Chapter One
What Do You Believe?
Do
you believe that anybody would trade one dollar for fifty million dollars?
Could you imagine that inflation could be so rampant that in the space of a
decade, not fifty million dollars but fifty billion dollars would be needed to
buy what could have been bought for one dollar ten years earlier? In Russia,
this is actually what occurred between 1914 and 1924, when the ruble was being
devalued at the rate of five percent an hour. Atheistic communism was in
control. By 1921 the old Czarist ruble was being exchanged at the rate of ten
thousand for one new ruble. In 1924 the exchange rate had reached the
unprecedented fifty billion Czarist rubles to one new ruble.[i]
Tithing is an issue for
so many people that there are websites devoted to preaching against the tithe.
Money is such a part of some people that giving it away is like cutting off one
of their arms. Yet oddly enough, many of these same people will argue that the
Bible is the infallible, inerrant, written (even living) Word of God. But when
it comes to the tithe, they suddenly turn into hypocrites, in that they claim
to believe one thing, but by their actions betray their real beliefs. Such
people, without realizing their problem, are in the same league as all who like
to claim the moral high ground. One study into hypocrisy has turned up some
surprising facts, with the outcome of the research revealing that many
do-gooders claiming high moral behavior are among the greatest hypocrites. To
quote an article from LiveScience:
“The results recall the
seeming disconnect between the words and actions of folks like televangelist
and fraud convict Jim Bakker, or admitted meth-buyer Ted Haggard, former
president of the National Evangelical Association, an umbrella group
representing some 45,000 churches.” [ii]
Admittedly, it is
easier to identify these high-flyers as hypocrites than those insignificant
people who say the Bible is God’s infallible word, yet refuse to return to God
in accordance with what is written in the infallible writings. Jesus referred
to such people as whitewashed tombs that were nothing but dead men’s bones on
the inside.
Humility is not a
natural quality. Our natural tendency toward selfishness stems from an innate
desire to survive. This originates from the human soul and is a natural urge
resident in all creatures belonging to the dust of the earth. Among animals,
this innate desire is termed the survival of the species—a concept that has
also become the evolution myth for our existence. This myth is espoused by
humanists, who view humanity from an earthly perspective and not as creative
spiritual entities, having been made in the image of the Lord God, Creator of
Heaven and Earth—who created the mind-boggling number of stars and galaxies
that make up the universe. As humility is not something that is natural, this
trait needs to be sought—something which is difficult to do for many because,
lost in their own pretensions, they appear unaware that such a wonderful
disposition exists.
For those of us who
have read the book of Proverbs, found in the Bible, we would be familiar with
the idea that humility comes before honor. Humility is also something that the
Creator God possesses, and this, we are told, was evidenced in the man Jesus of
Nazareth, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with
God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself and took on the likeness of
man. This is what actually happened at the time: the Word of God, who is the
unique Son of God, became flesh and dwelt among the inhabitants of the Middle
East in human form—whom we know as JESUS. Having taken on human form, He
humbled Himself and submitted Himself to the requirements of the Law of God.
These requirements are not only found in the Mosaic Covenant but are also what
Abraham, the father of the faithful, kept. For we learn the Lord appeared to
Isaac, the son of Abraham, and said:
“Don’t go down into Egypt. Live in the
land I will tell you about. Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will
bless you. For I will give to you, and to your offspring, all these lands, and
I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply
your offspring as the stars of the sky, and will give all these lands to your
offspring. In your offspring will all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my
statutes, and my laws.”
(Genesis 26:2–5, WEB)
The amount of confusion
that comes in trying to understand the Bible occurs more because of people
wanting to assert their own opinion rather than seeking to discover the truth.
There are many who claim that they desire the truth, but when confronted with
the truth, they recoil from it and seek cover as if they are being
machine-gunned. This is because the god of this world does not want any of us
to see daylight if possible. His preference is for us to remain ignorant of the
truth and fumble around in the darkness, as we would in the night when there is
no light, and we are woken by strange noises, and we feel the need to
investigate.
