Living and Active

LIVING and ACTIVE; these two words are fantastically amazing wonderful glorious descriptors of the Word of God. (Hebrews 4:12-13) The original words in Greek are Zon and Energes, they mean literally Alive and Energetic / Capable of Doing Work / Active. These two words seem to get overlooked when talking about the Bible, we know it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its content, and we know that it is sharper than a scalpel bladed sword, and we know that it is where faith comes from; but it seems that there is a general oversight that the Word of God is literally its own entity capable of doing its own work.

Compare Isaiah 55:10-11 before we go further,

as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

I want you, my dear reader, to see that the Word of God is not just a weapon, it's not just a tool, it is not at the mercy of the user to be used effectively; Instead of an arrow fired from a bow aimed by an archer it is a self propelled laser guided missile. This Word rips through defenses, stops mouths, cuts to the heart, comes alive in the hearer and slays its enemies. (Take a moment and read Galatians 2:19-20, Romans 3:18-20, Romans 7:10-11, and Acts 2:37)

Short phrases like "You must be born again" (George Whitefield, John 3:7), "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles" (The Son of Sam / David Berkowitz, Psalm 34:6), and "the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written the righteous shall live by faith" (Martin Luther, Romans 1:17) are credited for transforming utter sinners into outright saints, for faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ.

I love how 1 Peter 1:23 puts it,

you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;

My own soul was born again when a verse preached out of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible described Jesus Christ's advent as, "God was manifest in the flesh." (1 Timothy 3:16) Through that one verse and concept the Saviour of mankind crushed my pride, exposed my sinfulness, drew me near to himself, and redeemed my soul. But if you read that verse out of any other translation it simply says "He was manifest in the flesh." Indeed, the original Greek does not bear with it the fact that Jesus Christ is God, at least not in that verse, but many other passages do (see John 20:28, 2 Peter 1:1, Titus 2:13, and John 1:1, among many others), but it was that verse out of the King James Version of the Bible that quickened my soul.

So is there something special about that translation? Should we preach exclusively from it? Indeed this translation did amazing things when sent by George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, John Gill, Asahel Nettleton, Charles Spurgeon, Paris Reidhead, Leonard Ravenhill, Ray Comfort, Kent Hovind and a multitude of others. But a prolific amount of archaeology in the 20th century showed that the Textus Receptus, the Greek manuscript which the King James translators used, is not an exact copy of the originals, albeit it is very close. Today we have infinitely better manuscripts and awesome Bible translations that have been born out of them, including the NASB, NIV, and ESV, among others.

With the supersedance of the KJV for newer and better translations there has been a push for what has been dubbed "King James Onlyism", or the rejection of every English Bible except for the KJV. This push is based on many facts, such as that the KJV was the Bible of choice for over 300 years, that so many were converted under its preaching, and that many of the majority text manuscripts are missing a few superfluous verses. We know quite decisively that the extra verses in the KJV are addendums and that the Bible suffers not when these verses are removed, since the concepts are concretely discussed elsewhere in scripture (See Mark 7:16 and 1 John 5:7 for example), yet one cannot deny that the King James Bible, even with its errors, did magnificent works and amazing things for the kingdom. Conversely, we see a proliferation of nearly perfect translations that will never see the usage or conversions on the scale that the KJV was involved in.

What does all of this mean? Why have I typed it? It is to remind you, dear reader, that the Word of God is alive and energetic and that it is not a translation that saves, but the Godhead, expressed in text, which transforms a soul. The King James Translators never saved anyone, they planted and watered, but it was God who gave the growth.

The difference in word choice between the KJV and even the Textus Receptus are massive, while you may see the lineage of the English Energetic from the Greek Energes, you wouldn't likewise claim an etymological link between English Abiding and Greek Menei or English Living and Greek Zon. Yet the Greek phrase Zon gar o logos tou Theo kai energes has the exact meaning of the English phrase The Word of God is living and active. The phrases use radically different words with the exact same meaning; still the Word of God, still able to accomplish its purposes with or without your help. It's the difference between calling a Patriot missile an MIM-104 Surface to Air Missile...different names, same purpose and same effect. (Humor me and pretend the Patriot could actually hit anything)

So we see something interesting in the proliferation of better translations doing less, and KJV Only proponents holding to a once amazing translation who are now doing little to nothing for the kingdom. It is not the translation or the manuscripts or the language that does the converting, but the Word of God deployed and sent out which converts souls.

