Is the LORD a “JEALOUS GOD”?
The Bible plainly describes the LORD as a jealous God:
4“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:4-5
But isn’t jealousy a work of the flesh according to Galatians 5:19-21? It is, but “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5), which shows that God’s jealousy is not carnal in nature. You see, the LORD has a healthy jealously for his beloved people: God views those in covenant with Him as a marital partner, which can be observed in the LORD’s comments here:
6During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. 8I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. 9Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. 10In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:6-10
Our Creator considered it adultery when Israel & Judah followed after pagan non-gods made of stone and wood and thus viewed them as unfaithful.
Paul had the same godly jealousy in regards to the misled Corinthian believers, an assembly he started:
2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:2-3
Here the Corinthians weren’t being unfaithful by worshipping idols made of stone or wood, but by following false teachers who were leading them astray from their pure devotion to Christ.
Godly Jealousy vs. Carnal Jealousy
Whether a person is experiencing godly jealousy or carnal jealousy comes down to whether or not they are walking in the spirit or walking in the flesh:
16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Galatians 5:16-26
It’s similar with the emotion of anger, which can be righteous and productive (Mark 3:5, Mark 11:15-18 & Acts 13:8-12) or foolish and destructive (Proverbs 29:11 & 29:22).
Related Topics:
How to Walk FREE OF THE FLESH by being Spirit-Controlled
Is There Such a Thing as RIGHTEOUS ANGER?
Was Jesus White, Black or Yellow When He Was on Earth?
Some depictions of the Messiah are too Caucasian-like, such as blue-eyed Jeffrey Hunter playing the role in the 1961 film King of Kings. You’ll also come across sincere believers claiming that Jesus was black in the sub-Saharan sense when he was on Earth. I’m sure there are others who insist he was Far East Asian. So what was his skin-color according the Holy Scriptures. Let’s start with the fact that…
The Eternal LORD Transcends Skin-Color
The Son has existed from eternity since he’s God and everything was created through him, including every race of people, as observed here:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
John 1:1-4
This helps explain this prophetic verse from the Old Testament:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
While the child Jesus was born to us when Christ was incarnated (Philippians 2:5-11), the Son of God was given since he had already existed from time immemorial, i.e. forever.
What Race/Ethnicity Was Jesus Christ on Earth?
As far as the physical stock of Yeshua goes, he sprang from the lineage of Abraham (Matthew 1:2 & Luke 3:34) and Abraham was a Hebrew from the Near East, not a European, sub-Saharan black or Far East Asian. For proof, consider his land and language:
- Abraham originally hailed from Ur of the Chaldeans, a city in the lower Mesopotamian region close to the coastline near the mouth of the Euphrates River (Genesis 11:28). This is today southeastern Iraq, which is the center of what is we know as the Middle East.
- Of course God called Abram & Sarai — Abraham & Sarah — to leave Ur and travel some 900 miles West to Canaan (650 miles due West), which would soon become the Promised Land of the Hebrews, aka Israel (Genesis 12:1). The LORD would not give this land over to them until the sin of the Canaanites had reached its full measure thus incurring God’s judgment with the land, in essence, spewing them out (Genesis 15:16 & Leviticus 18:28).
- Abraham named his sons Ishaq (Isaac) and Ishmael, which are Hebraic names.
- Speaking of which, Abram (Abraham) is plainly referred to as a Hebrew in the Bible (Genesis 14:13), which is Ibri (ib-REE) in the Hebrew language and stems from Shem’s great grandson Eber (Genesis 10:21 & 11:14-17). Abraham came from Eber’s line, six generations later.
For details on Abraham and the Israelites/Jews that sprang from his loins, see this article.
Why Did God Choose This Location to Reveal the Truth?
While the LORD chose Abraham because he was an extraordinary man of faith (Romans 4:11), the Bible makes it clear that God did not choose his descendants because they were superior to anyone else on Earth (Deuteronomy 9:4-6), although I’m sure their capacity to 1. develop an advanced written language and 2. preserve vital documents from generation to generation was a factor, both of which were necessary for us to have God’s Word today (Romans 3:2, 9:4 & Deuteronomy 4:8).
Another obvious reason the Creator chose this people and the corresponding general location — the proverbial “cradle of civilization” — is because it was the geographical center of the continents, which used to be one supercontinent, Pangaea or Gondwana, before it split into separate land masses (Genesis 10:25).
Being centrally located, the truths of Judeo-Christianity would more easily spread to the four corners of the Earth and reach:
- The people of the Mediterranean, Europe and northern Asia,
- The people of sub-Saharan Africa,
- The people of the Far East,
- And, eventually, the people of the Western Hemisphere, who are not actually native to the Americas since their progenitors came from East Asia via Beringia to settle in the “New World.”
This shows that…
From the Beginning, God’s Plan of Redemption Included ALL Peoples
This can be observed in comparing Matthew’s genealogy of Christ with Luke’s version. Matthew traces Christ’s heritage back to Abraham (Matthew 1:1-17) whereas Luke traces it all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38).
The reason for this difference is that Matthew wrote his account primarily for Hebraic readers while Luke, believed to be a Gentile (a non-Jew), wrote primarily to Gentiles with the hope that they would learn that God’s love & truth reach beyond the Hebrews to the entire world. With Luke’s list going all the way back to Adam, the first man (Genesis 2:7 & 1 Corinthians 15:45), it illustrates that the Messiah came for all humanity since every skin-color sprang from Adam’s loins (Romans 3:29-30).
This shows that there is, in essence, only one race, the human race. And since Earth used to be one continent, Pangaea, we’re all native to the same continent, the same Earth, regardless of the fact that the land mass eventually split into several pieces, including thousands of islands (Isaiah 51:5 & 66:19).
Secondly, observe what God said when he called Abram, aka Abraham:
1The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
Genesis 12:1-3
The Almighty would use Abraham, the father of faith (Romans 4:11), to express his heart and purpose for all peoples of Earth (Galatians 3:8). God’s desire was to redeem humanity from the depths they had fallen after Adam’s sin. Through Abraham, the LORD would send the Messiah to fulfill his awesome plan of redemption for the whole world.
Closing Word
Let me close by stressing something emphasized in the Scriptures:
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
“Jew” refers to the Israelite people descended from Abraham while “Gentile” in this context refers to all non-Hebrew people. In other words, there is no white, black, brown, yellow or red in Christ Jesus. Believers are all brothers and sisters — spiritual family — in the body of Christ. There’s no place for racism, which of course doesn’t mean you can’t take healthy pride in your physical heritage and culture. Please notice I said healthy pride à la Galatians 6:4, not carnal pride.
