Part 2
1
Corinthians 14:21-22
{21} In the law it is written, With men of other tongues
and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not
hear me, saith the Lord. {22}
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that
believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them
which believe.
There is nothing more divisive in the modern church than
the question of tongues. The question which must be posed is, are the tongues of
today equal to the tongues of the first century? Before we continue, we should
learn a little about the nature of tongues. The word "tongue" or "tongues" in
the entire book of 1 Corinthians is the word "glossa" [glwssa]
which means "language." It is a legitimate, established language. The proof of
this lies in Acts 2:1-13. In verse 6, we read there the apostles were heard
speaking the languages of all those present at Jerusalem. The word language in
vs. 6 is the Greek word "dialektos" [dialektos]
which is translated language or tongue. We derive the English word "dialect"
from it.
There were about seventeen languages among all those who
were present at Jerusalem. We see this according to Acts 2:4, 7, 9-11. The
bottom line is that in Acts, the tongues (languages) were all legitimate,
established languages. Now comparing the tongues of Acts with modern day
tongues, we find an inconsistency to the biblical paradigm. The tongues of the
modern day church are unintelligible gibberish and therefore do not identify
with the biblical standard. Any teaching which does not conform to biblical
standards does not find its source in God but in Satan. The tongues in Corinth
were an aberration of the biblical standard set forth in Acts. About 22 years
had passed between Pentecost and the letter to Corinth which is sufficient time
to create a false doctrine.
The tongues of Acts did not require an interpreter,
while those of Corinth did. The tongues of Acts edified while the tongues of
Corinth caused confusion. When someone spoke in tongues, whether in Acts or in
Corinthians, it was a legitimate gift from God to send forth the gospel. All
biblical tongues until the completion of the Bible were legitimate and carried
messages from God, which is considered revelation. However, when the Bible was
completed with the book of Revelation about 95 A.D., God declared there would be
no more revelation. He declares this in Revelation 22:18-19; Deuteronomy 4:2;
12:32; and Proverbs 30:6. If today’s tongues are legitimate, then we have a
contradiction in the Bible because God said verbal discourse would cease.
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you,
neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of
the LORD your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou
shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32)
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and
thou be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:6)
{18}For I testify unto every man that heareth the words
of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall
add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: {19} And if any man
shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things
which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)
There are no contradictions in the Bible and revelation
has ceased. There are many false gospels in this world which boast of speaking
in tongues. This fact alone would cause me to be suspect of tongues. How could I
be sure what I am doing is of God if those who hold false gospels that reject
Christ are doing the same thing. The answer is simple, I would want nothing to
do with it. I once held a discussion with a charismatic and I asked him the
following question, "Have you obeyed everything in the Scriptures?" He said,
"no," then I proceeded to ask him why would he want more revelation?
Tongues must be avoided because on the coat tail of
tongues come the other companions in false ministry: visions, dreams, signs and
wonders, false prophecies, and miraculous healing. The easiest method for
determining whether a church is true or not is if they seek these supernatural
events. If they do, they are false. If the authority of the church is confined
to the Bible alone with no other authority, except Christ, then you have a true
church. The two most warning packed verses in 1 Corinthians 14 are Verses 21 and
22.
In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and
other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not
hear me, saith the Lord. (1 Corinthians 14:21)
An interesting insertion is made by Paul under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit which seemingly has nothing to do with the flow
of discourse in Chapter 14. Paul makes reference to Isaiah 28:11-12 which was a
warning to Jerusalem.
{11} For with stammering lips and another tongue will he
speak to this people. {12} To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may
cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
(Isaiah 28:11-12)
They rejected the words of God’s prophets which were
sent to them in their own language and now judgment was to come on them. The
vehicle of judgment God used were the fierce Babylonians who spoke in a
different language or tongue. What must be transferred from the Babylonian epic
is the principle God is enunciating, which is the fact that judgment did happen.
Now what does that have to do with tongues? Let’s see. The fact that God
mentions the destruction of Judah in conjunction with the church must be
seriously considered. There is nothing written in the Bible incidentally, ALL
has a reason for being there. As
Paul continually brings to light that edification of the people is more
important than tongues, this teaching must be factored into the equation. When a
person walks into a church where people are speaking in tongues, they are not
edified but confused. Since God is not the author of confusion, the confusion of
tongues in the modern church must be of different origin.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as
in all churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33)
The event of tongues in the modern church causes
divisions which means it cannot be of God. The awesome principle which God is
transferring from the Babylonian captivity of Judah to the church is that the
judgment of God is on all those churches which have willingly accepted tongues
as part of their spiritual composition. Those churches who accept tongues have
widened their authority from the Bible alone to the Bible plus! The same
principle applies to the church as it did to Judah. Why? Look at the following
verse which the charismatics always misuse to foster their tongues belief.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for
ever. (Hebrews 13:8)
Jesus is the Great I Am of Sinai and the Great I Am does
not tolerate disobedience nor spiritual fornication, whether yesterday, today,
or tomorrow. Many churches have rejected the Bible as their sole authority which
was written in their own language resulting in God judging them by the vehicle
of other tongues. "Other tongues" is the Greek word "heteroglossos" [eteroglwssos]
and this is the only place in the New Testament this word is used.
Those churches which have widened their authority are
false churches. They are under the judgment of God and have had their
candlestick removed.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (Revelation 2:5)
One of the most devastating verses in the Bible which is
aimed at the corporate church is Revelation 3:3:
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and
hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as
a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (Revelation
3:3)
This verse states the Lord Jesus Christ will visit a
church in judgment and that church will be unaware of the moment they went from
being a true church to a false church. When a church accepts tongues normally
the other false signs will follow which I have already listed. It is these which
cause a church to go from true to false. This is the primary reason God placed
verse 21 in the midst of the tongues discourse. It is a testing program for the
church to see whether they will remain faithful to the Scriptures or will seek
other revelations which will cause it to become adulterous. If they fail the
test, they become a false church and you must leave quickly.
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that
believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that
believe not, but for them which believe. (1 Corinthians 14:22)
Here the Bible gives another serious principle regarding
tongues. It says they are a sign for those who do not believe. The word "sign"
is the Greek word "semeion" [shmeion]
which means an indication of a sign, wonder, token, or miracle. So we see that
tongues are a miraculous phenomenon to those who are unbelievers. He also says
that prophesying (declaring God’s Word) is for believers. Those who seek signs
and wonders are unbelievers because they are seeking what God has forbidden plus
they are attempting to widen the authority of the Bible which God has completed
with the book of Revelation. Jesus deals with this mindset in Matthew 12 as he
faced the Scribes and Pharisees who wanted a sign of His authority and
authenticity. The same word for sign in Matthew 12:38-39 is used in this verse.
{38} Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees
answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. {39} But he answered
and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and
there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: (Matthew
12:38-39)
How did Jesus respond to this? He told them to refer to
Jonah. How would they refer to Jonah? By reading the Hebrew Scriptures. What
principle is Jesus giving us? The principle is, DO NOT LOOK OUTSIDE THE
SCRIPTURES FOR UNDERSTANDING THE THINGS OF GOD.
