Abandon the “Gospel Clichés!”

April 30, 2009

By Shawn Brasseaux

There are many “Gospels” or messages of “Good News” in the Bible, but there is only ONE GOSPEL THAT SAVES TODAY—it is called “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Unfortunately, much of Christendom ignores the Gospel of Grace and refuses to peach it because the Gospel of the Grace of God contradicts denominational tradition and works-religion! The message of grace maintains that we cannot work for salvation, so God gives us salvation as a free gift. Religion, on the other hand, says that if we work hard enough we may please God, and then God may reward us with salvation. But, the Bible declares the opposite:

  • Romans 11:6 KJV: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”
  • Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
  • Romans 3:28 KJV: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
  • Romans 4:5 KJV: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
  • Acts 16:31 KJV: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
  • Titus 3:5 KJV: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Oddly enough, it seems like even many evangelicals (who do understand that we cannot work for salvation) will encourage us to do many things so God can accept us for salvation. When religion talks about salvation, you will hear about all sorts of do’s and don’ts: “come walk the aisle,” “ask Jesus into your heart, “make Jesus the Lord of your life,” “turn over a new leaf,” “join the church,” “love your neighbor,” “keep the sacraments,” “pray the sinner’s prayer,” “repent of your sin (stop sinning),” “give offerings,” “confess your sins,” “don’t worship the devil,” “take the Lord’s supper,” “keep the Sabbath,” “follow the Lord in believer’s water baptism,” and “join our local church!” The list goes on and on and on as people continually add a whole load of garbage to the pure message of grace! What a shame that they complicate the simple salvation in Christ Jesus with false gospels (2 Corinthians 11:3,4).

When the ascended Lord sent Paul to be “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:11), Paul received a commission and ministry that was separate and distinct from the ministry God gave Israel’s twelve apostles. To Paul alone, God revealed “the revelation of the mystery [secret]” (Romans 16:25,26). This mystery was a set of doctrines of previously unrevealed information, that God had never given to any other man, apostle, or prophet. The Lord committed to Paul the “Dispensation of the Grace of God” (Ephesians 3:1-9), and God also entrusted Paul with a special Gospel, “the Gospel of the Grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul also calls it “my Gospel” (Romans 2:16; Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 2:8) and “that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles” (Galatians 2:2).

What is Paul’s Gospel (the Gospel of the Grace of God)? We find it in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. “How that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.” Through Paul’s Gospel alone, God would form the Church the Body of Christ. If we tamper with that pure Gospel of Grace in any way, this goes against what God is doing today! When we pervert the Gospel of Grace, we are going contrary to what God wants accomplished, and we prevent people from hearing the message that tells them how to avoid the everlasting lake of fire. Do you really want to fight against God, friend? I hope not.

In Christendom today, religion has tainted and perverted that pure Gospel of Grace that Paul preached. In fact, many of the people corrupting the pure message of God’s grace are professing “Christian” pastors and teachers! Oh, what a shame, what a shame, what a shame!! But, this is not something new. The Apostle Paul had to deal with people corrupting his Gospel in Galatians! Know what God’s Word says in Galatians 1:6-9 about those who mix Paul’s pure message of grace with works-religion? Let those people be “accursed,” cut off from fellowship! Notice Galatians 1:6-9 KJV:

“6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

Of course, let me assure you that I acknowledge there are a few people who have remained faithful to teaching the Lord’s Word rightly divided and preaching Paul’s pure Gospel of Grace. Praise the Lord we have these few faithful Christian brethren! However, predominantly, there are far more people preaching false gospels, gospels that God considers damnable. They either add to Paul’s Gospel, or they subtract from it, and one is just as bad as the other. This is a serious matter, and I hope everyone here is basing his or her faith on the pure Gospel of Grace of Christ crucified, buried, and risen again, and not relying on some religious ritual or denominational doctrine (more on this at the end). Trust in Christ Jesus ALONE without relying on your works.

I am sure you have seen and heard of these “religious tag lines” before:

“NAME IT, CLAIM IT”/“FAITHFUL FINANCIAL SUPPORT”

We have the prosperity preachers and teachers who claim if you just faithfully and financially support their ministry, God will pour out material blessings on you. For example, they will tell you that you will receive physical healing and financial prosperity. What a lie because we are not under Israel’s performance-based acceptance system of Judaism! Paul says we are under grace, not law (Romans 6:14,15). We have already been blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, without us having given money to or joining any organization or church (Ephesians 1:3). We are not promised physical healing and abundance of material wealth. Paul was a poor tentmaker, physically ill and yet he was content in God’s grace (2 Corinthians 12:9,10; Philippians 4:10-13)! Paul lost his apostolic ability to heal anyway (1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20). Some religious leaders and organizations will go so far as to tell you that you must be a part of their group to be saved.

“ACCEPT JESUS INTO YOUR HEART”

It is a serious matter when people are told to “accept Jesus into their heart” as means for salvation! This is not Paul’s Gospel, and yet we are hearing this cliché so much in “Christian” circles as though it were the Gospel of Grace. Now, once a person is saved by believing the Gospel, then Jesus Christ indwells the person’s heart in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, salvation is not received by simply “asking Jesus to come into your heart.” It makes no sense to lost people to hear this message. Christ’s finished work on Calvary’s cross must be clearly preached in order for a person to place his or her faith in that cross work of Christ, but “asking Jesus into your heart” simply masks over the saving power of Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary.

“WALK THE AISLE FOR JESUS”

Walking an aisle has nothing to do with salvation: it too is a denominational doctrine, a commandment of men, a vain religious tradition. The Bible says absolutely nothing about walking an aisle, for salvation or otherwise. I understand that many people attempt to quote Matthew 10:31,32 when the Bible speaks of “confessing Jesus Christ before men,” but these verses have nothing to do with us because it refers to the future seven-year Tribulation! There is no salvation in walking down any aisle. How many people are in hell today because they thought all they had to do to be saved was walk down a church aisle and merely make a profession of faith? (They were wrongly led to believe that they merely had to say “Jesus is Lord” to receive salvation.)

“SAY THE SINNER’S PRAYER”

There is no salvation in saying any prayer, and you probably hear more about the “sinner’s prayer” than any of these other clichés. What Paul instructed us to do was to believe the Gospel of Grace, and that will bring about our salvation. Every “sinner’s prayer” is different, but there is only one pure Gospel of Grace! If a person wants to pray after believing the Gospel (after he or she is saved), that is fine, but there is no salvation in any prayer whatsoever!

—

Maybe you have told people these things before. You meant well, but you did not know better because you were taught wrong for so long. At one time, I was guilty of doing the same thing, until my eyes were opened about this matter. There is NO salvation in saying prayers, walking aisles, accepting Jesus into your heart, or financially supporting a ministry.

It is my hope that we can reach those who are erring in regards to this issue of “gospel clichés,” and hopefully they can be brought back to that pure ol’ Gospel of Grace, the only Gospel that has been saving lost mankind for these past 2,000 years! God will hold you accountable for what you teach—me included—so we better be sure we are preaching and teaching the pure Gospel of Grace, and not some man-made imitation message.

And to think of all those poor souls out in a lost eternity right now, all because they did not place their faith in the pure Gospel of Grace, the Lord Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and risen again. How heartbreaking.

THE PURE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV

“1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Friend, trust in this Gospel alone and God will save you forever.

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

The Remarkable Story of Grace

April 25, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They [His compassions and mercies] are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22,23 KJV).

Unbelief and rebellion have plagued humanity ever since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. We will take a brief run through the Holy Scriptures to present a remarkable story to you. In its six millennia of history, humanity has been so shameful, so unfaithful, and so disobedient toward God. Man has ruined everything, but God in His grace has tolerated mankind all this time. Man has been so disloyal to God, but God has remained faithful to man. Our goal here is to tell you the remarkable story of grace!

* * *

Adam made a very foolish decision in the Garden of Eden; he listened to Eve, who listened to Satan. Adam really messed it up for all of us: consequently, we suffer the curse of disease, misery, and death. But, do not be too judgmental toward Adam, because as we will see later on, we are no better today.

Long before Adam sinned, gracious God had already pre-planned the solution. God could have let the human race go off forever in its lost state, but His grace kept Him from completely destroying us. According to Genesis 3:15, the Lord promised Adam and Eve that He would send “the seed of the woman,” a reference to Jesus Christ the Redeemer (cf. Galatians 4:4). This Messiah would eventually become the Saviour of the world, to completely forgive man of its sin and sins.