Light and darkness are
two concepts often contrasted in the Bible. The Bible has a simple message:
light or darkness, blessings or curse; stay with Satan or return unto the Lord
of blessings. This simple message of light or darkness, blessing or curse, and
Satan or Jesus is found in the testimony of the Apostle to the Gentiles, whom
God used to write much of the New Testament.
The Apostle Paul stated
that he had received a commission from the resurrected Lord Jesus at his
conversion. According to what Luke recorded in the book of Acts, Paul testified
to King Agrippa of his hatred toward Christians and said:
“Whereupon as I traveled to Damascus
with the authority and commission from the chief priests, at noon, O king, I
saw on the way a light from the sky, brighter than the sun, shining around me
and those who traveled with me. When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a
voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting
me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But arise, and stand on your
feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose: to appoint you a servant and
a witness both of the things which you have seen, and of the things which I
will reveal to you; delivering you from the people, and from the Gentiles, to
whom I send you, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light
and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and
an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” (Acts 26:12–18, WEB)
The darkness belongs to
the world of Satan and those who are entrapped in the grip of his power. The
light belongs to the Kingdom of God and those who have been set free from the
power of Satan because they have been born from above and have chosen to return
to the Creator God, the Lord of blessings, Jesus our Savior.
The Apostle Paul was a
Jew, and a pious one at that. He too had been caught up in the hypocrisy of
claiming to be better than others. When we read about what he says about
himself, we learn that he excelled beyond his peers. Now if that is not grounds
for personal pride in one’s achievement, then pride does not exist. For how
often do we hear the words, “Take pride in yourself,” or, “Believe in yourself,
because you can do it”? How often do we feel proud when someone we associate
with, or a member of our family, does extremely well and we are telling others
of their success? Or even our own success? How often do we think we are better
than other people for some reason? Even those who feel downtrodden, given half
a chance, will vaunt themselves against others whom they consider lesser
individuals than themselves. The Apostle Paul was no different—and, in this
respect, everybody is much the same. Even after having been a Christian for a
decade or more, the Apostle Paul still could not help but boast; consequently,
a messenger of Satan was sent to humble him. Paul’s own confession was:
“It is doubtless not
profitable for me to boast. For I will come to visions and revelations of the
Lord. I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t
know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught
up into the third heaven. I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of
the body, I don’t know; God knows), how he was caught up into Paradise, and
heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. On behalf
of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my
weaknesses. For if I would desire to boast, I will not be foolish; for I will
speak the truth. But I refrain, so that no man may think more of me than that
which he sees in me, or hears from me. By reason of the exceeding greatness of
the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, there was given to
me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not
be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times
that it might depart from me. He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore I will
rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong. I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to
have been commended by you, for in nothing was I inferior to the very best
apostles, though I am nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were worked among
you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty works.” (2 Corinthians 12:1–12, WEB)
Many
people speak of the Apostle Paul as others of us would speak of Jesus. This is
because of the many trials that he went through and the many near-death
experiences that he suffered. Nobody would consider it fun to endure five
floggings of thirty-nine strokes of the whip, to be beaten with rods three
times, and to be stoned to near death; only to discover, by the grace of God,
there is still a breath of air to inhale and some more time to survive and
recall the trauma of it all. This is not to mention the many perils the once
proud Saul, now the Apostle Paul, suffered from robbers, other Jews, false
brethren, wild beasts, wild seas, hunger and thirst, and imprisonments (2 Corinthians 11:24–27, WEB).
What many of us
overlook (including the so-called learned expositors), when reading the Bible,
is that when the arrogant, proud Saul of Tarsus had met the Lord of Creation on
the road to Damascus, Luke recorded the following regarding Jesus’ disciple,
Ananias:
“The Lord said to him, ‘Arise, and go to
the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judah for one
named Saul, a man of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, and in a vision he has
seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might
receive his sight.’
But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much
evil he did to your saints at Jerusalem. Here he has authority from the chief
priests to bind all who call on your name.’