It's two squadrons holed up in a hangar, one claiming the F-15 is the best, the other saying the F-22 is inviolable, and as they argue over which aircraft to launch the enemy is raining havoc down all around them. If one or the other were put up then they would make short work of the adversary, imagine if both launched at once! But the church is content to keep these weapons safely tucked away, perhaps occasionally taking them out on a joyride or mock engagements against other churches (often ending in fatalities), but putting the Word of God on the offensive against a violent and insatiable enemy is intolerant and unheard of.

Dr. Charles Love was converted reading the worst Bible translation of all time, the New World Translation; while the equivalent of F-15 and F-22 state-of-the-art fighter jets were safely snuggled in mega-hangars, a lone dilapidated Cessna, with a BB-gun and no home-base, rocked Dr. Love's world and ushered him into the kingdom of God, because it was put into action and accomplished the purposes of God.

The Word of God is alive and energetic, more than capable of doing exactly what it was designed for. Will you send it today? Will you open up your Bible and preach? Will you give out a gospel tract? Will you tape your favorite Bible verse to the wall in your cubicle? Will you write "John 3:16" on the window of your car in washable wax? You don't even have to do anything except send this capable Word on its way, God will do the rest; it is self propelled and laser guided, it will not return without accomplishing its purpose.

Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins, he was raised for our justification, he sits ready to intercede for us, he even gave us his Holy Spirit to empower us; every detail has been taken care of, all that is left for you to do is to open your mouth and preach this glorious living and active Word.

Mystics in Our Midst

The rejection of Sola-Scriptura, or the plenary sufficiency of scripture, has been arguably the greatest danger to orthodoxy and has been the favored midwife of heresy throughout history. Birthing such movements as the Montanists, Roman Catholic Church, Four-Square Church, Mormon Church, and Watchtower Society, the idea that God speaks in this covenant apart from the Bible has led to the eternal damnation of an innumerable multitude.

Hidden under the sheep-skins of “tongues”, “words from the Lord”, “leadings”, “Papal infallibility”, and well illustrated magazines, these godless utterances have infiltrated the church, led sheep out, and slaughtered them in cold-blood. And yet there is a general apathy towards these extrabiblical and personal revelations.

Check out what God says,

Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD. – Jeremiah 29:8

This is an Old Testament passage, when God actually was giving direct revelation to his servant Jeremiah, yet he points out that clearly there were men claiming to hear from him yet were actually not. In our New Covenant we have such a wonderful standard of faith in a closed canon,

We have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. – 2 Peter 1:19-21

This is the same Peter who spoke face to face with Jesus Christ, who heard from the Father from Heaven, who was made abundantly clear that he would die before Christ’s return, and yet he points us at the written word, which I believe he likewise wrote,

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son… – Hebrews 1:1-2

And yet, despite this gloriously clear and adequate and sufficient and perfect and imperishable word, we still have preachers, and an overabundance of them, who preach from the book of Zedekiah. These are the words of the false prophet, the idea that God speaks individually and whimsically. (Confer Jeremiah 29:21)

These are the people who say, “God told me…” or “I was led by the Lord to…” or “God told me to tell you…” How are they claiming to receive this goofiness? Through prayer, through feelings, through dreams, through proof-texts found through flip-and-point methods or Bible-search software, and through outright fabrication. And in this, they are found to be misrepresenting God. Truly, he says,

they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, declares the LORD. – Jeremiah 29:23

Paul speaks with great fear and trembling at the very thought of misrepresenting God (1 Corinthians 15:15), yet these false-prophets brazenly and wickedly throw out God’s name in association with their strange leadings, feelings, and messages. Under a more perfect government they would lose their life for this blasphemy. (Deuteronomy 18:20)

And what is the danger except to their own soul? It is HUGE. Hananiah, false-prophet extraordinaire, took a wooden yoke off of Jeremiah as a prophecy for the salvation of Israel from Babylonian captivity. This lie led to the wooden bondage being replaced with iron bondage, as the people utterly trusted in Hananiah’s lie and were sold into captivity by God to Babylon. (Confer Jeremiah 27-28)

The false prophet of today who says “God is leading me…” sets themselves up as a prophet, as a super-spiritual leader, and as an example to follow. This leads others away from the rock of Sola-Scriptura, and as they step away from the foundation they quickly sink into the mire of unbiblical and ungodly doom. Many will never escape and their iron bars will only melt off in the fire of Hell.

