked about, so as the Son of Man, He can be identified with..
Å
God is
understood; He is our Father, and fathers are familiar, a tangible thing.
Å
The Holy Spirit,
on the other hand, is INTANGIBLE, hard for us to visualize..
Å
In this
attempt to visualize the Holy Spirit, we must be careful:
·
Accept all
things God has by FAITH
·
Also, honor
God the Father by being obedient to the Holy Spirit
Þ
Here and
now, we experience God by the Holy Spirit:
Å
Holy Spirit
indwells us, meaning that God Almighty lives in me..
·
Submit to
the Holy Spirit: We must be “yoke fellows with God, letting the Holy Spirit
lead in all things”: Just Follow.
Þ
Another
problem is the nature of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in relation to the Father
and Son.
Å
The Holy Spirit’s
ministry is to Guide us in all TRUTH [IN THE NOW], to quicken us in
understanding.
Å
He serves
the Father and the Son, carrying out their will, which, IS THE SAME AS HIS.
·
They are One:
But with distinct, different functions..
·
They ALL
deserve praise, for ALL are ONE!
·
In the
Trinity, NONE ARE LESS THAN THE
OTHERS.
·
Therefore,
thank God for Who They/He is are, and what They’ve done.
Þ
In this
respect, we are reminded of the Son’s ministry, where He subordinated Himself
to God the Father.
à
Do we then
view the Holy Spirit as being somehow inferior to God or the Son?
©
We should not. We must embrace the Holy Spirit,
for by doing so, we embrace God. Remember,
the Holy Spirit will bring us to do exploits, the preaching the Gospel in boldness and power.
à
The reason
for being filled with the Holy Spirit is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ
with boldness.
Å
The
empowerment of the Holy Spirit was given to the Church, the Body of Christ, for
the specific reason of proclaiming Christ by and in the empowerment of Christ!
Therefore, We need to be taught the proper way of tapping into the power of the
Holy Spirit and proclaiming Christ in His power.
à
The History
of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
©
Read about
Sampson- See what happens when he yielded to God, what a mighty man of God he
was!
(Rom
12:1-2 NIV)
Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy [1], to offer your bodies
[2] as living sacrifices [3], holy [4] and pleasing
to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. {2} Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world
[6] but be transformed [7] by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God's will is [8] --his
good, pleasing and perfect will.
1 "MERCY": Rom 3:21 -8:39
2 "BODIES": i.e. <offer once for all.> Cp. Rom
6:12 - 13
3 "SACRIFICES": v. 1 - 2: Phil
4:18; see Heb 10:18, note
4 "HOLY": <Sanctification>
(N.T.): vv. 1 - 2; Rom 15:16. (Mat 4:5; Rev 22:11)
5 "NOT": <Separation:> v.
2; 1 Cor 10:20. (Gen 12:1; 2 Cor 6:17)
6 "WORD": Lit. <age>
7 "TRANSFORMED": Rendered
<transfigured,> Mat 17:2; Mark 9:2
8 "IS": Cp. Eph 5:1 - 21
Å
Be
transformed, renew your mind, reject the world, Put on Jesus Christ and let God
use you. The misuse of the GIFT of
the Holy Spirit is to draw focus unto ourselves.
Glory to God through the Gospel Message
of Jesus Christ MUST be the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
à
Some Early
History:
©
Some Points
to remember:
Å
Doctrines or
teachings are elaborated when there is controversy
Å
Relatively
little was said about the Spirit in the early church; the Holy Spirit was said
to be the movement of God.
See
the early Church fathers, St. Augustine:THE
HOLY SPIRIT (56) AND THE CHURCH (57-60)
56. Now, when we have spoken of Jesus
Christ, the only Son of God our Lord, in the brevity befitting our confession
of faith, we go on to affirm that we believe also in the Holy Spirit, as
completing the Trinity which is God; and after that we call to mind our faith
“in holy Church.” By this we are given to understand that the rational creation
belonging to the free Jerusalem ought to be mentioned in a subordinate order to
the Creator, that is, the supreme Trinity. For, of course, all that has been
said about the man Christ Jesus refers to the unity of the Person of the Only
Begotten. (From The
Enchiridion, Saint Augustine, AGES Software, Albany, OR, ©1997)
Tertullian:
...Moreover, after the pledging both of the attestation of faith
and the promise of salvation under “three witnesses,” there is added, of
necessity, mention of the Church; inasmuch as, wherever there are three, (that
is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,) there is the Church, which is a
body of three...
(From The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 2, Latin Christianity, Its Founder,
Tertullian, AGES Software, Albany, OR, ©1997)
Some of the discussions were
whether or not the Holy Spirit was:
·
A
Movement, An attribute, Wisdom, or was mainly an ontological argument i.e. was
the Holy Spirit the same essence as God and the Son.
à
Quick
REVIEW:
Å
Fellowship:
is the practice of the sharing of the word of God w/others
Å
The Doctrine
of the Holy Spirit has had ups and Downs:
·
We must
remember that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit
W
Do we honor
this temple of the Highest God as we should?
Å
The teaching
of the Holy Spirit is BY the Holy Spirit:
·
We can be
taught; We can be empowered; We can do exploits for God
·
We can do
all these things ONLY through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. Always
remember: Chaos exists because of the
absence of Jesus Christ
à
Early
History [con’t.]
Å
2nd Century
Theology:
·
Irenaeus
believed the Holy Spirit to be an attribute of God, divine wisdom
W
Division and
confusion about the identity of the Holy Spirit comes from the absence of His
leading and teaching. The quickening of
interpretation of scripture and revelation of scripture comes only from the
Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, the word of God is just words, dead to
the reader or hearer.
W
The only way
to learn of God is through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
·
Origen moved
away from the belief that the Holy Spirit was of the same essence as God, of
God, was God.
W
Origen was a
literalist, but the philosophy he espoused tended toward rationalization, a
changing of the outer man, but effected not the inner man.
à
Victory is
shown when we yield to the Holy Spirit, who then leads us to Jesus Christ.
Å
Growth comes
from failure, yielding the way to victory
Å
Put your
failure under the blood, and then move on, becoming one who has made himself
available to God.
Å
Let the Holy
Spirit guide you in truth with the scriptures
Å
Avoid head
knowledge...
·
We are
blessed by the doctrine that has been “fleshed” out by the Holy Spirit
·
Let the Holy
Spirit witness and confirm what you hear, read, or see
·
Be aware, we
are responsible for what we receive
·
The Holy Spirit
cannot fail us; we will never be deceived if we put all we do to His test.
·
Don’t ever
be satisfied where you are, fellowship with the Holy Spirit always.
à
Other
Points:
Å
Be obedient
to God, led by the Holy Spirit, under the authority of Jesus Christ
Å
The Doctrine
of the Trinity has gone under controversy by man’s reasoning- not because of or
by the Holy Spirit’s leading
Å
There is no
subordination in the Trinity: All are equal, all are in communion with One
Another
Å
The
formation of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit has been on-going for a long time
Å
The Holy Spirit
is as much God as is the Son or the Father
Å
The Holy Spirit
gives revelation, not interpretation
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for
teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; 17
that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work. [xlii]
Å
God honors
obedience and wants submission.
©
The only
righteousness is Christ, who imputes it upon us as a gift of love.
©
Submit
yourself to God, to His authority, to He Who sits in authority; Be submissive
to God and ALLOW GOD TO USE YOU!!
©
The Holy Spirit
“checks” us when we are out of His will
©
Reach out to
God for all He has for us
Galatians 5:16-25
16 But I say, walk by
the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are
contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. 18
But if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of
the flesh are manifest, which are these:
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities,
strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, 21 envyings,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did
forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 meekness, self-control; against such there
is no law. 24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with
the passions and the lusts thereof. 25 If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit
let us also walk. [xliii]
Å
There is an
intrinsic power, a life in the Word with the Holy Spirit, available IF we avail
ourselves of it. LET THE HOLY SPIRIT USE
US!!!
Å
In the
absence of the Holy Spirit, THERE IS NO QUICKENING OF THE WORD OF GOD.
Å
Whenever the
Holy Spirit reveals scripture to you, this very act proves the truth of the
Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit...
Å
The Holy Spirit
comes to us by invitation (in other words, Put on Christ).
Å
If we walk
in the Spirit, then we will supersede our will by Him.
Å
Christ’s
death of the Cross was the true grasp of love, holding us in His hand in a
divine grip of love; so know who Christ is in you! Stand up in the power of the Holy Spirit!
Å
Beware
idolatry – which is ANYTHING that gets in between us and God, (could be works,
jobs, ministry, doctrines, ANYTHING). GIVE UP the things of this world.
Å
Faith is how
we are justified. Reason can never
justify any of the beliefs of Christianity.
As you can see,
there is a lot to be said, a lot to hold close to our hearts and ponder. On both sides of the issue of the
manifestations of the Holy Spirit, different groups have wrestled with
Scripture to prove their “arguments”, but in reality, there is only one Truth
to the matter. Paul’s observations on
the nature of the “gifts” of the Spirit and on their proper exercise are noted
in 1 Corinthians, chapters 12 and 14. Of
special consideration is 1 Cor. 12:11:
1 Corinthians 12:11 (NKJV)
11But one and the same Spirit works all these
things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. [xliv]
It cannot be
ignored that there are those who say the gifts were for a past time; it also
cannot be ignored that there are those who say the gifts are still with
us. For any to say, and it doesn’t
matter which side you are on, for any to say that if you speak in tongues, then
they must be counterfeit, that is wrong.
It is also wrong to say if you don’t speak in tongues, then you have not
been baptized in the Holy Spirit. The
proof of this is found in the Scripture above.