This is precisely what those in the tongues movement do,
they search outside the Bible for revelation from God and as a result they are
considered adulterous by God. Have no union with the teachings of the
Charismatic Movement. If you find yourself seeking the supernatural phenomenon
of this movement, the possibility exists you were never saved. If you were truly
saved, you would be seeking what God allows not what He forbids.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie: (2 Thessalonians 2:11)
THINK ABOUT IT!
Galatians 5:4
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you
are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
This is a contrast verse concerning the Law versus
Grace. In this particular verse we are seeing that if a person seeks to be
justified by the Law, then they are fallen from Grace. The term “fallen” carries
with it the meaning of “fall off or from, drop away.” A person cannot be
justified by the Law. If a person tries to work their way to heaven by keeping
the Law, then the sacrifice of Christ is of no effect because the person is
attempting their own atonement. This person has become estranged from Grace
because they are attempting to keep the Law. This verse also has nothing to do
with loss of salvation. It basically deals with a person attempting to become
saved by avoiding the Grace of the Cross and embracing the letter of the Law.
Paul here
makes a solemn declaration that those who choose to justify themselves according
to the law, Christ has become useless to them and therefore they have fallen
from grace. This means that those who attempt to keep the law have no chance of
salvation in keeping the law unless it is kept perfectly. By falling from grace,
they have exchanged the only way of salvation for a completely dead end. Now
many try to use this verse to prove that you can lose your salvation. This is
false because a true believer can never lose their salvation, hence the term,
“eternal life” used 26 times and “everlasting life” is used 11 times in the New
Testament. Never in the New Testament do we ever read the term “temporary life”
but only eternal and everlasting.”
Paul is making a comparison between salvation plans, those who keep the law are
diametrically opposed to grace and the two can never meet or compromise. Either
you are saved by grace alone or you are attempting to save yourself by keeping
the law. If you choose the law, then you have nothing to do with grace which
means your doom is sure.
Ephesians 2: 1 & 5
And you hath he
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
(Ephesians 2:1)
Even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;) (Ephesians 2:5)
In both of
these verses the word behind “dead” is the word “nekrous” which means “lifeless,
useless, dead.” The majority of
Christians claim that for a person to become saved all they have to do is hear
the gospel and then make a decision as to whether they want to believe or not.
According to these verses, that would be an impossibility since a person
before salvation is “spiritually dead” which means they have a dead will and
there is no way they can “accept Christ” because they are dead.
When Lazarus was in the tomb, he was dead and he could do nothing to
raise himself. The story of Lazarus
is an event which describes the condition of unsaved man.
They are spiritually dead and can do nothing to raise themselves.
What is needed is a spiritual resurrection from an outside source just as
Lazarus needed the Lord Jesus Christ to raise him from the dead.
The unsaved person can never believe until they obtain a spiritual
resurrection. For us to find
biblical evidence of the spiritual resurrection, we must look to the Scriptures.
{5} But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. {6} Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5-6)
With most church theology leaning toward the two
resurrection theory, when this verse is happened upon in a discourse on
eschatology, it is always taken as a physical resurrection of the believer
rather than the spiritual resurrection of the believer.
{24} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my
word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. {25} Verily, verily,
I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (John 5:24-25)
And you hath he quickened, who were dead
in trespasses and sins: (Ephesians 2:1)
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:5)
And you, being dead in your sins and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having
forgiven you all trespasses; (Colossians 2:13)
These five verses give us insight as to the nature of
the first resurrection which is not a physical one but a spiritual one. The
believer was once dead in their sins but because God had quickened (or made
alive), the Christian is not subject unto the second death or eternal damnation.
So the first resurrection is not physical, it is the moment when we receive our
resurrected souls and now we are alive unto God whereas before we were
dead to the things of God. When Revelation 20:5-6 is interpreted
correctly as a spiritual resurrection, then it harmonizes with the rest of
Scripture and we don’t have to twist any Scripture or fabricate a doctrine to
make it fit.
2
Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition;
Deceive -
Deceive thoroughly or delude
Falling
away - Apostasy, departure, rebellion
Revealed -
Uncovered or disclosed
Perdition
- Destruction, ruin, or waste
Man -
Person, mankind, or a specific man (anthropos)
First,
Paul begins this verse by telling the Thessalonians that they are not to be
deceived or deluded on this subject by any means. In verse 2, he gave three of
those means, spirit, letter, or word. He is admonishing them to reject the false
teachings which they have accepted. Now Paul begins to go into the signs by
which one may know that the second coming of Christ is very near.
Falling Away
The first
major sign which Paul gives is that there must come a falling away. The word
“falling away” is the word “apostasy.” The word “apostasy” carries with it the
general idea of a departure or abandonment of what one has learned. In this case
it would be the orthodox teachings of Scripture. Up until the mid 1800’s, there
was a general orthodoxy in the churches and it did not matter what Protestant
denomination, they basically taught the same things with the same Bible. Then
Satan began to make his move and in 1859, Charles Darwin published his “Origin
of Species” and many clergy began to adopt the teachings of his book and that
began the concept of 1,000 years for each of the creation days, the gap theory
between Genesis 1:1 and 2, the questioning of the first three chapters of
Genesis. With these began the questioning and the rejection of significant parts
of the Bible. Then on top of that apostasy, in 1870, in England, two professors,
Hort and Westcott, both of whom accepted Darwin, had taken two of the most
corrupt manuscripts, Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, and created their Revised Version
which was published in 1881 and on the tails of that version, in America there
was a translation made from the same corrupt manuscripts called the American
Standard Version of 1901. Then in 1906 came the Azuza Street Mission phenomenon
with the resurgence of the speaking in of tongues but these were not the tongues
of Acts or Corinth which were legitimate languages, but these modern tongues
were nothing but gibberish. Along with these tongues came signs, wonders,
dreams, visions, and prophecies. The modern charismatic movement was now on its
way with the founding of the Assemblies of God in 1914.
Then came
the rise of liberalism in the church with men like Harry Emerson Fosdick and
another liberal unbeliever named William Sloan Coffin. By this time already, the
true Bible and Biblical truth was already under attack from many different
areas. Then came the rise of women preachers in the church and the feminization
of the male clergy. Now the truth of the Gospel was being replaced with the
emotional gospel which would appease the hearers. In 1948, when the political
nation of Israel was founded, the dispensationalists claimed it was a
fulfillment of prophecy and since it was formed, it has become an idol in most
churches and has usurped the place of Christ. In 1967, Satan made another major
move and that was the introduction of the New Testament of the NIV, which was
completed with the Old Testament in 1973. This counterfeit Bible was going to
replace the King James Bible in the majority of Churches. Then with the false
versions coming into the church, the old hymns have been expunged. Now the same
churches which sang the old hymns are now using overhead projectors and rock
bands to lead the singing.