So beloved, flee from any who claim personal revelation, despise all who speak for God apart from his explicit and inspired word, and do not find yourself among this number either misrepresenting God or believing a lie. If you refuse to repent of speaking for God apart from his word then I pray you meet the end of Hananiah and Zedekiah, dead at least and burned in the fire at most. (Jeremiah 28:17, 29:22)

We cannot begin to grasp the extent to which God esteems his word, by which he created the world, of which he promises it will not return void but will accomplish all of its purposes, and of which it will judge the quick and the dead. (John 1:1, 12:48, 17:17, Hebrews 4:12, 11:3, 2 Peter 3:5, Isaiah 55:10-11) Every major confession of faith begins with the scripture, which has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its content. If you misunderstand the word, you will misunderstand the Father, the Saviour, and the Spirit. For an immediate lesson, I implore you to read Psalm 119 soon and seriously.

All in all, in times past God spoke through sundry and amazing ways, but in these last days he speaks through the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, for faith comes through hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Psalm 69 - the Agonies of Calvary

How many of you have seen the Passion of the Christ? That movie is pretty accurate as to what happened to Jesus Christ on the outside, but it utterly misses the point of his death, which was his spiritual torment and the wrath which was poured out on him for sin by his Father. So, since it is Good Friday, I want to look at Christ’s own words on that day.

If you have your Bible, and I hope you do, turn to Psalm 69…Psalm 69. This Psalm was written by David 1,000 years before Christ died on the cross, but in this Psalm we see Jesus’ prayer from the cross. The New Testament quotes this “chapter” of the Old Testament more than any other chapter, albeit Psalms aren’t really chapters, and everytime it is quoted it is pointed firmly at Jesus Christ. Every word in this Psalm is his own words. So this morning I want to read it in sections to you.

v.1-4 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?

In this passage introduces us to the event of the crucifixion. Jesus’ trial and scourging have already taken place, and he has been on the cross for a while. He describes his situation as the flood of death is about to overtake him. He has asked God at least once to save him, but then quickly turned the petition to “Not my will, but yours be done.” The pain is excruciating and Jesus very much would like it to stop if possible. The pain of the crucifixion is at hand, but look at the end of verse 4, “What I did not steal, must I now restore” points it at Heaven and the purpose of his sacrifice.

Jesus came to redeem his people, to ransom them from sin, to pay the debt to God which we owed. And what sort of things are these? Sin is transgression against the law, and the law is God’s righteous commandments. What was Jesus paying for on the cross? We start with what he says here, “What I did not steal, must I now restore?” He was crucified between two thieves, yet he never stole a single thing in his life, not a loaf of bread, not a song on the internet, not something from a store, yet he came to repay it. The Bible is clear that lying lips are an abomination to God and that all liars will have their place in the Lake which burns with fire and brimstone, and Jesus, who the Bible says it is impossible for him to lie died in place of liars. There was no deceit found in the mouth of Jesus Christ, he never took God’s name in vain, he never said, “O my God,” or “Good Lord,” or “Jesus Christ” without reverence, yet he was smitten and afflicted by God for blasphemy. Jesus said that you’ve heard it said of old, thou shalt not commit adultery, but then he said that if you look with lust you’ve committed adultery already in your heart. Jesus Christ, who is totally faithful to his bride the church died for every lustful glance, paying the debt against Heaven.

Now imagine I have a debt, say a parking ticket, and it has to be paid. If someone will take this parking ticket and go pay it, then justice is served. This is basically what Jesus did, but look at verse 5, he takes it one step farther.

v.5 O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

Remember that this whole Psalm is Jesus speaking, so it points out that Jesus took our sins and called them his own, even though he was and is the perfect sinless Saviour. He was tempted in every way we’ve been tempted yet without sin. But here in this verse he took our sins from us and considered them his own. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that in him we can become the righteousness of God. He bore our sins in his body on that cross.

