|
People of The Living God |
|
January 2020
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
SMOKE FROM THE PIT
Alfred King
As I sit at my desk this morning, having read just a little of the news, I am saddened by the path this once great nation is taking, and not only the nation but the church, also. This nation is on the path that other nations have taken before us, to its own destruction. America has always been somewhat resilient when crisis has come upon her. Even the division that brought about the Civil War, a crisis that seemed as though it would completely destroy this nation, was, through God, held together. However, that was a time when most people in America believed in God and most attended church and had great respect and reverence for the sacred. If you have read much about the time of the Civil War, you will find that men and women in both the north and the south prayed to God. Even though there was division, God heard the prayers of His people and kept this nation from falling.
However, the division today is much more serious than in the days before and after the Civil War. In modern culture God is being blasphemed and cursed every day. More and more swearing and cursing, crude and disgusting verbiage is spewing forth, not just from the average unlearned and ignorant populous, but from our politicians and those who are to be examples to their constituents and, more importantly, to our young people. Today, profanity flows from the mouths of our youth like someone who has a serious stomach virus and can’t keep anything down. How did we arrive at this place? When I was a child, my dad told me that men should respect women and never curse in front of them. I was told this was extremely disrespectful, and I grew up with that stamped in my mind. Yet, today, not only do men curse but unashamedly use egregious language and spew it out for the whole world to hear. What has happened to our once moral nation? What has brought about such a perverted and decadent society? And a more pertinent question is: How long can this society last before it self-destructs?
While “In God We Trust” is still stamped on our coins and we still sing the song, “God Bless America,” this nation has, for the most part, rejected God. They have rejected the God that made America a land of freedom, prosperity, and peace. And as God has been cast aside and humanism and atheism has become the norm, God’s blessings are gradually being replaced with chaos, confusion, fear, and uncertainty. Violent gangs roam the streets of most major cities in this nation. The flood of drugs into our country has destroyed and is destroying the lives of millions, not only of the addicted but their families and friends as well. Because of man’s rejection of God’s definition of marriage, millions of children are raised in one parent homes where the positive influence of both parents, the masculine and the feminine, is missing. As resilient as America has always been, there is a point at which she will be unable to raise herself from her bed of filthiness and debauchery, for God’s judgment has fallen upon her.
A wise man once wrote, “It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom” (Prov. 10:23) Do we not see the “fool”, not just demonstrating, but sporting their mischief by destroying property, fighting against police, and even attacking one another? Groups like Antifa, who enjoy causing a ruckus by disguising themselves and wreaking havoc and destruction in America’s cities, are fools according to scripture. When members are asked what their purpose is, most cannot give a descent answer. More often they expose their ignorance by stumbling around trying to come up with a reasonable answer. So, what is their purpose? Why are they out on the streets demonstrating? Many, and probably most, don’t even know themselves. Where does all this come from? Fundamentally, it comes from this nation’s rejection of God and His ways.
However, for those who call themselves “Christians”, we must begin to seek God to find His will for His church. Men have many ideas and thoughts of how to deal with the problems facing this nation, but the only One Who truly has the answer is God. As Christians, we are engaged in a spiritual war and the present battle is becoming increasingly hostile. The “politically correct” crowd will turn their anger toward Christians before this all ends (although some Christians are already being attacked). Churches are being forced to accept things that God says is an abomination. One church in Malmo, Sweden, has a new altar piece intended to celebrate and indorse inclusiveness with a painting that replaces Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden “with gay couples in suggestive poses, while depicting the serpent tempting them as a transgender woman” (Right Country – Infowars). For those who want to read the article, it is here: https://www.rightcountry.com/what-church-unveils-altarpiece-of-paradise-featuring-gay-couples-and-transgender-serpent/
While this is in Sweden, the path America is on will soon find itself with the same or similar blasphemous portraits. As Christians, we must realize that we are not fighting against flesh and blood but “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). It is true that it is flesh and blood that is engaged in the evil activities that plague our nation, but there are evil spirits which are influencing and, in some cases, possessing these people. When all reason and common sense is thrown out and truth is cast into the streets (Isa. 59:14), and when evil is called “good” and good “evil” (Isa. 5:20), we can be certain that there are evil spirits at work.
The Apostle Peter informed us that our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). And he tells us in faith, to resist him. Jesus, in His death and resurrection, has given His followers power over the powers of the devil and the devil’s host of evil spirits. (I wrote about the power of the blood in the December issue of “The Testimony of Truth,” which is where our authority and power lies.) But to know this wonderful truth is not enough. The truth is only effective when we apply it to our lives. We MUST recognize that we are in a war with evil spirits not merely flesh and blood. Flesh and blood battles are fought with guns, tanks, and other war-machines, but spiritual battles are fought only through spiritual means. Those means are discovered and apprehended through prayer and in God’s word.
One of the signs of the last days is that evil will increase worldwide. In Revelation 9, Jesus revealed to John that the bottomless pit would be opened, and from that pit would come: first smoke, which is to blind men to truth and to suffocate any spiritual life or conscientiousness in them. This is what we see today. When man can actually believe that we can decide our sex, he is totally blind and void of any conscience. God created us male and female and yet today we are being told that you don’t have to be what God created you to be. You can change your gender and be whatever you want to be. What foolishness!! And yet, some actually believe this garbage. They have thrown truth into the streets and are building upon sand.
From this pit recorded in Revelation 9, there come scorpions like locust. A single scorpion is not too serious for most of us, but here the scorpions come as locusts do, by the millions. In the east of Palestine, when locusts would come they would destroy everything. They not only destroy the crops but trees, and have been known to eat the varnish from furniture in homes. They don’t destroy merely because they are hungry but they seem set on destruction. Read what Kitto’s Encylopedia has to say about the locust of the east. “Locusts seem to devour not so much from a ravenous appetite as from a rage for destroying. Destruction, therefore, and not food, is the chief impulse of their devastations, and in this consists their utility; they are, in fact, omnivorous. The most poisonous plants are indifferent to them; they will prey even upon the crowfoot, whose causticity burns even the hides of beasts. They simply consume everything, without predilection-vegetable matter, linens, woolens, silk, leather, etc.; and Pliny does not exaggerate when he says, fores quoque tectorum – 'even the doors of houses’ – for they have been known to consume the very varnish of furniture. They reduce everything indiscriminately to shreds, which become manure" (Kitto's Encyclopedia ii. 263). (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
I believe this gives us a more vivid picture of the spiritual purpose of the scorpions as they come forth from the bottomless pit. We are in a spiritual battle, and it is time for the church to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand firm against the onslaught of the enemy.
