The Trinity Test

To Jehovah's Witnesses leaving the Watchtower

Faith Cometh by Hearing

Faith Cometh by Hearing"Ye should contend earnestly for THE FAITH which was once delivered unto the saints" -- Jude 3
FAITH occupies a prominent place in the divine plan of redemption, as a casual reading of the Bible will reveal. Yet the theology of Christendom has reduced the subject of Faith to mere generalities which obscures the meaning of that Faith spoken of in Heb. 11:6, which Paul says is necessary to please God.

Faith is usually treated of as an abstract principle of confidence or trust in someone or something without regard to whether or not such "faith" is based upon evidence. We hear the expression, "blind faith," when actually there is no such thing, for faith is the result of belief, and belief must be based upon evidence.

There is a total absence of faith, in the scriptural sense, in the mind of one who has no knowledge of that in which faith is essential. In Hebrews 11:1 Paul says --"Now Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the CONVICTION of things not seen." (RSV)It takes indisputable evidence to convince one that a thing is true. Therefore, the faith pleasing to God is not some vague, undefinable proposition in which one has "blind" confidence. Scriptural faith is a definite form of teaching which God has revealed concerning Himself and His purpose in Christ, which He offers to man as a basis for eternal salvation through faith in Him.

The doctrines presented to man as a basis of faith were designed of God as the things necessary to be understood, believed and obeyed as the way to prepare one for eternal association with Him.

In Rom. 10:14-17 we find how God-pleasing faith is obtained. We are also shown the futility of depending on manmade articles of faith. Paul says --"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? . . So Faith cometh by Hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."Scriptural Faith comes from one source only--divine revelation, as delivered by "holy men of God," who--" . . .spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."Eph. 4:4-6 reveals the seven-fold unity of divine teaching--"There is One Body, and One Spirit, even as ye are called in One Hope of your calling; One Lord, ONE FAITH, One Baptism, One God and Father of all."Such a thought is odious to the mind deluded by modern "liberalism"; but the Word of God leaves no doubt--there is but ONE Faith with which God is pleased, and that faith comes in no other way except through knowledge and belief of God’s Word.

Worship of any other god, except the God revealed in His Word, is vain worship; likewise any other faith is a delusion. In 1 Cor. 8:5-6 Paul sets this matter at rest--"For though there be that are called gods, to us there is but ONE GOD . . . and One Lord Jesus Christ."Christendom has not the faith pleasing to God; for they worship a triune god which does not exist and "another Jesus" whom they say is one part of this triune godhead, thus denying that he is the Son of God. They have "faith" that they will go to heaven to reign with Christ, which never will be realized, for there is no such promise in the Bible. Therefore their faith cannot please God. One must cast aside all human creeds and devote himself to zealous, prayerful and reverential study of God's Word. And therein one will find that THE Faith pleasing to God is based upon CERTAIN promises which God made to the fathers of Israel, which are to be fulfilled in Christ. Let us briefly outline those things given us as a basis for the faith which is pleasing to God.

We read in Heb. 11 how certain persons through faith pleased God and in v.6 we read that --"Without Faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."We shall see that Paul did not refer to faith in just any god which the minds of men might invent. He had sole reference to faith in the ONE God of Israel, the only true God. He had reference to God who had made certain promises about an eternal inheritance of the land of Canaan and rulership over the earth. This promise became the One Hope and the One Faith, for which, as Jude says the disciples were to --"Contend earnestly for THE FAITH, once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).It was THE Faith, forming the basis for eternal salvation; distinct, separate and opposed to all the creeds and religions of human origin.

Revelation of THE FAITH begins in the first chapter of Genesis, where we read of the creation of this planet as a habitation for man. And the reason why God created the earth is revealed in Isa. 45:18, where He says --"God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it; He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited."Jesus said (Matt. 5:5) -- "THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH." And Rev. 5:9 (the Song of the Redeemed) --"Thou . . . hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign ON THE EARTH."

Dan. 7:27 -- "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High."

Zech. l4:9 -- "The Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one Lord, and His Name one."The Faith pleasing to God is not belief in something He never promised, an inheritance "beyond the skies", but Faith in what He HAS promised, an eternal inheritance on this earth, which He created to be inhabited by that immortal throng which He, through faith, is taking out of the world -- a people for His Name, to be rulers in His kingdom.

Man sinned and lost any right to which he might have attained as an inhabitant of this globe in a state of perfection. But God provided a Redeemer through whom God's plan for an eternal Paradise on earth was to be consummated.