But the Lord said to him, ‘Go your way, for he is my chosen vessel to bear my
name before the nations and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show
him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.’” (Acts 9:11–16, WEB)
In the above passage,
our beloved Lord Jesus is speaking about how much Saul of Tarsus has to suffer
for becoming a Christian and being saved from eternal damnation unto eternal
life. Now this idea of suffering for the name of Jesus is contrary to reason,
because all suffering was supposedly dealt with on the cross. While we might
bear some reproach, this will not be something that we will be totally averse
to rejoicing in—like being flogged, beaten, or stoned to near death. Many like
to think of the following mentioned sacrifice of praise as the only sacrifice
we have to make in life:
“Therefore Jesus also, that he might
sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside of the gate. Let us
therefore go out to him outside of the camp, bearing his reproach. For we don’t
have here an enduring city, but we seek that which is to come. Through him,
then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the
fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name. But don’t forget to be
doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” (Hebrews 13:12–16, WEB)
The Apostle Paul learned
that his pride had to be destroyed for him to be humble before God. There are
three elements of the flesh that secure our relationship to the world. These
are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The
lusts can be severed through self-determination, but this hardens resolve that
then reinforces pride, which asserts itself even more. Before his conversion,
Paul had excelled beyond his peers because of his self-determination. Paul’s
problem was not lust but pride.
The ancient rabbis
taught that there were four types of personalities. One was a saint—a rare
person who gave of himself. One was a natural man—someone who respected another
person as himself. One was odd, or warped in his thinking, because he liked to
share what he had with other people, as long as he could have all of what they
had. Then there was the wicked man, who refused to share his possessions but
insisted on taking what other people had, along with his own exaltation. Unlike
the saint, the wicked man was truly the Devil’s delight.
Satan, the Devil, has
the right to exercise his influence over those who are naturally following
personal passions, even if they are respecting others, or are like those
odd-bods who expect to receive more than they give; whereas the saints he
cannot touch, so he encourages others to hate them. This is because, instead of
self-exaltation, humility is the nature of the saints—the very stamp of their
Master, Lord Jesus, the Lord of Life.
Self-exaltation is the
idol of the proud. Not only do the proud insist on their own self-exaltation,
they hate all who do not agree with their own version of the universe. The
universe of the proud is considered unique because it revolves around them
alone. Each one of the proud sits on the throne of self-exaltation. This is exactly
opposite to the position held by the Lord God, Creator of Light and Life.
Indeed, the Lord of
Life created the universe, but at its center He does not sit. This is because
the Infinite One resides outside of the Creation. For many are amazed to learn
the Creator of the universe encompasses His Creation. The Creation is finite.
The Creator is infinite. Nevertheless, God has decided to share His Creation.
In humility, freedom of choice has been extended to some members of God’s
Creation to freely decide what they would prefer: self-exaltation or
acknowledgment of the truth.
The truth not only
hurts but also requires each one of us to lay down our life that we might find
it again. This is not an easy thing to do when we are programmed in our flesh
to be assertive, to win at all costs, and to demonstrate our superiority over
others. Evidently, unseen by the naked eye in the flesh, all this begins with
the race to claim the prize of penetrating the human egg on offer. This happens
not because, as a spermatozoon, we decide to run, but because of a
predetermined plan that this is how the natural biological consequences of life
on this planet are destined to be. This predeterminism has nothing to do with
us. As biologically physical entities, we begin as an egg and a sperm that
originate from two different locations.
Often
the question is asked, “What came first, the hen or the egg?” In asking this,
many forget about the rooster. Without the rooster there are no chicks. In the
majority of instances, no offspring are born in the natural without a male and
a female. When we observe animals, we discover there is a courting process that
often takes place. One animal will assert his dominance, while the others will
have to wait before they get the chance to mate. Males, if they are like dogs,
chase their tails, while the king of the pack covers the females. The natural
conclusion for us is to think that there is an order put in place, where the
first is the winner, or the strongest gets the prize, and, in the case of fowl,
it’s the brightest cock that gets to crow. What is frequently overlooked is
that there is also other behavior exhibited in nature that requires
extraordinary mating rituals, such as the dancing of male birds seeking to
influence a mate. While the female birds may not exercise volition, they
certainly appear programmed to make a choice. Only these females are programmed
to be seduced by certain cues that meet the prerequisite criteria displayed in
the dance of their suitors.