The world is obsessed with skin-color and race/racism while believers should be focused on the heart of the individual. It’s why Paul said:
16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
Regarding a person from a worldly point of view means to focus on what’s on the outside, including skin-color. God isn’t like this. The LORD looks to the inside of a person — the heart — as observed when Samuel was trying to discern which one of Jesse’s sons God chose as the next king of Israel:
6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:6-7
Related Topics:
REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation
The Five Earths of the Bible (and the Eight Ages)
The Three Realms—Heaven, Earth and the Underworld
Mother Earth — What the Bible Says
HEBREWS / ISRAELITES / JEWS — Why Did God Choose Them?
What Is a “SAINT” According to the Bible?
A ‘saint’ in the biblical sense does not refer to a deceased Catholic of heroic faith canonized by officials of the Roman sect, but simply to God’s people — whether Old Testament or New Testament — assuming they are set apart through dedication and service to the LORD.
The Hebrew Word for ‘Saint’
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for ‘saint’ is qadosh (kaw-DOHSH), which means “holy” or “sacred” and comes from qodesh (KO-desh), meaning “set apart” or “consecrated.” The corresponding Aramaic word is qaddish (kaw-DEESH). While qadosh can refer to items of worship separated for the LORD’s use, like the altar and garments (Exodus 29:37 & 31:10), it also refers to noble people consecrated unto God (Exodus 22:31, Leviticus 19:2 & 20:7).
Here’s a reference to Old Testament saints:
I say of the holy people [qadosh] who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
Psalm 16:3 (NIV)
As for the saints [qadosh] in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
Psalm 16:3 (ESV)
Here’s a another example:
Fear the LORD, you his holy people [qadosh], for those who fear him lack nothing.
Psalm 34:9 (NIV)
Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints [qadosh], for those who fear him have no lack!
Psalm 34:9 (ESV)
A Secondary Hebrew Word for ‘Saint’
Chasid (khaw-SEED) is another Hebrew word translated as ‘saint,’ which means “pious” or “godly,” that is, to be like God. Here’s an example of its use in the Scriptures:
Love the LORD, all his faithful people [chasid]! The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.
Psalm 31:23 (NIV)
Love the LORD, all you his saints [chasid]! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
Psalm 31:23 (ESV)
Chasid can also mean “kind or merciful,” which are qualities of the LORD. You see, chasid people are kind and merciful because they are godly, i.e. like God. Thus being a saint of God doesn’t refer to people who merely say they follow the LORD, but to those who actually do so on a daily basis while humbly “keeping with repentance” when they inevitably miss it (Matthew 3:8, Psalm 32:5 & Proverbs 28:13).
Take two of the worst kings of Judah, Joram (aka Jehoram) and Ahaz, the Bible plainly describes these men as evil (2 Kings 8:18 & 2 Kings 16:2-3). They were full-fledged Hebrews and leaders of God’s nation on Earth, yet they obviously were not saints of God despite being technically in covenant with the LORD. So it’s possible to be in covenant with God and yet not be a saint.
‘Saint’ in the New Testament
The Greek word for ‘saint’ in the New Testament is hagios (HAG-ee-os) and corresponds to the meanings of qadosh and qodesh above, that is, “holy” or “sacred” and thus “set apart by/for God.” Notice how Paul uses the word in his first letter to the believers at Corinth:
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people [hagios], together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
1 Corinthians 1:12 (NIV)
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints [hagios] together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
1 Corinthians 1:12 (ESV)
Observe that the Corinthian believers were “called to be saints” — God’s holy people. ‘Called’ in the Greek is klétos (klay-TOHS), which means “called or invited — summoned by the LORD to an office or position.” In this case, the position happens to be God’s holy people — set apart for service to the Lord.
Since all believers are called to be saints, the New Testament speaks of all believers as saints even though, technically, not every believer is a saint in practice. Here’s an example:
Greet all God’s people [hagios] in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings.
Philippians 4:21 (NIV)
Greet every saint [hagios] in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.
Philippians 4:21 (ESV)
You could view this as an example of calling into being things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17), which ties into positional truths vs. practical reality. For instance, the Scriptures describe the spiritually-regenerated believer as “holy in God’s sight” (Colossians 1:22). The LORD sees the believer as holy because that’s his/her position in Christ via spiritual rebirth (Titus 3:5). It’s a positional truth and it’s reality whether the believer feels holy or not. In order to walk in practical holiness, the believer simply needs to renew his/her mind with this truth, which you can learn about in this video.
A similar example is how all believers are called to be disciples (learners) of Christ but, unfortunately, not every believer is a disciple of the Lord (John 8:31) in actual practice, even if the Scriptures refer to them as such.*
* Interestingly, Judas Iscariot is plainly called a disciple of Christ in the Bible, but he obviously wasn’t one in reality since the Messiah plainly referred to him as “a devil,” which was verified when Judas shortly later betrayed the Lord (John 12:4 & John 6:70). So what made Peter, James & John true disciples (Mark 9:2–3 & Matthew 26:36–38) and Judas a false one? Keeping in mind that we’re talking about a time when spiritual rebirth wasn’t yet available to believers since it was before Jesus died for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (Romans 4:25), the former were genuine disciples simply because they actually repented of their sins & believed (Mark 1:15 & Matthew 3:8) whereas Judas obviously did not.
“Be Holy Because I Am Holy”
As noted above, hagios can also be translated as “holy,” as Peter does here:
14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy [hagios], so be holy [hagios] in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy [hagios], because I am holy [hagios].”
1 Peter 1:14-16
Peter is quoting three verses from the Old Testament (Leviticus 11:44-45 & 19:2), supplanting the Hebrew qadosh with the Greek hagios, which shows that these are equivalent terms. A saint of God is a holy person who separates himself/herself from the world for service to the LORD, regardless of what their particular calling may be (and I don’t just mean those called to fivefold ministry, like a pastor). God is in essence saying, “Be a saint for I am the absolute saint, separate from the world and its inherent pollution.”
All believers are instructed to do this in the Bible:
14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial b ? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
17Therefore,
“Come out from them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.” d
18And,
“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”
1Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
‘Holiness’ in that last verse is derived from hagios (hagiósuné). In other words, we’re to perfect saintliness out of reverence for God.
This passage is foundational to any believer who wants to fulfill their God-given calling to be a saint in the LORD’s service. Saints are holy people of the Most High who separate themselves from the world, its viewpoint, its ideologies, its idols and its idolatries so as to focus on relationship with the LORD. Your work will proceed from that, whatever your unique assignment might be. Obviously this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t associate with unbelievers, as Paul did so on a regular basis in order to positively influence them (1 Corinthians 9:19-23), not to mention Jesus Christ (John 4:4-26 & Mark 2:17).
However, being “yoked together” with unbelievers suggests working in union with them and therefore agreeing with their perspective, such as embracing their unbelief, their false doctrines and celebrating their sinful practices (or, worse, participating in them).