While the future of America is unknown, the future of the church is known. God will bring His church through the Great Tribulation and He will be victorious in the end. However, there will be a tremendous spiritual battle before Jesus returns and we need to begin to prepare ourselves for that battle by learning how to war against the evil forces that are growing in our world. Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.” While the world plays the “Fool” let us who are spiritually minded, stand firm on God’s holy word and exercise ourselves in spiritual things so we will be built up in God’s truth.
A LETTER TO OTHER PRISONERS
Jimmy Windham
Dear and Precious Body of Christ,
First and always, please allow me to greet you all in the name of Jesus our Savior, Redeemer and soon coming King.
My heart is heavy since last week, and it has caused me to pray for everything we see on the news channels concerning our nation. I'm not one to judge, for I'm the least in the kingdom of God, for my sins and crime were awful. Until the blood of my precious Savior washed all my sins away, I had no hope.
But if y'all don't mind me talking to you for a moment I would appreciate it, for though our nation and the whole world seems to have no moral convictions anymore, we mustn't dwell on those things we see on the news and around us, for Jesus Himself said, “As it was in the days of Noe so shall it be also in the days of the son of man.” (Lk.17:26) So, the things we see all around us aren't the things we should focus our attention on for those things are temporal and not eternal. The things we see around us as signs of Jesus' coming actually are there for our joy, because we know that our deliverance draweth nigh.
A precious sister in the Lord from Tennessee who has, along with her husband, a prison ministry and their hearts are so burdened for the inmates that they go spend their week-ends with them, bringing those ladies Bibles, tracts, and, above all, they show them God loves them. Recently, Sister Ax wrote me to tell me that the young lady (Sister Bush) we had prayed for who was facing a life sentence, only got 18 years, which to me was a gift from above. But I do understand Sister Bush's feelings, for when you first come down with 18, it looks like an eternity.
So, today, I want to speak to the heart of the cast out and mostly forgotten creation of God across this great nation, I direct my thoughts to the inmate population and, yes, to the skeptics. I hear your voice that says lock them all up and toss the key away and punish them all. To you, dear one, I say that where I live is SCDC. Please take note of the last word in that title; it's corrections, not punishment. And the word penitentiary comes from the root word pentanco or repentance. God in His mercy is giving us time to be corrected in our ways of thinking and doing things, but it's also time from God for us to repent.
A scripture says, “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. The word transformed in this scripture is the same Greek word as metamorphous in English. This word is actually a death and a resurrection, from a cocoon into a beautiful butterfly, from death into a new life. Sister Bush and those like her who have recently come to jail or prison have so many fears of prison, for we see it on TV, and the television program shows a total dark, dangerous world where only the strong survive. But, I assure you that that definitely isn't the case at all. When I left the county jail in 1985 (I went in in 1984), I didn't know what to expect or what I would do or how I was going to handle myself. But I know that I had repented of my terrible crime and sins in the county jail and I meant business, so when I arrived in prison I had so much anxiety in me, and I was watching everything and everyone.
I was put in a cell with a small window for screening for two days. I kept noticing the “run around” (inmate assigned to aid the C/Os and us). He stopped by my cell, so I asked him one question. His answer still resonates in my heart today. I said, “Can a man with a life sentence be a Christian in prison?” His answer started me out on the right path; he said, “Can you beat all these inmates at once by yourself?” I said, “no”. He said, “Jesus has angels all around you and they will protect you, for you can't do your time by yourself.” So, I wouldn't want to not be a Christian in this darkness.
Drugs, any kind of drugs, even prescribed psych drugs that altar you mind is a crutch and takes away your faith in God to let Him be your strength. Trust my word here; you don't need drugs. You who have truly accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior only need Him. Again, I tell you that drugs are only temporal and will all pass away. But faith in God and leaning only on Christ will last forever, and I know from experience that Christ will reveal Himself to you when you give Him your life and put your trust in Him to carry you through this down time. It isn't the end of your life, for when you accepted Christ as your Savior you actually just started to live.
The next thing I suggest to a newbie (fish) is look around at those around you and begin early to find good acquaintance, for they're also looking for you, because good, kind people associate only with good, kind individuals, so pick good friends early, for in this world acquaintances come and go, but true friendships last forever. Then look into the education and program offers, for then you are occupying you time in a positive way. Then for your top priority find Christians like yourself and share you heart with them as well as your faith. Also, if you've hurt family and friends before you came down, then in your prayer life pray for them and in time, God will heal them as He's going to heal you by prayer.
Everything I'm telling today is true, for I've experienced it. Our strength comes from the Lord not drugs. Also, pray for those good, kind people who take their time to come visit you or, like Bro. Al who allows me to call him for prayer and support, pray for them. God is using them to be Jesus to you and to show you that it isn't over for you, for God has a plan for your life. Plans that will bless you and let you become a beautiful butterfly, for I assure you, that those who are watching you will see you transform. God bless you, my dear ones.
I remain, a Prisoner of Jesus Christ
Jimmy Windham, SCDC # 127054
PS: Accept what is Let go of what was Have faith in what will be.
“SWEAR NOT AT ALL”
Matthew 5:34
Harry R. Miller
This is one of the COMMANDS given by the Lord Jesus Christ to His people. Like a great many of the commands that He gave, it has been ignored and forgotten down through the ages. How strange it seems that so few people truly esteem the words of Christ. Multitudes profess to be Christians, yet in WORKS they deny Him. It is the order of the day to CLAIM to be a lover of the true God and a disciple of His Son; but what a mockery such claims can be if they are in WORD only. A genuine saint has learned to practice OBEDIENCE to his Lord: only those who are obedient can truly honor their Saviour.
Men are pressed by the many complications of this “latter day” civilization and for expediency’s sake will often lower God’s standards and compromise their convictions. Both the “letter of the Word” and “the spirit of the Word” are at times sacrificed upon the altar of “Better Policy” if the occasion seems to demand it. This generation tends to wink at God’s Word while compliably conforming to convention in an effort to escape ridicule, and avoid appearing fanatical or unconventional. In other words – professing Christendom prefers to conform to the customs of this world rather than live according to the COMMANDS GIVEN BY THE LIVING GOD.
One of the most subtle devices of evil designed to enlist the devotion of man in contradiction to the COMMANDS OF GOD is the custom of swearing allegiance to a cause, a people, a society, a denomination. God alone is worthy of the complete obedience of moral beings. It would be a substitution of the sole rights of Divinity to invest a society with the authority of demanding blind obedience to its dictates. Religious institutions are the creations of humanity. Without humanity they would cease to exist. It is stupid for humanity to suppose that an earthly institution can be made a divine authority. Even the Levitical priesthood could never claim divine authority and infallibility. Moses and the prophets were over the priesthood, and the prophets themselves were but channels for God’s voice.