Humans are similar to
birds and other creatures in many ways; only we have the ability to reason.
This does not come from chemical responses to our environment, but from an
ability to know right from wrong, to formulate creative ideas, and to make
judgments upon which we can act. Our complexity of being is such that while the
Bible states that we possess a spirit and a soul within a physical body,
understanding how these three components of our being interact is puzzling. The
body has five senses; the soul has three dispositions; the spirit has the
capacity to discern right from wrong and make decisions. However, few people
realize this is the case.
Psychologists and
humanists are intent on demonstrating that we are physical entities and somehow
have the ability to produce thoughts and decisions from the chemical activity
within our brains—cerebral cortices.
The majority of
theologians tend to belong to the school of thought where they acknowledge the
existence of an immaterial world besides the material world in which we live.
Depending on their cultural influence, they differentiate between the spirit
and the body, or the soul and the body, but rarely do they see the trichotomy
of the spirit, soul, and body as being distinct features of every human being.
Some theologians are monists. They believe we are biological creatures that
somehow, through biological interaction, develop a mind that is caught up to be
birthed as a new creation in the world of the spirit. They think along the
lines of psychologists stuck in the rut of humanism. Whereas some, who are
trichotomists, while recognizing there is a spirit and soul and body, do not
acknowledge a fourth component that is known as the mind or the intellect.
Jesus alluded to this
fourth feature of our constitution when He said that we are to love the Lord
our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. The following is
what Jesus said, and agreed to, according to the different Gospel writers:
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”
(Matthew 22:37, WEB)
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all
your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:30,
WEB)
He answered, “You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and
with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27,
WEB)
If we were reading the
Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke in order, we would come across those
Scriptures about loving God and we might notice that there is a reference to a
heart, a reference to a soul, a reference to a mind, and even to our strength.
In fact, in the Gospel of Mark, we might even take note of what the scribe
replied to Jesus and how our precious Lord and Savior answered him. For we
read:
The scribe said to Lord Jesus, “Truly,
Teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is none other but he, and
to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the
soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more
important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from
God’s Kingdom.”
(Mark 12:32–34, WEB)
Instead of the word
“mind,” the scribe uses the word “understanding.” The scribe was saying, in
effect, that when we have perceived the revelation of God with our conscious
mind and have connected the dots, there is no other conclusion that we can come
to other than “not to love the Creator is to abuse one’s own dignity.” Jesus
noted that the scribe was not yet in the Kingdom of God, but with the
perception he possessed, he was only a step or two away.
How often can we be so
close to possessing our desire and yet be so far away? How often is a near miss
as good as a mile?
This appears to have
been the case with the Apostle Paul. While it is true, as a youngster, he was
caught up in his personal crusade of self-exaltation and, as Saul of Tarsus, he
wanted to be the scribe of scribes and the most noteworthy of the Jews, the
Pharisee of Pharisees, he truly desired to serve the Lord God and honor the
fathers. Before his enlightenment, the Apostle Paul thought he was serving God
by upholding the religion of the fathers, namely Pharisaism, that espoused by
the Pharisees. As a young man, indoctrinated in the belief that keeping the
fifth commandment was honoring the religion of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob), he found himself dishonoring the Creator by breaking the sixth
commandment. When we reflect on this, we start to realize how distorted people
can become in their thoughts. An unenlightened understanding is one that
perpetrates evil, even in the name of morality. Or, as in Paul’s case, even in
the name of God.
However, after the
Apostle Paul’s conversion, he is enlightened. For we find the Apostle stating
how he was deceived by his own belief system in trying to keep the commandments
of God, in that the very commandment that promised life deceived him, so he
found himself breaking another commandment because of his carnal desire for
self-exaltation. This is documented in Romans chapter seven, and, although not
mentioned, the commandment that deceived him was the fifth commandment. The
fifth commandment is the one that promises life, and the commandment he was
breaking was the one that upheld life as sacrosanct. The irony of the twisted
logic of the unenlightened is not lost on those of us who see this as a common
occurrence in the thinking of men and women today. As Paul himself said, the
very thing he hated, he did. Such is the darkened mind over which the ruler of
this world has sway.