And at any given time he could have made it stop, he said he had 12 legions of angels at his beck and call to rescue him if he were to call. That is 70,000 angels, all perfectly capable and able to destroy entire cities, to crush Jerusalem and save Jesus at a moments notice...but if he had done that, we beloved, would be without hope, we would not have a sin bearer, our debt against Heaven would be unpaid, and so look at verse 6 and the gloriousness of Christ's prayer.

v.6 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.

If Jesus had chosen to save himself, then we would be put to shame because though we hoped in God, he would not have been able to forgive our debts. Jesus was tempted up to the point of death to forsake us and save himself, but he remained faithful.

v.7 For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.

Jesus came for the main purpose of testifying to the truth, of honoring his Father, and here he says that he has born reproach, suffering, for the sake of his Father. This is just as important if not moreso than the prayer he just prayed about those who hope in God, because God's name as a saving and merciful God is at stake.

Let me give you two pictures of God, on one hand you have the God of Justice, the judge of all the earth who always does right, he says that he will by no means hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain, he must punish sin because he is a perfectly just God. But on the other hand you have the God of Love, who says though your sins were like scarlet they shall be made white as snow, who says your sins are put away, that says you are redeemed and forgiven. These two descriptions of God are entirely contradictory if not for one thing, because this God of Love can't overlook transgression without being a bad judge, and this God of Justice can't pour out justice and still be merciful...unless something big happens.

And that is what we are reading about Jesus on the cross, the God of the Universe manifest in the flesh, taking our sins on himself and having the full wrath of his Father poured out on him. Justice is served in the crushing of Jesus Christ, mercy is ours if we hope in him. Psalm 85 says that love and truth are met together, justice and peace have kissed each other on the cross. God is both just because he punished sin, and he is loving because he took the punishment himself.

v.8-9 I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons. For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

He we see that this Psalm is definitely talking about Jesus. Even his own brothers turned on him and told people that he had lost his mind. But oh the glory, after Christ's resurrection James became the bishop of Jerusalem, preaching that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. The unconverted priests tried to get him to recant his belief and took him to the top of the Temple in order that he would either renounce Jesus Christ, or they would push him off. From the top of the Temple he preached that Jesus is the Messiah, that all must look to him in order to be saved, and one of the priests shoved him from the top of the Temple and then they beheaded him on the ground. Jude became a missionary all over the Middle East, and was eventually shot with arrows and beaten to death for his adherence to his Brother as the Sovereign Lord of all nations. But, at this point as Christ is dying on the cross, he is alone, both of these brothers had abandoned Christ and would have nothing to do with him.

Christ quoted verse 9 about zeal consuming him when he cleansed the temple, and because of his adherence to the truth and his refusal to compromise on who God is and that every idol is an abomination to him, they crucified him on the charge of claiming to be God.

v.10-12 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.

Oh what a reception the King of kings received from the people, utterly scorning him at every turn, calling him every manner of wickedness and name. The only hope of mankind pushed away as an impotent and sinful man, and yet these are the very sins he was paying for as he hung on Calvary's cross.

v.13-19 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies! You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you.

Oh beloved, I hope you see the agony which your Saviour went through to bring you to God. He prays to be saved, but not now, when it is pleasing to God. And he would be saved, but not from the excruciating pain of the cross, but from death when three days later the same God who put him to death would raise him to life forevermore. Remember that Jesus Christ very easily could have saved himself, yet entrusted himself wholly to God, knowing that the purposes of God will be accomplished to perfection.

On the cross your major enemy is not blood loss or exposure or exhaustion, but it is suffocation. With your arms stretched out and your full body weight hanging from your shoulders you can breathe in all you want, but beloved, you cannot breathe out. In order to breathe out, you have to prop yourself up on the nails driven through your feet in order to alleviate the strain on your chest muscles. Every time you would do this oxygen would surge through your system awakening numbed nerves, and every breathe would bring a new surge of pain. On the Passover that Jesus died on, it was against Jewish law for dead bodies to be left outside past sunset, so while it normally took someone up to three days to die of crucifixion, they decided to break the legs of the condemned so that they would suffocate to death and could be taken down. But when they got to Jesus, he was already dead, look at verse 20;

v. 20-21 Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

Remember that this was written a thousand years before Christ died, yet it knew he wouldn't die of suffocation, but of a ruptured heart. In order to make sure that Jesus was actually dead the Roman Soldiers thrust a spear under his ribs into his heart, and blood and water poured out, which is caused when the heart muscles rupture, and it takes about an hour, so Christ died of a ruptured heart about an hour before the thieves on either side of him.