Now, let us fast-forward to Noah’s lifetime, in Genesis chapter 6, some 1,600 years after Adam’s fall. Here, there is nothing but violence and murder in the world. Similar to the events in Eden, man caused God much grief and heartache. The LORD caused a global flood to cleanse the world of the rampant wickedness, but man was no different afterward. Instead of scattering throughout the world like God instructed them, Noah’s descendents gathered around the Tower of Babel in pagan, idolatrous worship! In righteous anger, God confounded the languages, and scattered the people. Even after the catastrophic flood of Noah’s day, man showed no reverence toward God. But remarkably, God showed grace toward them! He did not wipe mankind from the face of the earth!

Then we come to Abram (Abraham), about 350 years after Noah, and the world is still set in its old ways. According to Joshua 24:2, even Abraham and his ancestors were guilty of worshipping false gods. Although Abraham later became a believer after God appeared to Him in a visible form, most of mankind was still lost and worshipping gold and silver idols. Same sinful creatures like at the time of Noah, and the same gracious God who put up with it.

Abraham had a son Isaac, Isaac had Jacob, and Jacob had twelve sons (eventually becoming the twelve tribes of Israel). You would think that since Israel was God’s covenant people, they would have lived exemplary lives. On the contrary, Israel was so wicked it was pitiful; for the most part, they were no better than the pagan Gentiles around them (Romans 2:23,24). We cannot begin to imagine how saddened God was, but again, look at world today, and it is not one bit different.

God brought Israel out of Egyptian bondage, with the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, His cloud of glory for shade, and His pillar of fire for protection and guidance. While Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, Israel created and began to worship a silly golden calf in Genesis 32:7-10! After everything God had just done for them, the Jews were literally dancing naked around a silly pagan idol as though it had delivered them from Egypt. Ridiculous! “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20).

God was very angry at Israel because of their unbelief. Moses was so upset to see Israel committing such vile acts that he broke the original Ten Commandants’ tablets of stone! Even when God guaranteed Israel the Promised Land, Israel in their unbelief basically called God a liar (Hebrews 3:17-19). But God did not give up on them; He was faithful, even when they were not!

According to Isaiah chapter 57 there was rampant idolatry in Israel approximately 700 B.C. Verse 5 says there was an idol under every tree to worship, but that is not the worse part. Israel even sacrificed their babies and children to Molech, a pagan god of fire. They would literally burn their children alive on altars and then beat drums to drown out the sounds of their children’s screams. Horrible! Look at verse 6. Can you imagine Jewish people worshipping smooth rocks they found in riverbeds!?! Unbelievable, not only to know how wicked their acts were, but how our God of grace tolerated it!

The book of Judges contains nothing but Israel slipping into idolatry and apostasy. God warned them time and time again that if they would not straighten up, He would send Gentile armies to overrun them. Israel would beg God to forgive them, God would restore them with a new judge, and then Israel would fall away again into idolatry. Over and over the cycle repeated. Go look in the book of Hosea, and even Israel’s priesthood was guilty of pagan idolatry. What a remarkable story that God in His grace did not destroy Israel from existence.

Go to Jeremiah 44:15-25, and God is rightly accusing Israel’s women of burning incense to a false pagan goddess (the Ephesians knew “the queen of heaven” as Diana, and Roman Catholics know her as Mary; see Acts 19:23-28). Their husbands said absolutely nothing about it! When the LORD sent the prophet Jeremiah to warn Israel of His impending judgment and wrath, see their response in verse 16: “as for the word that thou has spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee!” Paul writes that Israel was guilty of killing many of their own prophets who God would send to deliver His messages to them (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16)! Israel did not care what God said, and the world is no different today—not a bit! The world does not care about the Bible and what God says: look how they treat us Christians!

We have the same sin nature that the Jews had, and the same sin nature Noah’s contemporaries had. We are all descendants of Adam, wicked little creatures with a sin nature that hates God. We find it amusing to challenge and disobey God. God’s wrath is kindled against the human race, but grace is keeping the wrath from pouring in. He has given mankind ample time to repent (change their way of thinking), but most of the world does not have one ounce of guilt. This the Dispensation of Grace will come to a close one day, and even most of those living during the horrors of the wrathful Tribulation will still be rebellious toward God!

Amazingly, as Saul of Tarsus was persecuting and murdering the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, God saved that wicked man—His chief human enemy—and made him the apostle of the Gentiles (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:11). Let us notice 1 Timothy 1:12-15 KJV:

“12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

God in His grace saved Saul of Tarsus to make him Paul our apostle! (God could have just destroyed Saul.)

Flash back to Calvary’s cross. Look how the Jews (and the Romans) treated the Lord Jesus Christ! To think of how they spitefully and defiantly mistreated the Creator God in the flesh. And God the Father actually forgave them of killing His Son. As Christ hung on the cross, he had God’s omnipotence (He was God, after all). He foresaw all the horrible world sin for which He was now dying. He saw all human time, forward and backward (from Adam long into our present-day and even beyond). He saw the wars, the Holocaust, the corrupt politics, the mass deception in most churches, the Christian persecution during the Inquisition, the terrorist attacks, and the millions of abortions, and all the world events yet to take place even today.

Why in the world would God Almighty want anything to do with us? Why?! GRACE!!! Considering all that man has done, God in His grace still said, I commended My love toward you in Christ Jesus, and “you are forgiven!” Even today, as people are cursing His name, ignoring Him, trying to bargain with Him by “meriting favor,” corrupting and wresting (twisting) His Word, using His name to extort money from people via counterfeit “ministries,” perverting His plan of salvation, and marring His reputation, God still has an attitude of grace toward us. God in mercy holds back His wrath! And God’s grace gives us His peace and salvation in Christ Jesus!

It almost makes you cry, that God has been so good to us, and mankind has been so ungrateful and disrespectful toward Him. Even some Christians are bringing God heartache with their lifestyles. What a shame, but how thankful we are that grace came through when we should have all been cursed with deserved wrath—me included. Praise the Lord that He still went to the cross, knowing what a failure man would continue to be! NEVER FORGET THE GRACE THAT GOD HAS DEMONSTRATED TOWARD US IN THE PERSON OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST!!!!!! THANK YOU LORD!!!!! “WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND” (Romans 5:20 KJV)! Hallelujah! I get so excited, and you should too!

The problem is that man wants God to be nothing but gracious: they want God to bend the rules and give them leeway, but He cannot and will not compromise with man. You either have faith in what God said in His Word, or you do not. God will not alter His Word to accommodate your opinions or religious system. God will not tolerate man’s evil ways forever, so man better had straighten up and straighten up quick, because the day is coming when God will deal with man on the basis of wrath, and anger, and righteous judgment. Lost mankind will no longer experience His grace, peace, love, and mercy. And that day is quickly approaching….

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb…. The LORD shall laugh at him [the wicked]: for he seeth that his day is coming” (Psalm 37:1,2,13 KJV).

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If you are not resting peacefully in God’s grace, and you want to avoid the coming wrath, right now, please place your faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. God commended His love toward you, when you did not deserve it. The Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins, His blood was shed, He was buried, and He rose again the third day. That can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Trust in Paul’s Gospel of Grace alone for salvation. Please do not take God’s grace for granted, or you will regret it (literally) forever. Trust in Christ Jesus alone as your personal Saviour! I hope and pray your receive His grace and hold firmly to it forever, because if you take grace by faith, God’s grace will firmly hold you forever.

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Got Water Baptism or the Dry Baptism?

April 13, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

Christendom teaches us that the Lord Jesus Christ left two ordinances for the Church the Body of Christ: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. However, this is not what God’s Word teaches. I spent about 15 years of my life in Baptist churches, and I often heard the expression: “Water baptism is the first step of obedience after salvation. We should follow the Lord Jesus by also being water baptized.” Water baptism is most definitely in the Bible, but is it for us today? In this article, we want to study how the Bible uses the term “baptism.”

In Matthew 20:22,23, Jesus makes reference to a “baptism” He has yet to be baptized with. Now we know Jesus was already water baptized in Matthew 3:13-17. It is apparent from the context of Matthew 20:22,23 that Jesus referred to His crucifixion as a “baptism.” The Lord Jesus Christ was telling His audience that He was going to identify with death.

Or, in Matthew 3:11 alone, there are three “baptisms”: John’s water baptism, baptism with the Holy Spirit (a reference to Pentecost in Acts chapter 2), and baptism with fire (alluding to the judgment and wrath of God during the Tribulation and Second Coming of Christ).