As we can
see by this short history, that the age of apostasy is in full session. This
means, based upon this verse which teaches that the falling away must come
first, we are living in the day when this apostasy is alive and well, not only
in the churches but also on TV and radio ministries because many of the programs
are based upon what many churches teach and use these mediums for outreach. So
we are living in a day when the true teachings of Scripture have been set aside
for many spurious teachings. This is why the return of Christ could not have
happened at any time before our day. Now this first part of the verse, dovetails
right into the second half of this verse.
And
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Since I
became a believer in 1980, and for many years before that we were taught and
will be taught that the man of sin is going to be an individual who is going to
be indwelled with all forms of satanic power and that he is going to rule the
world by setting himself up in a newly built temple in Jerusalem. They call him
the Anti-Christ. Fantasy preaching can yield billions of dollars for the
publishers and authors, and these false teachings have been the catalyst for
launching many ministries. The teaching of an Anti-Christ is alive and well in
every dispensational church in the world. However, based upon the line of
thought in these verses in 2 Thessalonians, no such world ruler is in view.
The word
in the Greek for “be revealed” is in the subjunctive mood which means it is a
mood of condition. The condition being is that the man of sin will be revealed
based upon the fact of the apostasy happening first. Well as we saw that the
apostasy started really early in the church but it never came to fruition with
the zeal it has today. Let us go back to the words “be revealed“ Not only is it
in the subjunctive mood but it in the aorist tense. The aorist tense speaks
about an action without specific reference to it duration, repetition, or
completeness. It has little or no emphasis on time. So with this word being in
the aorist tense, it shows us that the revealing of the man of sin is not a
singular event which will break out onto the world scene, but it is a continuing
event.
Before we
“reveal” who the man of sin is, let us look at the second title which is “son of
perdition.” As soon as we hear that title we think of Judas.
While I
was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I
have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the
scripture might be fulfilled. (John 17:12)
Now let us
look at how he became the son of perdition. First of all, the Lord had
prophesied that Judas would be the only lost one among His disciples. This gives
us good insight into predestination. Judas walked with the Lord for three years,
so why didn’t Judas become saved and why didn‘t the Lord save him? The answer is
simple. He was not one of God’s Elect.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
(Revelation 13:8) The names of all those who were to be saved were written
in the Lamb’s book of life from eternity and since the name of Judas was not
written there, the Lord could not save him because he was not named.
Now back
to the son of perdition. Since Judas was the only unsaved man walking with
Jesus, he was open to satanic suggestion.
Then
entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
(Luke 22:3)
At the
Last Supper, Satan had entered into Judas and with that entry, he caused Judas
to betray the Lord into the hands of the religious leaders. Isn’t that
interesting that the Lord was betrayed into the hands of religion. Just like
today, religion usurps the rightful place of the Lord Jesus Christ. So after
Judas betrayed Christ, he was filled with remorse and tried to return the money
and then hung himself. The son of perdition can be called the son of ruin or
destruction.
Now since
we have seen that the revealing of the man of sin is a continual thing and not a
singular event, then we can state firmly that there will be many who will be men
of sin and sons of perdition. The man of sin can be found, as we have previously
seen, rejecting the truths of Scripture and replacing them with false teachings
which can only bring destruction to a person’s life.
But there were false prophets also among
the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1)
2 Peter 2:1 speaks of damnable heresies and the words “damnable” and
“destruction” are the same words as “perdition” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The man
of sin in a church can be a false preacher or even a woman preacher since the
word for man is the general term for mankind “anthropos.” The man of sin can be
found on the radio bringing a false gospel. The man of sin can be found on TV
bringing a false Gospel. The man of sin on the Internet can be found bringing a
false Gospel. There have been men of sin all during the present church age but
in our day, it has mushroomed tremendously to the point that you can scarcely
find a ministry which is teaching the truth. These are the men of sin and the
sons of perdition who bring false gospels to keep the unbelievers in unbelief
through satanic influence of false gospels.
2
Timothy 4:2
Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Preach - Proclaim
Be instant - Be urgent, Stand by or near, or be present
In season - Conveniently or appropriately
Out of season - Inappropriately timed, not convenient, or untimely
Here Paul tells Timothy that he is to focus his ministry on proclaiming the word
of God. The word “proclaim” is in the Imperative Mood making it a command.
Timothy is not to be one of those people who will not proclaim the word unless
it is in a certain environment. He is to always be standing by with an attitude
of urgency knowing that he could be called upon to preach. There were two
conditions by which Timothy was to be ready to preach. The first one, was that
of an appropriate setting which could be a church or a home where he had been
called to proclaim the word. The second condition for preaching was an
inconvenient time such as defending the Word of God, challenging a false teacher
when he hears one teaching, maybe he would be put in jail for his testimony and
from there, like the Apostle Paul, he would proclaim the word. Both in season
and out of season means that a Christian is to be ready at all times to proclaim
and defend the truths of God’s word, in any situation, even if it costs him
something, even his life. Then Paul gives Timothy three subjects which he is to
preach.
Reprove
- Paul charges Timothy that he is to refute or convict anyone who is teaching
God’s word incorrectly or to confront and challenge the false teachers and their
teachings. He is also to confront those who are living a life of sin while
claiming to be Christians since this would bring shame on the name of Christ and
the Christian community. Timothy is not just to proclaim sweet words but must
proclaim the word of God with the authority it carries.
Rebuke
- Paul charges Timothy that he must also rebuke, which carries with it the
meaning of warn or admonish. If someone is holding on to a false teaching, then
they are to be rebuked, that holding to false teachings will cause both the
speaker and the hearer to face condemnation. Timothy is also to warn his hearers
about the false teachers and that it is not a joking matter when someone takes
the word of God and teaches it in error. Christians must be warned not to
entertain any of the teachings of the false teachers.
Exhort
- Paul also charges Timothy with not only rejecting the false teachers but also
to exhort the Christians, which carries with it the meaning of encouraging them.
Churches who constantly condemn their people are the ones you want to stay away
from because while there are things we must be aware of, we are also to
encourage the brethren in their endeavors. We are also to bring comfort and
edification to the brethren so they may grow. If you consistently hit somebody
over the head, they will always remain at the same height but our responsibility
is to help them grow in the Lord. This theme is also to be remembered if you are
called to proclaim or defend the word of God out of season. Christianity is not
comprised of rebuke and rejection only, but there is much encouragement in the
Bible for Christians and that must be brought to light.
Paul ends this verse by telling Timothy that he is to proclaim these things from
the word of God, but he is to have much patience with those who are hearing,
since it is a good possibility that many are hearing the truths for the first
time. He is also to teach the doctrines of the Bible and not his own personal
opinion. It is the personal opinion of the false teachers which has caused them
to stray and their hearers to stray. So when Timothy begins to refute the false
teachings, it must be done from the scriptures and with much patience toward his
hearers. It is Bible doctrine which changes a person and not our commentary.