A good example would be young believers who go off to secular university wherein they make the mistake of yoking together with unbelievers thereof — whether students or faculty — and come out years later dyed-in-the-wool atheists. This unfortunately happens all the time. What good is obtaining a high-falutin degree and landing a lucrative job if you lose your faith, relationship with God and eternal life? You can read details on such here.
A good question to ask yourself concerning relationships with unbelievers is this: Are you positively influencing them or are they negatively influencing you? If it’s the latter you’ll obviously have to break associations with them for your own spiritual well being (at least as far as is possible).
The reason Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1, led of the Holy Spirit, is because some believers in Corinth found certain pagan teachings appealing and so tried to combine them with the Christian message. Yet there’s no place for linking something false with that which is truth, aka reality (John 8:31-32).
Also, keep in mind that Christ conflicted with religious leaders of his day who knew the Judeo Scriptures like the backs of their hands, but they were polluted by legalism, a spirit of fake religiosity:
39“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”
John 5:39-40
I add this because not everyone who is seemingly devout and says “Lord, Lord” is a genuine believer if the fruit they bear on a consistent basis tells otherwise and they’re arrogantly not “keeping with repentance” (Matthew 7:15-23, 3:8 &. 1 John 1:8-9). While such people put on the airs of being saints of God, it’s simply not true. Thus, if you want to be an effective saint in God’s service you’ll have to “leave them” (Matthew 15:14).
Related Topics:
How to Keep Yourself BLAMELESS (while Not Being SINLESS)
How God Sees You (video)
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Understanding the Religion of LIEberalism
Why Wasn’t God Pleased With CAIN’S OFFERING?
Let’s read the passage in question:
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
Genesis 4:2b-10
Abel was a shepherd while Cain was a farmer. Thus when they presented offerings to the LORD, Abel sacrificed some of the choice firstborn of his flock while Cain naturally gave an offering of the fruits of the soil. God looked favorably on Abel & his offering, but not Cain, why? We know it wasn’t Cain’s offering itself that the LORD took issue with since:
- “Cain worked the soil” (4:2) and thus his sacrifice to God would be based on the fruits of his work.
- Grain offerings and harvest offerings would later be revealed as legitimate expressions of worship under the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 2:1-6 & Leviticus 23:9-14).
So what was God’s issue with Cain’s offering? It was not his offering, but the attitude of his heart, as revealed in the New Testament:
By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
Abel gave a “better offering” than Cain due to his faith, which refers to belief; and belief has to do with one’s heart or mindset. We know that:
- The pure in heart are “blessed” and “will see God” (Matthew 5:8, Hebrews 12:14 & Proverbs 22:11).
- Yet Cain’s heart was obviously not pure since he didn’t hesitate to murder his brother due to jealous hatred and then brazenly lied to the LORD about it (verses 8-9).
- Thus Abel was “commended as righteous” and Cain wasn’t.
You could say that Cain gave out of a spirit of religion: His heart possibly begrudged giving the offering, but felt he had to do it because it was the law; in other words, he gave out of an attitude of legal-ism. Abel, by contrast, gave out of a spirit of faith and therefore pure-hearted cheer (2 Corinthians 9:7). The latter are the people who will experience closeness to the LORD and the favor (grace) thereof.
Top Levite musician Asaph recorded how the LORD rebuked the Israelites, but the problem was not their ceremonial sacrifices, as witnessed here:
I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
So what did God take issue with? The rest of the psalm reveals:
14“Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
16But to the wicked person, God says:
“What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?
17You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
18When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
20You sit and testify against your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
21When you did these things and I kept silent,
you thought I was exactly like you.
But I now arraign you
and set my accusations before you.
22“Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with no one to rescue you:
23Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”
Psalm 50:14-23
The LORD didn’t have a problem with their religious sacrifices, but rather with the carnal attitude of their hearts:
- They were unthankful
- Ignored the Almighty
- Ignored God’s instruction, i.e. God’s Word
- Committed thievery
- Committed adultery
- Maliciously lied
- Falsely testified against innocent people
- Slandered their own brothers (physical or spiritual)
- Forgot about their Creator
Likewise, God didn’t have a problem with Cain’s ceremonial offering, but rather the sinful condition of his heart, which resulted in murder (1 John 3:12).
David commented on such things:
6Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened —
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require…
8I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
Psalm 40:6,8
It’s not that the LORD didn’t want David’s offering, it’s that God wanted genuine worship even more. Going through the motions of religious ceremony does not please our Creator. The desire to do God’s will must come from the heart, as observed in verse 8.
Related Topics:
HEART – Is It “Desperately Wicked”? (It Depends)
The Gist on Giving and “Tithing”
Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain
Provision, Money and “Prosperity”
Greed — What is it? Why is it Bad?
Who is Melchizedek? How was He a Type of Christ?
LEGALISM Creates Sheeple; CHRISTIANITY Creates Unique People
Because religious legalism is obsessed with outward adherence to the letter of the law and “the letter kills” (2 Corinthians 3:6), it typically creates either automaton-like sheeple or prune-faced authoritarians; it can’t produce unique people who are freed-up and full of the life and love of the LORD.
Consider some of the mighty men and women of God in our modern era. Are they boring and drone-like? No, they’re exciting, passionate and very unique individuals. That’s because they’ve consecrated themselves to the Almighty, who is the Fountain of Life (Psalm 36:9), and the life of God naturally brings to the fore all the magnificent aspects of their unique personalities. As such, people who are truly close to God aren’t boring sheeple, but rather exciting individuals who stand out from the crowd, albeit in a godly way, not worldly.
Do you think for a second that if Jesus Christ was some dull, lifeless milksop—as religion and the world depict him—he’d have turned the world upside down as he did? Would such an impotent person inspire large numbers of people to want to murder him and others to be willing to die for his cause, even up to the present day, two thousand years later?!
Unfortunately, the typical image of a Christian in the eyes of the world is either some dull, feeble “goody-goody” or a sourpuss bigot. The reason they have these images is because legalism has so thoroughly infected the Church, but nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone who simply reads the Bible without blinders on will see that both images are profoundly false.
Make no mistake, true Christianity sets free, gives life and empowers. These are the hallmarks of genuine Christianity, not being some lifeless, drone-like, powerless sheeple.
This article was edited from Chapter 3 of…
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Related Topics:
Christianity — Does it Weaken People or Empower?
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Law (Torah) — New Testament Believers are NOT Under the Law
Libertinism — What’s Wrong with It and How to Walk FREE
Sabbath — What is it? Should Believers Observe It?
Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled
Holidays—Which Ones Should Christians Observe or Not Observe?
Is There Such a Thing as RIGHTEOUS ANGER?
We tend to look down on anger and for good reason in light of passages like these:
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.