Was Jesus water baptized in order to set an example for us to follow today? The answer is an emphatic no. Water baptism is not a “New Testament ordinance,” as religion teaches—water baptism is an Old Testament teaching associated with the nation Israel. Furthermore, the word “baptism” in the Bible does not always refer to water baptism. In fact, there are more than one dozen “baptisms” and many are totally unrelated to water.

So, why was Jesus water baptized? We have to study the Old Testament for the answer. Let us begin by understanding God’s purpose in creating the nation Israel in the first place. The LORD God took Abram (later He renamed him Abraham) and He promised Abraham a son, Isaac. Through Isaac, a new nation would begin, the nation Israel, the Jewish race of people. In a kingdom on earth, God would rule Israel, and Israel would evangelize the Gentiles (non-Jews) (Genesis 12:1-3).

After the Abrahamic Covenant was made, Israel went into Egyptian bondage. Nearly 500 years after Abraham, Moses leads Israel out of Egypt, and the nation Israel is now assembled around Mount Sinai. Let us see what Exodus 19:3-6 KJV says:

“3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

As we continue this study, keep in mind that Israel was to be a “kingdom of priests” (verse 6).

If you are unfamiliar with the Old Testament priesthood in Israel, I will take the time to explain it. The Tabernacle was the proto-Temple, and once a year (the Day of Atonement; Leviticus chapter 16 and Hebrews 9:7), the Lord commanded Israel’s high priest to offer blood sacrifices for Israel’s sins. The holy presence of the Lord God was in a special back room of the Tabernacle, called the Holy of Holies.

It was here on the “mercy seat” (the lid of the Ark of the Covenant) that the Israeli high priest would sprinkle animal blood. Israel’s priests, the Levites (also known as the sons of Aaron), would have to wash with water before coming into the presence of the holy God in the Tabernacle. In the Tabernacle courtyard (the outer part of the Tabernacle), there was a brass laver (tub) filled with water, in which the priest would wash his body before dressing in the ephod (priest’s clothing). See Exodus 30:17-21 for more information on this.

Recall that we read Exodus 19:6 where the LORD promised Israel would become a “kingdom of priests.” In that kingdom with Jesus Christ ruling, every Jew would be a priest of JEHOVAH. When Jesus Christ finally makes His appearance in Israel, John the Baptist is water baptizing repentant Jews in Matthew 3:1-6. John the Baptist’s message to Israel is “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Why is John the Baptist baptizing Jews? To prepare them for that kingdom (which Christ offered during His First Advent), and these Jews needed to be ceremonially cleansed in order to qualify as priests of JEHOVAH!

John’s water baptism did not surprise Israel; they were familiar with the water baptism their priests practiced all the years before John! In John 1:31, John the Baptist says: “And I knew him [Jesus] not: but that he [Jesus] should be made manifest to Israel, therefore I am come baptizing with water.”

Jesus was water baptized to identify with His people, the Jews, to encourage them to do the same, and for God to set them apart from the pagan Gentiles. Jesus did not set an example for us today, because Jesus was ministering to Jews under the Law (Matthew 10:5-7; Matthew 15:24; John 4:22; Romans 15:8). The Church the Body of Christ would be a Pauline revelation given sometime after Christ’s earthly ministry.

According to one local church’s statement of faith, “Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of his giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life.”

However, this water baptism in the name of the three Persons of the Godhead is only found in Matthew 28:19, which were the words of the Lord Jesus to His twelve Jewish apostles under the Law! God does not instruct us Gentiles to water baptize today. And if you notice, this church claims that water baptism is “obligatory” and an “ordinance”—legalism is filled with ordinances and obligations. We need to clear up this confusion, and rid ourselves of denominational teaching. Some denominations pervert the Gospel of Grace by making water baptism part of your salvation; it is a serious error to say you have to be water baptized in order to be saved or to prove that you are saved!

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:4-6 KJV seven distinct principles we Christians need to recognize today:

“4 There is one body [the body of Christ], and one [Holy] Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Today, various Christian denominations practice many types of baptism: baptism in the Holy Spirit (mimicking Acts chapter 2 and Pentecost), water baptism by immersion, water baptism by pouring, water baptism by sprinkling, x times forward, x times backward, in a river, in a pool, in a baptismal, by a pastor, by a priest, by a pope, and so on. What a confusing mess because these people are ignoring what Paul wrote. There is one baptism today according to Ephesians 4:5, and it has nothing to do with any of those baptisms we just mentioned.

That one baptism to which Paul is referring in Ephesians 4:5 is found in 1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV: “For by one [Holy] Spirit we are all baptized into one body [the body of Christ], whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” Pay special attention to the first part of that verse. Who is doing the baptizing: a pastor, a priest, a pope? None of them. It is the Holy Spirit taking a lost person and placing he or she into the Church the Body of Christ the moment he or she trusts in the Gospel of Grace of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. If you have trusted exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit has already placed you in the Church the Body of Christ! You already have that one baptism that you need, and you need no other baptism.

Paul never instructs us to be water baptized at all (we do not need water baptism, even for a “testimony”). We find Paul write in 1 Corinthians 1:17 KJV: “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel….” Why would Paul write that Christ did not send him to water baptize, yet Christ sent His twelve apostles of Israel to water baptize in Matthew 28:19? Today in the Dispensation of Grace, the Holy Spirit is performing the only baptism—the supernatural baptism of 1 Corinthians 12:13, the one unrelated to water. The water baptism of Jesus and the water baptism of John the Baptist was God dealing with Israel in the Dispensation of Law, but now God is dealing with us (non-Jewish) Gentiles under a different set of circumstances.

We do not need Israel’s water baptism today because God is doing something differently with us in the Church the Body of Christ. Furthermore, we are not baptized with the Holy Spirit like they were on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2; the Holy Spirit has baptized us into the Church Body of Christ. That is why I have not been water baptized, and I never will be because I already have that one baptism I need, the dry baptism of 1 Corinthians 12:13.

By the way, contrary to religious tradition, Romans 6:1-5, Galatians 3:27, and Colossians 2:12 are not speaking of water baptism. These verses refer to the dry baptism of 1 Corinthians 12:13. Those who have been placed into Christ by the Holy Spirit have already been identified with His death, burial, and resurrection.

CONCLUSION

If someone claims you need to be water baptized to either complete your salvation or to prove your salvation (“follow the Lord in believer’s baptism”), they have NO Pauline Scripture to support either claim. We do not prove our salvation by being water baptized like the nation Israel did in times past.

God does not command us in the Dispensation of Grace to be water baptized as a testimony. Do not let someone force anything on you and try to make you a member of their church just to increase funds. The important thing to remember is as long as you are a member of the Church the Body of Christ (and have been baptized supernaturally by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ), that is the one baptism that you need that counts for all eternity.

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SUPPLEMENT

What “baptism” is this: “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:29 KJV). Today, there are some groups in Christendom that use this verse to teach that we should water baptize for the dead (“baptism by proxy,” “baptism in abstentia”). Exactly what is the Apostle Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 15:29? Should we be water baptizing for the dead?

Firstly, the context of this verse cannot aid us in defining that term “baptized for the dead.” We have no idea what “baptism” this is (and even those people who enjoy using 1 Corinthians 15:29 have no idea what the verse is saying). The Corinthians were once pagan, and pagan religions have their water rituals and rites. Whatever “baptism” that is in 1 Corinthians 15:29, it was probably something the Corinthians knew (from the time when they were lost). Remember that that the same pagans that baptize for the dead today existed then in Paul’s day, so Paul may be referring to that. (?)

If we look at the verse, we see “what shall they do which are baptized for the dead” and “why are they then baptized for the dead?” Because Paul uses “they,” we know he does not associate himself with this baptism (he would have used “we”) and we know that the Christians at Corinth are not related to that baptism (he would have used “you” or “us”). The word “they” indicates that no member of the Body of Christ was performing this baptism of 1 Corinthians 15:29—this was not something for Christians.

If you come across people who want to discuss 1 Corinthians 15:29, point out to them that Paul never condoned whatever “baptism” it was, and we are never commanded to administer it. Paul was simply making a point, not giving a command. If it was such a big deal, Paul would have repeated it in other epistles. Furthermore, the whole argument of 1 Corinthians 15:29 is not that “baptism” at all. The purpose of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 is to prove resurrection, not “baptism.” There are 58 verses on resurrection, and the only thing people can come up with is one silly baptism doctrine. Shame, shame, shame!!

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Is Tithing an Obligation for the Body of Christ?