It is the Spirit who decides who gets a gift and what gift is
given, not man or a congregation. To get
to an answer requires much study, and quite frankly, a heart and mind open to
be able to be taught and corrected. I
have a lot to say, but I’d like to just share instead the thoughts of Professor
Jesse Stearns, who is an instructor at the Covenant Bible Seminary in Lakewood,
WA:
“…Is there a way to
deal responsibly with the considerations raised by both sides of this
dispute? Because the issue has a
significant effect on the fashion in which one conduct’s one’s Christian life,
and even on the style and tone of the Christian life, the question cannot
simply be ignored. While few dogmatic
conclusions can be drawn in this area, a number of significant observations can
be made.
We
begin with the question of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We note first that the Book of Acts speaks of
a special work of the Spirit subsequent to new birth. It appears, however, that the Book of Acts
covers a transitional period. Since that
time the normal pattern has been for conversion/regeneration and the baptism of
the Holy Spirit to coincide. Paul writes
in 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentilesc,
whether we be bond or free; and have
been all made to drink into one Spirit.”[xlv] From verse 12 it
is very clear that this “one body” is Christ.
Thus Paul appears to be saying in verse 13 that we become members of
Christ’s body by being baptized into it by the Spirit. Baptism by the Spirit seems to be, if not
equivalent to conversion and new birth, at least simultaneous with them.” [xlvi] He goes onto explain the transitional period
in Acts, of the post conversion indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as the result of
those believers being the last of the Old Testament believers. They were regenerate because they believed in
the Torah and Tanakh (Old Testament) and feared G-d. They had not yet received the Holy Spirit
because Christ had not yet ascended.
Keep in mind that the Apostles didn’t receive the fullness of the Spirit
until Pentecost. After Pentecost we can
find no clear cases of post-conversion experience among the Jews. What happened to the Jews as a group in Acts
2 also happened to the Samaritans (Acts 8) and Gentiles (Acts 10). Thereafter, regeneration and the baptism of
the Spirit were simultaneous. The
disciples of Apollos in Acts 19 was a matter of incompletely evangelized
believers, for they had been baptized in the baptism of John, a baptism of
repentance, and didn’t even know of a Holy Spirit. If you look closely at Acts 19, I believe,
they weren’t aware of Christ either. In
all these cases there is no indication that the Holy Spirit did not come upon
all the members of these groups. “This
interpretive scheme seems to fit well with the words of Paul in 1 Cor. 12:13,
and with the fact that Scripture nowhere commands us to be baptized in or by
the Holy Spirit, and with the record in Acts.”[xlvii]
In conclusion: “What we must do, then is to evaluate each case on its own
merits. This does not mean that we are
to sit in judgement on the spiritual experience or the spiritual life of other
professing Christians. What it does mean
is that we cannot assume that everyone who claims to have had a special
experience of the Holy Spirit’s working has really had one. Scientific studies have discovered enough
non-spirit-caused parallels to warn us against being naively credulous about
every claim. Certainly not every exceptional
religious experience can be of divine origin, unless G-d is a very broadly
ecumenical and tolerant being indeed, who even grants special manifestations of
His Spirit to some who make no claim to Christian faith and may actually be
opposed to it. Certainly if demonic forces could produce imitations of divine
miracles in biblical times (e.g., the magicians in Egypt were able to imitate
the plagues up to a certain point), the same may be true today as well…
In the final analysis, whether
the Bible teaches that the Spirit dispenses special gifts today is not an issue
of great practical consequences. For
even if He does, we are not to set our lives to seeking them. He bestows them sovereignly; He alone
determines the recipients )1 Cor. 12:11).
If He chooses to give us a special gift, He will do so regardless of
whether we expect or seek it. What we
are commanded to do (Eph. 5:18) is be filled with the Holy Spirit (a present
imperative, suggesting ongoing action).
This is not so much a matter of our getting more of the Holy Spirit;
presumably all of us possess the Spirit in His entirety. It is, rather, a matter of His possessing more of our lives. Each of us aspires to giving the Holy Spirit
full control of our lives. When this
happens, our lives will manifest whatever gifts G-d intends for us to have,
alone with all the fruit and acts of His empowering that He wishes to display
through us. It is to be remembered, as we noted earlier, that no one gift is for
every Christian, nor is any gift more significant than the others.
Of more importance,
in many ways, than receiving certain gifts is the fruit of the Spirit. These virtues are, in Paul’s estimation, the
real evidence of the Spirit at work in the Christian. Love, joy and peace in an individual’s life
are the surest signs of a vital experience with the Spirit…
But what is the
proper procedure with regard to an actual case of modern-day public practice of
what is claimed to be the biblical gift of glossolalia
(speaking in tongues)? First, no
conclusion should be drawn in advance as to whether it is genuine or not. Then the procedure laid down by Paul so long
ago should be followed. Thus, if one
speaks in tongues, there should be an interpreter, so that the group as a whole
may be edified. Only one should speak at
a time and no more than two or three at a session (1 Cor. 14:27). If no one is present to interpret, then the
would-be speaker should keep silent in the church and restrict the use of
tongues to personal devotional practice (v.28).
We must not prohibit speaking in tongues (v.39); on the other hand, we
are nowhere commanded to seek this gift.
Finally,
it is to be noted that the emphasis in Scripture is upon the One who bestows
the gifts rather than upon those who receive them. G-d frequently performs miraculous works
without involving human agents. We read,
for example, in James 5:14-125 that the elders of the church are to pray for
the sick. It is the prayer of faith, not
a human miracle-worker, that is said to save them. Whatever be the gift, it is the edification
of the church and the glorification of G-d that are the ultimate importance…”[xlviii]
There is so much
more to be said but let us come to this conclusion: the saved man is in-dwelt
by the Holy Spirit. How much of our life
we give to Him determines when we are allowed to use our gifts for Him. If I won’t give Him my whole life, why would
He empower me with a gift that I could possibly misuse? Let us acknowledge what Scripture clearly
shows, believers have the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist said Christ would baptize with the Spirit and with
fire. Shouldn’t that be all the
acknowledgement any need? I don’t need
tongues to prove to anyone I’ve been baptized in the Spirit; the fruit will
tell.
CLAIM
#5:
“Regular
participation in the church’s worship, Bible Study, and the ordinances (Hebrews
10:25; ii Timothy 2:15; I Cor. 11; John 13).
Hebrews 10:25 (KJV)
25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is;
but exhorting one another: and so
much the more, as ye see the day approaching. [xlix]
2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV)
15Be diligent to present yourself approved to
God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth. [l]
1
Corinthians 11 (RSV)
1 Be imitators of
me, as I am of Christ.
2 I commend you
because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I
have delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is
Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4
Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,
5 but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled
dishonors her head—it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6 For
if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it
is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil. 7 For
a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but
woman is the glory of man. 8 (For man was not made from woman, but
woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for
man.) 10 That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head,
because of the angels. 11 (Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not
independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from
man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.) 13 Judge
for yourselves; is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head
uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that for a man to
wear long hair is degrading to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair,
it is her pride? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 If anyone
is disposed to be contentious, we recognize no other practice, nor do the
churches of God.
17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you
come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in
the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions
among you; and I partly believe it, 19 for there must be factions
among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20
When you meet together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21
For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry
and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and
drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have
nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord
Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he
had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in
remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often
as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as
you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he
comes.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread
or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning
the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a man examine himself, and so
eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For any one who eats and
drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill,
and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we should
not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are
chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34
if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—lest you come together to be
condemned. About the other things I will give directions when I come. [li]
John
13 (1901 ASV)
13 Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come
that he should depart out of this world unto his Father, having loved his own
that were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 2And during supper, the devil having already put into the
heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son,
to betray him, 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all the things into
his hands, and that he came forth from God, and goes unto God, 4rises from supper, and lays aside his garments; and he
took a towel, and girded himself. 5Then he poured water into the basin,
and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel
wherewith he was girded. 6So he came to
Simon Peter. He saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 7Jesus answered and
said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but
thou shalt understand hereafter. 8Peter saith unto
him, thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9Simon Peter saith
unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10Jesus saith to
him, He that is bathed needs not save to wash his feet
but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11For he knew him
that should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. 12So when he had
washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down again, he said unto
them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13Ye call
me, Teacher, and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14If I
then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash
one another’s feet. 15For I
have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you. 16Verily,
verily, I say unto you, a servant is not greater than his lord; neither one
that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17If ye
know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them.
18I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen
but that the scripture may be fulfilled: He that eats my bread lifted up his
heel against me. 19From henceforth I tell you before it come to
pass, that, when it comes to pass, ye may believe that I am he. 20Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receives
whomsoever I send receives me; and he that receives me receives him that sent
me. 21When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in the spirit,
and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, that one of you shall betray me. 22The disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spoke.
23There was at the table reclining in Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom
Jesus loved. 24Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and saith unto
him, tell us who it is of whom he speaks.
25He leaning back, as he was, on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is
it? 26Jesus therefore answered, He
it is, for whom I shall dip the sop, and give it him. So when he had dipped the sop, he taketh and giveth
it to Judas, the
son of Simon Iscariot. 27And after the sop, then entered Satan into him. Jesus
therefore saith unto him, What thou do, do
quickly. 28Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spoke
this unto him. 29For some thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus
said unto him, Buy what things we have need of for the feast; or, that he
should give something to the poor. 30He then having received the sop went out straightway: and
it was night.
31When therefore he was gone out, Jesus saith, now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him;
32and God shall glorify him in himself, and
straightway shall he glorify him. 33Little children, yet a little while I am with
you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot
come; so now I say unto you. 34A new
commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved
you, that ye also love one another. 35By this
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
36Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, whither go thou? Jesus
answered, Whither I go, thou canst not follow now;
but thou shalt follow afterwards. 37Peter saith unto him, Lord, why can’t I follow thee even
now? I will lay down my life for you. 38Jesus answered, Will thou lay
down thy life for me? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow,
till thou hast denied me thrice. [lii]
“Regular
participation in the church’s worship, Bible Study, and the ordinances…”
Beloved, my heart
grows heavy when I hear our read such statements. Not because I disagree with worship, Bible
study or ordinances (though this term troubles me); but it is because of the
ownership that is claimed: “the church’s”.