God is a self-existent being, and upon Him all creation depends. He alone is worthy of absolute and complete devotion of all creatures. History repudiates divine authority of human institutions, societies, denominations, sects and so-called “churches.” Never in all history has the Creator invested His own divine prerogatives in any earthly institution.
All manner of devices have been used to magnify the authority of earthly institutions. The oath of allegiance is man’s first act of obeisance in paying homage to an ecclesiastical God. Search the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation but not one verse of Scripture can be found that tells where the Creator ever asked man to swear allegiance to Him or His cause. After becoming Christians through the “new birth” there is no need to be “sworn-in,” even to the deepest secrets of the Christian brotherhood.
The creature’s complete devotion should be to God alone. Only sectarianism would attempt to defy the Almighty by trying to secure the surrender and obedience of saints through such devices as promises of allegiance and oaths of loyalty.
The ordinance of marriage is solemnized by the promises, or oaths, of those who are being married. Christian people are married to Christ and only the vile spirits of sectism would dare attempt to break their marriage vows to Him by becoming married to another. A saint is married to Christ by means of something far deeper than a spoken vow, or a well-worded “article of faith.” Every true believer of Jesus Christ knows Him through the Spirit, and in their hearts they have made a complete commitment to Him. This commitment includes everything pertaining to this life and to that which is to come. There are positively no reservations: there is nothing left to dedicate to another.
How then, could a true Christian tempt Providence by swearing allegiance to anyone or anything other than God? Can any saint truthfully promise to completely obey the voice of a sect, society, or ecclesiastical body? Has the Creator God delivered us into the hands of an earthly institution that we must not oppose, contradict, or disobey? If such is the case, then what is the name of that institution, that we may all surrender there our bodies souls and spirits? For if He has thus delivered us, then no more need we listen to and obey our consciences. As a matter of fact, such an institution would surely be far superior to conscience; therefore, personal convictions and conscience would have to be completely cast aside for blind devotion to the institution.
But I find such conclusions contradictory to many PLAIN STATEMENTS of the Scriptures. God has not abdicated His throne, neither has He surrendered divine power and authority over the souls of men. No institution has been made ruler of the souls of men. God has always been omnipotently able to interview personally and to converse with each and every soul who would seek Him. He never has been so overcome with business and cares that He has not had time to spend with those who love Him. He is God; He is THE PERSONAL GOD: our every personal affair is a thing of most interest to Him. He has counted the hairs of our heads, and even one fallen sparrow is considered by Him with whom we have to do. The very food that we eat and the clothes which we wear are of personal interest to our Lord. Of how much more interest, then, must be those devotions of the heart.
No institution could possibly take the place of our loving God. Is it not foolhardy for men to swear allegiance to an earth-bound creation of this fallen generation? Who but the devil would devise such an instrument of bondage as an oath of allegiance to a human society?
The Lord Jesus said: “let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these COMETH OF EVIL” (Matt. 5:37). We are told to let our “yes” or “no” be exactly that. We should not resort to impressive devices such as OATHS to confirm the sincerity of our words.
Godly men have, at times, made vows and taken oaths before the Lord, promising to do certain things. These are acceptable to God if they are observed: “When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform” (Deut. 23:21-23). In order to confirm the fact that God’s law relative to oaths has been carried over into the New Testament we read from the “Sermon on the Mount” that Jesus said: “Thou shalt not forswear thyself (Christians shall not be bound to any earthly institution, society, sect, or so-called “church by an OATH), but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths” (Matt. 5:33).
Multitudes of people have the idea that faithfulness to God means faithfulness to their particular SECT, or the denomination to which they have taken an oath of devotion. But this is BONDAGE and slavery of mind and soul. The plain statement of Scripture which says: “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,” leaves no place for the tyranny of sworn allegiance to the manifesto. It is time to “shake thyself from the dust” of all of the devices of the institutions of men, for by trickery they have made merchandise of the people of God. Refuse to give allegiance to anyone except the Lord our God. Fear not to cast off the unprofitable works of darkness that have entrapped you into making such an oath. If you are a Christian then you had no legal right to make an oath of devotion to another, for when you were found of Christ you could not have known Him unless in spirit you had surrendered ALL to Him. In view of your complete surrender to Him your commitment to Him still stands and your sworn allegiance to another has no legal foundation. It is only chaff: let the wind drive it away. If you belong to Christ you have no right to swear anything to another; you are His: body, soul, and spirit. Your oath to sectarianism was an error from beginning to end. Ask the Lord to forgive you, and then forget that you ever for a moment stepped aside to swear devotion to another.
HAVE NO SIN?
Harold Kupp
Those who say that it is not necessary to cease from sin in order to inherit eternal life often quote the following verse: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (I John 1:8). By quoting that verse they attempt to prove that it is impossible to cease from sin.
In response, I would point out that any attempt to make that verse prove that Christians are unable to cease from sin is to contradict the design of the Epistle – "...that ye sin NOT." It would also contradict John's many decisive statements to the effect that a Christian who is truly born of God does not commit sin. In fact, John said: “He that committeth sin is of the devil" (I John 3:8).
Please compare the following statements made by John in the very same Epistle:
Group A Group B
"If we say that "Whosoever is born of God
we have no sin, doth NOT commit sin." (3:9)
we deceive ourselves." (1:8)
"If we say that "Whosoever is born of God
we have not sinned sinneth NOT." (5:18)
we make Him a liar," (1:10)
Do you think the verses in both groups refer to someone who is born of God? If so, then John is hopelessly contradicting himself. Of course, that cannot be. Therefore, we may be certain that each group of verses has reference to a different subject.
* The verses in Group B refer to those who are born of God. They do NOT commit sin.
* The verses in Group A have to do with exposing false teachers who were teaching Gnostic concepts about the nature of sin.
When John said: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves," he was pointing out the error of Gnosticism which said that those who committed sin were held to be not guilty in the eyes of God. "Gnostics alleged that by reason of the spiritual seed in them, and of their superior spiritual knowledge and communion with the light they were free to act as they chose and were not polluted thereby." (Lange Commentary)
Daniel Steele said this about Gnosticism: "The moral effects of this doctrine were indeed deplorable. Sin existed only in the body while the soul was perfectly HOLY, hence all kinds of sin could be committed with impunity. The golden jewel in the dunghill was not defiled. Thus was it with the soul of the glutton, the drunkard, and the adulterer. None of these needed cleansing, for the spirit, the real personality was SINLESS." (Half hours with John's Epistles 1901)
In the first chapter of John's Epistle, he was comparing what he and the apostles taught with the doctrines of false teachers. For example, John exposes a different lie in each of the following verses that begin with the phrase "If we say."