In Gen. 3:15 we have the promise that the Seed, or descendant, of the woman was to "bruise the Serpent's head," a symbol showing that Jesus Christ, the woman's Seed, was to destroy sin from the earth and fulfill God's purpose concerning the earth and man upon it. This promise was developed as time went on, but it remained the unchanging purpose of God, the basis for Faitb in Him. We come down many centuries to Gen. 12, where God called Abraham from his native land and promised him --"I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great . . . and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed."Paul, speaking of Abraham's faith (Heb. 11:8), says --"By FAITH Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed."When Abraham arrived at this "place" he found it to be the land of Canaan, and God said to him --"Unto thy seed will I give this land."In Gen. 13:14-17 we read where the Lord again appeared to Abraham and re-affirmed the promise of the land inheritance, where it is made certain that Abraham at some time was to possess this land, as we read --"For all the land which thou seest, to THEE will I give it, AND to thy seed forever . . . arise, walk through the land, in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto THEE."In Gen. 22:17-18 the promise to Abraham is enlarged to define just how ALL nations were to be blessed in him and his Seed. He is promised that --"Thy Seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."It is clear that this Seed was to bless all nations by establishing a kingdom on earth, conquering and ruling over all people. In Gal. 3:16 we are told who this seed is --"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."In Rom. 4 Paul tells us that this Faith was counted unto Abraham for righteousness, and that all who walk in the steps of that faith shall be blessed with him. Without that faith none can please God or win salvation. For Paul says:"Wherefore remember, ye being in times past Gentiles in the flesh . . . That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the Covenants of Promise, HAVING NO HOPE, and without God" (Eph. 2:11-12).God made a similar promise to David (2 Sam. 7:10-16) in which David was assured that the people of Israel would be "planted in a place of their own to move no more;" that his throne would be established forever through a Son who would rule forever upon that throne in the presence of David. In Acts 2:30 Peter tells us that this Son promised was Christ. The angel's words to Mary before the birth of Jesus, were a confirmation of the promise to David --"The Lord shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever."The "Covenants of Promise" are the "Hope of Israel" which Paul preached; the Gospel "which is the power of God unto salvation;" the foundation upon which Christian character is built. (See Acts 26:6-8; 28:20, 23, 30, 31; Rom. 1:15-16; Gal. 3;8; 2 Peter 1:4-11).

The whole mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, past and future, was designed to fulfill the Covenants of Promise, and prepare a people to reign with him when he is given "the nations for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession" (Psa. 2:8). It was to confirm the Covenants of Promise that he died and rose from the dead (Rom. 15:8; Heb. 9:13-15). Christ's mission would be meaningless if disconnected from the Promises to the Patriarchs.

In putting on the Name of Christ in baptism, the believing sinner thereby becomes an heir with Christ of the Promises to the first Patriarchs of Israel (Gal. 3:27-29) --"As many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ . . . And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the Promise."In speaking of God-pleasing faith, let us keep in mind that knowledge and acceptance of that Faith alone will not save us. It takes faith like Abraham had, who --" . . . was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being FULLY PERSUADED that what He had promised He was able also to perform."Faith which does not put one to work is not faith pleasing to God. The sinner is justified by faith; the saint is perfected only by works which (Eph. 2:10) --"God hath ordained that we should walk in them."True Faith moves all who have it to ENERGETIC action --"FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD" (Jas. 2:17-26).

Who is the Devil?

Hebrews 2:14  Therefore, since the “young children” are sharers of blood and flesh, he also similarly shared in the same things, so that through his death he might bring to nothing the one having the means to cause death,+ that is, the Devil,

Romans 6:9 For we know that Christ, now that he has been raised up from the dead, dies no more; death is master over him no more. 10 For the death that he died, he died with reference to sin once for all time; but the life that he lives, he lives with reference to God. 11 Likewise also YOU: reckon yourselves to be dead indeed with reference to sin but living with reference to God by Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:3 For, there being an incapability on the part of the Law, while it was weak through the flesh, God, by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were constituted sinners, likewise also through the obedience of the one man many will be constituted righteous. 20 Now the Law came in beside in order that trespassing might abound.

From the Christadelphian Statement of Faith and Doctrines to be rejected:

5. That Adam broke this law, and was adjudged unworthy of immortality, and sentenced to return to the ground from whence he was taken-a sentence which defiled and became a physical law of his being, and was transmitted to all his posterity.
Gen. 3:15-19, 22-23; 2 Cor. 1:9; Rom. 7:24; 2 Cor. 5:2-4; Rom. 7:18-23; Gal. 5:16-17; Rom. 6:12; 7:21; John 3:6; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22; Psa. 51:5; Job 14:4.

6. That God, in His kindness, conceived a plan of restoration which, without setting aside His just and necessary law of sin and death, should ultimately rescue the race from destruction, and people the earth with sinless immortals.
Rev. 21:4; John 3:16; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 John 2:25; 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:2; Rom. 3:26; John 1:29.

7. That He inaugurated this plan by making promises to Adam, Abraham and David, and afterwards elaborated it in greater detail through the prophets.
Gen. 3:15; 22:18; Psa. 89:34-37; 33:5; Hos. 13:14; Isa. 25:7-9; 51:1-8; Jer. 23:5.

8. That these promises had reference to Jesus Christ, who was to be raised up in the condemned line of Abraham and David, and who, though wearing their condemned nature, was to obtain a title to resurrection by perfect obedience, and, by dying, abrogate the law of condemnation for himself, and all who should believe and obey him.
1 Cor. 15:45; Heb. 2:14-16; Rom. 1:3; Heb. 5:8-9; 1:9; Rom. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Rom. 8:3-4; Heb. 2:15; 9:26; Gal. 1:4; Heb. 7:27; 5:3-7; 2:17; Rom. 6:10; 6:9; Acts 13:34-37; Rev. 1:18; John 5:21-22, 26-27; 14:3; Rev. 2:7; 3:21; Matt. 25:21;Heb. 5:9; Mark 16:16; Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 3:22; (Psa. 2:6-9; Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 11:15; Jer. 23:5; Zech. 14:9; Eph. 1:9-10) -- [Publisher's Note: These passages in parathensis must be considered together.]

9. That it was this mission that necessitated the miraculous begettal of Christ of a human mother, enabling him to bear our condemnation, and, at the same time, to be a sinless bearer thereof, and, therefore, one who could rise after suffering the death required by the righteousness of God.
Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; Isa. 7:14; Rom. 1:3-4; 8:3; Gal. 4:4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 2:14-17; 4:15.