Hebrews 6:4-6
{4} For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of
the Holy Ghost, {5} And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the
world to come, {6} If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open
shame.
The three verses seem to be the leading proof texts for
those who believe a person can lose their salvation. For us to gain a better
understanding of these verses, I am going to break these three verses down into
parts and we will look at each section individually to see if these verses are
actually speaking of salvation or of something else.
For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened
The word “impossible” carries with it the meaning of
“powerless, weak, or impossible” as it is translated “impossible” in other
verses such as Matthew 19:26. The word “enlightened” simply means “give light to
or bring to light.” When we look at this sentence instantly two things come to
mind:
(Matthew 19:25-26) When his disciples heard it, they
were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? {26} But Jesus beheld
them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all
things are possible.
The first term deals with the subject of salvation. In
the Hebrews verse we see that it is impossible for a person to come to Christ on
their own. Man in his unsaved state is powerless or weak to initiate such a
salvation. This is the underlying meaning as we will see it unfold in the next
few sections. Salvation is impossible with man but with God salvation is
possible.
The second term deals with a person being enlightened.
When the gospel is preached, the truths of it are brought to light by someone
who is saved. The truths of Scripture are always hidden to the unbeliever. So
unsaved man sits in church or listens to the radio in his car and hears the
gospel proclaimed. The unsaved man now hears with his ears which means he is
being enlightened to the truths such as hell, heaven, or whatever the subject
matter may be. The teacher or preacher is enlightening his hearers but he is not
saving his hearers.
and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were
made partakers of the Holy Ghost
This section of Scripture deals with the dissemination
of the true Gospel. Let us look at two words in this section: “Tasted” carries
with it the meaning of “eat, enjoy or experience.” “Partakers” carries with it
the meaning of “sharing or participating.”
The first term deals with the “religious affection” an
unsaved person might feel when they are in a spiritual setting. They are
enjoying or experiencing the spiritual milieu. Many unbelievers sit in churches
every Sunday and hear the gospel, they may even take communion, and that may
give them a good feeling as they experience the heavenly peace and learn of
Christ who is the Heavenly Gift of the Father.
The second term deals with sharing or participating in
the Holy Spirit. This term does not mean “indwelling.” The sharing or
participating in the Holy Spirit may be those unbelievers who are involved with
believers on some type of project in their church. It may be clothing the
homeless or volunteering time to help in another capacity. The unbeliever can
partake in spiritual works without being regenerate. They can partake in the
fruits of the Spirit.
And have tasted the good word of God
The word “tasted” is the same word used in verse 4. Here
we have a setting where the word of God is preached and those under its hearing
are benefiting from it. The unbeliever may feel good while hearing the truth
being expounded. They will not understand everything that is being taught, but
they are tasting or enjoying the teaching in that spiritual setting. The word
“word” actually carries with it the meaning of “a thing spoken.”
and the powers of the world to come
When a person sits in church or gathers with saved
people, they are, in essence, experiencing a little bit of heaven. The true
believers, on the last day, will be taken directly to heaven. The congregation
that the unbeliever is sitting in, represents the entire body of believers
worldwide. So they are experiencing the heavenly body of Christ on Earth that
will someday live gloriously in Heaven.
If they shall fall away
This phrase should be translated “and having fallen
away.” It is an Aorist tense which means the action happened in the past and
continues for an undetermined amount of time. This word is used once in the New
Testament and it carries with it the meaning of willful and deliberate. The word
“Parapipto” also means to “commit apostasy.” These people are falling away not
because they have fallen into sin, but because they are still willful sinners.
How many unbelievers go to church on Sunday morning, and continue in their sins
right after they leave church? All of them, because if they have not been
regenerated by God, then they are still fallen away or unsaved.
to renew them again unto repentance
The term “renew” carries with it the meaning of
“restoring to a former condition.” This is the only time this word is used in
the New Testament. The group in view here are unbelievers. The term “repentance”
is only used in connection with those who are saved. Repentance is something
that is done as a result of salvation and not prior to salvation. Here we are
reading that it is impossible to renew them to repentance. Even those who
believe the Arminian error believe a person can get their salvation back. Those
who proclaim the Doctrines of Grace believe you cannot even lose your salvation.
So what we have in view is that those who are in willful sin cannot come into
salvation by themselves through repentance, unless God saves them first. Until
then, when the unbeliever is under the hearing of the gospel and that
proclamation is finished, they are then returned from experiencing spiritual
things to their former condition which is sin. The difference is when they were
in church, they were religious sinners. Outside of the hearing of the gospel,
they are just plain unregenerate sinners. One other thing, if they are not God’s
elect, then they can never come into salvation.
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God
afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Here is the unbeliever’s only respect for Jesus. If they
could crucify Him again and put Him to open shame again, they would. The
unbeliever does not show any reverence or respect for the Lord Jesus instead
they show contempt. When they sit in church and hear the hymns being sung or the
organ being played, they experience a spiritual euphoria. When the preacher
begins to expound the Scriptures and teaches that Christ wants total commitment
even unto death, that is when unbelief draws the line. When Jesus is taught that
he loves everyone that doctrine is palatable to the unbeliever. When Jesus is
being taught that He does not love everyone, and everyone outside of salvation
is going to hell, then that is where unbelief draws the line. This closing
section seals the fact that these three verses are not dealing with those who
have lost their salvation, but for those who are still living in an unregenerate
state.
There is one more verse which must be added to this
which teaches us plainly that this section deals only with unbelievers. Let us
look at verse 9:
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and
things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. (Hebrews 6:9)
The writer to the Hebrews is making it clear that he was
addressing the unbelievers in the previous section as he states in verse 9, that
“we are persuaded better things of you.” He is showing the distinction between
the two groups. The group in verse 9 is associated with the things that
accompany salvation and the group in verses 4-6 are associated with the things
that accompany “religious unbelief.”
As we looked at these passages, there was absolutely no
intimation that salvation was in view. The Holy Spirit was not indwelling these
people but the people were partaking. This was an action on their part, not
God’s, which means that salvation could not happen to this group unless God
initiated it. The group in view was definitely one of unbelieving apostates. The
language of those verses do not indicate in the least, that anyone in view was
ever previously saved.
Hebrews 10:26-27
{26} For if we sin wilfully after that we have received
the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, {27} But
a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries.
These verses are not teaching a loss of salvation. These
verses are teaching that after a person hears the Gospel, that the Lord Jesus
Christ is the only way to Heaven and rejects him as the only way of salvation,
there is no other way for them to get to Heaven. We see this happening all
around us. Cults and Eastern religions have their own systems of reaching
Heaven. None of them acknowledge that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way and
because of this rejection, there is no sacrifice for their sins, no atonement,
which means they will be judged on the last day and will have to pay for their
own sins with an eternity in hell. Verse 26 speaks of receiving “the knowledge
of the truth” and not actual salvation. Remember, sinners who are not elect will
also hear the gospel. They are receiving the knowledge of the truth but are
rejecting it because they are dead in their sins and a dead man cannot
regenerate himself nor understand spiritual truth.
