
“The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Giveth Life”
See if you’ve ever heard this verse mis-used to block the light of truth.
“… the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6
Yes this verse says “the spirit giveth life” and yet this in no way negates the divine command to live out and to “preach the word… in season and out of season.” (2 Timothy 4:2-4) The point is that many are using this Scripture out of its context to say or insidiously insinuate that God’s people shouldn’t “preach the Word” as the LORD commanded us to do (2 Timothy 4:2). Ephesians 6:17 says “the sword of the Spirit is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17) Neither the Word nor the Spirit of God can be discounted or separated from each other.
The LORD commands His people to …
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 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; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4
There is power in the Word of God and when it is sent forth from the mouths of His anointed people, lost souls are convicted, they repent, and are saved!
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15
THIS is why Satan aims at stopping the preaching of the Word of God – it is wrecking his evil kingdom of darkness.
“But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:2-5
Satan wishes to keep his prey, his captives in darkness, blinded. His goal in using his embedded agents to twist God’s Word aims at shutting down the preaching of the oracles, the written Word of God. This is how God has ordained that lost men should be saved and saved men should be further sanctified (John 15:3; 1 Peter 1:23, etc.).
There is power in the Word of God!
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
When convicted, when those who are lawless, unaccountable, hear something they don’t like, they will shoot out a deflection by misusing this verse as they declare “… the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6) In other words they don’t wish to be corrected by the Word of the LORD which is one of the four stated reasons God gave us His written Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The way this verse, this truth is being used today is due to the rebels who refuse to be accountable to the Word that we know of 100% certainty is from the LORD.
“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8:47
According to our LORD Jesus, we know who is “of God” or “NOT of God” by how they hold or don’t hold God’s written Word. Any person who does not uphold God’s Word as their final divine authority is “not of God.” It is highly recommended that you memorize the above verse.
It’s as if they are determining that a small portion of this one Bible verse cancels out, negates the mountains of Scripture which inform us that God’s written Word is the final divine authority for every matter of doctrine and the practice of the faith of Christ.
The true disciple is teachable, is captive to the LORD and therefore His Word. And so he declares with Paul “Let GOD be true and every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4)
BEWARE of misusing this verse to convey the false notion that God’s people aren’t accountable to God’s Word and are not to speak His Word.
WHEN people get convicted at the preaching of biblical truth, many of them will misuse the “The Letter Killeth” Scripture, lifting it out of context in order to deflect the guilt away from their darkened, lawless hearts instead of repenting (John 3:19-21). What does God’s Word mean when it says “The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Giveth Life”? (2 Corinthians 3:6)
Many throw this verse out there to block intrusion upon their falsehoods. They want to stifle conviction and get a free pass to pretend they are “led by the Spirit” with no accountability to the written Word. They want the freedom to do their own thing and then claim it was the Holy Spirit that led them to do so. These antichrist flakes are not grounded in Holy Scripture. Beware of the lawless ones!
In 2 Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul was contrasting the old and new covenants and not dismissing any accountability to the written Word (2 Corinthians 3).
2 Corinthians 3:6 is often misused to convey the idea that God didn’t really mean what He stated and that we aren’t accountable to it – so we are free to do what we wish, call it ministry, and blame it on the Holy Spirit. Then the misuser introduces his own twisted explanation, perpetrates his/her supposed visions, words, or dreams he claims are from God. Some of these deceivers use allegory to dismiss the literal. Beware.
“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:16
“How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;” Jeremiah 23:26
False prophets perpetrate their own “words”, their own “visions” and “dreams” they claim are from God and expect their prey to believe them. Yet, they simultaneously discredit and denigrate the divine authority of God’s written Word. Now that friends, is Satan at work! Beware saints!
Test all against God’s written Word. Anything that contradicts is from counterfeits, from “another spirit” which is of Satan (Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Corinthians 11:2-4, 12-15).
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1
People who are lawless, do not want to be held accountable to the Word of God which is the final divine authority (Acts 17:10-11; 1 John 4:1).