10. That being so begotten of God, and inhabited and used by God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was Emmanuel, God with us, God manifested in the flesh-yet was, during his natural life, of like nature with mortal man, being made of a woman of the house and lineage of David, and therefore a sufferer, in the days of his flesh, from all the effects that came by Adam's transgression including the death that passed upon all men, which he shared by partaking of their physical nature.
Matt. 1:23; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:17.

11. That the message he delivered from God to his kinsmen, the Jews, was a call to repentance from every evil work, the assertion of his divine sonship and Jewish kingship; and the proclamation of the glad tidings that God would restore their kingdom through him, and accomplish all things written in the prophets.
Mark l:l5; Matt. 4:17; 5:20-48; John 10:36; 9:35; 11:27; 19:21; 1:49; Matt. 27:11-43; John 10:24-25; Matt. 19:28; 21:42-43; 23:38-39; 25:14-46; Luke 4:43; 13:27-30; 19:11-27; 22:28-30; Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:44.

12. That for delivering this message, he was put to death by the Jews and Romans who were, however, but instruments in the hands of God, for the doing of that which He had determined before to be done-namely, the condemnation of sin in the flesh, through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all, as a propitiation to declare the righteousness of God, as a basis for the remission of sins. All who approach God through this crucified, but risen, representative of Adam's disobedient race, are forgiven. Therefore, by a figure, his blood cleanseth from sin.
Luke 19:47; 20:1-26; John 11:45-53; Acts 10:38-39; 13:26-29; 4:27-28; Rom. 8:3; Heb. 10:10; Rom. 3:25; Acts 13:38; 1 John 1:7; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Pet. 3:18; 2:24; Heb. 9:14; 7:27; 9:26-28; Gal. 1:4; Rom. 3:25; 15:8; Gal. 3:21-22; Gal. 2:21; 4:4-5; Heb. 9:15; Luke 22:20; 24:26, 46-47; Matt. 26:28.

http://www.logos.org.au/pages/BASF.html

 4. We reject that Christ was born with a “free life”. [A “free life” signifies that Christ’s nature was not under Adamic condemnation as is that of all other members of the human race, and that therefore his sacrifice was a substitute for the “lives” of others. However, he needed to obtain redemption himself in order to redeem his “brethren” — Gal 4:4; 1Tim. 2:6; Heb. 9:12.]

 5.  We reject that Christ’s nature was immaculate, or that he was of a different nature from other men. [Through his birth he inherited a nature sin-affected, and destined to death, being mortal, as all others — Heb. 2:14.]

11.  We reject that the devil is a supernatural personal being. [The devil is variously manifested as that which falsely “accuses.” It is the manifestation of the ungodly characteristics of sin’s flesh, and will cease to exist when sin is ultimately destroyed — 1Pet. 5:8; Rev. 20:10.]

27. We reject that there is no sin in the flesh. [The flesh is hereditarily related to sin, caused by the transgression of Adam, the effects of which have passed upon all men, including the Lord Jesus Christ — 2Cor. 5:21.]

37. We reject that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ was not required for the cleansing of his sin nature. [The Lord's sacrifice was necessary for his own redemption. His sacrifice was a public demonstration that his flesh was rightly related to death and a declaration of the righteousness of God that required the offering of his life in devotion to Him. By his sacrifice the ungodly propensities (diabolos) of his nature was destroyed (Heb. 2:14; 9:12; 7:27), thus providing for the granting of immortality.

http://www.logos.org.au/pages/Errors.html

Christ Destroys The Devil Through Death

We make the acquaintance of the abstract phase of the subject (in which all other forms of Bible diabolism have their root) in the contemplation of a statement we had occasion to quote earlier viz., that Jesus partook of the flesh and blood of his brethren "that through death, he might destroy him that had the power of death, THAT IS, THE DEVIL -- Heb. 2:14). The Revised Version alters this wording a little, but not the meaning. "Destroy him that had the power of death" is changed to "Bring to nought him that had (or "hath", see margin) the power..." If possible, this is stronger, for to bring to nothing is to annihilate. The statement before us is that the annihilation of the devil was achieved by the death of Christ. This was what he died for: "that through death he might bring to nothing him that had the power of death, that is, the devil". If the devil of this statement is the popular devil, how are we to understand it ? Did the death of Christ accomplish the annihilation of the devil? If so, how? How could being killed by the devil kill the devil? And how if he killed the devil, can the devil in that case be still alive; and how are we to understand the devil having the power of death in view of the fact that the power of death rests with God, and with God only, who inflicts it at His pleasure? (Deut. 32:39).

Whichever way the statement is considered, it cannot be made to yield an intelligible idea if we attach the popular meaning to the word "devil". There must be another meaning. There is another meaning.

Sin and Death

We begin to find it in the consideration of other statements as to what was accomplished by the sacrifice of Christ. We cannot do better than calmly look at a number of these statements:

"He put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26).

"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3).

"He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities" (Isa. 53:5).

"His own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24).

"He was manifested to take away our sins" (1 John 3:5).

"Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all

iniquity" (Titus 2:13, 14).

"Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this

present evil world" (Gal. 1:3, 4).

"This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins"

(Matt. 26:28).

"Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood" (Rev. 5:9).