The Roman Soldiers kept vinegar near the crucifixion sight in order to give to prisoners to dull the pain and help them die quicker, they offered some to Jesus but he refused, he would not let the pain be blunted which he was suffering for the effects of sin. How would David know about this soured wine? Crucifixion wasn't even invented until 600 years after David penned this Psalm!

And now we turn to the controversial part of this Psalm. When Jesus died he died for a very specific purpose, to secure the salvation of all who believe. In John 17 you can see Jesus praying for all saints, for all who will believe, but he is very specific that he is not praying for those who will not believe. In verses 22 through 29 Jesus Christ specifically prays against those who will not believe, in verse 27 asking that they be cast into Hell. Revelation 14:10 speaks of this again that in the presence of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, the full undiluted wine of God's wrath is poured out on those who would not believe.

v.22-28 Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents. For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded. Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

It's a powerful verse, and one that only Jesus Christ can pray because he knows who will be saved or not, and it shows that he was saving a very specific people, and that in order to be amongst that people you must trust in him, putting your hope in God.

v.29-31 But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high! I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.

In the midst of his afflictions Jesus Christ shows that his affections are still on Heaven, that he remains trusting in God and with his obedience to his Father. His perfect sacrifice is pleasing to God more than any other, because he willingly went to the cross to shed his blood for the remission of sins of many, for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

How can anyone possibly look at the cross and be glad? It was an instrument of extreme torture, yet verses 32 and 33 say when we see the crucifixion we will be glad.

v.32-33 When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

On this cross, where Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied. He has reconciled us in his body of flesh through his death, he will save his people who are prisoners in sin and revive those who are dead in sin. Beloved, if this is not you, then I implore you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be reconciled to God, to repent towards God and put your full trust in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone that his payment on Calvary's cross was entirely sufficient to pay your way into Heaven. After Christ died they took his body down and laid it in the tomb of a rich man, and there it stayed for three days. It looked like the end, it looked like the man who claimed to be God really wasn't God but an imposter. But on the third day, in the darkness of a sealed tomb, the most glorious sound, better than the songs of angels, the world has ever heard was heard faintly in the bosom of the Lord of Glory, a heart-beat. Silently at first, then undeniable, the King was alive!

And this concludes our study with verse 34-36,

v.34-36 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

When we read this as pointing to Jesus Christ we see it as the heavenly New Jerusalem, where all of his saints will dwell for eternity, where we will praise our King who sought us and bought us, who endured the agony of Hell on the cross, who was faithful unto death, and who lives forevermore to make intercession for his saints.

Beloved, trust in this Christ, preach his gospel, he is worthy, and those who trust in him will not be despised.

The Spirit and Conviction

Concerning showing men their need for salvation, Jesus Christ first showed his hearers that their hope of being able to save themselves was in vain, “There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.” (John 5:45) They, as is human nature, had set their hope on their own abilities to earn their reconciliation with God. For this reason, it is necessary for the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). Christ goes on to further explain what each of these means.

“Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me.” (John 16:9) If salvation were possible by the law, then Christ died for no purpose (Galatians 2:21), therefore one of the Spirit’s roles is to convict the world of the sinfulness of sin, that apart from Christ there is no Saviour, that the world has sold itself into slavery by attempting to be justified by its works. The Epistle to Galatia is especially pertinent in understanding this point. If a law were given that could bring life, then righteousness would be by the law. Since the law imprisons all who are under it and is impossible to keep except by God, it is demonstrated that the main purpose of the law is to lead men to Christ (cf. Galatians 3:1-29). The main point of the Epistle to Galatia, that the foolishness of trusting in ones own deeds derives from a failure to recognize his saving work, is summed up by Christ with one statement in John 16:9, “because they do not believe in me.”

“Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer.” (John 16:10) Jesus Christ is the measure of perfection, of whom the Author of Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) While Christ was on Earth, he was the standard of righteousness; he could be expected to judge rightly, act rightly, and point all glory to his Father. Merely seeing Jesus Christ respond rightly to all situations exposed sins. John described him as a light,

The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (John 3:19-20)

Once this light returned to the Father, conviction was necessary to shine the light into men’s hearts, which would become one role of the Holy Spirit.

“Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:11) Once men are convinced that sin is wrongdoing, that they are hopeless in their transgression, and that righteousness is the example of goodness which none can attain but God, then one thing is left to see; an assurance of a coming judgment. In Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection is demonstrated God’s hatred of sin and his acceptance of Christ’s atonement. A God who would not spare his own sin-imputed Son will certainly not overlook transgression; sinners must see that they stand condemned before the consuming fire of an offended God. Christ had said in John 12:31 of the impending judgment, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” This was proved in Christ’s defeat of death, that the ruler of this world, revealed elsewhere in scripture to be Satan, was tried and found lacking in his power to defeat the plans and purposes of God.

If a person, convicted by their sins as illuminated by the Holy Spirit, will look away from this world and look unto Christ they will be saved (cf. John 3:13-18).

Because the sinless Savior died,
my sinful soul is counted free;
for God, the Just, is satisfied
to look on him and pardon me

Superbowl Videos

A debrief / lesson of the weekend is located here:
Honor Christ as Holy, Middle School Bible Study 1 Peter 3:13-17

Three videos follow:

Stolen Identity

Over the past two months I’ve had more and more exposure to the Church of Christ cult; prior to this I had spoken to some and witnessed to others, but it seems in the last two months I’ve seen their churches everywhere, had several confrontational conversations with members, and have been increasingly perturbed by the name of their cult.

The literal church of Christ is the universal body of believers comprised of the Israel of the Old Covenants and the Israel of God which is all Jews and Gentiles who have been born into the family of God, purchased by the blood of the Lamb. The name stealers, the Church of Christ who add works to salvation, get each other wet, then popishly declare themselves saved, have perverted the name and so you can no longer claim to be a member of the church of Christ without your hearers wondering if you believe in the anathema belief of baptismal regeneration.

Likewise, you cannot claim to be a member of the katholik church, or church according to the whole, because the Roman Catholic Church, who are equally condemned, have stolen that name. This organization has perverted names like Bishop, See, and Saint. Their works righteous system of salvation has somehow elevated certain debtors (Romans 4:4) to a higher state of grace and called them saints, when these people are not saints, rather only those who trust wholly in the Just and Justifier, Jesus Christ, are saints. (Romans 4:5)

Speaking of saints, Christians in these latter days ought to bear with boasting in Christ the name of Latter Day Saint. However, the cult of Moronism (followers of the fallen angels Moroni and Mormon) have stolen this name. While they are certainly latter day antichrists (1 John 2:18), they are far from saints. They have stolen my name and have blasphemed the name of Jehovah-Yasha (Jesus, Isaiah 49:26) in the process.

The drunken organization who publish the Watchtower Magazine claim to witness for Jehovah, but really they have only stolen another name of the Christian. These false-prophets misrepresent the godhead, willfully and maliciously edit his Word, and cross land and sea in order to make their proselytes twice the sons of Hell as themselves.

Others are less blatant but equally blasphemous. The woman ordaining, world loving, homosexual aggrandizing Episkopol Church drags the name of Christ through the mud (1 Peter 2:25); every Senior Pastor ought to weep when their title is applied to such an apostate organization. The mystical organization of the Orthodox Church has utterly cursed themselves through their false claim to orthodoxy. The skittish Anabaptists of the Amish have buried their lights under baskets and have misrepresented both the Resurrected Christ and the symbolic adult baptism he instituted.

All of these apostate cults have one major thing in common: they masquerade under biblical names yet reject the biblical King of Glory. The true church of Christ, katholik in scope, populated totally with Old Covenant and latter day saints, must be Jehovah’s witnesses, holding to orthodoxy, rightly understanding baptism, and with a hierarchy of episkopos, bishoprics, presbyters, and poimens in order to rightly live for Christ and make his name famous.

This is the true church, the body of Christ, which is the hope and joy and crown of boasting at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we are not our own, but we have been bought with a price, so we must glorify God in our bodies.