As such, the Bible discourages being a hot-tempered fool while emphasizing self-control (Proverbs 16:32) and the wisdom of turning away anger in tense situations (Proverbs 29:8).
However, there is a place for righteous anger on occasion, like when Christ was angry with the legalists who objected to his healing a man’s hand on the Sabbath:
1Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
4Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
Mark 3:1-6
Another good example is when the Lord cleansed the Temple like a holy terror on two occasions (separated by three years):
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
John 2:13-17
15On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ ”
18The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Mark 11:15-18
Since the Messiah was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), he did not sin on these occasions despite his anger. In short, you can be angry and not sin (Ephesians 4:26).
The key is to 1. always be led of the Spirit (Romans 8:14) and 2. “do everything in love,” even when you’re doing something bold or radical:
13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14Do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
This is in line with the law of Christ. To explain, the only law New Covenant believers are under is the law of Christ, which is the law of love (Galatians 6:2 & 1 Corinthians 9:21). This law corresponds to the two greatest moral commands of the Bible, as revealed here:
36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40
There are three applications to these commands:
- Love God
- Love others
- As you Love yourself
Anyone who does this automatically fulfills all the moral law of the Torah. As it is written: “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).
Yet there is such a thing as walking in tough love when necessary and led of the Spirit. Thus when Christ radically cleared the temple it was an act of love – love for God and love for the people. It wasn’t a time for gentle, soft love; it was time to break out the whip and render tough love by the dynamite power of the Holy Spirit!
Make no mistake, Yeshua did those ungodly clods a favor when he sternly rebuked them and drove them out of the Temple on the two separate occasions. Those who possessed even an iota of wisdom learned an unforgettable life-changing lesson. Remember:
5Better is open rebuke
Than love that is concealed.6Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.Proverbs 27:5-6
There are other examples of biblical saints walking in righteous anger on relatively rare occasions, like Nehemiah (Nehemiah 13:23-27), Peter (Acts 8:18-24) and Paul (Acts 13:8-12).
While all this is true, it’s not an excuse to fly into a carnal fit of rage. After all, fits of rage – outbursts of carnal anger – are works of the flesh while self-control is a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:19-23). We are discussing righteous anger here, not carnal anger.
So be careful not to sin when you experience righteous anger (Ephesians 4:26). Resist the temptation to be a hotheaded, reckless fool (Proverbs 14:16 & 14:17) and always shun the fleshly bent toward authoritarianism and machismo posturing, including authoritarian tactics like bluster, intimidation and unnecessary insults. Channel your righteous anger positively as led of the Spirit, like Christ, Peter and Paul.
Related Topics:
Is there Such a Thing as Righteous Hatred or Righteous Enmity?
The Four Types of LOVE in the Bible
Jesus Christ — Milksop or Mighty Lord?
What Does Love “Always Protects” Mean?
Deny Yourself or Love Yourself — Which is It? (Both)
“Be Merciful, Just as Your Father is Merciful”
Ministerial Pitfalls and Abuses
Is Name-Calling Ever Appropriate?
FRUIT THAT WILL LAST & Why It’s Linked to Answered Prayer
The Lord made this interesting statement:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
What exactly is “fruit that will last? And why did he link it to answered prayer? The answers are a little convoluted, but everything makes sense once we put the pieces of the puzzle together…
The Greek word for ‘fruit’ in this verse is karpos (kar-POSS), which is the same word for the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Producing the fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc.—is the result of walking in spirit as opposed to walking in the flesh; in other words, being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled.
In certain contexts ‘fruit’ can be a work too, such as the sacrifice of praise being the “fruit of lips” that confess Christ in Hebrews 13:15. Or consider the “harvest” of new believers Paul talked about in Romans 1:13-16. Literally speaking, a ‘harvest’ doesn’t just apply to a crop of grains, but fruits or vegetables as well.
Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work
I bring up fruit and works because the Bible exhorts believers to “bear forth fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:10), which shows that we’re to produce fruit of the spirit while performing whatever good work we do. This reveals that it is possible to do a good work and not produce fruit of the spirit doing it, like love, which is the primary fruit of the spirit and “binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:14). In short, you can do a good work in the flesh, such as give to the poor, go to assembly, sing a worship song, teach a sermon or preach the message of Christ.
For instance, Carol & I were treated out to eat at a fancy restaurant by a couple, but the husband’s heart obviously wasn’t into it. He was doing a “good work,” sure, but he wasn’t walking in the spirit doing it. While the food was good, fellowshipping with the guy wasn’t enjoyable. Carol & I would much rather eat lesser food in a more modest environment with a spirit of love à la Proverbs 15:17.
Works That Will Last vs. Works That Will Be Burned Up
The works we produce will be tested at the judgment seat of Christ wherein any works produced from the flesh or fleshly motives will be categorized as “wood, hay and straw” and burned up. In other words, they won’t last. This can be observed here:
11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
Although this passage contextually refers to the testing of the work of pastors and teachers, aka fivefold ministers, we can apply it to all Christians because every believer is called to serve the Lord on this Earth, even though the majority is not called to pastoral/teaching ministry. Each Christian will have works that God calls him or her to do and these works will be appraised at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).
For example, God will call Christians to witness to certain people in their lives; this work will ultimately be tested at the Judgment Seat. Their motives will be evaluated: Did they witness to these people because they love them as God loves them and are following the leading of the Holy Spirit or did they witness to them to fulfill an evangelistic quota or to appear pious? Both of these smack of religious legalism as opposed to genuine Christianity. Needless to say, works produced from fleshly motives are “wood, hay and straw” and will be burned up.
For anyone who doubts that good works can be rooted in the flesh see Philippians 1:15-17.
Produce Fruit in Keeping With Repentance
Another key verse to consider is Matthew 3:8, which states that we are to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (also in Luke 3:8). You see, we can only produce the “fruit of righteousness” (Philippians 1:11) if we’re “keeping with repentance” à la this passage:
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9
This text shows that humble confession/repentance is necessary to be forgiven of sin and cleansed of unrighteousness on a daily basis and thus walk in a state of righteousness before God in Christ, i.e. a state of grace. You see, unconfessed sin clogs up your spiritual arteries while humbly keeping ‘fessed up ensures God’s grace (favor) flowing in your life (Psalm 36:9) for “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6 & 1 Peter 5:5).
Faith Works in Love
Yet another key text to consider is Galatians 5:6, which reveals that faith works in love. Let’s read this verse from a few translations:
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
English Standard Version
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
King James Version
For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.
The Amplified Bible
To explain, our covenant with God is a contract of faith. As such, everything we receive in our covenant is by faith, including salvation (Ephesians 2:8) and answers to prayer (Mark 11:24 & James 1:6). If we walk in the flesh rather than walk in the spirit, we won’t be walking in the primary fruit of the spirit, which is agape love. Since “faith works in love,” if we’re not walking in love, it naturally cancels out our faith and will thus hinder our prayers, as well as our Christian service in general.