These are divinely inspired definitions of the result achieved by the death of Christ. Who can read them without perceiving that the work accomplished was a work in relation to men themselves, and that the thing destroyed in the death of Christ was sin? It is of the highest importance that we should here seek to realize how this result was accomplished. We cannot become enlightened in this matter except by considering the history of sin. This is a very important history in relation to our race, though made light of by most men. It is told very briefly by Paul, whose words are the utterance of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:12). He says, "By one

man sin entered into the world, and death by sin". He is referring to Adam's disobedience at the beginning. How death came "by" this disobedience is very plain in the reading of the divine narrative in Genesis. Adam having been created in a good and happy state, it was said to him that he should abstain from eating of a certain tree, with this intimation: "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). In the course of time he broke the command; he did what he was told not to do; he disobeyed, and this was sin; for sin and disobedience (in their primary sense) are interchangeable terms. It is the consequence we have to consider: sentence of death was passed: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19). This sentence took effect upon Adam's nature, and became a law or quality of it, which was henceforth "corruptible" and "mortal". His nature became physically a dying nature, and therefore a death-nature, because of sin. Afterwards, children were born to Adam with the result of multiplying men who, having his nature, had also the "sentence of death in themselves" ( 1 Cor. 1: 9), which came originally by Adam's sin, and who in their moral manifestations revealed the effects of their inheritance.

Now God purposed in Himself to bring good out of this sore evil. He purposed to bring the human race back into harmony with Himself (not every individual of it—comparatively few individuals of it—but ultimately the entire race as a race). He purposed to abolish death and to bring life and immortality to light (2 Tim. 1:10). But how was this to be done? Sin had brought death and sin reigned. It was to be done by putting away sin—by not imputing sin—by forgiving sin. But was this to be done in an arbitrary manner without ceremony or condition ? Was it to be forgiven in the way a man might suddenly forgive a debt owing by a friend? The death of Christ (prefigured by a long established ritual of sacrifice is the answer. Forgiveness was to be offered in a way that secured the recognition of justice—the humiliation of man and the exaltation of God. It was to be made conditional upon a recognition and submission to what was

accomplished in Christ. "Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins" (Acts 13:38).

But let us pause for a moment to consider what was accomplished in him. The orthodox doctrine of the death of Christ creates great difficulty and confusion here. It proclaims the death of Christ as a payment of debts due by others—a suffering of punishment that ought to have been inflicted on others. If this be the case, there is an obliteration of the doctrine of forgiveness; for debts cannot be said to be forgiven that have been satisfied. And there is no explanation of the fact that believers die. If Christ died instead of them, believers ought not to die. And there is then confusion caused in our conceptions of the moral government of God by the idea that the innocent should be punished instead of the guilty, as was certainly the case if Christ suffered a punishment which was due to us and not due to him.

The difficulty is removed if we contemplate Christ as a partaker of the death-stricken flesh and blood of Adam's race which died in him. That he is so to be contemplated is evident from the apostolic declaration that he was made in all things like unto his brethren, and that he partook of their precise nature that he might destroy death in it conformably with the moral requirements involved (Heb. 2:14-17). When we look at Christ thus as partaking of our death stricken-nature, we are able to comprehend in what way his death was fitted "to declare the righteousness of God" (Rom. 3:25). In the days of his flesh (Heb. 5:7) which were days of "weakness" (2 Cor. 13:4) he was a man suffering with all his brethren the effects that came by Adam's sin. It was on our account still, as a matter of fact, that "he was made sin" (2 Cor. 5:21); made of a woman (Gal. 4:4); "sent in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3); "made of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3). Consequently, when he died, "he died unto sin"(Rom. 6:10): sin was condemned in the flesh (Rom. 8:3). The righteousness of God was declared (Rom. 3:23).

But in his own character, he was absolutely sinless, due to the fact, that though the Son of David through Mary, he was the Son of God by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). In this, his perfect obedience (Rom. 5:19; Phil. 2:8), he was the spotless Lamb of God.Without this, his offering for sin would have been of no avail, for dying, he would have remained dead. It was in his resurrection to life immortal, after the suffering of death, that lay the great victory of the scheme in him. Without his resurrection, his death would have been in vain (1 Cor. 15:17), and without sinlessness, his resurrection would have been impossible.

Without sinlessness he would have been in the position of Adam's race whom he came to redeem with himself, for he also participated in the redemption wrought out in himself (Heb. 9:12, R.V. ; 5 :9).

When we look at the Son of God after his resurrection, free from all further dominion of death (Rom. 6:9), we look at a Son of Abraham in whom the power of sin has been destroyed—its moral power overcome, for he was tempted as we all are (Heb. 4:15), but overcame (John 16:33; Rev. 3:21); its hereditary claims extinguished in death ("body of sin destroyed", Rom. 6:6); and its physical hold on human nature obliterated and destroyed by a resurrection to eternal life and glory. We look at a representative of the race—God's own work—God's own Son—in whom the relation between God and man has been rectified; in whom the calamity of Eden has been repaired. But as we look, we see that so far this result is limited to himself. He only is delivered: he only has obtained eternal redemption. But is it the purpose of God to extend the

glorious result to many others? It was with this purpose He raised up such a saviour. It but remains to glance for a moment at the principle on which the result is extended. It is all "through this man" (Acts 13:38). "There is non other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). God offers to all who believe and obey him (putting on his name in baptism, and observing all things that he has commanded—Acts 2:38; Matt. 28:20) the forgiveness of their sins for his sake (Eph. 4:32) and eternal life by his hand at his coming manifestation in the earth in power and great glory.

The Meaning Of The Word "Devil"

In all this we may seem to have wandered far from the subject of the evil one, but it is not so.