(1:6) If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie, and DO NOT THE TRUTH. (Thy law is the truth. Psalm 119:142)
* The false teachers say that willful sin does not break fellowship with God.
(1:8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
* The false teachers say that we have no sin charged to our spirit; the body is guilty, but the soul is under the blood of Jesus and, therefore, has no guilt.
(1:10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
* The false teachers say that we have not sinned in our spirit; it remains sinless no matter how many times the body sins.
Look closely; the above verse does not refer to those who say "I do not commit sin” – it refers to those who say: I have NOT sinned. All men have sinned, but those who are born of God stop committing sin. The false teaching of modern Christianity is that we have dual natures (one sinful and the other sinless). They say something like this: "The Old nature is born of fallen man, and is evil.” "The New nature is born of God and is Holy.” "The New nature does not commit sin, because it comes from God's seed." "The Old nature does sin any time you agree to let it." "Seed from God is incorruptible and produces in us an incorruptible nature. Therefore, the NEW nature cannot be corrupted at any time or any way." "Man is corruptible so man's nature is sinful.” "God is incorruptible, so the New nature is SINLESS."
Therefore, they say, "even if you are a 'defeated Christian' (a willful sinner) you will still be saved because of God's new nature which dwells in you." "Praise God, in the NEW nature we have no sin."
After reading the explanations of Gnosticism, it is easy to see that modern Christianity has come up with a new form of Gnostic teaching which says that we have dual natures; one sinful, the other sin-free. They say that because of the blood of Jesus, even if we commit deliberate willful sin, all sins past, present and future are forgiven, and we are held to be not guilty in the eyes of God. The truth is that Jesus makes His people free FROM sin, not free TO sin without fear of eternal destruction.
When we are born of God, we have committed to obey God and surrender ourselves completely to His will. At that stage, we probably do not know much about sin or the sin nature buried deep within our souls. We may do things that break God's law without knowing it. If the sin is done in ignorance then the atoning death of Jesus covers it. But, once we recognize that what we are doing is sin, we must stop doing it – or be guilty of rebellion. If we continue to commit sin, we will eventually be lost because we are refusing to accept Jesus as our Lord. Think about it – if we do not obey Him, He is not our Lord.
When John said: “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” He was referring to sins of ignorance – not willful sin. John said: “Whosoever is born of God sinneth NOT.” As sin is revealed by the Holy Spirit, those who are born of God do not continue doing it. Eventually, all sin is revealed and thus they quit doing all sin. The Christian who continues to willfully disobey even one of God's Ten Commandments will be lost.
Have No Sin Means Have No Guilt
I John 1:8: “If we say that we HAVE NO SIN, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” First, please note that John is NOT saying the following: "If we say we DO NOT COMMIT SIN we are deceived." Now please note what John IS saying: I John 1:8: “If we say that we HAVE NO SIN, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” So, what does the term "we have no sin" mean? It means: "we have no guilt". The Greek phrase translated as "have no sin" is hamartian ouk echomen. This is the same phrase Jesus used when He told the Pharisees: (John 9:41) “Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” (KJV)
The KJV translates "have no sin" which is quite literal but does not convey the sense of Jesus' meaning. The RSV and NIV both point out that "have no sin" is better rendered "have no guilt." For example: In John 9:41, Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains.” (RSV)
John 9:41, Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (NIV)
Jesus was declaring that if they were ignorant they would have no guilt, but because they could see they would be guilty. Moffat correctly translates I John 1:8 as: "If we say we are not guilty." John was saying that the false teachers would say in some way or another that if we commit sin, our spirit would "have no guilt."
Daniel Steele D.D., speaking of the verse "we have no sin," writes: "Because," said the Gnostics, "sin never defiles the soul but the body only, and hence we need no cleansing, having in our spirits no sin to be cleansed from."
“Bengel, Bishop, B.F. Wescott, and others have noted that the phrase, ‘to have
sin’ is found only in John’s writings (John 9:41, 15:22,24, 19:11) and that it expresses guilt." (Half-hours With John's Epistles 1901)
I AM THE VINE, YE ARE THE BRANCHES
Alfred King
Jesus often taught valuable lessons by using parables to bring out spiritual truths in a way that men could understand. Humans, living in a physical world where we perceive truths by what we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel, sometimes find that spiritual truths elude us, for those truths are those of another realm. Many people feel that there is no spiritual realm at all; therefore, they are totally unable to grasp anything of a spiritual nature. But for those who have been born again, God has sent His Holy Spirit into their hearts and given them a degree of understanding of the spiritual world. The use of parables in teaching spiritual truths gives one the ability to convey to others a spiritual truth in a manner through which they begin to understand. One such parable that which Jesus used to teach His disciples a very essential and important lesson regarding their walk and relationship with God was the parable of the Vine and the branches, recorded in John chapter 15.
Jesus, knowing that He was to be crucified and that He would be leaving His disciples and returning to the Father, speaks this parable to them to show them that He would still be with them, not physically, but through the Holy Spirit that He was going to send to them. Jesus had told them at the last supper that He would be betrayed and delivered into the hands of evil men. His death was imminent and this left the disciples very sad and confused. They wanted to know where He was going and why they could not go with Him. They had become accustomed to having the Lord with them, hearing His words and learning so much concerning the truths of God in a way they had never learned before. His words were living, exhilarating, and encouraging, and so different from the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees, which were dead, lifeless, dull, boring, and ministered more depression and hopelessness than life. What would they do without Jesus among them?
They had become familiar with the healings and deliverances that followed Jesus and had seen the hopeless revived, the dead raised, the lame walk, the blind, deaf, and dumb restored. How could they function without Jesus? How could they be content to go back to their past occupations? How could they return to the weak and beggarly elements of their past religion? A certain despair filled their breasts as they walked toward the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus, always ready to strengthen and encourage His disciples, began to speak to them a parable, which has come to be called, “The Parable of the Vine and the Branches.” This parable, although spoken to those men the very night He was taken, was not intended only for them but for all those who would follow after, even to this present day. So let us gain a few thoughts from this parable that will encourage and strengthen us as we persevere on the path that is strait and narrow.
It is advisable for you to open your Bibles and turn to John 15 and read through the first 11 verses to familiarize (or refresh) your mind of the parable’s contents. In this parable there are four persons referred to: 1) Jesus – The Vine, 2) Believers – The branches, 3) God, the Father – the Husbandman, and 4) Men, that gather the withered branches and burn them. Although Jesus does not reveal who the “men” are, it is not difficult to discern them once the rest of the parable is understood.