The problem that
confronts me is this: how are we defining terms? What does the phrase “in the church’s
worship, Bible study, and the ordinances…” truly mean? Friends, the followers of Jim Jones and David
Koresh had “regular participation in the church’s…” activities, right up unto
the end, but G-d’s? I don’t believe that
all of those folks died following G-d’s plan of worship, Bible study and
ordinances. We have to be very, very careful
beloved. Do we follow man or G-d? Do we follow the Word of the Living Christ,
or do we do as we are told by church leaders?
Whose authority are we to submit to, Christ’s or man?
How we define this
statement is the real question. Now,
let this be not misconstrued: I do not oppose regularly gathering with
believers for the worship of G-d, or for coming together to study and discuss
the deeper things of G-d, nor do I oppose the corporate communion. What I do oppose is any “church” claiming the
ownership of these activities, just as I have a problem with anyone calling the
ministry that they are a part of “Billy Bob’s Ministry”, “John Boy Walton
Ministries” or “Insert-Your-Own-Name Ministry”.
The ministry always belongs to Christ, as does the “worship, study and
ordinances.”
Now, we can dance
around this subject all night, one can say that the “church” refers to the body
of Christ, or the “church” refers to the local assembly, or the “church” refers
to a particular congregation, so on and so on…
One can say that the wording could have been better, that I’m reading
way too much into things… All points
that could have some validity to them (as I said, I’m teachable and
correctable). What does bother me the
most is simply “Why?” Why do we have to
have requirements for fellowship in the first place?
Acts
2:41-47 (NKJV)
41Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about
three thousand souls were added to them. 42And they continued
steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in prayers. 43Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders
and signs were done through the apostles. 44Now all who believed
were together, and had all things in common, 45and sold their
possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46So
continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house
to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47praising
God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church
daily those who were being saved. [liii]
It seems to me, brethren,
that once we believe, we will want to come together and worship, to be taught
and to teach, to break bread and remember our Lord. It seems to me, brethren, we will provide for
one another, we will be “day by day, attending the temple…”, praising G-d. And G-d will supply the increase. Now, understand, I don’t want to go into a
house of worship and find bedlam. No,
Paul says “all things in order”. That
isn’t what I’m talking about. And by the
same token, I don’t want to come into G-d’s house and try to worship if a witch
doctor is sitting right next to me (well, then again, maybe… one of us is going
to get converted, and it won’t be me!).
I think you can get my drift here.
The idea is that all concerned will strive to have
“continued steadfastly…” in our Lord.
But let it be G-d’s worship; the church could be wrong.
Let it be the Holy Spirit’s study from the word; the
church might need correction.
Let it be the ordinances as given by Christ; that way
man’s traditions won’t bring the things of G-d to no effect.
Words have meaning. When we are
speaking about Holy things, let us not use words lightly. We will answer for every word we utter one
day; do you not think I tremble when I write these words? I make every attempt to get my words correct,
as led by the Spirit. Doesn’t mean I’m
perfect, and yes, I extend that same grace to others also, for sometimes we all
get it off-center just a bit. Let me put
it this way. Which is the better way –
to say, “Who I am in Christ” or to say, “Who Christ is in me”? Both statements seem to say the same thing,
right? Or do they?
“Who I am in Christ” puts “I” before Him; “Who
Christ is in me” just by the nature of the wording, says Christ is
preeminent. Without Christ, I am
nothing. I hope, Brethren, that I’m
making some sense to you here, it is a difficult thing that I am doing. I am not trying to destroy or create
controversy.
Yet, all ministers, pastors, teachers and lay-men alike, we all must be
transparent and open for questions or criticism. None of us have the ability to be right all
the time and if we truthfully and humbly acknowledge this fact, then and only
then can we come together and reason together and find the truth from the
Scriptures. It can only be G-d who is
worshipped in Spirit and in Truth; those are the requirements. It can only be His Words we study, and His
Spirit that interprets these words for Peter tells us in 2
Peter 1:16-20 (NKJV):
16For we did not follow cunningly devised fables
when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but
were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17For He received from God the
Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory:
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18And we heard
this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19And
so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light
that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in
your hearts; 20knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is
of any private interpretation, [liv]
Now the word used
here for “prophecy” is (G4394) προφητεία
prophēteia (prof-ay-ti'-ah). Thayer
defines it as thus:
“Thayer Definition:
1) prophecy
1a) a
discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God,
whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted,
or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events
1b) Used in the NT of the utterance of OT prophets
1b1) of the prediction of events relating to Christ’s
kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions
pertaining to it, the spirit of prophecy, the divine mind, to which the
prophetic faculty is due
1b2) of the endowment and speech of the Christian
teachers called prophets
1b3) the gifts and utterances of these prophets,
especially of the predictions of the works of which, set apart to teach the
gospel, will accomplish for the kingdom of Christ
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s
Number: from G4396 (“prophecy”)” [lv]
Now one can
discourse the word “prophecy” to death.
A study on most commentaries shows
a common thread, that “prophecy” emanates from G-d, and that it is His
word. “prophēteia” comes from the Greek
word (G4396) προφήτης prophētēs (prof-ay'-tace), formed from a compound
of G4253 and G5346:
G4253
πρό pro (pro): A primary
preposition; “fore”, that is, in front of, prior (figuratively superior) to. In compounds it retains the same significations: - above, ago,
before, or ever. In compounds it retains the same significations. [lvi]
G5346
φημί phēmi (fay-mee'):
Properly
the same as the base of G5457 and G5316; to show
or make known one’s thoughts, that is, speak
or say: - affirm, say. Compare G3004. [lvii]
“Prophētēs” means a “foreteller” or an “inspired
speaker”. All Scripture is the Word of
G-d, therefore the argument can be made that all Scripture is prophecy,
and therefore not open to our interpretation, but only that of the
Spirit’s. I’m not here to engage in
pointless discussions on definitions:
I present what I’m led to present – that all things come
from G-d, and must be examined only in His light, not a “church’s” or a
pastor’s or a teacher’s. Let G-d’s word
prove out what is correct, in study and ordinances.
Let’s move on:
CLAIM #6:
“Support of the local assembly by prayers and offerings
(Eph 6:18; Gal. 6:6; 1 Cor. 9:1-14; 2 Cor 9:6-7)
Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV)
18praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance
and supplication for all the saints— [lviii]
Galatians
6:6 (NKJV)
6Let him who is taught the word share in all good things
with him who teaches. [lix]
1 Corinthians 9:1-14 (KJV)
1Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not
seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? 2If I be
not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine
apostleship are ye in the Lord. 3Mine answer to them that do examine
me is this, 4Have we not power to eat and to drink? 5Have
we not power to lead about a sister, a wifea, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
6Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? 7Who
goes to warfare any time at his own charges? who plants a vineyard, and eateth
not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of
the flock?
8Say I these things as a man? or saith not the
law the same also?
9For
it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox
that treaded out the corn.
Doth God take care for oxen? 10Or
saith he it altogether for our sakes?
For our sakes, no doubt, this is
written: that he that plowed should plow in hope; and that he that threshes in
hope should be partaker of his hope. 11If we have sown unto you
spiritual things, is it a great thing
if we shall reap your carnal things? 12If others be partakers of this power over you, aren’t we rather?
Nevertheless we have not used this power; but
suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
13Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things
liveb of the things of the temple? and they which
wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? 14Even so hath the
Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. [lx]
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
(DARBY)
6 But this is true, he that sows sparingly shall
reap also sparingly; and he that sows in the
spirit of blessing shall reap also in blessing: 7 each
according as he is purposed in his heart; not grievingly, or of necessity; for
God loves a cheerful giver. [lxi]
We have no argument
that the people of G-d should and did support one another, in all things. We
also declare a workman is “…the workman is worthy of his meat…” [lxii] (Matt.
10:10). But let us look at this for a
moment.
In Vincent’s
Word Studies we find this:
“The workman is worthy, etc.
Mat_10:11, There abide, etc.
“The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” a
tract discovered in 1873 in the library of the monastery of the Most Holy Sepulcher
at Constantinople, by Bryennios, Metropolitan of Nicomedia, is assigned to the
date of 120 a.d., and by some scholars is placed as early as 100 a.d. It is
addressed to Gentile Christians and is designed to give them practical
instruction in the Christian life, according to the teachings of the twelve
apostles and of the Lord himself. In the eleventh chapter we read as follows:
“And every
apostle who cometh to you, let him be received as the Lord; but he shall not
remain except for one day; if, however, there be need, then the next day; but
if he remain three days, he is a false prophet. But when the apostle departed,
let him take nothing except bread enough till he lodge again, but if he ask
money, he is a false prophet.”
And again (Ch. 13):
“Likewise a true teacher, he also is worthy like the
workman, of his support. Every first-fruit, then, of the products of wine-press
and threshing-floor, of oxen and sheep, thou shalt take and give to the
prophets, for they are your high-priests.... If thou make a baking of bread,
take the first of it and give according to the commandment. In like manner,
when thou open a jar of wine or oil, take the first of it and give to the
prophets; and of money and clothing, and every possession, take the first, as
may seem right to thee, and give according to the commandment.” [lxiii]
The idea was to
provide for the needs of the messenger of the Good News, not for the personal
wealth and gain of such. This is not to
say that a congregation cannot support it’s pastor; by all means this is
right. For the preacher should only
have to concern himself with the things of G-d; this being said, one cannot
cite 1 Cor. 9:1-14 and not also include the rest of the chapter as proper context for what Paul was
speaking of…
1
Corinthians 9:15-27 (KJV)
15But I have used none of these things: neither
have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that
any man should make my glorying void. 16For though I preach the
gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is
unto me, if I preach not the gospel! 17For if I do this thing
willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
18What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of
Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
19For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the
more. 20And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the
Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them
that are under the law; 21To them that are without law, as without
law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might
gain them that are without law. 22To the weak became I as weak, that
I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23And this I
do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
24Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but
one received the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25And every man
that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but
we an incorruptible. 26I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so
fight I, not as one that beats the air: 27But 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
castaway. [lxiv]
Brethren, what I
bring up is a warning. Do not stop
supporting the local assembly or the pastor but do hold them accountable. How many ministries, how many souls have been
lost to the cause of Jesus by churches and ministers that abuse the free-will
offerings of the congregations? By
all means, we should give so that others can be helped. By all means, we should give, as it is
what we do, a part of the good works that the Gospel prepares us to do. But any thinking Christian knows of the
excesses that he/she has seen, any thinking Christian has seen the damage done
to Christ’s name by greed and covetousness; what did Paul say on this matter
himself?