Many people think that
Pauline theology (as it is called) is antinomian, that is, against the Law of
God. Any suggestion of keeping commandments or laws is anathema to this lot.
Any idea that there might be a law of sowing and reaping incenses them. These
people believe that freedom from law is the gospel message, and not
acknowledging law or upholding law is a consequence of an empowered life. The
law of sowing and reaping is too much like the concept of karma and belongs to
eastern religion; therefore, unworthy of consideration by people who are
persuaded that law is not part of the gospel. The gospel to these people is the
gospel of grace, and grace alone.
Faith has nothing to do
with the gospel, as this sounds like a condition. The gospel of grace is
supposedly unconditional love. “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be
saved” (Acts 16:31, WEB) is
what these people say and believe. No more is required, because we are saved by
grace alone (Ephesians 2:5, WEB). There is no condition required when it
comes to believing. People believe whatever they want, whether it is true or
false, like the elderly Lutheran woman I met, who wants to believe that her
mother came back as her cat.
The Amplified Bible
expounds a little on the idea of “believe” in the above verse from Acts and
reads:
And they answered, “Believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping
and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies
both to] you and your household as well.”
(Acts 16:31, AMP)
We can see here that
believing is not just a simple acceptance of something to be true and leaving
the matter at that. We saw earlier in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus said that a
scribe was close to the Kingdom of God, because of his understanding having
been enlightened. However, being close to the Kingdom of God is not the same as
being a member of the Kingdom of God. Likewise, believing means more than
simply taking something at face value and leaving the matter at that. The
Amplified, as we read, expounds this idea of believing as giving ourselves up
to God and entrusting ourselves into His keeping. This requires faith. Faith is
a condition.
In the book of Romans,
the Apostle Paul informs us that all we have to do is confess that Jesus is
Lord with our lips, believe in our hearts that He has been raised from the
dead, and we will be saved. Many people seem to think that to believe in the
resurrection of the dead is like having a wishful thought. However, it is worth
noting how the Amplified Bible expounds the concept of “believe” in this
context, as we see here:
Because if you
acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart
believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9, AMP)
Once more we can see
that believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is more than a simple acknowledgment of
our accepting His death and resurrection. While we are not told in the above
quotation to divest ourselves of our own understanding and totally rely upon
Jesus to provide for all our needs and keep us from all harm, we do learn that
believing requires a greater commitment than mere assent. Believing on the Lord
Jesus is conditional upon faith being exercised and an action taking place.
When we adhere to
something, we cling on tight. We will only do this if we totally trust that
that to which we are clinging is real. The idea that we can rely upon truth to
set us free also means that we cling to Jesus because He is the Way, the Truth,
and the Life. It just so happens, life needs to be lived. Jesus was raised from
the dead. He lives! We who know Jesus are assured He lives in us by the Spirit
He has given us—and to this the Scriptures bear witness (1 John 3:24, WEB).
The Apostle Paul makes
a point of differentiating between the Spirit of God and the flesh in chapter
eight of Romans. He does this by contrasting the two and then in chapter twelve
tells us that there is a process involved. Indeed, we read:
“For the mind of the
flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because the mind
of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God’s law,
neither indeed can it be.” (Romans 8:6–7, WEB)
“Don’t be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may
prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
(Romans 12:2, WEB)
If our minds are set on
the flesh, we are hostile to God. We are at enmity with Him because we desire
that which pertains to death rather than life and peace. Surprisingly, the
Apostle informs us that to enjoy the life which is promised and to have peace
with God, we need to submit ourselves to His Law. Unless we submit to the law
of God, we are being hostile towards Him. Submission requires humility to be
part of our nature and a willingness to acknowledge the truth. This means we
need to acknowledge God knows more than us and we become as children again to
learn a new way of life. Moreover, the Apostle states that if we are
transformed by renewing our minds, we can discover the perfect will of God so
that we can prove what is good. In some translations, we read that our minds
need to be renewed so we can prove the will of God, what is good, right, and
perfect. But notice the word “prove.”