We cannot speak of the result of the sacrificial work of Christ, without speaking of the devil, though we may not mention his name, because the object of that work, in scriptural language, was, as we have seen, to destroy the devil and his works. What is manifest is that sin and the devil are in their radical relations equivalent terms. What we have to consider is, how it comes that sin in the abstract should be spoken of and personified as the "devil". The answer is to be apprehended in view of the meaning of the word. It is a common noun, such as enemy, liar, thief, etc. This would be seen if the word were translated. Strictly speaking, it is not translated, but lifted out nearly unchanged from the Greek and set down into English. In one or two cases it is translated, such as in 1 Tim. 3:11, where the wives of the deacons are forbidden to be

slanderers (the word in the original is the word elsewhere rendered Devil). Here we get a peep at the real meaning of the word as given to us by Parkhurst in his Lexicon, where he tells us that diabolos (the word translated devil) is a compound of dia through, and ballo to cast, and means to dart or strike through; hence, to slander, to utter falsehood maliciously, to speak lies. "The Devil" therefore, for purposes of understanding, is best to be read in English as The Liar, The Slanderer, or The Accuser; and then the way lies open to ask, Why sin should be personified as a liar, a slanderer? The answer to this will be seen in the nature of sin. It is the doing of that which God has forbidden, not because God has forbidden it, but because gratification or advantage will come of it. When Adam disobeyed in the garden of Eden, it was not from a bad motive, as mentalk; it was from a conviction that the forbidden tree was good, and would open his eyes and make him wise. So the narrative informed us in Eve's case (Gen. 3:6). A man may not commit sin from sheer wickedness, but to get some good for himself. The good he seeks cannot come of it. Hence, sin universally is a lie, and, when personified, is a liar. It is also a slanderer, and a slanderer of God. It so to speak presents itself to its victim, and says, "Listen to me; do as I tell you and you shall have great enjoyment and benefit. God is unkind in putting restrictions upon you: He keeps you from much happiness. Life and joy are in my ways and not in His". Thus it slanders God and utters falsehood to the ruin of those who listen; for destruction and misery are in the ways of sin; and the highest joy and purest well-being are connected with that loving submission to God in which we are exercised in the keeping of His commandments.

Sin, as the great deceiver of mankind, is there well spoken of as the Liar, the Accuser, the Slanderer of God—alias the Devil. In its literal aspect, it is, of course, an impersonal thing, tempting without being a conscious tempter, as expressed by James. "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed; then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death" (James 1:14)

An Evil Heart

There is another case where the sinful action of the human heart is described as the inspiration of "Satan" (Acts 5:3). Ananias and Sapphira went into the presence of the apostles with a lie on their lips; Peter said, "Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" The meaning of Satan filling the heart crops out in the next sentence but one; "Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?" (verse 4); also in Peter's address to Sapphira who came in three hours after Ananias. Peter saidunto her, "How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the spirit of the Lord?" (verse 9). But supposing we had not been thus informed that the lie of Ananias was due to a compact with his wife, from selfish motives, to misrepresent the extent of their property, we should have had no difficulty in understanding that Satan filling the heart was the impulse of the flesh, which is the great Satan or Adversary, moving him to the particular line of action which evoked Peter's rebuke.

As we have seen, James defines sin as the outcome of a man's own lust. Hence, the action of lust in the mind is the action of the New Testament Satan, or Adversary. All sin proceeds from the desires of the flesh. This is declared in various forms of speech in the Scriptures, and agrees with the experience of every man.

Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies . . . (Matt. 15 :19).

The carnal mind is enmity against God: it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be (Rom. 8:7).

Now the works of flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like (Gal. 5:19, 21).

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life . . . is of the world (1 John 2 :16).

Sin Personified

Christ, through death, destroyed the Bible devil. He certainly did not destroy the popular devil in his death, for that devil is supposed to be still at large; but in his own person, as a representative man, he extinguished the power of sin by surrendering to its full consequences, and then escaping by resurrection, through the power of his holiness, to live for evermore. This is described as "God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). Sin in the flesh, then, is the devil destroyed by Jesus in his death.

This is the devil having the power of death, as the following testimonies show:

By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin (Rom. 5:12).

By man came death (1 Cor. 15:21).

The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

Sin hath reigned unto death (Rom. 5:21). Sin bringeth forth death (Jas. 1:15).

The sting of death is sin (1 Cor. 15:56).

Having regard to the fact that death was divinely decreed in the garden of Eden, in consequence of Adam's transgression, it is easy to understand the language which recognizes and personifies transgression, or sin, as the power or cause of death. The foregoing statements express the literal truth metonymically. Actually, death, as the consequence of sin, is produced, caused, or inflicted by God, but since sin or transgression is the fact or principle that moves God to inflict it, sin is put forward as the first cause in the matter. This is intelligible: but what has a personal devil to do with it? He is excluded. There is no place for him. And if he is forced into the arrangement, the result is to change the moral situation, alter the scheme of salvation, andproduce confusion: for if the power of death lies with a personal power of evil, separate from, and independent of man, and not in man's own sinfulness, then the operations of Christ are transferred from the arena of moral conflict to that of physical strife, and the whole scheme of divine interposition through him is degraded to a level with the Pagan mythologies, in which gods, good and bad, are represented to be in murderous physical hostility for the accomplishment of their several ends. God is thus brought down from His position of supremacy, and placed on a footing with the forces of His own creation.

http://www.wrestedscriptures.com/b07satan/the_evil_one.pdf

This enemy within the human nature is the mind of the flesh, which is enmity against God; it is not subject to His law, neither indeed can be (Rom. 8:7). The commandment of God, which is "holy, just and good", being so restrictive of the propensities, which in purely animal men display themselves with uncontrolled violence, makes them appear in their true colours. These turbulent propensities the apostle styles "sin in the flesh", of which it is full; hence, he also terms it "sinful flesh". This is human nature; and the evil in it, made so apparent by the law of God, he personifies as "pre-eminently A SINNER" (Rom.7:12,13,17,18). This is the accuser, adversary, and calumniator of God, whose stronghold is the flesh. It is the devil and satan within the human nature; so that "when a man is tempted, he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed". If a man examine himself, he will perceive within him something at work, craving after things which the law of God forbids. The best of men are conscious of this enemy within them. It troubled the apostle so much, that he exclaimed, "0, wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death" (Rom. 7:24), or, this mortal body? He thanked God that the Lord Jesus Christ would do it; that is, as he had himself been delivered from it, by God raising him from the dead by His Spirit (Rom. 8:11).