Jesus often used common scenes which were present as they journeyed for a spring board on which to teach a lesson. He had spoken about a shepherd and his sheep in John 10. He had used a field of grain to teach that there would be good seed and tares growing together until the harvest. He used different types of soil to cause the disciples to examine their hearts and test the soil within. Now, He uses a vine where there were some early blossoms and possibly some grapes just beginning to form. What a great opportunity to encourage His disciples and teach a most important lesson.
Jesus said, “I am the Vine, ye are the branches.” In this introduction, He lays out a most profound and divine truth. There was a very intimate and binding relationship between Jesus and His disciples, and Jesus in this parable begins to reveal to those men that, though He was leaving, the relationship would not be severed. In fact, the bond would become even greater. He was going to the Father and He would send the Holy Spirit to be their constant guide, teacher, and comforter. He, being at the right hand of the Father, would also be their Advocate, their Intercessor and High Priest. When Jesus said, “My Father is the husbandman,” He was giving them assurance that God would be the One watching over them and continuing the work in their lives.
It is obvious from scripture that the disciples comprehended very little of what Jesus was promising them until after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. At that time, their spiritual eyes were opened and their hearts were filled with a full understanding of what Jesus had promised. God was going to endue them with the same supernatural power that Jesus possessed. They began to realize that, though Jesus was no longer present with them physically, He was within them empowering, teaching, leading, and revealing the Gospel to them in a way they never dreamed. The words of the prophets came alive and brought forth a vitality and energy that far surpassed anything they had experienced before. It was no longer merely an intellectual knowledge, rather the outpouring of the Holy Spirit drove those life-giving truths so deep within their hearts that they were never the same.
However, the parable lays down some very important requirements and must not be overlooked. The parable continues with these words: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” What we see here is that there are two type of branches which are attached to the vine, fruit-bearing branches and non-fruit-bearing branches. Something is going to happen to both of these types of branches. The non-fruit-bearing branches are cut off and are burned, while the fruit-bearing branches are pruned. What happens to them is determined by whether they are producing fruit or not. Pruning is to cut the branch back in order that more fruit can be produced. The Husbandman (the Father) allows Christians to be pruned; He allows difficult situations to arise in their lives to see how they will respond to those conditions. Will they allow those trials to bear the precious fruit of the Spirit or will they wither under the pressure of the pruning? Every branch can determine how he will fair when trials and tribulations come his way.
But we must not miss the most important part of this parable in our focus of bearing fruit, for Jesus brings out an extremely important point. Verse four reads, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you except you abide in me.” The key of this parable is to abide in Christ Jesus. To abide is to dwell in Him, to live in Him, for Him, and by Him. This is the most important point in this parable. Jesus clearly states that unless one abides (dwells, lives) in Him, he cannot bear good fruit.
The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 91, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide (live) under the shadow of the Almighty.” There is a place in God where every believer can walk so close to God that he actually has constant communion and fellowship with God. This is what Jesus provided in His death and resurrection; He reconciled us to God. Because of sin, we had become enemies of God, alienated from Him. But now we have been reconciled, brought back into fellowship with Him. Adam lost this fellowship in the Garden, but Jesus made it possible that man can return to that wonderful fellowship with the true and living God.
In verse 10 of John 15, Jesus tells us how we can abide in Him. “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love.” Abiding in Christ is brought about through obedience. Those who believe they can live their lives apart from obedience to God’s commandments and still bear fruit are deceiving themselves. The requirement of obeying God’s commands is one of the means by which fruit is borne. Jesus had just told His disciples in chapter 14 of the book of John that whoever kept His commandments were the ones who loved Him and that those that loved Him, He would love, and that He and the Father would come and make their abode (dwelling) with him (John 14:21,23).
So many today are satisfied to be called “Christian” with little thought of God or His commandments. But this is deceptively shallow and living so far below what Jesus died for. Not only is it shallow, it is very dangerous. Living a shallow Christian life will eventually take its toll, and you will find yourself unable to stand during the times of pruning. Let us therefore cast off the works of the flesh and put on the garments of righteousness, bearing fruit for the glory of our God.
Jesus is the Vine. From Him flows all life. In that life is His energy, His grace, His strength, His power, His love, His faith, His mercy, His anointing, His victory, His joy, His peace, His endurance, His comfort, His gentleness, His meekness, and all other heavenly attributes. These empower and enable believers to bring forth abundant fruit. If those disciples had realized what Jesus’ departure was to bring forth, their sadness would have fled away. Eternal salvation was provided for them and for all who will abide in the Vine and bear fruit for God’s glory.
THE TRUE ISRAEL OF GOD
(The following is Part Two on the subject, “The True Israel of God,” written by L.R. Shelton, Jr., of Pensacola, Florida.)
Let us again repeat something we said earlier and it is this: that I Cor. 15:45-46 teaches that God has always worked on the principle of first the natural, then the spiritual. Here, in regard to the kingdom of David and his seed, the Greater David, this holds true. The kingdom of David, king of Israel, was a natural kingdom; the kingdom of God manifested by Christ, the Greater David, is a spiritual kingdom. It is the Lordship of Christ in the hearts of His people; it is His authority guiding and directing their lives. When we read the words, “the kingdom of God” we should read them as “the authority of God” or “the Lordship of God.”
Let us illustrate again by comparison. The kingdom of David was a kingdom of physical things like meat and drink, but the kingdom of God – the Lordship or authority of God – is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).
The kingdom of David was a visible kingdom; it could be seen and observed. But, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation…for, behold, the kingdom of God” (the Lordship or authority of God) “is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).
The kingdom of David was a kingdom of this world, but the kingdom of God (the Lordship or authority of God) “is not of this world” (John 18:36).
You could see the kingdom of David from adjoining countries and enter it by crossing its boundaries, but “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (the Lordship or authority of God)…except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (the Lordship or authority of God) (John 3:3,5).
All of this proves that the dispensationalist theory, that Christ came to re-establish the old Davidic kingdom at His first coming and thereby bring “good government” to the world, is all wrong. It is equally wrong to believe that He will come a second time to rule with a “literal” rod of iron and to reform society by enforcing high moral and ethical standards that the world otherwise was, and is, unwilling to obey. Our Lord said Himself in Mark 10:43 that enforced government is not God’s way, but man’s way of rule. His way is working quietly in the hearts of His people by His Holy Spirit drawing them into His kingdom with cords of love, making them willing to bow at His feet in humble confession and repentance and taking His yoke upon them as an act of faith and obedience.