We are invited “to
prove” God. We are invited to prove whether the Lord’s ways are better than our
ways. We are invited to prove for ourselves whether the ways of our Lord Jesus
are superior to the ways of the world, by having the thought patterns and
thinking processes of our minds transformed. We could say we need to have the
neural networks of our cerebral cortex redeployed from doing the Devil’s work.
Do we want to be like the Apostle Paul was before his conversion and suffer
from distorted thinking? Do we really want to tread the widest path that leads
to destruction? Or do we want to be transformed and discover the narrow way of
truth that leads to life?
We have been given the
ability to be intelligent beings. We have the capacity to put the dots
together. We can discover for ourselves the truth of life. If God exists, then
surely there must be a way of proving Him without merely making an assertion,
as evolutionists do, and then having to defend it philosophically from a
position of logic, because we have an apparent lack of evidence to prove what
we claim is true.
There is a way we can
prove that God is true and this is found in the tithe. This is a means by which
we can scientifically prove God. The tithe is a test that God Himself has put
before us to see whether we are genuinely interested in truth or whether we are
religious hypocrites. Do we really believe in God? If so, why do we not
demonstrate this by putting Him to the proof? Many find this hard to do because
they want to live a delusion. They would prefer to sin, put their trust in
God’s grace, and hope that they might find favor with Him, even though they are
not prepared to trust Him.
Such people usually do
more harm to the message of the gospel than they realize, because they claim
they believe in God, but in their actions they do not demonstrate He is real.
What happens is these people will claim the moral high ground, even tell other
people about Jesus Christ, yet they will lie, cheat, and despise others when it
suits them. They will publicly scorn prostitutes, condemn unmarried lovers,
deplore pornography, harass homosexuals, yet go home, fantasize and masturbate,
and claim they have pure thoughts towards God.
One of the biggest
difficulties that people have when trying to discern the truth is working their
way through the quagmire of different versions of the Bible and the many
differing teachings of the various movements, denominations, churches, and
individuals that they encounter. This happened to me as a young Christian. When
on the streets talking to people about their eternal salvation, I encountered
such a wide spectrum of views that I was becoming rather confused as to who was
right, who was telling the truth. While I was in subjection to the leadership
of the fellowship that I attended, I even found that they had some variation in
their points of view. Naturally, I began asking God to show me the truth.
When
I was seeking Lord Jesus earnestly in prayer to show me the truth, a voice told
me, “The first truth is this: get the log out of your own eye.”
Now I did not
appreciate this truth at the time, because I was seeking something that would
catapult me into the global arena and make me a significant somebody who
possessed the truth about the book of Revelation and the Second Coming. Ego has
a habit of desiring great things for oneself. Being told that one has to get
the log out of one’s eye as the first truth was not what I wanted to hear. But
this is what I was told. After hearing that voice, much to my surprise, I
instantly thought: “And then you will see clearly how to take the speck out of
your brother’s eye.”
One thing I have come
to realize, which has played a significant part in my walk with Jesus, is that
I do not have to study to be approved of Him. This is not to say that there is
no need for learning and self-improvement—for there is! Only we do not need to
formally study for acceptance by God or to be approved by Him.
Many times, I have
encountered people who have told me that I need to study and get formal
qualifications if I were to be approved of God. This was especially in the
early days as a Christian when I was out in the streets. Often the Scripture in
the book of Timothy was quoted to me, and different ones even showed me in the
Bible where it was, especially when visiting the churches of various
denominations to learn more about what the leaders of each persuasion taught
and what the people thought.
In the book of Timothy,
we find these words in the King James Bible:
“Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV)
Many Bible colleges
quote this Scripture as part of their marketing. The verse is even placed in
the student’s manual. This is because most people today understand the word
“study” to be the acquisition of knowledge by instruction and directed reading
activity. In fact, if we were to consult any dictionary we would learn that the
word “study” is defined along the lines of pursuing or acquiring knowledge by
reading, observation, investigation, research, and reflection.