2 Corinthians 6:1-10 (KJV)
1We then, as
workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace
of God in vain. 2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time
accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
3Giving
no offence in anything, that the ministry be not blamed:
4But
in all things approvinga ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in
afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5In stripes, in
imprisonments, in tumultsb, in labors, in watching, in fasting; 6By
pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by
love unfeigned, 7By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor
of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8By honor and dishonor,
by evil
report and good report: as deceivers, and yet
true;
9As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and
not killed; 10As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many
rich; as having nothing,
and yet possessing all things. [lxv]
18What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of
Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. [lxvi]
We pray for all the
saints of G-d, not just the local assembly, for the body is the local assembly,
for we are one. Furnish unto G-d what is
His, and this includes supporting the pastor; but be ye not fooled; if all is
right, then the minister should have no problem with letting the congregation
know how G-d’s money is being spent.
CLAIM
#7
“Willingness
to testify to the gospel message (Acts 8:3-4; Matt 5:13-16; 10:27, 32-33;
28:19-20; Col. 3:16; Mark 16:15-20; Jude 3)
Not all of us are
called to be evangelists, yet we all preach.
The life we lead will be our chief witness of the goodness of G-d, and
this is if we say not a word at all. I
find it unconceivable that one who is truly Christ’s will not speak about Him
to all they meet, that the Gospel message must be proclaimed. The above passages do show a pattern of
witness, though some are geared more toward edification within the body than
for witnessing to the lost, but be that as it may, we are to share our
Christ.
Friends, if you
love Him, you can’t help yourself. To
make this though a requirement to
fellowship? How does one intend
to do this? Better yet, how does one
intend to enforce this? Is there a score card to be kept on each
member of the congregation and if they haven’t spoken to anyone about Christ
each day, is there a punishment to be dealt out? Brothers and sisters, if you are His, you
will speak. The Spirit will lead you and
give you the boldness to proclaim Christ.
The Lord knows when He wants you to speak, some of us speak all the
time, some of us once in a while; some may speak only once or twice, yet G-d
Himself will ordain the time and the place, and a heart will hear.
As
I said, just you walking in the Spirit may be all the witness someone needs to
know that Christ is alive; all I needed was to hear 3 words to break my hard
heart and bring me to my knees, that is the power of “Jesus loves you…”
No
one required that young boy to say those words to me; the only one keeping
score was G-d. His fellowship with G-d
did not hinge on his witness; mine did, though, and G-d made sure I heard the
words that save, made sure I heard the name of Jesus. Brethren let’s not cheapen this wondrous
and miraculous act we call witnessing by making such a callous remark that it
is a “requirement for fellowship”. G-d leads me to witness for the sake of
His Holy Name, and for the furthering of the Kingdom of G-d, and for no other
reason. We don’t overcome because we are
“required” to witness; we overcome by the words of our testimonies and the
blood of the Lamb. It is because of His
stripes that we are healed, and by these stripes and His blood, we will want to
testify, praise Him forever and ever.
CLAIM
#8
“Loving
submission to the God-appointed ministry which has been given responsibility of
leadership (Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24; Eph. 4:11-14; Acts 20:28)”
Excuse me for just
a second: “Whew. Kool-Aid drinkers of
the world unite!” The
Branch-Davidians of Waco Texas thought their leader was God-appointed. The 912 souls of the “Peoples Temple” under
Jim Jones in Guyana thought that he was God-appointed. Countless others have been duped into
thinking that G-d has appointed their leaders and have followed them blindly
into the abyss. Let us look at these Scriptures cited and see:
Hebrews 13:7 (KJV)
7Remember
them which have the rulea over
you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering
the end of their conversation.
Hebrews 13:17 (KJV)
17Obey
them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves: for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not
with grief: for that is unprofitable
for you.
Hebrews 13:24 (KJV)
24Salute
all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute
you. [lxvii]
Verse 7 deals with those saints that had
passed on before, due to martyrdom. What
Paul is saying here, “These that were the heads of the various Ekklesia, showed you a life to live by
the way they died…” This is supported by
the word used: (G2233) ἡγέομαι
hēgeomai (hayg-eh'-om-ahee). This is different from the word
used for “ruler” or “leader”, which is the word (G2232) ἡγεμών hēgemōn (hayg-em-ohn'). Adam Clarke says of this verse:
“Heb
13:7 Remember them
which have the rule over you - This clause should be translated, “remember
your guides, των ἡγουμενων [your elders], who
have spoken unto you the doctrine of God.”
Theodoret’s note on this verse is very judicious: “He
intends the saints who were dead, Stephen the first martyr, James the brother
of John, and James called the Just. And there were many others who were taken
off by the Jewish rage. ‘Consider these, (said he), and, observing their
example, imitate their faith.’” This remembrance of the dead saints, with
admiration of their virtues, and a desire to imitate them, is, says Dr.
Macknight, the only worship which is due to them from the living.” [lxviii]
Heb. 13:17:
“Obey” is the word (G3982) πείθω peithō (pi'-tho) defined by Strong’s as: “A primary verb; to convince (by argument, true or false);
by analogy to pacify or conciliate (by other fair means);
reflexively or passively to assent
(to evidence or authority), to rely
(by inward certainty): - agree, assure, believe, have confidence, be (wax)
content, make friend, obey, persuade, trust, yield.” [lxix] It is a point to note that here the word is
translated “obey”, and yet in the very next verse (v18) the same word is used
again:
Hebrews 13:18 (KJV)
18Pray for us: for we trust we have a good
conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. [lxx]
Heb 13:18 PrayG4336 forG4012
us:G2257 forG1063 we trustG3982
we(G3754) haveG2192 a goodG2570
conscience,G4893 inG1722 all thingsG3956
willingG2309 to live honestly.G390 G2573 ([lxxi])
“peitho” here
is translated as “trust”.
You can see from if you have an interlinear Bible that a literal
translation is “be persuaded”. Now how does this relate to our discussion? In verse 7, the idea was to imitate their
faith, if what we observed in their life was deserving of it. See how this idea is similar to what Paul
remarked in 1 Cor. 11:1: Be imitators of me, as I am of
Christ. The other idea of submission is characterized
by Barnes as:
“And submit yourselves - That
is, to all which they enjoin that is lawful and right. There are in relation to
a society:
(1) those things which God
has positively commanded - which are always to be obeyed.
(2) many things which have
been agreed on by the society as needful for its welfare - and these are to be
submitted to unless they violate the rights of conscience; and
(3) many things which are
in themselves, become a matter of no express divine command, and of no formal
enactment by the community. They are matters of convenience; things that tend
to the order and harmony of the community, and of the propriety of these,
“rulers” in the church and elsewhere should be allowed to judge, and we should
submit to them patiently…” [lxxii]
This idea of submission is further explained
by John Wesley:
“…17. Obey them that
have the rule over you - The word implies also, that lead or guide you; namely, in truth and holiness.
And submit yourselves - Give
up (not your conscience or judgment, but) your own will, in all things purely indifferent.
For they watch over your souls - With all zeal and diligence, they guard and
caution you against all danger. As they that must give account - To the great
Shepherd, for every part of their behavior toward you. How vigilant then
ought every pastor to be! How careful of every soul committed to his charge!
That they may do this
- Watch over you. With joy and not with groans - He is not a good shepherd, who
does not either rejoice over them, or groan for them. The groans of other
creatures are heard how much more shall these come up in the ears of God!
Whoever answers this character of a Christian pastor may undoubtedly demand
this obedience…” [lxxiii]
The idea is not to blindly follow, or to bow
your life to the church or church authority – that providence belongs to G-d
only – but to be guided till the time as noted in:
John 2:27 NET
2:27 Now as for
you, the anointing57 that you received from him58
resides59 in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But
as his60 anointing teaches you about all things, it is true and is
not a lie. Just as61 it62 has taught you, you
reside63 in him.[lxxiv]
The time comes when
we need no man, but the Spirit of G-d.
This is not to say that authority is not required. When I go into a man’s house, I do not assume
control over his house but defer to him in matters that concern his place. By that same token, with respect we defer to
the authority of the house of G-d, and the one that is in charge. All things in order, as long as it is done in
deference to the word of G-d. This is
not blind obedience. No one should ask
this, for we have but one head, and that is Christ. The western church has forgotten how to let
the Holy Spirit of G-d lead it. Sometimes it’s just best to wait on the
Lord.
Ephesians 4:11-14 (KJV)
11And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.
12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13Till
we all come ind the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ:
14That we henceforth
be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men, and
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; [lxxv]
“…The
concept of the five-fold ministry comes from Ephesians 4:11, "It was he
who gave some to be (1) apostles, some to be (2) prophets, some to be (3)
evangelists, and some to be (4) pastors and (5) teachers." Primarily as a
result of this verse, some believe God has restored, or is restoring, the
offices of apostle and prophet in the church today. Ephesians 4:12-13 tells us
that the purpose of the five-fold ministry is, "to prepare God's people
for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all
reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
So, since the body of Christ definitely is
not built up to unity in the faith and has not attained to the whole measure of
the fullness of Christ, the thinking goes, the offices of apostle and prophet
must still be in effect.
However, Ephesians 2:20 informs us that the
church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with
Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone." If the apostles and
prophets were the foundation of the church, are we still building the
foundation? Hebrews 6:1-3 encourages us to move on from the foundation.