April 13, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

Preachers urge us to tithe regularly in order to gain God’s blessings and favor. Some will even go so far as to say that if we do not tithe, then we are “cursed.” Are we obligated to tithe today as members of the Church the Body of Christ? We need to search the Scriptures, and be Bereans, not naïve sheep that believe preachers and church tradition (Acts 17:10,11)!

In order to answer this question about tithing, we need to look at God’s Word rightly divided. According to the Apostle Paul, “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). This is the way God has designed His Word to be studied—“rightly divided.” What does that mean exactly?

According to God, He has “divided” His Word into two programs: one of these programs is focused on the heaven, and the other program is focused on the earth (Genesis 1:1; Ephesians 1:9,10; Colossians 1:16-20). God’s program focused on the earth is known as the “prophetic program,” or that “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). The “mystery program,” that “which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest” (Romans 16:25,26a), is God’s program for the heaven.

These two programs have their unique assembly of believers: the prophetic program belongs to the nation Israel, and the mystery program belongs to the Church the Body of Christ. God’s Word gives doctrine for Israel (Law), and gives another set of doctrine for the Body of Christ (Grace). We must never confuse the nation Israel with the Church the Body of Christ. Never should we combine instructions that God gave to Israel with instructions God gives us as members of the Body of Christ. When studying the Bible, it is extremely important to keep these distinctions and differences in mind. With that said, we can now address tithing.

When you ask the average church member about tithing, he or she will explain tithing as his or her denomination/church defines it, but most church members do not have a clear understanding of how God defines tithing. For instance, when I asked a pastor to explain the tithe to me, he described tithing as his denomination defines it—the poor brother could not tell me what the tithe is in the Bible. How sad, and this was supposed to be a church leader who guides Christians!!! How can he guide them into God’s truth when he did not even know what God’s truth was?!?

The first time “tithe” appears in the Bible is in Genesis 14:20, where Abraham gives one-tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek the king of Salem. For the next 500 years or so, the Bible does not mention tithing. Finally, in Leviticus 27:30, with the establishment of the Mosaic Law (God’s set of rules and regulations for Israel’s religious, social, and moral life), the LORD instructs Israel to tithe.

GIVING UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES (TITHE)

  1. THE TITHE WAS A MANDATED OBLIGATION. Because the tithe was part of the Mosaic Law, it was a mandated tithe, and the Jews were forced to give (notice the JEWS were instructed to give the tithe; Amos 4:4,5).
  2. THE TITHE GIVEN TO SUPPORT PRIESTHOOD/GOVERNMENT, NOT LOCAL CHURCH. The tithe was to be given to the Levites, Israel’s priesthood. Aaron’s sons had no inheritance or land because they served as Israel’s government and served in the temple (see Numbers 18:21-32, Nehemiah 10:37,38, Nehemiah 12:44, Nehemiah 13:5, and Hebrews 7:4-9 to find out about Israel’s theocracy). Essentially, the tithe was a tax paid to Israeli government.
  3. THE TITHE DID NOT ALWAYS INVOLVE MONEY. Leviticus 27:30-34 mentions tithing, but says nothing about money. So, what were they tithing? The Jews gave ten percent of seed (grain), fruit of the tree, tithe of the herd, the flock, and so on. If a Jew had ten sheep, he had to give one-tenth of that—one sheep. Or, if he had forty goats, he gave four goats. If he wanted to convert that animal and sell it for money and then bring the money to the temple, he would have to add 20% to the price and give the entire amount to the priest.
  4. THE TITHE WAS BROUGHT TO TABERNACLE/TEMPLE. Malachi 3:8-11 commanded Israel to bring their tithes into the “storehouse,” the warehouse of the Temple. This is where the priests stored the tithed grain and other crops. Israel’s priests would then live off of that storage. The command to bring the tithes to the Tabernacle/Temple can be found in other places such as Deuteronomy 12:6, 11; Deuteronomy 26:12; and 2 Chronicles 31:11,12.
  5. ADDITIONAL TITHES. The “ten percent” was just one type of tithing in Old Testament Israel. Jewish males were required to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem three times a year, for three feasts (or holydays) of Judaism: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Exodus 23:14-19; Deuteronomy 16:16). In order to fund their trip and pay for their accommodations in Jerusalem, God instructed them to set aside an additional ten percent of their net income (after they paid the first tithe; see Deuteronomy 14:22-26): this second tithe was optional. There was a third type of tithe that supported the welfare system in Israel (Deuteronomy 14:28-29; Deuteronomy 26:12); it was also voluntary, but was given every three years. So, had a Jew been giving all three tithes annually, it was not just ten percent, but an additional ten percent plus three and two-thirds percent (or an additional 13.33% to the 10%)! It was a total of 23.33% to 25% tithe every year!

That is a simple overview of the Old Testament tithe. Surely, you see that the tithe was a burden for Israel. In this the Dispensation of Grace, we as members of the Church the Body of Christ are separate from God’s covenant people the nation Israel. What God told Israel to do then does not necessarily apply to us today. So, why is tithing unnecessary today? Compare each of the numbers below with the numbered points above.

GIVING IN THE DISPENSATION OF GRACE (NO TITHE)

  1. MOSAIC LAW INAPPLICABLE TO BODY OF CHRIST. We are not under the legalistic economy of Israel in the Old Testament—we are “not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:1,2,14,15). Paul also emphasized that throughout the book of Galatians. The tithe was part of the Mosaic Law, and the Mosaic Law was put to death with Christ (Colossians 2:14)!  The system of tithing is Law, legalism, performing to get God’s blessings. However, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit will not lead us Christians to go back under that performance-based acceptance system. Read what the Holy Spirit through Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” And Galatians 5:18: “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” Again, the Spirit of God will not place us under law, we are under grace (Romans 6:14). We are not forced to give money today because this would be in complete opposition to the Apostle Paul’s instructions for the Body of Christ: “do not give grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). “Cheerfully” means “giving whole-heartedly.” God wants believers to give willingly, giving excitedly and eagerly. I give money to my local church, not as a mandated tithe, but as a free will offering to further the Church the Body of Christ and the Gospel of the Grace of God! Interestingly, Paul never once uses the word “tithe!” He only uses the term “collection” (1 Corinthians 16:1-3). Also, I give what I want; no specific amount. In fact, the Bible says we should have nothing to do with Christians who are extortioners, and denominational preachers who force people to tithe are in fact extorting money from them! Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:11: “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
  2. THERE IS NO PRIESTHOOD IN ISRAEL TODAY! In His Word, God told Israel to give a tithe to their priests; God does not instruct us to give a tithe to our pastor or to our church. When the Temple was destroyed under the Roman invasion of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), the Israeli priesthood disappeared. Technically, in order to give a tithe today, you would have to find a Levite, and give him your tithe—and you would have to give him crops and livestock, not money. Unfortunately, some Jews do not even know to which tribe they belong anyway, so even finding a Levite is unlikely!
  3. MOST CHRISTIANS DO NOT HAVE LIVESTOCK AND GRAIN TO OFFER. Today’s Christians have money, but how many of us have goats, sheep, and other types of livestock that we can give to our local church? We do not all have access to wheat, corn, and other grains like Israel did under her agrarian economy. The only thing we have to give to our local church is money, and this is not Biblical tithing! Thus, giving money to a local church has no relation to Israel’s tithe.
  4. ISRAEL’S TEMPLE HAS BEEN DESTROYED FOR 2,000 YEARS. There is no functioning Temple in Jerusalem today, for it was destroyed in A.D. 70! Where would I bring a tithe? Again, God never tells us to bring a tithe to our local church.

Oftentimes, pastors force their members to give tithes by quoting from Malachi 3:8-11. Actually, that is extortion! “This whole nation” in Malachi 3:9 is NOT America. “This whole nation” is a reference to Israel; Malachi is writing to Israel under the Mosaic Law, not the Body of Christ in grace (Malachi 1:1). Malachi chapter 3 has absolutely nothing to do with you today! Pastors are scared if they tell their members there is no such thing as a mandated tithe today, people will no longer support the local church financially. However, they need to leave that in God’s hands: He is the best fundraiser and His grace motivates us to give “cheerfully!” People need to be set free from the legalistic burdensome tithe today!

Strangely, those who uphold the tithe today refuse to adhere to stoning people because when they break the Sabbath: why? According to the Old Testament, a Jew was put to death if he or she worked on the Sabbath—it was Saturday, not Sunday, by the way! The Mosaic Law commanded Sabbath day observance (the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:8-11). The penalty for gathering a few sticks for firewood on the Sabbath was DEATH BY STONING—and God commanded Israel to stone one particular Jew who infringed the Sabbath Day law (Numbers 15:32-36)! Why do people hang on to the tithe of the Old Testament, but avoid upholding capital punishment as a penalty for the breaking the Sabbath? Why do some uphold the Sabbath Day, but refuse to do Temple worship, or adhere to kosher food laws but deny the physical circumcision. Beats me… I will never know…. Religion never makes sense anyway.