Also, being a spiritual kingdom, then the King who rules over it sits upon a throne that is “for ever and ever” (Heb. 1:8). He has a sceptre of righteousness (Heb. 1:8); He is crowned with glory and honor (Heb. 2:9); He is the “King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God” and to Him belongs “Honor and glory for ever and ever” (I Tim. 1:17); He is a priestly King “After the order of Melchisedec…king of righteousness, and king of peace” (Heb. 6:20-22). Also He is King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 17:14).
The Scriptures picture Christ as “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” (Rev. 5:5) who has chosen and continues to call out, “A kingdom of priests” (I Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10) to “show forth the praises of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9). These people, the church, the True Israel of God, “Hath been translated into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13) and according to Rom. 5:17 they reign in this life with Him. How? By His power given unto them. They reign over sin, the world, their circumstances, pain, adversity, tragedy and even death itself because they are “More than conquerors through him that loved them” (Rom. 8:37).
Yes, the True Israel of God sings praises unto Him that sits upon the throne saying, “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9-10). Yes, we do reign and as we reign, we shout with all the redeemed of all ages who make up the True Israel of God, “Alleluia, Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God…For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev. 19:1,6).
Let us now go back to the Gospel of Luke and look at the third thing he tells us about the kingdom of God. In Luke 12:31 we read, “Seek ye the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt. 6:33 puts it like this, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Here we are shown the necessity of seeking the Kingdom of God. When? Let II Cor. 6:2 give us the answer. “I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” You see, the kingdom of God, His rule over your heart and life in salvation is to be sought now, because when Christ comes that ends it all, then it will be too late, for there will be no second chance. Why? For then the day of judgment will be ushered in (John 5:28-29).
Let me cry loud and lift up my voice against this teaching that tells us that there will be a chance after Christ comes, a chance for me to be saved in a so-called seven years tribulation period and thousand-year reign of Christ upon the earth. This is false! The Scripture knows nothing about this! The parable of the ten virgins as well as the rest of the New Testament teaches that when Christ comes the door will be shut, therefore we are told to watch, for it will all be over. Listen to Matt. 25:10-11! “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us, But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, wherein the Son of man cometh.”
The fourth thing Brother Luke tells us about the kingdom of God is that it is spiritual, that it is within us. Listen to Luke 17:20-21! “And when Christ was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” I ask, “What is the meaning of these verses?” Let me answer. The Pharisees and their many followers were looking forward to the arrival of an outward, earthly, visible kingdom, one in which the Jews would occupy a very prominent place. They were hardly able to wait for its arrival. So anxious were they to know when it would be established that they were willing to obtain information from anyone, even Jesus, their enemy.
Our Lord Jesus, however, told them that they had a misconception concerning the nature of the kingdom, as if it would arrive with loud proclamation, prancing horses, marching armies, parading bands; briefly, that it would arrive with “outward show.” If that were true, He said, then people would be greeting its arrival by shouting, “Here it is,” or “There it is.” But our Lord declared that the kingdom, or Lordship, reign or rule of God, is basically spiritual in its essence. It is written inside a person. For, you see, wherever God is truly recognized and honored as King, there one finds his Kingdom or Kingship.
Let me repeat it again, the kingdom of God and His Christ consists of inner qualities such as “Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” qualities that exist wherever God is recognized as King. Listen to Rom. 14:17! “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The same mistake is being made today; man is looking for an outward kingdom, but he is just as deceived as the first century Jews. If Christ had intended to set up an earthly kingdom of pomp and splendor He would have gladly let His followers crown Him King, which they desired to do, but He would not let them, as John 6:15 tells us: “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.”
Now, we showed to you from Scripture that the True Israel of God are those blood bought sinners who, by the work of God the Holy Spirit in them, have entered the kingdom of God by the New Birth (John 3:3,5). This number, according to Ephesians 2 & 3, are made up of both Jews and Gentiles who have come under the rule and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ who sits upon David’s spiritual throne in heaven now having received His kingdom from the heavenly Father.
Further, we have showed you that the kingdom of God is entered into by the New Birth, making it a spiritual kingdom; therefore, the Scriptures do not teach that we are to expect a glorious kingdom of pomp and splendor in a golden age, with the Jewish nation playing the leading role, and Christ sitting upon an earthly throne for a thousand years.
We proceed in our studies today with the expression “The kingdom of God” as found in the New Testament. In its broadest connotation, the term “the kingdom of God” indicates God’s kingship, rule or sovereignty, recognized in the hearts and operative in the lives of His people, and effecting their complete salvation. Therefore, our Lord Jesus spoke of salvation as the kingdom or reign of God in order to indicate the supernatural character, origin, and purpose of our salvation. Remember, the salvation that God gives to His people, shall redound to the glory of the Father in heaven.
When we look at Eph. 1:9-10 in this light, we will understand a little of God’s purpose. Listen as Paul speaks under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit! “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” This was God’s purpose from eternity that Christ would have a kingdom, a people made up of both Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:14-17; 3:6) and that Christ would sit at God’s own right hand in the heavenlies, “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under Christ’s feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:20-23).
Also, in His faithfulness that will never be removed (Psalm 89:33), God has promised to those who are in Christ’s kingdom, the True Israel of God, a life that will never end (John 3:16), a spring of water that will never cease to bubble up within the one who drinks it (John 4:14), a gift that will never be lost (John 6:37,39), a chain that will never be broken (Rom. 8:29-30), a love from which they will never be separated (Rom. 8:39), a foundation that will never be destroyed (II Tim. 2:19), and an inheritance that will never fade away reserved for them in heaven (I Peter 1:4,5).
All of this is included in the kingdom of God; it is performed by the Holy Spirit in the members of the kingdom who have come under the reign of Christ by His marvelous grace.
Now, there are those who would limit the kingdom to a period of one thousand years, place it in the future altogether, and give it a prescribed location on the earth with the Jews being the principle actors and Christ with His disciples sitting on an earthly throne ruling with a rod of iron. They claim that there will be many classes of people in this kingdom: saved people with their new spiritual bodies, saved people with their physical bodies in which sin still dwells, and unsaved rebels who will yet turn to Christ at the end of a so-called golden age.
This is false; it is utter folly, for this is foreign to the teachings of those Scriptures which plainly teach that God’s kingdom is eternal. Listen to Psalm 145:13! “Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.” Not only is it eternal, but it is not involved with geography at all. Listen to Luke 17:20-21! Our Lord said to the Pharisees, “the kingdom of God cometh not with observation…behold the kingdom of God is within you.” Note that our Lord said it is a matter of having the kingdom of God, the rule and reign of God and His Christ, in you. It is a thing in us and not outside of us in pomp and splendor. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).