The only law New Covenant believers are under is the law of Christ, which is the law of love (Galatians 6:2 & 1 Corinthians 9:21). This law corresponds to the two greatest moral commands of the Bible, as revealed here:
36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40
There are three applications of these two commands: LOVE GOD and LOVE OTHERS as you LOVE YOURSELF. Anyone who does this automatically fulfills all the moral law of the Torah. “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).
Please keep in mind, however, that there’s such a thing as walking in tough love when necessary. In other words, walking in agape love does not mean being a doormat to abuse, which you can get details on here.
Reading John 15:16 With All of These Things in Mind
Let’s now reread our main text with a better understanding of the things it entails:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”
Believers who are bearing righteous fruit that will last are the believers who are “bearing fruit in every good work” that they do. This means they’re walking in the spirit as opposed to walking in the flesh, which includes “keeping with repentance.” Not only will such works “survive” when we stand before the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:10 & 1 Corinthians 3:12-15), our prayers will be answered during our service on Earth since “faith works in love” and faith is the requisite for answered prayer.
It helps to remember that, while we are saved by God’s graciousness through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9), that passage goes on to say:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In short, our Creator expects to see a harvest of good works, albeit done while walking in the spirit (as opposed to the flesh) and the fruit thereof.
‘Isn’t This Too Hard?’
Some of these things we’ve gone over might strike believers who are not very familiar with the basics of New Covenant Christianity as “too hard.” This kind of response is understandable and can even be observed in the Bible, with some disciples unfortunately deciding to leave the Messiah (John 6:60 & 6:66).
But be encouraged and please keep in mind that God relates to people according to the light they have (John 9:39-41,). For instance, the Lord deals differently with a believer who is in his/her first few years of salvation as opposed to someone who’s been a believer for 37 years and is very versed in the Scriptures along with much experience in the things of God in general.
The LORD takes into consideration things like the person’s stage of spiritual growth, their talents, calling, and access to knowledge, as well as understanding of that knowledge. As Yeshua said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48).
You could put it this way: If you’re a half-pint, live up to being a half-pint; if you’re a gallon, live up to being a gallon; if you’re a two-ton tank, live up to being a two-ton tank.
Let me close by emphasizing that God is love (1 John 4:16) and therefore is greatly compassionate & merciful with his children:
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
Psalm 145:8-9
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16
Related Topics:
God Deals with People According to the Light They Have
How to Walk FREE OF THE FLESH by being Spirit-Controlled
TEMPTATION, TRIALS and TESTS — What’s the Diff?
Judgment Seat of Christ (the Judgment of Believers)
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Seven Proofs That JESUS CHRIST IS GOD
What are the main proofs in Scripture that Jesus Christ is God? Let’s look at seven of the most glaring proofs and the support texts thereof:
1. Christ Plainly Said He and the Father Are One
This can be observed here:
“I and the Father are ONE”
And is implied here:
“…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father…”
2. Christ Plainly Said He Was “I AM”
This can be observed in the Messiah’s debate with some Pharisees who opposed Him:
56“Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
57“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
58“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
John 8:58-59
Christ wasn’t just saying that he existed prior to Abraham since, if that were the case, he would’ve said, “Before Abraham was born, I was.”
Instead, he boldly said, “before Abraham was born, I Am!” This was:
- A statement of eternal self-existence.
- A reference to the name God gave to Moses at the burning bush to describe Himself, “I Am Who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus just shortened it to the first and last Hebrew words of the phrase/name, “I Am.”
Since Yeshua was clearly claiming to be God, the Pharisees & their followers naturally responded by trying to stone him to death for blasphemy.
Christ also revealed that he was I AM earlier in the chapter:
“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
He likewise testified that he was I AM just before his execution, as observed in John 18:5.
Speaking of the Son’s eternal self-existence…
3. Christ Is the Living Word of God, Who Was With God in the Beginning and IS GOD
This is plainly chronicled here:
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:1-3
Further proof that Yeshua is the “Word of God” can be observed in Revelation 19:13.
4. Christ Is Immanuel, Meaning “God With Us”
One of the Messiah’s names is Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:23), which means “God with us.” How much clearer can Yeshua’s deity be stated?
You see, Christ is “the Word” who was “with God” “in the beginning” and the Word “was God” (John 1:1). This Word was made flesh when Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18 & Luke 1:35) and gave birth to Jesus, which is the incarnation and is pointed out as the first chapter of John continues:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
5. The LORD (YHWH) Is the First and the Last, Both Father and Son
Notice what the LORD says in the book of Isaiah:
“This is what the LORD says—
Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.”
The same terminology is used in reference to Jesus Christ in the New Testament:
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.”
“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.”
This next verse from the final chapter of Revelation says the same thing, but adds that Christ is the “Alpha and Omega,” which refer to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Compare this with who is said to be the “Alpha and Omega” in the first chapter of Revelation:
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Wow, you’d have to be spiritually blind to not see Christ’s deity!
6. Angels Refused Worship From People While Christ Accepted It
Because angels are supernatural beings they’re fascinating creatures and we should appreciate them and take advantage of their services, but we must not entertain any temptation to worship them. ‘Worship’ is proskuneó (pros-koo-NAY-oh) in the Greek, which literally means “to acknowledge and adore via prostration.” The apostle John was tempted to do this twice with an angel while he was receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. Notice what this angel says to John on these occasions:
So I fell at his feet to worship to him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!”
But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”
It’s important to understand this because the Bible warns us that the worship of angels stems from an “unspiritual mind” and it is an identifying mark of those who try to mislead believers (Colossians 2:18). Cults thus put undue emphasis on either heavenly angels or fallen spirits. Do not be misled by such false teachers. Let your worship be reserved for God alone, as this particular angel instructed John.
The angel’s corrective response shows that these spiritual beings are adamant about our attention being focused on the Lord, their ‘employer,’ not them. They prefer to stay in the background and let the Mighty LORD have the throne. As created beings, they know their rightful place and their purpose: To worship and serve the Creator, not be worshipped themselves.
Also, notice how this angel described himself in each of his responses to John: He said “I am a fellow servant with you”. We must get ahold of this fact: Angels are “ministering spirits”—serving spirits—sent by God (their ‘Boss’) to serve people (Hebrews 1:14). People, by contrast, do not serve angels; they serve us. In fact, we will judge angels in the age-to-come (1 Corinthians 6:3).
The Lord Christ is not an angel in the commonly understood sense, but since ‘angel’ means “messenger,” the Son is The Angel of the LORD because he’s the Living Word of God — God’s message to humankind. In contrast to angels, Jesus Christ allowed himself to be worshipped as observed with this born-blind man that he healed:
35Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
John 9:35-38
This is the same Greek word for ‘worship’ noted above.