In order for us to be
approved of God, according to this understanding, we need to attend Bible
college. The more degrees we acquire, the more God approves of us. This is what
many people seem to believe. Even one pastor, whom I have known for decades,
said to me that I was more holy than he was because I had obtained more degrees
than he had. I could not believe my ears at the time. But this is what he
believes: the acquisition of knowledge within the formal system equates to
holiness and approval by God.
This is not something
that, personally, I have believed. The reason for this is the Bible that was
used at the congregation I was attending had these words:
“Do your best to present yourself to God
as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the
word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15, WEB)
For someone to do his
or her best to present himself, or herself, to another person is the same as
having a job interview. For me this means turning up on time to meet someone in
person and making sure that I am there as agreed. To do my best to present
myself to God is no different. I make sure that I am calling out to the Lord by
name and I expect to hear from Him. This means prayer. So I read that Scripture
like this:
Seek
God earnestly in prayer to understand His will for my life, so that I need not
be ashamed and can be liberated by walking in the truth.
That is an
interpretation, but it is what that Scripture means to me. However, while the
word “study” once meant “to be zealous” or “diligent,” it no longer does. But a
quick search of the word history in the Collins English Dictionary
reveals that the word “study” comes to us from the Latin studere
meaning “to be diligent.” The Random House Kernerman Webster’s College
Dictionary informs us “study” means “to be busy with,” or “devote
oneself to.” Essentially, we could say we need to be diligent in ensuring that
we keep ourselves busy by devoting ourselves to the service of the Lord, so
that we are workers in the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father, who have no need to
be ashamed, because we have learned how to rightly apply the wisdom of God to
our everyday circumstances.
Some people might see
this as acquiring knowledge. Myself, I believe that this is more about having a
personal relationship with our Heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ in
the power of the Holy Spirit. In doing this, we are able to grow in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and learn the truth that sets us free from
the influences of the Devil and his doctrines that are designed to cause us to
miss the mark. While there is a need for apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, and teachers within the Body of Christ, there is also a need to be
reliant upon the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. This truth begins with
the removal of the log out of our own eye, so we can see clearly how to take
the speck out of another’s eye.
The truth is that the
process through which we grow into what our Heavenly Father may desire for us
in our Lord Jesus is not a matter of acquiring knowledge of belief
systems—otherwise known as church dogma or doctrine. The truth that sets us
free, and enables us to embrace what the Lord has for us, requires a devotional
application that is reflective of a humble heart willing to meditate on
biblical concepts. The meditation of biblical concepts does not mean accepting
theological propositions and then establishing them as church dogmas by finding
proof texts within the Bible to support them. The meditations of biblical
truths are more to do with how we stand before our Heavenly Father as a member
of the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. For those that meditate upon the Law of
the Lord will prosper in all that they do (Psalm 1:2–3, WEB).
Only by meditating on the Law of the Lord and seeking understanding in prayer
are we going to arrive at truth that liberates us from the deceptions of the
Devil.
Two nights ago, prior
to writing this, at a Bible study, we were looking at the very topic of
studying to show oneself approved of God. One of the participants, a woman,
thought that she needed to obtain formal study before she was approved of God
to be a worker in the gospel. When she read what her dictionary said about the
word “study” and what the other versions of the Bible stated regarding the
verse, she felt she had been duped by the Devil. The version of the Bible she
now reads is the English Standard Version and it reads:
“Do your best to present yourself to God
as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the
word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15, ESV)
The New American
Standard Version reads:
“Be diligent to present yourself
approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately
handling the word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15, NASB)
The Greek word σπουδάζω
(spoudazo)
that the King James translates as “study” and the New American Standard Version
translates as “be diligent,” Strong’s Concordance informs us spoudazo
means “to make haste.” Now if we translate the verse using Strong’s
Concordance, we have: “Make haste to show yourself to God,” as
opposed to: “Acquire
knowledge (study) to show yourself to God.”
The difference is so
significant that we can compare it with missing the mark (which is what sin is)
and finding the eye of the needle, or bull’s-eye (that is being accepted into
the Kingdom of God). Jesus demonstrated this in His parable about the Feast,
where many are invited but decline, so the king invites anyone. However,
someone turned up, who must have been previously invited—for we can assume this
is how he knew about the feast—but he was not clothed in the right clothes.