Although Jesus Christ is most definitely active in the church today, His role
as the cornerstone of the church was completed with His death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension. If the work of the cornerstone is, in that sense,
complete, so must the work of the apostles and prophets, who were the
foundation, be complete.
What was the role of the apostles and
prophets? It was to proclaim God's revelation, to teach the new truth the
church would need to grow and thrive. The apostles and prophets completed this
mission. How? By giving us the Word of God. The Word of God is the completed
revelation of God. The Bible contains everything the church needs to know to
grow, thrive, and fulfill God's mission (2 Timothy 3:15-16). The cornerstone
work of the apostles and prophets is complete. The ongoing work of the apostles
and prophets is manifested in the Holy Spirit speaking through and teaching us
God's Word. In that sense, the five-fold ministry is still active…” [lxxvi]
What do we as believers think is missing in
today’s church? I don’t believe it is
offices or ministers. In some large
“mega-churches”, we have ministries on top of ministries:
Å
You have the latte-stand ministry,
Å
the parking lot ministry,
Å
the greeters ministry, the children’s
ministry,
Å
the audio-visual ministry, and on and
on. We have those who call themselves prophets,
apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers, ministers
and priests, reverends and bishops. Deacons, elders, Pastor of
Spiritual Formation, Minister of Assimilation, Magnification
Pastor (someone who preaches or leads worship on Sunday), Executive
Pastor (or the Minister of Education), the Children’s Director… I
think you will get my drift.
We spend so much time worrying about the
administration of the church and who is “in charge” that we forget the only
thing the “church” truly needs to be concerned about: the cross of Christ. Forget the administration – it will work
itself out. G-d will bring one gifted in
administration to help keep the books and pay the bills.
Preach Christ.
Stand before a room of people. Maybe they’re diverse. Moslems, Hindu’s, Mormons, Catholics,
atheists, humanists, secularists; all the –isms and the –ists you can find. Compare the religions, the philosophies, the
competing stratagems that make up a diverse world. There will be discussions, arguments, all
voices trying to be heard over the other.
Do you want to know when the voices will go silent? Do you want to know when all will give their
undivided attention? The last 20 minutes.
In that last 20
minutes, preach the cross.
Impassioned, anointed preaching. There is nothing
like the cross of Christ, in all the world, in all the religions, in all the
philosophies, the cross stands alone.
Deep within the hearts of all who live on this planet is the in-born
knowledge of the cross of Christ. There
is no excuse for man. He knows. When he hears, he knows. It is the only Truth that resonates within
the soul. He can shake it off, close his
heart and walk away, but deep within, he
knows. When the cross
speaks, men go silent.
When the blood of the
Savior falls, hearts weep.
When
the echoes of blows of the hammer are dim, so do the voices of the darkness;
all goes silent before the cross.
This, this my friends, my beloved, is
submission. This and only this do I bow
to; and so should you.
CLAIM #9:
“Living a life
consistent with the Christian faith and the message of the New Testament (Matt
5-7; 1 Peter 1:16; Galatians 5:14-26; Titus 2:11-13)”
To this I say, “Yes and Amen!” To this I have to add, why just the New
Testament? The church of Christ is a
Jewish church. Shocked? The first 15 leaders of the first century
church were Jews. Eusebius, one of the
most famous of ancient church historians details that the church was led by
Jewish bishops up until the Roman invasion by Hadrian, approximately 100 years
after the death of Christ. He writes:
“…For
at the time the whole church under them, consisted of faithful Hebrews who
continued from the time of the apostles, until the siege took place… The first,
then, was James called the brother of our Lord; after whom, the second was
Simeon, the third Justus, the fourth Zaccheus, the fifth Tobias, the sixth
Benjamin, the seventh John, the eighth Matthew, the ninth Philip, the tenth
Seneca, the eleventh Justus, the twelfth Levi, the thirteenth Ephres, the
fourteenth Joseph, and finally, the fifteenth Judas. These are all the bishops of Jerusalem that
filled up the time from the apostles until the abovementioned time, all of the
circumcision…” [lxxvii]
G-d did not give us half a Bible. He gave us a whole book. Isaiah is quoted 411 times in the New
Testament; Psalms, Genesis and Exodus are quoted extensively by the New Testament
writers. Zechariah was quoted 71 times;
Ezekiel was quoted directly or indirectly 65 times. Other non-canonical books of Jewish wisdom
are quoted throughout the New Testament.[lxxviii] We cannot overlook this vital part of our
heritage as believers. Our Savior was a
devout Jew, who kept the Torah, and the Festivals of G-d. The message of the New Testament is grace,
mercy and the cross; the message of the Old Testament is grace, mercy and the
cross. Jesus is the same, today, and
yesterday, forever. G-d never
changes. We cannot understand the Christian
Walk if we don’t understand the Torah and the prophets. If we continue to ignore half of what G-d
taught and all of what Jesus believed, we are a poor people indeed.
CLAIM #10:
“Recognition that a
New Testament assembly is a theocracy under Christ its head, not a democracy of
the people; that it is a living organism, not a religious organization and
institution; acceptance of one’s responsibilities to the local assembly, and concurrence
in its Scriptural discipline
(1 Cor. 5; 12; Romans
16:17; II Thess. 3:6-15; Titus 3:10-11; Matt 18:15-17)”
Let
us begin with quoting from the CultWatch Organization’s white paper on this
particular subject
“…Super Apostles and Church Government…
In this third installment of our series
exposing the Super Apostles we focus on one of their most cherished concepts,
that of "Church Government".
The Super Apostles claim the New Testament
Church was run by a governmental system, and that system was a Theocracy. The
Super Apostles desire to "restore" Theocracy to the modern Church,
with themselves, of course, at the head.
The Oxford Dictionary defines Theocracy as
"A form of government by God or god directly through a priestly
order".
An actual Super Apostle applies this
Theocracy idea by building his church's one over one structure thus: "God
the ultimate source of all authority", over "Jesus Christ the head of
the Church", over "Pastor [insert name] - Apostolic ministry under
the headship of Jesus Christ", over "Local Pastor - Under delegated
authority of Pastor [insert name]", over "Local Eldership -
Plurality, co-equality of eldership as far as persons but not as far as divine
ability and gifting and experience are concerned", over "Ministry
overseers, department leaders - i.e. youth, children, cell groups, worship
team, ushers, security etc.", over "Cell leaders".
As keen as the Super Apostles are on their
beloved Theocracy they face formidable opposition from Scripture:
Matthew 20:25-28
"Jesus called
them together and said, "You know that the
rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your
slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many."
See also Mark
10:42-43 and Luke 22:25-26.
The Book "Damaged Disciples" by Ron
& Vicki Burks was a by-product of the first wave of Mind Control that swept
the Church in the Seventies. It has this to say regarding Matthew 20:25-28,
"The word translated 'to lord it over' appears in Matthew 20:25-26, Mark
10:42-43, Luke 22:25-26, and Peter 5:2-3. Actually, the word does not suggest
oppression or abuse of power. It simply means 'to rule over' or 'to be lord
over.' Coercion or the abuse of authority is not the issue here. What is being
said is that there is among the Gentiles a hierarchical system of authority
that is not to be imitated in the Christian community." (Also, the book
"Studies in New Testament Language and Text" edited by J. K. Elliot
backs up this explanation):
…Further discussion
regarding the Super Apostles' postulated Theocratic Church Government can be
found in the Cultwatch article "Church Leadership Authority" at www.cultwatch.com/ChurchLeadershipAuthority.html
…
Our online article concludes, in part, that
there is not enough evidence from Scripture to support or exclude any
particular type of Church governmental structure. It is as if this issue, so
important to men, is of little consequence to God, except that a one over one
Theocratic structure is specifically banned.
So, in summary, our Super Apostle friends
need Theocracy to be the only option for running the Church, but not only do
they fail to prove that Theocracy is essential, but their Theocratic
aspirations also come to grief on the teeth of Scripture. The fact that the
Bible forbids one over one authority structures should be enough for us to
discount the Super Apostles completely…” [lxxix]
Now
we shall look at the Scriptures cited in the claim as well as those cited in
the passage above.
Neither 1 Corinthians chapter 5 or chapter 12
speak to an organizational arrangement in the ekkelesia. They speak to
gifts, being distributed as G-d sees fit, but the way I read these sections, there
is no ranking of members above any one another. The only clear distinction of authority is to
declare Christ the head (1 Cor. 5:4) and Paul, by virtue of the apostolic
position he enjoyed by the will of G-d, having authority to pronounce
punishment on the members that were practicing sexual sin in the
gathering. This type of authority
rested with the first Apostles only: for they witnessed the risen Lord
firsthand. In verse 5 an unusual
punishment is given: Clarke’s take on it is thus:
“…1Co 5:5
To deliver such a one unto Satan - There
is no evidence that delivering to Satan was any form of excommunication known
either among the Jews or the Christians. Lightfoot, Selden, and Schoettgen, who
have searched all the Jewish records, have found nothing that answers to this:
it was a species of punishment administered in extraordinary cases, in which
the body and the mind of an incorrigible transgressor were delivered by the
authority of God into the power of Satan, to be tortured with diseases and
terrors as a warning to all; but while the body and mind were thus tormented,
the immortal spirit was under the influence of the Divine mercy; and the
affliction, in all probability, was in general only for a season; though
sometimes it was evidently unto death, as the destruction of the flesh seems to
imply. But the soul found mercy at the hand of God; for such a most
extraordinary interference of God’s power and justice, and of Satan’s
influence, could not fail to bring the person to a state of the deepest humiliation
and contrition; and thus, while the flesh was destroyed, the spirit was saved
in the day of the Lord Jesus. No such power as this remains in the Church of
God; none such should be assumed; the pretensions to it are as wicked as they
are vain. It was the same power by which Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead,
and Elymas the sorcerer struck blind. Apostles alone were entrusted with it…” [lxxx]
I will in this instance
concur with Clarke’s assessment. I know
of no instance today where such a thing has occurred and would be hard pressed
to accept it unless sufficient evidence was produced. Why?