So when we look at these two verses we are not dealing
with the loss of applied salvation because that cannot happen. Salvation is not
mere knowledge but a transformation of the sinner to Saint. Salvation by
knowledge is nothing more than Gnosticism.
Nowhere in the Bible do we ever read of a Saint becoming a sinner, it is
always the opposite. We go from rags to riches, never riches to rags. This is
the inheritance of the Saints.
James
2:24
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and
not by faith only.
Back in verse 14, James asks the question "can a dead
faith save anyone?" What doth it profit,
my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save
him? (James 2:14) The answer is
found in this verse because no one is saved by any type of intellectual belief
which lacks appropriate actions. Saving faith is more than giving mental assent
to a doctrine. Saving faith is a compelling force in the life of a Christian and
causes them to want to do what the Lord assigns them. True salvation is a
motivating salvation. Even bed bound people in nursing homes have prayer
ministries which shows evidence that they are children of God. Religious people
get tired of religious things after a while but the Child of God cannot rest
until their ministry is complete and then we fly away.
The days of our years
are threescore years and ten;
and if by reason of strength they be
fourscore years, yet is
their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
(Psalm 90:10) If a Christians claims to have faith or claims to be saved but
never builds upon that faith in the area of faith based works, then they are
giving evidence that they are unsaved.
For example, if a person says to you that they are great at handling
money yet their finances are all in disarray, then their works do not match
their words. A person says to you
they are a great car mechanic yet their car is always broken down or is in
someone else’s repair shop, then their works do not match their words.
If a person claims to be a Christian yet never gets involved in any
ministry or does nothing for the Kingdom of God, then they are proving they are
not Christians. The works that a
true Christian does confirms the fact they are saved because they are building
the kingdom of God.
{12} Now if any man build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
{13} Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare
it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's
work of what sort it is. (1
Corinthians 3:12-13)
1
Peter 1:2
Elect according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be
multiplied.
Elect - Chosen beforehand
Foreknowledge - To have knowledge beforehand
Sanctification - Setting one apart
Sprinkling - Used in a ceremonial sense as the
sprinkling of blood on the Old Testament sacrifices - Hebrews 12:24
Multiplied - Increase, grow, or spread
Here Peter is telling us that the Christians are elect
or chosen beforehand by the foreknowledge of God. God already knew before the
foundation of the world who He was going to choose for salvation. When a
person’s time to become saved came, the Holy Spirit would indwell them and they
would become instantly sanctified or set apart from the world and for the Work
of God. This sanctification would cause a true believer to become obedient to
the Word of God and the ceremonial sprinkling means that they were cleansed from
their sins which would give them the ability to serve the Lord in true purity of
spirit. Peter goes on to desire grace and peace upon them. Both Gentile and
Jewish believers would respond to this as the Gentiles would respond to Grace
and the Jew would respond to Peace (Shalom). Peter was praying that the Grace
and Peace would continue to grow in their lives as they face persecution. One
can tell how close they are walking with the Lord when facing persecution. If a
person is scared, they are not walking closely. If a person is calm and resting
in the Lord, they are walking closer.
This verse never conveys a meaning that God looked down the corridors of
time and knew who was going to accept him.
This verse specifically states that God already knew who he was going to
save, even before he created them.
1
Peter 1:11
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness
was upon the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
(Genesis 1:2)
{10} Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and
searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
{11} Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ
which was in them did
signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory
that should follow. (1 Peter
1:10-11)
Here we have the Holy Spirit active in two ways.
First, He was active in the creation of the world as we read in Genesis
1:2. Then He was active in the
salvation of the Old Testament Saints.
So many preachers teach that the Holy Spirit was among them or just
temporarily came on someone and then left.
Those in the Old Testament were saved by the sacrifice of Christ just
like those in the New Testament and beyond.
We read in 1 Peter 1:11 that the Spirit of Christ was “in” the Old
Testament Prophets not among or by them.
It is also a biblical truth that the doctrine of election was alive and
well in the Old Testament. Amos was
an Old Testament prophet and was a herdsman and gatherer of Sycomore fruit.
God chose him to bring a message to the ten northern tribes.
He didn’t go looking for the position of prophet.
If he was not inspired by the Holy Spirit then what did he do, make a
bunch of “lucky guesses?” Moses was
the author of the first five books of the Bible, David penned the Psalms,
Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, then there was Joshua, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Zechariah,
Malachi, Micah, Jonah, Obadiah, Daniel all penned books of the Bible because
they were indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
Just as the New Testament Books were divinely inspired,
so were the books of the Old Testament.
If you deny the fact that the writers were indwelled by the Holy Spirit
as Peter states, then you must also deny the inspiration of the books of the Old
Testament. The bottom line is that
those who believed God in the Old Testament did so because they were indwelled
by the Holy Spirit which means they were qualified to hear and understand God to
be able to follow him. Abraham is
called the “father of faith or faithful” and we know from Galatians 5:22 that
“faith” is imparted to the believer only after they become saved and indwelled
by the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
(Galatians 5:22) How
could Abraham be the father of faith or faithful without the Holy Spirit
indwelling him and giving him the gift of faith to believe God?
If the Holy Spirit did not indwell him, then he was still spiritually
dead and could not be the father of anyone except dead religion which God freed
him from by saving him. 1 Peter
1:11 removes all doubt concerning the fact that the Holy Spirit indwelled the
Old Testament Believer.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
(Romans 8:9) Romans 8:9
puts the icing on the cake that if one does not have the “Spirit of Christ”
(same description as 1 Peter 1:11) they are not his, meaning they are not saved
and still in the kingdom of Satan.
1
Peter 3:18-20
{18} For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the
flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: {19} By
which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; {20} Which
sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days
of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were
saved by water.
Here we have
three verses which have been very misunderstood and really used in outrageous
ways. I have heard these verses misused for many years by those who insist that
after Christ died, He went to Hell to preach to the spirits in prison, those of
the fallen angels and unbelievers. However, this is far from Biblical truth.
When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, He committed His spirit unto His Father
and His body went into the grave.
Spirit
And when
Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my
spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. (Luke 23:46)
Body
And he took
it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in
stone, wherein never man before was laid. (Luke 23:53)
There are no
contradicting Scriptures which teach that anything else happened. If there were
conscious souls in Hell at that time, there would be no purpose in bringing them
the Gospel, since they would all be under condemnation and could never be saved.
Christ did
not go to Hell but He endured the equivalency of an eternity in Hell to pay for
the sins of the Believers. One thing we must realize that God never does
anything which lacks purpose. The key to understanding this passage is found in
verse 20. There we read about Noah who is called “preacher of righteousness.” (2
Peter 2:5)
And spared
not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a
preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
(2 Peter 2:5)
While Noah
was preparing the ark, he was also preaching about the coming judgment. This is
why he is called “a preacher.” There is one great principle found in verse 20
and I have it pasted in my Bible when I clipped it out of something many years
ago, “Noah was faithful to God’s message even though there were no results.”