Also, the kingdom must be now in God’s child, purchased by Christ, for Col. 1:12-13 tells us that when God saves us by His grace in Christ that we are made “Partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: and have been delivered from the power of darkness” – the spiritual wicked kingdom of Satan – “and translated into the kingdom of his dear Son.” Yes, this kingdom is now, established in the hearts of God’s children and Christ has been crowned King and Lord of their lives.
Let us go further. There are those who build much of their argument for an earthly kingdom of a thousand years sometime in the future upon the assumption that the kingdom of God, as spoken of in Mark, Luke and John, and the kingdom of heaven as spoken of in Matthew are two separate kingdoms, the kingdom of God being a heavenly kingdom and the kingdom of heaven being an earthly kingdom. One has God the Father as Ruler; the other has God the Son as Ruler.
But this argument is wrong; it is a wrongly dividing of the Word of Truth, because if you will compare them as we are going to do now, you will find that the Scriptures show conclusively that these two terms are used interchangeably. Listen now to a comparison between Matt. 4:17 and Mark 1:14-15. “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). Now Mark, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye and believe the gospel.” Again, listen to a comparison between Matt. 5:3 and Luke 6:20! “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Now Luke, “Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.” One more will suffice and yet there are many more. Compare Matt. 13:31 with Mark 4:30,31. “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed.” Now Mark, “How shall we liken the kingdom of God…? It is like a grain of mustard seed.”
What do we find, then, in a comparison of these Scriptures? We find that the inspired writers spoke of the same event, yet one used the term “kingdom of heaven” while the other used the term “kingdom of God.” But they both are synonymous, meaning the one kingdom which is spiritual and not earthly in the sense that Christ would have an earthly kingdom apart from the heavenly kingdom of God.
If you would refer to Matt. 19:23-24, you will find the expressions “the kingdom of heaven” and “the kingdom of God” used in the same illustration by our Lord. “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Here, again, is proof that the expressions are the same.
Matt. 16:19 reads, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Was the apostle Peter given the keys, the authority, to open an earthly kingdom, or was he given authority to use the keys to preach the gospel which opened the kingdom to the Jews in Acts 2 and the Gentiles in Acts 10?
Matt. 18:3 reads, “Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Here, again, only those who have a child-like spirit can enter into the kingdom. This leaves out all unsaved souls, for only those in whose heart the Holy Spirit has worked can ever have a child-like spirit or disposition. See also Matthew 19:14.
To me, all of these Scriptures correspond to our Lord’s words in John 3:3,5,6 that the only way anyone can enter God’s kingdom is by the New Birth, becoming a new creation, and this work must be done by the Spirit of the living God. This rules out, then, the remotest possibility of the kingdom of heaven being different from the kingdom of God. They are one and the same, a spiritual kingdom.
We have told you that it was not and had never been in God’s eternal purpose to give Christ an earthly kingdom. To this fact our Lord gives full agreement in John 18:36 when standing before Pilate. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence.” Nothing could be plainer than this.
There are those who say that Christ preached the gospel of the kingdom, which was an earthly kingdom over which He would be Ruler and the Jews rejected it, so He turned to the cross as His second choice, but will come someday and will yet set up this kingdom. These same people go on and say that Paul preached a different gospel which was the gospel of the grace of God. But, this is just not so! There is only one gospel, the good news of the grace of God in His mercy to poor sinners in the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His cross-work for which purpose He came into the world, and for this purpose only did He come. Therefore, the gospel our Blessed Lord preached and the gospel His servant, Brother Paul, preached was the same.
Paul preached of this kingdom of God which is the rule and reign of Christ in the heart and operative in the life. Listen to Acts 19:8, “And Paul went into the synagogue and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God” which is the rule and reign of Christ the King in the hearts and lives of His people who make up His kingdom.
Listen, again, to Acts 20:25 as Brother Paul sums up to the Ephesian Elders his preaching among them, “And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God shall see my face no more.” And what did he state in verses 20, 21 and 24 to be the content of his preaching concerning the kingdom of God? Listen! “I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ…to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
Listen again to the blessed apostle as he preaches to the day of his death, and what is he preaching? Acts 28:30,31 tells us: “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence.” In that same 28th chapter, verse 23, he proclaimed the same thing, the kingdom of God to them in Rome.
But that is not all. Paul tells us in Rom 14:17 that “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Again, in I Cor. 4:20 he tells us that “the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.” When the King comes in power with His Word, Paul says, men are saved and made subjects of this kingdom which is a spiritual kingdom.
There are many more Scriptures I could give you to show that the kingdom of God was preached long after Christ went back to heaven, but these will suffice.
This blessed truth of the rule and reign of Christ in the hearts of His people now as King over His kingdom, is one of the most blessed truths of God’s Word. Within this great doctrine or teaching there is unfolded to us the eternal purpose of God that “according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, that in the…fulness of time He might gather together in One, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” and that God has “put all things under His feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:9-10, 22-23).
As this great truth of the present rule of Christ over His kingdom and His people, the True Israel of God, reigning with Him (Rom. 5:17) unfolds, we are made to praise the Lord that God’s people on earth today are one in Him, heirs with Him, members of His body, married to Him, and are made partakers of His kingdom with Him. They are not looking for a physical kingdom of power and splendor, which lasts only for a thousand years, but are like their spiritual father Abraham, looking “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). Also, like Abraham, “They desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:16).
Therefore, I believe it would be in order for us to look at the expressions used in the New Testament, which indeed are gathered from the prophets of the Old Testament, as to how the True Israel of God, the children of the kingdom of God, are described.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of the manner by which the true Israel of God would be called: “They shall call thee, the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 60:14). In Heb. 12:22 this designation is given to the True Israel of God in these words, “Ye are come unto Mt. Zion, unto the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.”
In Isa. 61:3 the True Israel of God is called “Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.” This expression follows Isa. 61:1,2 and the first part of verse 3, and foretells our Lord’s earthly ministry while here on earth and which He Himself confirms in Luke 4:18-19. All believers, the True Israel of God, are “Trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord” because they, as the trees of righteousness, “bring forth good fruit” (Matt. 7:17). They, as trees of righteousness, are “Planted by the Heavenly Father” (Matt. 15:13) and they, as trees of righteousness, are not cut down by the axe of God’s wrath (Matt. 3:10).