To tell you the truth, I do not believe that there are believers
today that could wield this type of power with the responsibility that comes
with it. I’m not saying that such
a man does not exist; I just haven’t met him.
This type of faith is the mustard seed faith, and beloved, few are able
to produce it, let alone use it in the humble tradition of the Apostles.
Throughout the rest of
chapter 5 Paul is exhorting the ekklesia to
purge itself, to if you will, hold court upon itself, to judge righteously
concerning the sin within its members.
But nowhere is there any delegation of authority other than that
mentioned above. This does not mean that
there wasn’t a structure in place; it simply means that one cannot use these
passages as “proof” text of a Theocracy.
Chapter 12 lists only one head- Jesus Christ. It contains a detailed explanation of the
various gifts yet does not give a clear outline of any authority structure.
1 Corinthians
12:11-12 (DARBY)
11 But all these things operates the one and the same Spirit, dividing
to each in particular according as he pleases.
12 For even as the body is one and has many members, but
all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ. [lxxxi]
Here it is clear that
Paul treats the “congregation” as one body, under the headship of Christ. Again, Clarke says “…God has given no gift to
any man for his own private advantage, or exclusive profit…” [lxxxii]
Therefore G-d holds true as being no respecter of persons, showing no
favoritism.
Romans
16:17 (NABWRNT)
17 † I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create
dissensions and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learned;
avoid them. [lxxxiii]
This
passage once again speaks to the Apostles place of authority, not to the
authority structure in the ekkelesia. You cannot pull this verse out of context;
you have to include with it the rest of the Paul’s warning:
Romans
16:17-19 (NABWRNT)
17 † I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create
dissensions and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learned;
avoid them.
18 For
such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by fair
and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the innocent.
19 For
while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to
be wise as to what is good, and simple as to what is evil; [lxxxiv]
It
is their obedience to Christ that Paul is commending them for; for holding fast
to the teachings of the living Savior as passed to them by His Apostles, and
for shunning false apostles or teachers that sought to have gain over them, to
separate them into opposing groups within the body.
In
2 Thess. 3:6-15, Paul gives instructions on how to deal with one who rejects or
won’t follow the teachings of the Apostle, hence the teachings of
Scripture. Again, this has more to do
with one who chooses not to follow the Word of G-d, and not the word of
man. This only establishes that the
teachings of Christ were the deciding factor, for we know what Paul taught;
Christ crucified and risen. In verse 15
though, Paul shows the compassion we as Christians are supposed to show to one
who errs. Barnes puts it so:
“…2Th 3:15 Yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother - This shows the
true spirit in which discipline is to be administered in the Christian church.
We are not to deal with a man as an adversary over whom we are to seek to gain
a victory, but as an erring brother - a brother still, though he errs. There
was necessity for this caution. There is great danger that when we undertake
the work of discipline we shall forget that he who is the subject of it is a
brother, and that we shall regard and treat him as an enemy. Such is human
nature. We set ourselves in array against him. We cut him off as one who is
unworthy to walk with us. We triumph over him and consider him at once as an
enemy of the church, and as having lost all claim to its sympathies. We abandon
him to the tender mercies of a cold and unfeeling world and let him take his
course. Perhaps we follow him with anathemas and hold him up as unworthy the
confidence of mankind. Now all this is entirely unlike the method and aim of
discipline as the New Testament requires. There all is kind, and gentle, though
firm; the offender is a man and a brother still; he is to be followed with
tender sympathy and prayer, and the hearts and the arms of the Christian
brotherhood are to be open to receive him again when he gives any evidence of
repenting…” [lxxxv]
Titus
3:10-11 (KJV)
10A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; 11Knowing
that he that is such is subverted, and sinned, being condemned of himself. [lxxxvi]
These verses appear in a section of Titus where Paul is
addressing many different situations. We
will see Matthew Henry’s take on this matter and then take a look at the last
Scriptures cited and try to tie this all together.
“…II.
But because, after all, there will be heresies
and heretics in the church, the
apostle next directs Titus what to do in such a case, and how to deal with
such, Tit_3:10. He who forsakes the
truth as it is in Christ Jesus, who broaches false doctrines and propagates
them to the corrupting of the faith in weighty and momentous points, and breaks
the peace of the church about them, after due means used to reclaim him, must
be rejected. “Admonish him once and again, that, if possible, he may be brought
back, and thou mayest gain thy brother; but, if this will not reduce him, that
others be not hurt, cast him out of the communion, and warn all Christians to
avoid him.” - Knowing that he that is
such is subverted (turned off from the foundation) and sinneth grievously, being self-condemned.
Those who will not be reclaimed by admonitions, but are obstinate in their sins
and errors, are subverted and
self-condemned; they inflict that punishment upon themselves which the
governors of the church should inflict upon them: they throw themselves out of
the church, and throw off its communion, and so are self-condemned.
Observe,
1. How great an evil real heresy is, not lightly therefore to be charged upon
any, though greatly to be taken heed of by all. Such a one is subverted or perverted - a metaphor from
a building so ruined as to render it difficult if not impossible to repair and
raise it up again. Real heretics have seldom been recovered to the true faith:
not so much defect of judgment, as perverseness of the will, being in the case,
through pride, or ambition, or self-willedness, or covetousness, or such like
corruption, which therefore must be taken heed of: “Be humble, love the truth
and practice it, and damning heresy will be escaped.”
2.
Pains and patience must be used about those that err most grievously. They are
not easily and soon to be given up and cast off, but competent time and means
must be tried for their recovery.
3.
The church's means even with heretics are persuasive and rational. They must be
admonished, instructed, and warned; so much nouthesia
imports.
4.
Upon continued obstinacy and irreclaimableness, the church has power, and is
obliged, to preserve its own purity, by severing such a corrupt member which
discipline may by God's blessing become effectual to reform the offender, or if
not it will leave him the more inexcusable in his condemnation…” [lxxxvii]
Matthew 18:15-17
(KJV)
15Moreover
if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between
thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two
more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be
established. 17And if he shall
neglect to hear them, tell it unto
the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a
heathen man and a publican. [lxxxviii]
These
words by our Savior need no explanation.
What does deserve an explanation is why?
The claim is
about the theocracy of the church.
About, for lack of a better way to put it, just exactly who is in
charge. For the passages that are cited,
I can only infer one thing, and that is no dissension to authority will be
tolerated. This, this disturbs me my
beloved. For if these same
“requirements” were set down at the time of Christ, then by these rules, I can
only conclude Christ would not have even be allowed to speak. It was because of rules and ordinances like
these that Christ did speak out and denounce the established rulers of His
day. Look again at the section from
CultWatch. The Scriptures cited are:
Matthew 20:25-28
(KJV)
25But Jesus called
them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion
over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great
among you, let him be your minister; 27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your
servant: 28Even as the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom
for many. [lxxxix]
Mark 10:42-43 (1901
ASV)
And Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles
lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But it is not so among you: but whosoever would become
great among you, shall be your minister; [xc]
Luke 22:25-26 (CEV)
25 So Jesus told
them:
Foreign kings order their people around, and
powerful rulers call themselves everyone’s friends. a †26 But don’t be like them.
The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your
leader should be like a servant. [xci]
1 Peter
5:2-3 (KJV)
2Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3Neither as
being lords overa God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. [xcii]
These
verses do not speak of a theocracy, but of service and humility, of lovingly
coming alongside the flock, ministering to them, to your own hurt if need be,
just as Christ did. For is it not
Christ we are to imitate? Brethren, a
flock lovingly cared for has no need of a rod of iron. A flock well taught by the precepts of G-d
will not stray into heresy but will be well fed at the fountains of living
water. A flock well-fed of the cross of
Christ will be one that worships and witnesses and gives; it won’t need to be
threaten or conjoled. It will be a city
on a hill, and all will rejoice in the power of G-d that flows through it.
CLAIM #11:
“Belief in unity and
oneness of mind concerning the Word of God and its relation to all matters
concerning Christian life, as well as the refusal to engage in any criticism of
the local assembly, its membership, or its ministry (1 Cor. 1:10; 10:1-12; Phi
2:1-4; Titus 3:1-2, 10-11; Proverbs 6:16-19; Romans 16:17; James 3)
1
Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV)
10Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
you all speak the same thing, and that
there be no divisions among you, but that
you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. [xciii]
1 Corinthians 10:1-12
(NKJV)
1Moreover, brethren, I do
not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all
passed through the sea, 2all were baptized into Moses in the cloud
and in the sea, 3all ate the same spiritual food, 4and
all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that
followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5But with most of them God
was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should
not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7And do not become
idolaters as were some of them. As it
is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8Nor
let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day
twenty-three thousand fell; 9nor let us tempt Christ, as some of
them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10nor complain,
as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11Now
all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12Therefore let him who thinks he
stands take heed lest he fall. [xciv]
Philippians
2:1-4 (NKJV)
1Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any
comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2fulfill
my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind. 3Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or
conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4Let
each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests
of others. [xcv]
Titus 3:1-2 (GNB)
3 Remind your people to submit to rulers and authorities,
to obey them, and to be ready to do good in every way. 2Tell them
not to speak evil of anyone, but to be peaceful and friendly, and always to
show a gentle attitude towards everyone. [xcvi]
Titus
3:10-11 (NLT)
If anyone is causing divisions among you, give
a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with that
person. 11 For people like that have turned away from the truth.
They are sinning, and they condemn themselves.[xcvii]
Proverbs 6:16-19
(NRSV)
16 There are six
things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that hurry to run to evil,
19 a lying witness who testifies
falsely,
and one who sows discord in a family. [xcviii]
Romans
16:17 (CEV)
17 My friends, I beg you to watch out for anyone who causes trouble and
divides the church by refusing to do what all of you were taught. Stay away
from them! [xcix]
James 3 (KJV)
1My brethren, be not many
masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnationa. 2For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in
word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3Behold,
we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about
their whole body. 4Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they
turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor lists. 5Even
so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. Behold, how great a
matterb a little fire kindled!