This is
something that we must keep in mind. Many of us want to see instant results when
we witness to someone. This is not always the case. Sometimes it does happen but
very rarely. We are to remain faithful and vigilant even if there is no visible
fruit. Now what does it mean that Christ preached to the spirits in prison?
Jesus did not walk the earth at that time, so how could He have preached to the
spirits in prison? The answer is simple. The Spirit of Christ was in Noah!
Remember 1 Peter 1:11?
But ye are
not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit
of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his. (Romans 8:9)
Let us look
at the very end of 1 Peter 3:18, “but quickened by the Spirit:” Isn’t every
believer in the Lord Jesus Christ quickened (made alive) by the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit? We read this in Romans 8:9. The same Spirit quickened the Old
Testament Saints as well as all those on the New Testament side of the cross.
The Lord Jesus is not walking on earth today, yet He is preaching to the world
through His regenerated Saints by the quickening of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is
called the “Word of God” and it is through the Word of God we bring the Gospel.
Remember That
Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord
But Noah
found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:8)
Grace in the
life of a person is what? Salvation! Noah was a saved individual who preached
the word of Christ to his generation. So then what is the prison that is in
view? In Isaiah 14, we read about Satan, that he would not open the house of his
prisoners.
{12} How art
thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art
thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! {13} For
thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in
the sides of the north: {14} I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. {15} Yet
thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. {16} They
that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider
thee, saying, Is this the man
that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; {17}
That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened
not the house of his prisoners? (Isaiah 14:12-17)
Isaiah
14:12-17 speaks about Satan and his desire to be like God. In verse 17, the
Bible states that he did not open the house of his prisoners. Did Satan have a
physical place where he locked up all his prisoners? The answer, of course, is
no. The prison being spoken of here is the prison of unbelief. Satan will not
allow any of his prisoners to hear and understand the Gospel.
{3} But if
our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: {4} In
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
Satan’s
desire is to keep all those who are unbelievers as unbelievers by blinding their
minds to the truth of the Gospel so salvation will not take place. While Satan
will control many people until the last day, God has committed to save many and
those that God will save will hear the Gospel and become saved which means they
have been removed from the prison house or the power of Satan.
Who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into
the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:13)
Now let us go
back to the time of Noah. What does this translate into? It means that Noah was
preaching to all the unbelievers for the duration of the building of the ark. We
have seen that those in spiritual prison are the unsaved. When a person becomes
saved, they become free.
But now being
made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto
holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)
Summary
So the
prisoners that Christ was preaching to were all the unbelievers at the time of
Noah, through Him indwelling Noah with the Holy Spirit. They were not in any
special place but were all walking around the earth. How does this apply to us
today? Well, it is the same principle, because all the unbelievers are still in
spiritual prison and the only way a person becomes free from that prison is by
receiving a full “Heavenly Pardon.” Once this takes place, they are transferred
from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God.
Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians
1:13) When we look at 1 Peter 3:18-20, we see how much deeper they are than
just a “homily in hell.” These verses speak of the beauty of salvation which we
can all thank God for this day. For we were once a prisoner but now we are set
at liberty.
2
Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
This scripture verse has been one of the most misused in the entire Bible.
Unfortunately, this verse is left to stand alone and in its isolated state,
seems to be the source for a wide teaching, that God wants everyone to be saved.
The problem with that theory is that not everyone is becoming saved. The word
“willing” is the Greek word “boulomai” which carries with it the meaning of
“willing desire, intention, or inclination” and it is from the Greek root word
“boul” which indicates a “planned desire.”
Now if it is God’s plan that everyone become saved, then we have a problem with
God’s plan, it is simply not working. If God plans something, then it will come
to pass as we have many examples in Scripture. The universal flood, the
destruction of Egypt, the destruction of Jericho. All these events happened and
no human intervention could stop them. Even Abraham could not prevent the
destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim.
Now let us go back to our Scripture above. When it speaks of the longsuffering
of God, it does not mean that he is waiting for people to accept Him. This would
never happen because of the following Scriptures.
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
(Romans 3:11)
Why?
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:
(Ephesians 2:1)
Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:5)
The reigning condition of unsaved mankind is that they are spiritually dead and
that condition will disallow them from seeking God. The dead can do nothing but
remain dead, unless they are raised to life from an outside source. This means
that unless God raises a person, they remain dead. Did Lazarus raise himself or
did the Lord Jesus Christ give him back his life? We know it was Christ who did
it. Lazarus was a rotting corpse which is representative of people being
spiritually dead corpses. This disallows anyone from giving themselves spiritual
life by raising themselves. Dead is dead and that is it.
The longsuffering of God that we see in this verse, has nothing to do with God
waiting for an individual “to accept Him” simply because it is impossible for
the spiritually dead to make themselves alive. What the Bible is telling us here
is that God has a timetable when He is going to end the world. The long
suffering or patience of God is that when the Bible was written, there were many
hundreds of years left for Earths existence. God’s patience is that He is
waiting for the last one to become saved and then He will end it all up.
The same principle of time is found in the following verse.
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in
the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight
souls were saved by water. (1 Pet 3:20)
What does this verse above teach about the longsuffering of God? He wasn’t
waiting for people to accept Him or turn to Him, He was waiting for the
completion of the Ark.
Let me give a quick analogy. If we were to understand the longsuffering of God
to mean that He sits in Heaven waiting for some dead sinner to accept Him, then
we can liken that to a person who loses a friend or loved one in death. Instead
of them burying that person, they take the coffin and the body to their home and
then sit by it day and night waiting for the deceased person to come alive. Now
how long do you think it will be before the deceased comes to life by
themselves? NEVER! Unless God raises up a person spiritually to newness of life,
they too will just remain dead.
So the longsuffering of God means He patiently waits for the redemption of all
those who were named in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the
world and have yet come into physical existence according to His time table.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
(Revelation 13:8)
This verse is speaking of the “planned desire” of God to save all His Elect. Now
when we leave 2 Peter 3:9 alone, it doesn’t seem to be saying this, therefore,
we look for other corroborating verses to see if we are on the right path.
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last
day. (John 6:39)
We did not have to look far for the biblical evidence. When we read John 6:39
and compare it with 2 Peter 3:9, we see that God is giving the Elect to the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the Lord Jesus Christ will not lose one or “not willing that
any should perish.” The ones who will not perish are those whom God gives to the
Lord Jesus or otherwise known as “The Elect.”
Summary
To isolate 2 Peter 3:9 and then try to create some mythical free will theology
on it, makes one guilty of eisegesis which means “placing meaning where it does
not belong.” The biblical rule of hermeneutics is to compare Scripture with
Scripture. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13) The most dangerous Bible interpretation method
is to interpret something though emotion or human desire without doing a study
in Scripture. 90% of the time we will find that Scripture will always discredit
what we want to believe. Remember it is God’s Bible and God’s message to us, not
ours to Him!