CONCLUSION

No, tithing is not for us. Paul addressed giving in our dispensation in 2 Corinthians chapters 8, 9, and 10. Thus, God’s grace is not against giving; it is against tithing.

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Why Should I Forgive?

April 12, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

Why should you forgive someone who has wronged you? The world’s answer is, “Forgive everyone so you can live a longer, healthier life.” The answer religion gives you is, “Forgive others so God can forgive you.” The answer God gives you is, “forgive others because I have forgiven you for Christ’s sake” (Ephesians 4:32). God’s Word, the King James Bible, is the final authority, not denominational tradition and religious leaders.

Of course, when you forgive others, you do relieve yourself of stress. But none of us deserve forgiveness, not even from God! Still, we have already received forgiveness through God’s grace, His unmerited favor. You have absolutely no reason to beg God to have mercy on you, and you do not need to ask God to forgive you. He has already forgiven you.

In time past, when God dealt with Israel, it was a different story. Remember the so-called “Lord’s Prayer” found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4? Matthew 6:14,15 says: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Luke 11:4 says: “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.”

In order for the Jews to receive forgiveness from God, they had to first forgive those who wronged them. That was on the other side of the cross of Calvary. Today, in the Dispensation of Grace, the opposite holds true: because God has forgiven us, we cannot help but forgive others.

Your response may be, “yeah, but you do not know how bad the person hurt me!” Indeed, I do not know anything about it, but I what I do know is that God has forgiven you for all the horrible things you have done against Him, and He is not withholding forgiveness. You have failed him and caused Him more grief than that person hurt you. Consider what Romans 12:14-21 KJV says:

“14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

What a Shame, It’s a Sham! I & II

April 12, 2009

What a Shame, It’s a Sham! I
by Shawn Brasseaux
[12 April 2009]

These studies were inspired by the hilarious internet picture: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=33582291&l=8849e06ea8&id=47913818

Not far from my house, there is a church building with a large sign out front that reads: “Jesus is Lord!” A professing healer used to perform his “miracle” services there (he would place advertisements in our local newspaper, but I do not complain having not seen his ads in years!). Someone I know even met him the preacher: he told me the preacher had a strange-sounding voice and he sensed an eerie presence around him. This man was certainly not someone to be trusted. He claimed to be of God, yet just the opposite was true!

There are so many sham miracle campaigns today, with masses of people hanging on to these pitiful charades. People are giving their life’s savings to promote what they think is “God’s work,” but it is actually the work of the “god of this world,” Satan. Would you ever expect Satan to be working in a church? No, of course not, and because a church is where you would least suspect the devil to be working, that is the place where he IS working. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:5). Remember, the devil is the master deceiver, and he has thousands of years of practice. Although he is not omniscient, he is far smarter than us, and he knows human weakness. Consider 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 KJV:

“13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

Notice how God’s Word warns us to be wary of Satan’s workers, his allies. And what form would they take? Satan’s preachers take the form of “the apostles of Christ” and “ministers of righteousness.” They claim to be from God, they claim to be of God, and they claim to be doing God’s work, but the Bible says they are false. At first, they look godly, but they promote nothing but lies!

Weeks back, I had the opportunity to see Benny Hinn on television, and I shook my head in disgust. With cameras panning across the audience, I could see people’s lips moving rapidly—although there was no audio, they claimed it was the “modern gift of tongues.” As Hinn would wave his hand across the crowd, the masses of people would fall backward and collapse to floor (what they say is “slain in the spirit”). I saw another guy on television who was offering free “prayer cloths” to those who were sick or dying. One charismatic woman on television was a firm believer in healing miracles (I found it amusing when she began to cough right there in the studio!). A few days ago, there was an advertisement with “miracle water” being offered to cure sickness. What a mockery of God’s miracles of the Bible! What a shame, it’s a sham!

However, modern miracle healers tend to give themselves away. People supposedly healed were not only never healed, they were never sick in the first place. (Oops!) Healers respond by saying, “they did not have enough faith to be healed!” What a cop-out. Firstly, this response cannot apply to those who needed no healing to begin with. Secondly, God still healed many people in the Bible, and none of those miracles He performed was a trick. The lame man in Acts 3:1-10 was healed because God could heal him, not because he had much faith. Matthew 15:30-31, Matthew 9:35, and Matthew 11:4-5 do not mention people of “much faith”—they were healed because God had the power to heal them. And remember, even “mustard seed faith” was enough faith for them to be healed in times past (Matthew 17:19-20).

Many people wrapped up in these “miracle” ministries enjoy claiming the last five verses of Mark chapter 16 (funny thing they skip drinking the deadly poison of verse 18). Before we try to claim Mark chapter 16 as being applicable to us today, we need to understand the context. Jesus is not speaking to us today; He is speaking to His Jewish apostles and other Jewish followers (Matthew 10:5-7; Matthew 15:24; Romans 15:8). Jump over to 1 Corinthians 1:22 KJV: “For the Jews require a sign [miracle], and the Greeks seek after wisdom.” Now compare that to what Jesus said to Jews in John 4:48 KJV, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”

The Jews always needed a sign to know JEHOVAH (the Jews knew the Lord by this name) was in a particular matter. For instance, in order to prove to Israel that Moses was God’s man to lead them out of Egyptian bondage, God sent Moses to perform various miracles (see Exodus 4:1-9). The splitting of the Red Sea, the pillar of fire, the cloud of Shekinah glory, the theophanies (God the Son appearing to Israel in a visible form), and angelic appearances were all miracles Israel needed to know God was working in their midst. Miracles were part of Israel’s national heritage, and it was no different in Christ’s earthly ministry.

Israel asked Jesus to perform miracles, and even with abundance of Jesus’ miracles, most of the Jews refused to have faith in Him as Christ and King. In Romans 11:11,12, the Apostle Paul shows us that God has set Israel aside today while He deals with the Gentile Body of Christ in the Dispensation of Grace. Because Israel is fallen today, so has their signs program. In the early ministry of Paul, he worked miracles such as in Acts 19:11,12 and Acts 28:1-8. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28, Paul writes there were miracles in the early churches while God was transitioning from dealing with Israel to going to the Gentile (non-Jewish) world.

Just before Paul departs this world (and is martyred), his latter epistles like Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, the two letters to Timothy, and Titus do not mention sign gifts at all like he wrote about years before in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14. Today, in our present Dispensation of Grace, we do not have miraculous manifestations of God’s power in the form of those signs and wonders… we have God’s Word, and that is the only Miracle we need! AND GOD’S WORD IS NO SHAM!

 

What a Shame, It’s a Sham! II
by Shawn Brasseaux
[15 April 2009]

“1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:1-6 KJV).

As we discussed in Part I, just because someone claims “Jesus is Lord” does not necessarily mean that this person is of God. Remember, John warned His Jewish readers, “Believe not every spirit, but try [“test,” “prove,” “examine”] the spirits whether they are of God.” The Bible warns us there will always be the possibility of being duped (deceived) by someone who claims to be from God, but they are not. Even in Israel thousands of years ago, God warned about false teaching—the Lord commanded Israel to put to death any false prophets (Deuteronomy 13:1-6)!

We all remember Judas Iscariot. For three years, Judas associated with Jesus and His eleven apostles, but no one other than Jesus knew Judas’ true heart. Judas played the part of the hypocrite, and he played it perfectly. No one even suspected that the person who carried the moneybag would be the same man to betray Christ with a kiss (John 12:4-6)! A godly appearance does not make a person God’s servant.

Just because someone performs miracles does not mean they are from God, either. Look at the case of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8:9-24, who used witchcraft to deceive people. The Egyptian magicians also drew on satanic power to perform miracles in Exodus chapter 7. In Acts 13:6-12 Elymas was another example of a false prophet who bewitched people with miracles.

Now, we focus on the purpose of these modern phony miracle services in light of the end time scenario. As the world approaches the end times, according to the Lord Jesus, there will be increased deception (Matthew 24:4,5). Mass deception has been expounding for millennia, to bring us up to the 21st century today. False teaching slipped into the early churches, and Paul had to deal with it often (Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:2,3; 2 Timothy 3:1-13; 2 Timothy 4:3,4). It is alarming to see it waxing worse and worse, especially with new forms of media like the internet. But why is false teaching growing more and more prevalent, and why did Jesus say that deception would be part of the end times?