Human nature, or "sinful flesh", has three principal channels through which it displays its waywardness against the law of God. These are expressed by "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life". All that is in the world stands related to these points of our nature; and there is no temptation that can be devised, but what assails it in one, or more, of these three particulars. The world without is the seducer, which finds in all animal men, unsubdued by the law and testimony of God, a sympathizing and friendly principle, ready at all times to eat of its forbidden fruit. This sinful nature we inherit. It is our misfortune, not our crime, that we possess it. We are only blameworthy when, being supplied with the power of subduing it, we permit it to reign over us. This power resides in "the testimony of God" believed; so that we "are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation" (1 Pet. 1:5). This testimony ought to dwell in us as it dwelt in the Lord Jesus; so that, as with the shield of faith, the fiery assaults of the world may be quenched (Eph. 6:16) by a "thus it is written", and a "thus saith the Lord".

The kingdom of Satan is manifested under various phases. When the Word was embodied in sinful flesh, and dwelt among the Jews, the Kosmos was constituted of the Roman world, which was then based upon the institutions of paganism. After these were suppressed, the kingdom of the adversary assumed the Constantinian form, which was subsequently changed in the west to the Papal and Protestant order of things; and in the east to the Mohammedan. These phases, however, no more affect the nature of the kingdom than the changes of the moon alter her substance. The lord that dominates over them all from the days of Jesus to the present time is SIN, the incarnate accuser and adversary of the law of God, and therefore styled "the Devil and Satan".

http://www.christadelphia.org/books/elpis03.htm

The word sin is used in two principal acceptations in the scripture. It signifies in the first place, "the transgression of the law"; and in the next, it represents that physical principle of the animal nature, which is the cause of all its diseases, death, and resolution into dust. It is that in the flesh "which has the power of death" and it is called sin, because the development, or fixation, of this evil in the flesh, was the result of transgression. Inasmuch as this evil principle pervades every part of the flesh, the animal nature is styled "sinful flesh," that is, "flesh full of sin"; so that sin, in the sacred style, came to stand for the substance called man. In human flesh "dwells no good thing" (Rom. 7:17,18); and all the evil a man does is the result of this principle dwelling in him. Operating upon the brain, it excites the "propensities", and these set the "intellect" and "sentiments" to work. The propensities are blind, and so are the intellect and sentiments in a purely natural state; when therefore, the latter operate under the sole impulse of the propensities, "the understanding is darkened through ignorance, because of the blindness of the heart" (Eph. 4:18). The nature of the lower animals is as full of this physical evil principle as the nature of man; though it cannot be styled sin with the same expressiveness; because it does not possess them as the result of their own transgression; the name, however, does not alter the nature of the thing.

Sin, I say, is a synonym for human nature. Hence, the flesh is invariably regarded as unclean. It is therefore written, "How can he be clean who is born of a woman?" (Job 25:4) "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one." (Job 14:4) "What is man that he should be clean? And he which is born of a woman that he should be righteous? Behold, God putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man, who drinketh iniquity like water?" (Job 15:14-16) This view of sin in the flesh is enlightening in the things concerning Jesus. The apostle says, "God made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21); and this he explains in another place by saying, that "He sent his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3) in the offering of his body once (Heb. 10:10,12,14). Sin could not have been condemned in the body of Jesus, if it had not existed there. His body was as unclean as the bodies of those for whom he died; for he was born of a woman, and "not one" can bring a clean body out of a defiled body; for "that", says Jesus himself, "which is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3:6).
According to this physical law, the Seed of the woman was born into the world. The nature of Mary was as unclean as that of other women; and therefore could give birth only to "a body" like her own, though especially "prepared of God" (Heb. 10:5). Had Mary's nature been immaculate, as her idolatrous worshippers contend, an immaculate body would have been born of her; which, therefore, would not have answered the purpose of God; which was to condemn sin in the flesh; a thing that could not have been accomplished, if there were no sin there.
Speaking of the conception and preparation of the Seed, the prophet as a typical person, says, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). This is nothing more than affirming that he was born of sinful flesh; and not of the pure and incorruptible angelic nature.
Sinful flesh being the hereditary nature of the Lord Jesus, he was a fit and proper sacrifice for sin; especially as he was himself "innocent of the great transgression", having been obedient in all things. Appearing in the nature of the seed of Abraham (Heb. 2:16-18), he was subject to all the emotions by which we are troubled; so that he was enabled to sympathize with our infirmities (Heb. 4:15), being "made in all things like unto his brethren". But, when he was "born of the Spirit", in the quickening of his mortal body by the spirit (Rom. 8:11), he became a spirit; for "that which is born of the spirit is spirit". Hence, he is "the Lord the Spirit", incorruptible flesh and bones.
Sin in the flesh is hereditary; and entailed upon mankind as the consequence of Adam's violation of the Eden law. The "original sin" was such as I have shown in previous pages. Adam and Eve committed it; and their posterity are suffering the consequence of it. The tribe of Levi paid tithes to Melchisedec many years before Levi was born. The apostle says, "Levi, who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham". Upon the same federal principle, all mankind ate of the forbidden fruit, being in the loins of Adam when he transgressed. This is the only way men can by any possibility be guilty of the original sin. Because they sinned in Adam, therefore they return to the dust from which Adam came -- says the apostle, "in whom all sinned". [This marginal reading of the A.V. cannot be sustained. The Revised Version has struck it out.] There is much foolishness spoken and written about "original sin". Infants are made the subjects of a religious ceremony to regenerate them because of original sin; on account of which, acoording to Geneva philosophy they are liable to the flames of hell for ever! If original sin, which is in fact sin in the flesh, were neutralized, then all "baptismally regenerated" babes ought to live for ever, as Adam would have done had he eaten of the Tree of Life after he had sinned. But they die; which is a proof that the "regeneration" does not "cure their souls"; and is, therefore, mere theological quackery.
Mankind being born of the flesh, and of the will of man, are born into the world under the constitution of sin. That is, they are the natural born citizens of Satan's kingdom. By their fleshly birth, they are entitled to all that sincan impart to them. What creates the distinction of bodies politic among the sons of Adam? It is constitution, or covenant. By constitution, then, one man is English, and another American. The former is British because he is born of the flesh under the British constitution. In this case, he is worthy of neither praise nor blame. He was made subject to the constitution, not willingly, but by reason of them who chose that he should be born under it. But when he comes of age, the same man may become an American. He may put off the old man of the political flesh, and put on the new man, which is created by the constitution of the United States; so that by constitution, he becomes an American in every particular but the accident of birth. This will be exact enough to illustrate what I am about to say.