1
John 2:2
And he is
the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world.
Propitiation - Expiation or sin offering
It is a
sad thing that this verse is very misused by those who advocate free will. If
you will notice in the beginning of this verse it talks about the Lord Jesus
being the sin offering for the believer. The word “our” is in the genitive or
possessive case which means it belongs to us. So what is in view here is that
the Lord Jesus Christ was the sin bearer for all the believers. Now the second
part of this verse could trip a person up if they do not connect what the rest
of the Bible teaches on this. It is a given fact in Scripture that not every
person in the world is going to be saved, in fact, there is only going to be a
small remnant saved out of all the billions in population. The second part of
this verse is not teaching universal atonement because that is simply not true
based upon the Scriptures and what we see in life. We can see unbelievers all
around us who die in that state. What this verse is simply teaching, based upon
all the other biblical evidence, is that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ
was not only sufficient for the believers in John’s time, but that sufficiency
will extend to the end of time to all the Elect all around the world. It in no
way implies universal atonement, in that Christ paid for the sins of every
person in the world and all they have to do is “accept Christ” and the atonement
will be applied. This is taught nowhere in Scripture because saying a few words
does not apply the forgiveness of God. God Himself is the one who chooses whom
He is going to save and applies the sacrifice of Christ to that person and then
indwells them with the Holy Spirit. Man has no part whatsoever except to receive
it.
1
John 3:9
Whosoever
is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God.
One of the
key words in this verse is the word “cannot.” The word “can” is a word of
ability making the word “cannot” a word of ability also. This verse states that
a person who is born of God cannot sin.
To gain a better understanding of this verse we need to go back to 1 John
3:6.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him,
neither known him. (1 John 3:6)
We can
look at the word “abideth” and see that as a synonym for salvation. The only
ones who abide or remain in Christ are those whom the Father has saved. Here we
read in this verse that those who are truly saved will not sin. Both uses of the
word “sinneth” are in the present tense. This means that those who are truly in
God will not live a life of practicing sin. A Christian may sin because we are
still in the flesh and face all the temptations of the world. When a Christian
does sin, they will not make it a practice as the unbeliever does. Those who
claim to be saved and live a life in sin are proving, by their actions, that
they have never been saved. If they truly knew God by means of salvation, then
they would know a life of sin is inconsistent with the regenerated life.
Now
another aspect of this must be introduced. When Christ went to the cross, He
completely removed all of our sins.
As far as
the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from
us. (Psalm 103:12)
I, even
I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and
will not remember thy sins. (Isaiah 43:25)
And you,
being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; {14} Blotting out
the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and
took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (Colossians 2:13-14)
This means
that our souls have been totally cleansed because every sin has been removed and
paid for. The sins we commit in the future have also been paid for and removed.
Now since we still live in the flesh, it means that we will still be subject to
sinning. The Apostle Paul had this situation where he struggled with sin because
the flesh was still prone to sin but his soul was totally cleansed.
Now then it is no more I that do it, but
sin that dwelleth in me. (Romans 7:17) Notice Paul states that it is no
longer he that is sinning but sin which dwells in him. The sin dwells in the
flesh. For I know that in me (that is, in
my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but
how to perform that which is
good I find not. (Romans 7:18) This is why upon the death of the believer,
the body must go into the ground to face corruption but the believer, in their
spirit essence goes directly into the presence of the Lord. This is because the
spirit essence of the believer has been totally cleansed of all sin and is made
ready for Heaven. For I delight in the
law of God after the inward man: Paul delighted himself in the law of the inward
man: (Romans 7:22), that is, grace because he knew that it made him sinless
in his soul existence. This is why it is important for a Christian to know that
not only were all their sins forgiven but they were extracted and totally
removed. This is why John could state that those who are truly saved will not
commit sin because their souls are sinless. Sin cannot come out of a source of
sinlessness. I am definitely not speaking of the sinless perfection that John
Wesley believed in because in their belief of “entire sanctification,” the body
was also included in that sinless existence. This, of course, is untrue because
we see the body still decaying every day as the spirit grows stronger.
For which cause we faint not; but though
our outward man perish, yet the inward
man is renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)
If the body was regenerated along with
the soul, then death would never take place because the body would have been
transformed at that moment but as you can see in your own body, that it is dying
by means of disease or age but your soul is totally unaffected by death.
Now back
in verse 6, we saw that Paul had struggled with sin in the flesh, therefore, if
we try to understand verse 9 as a Christian being unable to sin in their body
owing to some type of spiritual maturity, we will have a great contradiction
because even in the Scriptures, prominent Christians have sinned, such as David
with Bathsheba, Solomon with all the false gods, Moses disobeying God by
striking the rock twice, etc.
What is in
view here in 1 John 3:9 is what we discussed in verse 6. When Christ cleansed
the soul of the Christian by means of His sacrifice on Calvary, the soul of the
Christian was purified and made sinless. The Holy Spirit indwells the true
believer, so sin and the Holy Spirit cannot occupy the same place, remember the
principle of darkness and light. Light always displaces darkness, no matter how
small the light. No true believer can ever sin in their soul because it has been
completely cleansed of sin but they may sin in their flesh, as we have
previously saw in Romans 7:19, that is where sin abides until we are changed or
experience physical death.
This verse
also speaks of God’s seed in us. What seed is that? It is the seed of the new
nature or the regeneration of the inward man. When a person becomes saved, at
that moment salvation is like a small planted seed. As the seed becomes watered
with the word it begins to grow, that is, it starts to manifest a spiritual life
in the recipient and as they continue to grow in the faith, the seed begins to
really grow and then begins to manifest an outward righteous life based upon the
cleansing of their soul they received at the moment of salvation and their
growth in sanctification in the faith. As they continue to grow, it is like the
seed turning into a plant or maybe a tree. As they continue to mature, the seed
continues to grow in all areas of their life. Then as they mature, they will not
commit sin, that is, live a life of sin because they will reflect the
transformation which took place in their soul. If a Christian commits a sin, it
does not mean they are living a life of sin but momentarily fell prey to the
flesh. Always keep in mind that
Christ is the seed that indwells you.
Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to
thy seed, which is Christ.
(Galatians 3:16)
Revelation 20:5-6
{5} But the
rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection. {6} Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with him a thousand years.
(Revelation 20:5-6)
In this verse we read when the resurrection of all people will occur. The Bible
is very clear that the resurrection of both the believers and unbelievers will
be on the last day.