We go back to our original passage from 1 John chapter 4. The Apostle John is writing to Jewish believers from Christ’s earthly ministry (sometime in the latter part of the first century A.D.). These Jewish believers to whom John is writing are not part of the Body of Christ; they are waiting for Jesus Christ to come in their lifetime to set up in His kingdom, but they also know of a coming period of wrath (the Tribulation).

Now, consider the book of 1 John in that light: John is preparing these Jewish believers for the deception that will come during the Tribulation, hence the warning about “testing every spirit, whether it is of God.” John anticipated the soon arrival of the antichrist, who would be deceiving most of the world. (However, the Holy Spirit did not reveal to John that there would be a 2000-year-long period before the appearing of the antichrist, which brings up to our present day).

Although the Body of Christ is never going to go through the seven-year Tribulation, we can already see deception running rampant in the world today, prior to the rapture. Our world is growing more anti-Christian because our world is growing more anti-Christ! The deception is gradually infiltrating society (and sadly, MANY churches), so when the Tribulation does start, the world will be so confused, they will embrace the antichrist as though he were the Lord Jesus Christ! And guess what? The antichrist’s regime will be a mirror image of the modern “miracle” services people claim to have right now.

These modern “miracle” services are preparing the world to embrace the “signs and lying wonders” that the antichrist and his false prophet will perform using Satan’s power (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 13:3,12-14). They will not heed the warning of 1 John 4:1, just like people do not heed that warning right now! And because they refuse to believe what God said, these people will lose everything they have in a lost eternity and spend forever with the devil who deceived them!

What a shame, it’s a sham!

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Versus: The Inward Man Versus The Outward Man

April 11, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16 KJV).

Last week in our previous study, “The Tentative Status Quo Versus The Immutable Word of God,” we compared God’s Word to the current state of affairs (the status quo). In every sense of the expression, “the complete opposite of today shall hold true tomorrow.” In our example last week, you had a “smokin’ good time” Friday night, and then a “smokin’ Saturday” when your house burned to the ground! But, as we discussed, your circumstances never reflect God’s attitude toward you—God loved you just as much after the fire as He did before the fire. Our circumstances are always changing, but God’s Word has never changed and it will never change!

Now, we want to focus on something more personal: the concept of the “inward man” and the “outward man,” so I must present a new illustration to you. Suppose a Christian is lying in a hospital bed and dying of cancer. She is in the prime of life but now she has a few hours left to live. Her husband and young son observe her suffering, but they can only wait, hope, and pray. Does God love her in these last few moments? If God still loves her, why is He allowing a Christian of all people to suffer? Why does He not heal her? We ask those questions, oftentimes angry with God. We focus on the outward man, ignoring what matters most: the inward man, the part of us that neither ages nor dies!

Look first at Philippians 4:11-13 KJV:

“11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Whether the Apostle Paul was destitute of material goods, or having abundance, God had equipped him to make it through it all! Whether hungry or full, sick or well, helpless or courageous, God will always be there with the believer. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” The Holy Spirit through Paul instructs us “to be content” in all situations. You ask, how can someone be content during a trial or time of deep heartache? How can you be content while suffering? How can you not feel anger toward God when someone you love is dying? (By the way, according to Philippians 1:13,14, Paul wrote Philippians 4:11-13 while he was in prison!)

When your circumstances get discouraging, God is still working inside of you! Every Christian has the Holy Spirit indwelling them, something that will never change with his or her circumstances (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 1:13,14; Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit is continually working in our inward, new man (our new nature that we have in Christ, as opposed to the “old man,” or the sin nature we have in Adam). “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

This is what the Apostle Paul referred to in 2 Corinthians 4:16, and also in Galatians 2:20,21 KJV: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

Our “outward man”—the physical body—may be healthy right now, but it is destined to get sick, weak, and eventually die, just as we saw in 2 Corinthians 4:16 moments ago. This is why every person will be resurrected bodily one day, as the Lord Jesus said in John 5:28,29, those to the “resurrection of life” (believers) and the rest to the “resurrection of damnation” (the lost).

But, why does our outward man die? Why do we grow weak and sick? Does this mean that God does not love us? Of course not! Creation is prone to decomposition and death, all because of Adam’s sin (Genesis 3:14-19; Romans 8:18-25): “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ” (Romans 6:23)—sin causes both physical and spiritual death. Prior to Adam’s fall into sin, there was no such thing as suffering: man’s actions precipitated pain and death, not God (Romans 5:12)! Even the Lord Jesus suffered the same physical sicknesses and had the same infirmities we have—of course, He never sinned like we have (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22).

Do not determine God’s love for you by looking at your circumstances; look to the eternal things to see God’s love for you! Do you not remember what you just read in Galatians 2:20,21? Your circumstances do not gauge God’s love for you! The Lord Jesus Christ “gave Himself for you”—this is how God proved His love for you. Every time you get sick, God would have to prove His love to you over and over. However, God proved His love for you once for all—on Calvary’s cross, and that will never change, and it will never need repeating!

Your primary focus should be on the inward man, not the outward man. The outward man—the physical body—you can see today just may not be alive tomorrow, but your inward man (your soul and spirit) will remain. Paul’s life was not always easy, and neither will ours be if we are dedicated to serving the Lord, but God the Holy Spirit will always be working in our inward man.

Provided that we have faith in His Word as we study it, it will bring forth fruit: the believers in Thessalonica were once pagan, wicked Gentiles; now that they were saved, their lifestyles changed completely, and they quit bowing down to dumb idols to now serve “the living God” (1 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Just like all the other early Christians, the Thessalonians were suffering great persecution, but they were holding firm to the eternal Word of God (2 Thessalonians 1:4-10; cf. Philippians 1:6,27-30). God loved them, and no matter what happened, they depended on God to get them through—they got through, and so can we! “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3).

God knows that you are going to have trying, difficult times in life, especially as a Christian: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Satan will try to discourage you by persecuting you and attacking you. But, as a member of the Body of Christ, God has already equipped you with the strength and power you need to get through your trials (Ephesians 6:10-18). He is there with you, forever, and He will console you. Let us take comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 KJV:

“3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.”

Even when you do not feel like God is there, or you feel that He has lost control of the situation, He is there, He is there, He is there with you!

Jesus Christ loved you enough to die for you. That is something that has not changed, and it never will change. Even lost people who mock God are still recipients of His grace, His unmerited favor. God died so they could have an opportunity to be saved too! And we take comfort in the fact that regardless of what happens, “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). We have the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ praying for us and interceding for us before God the Father, and we have victory in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:26-34). God our Father will always take care of us, and even if we have to face death before the rapture, He will see us through it!

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

God’s Word: Quick and Powerful

April 9, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

“So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11 KJV).

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 KJV).

Isaiah 55:11 is one of my favorite Bible verses. It continually reminds us that as long as we are preaching and teaching God’s Word, and not our opinions or ideas, our work is not done in vain. Although God’s Word is powerful, it is still prone to be attacked—and IS attacked—by the devil. The preserved Word of God in English, the King James Bible, is a threat to the devil. If Satan can rid the world of God’s Word, he can keep everyone in spiritual darkness and blindness.

BIBLE PERVERSIONS

The corrupt 1881 Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament is still with us today in the form of the modern English Bibles (and other Greek texts such as the UBS Texts and Nestle-Aland Texts, which all serve as the basis for most modern Bibles like NIV, NASB, NRSV, some of the NKJV, GNB/TEV, et cetera). Ever since the Revised Version of 1881, there have been over 100 modern English Bible versions published (200 if we count the partial translations)! This is a clear, definite sign that the devil has no intention of backing down in his attempt to corrupt God’s Word. “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God” (2 Corinthians 2:17).

The NIV, NASB, NLT, NKJV, Amplified, NCV, RSV, NRSV, GNB/TEV, CEV, ESV, the Message, et cetera are riddled with perhaps thousands of major theological errors. Modern Bibles and their underlying Greek texts water down and omit critical doctrines of the Christian faith. These modern versions may contain the Gospel, but considering all their omissions and excisions, that may not be true for much longer either.

We know that the autographs (original Bible manuscripts) were “inspired of God,” or “words that proceeded out of the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16). We no longer have the original Bible manuscripts today because they disintegrated several centuries ago. There must be a reliable copy of God’s Word somewhere in the world. Otherwise, God wasted His time inspiring the original manuscripts only to have their text lost in transcription, transmission, and translation.