Later, when doubting Thomas met the resurrected Lord, he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), which both reveals Christ’s nature and bespeaks of worship (reverence, honor, submission). The Greek word for ‘Lord’ here is kurios (koo’-ree-os), which we’ll examine closer in the next section.
Lastly, worship has to do with adoration and reverence, not to mention honoring someone greater than yourself and the corresponding submission. Notice what Christ said about honor:
22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
John 5:22-23
In short, the same honor that we are to bestow on the Father, we are to offer the Son. Why? Because both Father and Son are the Almighty LORD, YHWH. Speaking of which…
7. The Hebrew Word for ‘LORD’ in the Old Testament, YHWH, Is Used in Reference to Christ in the New Testament
Romans 10:13 says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” While ‘Lord’ here is the Greek word for Lord, kurios (KOO-ree-os), Paul was quoting Joel 2:32 wherein the Hebrew word for Lord is YHWH , pronounced either Yahweh (Yah-WAY) or Yahovah (Yeh-ho-VAH). The question is: Who is the “Lord” in Romans 10:13? Let’s read the surrounding verses for the obvious answer:
Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
Romans 10:5-15
Again, Paul was quoting the prophet Joel in verse 13 and the Hebrew word translated as “LORD” in that Old Testament passage is YHWH. Hence, we are to call upon the name of YHWH. But the verses before and after reveal that Paul was talking about calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus and believing in Him. “Jesus” is the Greek rendition of the Hebrew Yeshua (or Joshua), which means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.”
Jesus Christ is the topic of this section of Scripture, as verified by verses 6, 7 and 9; and Jesus is even referred to as “Lord” in verse 9. This is the aforementioned Greek word kurios, which is the very same word used to translate the Hebrew YHWH from Joel 2:32 in verse 13! In other words, the same Greek word for “Lord”—kurios—is used to translate the Hebrew YHWH and is used as a reference to Jesus Christ in the same context. Plus keep in mind what Christ said: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” and “I and the Father are ONE” (John 14:9 & John 10:30).
There’s more evidence of Christ’s deity, of course — for instance, He said “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19, Acts 5:30-31 & Ephesians 1:20) — but I wanted to limit the proofs to seven for this article.
Before we close, let’s consider a couple common arguments against Christ being God:
‘The Scriptures Refer to Christ as God’s “Firstborn” ‘
This argument is based on these two verses:
And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Cults like the Jehovah’s False Witnesses use these texts to support their belief that Jesus was the first created being of the LORD; and then God used Jesus to create everything else. However, Scripture interprets Scripture and we know from other passages examined in this article that Jesus is Yahweh (YHWH), albeit the Son, not the Father.
So what do these verses mean by describing Yeshua as the “firstborn.” The apostles, like Paul, borrowed this term from their Hebraic upbringing wherein “firstborn” meant especially honored. For instance, the nation of Israel was referred to as God’s “firstborn,” but this obviously didn’t mean Israel was the first nation that ever existed (Exodus 4:22).
Similarly, God referred to David as His “firstborn” when he was hardly the first male God created, not to mention David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons (Psalm 89:20 & 89:27). Furthermore, David was the second king of Israel. In light of all this, when Christ is referred to as the “firstborn” it simply means that the Son has a place of honor before the Father, shared by no one else; as well as a place of honor over all creation.
There are several other reasons for rejecting the idea that Christ was God’s first created being. Here are two obvious ones:
- Jesus cannot be both “first created” and “one and only Son” (John 1:14 & 1:18, 3:16 & 3:18, 1 John 4:9).
- John 1:3 says that “Through him [Christ] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” If Yeshua is the Creator of all things he cannot also be the first created. It’s simple logic.
‘But the Bible Says God Is ONE’
Yes, the Scriptures emphasize that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4 & Isaiah 45:5, 45:6, 45:18), but there’s obviously a triunity within that oneness consisting of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which you can learn more about here.
Related Topics:
THE Angel of the LORD — Mighty Angel or Pre-Incarnate Christ?
Christ: “The Anointed One” — What Does it Mean? What Does “Jesus” Mean?
Demons Vs. Jesus Christ — No Contest!
Jesus Christ — Milksop or Mighty Lord?
Trinity — Father/Son/Holy Spirit — Yes or No?
God’s Name — YHWH (Yahweh), the Tetragrammaton
What is Oneness theology—aka “Jesus Only”—and is it Biblical?
Is the Holy Spirit God or a Divine Force?
Does God have a Feminine side?
“LAW is Made NOT for the Righteous”
Many believers may find this surprising, but the Old Testament Law—the Torah—was not made for the righteous. Note what the Bible says in this regard:
We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God,
1 Timothy 1:8-11
This passage starts off by declaring that the Law is good, but only if it’s used properly. This means that the Law is inherently “holy, righteous and good,” as Paul pointed out in Romans 7:12, but it is only good for people if it is utilized properly. In other words, in and of itself the Law is good, but it’s only good for us when used appropriately.
The remaining verses reveal what this means: The Old Testament Law is not for the righteous, meaning believers who are made righteous in Christ through spiritual rebirth:
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus never sinned, but he became sin for us on the cross so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ‘Become’ in the Greek is a form of ginomai (JIN-oh-may), which means “to come into being, to be born” (Bullinger). Whether you know it or not, when you turned to the LORD in repentance and faith you were spiritually reborn and, consequently, your spirit was born the righteousness of God. This explains why we are instructed to put off the flesh and put on the “new self”:
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24
This means to live out of our reborn spirit that was “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” When we do this we’ll be spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled. We’ll naturally bear forth fruits of the spirit rather than works of the flesh—we’ll walk in “true righteousness and holiness”!
This is the key to living according to the Old Testament Law, not putting the Law in front of us and trying to force our flesh to comply, which is being “under the law.” This never works. In fact, it will actually increase the sin problem. Why do you think Paul said, “The law was added so that the trespass might increase” (Romans 5:20)? He said it because this is the reason the Law was given to humanity—to increase the sin problem and drive us to the Savior in whom we can have spiritual regeneration (Titus 3:5).
Once we’re reborn in this way all we have to do is learn to put off the flesh daily (or, as Jesus put it, “deny yourself”) and live out of our spirits empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit. This includes transforming our thinking so that it corresponds to who we are in our spirit, covered in this video. ‘Repentance,’ by the way, means to change your mind—your thinking—for the better. As such, those who try to turn away from a sin without changing their thinking are doomed to repeat the transgression.
Putting off the old man and putting on the new is being spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled. It’s living by the spirit with the help of the Holy Spirit as opposed to living by the flesh. This is the answer to the sin problem, not putting a list of hundreds of laws in front of us and trying to force our carnal nature to conform. Again, this doesn’t work and never will because the flesh is the sinful nature. It’s utterly futile to try to make it produce righteousness! The entire Old Testament is testimony to this.