Here is what is written in the Bible:
Jesus answered and spoke again in
parables to them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who
made a marriage feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who
were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out
other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared
my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come
to the marriage feast!”’ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to
his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants,
and treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was
angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were
invited weren’t worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and
as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’ Those servants went out
into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and
good. The wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the
guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, and he said to
him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was
speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take
him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and
grinding of teeth will be.’ For many are called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 22:1–14, WEB)
The story tells us that
many are called, but only those who are clothed with the right clothes are
acceptable. If someone declines the invitation and then decides to do his or
her own thing, rather than make haste to accept what God has on offer, even though
the person may have been called, the person may not be chosen. The implication
of the story is we need to obtain clothing of righteousness from God, not come
in our own clothes. People insisting on their personal interpretations are why
there are many different dogmas. The doctrines that are taught by many people
are not truly biblical. Even though they are based on the Bible, they are
sufficiently off the mark to lead people astray. This does not happen if we
allow Scripture to truly interpret Scripture. For if we take what Jesus said
about clothing, and let the Bible interpret, we find ourselves in the book of
Revelation and considering what is said concerning those of the Laodicean
Church. We read that Jesus says:
“I know your works,
that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So, because you
are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;’
and don’t know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and
naked; I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become
rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of
your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you
may see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and
repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with
me.” (Revelation 3:15–20, WEB)
Among other things,
what is evident in this passage from the book of Revelation is that Jesus is
talking about being appropriately clothed to dine with Him. Those who are not
appropriately clothed will be spat out of His mouth. Like the man in the
wedding parable, the wrong garments are an issue. This is what misleading
teaching can do; rather than help us discover the truth, we may find ourselves
outside of what God truly wants for us. In which case, we miss out. Those who
are chosen are the ones who are willing and obedient and desire to present
themselves to our Lord Jesus Christ that they might be clothed in
righteousness. This righteousness is not of ourselves. Righteousness is not
something we earn; neither is it the result of our own efforts to be
presentable. Instead, righteousness results from our willingness to make haste
because of the shame of our nakedness to be clothed by God. Rather than
studying, we do our best to present ourselves to God, so He can clothe us with
the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ and equip us in the power of the
Holy Spirit, so we have no need to be ashamed. If we apply ourselves to
understanding the truth and seeking to discern right from wrong, we will be
able to detect false and misleading doctrines or teachings, because the Holy
Spirit will lead and guide us into all truth (John 16:13, WEB).
How true do these words
ring:
“For I, Yahweh, don’t
change…. Return to me, and I will return to you… Will a man rob God? Yet you
rob me!” (Malachi 3:6–8, WEB)
Many talk about false
prophets but overlook false teachers. A false teacher is anyone who teaches
untruths that will prevent you from securing eternal salvation, growing in
faith, and learning to trust in God for all your needs. False teachers do not believe
the Bible truly bears witness to Jesus Christ, because if they did, they would
be known by Him and teach that everybody needs to have a personal relationship
with Him and be baptized in the Holy Spirit if they are to receive all the
promises of God.
“But false prophets
also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will
secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought
them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. Many will follow their immoral ways,
and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. In covetousness they
will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t
linger, and their destruction will not slumber.”
(2 Peter 2:1–3, WEB)
The Bible informs us
that we do not need anyone to teach us (1 John 2:27, WEB),
while at the same time instructing us to listen to our teachers (Hebrews 13:17, WEB). This can be confusing. However, this
is not the case if we understand that teachers impart knowledge and provide guidance,
but the Holy Spirit enlightens us and enables us to discern what is true and
what is false. Those who possess the Holy Spirit know the joy of salvation, the
peace of God, and desire the truth. Those who do not possess the Holy Spirit
will believe anything.
[i] Sidney Homer, Richard
Sylla. A History of Interest Rates John
Wiley & Sons:New York. 2011.
[ii] Oddly, Hypocrisy
Rooted in High Morals. Jeanna Byrner, Nov. 14,
2007.http://www.livescience.com/2054-oddly-hypocrisy-rooted-high-morals.html —retrieved 2 oct. 2014.
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