6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity so is the tongue among our members,
that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the coursec of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7For every kindd of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is
tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly
poison. 9Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith
curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10Out of
the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not so to be.
11Doth a fountain send forth at the
same placee sweet water and bitter? 12Can the
fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain yield both salt water
and fresh.
13Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out
of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14But if ye have bitter envy and
strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15This wisdom descended not from
above, but is earthly, sensualf, devilish. 16For where envying and strife is, there is confusiong and every evil work.
17But the wisdom that is from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and
easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partialityh, and without hypocrisy. 18And the fruit of righteousness is
sown in peace of them that make peace. [c]
Brethren, my heart aches. According to the requirements of this
document, Paul would have been put out of fellowship for his criticism of
Peter. John Mark would have never been
allowed back on the missionary road; Onesimus
would have been shunned for he disobeyed his master. Christ would have never been allowed into any
synagogue, would not have been allowed to preach in the temple and John the
Baptist would never have been able to make straight the path for G-d. In fact, I dare say that the Christian
religion would have lasted 10 years, let alone almost 2000.
Many voices have
drifted through the air in these centuries.
One look at Fox’s Book of Martyrs will show you how many lives would
have been saved if they had only done what this document says to do. Martin Luther could have saved himself much
grief and just let the Reformation never happen; after all he was openly
critical of the local assembly, its membership and its ministry. Tyndale would not have been burned at the stake;
the Apostles would have all died of old age and hundreds of lions would have
gone hungry in the Coliseum. If no one questioned the leaders and the authority
of the church, only clergy would be allowed to read the Bible, the rest of us
would be under penalty of death. If only
those pesky Chinese Christians wouldn’t demand the right to worship freely, and
just stick with the state sponsored churches, then the folks at Voice of the
Martyrs could print song books instead of telling us about persecution of the
brethren.
We would still think
that the sun revolved around the earth and that maybe the Flat Earth Society
would be mainstream. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not have been thrown
in the furnace, Joseph would have obeyed Pharaoh’s wife and committed adultery,
Moses wouldn’t have gone up against Pharaoh and the list goes on and on. Honest, G-d fearing men would not sit around
and reason together about the things of G-d, because they might not be in
unity, and we all would deny that the Holocaust ever happened, instead of
swearing “Never Again!”
This is the logic of
“Requirements for Participation in Fellowship”.
Taken as bits and pieces of Scripture, one can justify any
position. Taken as a whole, and
Scripture unlocks for us this wondrous, life changing tapestry of words and
pictures that are too beautiful to describe, they can only be seen with the
heart. A G-d who will appear out of the
whirlwind and interact with His creation; a G-d that will argue His case as He
did with Job; a G-d willing to let His Son die for a stiff-necked and stubborn
people, just so He can draw them to Himself; O brethren, how can anyone stifle
this? What I don’t understand, I want to
ask! When I’m hurt, I want to be able to
look into the heavens and ask why! When I’m scared, I want to know if He’ll
comfort me! If I’m wrong, I want to know
His people won’t shut me out, but will take me in, good theology or no theology
– just show me His heart; O please, when I hurt, someone say “Jesus loves
you…” When I doubt, someone please say
“Jesus loves you…” When I’m lost, please
tell me Jesus loves me. When I’m wrong,
correct me, when I’m right, lift me up.
When we come together, I might not sing like you, I might not worship as
you do, but does that make it wrong? I
might disagree with you, just don’t shut me up.. one of us might be wrong, one
of us might be right- that is why we reason together, and He is exalted.
Are you going to deny
me fellowship because I don’t meet one or more of your requirements? Will you discipline me when all I can give is
my heart? If I don’t bow my knee to your
authority because I believe only G-d deserves that act of submission, am I to
be excluded? Because I’ve written this
epistle, am I unwelcome? If I’m afraid
for the brethren, afraid for the pastor that they are being taken in by error,
is it wrong for me to speak?
Look again, my brothers
and sisters! If I am wrong, then G-d’s
Word will be the judge! If I’m right,
then G-d’s Word will Confirm! O hear the
heart of G-d, and open yourself to Him…
I seek not to offend, only warn. The time is too short to waste it being
deceived. Let us pray:
Father,
into Thy Hands we commit Your Holy Word.
May by Your Holy Spirit only Truth be revealed, and I stand ready to be
corrected if I am wrong, and I stand ready to help if Your Words are true.
Come, let us reason together, and walk into
the light of day, and not the shadow of darkness…
In
the name of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Amein and Amein
….
May the Lord richly bless you and keep you my beloved….
[i]NOTICE OF
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: Unless otherwise cited, all material found on
this blogsite (original text, opinions, conclusions, and other material not
related to cited sources remains the collected intellectual property of the
author of this site, David E. Robinson, Elder, teacher, and minister, and are
owned and controlled by myself and are protected by copyright and trademark
laws and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws
of the United States, foreign jurisdictions, and international conventions. Any
errors found within, rest solely upon me; please do not blame the Father for my
mistakes. I am teachable and correctable, not infallible. 😊
[ii] FAIR
USE DISCLAIMER: This blog site may contain content that is not authorized
for use by its owner. All such material will be cited back to its original
source. According to Section 107 of the Copyright Act: “…the fair use of a
copyrighted work […] for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting,
teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or
research, is not an infringement of copyright…” I have made and will continue
to make every effort to stay within all ethical and moral guidelines in the use
of material presented here, and the use of these materials is solely intended
for educational purposes only, and all efforts to obtain or sustain fair use of
non-owned material will be made.
[iii] Author’s
note: This site is for education only and is not affiliated with any
institution, organization, or religious group. It is the sole production of its
editor/author. Use of information from Jewish-themed websites (or any other
source material) should not be construed as these sites endorsing or confirming
any thesis introduced by the author of this epistle. I present the information
from their respective sites for instructional purposes only and/or to aid in
the readers understanding of the subjects discussed.
[iv] Author’s
note: Throughout these studies, I will be using the NET Bible® and
the NET Notes®: within the notes you will see symbols like this: ( א B Ψ 892* 2427 sys). These are abbreviations used by
the NET Bible® for identifying the principal manuscript evidence that they
(authors and translators of the NET Bible®) used in translating the Old and New
Testament. Please go to https://bible.org/netbible/
and see their section labeled “NET Bible
Principals of Translation” for a more complete explanation on these symbols and
other items pertinent to the way the NET Bible uses them. This is not to say
that the NET® Bible will be our only source of God’s word but will be used as
seen fit.
[v] Author’s
Note: In these studies, I have used the notes that come along with the
passages I cite from the sources that I cite: these need a bit of a disclaimer
though. As in all things, not everything that is footnoted is something that I
necessarily agree with, especially if it contradicts what I believe pertains to
any matters of the Torah or the commandments of God. I give you the notes as
they are written by the authors of the material I cite from, so that you can
see the information contained within them. It truly is not my place to edit
them; if they state anything that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be
it. I will address these issues if requested. That is not to say I should not
challenge something I believe, in my humble opinion, might contradict the truth
of God’s word; that I will do in the main body of my epistles for that is where
my gentle dissent belongs. Most (but not all) of the differences will come when
I quote from a source that displays a decidedly Western/Greek mindset, as
opposed to a Hebraic perspective. I must be intellectually honest – I am biased
toward the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and His son, Yeshua the Messiah. I
pray then we all can find common ground as we study the Scriptures. Also, some
may be put off by the length or depth of the notes; not everyone has access to
the references I do, therefore I try to include the notes that come with the
material I use, so each can see for themselves the information the originator
has pointedly gleaned. I hope you avail yourselves to these inclusions – they
help us to understand how the material in scripture is laid out – the thought
process of the original writers of Scripture.
[vi] CYCLOPEDIA
of BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL and ECCLESIASTICAL LITERATURE, by James Strong & John
McClintock, (electronic edition), AGES Software Rio, WI USA Version 1.0 © 2000
[viii] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
z [Ps.
81:11–13; Isa. 1:2–5]
a
For ver. 21–24, see Luke 10:12–15
b
ch. 15:21; Mark 3:8; [Isa. 23; Ezek. 28:2–24; Amos 1:9, 10]
e
Cited from Isa. 14:13–15
f
ch. 16:18 (Gk.); Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27
h
For ver. 25–27, see Luke 10:21, 22
j
Job 37:24; 1 Cor. 1:19–27; 2 Cor. 3:14
k
ch. 21:16; Ps. 8:2; [ch. 13:11; 16:17]
7
Or for so it pleased you well
n
[John 1:18; 6:46; 7:29; 8:19; 10:15; 17:25]
s
John 13:15; Eph. 4:20; Phil. 2:5; 1 Pet. 2:21; 1 John 2:6
t
Zech. 9:9; 2 Cor. 10:1; Phil. 2:7, 8; [ch. 5:5]
[x] The Holy
Bible: King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of
the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xi] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[xii] American Standard Version. 1995
(Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
T#865 865. To faith in Christ. Jn +3:16.
* * Clear cross reference
Critical, significant cross
reference
+ + More references at verse indicated
[xiii] Smith, J. H. (1992; Published in electronic
form, 1996). The New Treasury of
Scripture Knowledge : The most complete listing of cross references
available anywhere- every verse, every theme, every important word (electronic
edition of the Rev. ed. of: The Treasury of scripture knowledge.) (1188).
Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson.
[xiv] Strong’s Dictionary, ( electronic
edition), e-Sword®, ver.