The passage goes on to stress that the moral law was made “for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious” (verse 9). Paul then provides a list of various sinful lifestyles, like fornicators, sodomites and liars (see the NKJV rendering of 1 Timothy 1:8-11).
God’s moral law was “made for” such people in that it reveals to them that they’re in sin, which can lead them to the Savior, the gospel, spiritual regeneration and the attainment of righteousness in Christ. At which point they won’t need the Law anymore; they’ll just need to learn how to put off the “old self” and put on the “new self” because—when they do this—they’ll walk in “true righteousness and holiness.” Obviously if someone’s walking in “true righteousness” they have no need for the Law.
This, by the way, explains a mysterious statement Paul made after listing the fruits of the spirit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
When believers learn how to live out of their new natures as led of the Holy Spirit they’ll be spirit-controlled rather than flesh-ruled and naturally produce the fruit of the spirit, which are the fruits of God’s very nature! Such people need no external law to produce these godly attitudes and behaviors!
This is why the Bible says that the Law is not for the righteous, but the unrighteous. The righteous have no need of the Law. Why? Because they’re already producing the fruits of righteousness through living out of their spirits by the Holy Spirit. They’re spirit-controlled, not flesh-ruled. It’s the unrighteous who need the Law. This would include Christians who are practicing sin with no concern to repent.
Say, for example, if believers are living in adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lying, slander or strife. We can show them through God’s moral law that they are in sin and need to repent. This is using the Law lawfully or properly. Once they humbly repent God forgives them and they are cleansed from “ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.” At which point they’ll no longer need the Law because they’re righteous, as this passage clearly shows:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:8-9
As long as believers “keep with repentance” in this manner (Matthew 3:8) they walk in the grace of God’s forgiveness and are righteous in Christ because God purifies them “from all unrighteousness” when they confess. If the LORD cleanses repentant believers of all unrighteousness, what’s that make them? Completely righteous. As such, they have no need of the Law because the Law was made for the unrighteous, not the righteous.
This article was edited from Chapter 3 of…
Print version Kindle version
- The print book is available here for a special low price (291 pages)
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Both links allow you to “Look inside” the book.
Related Topics:
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Law (Torah) — New Testament Believers are NOT Under the Law
Libertinism — What’s Wrong with It and How to Walk FREE
Sabbath — What is it? Should Believers Observe It?
Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled
Holidays—Which Ones Should Christians Observe or Not Observe?
LEGALISTS Are Obsessed With the LETTER of the LAW
Legalists by definition are obsessed with strict adherence to the letter of the law, whether the rule in question is biblical or extrabiblical. This would include things they feel the Lord instructed them to do or not do.
A good example from the New Testament is when the Pharisees objected to Jesus’ mere intention of healing a man’s deformed hand on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6). The Pharisees were so ridiculously detailed and rigid with their rules concerning “working” on the Sabbath that they objected to Christ doing any type of healing “work” on that day. The Lord was so disgusted by their stubbornness that he shot them all a glance of anger. This was righteous anger, of course, but anger nevertheless. He then proceeded to heal the man despite their legalistic objections. This was a wordless reprimand and the Pharisees were so offended they decided to murder him!
Can you imagine people being so blinded by legalistic zeal that they object to an incredible healing? Make no mistake, this is what the poison of legalism does when people are seriously infected. Those who are not contaminated, by contrast, are ever-ready to praise God when people are miraculously healed and set free. Take, for instance, the occasion where blind Bartimaeus received his sight through faith and immediately glorified God. The passage goes on to say, “And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God” (Luke 18:43 NKJV). This is how normal people react to incredible healings and life-changing miracles. Not so with legalists. They’re so corrupted by rule-ism they can’t see the forest for the trees!
Here’s a more mundane example: Say you feel inspired to declare a two-day fast and at around 46.5 hours you have a peace after accomplishing everything you intended, but you sit there for 90 minutes watching the clock until exactly the 48-hour mark to break the fast. This is letter-of-the-law-ism, which is a form of legalism. It’s stupid and unnecessary. If the Spirit inspires you to take a two-day fast and you feel peace and release to break it at 46.5 hours, please do so. You’re not committing a grievous sin by not waiting till precisely the 48-hour mark.
To have this attitude with scriptural laws is bad enough, but legalists obsess over the many nitpicky, joy-sapping rules they continually dream-up. For instance, the Messiah and his disciples were walking through the fields one Sabbath and picked some heads of grain to quell their hunger. Since it was the Sabbath, the Pharisees argued that the disciples were guilty of working because they plucked the grain and rubbed it in their hands before eating. To their legalistic way of thinking this was equal to reaping and threshing. The Law did forbid working on the Sabbath but it was intended to be a blessing not a burden. The Sabbath was supposed to be a welcomed rest and celebration of God after a 6-day work week, not a joyless ritual observing man-made technicalities. Christ’s simple-yet-brilliant response says it all: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).*
* You can compare the three accounts of this occasion as shown in Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5.
God is always interested in blessing people by setting them free whereas religionists are intent on burdening others and putting them into spiritual bondage. Concerning the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, Christ said: “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:4). By contrast, the Bible says:
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
1 John 5:3-4
All of God’s moral laws in the Old Testament can be condensed into two basic commands with three applications: Love God and love people as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). That’s it — it’s the law of Christ, the law of love. And these commands are not burdensome because believers are born of God and have the spiritual nature to fulfill them with joy. The only believers who can’t do this are those who fail to put off the flesh and are therefore flesh-ruled. As such, the “law of sin and death” is at work in their lives and this is no fun because sin’s reward is death. But those who walk in the spirit are spirit-controlled and therefore the “law of the Spirit of life” is in motion, which is a higher law than the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
To illustrate, did you ever marvel at how huge aircrafts are able to defy the law of gravity and soar above the landscape? How do they do this? It’s simple: They activate a higher law, the law of lift and propulsion, which neutralizes the law of gravity. As long as the higher law is in motion the lower law is rendered powerless. Just as the physical law of lift and propulsion enables people to conquer gravity and fly, so the law of the Spirit of life deactivates the law of sin and death when it is in motion. This is “walking in the spirit” or “participating in the divine nature.” This law is not burdensome, but human religion is.
Notice what Christ said on this matter:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Yes, there is a yoke and burden to serving the Lord, but unlike the yoke of the flesh or the burden of religion Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden is light. How so? Because that’s the nature of the law of love and love is the fulfillment of the Law (Romans 13:8-10).