{28} Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the
which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {29} And shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that
have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28-29)
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath
one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in
the last day. (John 12:48)
So we see that the thousand year reign and the New Testament period are the
same, since the resurrection is stated as being at the end of both. This verse
also points out the unbelievers, "the rest of the dead," will not be raised till
the thousand years are completed. So till that time, where do they go? Psalm
115:17 tells us:
The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. (Psalm
115:17)
This verse shows us that the unsaved dead go to a place of silence until the
resurrection. I do not know where this place is but God declares it is a place
of silence. The word "silence" in the Hebrew means "to be dumb." It is
figuratively used as "death." So the unbeliever is in a place of silence which
is comparable to the silence of death until the last day. The balance of this
verse continues to speak of the first resurrection which will be clarified in
verse 6.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests
of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation
20:6)
In this verse we will discover what the first resurrection is. The Bible clearly
teaches a single, general resurrection and we must seek to understand if the
first resurrection is something different from a resurrection of believers. Let
us explore some unique characteristics of the first resurrection. The key to
understanding the first resurrection is in the part of this verse which states,
"on such the second death has no power."
Who is unaffected by the second death, which is a synonym for judgment and hell?
Only the born again Christian is unaffected by judgment because Christ has
already paid for our sins. Therefore, our abode will be heaven not hell. Every
born again Christian on earth has experienced the first resurrection. I saw a
famous Pre-trib theologian on a talk show mockingly put down this biblical view
by saying something has to be dead before it can be resurrected. He offered no
alternative teaching but just a pseudo-intellectual put down.
I am glad he said it because it is based on truth, whether he knows or not. Let
us look at Ephesians 2:1-3:
{1} And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: {2} Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: {3} Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (Ephesians 2:1-3)
We read in verse 1 that we were dead in our sins. It seems that something was
dead, and it was us. Now were we physically dead or spiritually dead? The answer
is simple, we were spiritually dead. Paul tells us that we walked in the
deadness of our sins, until something happened. We read in Ephesians 2:5:
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by
grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:5)
God made us alive or resurrected our dead souls. The phrase "quickened us
together" may also be translated "to make alive together." That theologian who
mockingly discounted this truth should have done his homework and would have
discovered that something was dead, and was made alive. When you received
Christ, did your physical body change? Of course not, but you did receive your
resurrected soul, and before you did, you were dead to the things of God,
whereas now you are alive to the things of God. Let us look at Ephesians 2:6:
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6)
As a result of being made alive, we are raised up to sit together with Christ in
heaven, as if we are already up there reigning with Him. The rest of Rev. 20:6
tells us that we are on the right track since when a person becomes saved, they
become: priests of God and Christ (1 Peter 2:5); blessed (Eph. 1:3); and holy
(Eph. 1:4). So as we see the believer is already reigning with Christ as a
result of their position, and since this reigning is in effect at present, it
also tells us that the thousand year reign is also in effect at present. The two
cannot be separated.
Revelation 20:7-8
{7} And when
the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, {8} And
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,
Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the
sand of the sea. Revelation 20:7-8
Revelation
20:7
{7} And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed
out of his prison,
The thousand year reign in Revelation 20 is representative of the entire New
Testament period. One of the
greatest errors of the dispensational belief system is that they push everything
to the future. Remember the verse
in Daniel 7:25 where it states that Satan will change times and laws?
And he shall speak great words
against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think
to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a
time and times and the dividing of time.
(Daniel 7:25) Well he has done this by introducing the dispensational
view and since he did this in 1830 through the Glasgow Prophecy meetings,
Christians, mainly prophecy preachers, have been forcing this mythical belief
system on the Bible with their twisted meaning of Scripture.
They claim the loosing of Satan will be 1,007 years in the future but
brethren look around at what is going on in our present day society.
Verse 7 reveals that right at the end of time Satan will
be allowed to continue his deceptions. He will blind the minds of the people of
the world on a grander scale. This is how God will wind down His salvation
program by saving less and less toward the last day. When God saves the last
one, then this will usher in the last day, and then the prophetic events will
unfold rapidly and it will be the end of recorded history. We are very close to
the end as we see the increase in false gospels, New Age philosophies, attacks
on Christians and Christianity, attacks on the Scriptures, Sodomy out in the
open with no shame, and mounting perversions creeping into the church which are
being embraced by both clergy and congregations.
When it says that Satan will be loosed out of his prison, it is telling us that
the great chain which kept him tied has now been taken out of the way which is
the Holy Spirit who applies salvation to the Elect.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already
work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
(2 Thessalonians 2:7) Satan will no
longer be hindered as he makes the final attempt to make war against the Lord
Jesus Christ and the body of believers. The Holy Spirit has been taken out of
the way as the great restrainer of evil because now comes the final battle with
Satan and he must be allowed to muster whatever forces he can for this battle.
For thousands of years the Holy Spirit has restrained evil but now He is
slowly removing his restraining hand from the earth as sin is now reigning like
it never did before. One of the
reasons that Satan wants abortion and homosexuality is because abortion murders
babies and homosexuals cannot have children thus he believes if he can limit
population by these methods, then the last of the Elect cannot be born which
means, in his mind, God cannot save the last one which spells the doom of Satan
and therefore he will not face the lake of fire but he forgets one thing, that
God is not willing that any of the Elect shall perish.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
Revelation 20:8
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the
number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
After Satan is loosed out of his prison, he is allowed once again to deceive the
nations. Notice the verse states
that Satan “shall” go out and deceive the nations and that includes all the
nations of the world which is stated by the term “four quarters of the earth.”
The words “shall go out” is one word in the Greek and it is in the
Indicative Mood which is the mood of fact, that is, Satan will go out to deceive
the nations in a final attempt to gain world domination over the believers and
win the war against Christ which he thinks he can win in his mind.
In Ezekiel 38 and 39, Gog and Magog were nations who
were going to come against ancient Israel. Magog was a nation from the north.
Here though, Gog and Magog are representing the entire world. This verse tells
us that Satan is going to attempt to muster every evil spirit he can to come to
the great and final battle. We see this battle as Armageddon. Satan will
apparently be able to muster a countless number of demons who will attempt one
final battle against the Kingdom of God. This deception right before the return
of Christ will see many false religions, false gospels and perversions come into
existence. If you notice that Satan’s last weapon in his repository is
deception, so the extreme final days of earth will produce pandemic deception in
the area of the gospel as he will try and make one major attempt to attack the
body of believers by trying to deceive them.
He will have great success in deceiving the unbelievers with many
perversions. Satan has been loosed
at present and that is why sin is abounding like never before in history.
Revelation 22:17
And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Many like to use this verse as an invitation to “accept
Jesus.” This is not what it is teaching. This verse is teaching that all those
Elect whom God named before the foundation of the world will thirst after the
Gospel and they will be given the water of life freely, which means they will be
saved by free grace. No one can will or work themselves into Heaven, it comes by
the effectual grace of God. The key phrase in this verse is “let him that
heareth say.” Only those who God qualifies to hear the Gospel will become saved.
The word “heareth” in this verse in the Greek is the word “akouw” which carries
with it the meaning of “hearing with understanding.” Notice the order in the
verse. “Hearing” comes before “come
and take.” Only those who will
“come and take” will be those who have been given spiritual understanding, that
is, those who have already become saved and have been raised to newness of life
in Christ.