Again, in Isa. 61:6 we read of the True Israel of God that they “Shall be named the priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God.” This is applied to all believers, The True Israel of God, by the apostle Peter in I Peter 2:9 in these words, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Again, in Isa. 62:12 we read, “They shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought for, a city not forsaken.” How do the New Testament writers show that these names belong to the present spiritual Israel? II Tim. 1:9 says we were called with an holy calling; I Peter. 1:18-19 says we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ; Luke 19:10 says that we were sought out by the Holy Spirit when we were lost in sin; Eph. 2:1-3 tells us that the same Holy Spirit quickened us and made us alive unto God in Christ. Again, Isaiah prophesied that “Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit (Isa. 27:6) and “the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing…in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water” (Isa. 35:1,2,6,7). The prophet also promised that “The Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody” (Isa. 51:3). And “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them” (Isa. 11:6).
Oh, what a description of the True Israel of God when by the Holy Spirit the poor sinner under conviction is made to lay down his arms of rebellion, hoist the white flag of surrender and lay at the feet of God in true repentance, taking the blame for his sinful condition and pleading guilty at the bar of God’s justice. What a picture of that same sinner, now forgiven, now washed in the blood of Christ, now cleansed and made whole with his heart of rebellion broken, a little child in obedience, resting by faith in Christ! What a picture of the soul saved by the grace of God with a new nature and heart, praising God for His mercies! Surely, the wolf of his depraved nature is made to dwell with the lamb nature that God gives him. Surely, his leopard nature is made to lie down with the kid nature that he has received from God. Surely, by God’s grace his desert heart that was cold, rebellious, proud and unbelieving now rejoices and blossoms as he brings forth fruit unto God and rejoices in God his Savior.
All of this could not be said of physical Israel after the flesh because they are full of unbelief and still cry today, “We will not have this man to rule over us.” They still hate the precious name of Jesus, Jehovah of the Old Testament. No, this all applies to the spiritual Israel made up of repenting, believing Jews and Gentiles, in whose hearts the Spirit of the living God has worked and thus prepared them for the entrance of the King.
In Rom. 8:16 we are called “The children of God”; in Eph. 2:19, “The household of God”; in Gal. 3:7, “The children of Abraham” and in Gal. 3:29, “Abraham’s seed”; in Rom. 9:8, “The children of promise” and in Gal. 3:29, “Heirs according to the promise.” In Col. 3:12 we are called “The elect of God”; in Rom. 8:17, “The heirs of God”; in I Cor. 3:16, “The temple of God”; in Phil. 3:3, “The true circumcision” and in Gal. 6:16, “the Israel of God.”
In James 2:5, we are spoken of as “Heirs of the kingdom”; in John 1:12, “The sons of God”; in Rev. 1:6, “kings and priests unto God”; in Rev. 3:12 we are spoken of as “The New Jerusalem” and in Rev. 21:2, as “The holy city.”
Also, four things are spoken of us in I Peter 2:9 in these words, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
If the Word of God says that believers in Christ are all these things just mentioned, then we should praise Him that we are spiritual Israel. Surely, since the New Testament teaches us nothing about a future kingdom of Christ here upon earth and since the Scriptures are plain that the promises of the Old Testament apply to this present time and the New Testament always gives them a spiritual meaning, then we can safely say that the chosen people of God are His blood-bought ones, and not one little nation in the Near East which lies in darkness and unbelief.
May the Holy Spirit open our eyes to see these great spiritual truths so we can then rejoice in Christ and live for Him now as His chosen people.
Editor’s Note:
Brother Shelton has written very extensively concerning the false teaching that is so prominent today in modern evangelism. The teaching that national Israel is God’s chosen people and that God will do a special work during the tribulation to see that all national Israel will be saved is extremely dangerous. It leads Christians down a path that will be a snare to them when the “Antichrist” comes and sets himself up as the solution for all men’s and nations’ problems. Brother Shelton has clearly exposed this teaching as a deception, a deception of which all Christians need to be warned. It is because of the importance of this topic that “People of the Living God” has published this lengthy article. However, Brother Shelton holds to Calvinist doctrines, which “People of the Living God” do not believe to be correct. A few comments in Brother Shelton’s article expose his Calvinist leanings, yet we feel the article is so thorough and well written, that we have published it for its quality and value for today’s Christians concerning the ever-growing doctrine of Judaism. We pray those who read it will find it informative and instructive. May God bless each one as God’s word is studied.
A NEW CREATURE
Harry Miller
Man, by nature, is a fallen creature; an alien from the “household of God.” His thoughts, plans, and ambitions are all centered on his physical life and well-being. By nature he loves the things that he can see, hear, and handle. The natural appetites are the things that motivate the man of the flesh.
Such an individual is not acceptable in the sight of God, for “they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8). However, the Lord has given an invitation to all men to become subjects of a new hope, and by the walk of faith to embrace the glories of another world. The fallen creature, “man,” can be “regenerated,” and then through the process of sanctification he can become “a new creature” worthy of that heavenly world.
Through the labor of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit, the regenerated man is put through a long process of trial and death, which brings the natural or carnal side of his nature into subjection to the will of God.
Some people may think that they are not really “bad” people because they have been reared, and have lived, according to a strict puritan standard of life. But this is self-righteousness, and is not acceptable before the Lord.
“If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (I John 1:8). Sin is an act: a transgression. Taken literally, this verse doesn't seem very clear, but comparing it with Romans 6:6, which calls that evil thing within us “the body of sin,” we have an understanding that what we have is not “sin” but a “body of sin.” This “body of sin” is in every man until the day that he has been made perfect. Paul speaks of putting to death the “deeds of the body.” Peter tells us to “abstain from fleshly lusts.” John says: “a man is to purify himself,” and Christ tells us to “take up our cross daily.”
Every true Christian will soon learn that in order to be able to continue in the good graces of his Lord, he must subdue and overcome many desires within himself that are not pleasing to God, nor acceptable in the sight of heaven.
Through the Holy Spirit, man is given power to repel sinful lusts and worldly passions. A real warfare often rages within the breast of the man who desires to live a saintly life. The subtle calls of the deceitful heart of man are often hard to subdue. Often a choice must be made between man's Lord and his earthly desires. When these battles are over and the victory is won, the Christian has gained more strength and has grown in godly character.
As our devotion to our Lord deepens, our love for Him is more evident in many natural ways. Worldly things and pleasures fade away, and the saint learns to become a “pilgrim and stranger” here upon earth. His affections become “set upon things above,” and his body is used as “a living sacrifice” for his Lord. Eventually, he finds himself a part of the work of the Lord in the earth, a working member of that great company of Christ's body who know no sacrifice too great for their Lord. Such is true godliness. “If any man will lose his life for My sake, he shall find it.”
“STRAIGHT IS THE GATE…FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT.”