Speaking of joy-sapping rules…
Legalism Saps Life, Freedom and Joy Because “the Letter Kills”
The problem with obsession to the Law—“the letter”—is that this mentality kills:
[God] has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Focusing on rules above relationship with God, including extra-biblical rules, will naturally sap life, freedom and joy because “the letter kills.” Why should believers focus on relationship with God? Because 1. loving God is the first and greatest command, and 2. God is the Fountain of Life and therefore only in the light of his presence are we able to see spiritual light (Psalm 36:9). Consequently, the further we get away from the Creator, the further we get away from the life and light that only God gives. Life, freedom and joy will diminish and ultimately die once on the path of spiritual darkness, which is any path that distances oneself from the presence of the LORD.
I heard a minister put it like this: “Worldliness is anything that cools your affection for God.” This includes anything that comes under the brackets of “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:15-16).
In the mid 1st-century, the churches in Galatia were infiltrated by the Judaizers who were legalists that insisted on circumcision and obedience to religious laws to inherit salvation and please God. Once the Galatians were infected by legalism their joy was sapped, which is why Paul asked them, “What happened to all your joy?” (Galatians 4:15). Why was their joy sapped? Because “the letter kills”!
Simply put, legalists are joy-stealers. They’re grumps. When Christ made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem the crowd of disciples began to joyfully “praise God in loud voices” whereupon the Pharisees commanded Jesus to make them stop! This can be read in Luke 19:37-39. You see, legalists are never happy in the midst of exuberant believers. Whether they know it or not they’re not being godly—“like God”—because joy is actually a trait of God. It’s a “fruit of the Spirit” and therefore a part of the LORD’s character.
As such, it comes as no surprise that God wants his people to be filled with joy. As it is written: “the joy of the LORD is your strength” and “in [God’s] presence is fullness of joy” (Nehemiah 8:10 & Psalm 16:11). Needless to say, the presence or absence of joy is a good indicator of where you’re at spiritually. If you have little or no joy, be sure to examine yourself to see if you’re infected by legalism in some way (or in bondage to the flesh, i.e. libertinism).
If not, your problem may be that you need to go deeper into praise & worship. Praise is celebration, which ushers in the presence of the LORD while worship is adoration, the natural response to being in his presence (Psalm 95:1-7 & Psalm 100). Regularly experiencing God’s presence is conducive to joy because in his presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).*
* I used to struggle with depression for years and shared it with a couple Christian counselors. They told me I needed “to be on medication.” In other words, “take a pill” (and, of course, another pill to counteract the side effects of that one and so on) Around this same time I was at my back door one day when I heard the Spirit say, “This shall be a house of praise & worship unto my Name.” I reflected on it for a moment and responded, “Okay.” Although I was already a praise & worshiper I upped the ante. I started blasting praise & worship music at my house 24/7. I no longer praised & worshipped the LORD now and then; I became a praise & worship warrior! It became a 24-7 thing more and more (Hebrews 13:15). God inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3) and so my house naturally became a habitation for the manifest presence of God. Not just my literal house, but also the house of my body. In other words, praise & worship wasn’t just reverberating through the confines of my house and property, it was playing in my heart and mind. This solved my depression problem because light naturally displaces darkness: the light of joy displaced the darkness of depression—Praise God!
To further illustrate that the letter kills, let me share a couple examples from everyday life:
Carol & I were at a NFL game years ago where a beach ball was being bounced around in the stands before the game. The people were having a blast hitting the ball high into the air, which would then land on others yards away. They would do the same, and so on. It didn’t take long for a security person to come along and try to confiscate the ball. He was having a hard time because the ball kept bouncing around at giant leaps as he chased it through the stands. Of course he wasn’t happy about the situation; in fact, he was totally grumpy.
At one point someone in the stands held the ball and waited for him to come and confiscate it but, as soon as the sourpuss arrived, the guy hit the ball into the air and everyone laughed all the louder. Mad as a hatter, the curmudgeon continued to chase the big bad beach ball until he finally apprehended it.
Yes, I understand that the stadium probably had rules about beach balls bouncing around in the stands, but the game wasn’t playing and the people were having a good time, which is what these events are all about. Besides, the ball was light and harmless. The sourpuss could have eased up on the rules a bit, but like all staunch legalists he was hell-bent on enforcing the law to the letter.
Another good example would be NFL refs who are so obsessed with the rules of the game that they throw their flags at the slightest possibility of an offense. It’s just so frustrating to see great plays canceled out due to some overzealous ref. This slows the game down and saps the life out of the players and audience.
In a recent game, a defending player was flagged for supposedly roughing the passer in the middle of the 4th quarter, which cost the defending team a whopping 15-yard penalty. When the announcers showed the replay it was clear that the man didn’t do anything to warrant the penalty and they stressed this. But nothing could be done and the entire course of the game shifted because of some gung-ho ref and his little yellow flag. Just the same, legalists can derail an entire church or sect with their stubborn obsession to the letter of the law.
If you watch football you know exactly what I mean—incredible plays called back because of some trivial contact that even the announcers admit wasn’t really an infraction. It happens all the time. Similarly, legalists in the church prevent spiritual growth, miracles and great moves of the Spirit with their fanatical rule-ism. They sap the life, freedom and joy from the people of God! And then we wonder why believers get disillusioned and leave the church because it’s so sterile, routine and impotent.
Am I saying game rules are wrong in football? Absolutely not. Rules are necessary for obvious reasons. What I’m objecting to is overzealous refs throwing their flags at the slightest appearance of an infraction, which unnecessarily bogs down the game. I’m also objecting to the ever-increasing rules added for the sake of safety or what have you. Dreaming up more and more life-stifling rules isn’t the answer. If the players can’t stand the heat they should get out of the kitchen.
The same can be applied to government. Politicians keep passing more and more laws to the point that society is stifled. How many laws do we need anyway? We’re over-regulated, pure and simple, and some laws are so useless they’re a joke, but we keep passing more and more. It’s absurd and it’s sapping the life out of the citizenry and economy.
As previously stressed, Christianity is so simple: Love God and love people as you love yourself. Obviously if a person truly loves God they’ll surrender to his means of salvation and spirituality and not their own, which is religion. When believers fulfill these two simple laws they automatically fulfill all the moral law (Matthew 22:36-40). Of course, this isn’t accomplished by trying to force our flesh to comply, but rather by putting off the flesh and its deceitful desires and putting on the “new self” (Colossians 3:9-10).
This article was edited from Chapter 3 of…
Print version Kindle version
- The print book is available here for a special low price (291 pages)
- The eBook is available here for just $2.99!
Both links allow you to “Look inside” the book.
Related Topics:
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Law (Torah) — New Testament Believers are NOT Under the Law
Libertinism — What’s Wrong with It and How to Walk FREE
Sabbath — What is it? Should Believers Observe It?
Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled
Holidays—Which Ones Should Christians Observe or Not Observe?