This brings us to the issue of the Majority Text, the Textus Receptus (“received text”). The majority of surviving Koine Greek (copies) Bible manuscripts supports the King James Bible, not the modern “revisions” of the King James. Modern Bibles are based on less than one percent of the surviving Greek Bible manuscripts, manuscripts that even disagree with each other over 3,000 times in the Four Gospels alone!

You can only trust the King James Bible! Use nothing else, beloved!

THE LIVING WORD AND THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD

The Word of God does not only refer to a Book, but also to a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Most everyone is familiar with John 1:1 KJV: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” After all, we remember the account of Creation in Genesis chapters 1 and 2, how God the Son spoke creation into existence (from nothing!).

God the Son—the LORD of the Old Testament and Jesus Christ of the New Testament—is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). Whenever the triune Godhead had something to say to mankind, the Son would oftentimes be the Person through whom God the Father would speak (see Hebrews 1:1,2, for instance). The power is in God’s Word, literally in His spoken word! When Satan tempted Jesus Christ, Jesus fought Satan using the written Word of God (Matthew 4:4,7,10; Luke 4:4,8,12).

Today, God is not speaking to man through visions, dreams, prophets, apostles, and angelic appearances like He has in time past. God speaks to us through His written and preserved Word, the King James Bible. The more you study God’s Word, and the more knowledge you gain from the Scriptures, the power of God’s Word will be released when you believe—have faith—in it! God’s Word working in the believer will always produce fruit, the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22,23).

In Romans 12:1,2 KJV, we read: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Let us consider Colossians 1:9-11 KJV:

“9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”

The Apostle Paul writes that God Word will “effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). When a person believes God’s Word, God’s Word will go to work in that person’s life!

When a lost person is saved, you can see the change in lifestyle, outward confirmation of an inward change in nature (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 1:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:9,10; et al.). Many weeks ago, a new believer (only two years old in the Lord) was telling me that now that she has been saved, she no longer wants to do the evil things she did before! Praise the Lord; although I cannot read her heart, it sounds like she is saved to me!

God’s power is not found in religious tradition or man’s ideas: God’s power is found in His Word. Have faith in God’s Word rightly divided today, and it will work in your life for His glory! Not only will you know it, but others will know it too!

“The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:11 KJV).

“But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:25 KJV).

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Have I Committed the “Unpardonable Sin” of Blaspheming the Holy Ghost?

April 8, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

Have you ever wondered if you “blasphemed against the Holy Ghost?” Oftentimes called the “unpardonable sin,” this concept can be very troubling to some Christians because it causes them to question whether they are still saved and going to heaven. What is the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost? Once we answer that question from the Scriptures, then we can determine how it relates to us. Again, we do not appeal to denominational doctrine; we appeal to the Holy Scriptures!

Recently, a fellow Christian asked me whether or not she was guilty of “blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.” In this special article (some of which is almost verbatim from my email response to her), we want to clear up any confusion regarding Matthew 12:31,32. Let us first read those two verses as found in the King James Bible:

 “31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”

What did Jesus Christ mean when He said this?

YOU CANNOT LOSE YOUR SALVATION IN CHRIST

Firstly, a Christian who is genuinely saved is never in danger of losing his/her salvation. Matthew 12:31,32 is often misquoted/twisted in an attempt to promote the idea of a Christian losing his or her salvation. If you have genuinely trusted in Christ Jesus alone as your Saviour (you have placed your faith entirely in the Gospel of Grace of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4), the Bible says that you have the Holy Spirit permanently indwelling you. God’s Holy Spirit “seals” (confirms/brands) you, and you cannot lose your salvation (Romans 8:31-39; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Ephesians 4:30; 2 Timothy 1:12).

Today, in this the Dispensation of the Grace of God, the Bible says that God accepts those who are “in the beloved,” in His Son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:6). How do we get “in Christ?” The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body [the Church the Body of Christ], whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”  Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV explains: “In whom [Jesus Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for your sins: see Paul’s Gospel of Grace in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised again the third day for our justification.” Salvation from sins and hell and salvation unto justification (right standing before God) is instantaneous, not a lifelong process. If a true believer in Christ ever lost his/her salvation, that would mean God rejected His Son! You would have to throw away all the verses that Paul says confirms the believer’s salvation forever (Romans 5:1,2; Romans 8:29-39; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Ephesians 1:13,14; Ephesians 4:30; Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 1:12). Our salvation from sins and hell is not dependent on what we do, but on what Jesus Christ did, and He did enough, so we do not worry about losing it (if Jesus Christ could not save us, then what good are our efforts anyway?).

MATTHEW 12:31,32 HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US

What God was doing with Israel in “time past” is different from what He is doing with us Gentiles (non-Jews) in the “but now.” In Matthew 12:31,32, Jesus was speaking to Israel under the Mosaic Law. Jesus Christ was speaking in light of God’s earthly kingdom, over which He would be King. We cannot follow what Jesus said in the Four Gospels, because that was God’s message to the nation Israel.

Jesus Christ said in His earthly ministry: “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24 KJV) and “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22 KJV). The Apostle Paul confirmed this in Romans 15:8 KJV: “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [Israel] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.”

The Apostle Paul says “I am the apostle of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13 KJV). Paul is our apostle; the risen, ascended, and glorified Lord Jesus Christ sent Paul to us. Just as Jesus spoke God’s message to Israel in the Four Gospels, God’s message to us Gentiles (non-Jews) is Paul’s 13 epistles, Romans through Philemon. We are not part of Israel’s prophetic program of Law.

Paul wrote in Romans 6:14-15 KJV: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” We are under grace, in the Body of Christ, separate from Israel.

The Apostle wrote about Israel’s current status in Romans 11:11-12 KJV: “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?” Spiritually, Israel is fallen, and we are not Israel, for that would mean we (Christians) too are spiritually blinded!

Although Jesus said that Israel could blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, Paul never mentions us today in the Dispensation of Grace as “blaspheming against the Holy Spirit,” but rather “grieving the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30) and “quenching/hindering the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Because the Holy Spirit indwells us, it makes Him sad when we sin and it keeps Him from working His will in us. However, even though we make the Holy Spirit sad when we sin, we are never in danger of losing our salvation. Matthew 12:31,32 says that God will impute sin to those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit. If God says He has “forgiven you all trespasses” (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 2:13), obviously you as a Christian have not committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—Jesus said that sin could not be forgiven. Rest assured, you are never guilty of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit because Matthew 12:31,32 does not apply to us today. Matthew 12:31,32 was spoken to the Jews so it applies to the Jews.

 

WHAT MATTHEW 12:31,32 MEANT FOR ISRAEL

Find Mark 3:28-30 KJV, which should help us better understand what Matthew 12:31,32 is saying:

“28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:
29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.
30 Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.”

In Mark 3:22,23, there are people falsely accusing Jesus of being devil-possessed. In reality, Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit, not an “unclean spirit”/devil (see verse 30 above). These people were guilty of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit because they were claiming the Holy Spirit was a devil, an unclean/evil spirit! These false accusers of Jesus were lost—they were filled with unclean spirits, not Jesus.

Now, go back to what I just mentioned about that earthly kingdom Israel had been promised. Through John the Baptist, God the Father urged Israel to prepare for their coming King, Christ Jesus (Mark 1:1-4; Luke 3:2-4; Acts 13:23-25). In unbelief, the Jews rejected God the Father by allowing king Herod to behead John the Baptist (Matthew 14:10). God the Son (Jesus Christ) comes to present Himself to Israel as Messiah-King, but Israel rejects Him and crucifies Him. While Jesus is hanging on the cross, He asks the Father to forgive them (Luke 23:34). Compare that with “whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him” (Matthew 12:32).

After Christ’s resurrection and ascension, God the Father forgives Israel as His Son requested, and this is the purpose of Peter’s sermon in Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost. Here, God gives Israel a renewed opportunity of repentance. The Apostle Peter urges the nation Israel to repent (change their mind), to trust in Jesus as their King-Messiah, and to tell Israel He has resurrected, and that He will still bring in their kingdom (Acts 2:36-38). Remember on the day of Pentecost that the Holy Spirit came down from heaven and filled the Jewish believers there in Jerusalem. Still, only a small remnant of Israel chooses to have faith in Christ. Israel is mostly rejecting the Holy Spirit’s ministry through the apostles.

Now, in Acts chapter 7, about a year after Calvary and the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the prophet Stephen is also filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5; Acts 7:55). Again, most of Israel is still refusing to embrace Jesus as their King-Messiah. Stephen tells Israel, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51 KJV). Israel’s leadership hates Stephen’s message (God’s Word convicts them), and they stone Stephen to death, thereby rejecting the Holy Spirit. This is the blaspheming against the Holy Spirit spoken of in Matthew 12:31,32 (cf. Acts 7:55-60)!