http://www.christadelphia.org/books/elpis04.htm

Note: The Stockport Christadelphians have renounced this teaching they mentally abused me and disfellowshipped me for speaking out against their false doctrine which is called the clean flesh teaching. Many other christadelphians also have renounced the truth or they have not been given the chance to hear the truth

For more information see this link The Changing Literature of the Christadelphian Community https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjbGVhbmZsZXNodGhlcGFydGlhbGF0b25lbWVudHxneDoyYmQ1NjY3MGJhMzgzMw

Historical Central Christadelphian Teaching

Historical Central Christadelphian Teaching

Clean Flesh Teachers

Clean Flesh Teachers

One Or Two Definitions For Sin

One Or Two Definitions For Sin

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxjbGVhbmZsZXNodGhlcGFydGlhbGF0b25lbWVudHxneDo2NDk0OTBjNTA2NGE4MTM1

The Changing Literature of the Christadelphian Community

The Changing Literature of
the Christadelphian Community
Documented
and
What It Demonstrates

The Changing Literature of the Christadelphian Community

In Defense Of The Truth Against Clean Flesh Teaching

Published by the Los Angeles ecclesia in 1940 as the Truth in contrast to Clean Flesh. It was taken up by Central and brother Carter (under the heading of "A Time to Heal"), as a sound basis of reunion as regards the Sacrifice of Christ. It was - after an emotionally-built-up momentum had assured "success" of the "conference" - mysteriously abandoned at the last minute at the Jersey City Conference over the strenuous objections of the Berean brethren drawn there by its promise. If it had been faithfully maintained as the (as promised) world-wide basis of reunion, the present difficulties on two continents could not exist. The four currently most significant points are emphasized in bold type. [now shown in blue specifically: Errors to be Rejected #'s 2&3, Truth to be Received #'s 3&5]

FOUR ERRORS TO BE REJECTED

1. That the nature of Christ was not exactly like ours.
2. That the offering of Christ was not for himself, and that Christ never made an offering for himself.
3. That Christ's offering was for personal sins or moral impurities only. That our sins laid on Christ made him unclean and accursed of God, and that it was from this curse and this uncleanness that Christ needed cleansing.
4. That Christ died as a substitute. That is, that he was punished for the transgressions of others, and that he became a bearer of sin by suffering the punishment due for sins.

SIX STATEMENTS OF TRUTH TO BE RECEIVED

1. That death came into the world extraneously to the nature bestowed upon Adam in Eden, and was not inherent in him before sentence.
2. That the sentence defiled him (Adam) and became a physical law of his being, and was transmitted to all his posterity.
3. That the word "sin" is used in two principal acceptations in the Scriptures. It signifies in the first place "the transgression of law," and in the next it represents that physical principle of the animal nature which is the causes of all its diseases, death, and resolution to dust.
4. That Jesus possessed our nature, which was a defiled, condemned nature.
5. That it was therefore necessary that Jesus should offer for himself for the purging of his own nature, first, from the uncleanness of death, that having by his own blood obtained eternal redemption for himself, he might be able afterward to save to the uttermost those that come to God by him.
6. That the doctrine of substitution - that is, that a righteous man can, by suffering the penalty due to the sinner, free the sinner from the penalty of his sin - is foreign to Scripture, and is a dogma of heathen mythology.