7.9.8, copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[xv] A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament, by Joseph H. Thayer, Copyright ©1977, Baker Book House Company
[xvi] Webster’s Dictionary, 1829 Edition, (electronic
edition of the 1828 version), e-Sword®,
ver. 7.9.8, copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[xvii] American Standard Version. 1995
(Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xviii] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xix] A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament, by Joseph H. Thayer, Copyright ©1977, Baker Book House Company
[xx] Strong numbers for WHNA (only NA part)
v2.0 ● Copyright © 2007 Scripture4all Foundation
[xxi] American Standard Version. 1995
(Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xxii] A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament, by Joseph H. Thayer, Copyright ©1977, Baker Book House Company
[xxiii] Young’s 1894 Literal Translation of the
Bible, by Robert Young, ©2004 Greater Truth Publications
[xxiv] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xxv] A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament, by Joseph H. Thayer, Copyright ©1977, Baker Book House Company
[xxvi] The
Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769
edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc.
[xxvii] The
Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769
edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc.
[xxviii] American Standard Version. 1995
(Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xxix] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xxxi] Darby,
J. N. (1996). The Holy Scriptures: A new
translation from the original languages (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos
Research Systems.
[xxxii] American
Standard Version. 1995 (Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos
Research Systems, Inc.
[xxxiii] The
Contemporary English Version: With Apocrypha. 1997, c1995 (electronic ed.).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[xxxiv] The Good News Bible: Today's English
Version. 1992. New York: American Bible Society.
[xxxv] The New
American Bible: With revised New Testament. 1986; Published in electronic
form by Logos Research Systems, 1996 (electronic ed.). Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine.
[38–40]
Can you drink the cup...I am baptized?: the metaphor of drinking the cup is
used in the Old Testament to refer to acceptance of the destiny assigned by
God; see the note on Ps 11, 6. In Jesus’ case, this involves divine judgment on
sin that Jesus the innocent one is to expiate on behalf of the guilty (Mark
14:24; Isaiah 53:5). His
baptism is to be his crucifixion and death for the salvation of the human race;
cf Luke 12:50. The request of James and John for a share in the glory (Mark
10:35–37) must of necessity involve a share in Jesus’ sufferings, the endurance
of tribulation and suffering for the gospel (Mark 10:39). The authority of
assigning places of honor in the kingdom is reserved to God (Mark 10:40).
[xxxvi] The New
American Bible: With revised New Testament. 1986; Published in electronic
form by Logos Research Systems, 1996 (electronic ed.). Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine.
[xxxvii] F. W.
Horn, “Holy
Spirit,” in The Anchor Yale Bible
Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman, trans. Dietlinde M. Elliott (New York:
Doubleday, 1992) 260.
[xxxviii] F. W.
Horn, “Holy
Spirit,” in The Anchor Yale Bible
Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman, trans. Dietlinde M. Elliott (New York:
Doubleday, 1992) 261.
[xxxix] F. W.
Horn, “Holy
Spirit,” in The Anchor Yale Bible
Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman, trans. Dietlinde M. Elliott (New York:
Doubleday, 1992) 263.
1QS Serek
hayyaḥad (Rule of the Community, Manual
of Discipline)
HNT Handbuch
zum Neuen Testament
EKKNT Evangelisch-katholischer
Kommentar zum Neuen Testament
[xli] F. W. Horn,
“Holy
Spirit,” in The Anchor Yale Bible
Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman, trans. Dietlinde M. Elliott (New York:
Doubleday, 1992) 274.
[xlii] Darby,
J. N., 1890 Darby Bible, (Oak Harbor,
WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1995.
[xliii] 1901 American Standard Version, (Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1994.
[xliv] The New
King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[xlv] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xlvi] From: The Work and the Person of the Holy
Spirit, pg. 22, by Prof. Jesse Stearns, ©2003, Jesse
Stearns (lecture series, Covenant Bible Seminary)
[xlvii] From: The Work and the Person of the Holy
Spirit, pg. 23, by Prof. Jesse
Stearns, ©2003, Jesse Stearns (lecture series, Covenant Bible Seminary)
[xlviii] From: The Work and the Person of the Holy
Spirit, pg. 23-24, by Prof. Jesse
Stearns, ©2003, Jesse Stearns (lecture series, Covenant Bible Seminary)
[xlix] The
Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769
edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc.
[l] The New
King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[li] The Revised Standard Version. 1971
(Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[lii] American Standard Version. 1995
(Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[liii] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[liv] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[lv] A Greek English Lexicon of the New
Testament, by Joseph H. Thayer, Copyright ©1977, Baker Book House Company
[lvi] Strong’s Dictionary, (electronic edition), e-Sword®, ver. 7.9.8,
copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[lvii] Strong’s Dictionary, (electronic edition), e-Sword®, ver. 7.9.8,
copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[lviii] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[lix] The New
King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[lx] The
Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769
edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc.
[lxi] Darby, J. N. (1996). The Holy Scriptures: A new translation from the original languages
(electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.
[lxii] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[lxiii] Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament,
by Marvin R. Vincent, (Electronic edition of the 1886 edition ©Hendricks Publishing,
) e-Sword®, ver. 7.9.8,
copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[lxiv] The
Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769
edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc.
a approving: Gr. commending
b in tumults: or, in tossing’s to and fro.
[lxv] The
Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769
edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc.
[lxvi] 1 Cor.
9:18 - The Holy Bible: King James
Version. 1995 (Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611
Authorized Version.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
a have the rule: or are the guides
[lxvii] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[lxviii] Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary, by Adam
Clarke, (electronic edition) e-Sword®, ver. 7.9.8, copyright
©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[lxix] Strong’s Dictionary, (electronic
edition), e-Sword®, ver.
7.9.8, copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[lxx] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[lxxi] The Holy Bible: King James Version
w/Strong’s Numbers, (electronic edition),
e-Sword®, ver. 7.9.8, copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[lxxii] Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, by
Albert Barnes, (electronic edition), e-Sword®,
ver. 7.9.8, copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick Myers
[lxxiii] The Complete Works of John Wesley, Commentary on the Bible, by John Wesley,
(electronic edition) http://www.godrules.net/library/wesley/wesley.htm
57 sn
The anointing. The “anointing” (χρῖσμα, chrisma) which believers have received refers to the indwelling
Holy Spirit which has been given to them at their conversion.
58 sn
The pronoun could refer to God or Jesus Christ, but a reference to Jesus Christ
is more likely here.
59 tn
This use of μένω (menō) has been translated “reside” both
times in 2:27 because it refers to the current status of believers.
60 sn
The pronoun could refer (1) to God or (2) to Jesus Christ, but a reference to
Jesus Christ is more likely here.
61 tn
Grk “and is not a lie, and just as.”
Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was
started here in the translation.
63 tn
The verb may be read as either (1) indicative or (2) imperative mood. The same
verb is found in the following verse, 2:28, but the address to the readers
there seems clearly to indicate an imperative. On analogy some have called for
an imperative here, but others have seen this as suggesting an indicative here,
so that the author is not repeating himself. An indicative is slightly more
likely here. Up to this point the thrust of the author has been reassurance
rather than exhortation, and an indicative here (“… you reside in him”)
balances the indicative in the first part of 2:27 (“the anointing which you
received from him resides in you …”). With the following verse the author
switches from reassurance (the readers at the time he is writing still
‘remain’; they have not yet adopted the teaching of the opponents) to
exhortation (he is writing so that they will ‘remain’ and not succumb to the
deception of the opponents).
[lxxv] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[lxxvi]
Quotation taken from http://www.gotquestions.org/five-fold-ministry.html
[lxxvii]
Eusebius, Pamphilus, The Ecclesiastical
History of, Translated by Christian Frederick Cruse, (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Baker Book House, 1992), ppg 130.
[lxxviii] The Passion Conspiracy, by Dr. Randall
A. Weiss, ©2004 Randall A. Weiss, Excellence in Christian Books, Cedar Hills,
Texas, pg 35-36
[lxxx] Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary, by Adam
Clarke, (electronic edition) e-Sword®, ver. 7.9.8, copyright
©2000-2008 by Rick Myers
[lxxxi] Darby,
J. N. (1996). The Holy Scriptures: A new
translation from the original languages (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos
Research Systems.
[lxxxii] Adam Clarke’s Bible Commentary, by Adam
Clarke, (electronic edition) e-Sword®, ver. 7.9.8, copyright
©2000-2008 by Rick Myers
[17–18] Paul displays genuine concern for the congregations in Rome by
warning them against self-seeking teachers. It would be a great loss, he
intimates, if their obedience, which is known to all (cf Romans 1:8), would be
diluted.
[lxxxiii] The New
American Bible: With revised New Testament. 1986; Published in electronic
form by Logos Research Systems, 1996 (electronic ed.). Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine.
[lxxxiv] The New American Bible: With revised New
Testament. 1986; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems,
1996 (electronic ed.). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.
[lxxxv] Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, by
Albert Barnes, (electronic edition), e-Sword®,
ver. 7.9.8, copyright ©2000-20008 by
Rick Myers
[lxxxvi] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[lxxxvii] Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary of the
Whole Bible, by Matthew Henry, (electronic edition), e-Sword®, ver. 7.9.8, copyright ©2000-20008 by Rick
Myers
[lxxxviii] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[lxxxix] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xc] American
Standard Version. 1995 (Electronic edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos
Research Systems, Inc.
a 22.25 everyone’s
friends: This translates a Greek word that rulers sometimes used as a title
for themselves or for special friends.
[xci] The
Contemporary English Version: With Apocrypha. 1997, c1995 (electronic ed.).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
a being
lords over: or, overruling
[xcii] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[xciii] The New
King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[xciv] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[xcv] The New King James Version. 1982.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[xcvi] The
Good News Bible : Today's English Version. 1992. New York: American Bible
Society.
[xcvii] Holy Bible: New Living Translation.
1997, c1996 (electronic ed.). Wheaton: Tyndale House.
[xcviii] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version.
1996, c1989 (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[xcix] The Contemporary English Version: With
Apocrypha. 1997, c1995 (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
a condemnation:
or, judgment
g confusion:
Gr. tumult, unquietness
h partiality:
or, wrangling
[c] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 1995
(Electronic edition of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.). Oak
Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