So, returning to Matthew 12:31,32, we read “and whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him.” Remember, God the Father forgave Israel of killing their King and Redeemer Jesus Christ (just as Jesus asked God the Father in Luke 23:34). Now, Matthew 12:32 says “but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”

“The world to come” was Israel’s future kingdom (cf. Hebrews 2:3-5)—not heaven or the afterlife as some claim. Those Jews who rejected the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 7 were actually rejecting the last person of the Godhead. They had already rejected God the Father, and they had already killed God the Son! As the saying goes, “three strikes and you are out.”

In Romans 11:11,12 KJV, we read about Israel: “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?”

Israel did stumble because Romans 9:32 KJV says, “For they [Israel] stumbled at the stumblingstone; As it is written [Isaiah 8:14, 28:16], Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed.” What was this “stumblingstone and rock of offence” that God laid in Zion? According to 1 Peter 2:6-8, that stumblingstone is the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather than Israel recognizing Jesus as their Messiah, they stumbled over Him and crucified Him!

But, Romans 11:11 says Israel did not fall at Calvary’s cross. Israel fell in Acts chapter 7; by Acts chapter 28, Israel’s program was fully set aside (temporarily) and the transition to our Dispensation of Grace. From Acts chapter 7 onward, Israel was “diminishing” (Romans 11:12). Because Israel blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, God set her aside for a time.

Any Jew who rejected/spoke against the Holy Spirit, they would be purged out (destroyed in the seven-year Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ; Matthew 3:11,12; Matthew 13:38-42; Luke 3:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Hebrews 10:26-31; et al.), and not be allowed to enter into that earthly kingdom (“it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come”).

But, God in His grace, and despite their wickedness, will one day establish that promised kingdom to Israel and we know it as the “Millennial (1,000-Year) Reign of Christ.” That kingdom will be brought in at the Second Coming of Christ, after the seven years of Tribulation.

Today, national Israel does not exist like she did in time past. Jews are scattered all over the world today. In fact, God says in His Word that Israel is “fallen,” “cast away,” and “spiritually blinded” (Romans 11:11,15,25). An individual Jew can receive salvation by becoming a member of the Church the Body of Christ, but one simply being a descendent of Abraham is not required for salvation today. A Jew, like a Gentile, must come to God through Paul’s ministry and Paul’s Gospel, not through the nation Israel.

Actually, did you know that Saul (the Apostle Paul), who was encouraging the death of Stephen, was guilty of blaspheming against the Holy Ghost? After all, Jewish Saul was leading the world’s rebellion against Jesus Christ (Acts 26:9-11). Paul wrote that he was a “blasphemer” in 1 Timothy 1:13. Paul was saved, but he blasphemed against the Holy Spirit! How was Paul saved? God opened our Dispensation of Grace, a program separate from Israel’s program. Saul/the Apostle Paul could only be saved if God interrupted Israel’s program with a new program. Paul was saved in our dispensation, not Israel’s program.

CONCLUSION

The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit does not apply to us today. This was God’s message to Israel. Israel blasphemed against the Holy Spirit when she refused to hearken unto the voice of the apostles during the early Acts period. This is why Israel was temporarily set aside and her program was momentarily suspended. Because Israel’s program is inactive, our program (the Dispensation of the Grace of God) is in operation. Unlike Israel, we cannot blaspheme against the Holy Ghost.

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

Versus: The Tentative Status Quo Versus The Immutable Word of God

April 4, 2009

by Shawn Brasseaux

“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Jesus Christ, Matthew 24:35 KJV).

Imagine a scenario in which everything is going great for you. The bills are paid, you just got a promotion at work, you have a clean bill of health, and you are going hang out with your friends because it is a Friday night. Now, suppose you wake up Saturday morning to find your room filled with smoke, and your house is ablaze! As you hear the sirens of the approaching fire department, you make a quick exit to later discover that your house is a total loss! To make it all the worse, you suddenly remember—“Oops, I forgot to pay the fire insurance!” (Yeah, big oops, but good thing this is just hypothetical!)

Your current net worth may be $40 billion (like Bill Gates), but considering the current financial crises, you might be living in a cardboard box next week! I do not mean to sound morose, but you may healthy today and dead tomorrow. Consider James 4:13-15 KJV:

“13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

Nothing in life is certain, and we certainly are not guaranteed tomorrow. Or, consider the fact that yesterday morning I was having peaceful drive on the interstate, when one of my back tires suddenly blows out! Although my earliest class at college was canceled, and though I was about 30 minutes late, by the grace of God, I was kept from any accident. Within a few seconds, the peace and quiet ride turned into me hurriedly pulling off to the shoulder before my car swerved off of the road. See how quickly the status quo can change?

Everything that holds true today is tentative; tomorrow, you will be amazed to see that the complete opposite holds true! Sometimes our lives change gradually and other times drastically. Good days, bad days, horrible days, the state of affairs is always subject to change. Life is a roller coaster with corkscrews, especially for us members of the Church the Body of Christ; however, there is some good news in all of this. The good news is that God’s Word is a stable, solid refuge of hope and truth!

The Bible instructs us to focus on the “things above,” the things we cannot see. Colossians 3:1,2 KJV says: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Compare that to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 KJV:

“16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Instead of looking at the circumstances that we can see, the Bible says we need to focus on the things that are intangible, the invisible and the eternal. These invisible “things above” include our “Blessed Hope” (the rapture of Titus 2:13), our spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3), and our joint-heirship with Christ (Romans 8:17). While we can never be certain of tomorrow’s events, Christians always have stability in God’s Word because God’s Word is eternal. Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” The Apostle Peter agreed: “The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Peter 1:24,25).

Whether you are black or white, rich or poor, happy or sad; regardless of your circumstances, God’s Word will always be true, for He cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:17,18). Just like God, His Word is immutable, and it will never, ever change (Hebrews 13:8)! Christ already died and rose again—2,000 years ago. And you have victory through the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57). Nothing will ever separate you from the love of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:35-39). If you have trusted exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, God has saved you forever. “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12). These truths will never change, no matter what doubts or fears the devil may throw at you.

You can lose your material riches (like so many Americans have in recent months), but you can never lose God’s promises to you as a member of the Body of Christ! A rich relative may cut you from their will, but you have eternal heirship with Christ! Your “friends” may abandon you, but the Lord never will! Even if you physically died in Christ, you would still have the experience of a bodily resurrection at the trumpet call of the rapture! You may lose your job and your membership at a local church, but you will always be a member of the Church the Body of Christ! Indeed, God’s Truth is not tentative like our circumstances.

Every member of the Body of Christ has that assurance of eternal salvation, and all these Grace Age promises we just discussed, regardless of our material wealth, our health, our romantic life, our nationality, or our social status. Praise the Lord!

Just before we conclude this study, we take our point a bit further: “The Status Quo is [Indeed] Tentative.”

  • CURRENT STATUS QUO: Today, people are trampling God’s Word (the King James Bible) under foot and/or butchering God’s Word by editing it for the sake of producing a “new, better translation.” They are spurning grace, ignoring what God says, and are “going their own way.” They reject Christ Jesus; they prefer their own works. People refuse the rightly divided Bible so they can keep their vain church tradition. Poor Israel is also fighting to keep what little real estate the Gentiles have not yet taken. Disease, homelessness, genocide, and death are plaguing our world. Tentative, subject to change!
  • FUTURE STATUS QUO (a 180-degree turn): We leap into the future, to the consummation of the Dispensation of Grace. With the Body of Christ absent (raptured), God’s wrath replaces His grace. The antichrist comes with Satan’s power, confirming a seven-year peace treaty with the Middle East—false world peace. God’s enemies will suffer His righteous wrath. At the end of the Tribulation, we find the King of kings and the Lord of lords physically and literally returning to earth, to establish His earthly kingdom and remove the curse of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ will establish His earthly Kingdom for 1000 years. God will then destroy this current heaven and earth and create a brand new one! He will punish His enemies in the lake of fire, He will give Israel her land forever, and He will place us members of the Church the Body of Christ in the places of government in the heavens!

Indeed, the status quo is always changing, but God’s Word (the King James Bible) is sure, and unlike this pitiful status quo (which is tentative; subject to change), it shall never pass away!

We shall continue this study next week by expanding on it with, “The Inward Man Versus The Outward Man.”

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Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux)

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