THE FALLING CRUCIFIX . . . THE ' FISHY ' ORIGINS OF PAPAL WORSHIP REVEALED

THE FALLING CRUCIFIX . . . THE ' FISHY ' ORIGINS OF PAPAL WORSHIP REVEALED


The bizarre death of a Catholic pilgrim beneath the collapsed crucifix was God's forewarning of coming divine judgment on this 'false religion ' that has its origins in ' Pagan Worship '. Among the Papacy's most notable symbols of its Pagan roots , is the ' Mitre' commonly worn upon the heads of Catholic Popes & Bishops. This unusual headdress originated from the worship of the ancient Pagan Fish god , Dagon. In a stunning parallel , scripture vividly describes the demise of the original worshipped statue ofDagon over 2,000 years ago , in the ' exact identical circumstances ' to the fallen crucifix of recent days ( incl. cutting off of both head & hands of both idolatrous statues ) This terrible crucifix incident was no random event. Its an unmistakable warning from Almighty God of the judgments coming upon the Roman Mother Church & those who would partake of her sins



1 Samuel 5v2-5 - When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon & set it by Dagon & when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow , behold , Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon & set him in his place ' again ' . And when they arose early on the morrow morning , behold , Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD ; & the head of Dagon & both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold ; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon , nor any that come into Dagon'shouse , tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day

Bible Prophecy Christianity Corrupted

Christianity Corrupted

Nearly all of the writers of the New Testament predicted that changes would occur in key beliefs after their deaths. That people would “fall away” and that “apostasy” would enter the body of believers. Consider the following verses:

“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock… For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:27-30

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come (the return of Christ), except there come a falling away first…” 2 Thessalonians 2:3

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy…” 1 Timothy 4:1-2

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4

“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. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude v3

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

A Warning

We can see from the verses above that the established church would be deceived by false ideas. The warning is to take heed to what the Bible teaches. We must get back to the word of God. We cannot afford to rely on what a Vicar, Priest, Bishop or Pastor dictates to us.

We have to search out the scriptures to ensure that we hold the truth as preached by the original believers in Jesus Christ. Such searching can be done by any individual who is seeking for truth. It takes an open and independent mind, one which comes to the Bible to find that truth. The verses above show the importance of finding the true original doctrines as taught in the scriptures and holding fast to them. It clearly does matter what we believe and to ensure we have not been deceived by an apostate system we have to get back to what the Bible teaches.

The Historical Fulfilment

From the verses we have looked at, you can clearly see that the established body of Christians would be infiltrated and deceived by false ideas. History shows that the early church changed its stance on core doctrines quite early on. This changed and corrupted church soon became political under the name of the Catholic church. Many split offs from this “Mother” church have occurred but most of these “daughters” adopted the already changed and corrupted doctrines of their Mother.

The historian Edward Gibbon, in the 15th chapter of his ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’, tells of how the original beliefs of the early Christians were changed over the course of time. He writes the following:

“The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ … a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years; when Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had revived, would reign upon earth…”

So the early believer’s hope, as outlined in the Bible (more here) was that Jesus was to return to the earth to set up a Kingdom. Believers were to reign with him on earth for 1000 years. This belief changed. A core doctrine which most churches adopted was that men have an immortal soul (a belief brought in by ancient Greek philosophy) and that, upon death it floated to heaven or hell. Many churches, including the Catholic church, its break off daughters and even churches who claim to have nothing to do with the Catholic church such as Evangelical churches, hold this same corrupted doctrine today.

Justin Martyr, an early Christian, also wrote in 150AD:

“For if you have conversed with some that are indeed called Christians, and do not maintain these opinions, but even dare to blaspheme the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and say that there is no resurrection of the dead, but that the souls, as soon as they leave the body, are received up into heaven, take care that you do not look upon these. But I, and all those Christians that are really orthodox in every respect, do know that there will be a resurrection of the body and a thousand years in Jerusalem, when it is built again, and adorned, and enlarged, as Ezekiel, and Isaiah, and the rest of the prophets declare.” – Dialogue With Trypho, The Jew, section LXXX.

Again we see how that the original church doctrine was changed – and we could cite from many more writers who lived in the early period of the church.

With further study you would find that other core doctrines of modern Christianity are not original beliefs as taught in the scriptures – the four most profound corruptions are on the doctrine of the resurrection, the Kingdom of God on earth, the unity of God and the devil (select a link to find out the true Bible teaching on these topics).

Recent Changes

Many recent changes are occurring in most churches as the pressures of modern, humanistic society challenge already weak church practices and doctrines. In a desperate attempt to keep up their popularity, churches adopt these ideas. There are a few doctrines which have recently been changed in many churches – such as the authority of the Bible, the Holy Spirit, divorce, adultery, cohabitation, homosexuality, and women priests amongst many more.

The Catholic church especially has exposed its changing character with the public ‘apologies’ of its leader (Pope Benedict XVI). One Catholic doctrine is that the Pope is God’s infallible representative on earth. How is it then that one Pope can apologise for another’s declaration – especially for beliefs or decrees which followers died for! Consider the recent declaration that the idea of Limbo for child “souls” is not true. What of other Popes who believed it or indeed the Mothers and Fathers who paid money to the clergy to supposedly get their children from Limbo to heaven? Did God change his mind? What about Pope Benedict XVI’s apology for offending Islam in one of his speeches in 2006 – were the Popes of previous ages sorry when they ordered the destruction of thousands of Muslims?

These recent changes clearly show that change is something which does and will occur – but is it something which should occur?

God’s ways do not change

The Bible clearly teaches that God’s ways and purpose do not change. Consider these verses:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17

“For I am the LORD, I change not…” Malachi 3:6

“God is not a man,  that he should lie; neither the son of man,  that he should repent: hath he said,  and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken,  and shall he not make it good?” Numbers 23:19

“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it wasimpossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” Hebrews 6:17-18

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2

It is important therefore to read the Bible, for what we find there will not change. Although man changes and society’s rules may change – the Bible will stay constant, both in its doctrines and its teaching on how we should live. What we believe and how we live our lives, should be consistent with the Bible if we claim to be followers of it.

"Come out from among her my people"

You may find the Lords counsel more beneficial, even if less appealing.

2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

The Angels That Sinned! 2 Peter 2 Jude 6 & the book of Enoch

The devil and body of Moses, Jude 9 & the Book of Enoch

God is Corporeal

Preaching Images 2014