What does “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” really mean? Does this mean that the Word of God should not be spoken or adhered to or taken literally whenever possible? Does it mean that individuals can claim to be “led of the Spirit” while contradicting or twisting what God’s Word states? Never. The divine Person of the Holy Ghost gave us the written Word and “the scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
Some, upon hearing the words of God preached, do not wish to repent (are un-repentant) and therefore attack the messenger. They will use “private interpretation” by misquoting 2 Corinthians 3:6 out of its context (2 Peter 1:19-21).
“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Mark 13:31
This 2 Corinthians 3 passage in no way negates the need for speaking God’s Word. Such would be blatant disobedience. Jesus and His holy apostles commanded that His people “Preach the word.” (Mark 16:15; 2 Timothy 4:2, etc.). In fact, it’s only those who do not “endure sound doctrine” who misuse 2 Corinthians 3:6.
Some would say “life can’t be found in the rules” but God’s Word states: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63) Since Jesus is “the life” and “the Word”, do His word not have divine life in them? (John 1:1, 14; 14:6) Yes they do.
When stating “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life”, Paul here is in no way minimizing the Law or Word of God. In fact, “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” (Romans 7:12) Instead, rather the apostle is contrasting mere words with the words from/of God coupled with and enlivened by the Spirit of God through Spirit-filled New Testament vessels. Read 2 Corinthians 3 prayerfully.
Notice the context. Paul is speaking of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through the believer in ministering to others. Because of the Holy Ghost living in His people, we are said to be “able ministers of the new testament.”
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter (the law), but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” 2 Corinthians 3:5-6
If Paul was is speaking of the sword of the Word harming someone, it would only mean that the human vessel is not walking in the Spirit of God at the time he is ministering.
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16
Under the far superior New Covenant, ratified with the very sinless blood of the only begotten Son of God, the regenerated spirits of born again men are the very temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). The born again saints of Christ are possessed by the Holy Spirit who brings life, grace, divine enablement, and divine empowerment to fulfill God’s will in contrast with the Old Law which gave no man the ability to keep it…. Romans 8:3-4
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:2-4
The law slays us (death and burial) and the Holy Spirit raises us up in Christ’s salvation (Romans 8:3-4, 11).
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
“2 Cor. 3:6, the letter stands for the whole Mosaic Law. It kills because, of itself, it could not give life (Acts 13:39). The work of the law was to make men conscious of sin (Gal.3:21-25) 1 Tim. 1:9). The Spirit, by contrast gives life to believers.” Steve Smull
God sent His only begotten Son to die for us, establishing a new covenant, so we could be redeemed and the vessels, the very temples of His Holy Spirit.
“Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” 2 Corinthians 3:3
Here is the verse in question…
“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6
Of 2 Corinthians 3:6, in the Believer’s Bible Commentary, William MacDonald writes:
“In verse 6 the ‘letter’ refers to the Law of Moses, and the ‘spirit’ refers to the gospel of the grace of God. When Paul says that ‘the letter killeth’, he is speaking of the ministry of the law. The law condemns all who fail to keep its holy precepts. ‘by the law is the knowledge of sin.’ (Rom. 3:20) ‘Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.’ (Gal. 3:10) God never intended the law to be the means of giving life. Rather it was designed to bring the knowledge of sin, to convict of sin. The New Covenant is here called ‘spirit’. It represents the spiritual fulfillment of the types and shadows of the Old Covenant. What the law demanded but could never produce is not effected by the gospel.” p. 1829
One commentary discloses the following of this glorious 2 Corinthians 3 passage and uncovers where the misuse of 2 Corinthians 3:6 began, at the hands of a known false teacher:
“Not of the letter, but of the spirit. In other words, “not of the Law, but of the gospel;” not of that which is dead, but of that which is living; not of that which is deathful, but of that which is life-giving; not of bondage, but of freedom; not of mutilation, but of self-control; not of the outward, but of the inward; not of works, but of grace; not of menace, but of promise; not of curse, but of blessing; not of wrath, but of love; not of Moses, but of Christ. This is the theme which St. Paul develops especially in the Epistles to the Romans and the Galatians (see Rom_2:29; Rom_3:20; Rom_7:6, Rom_7:10, Rom_7:11; Rom_8:2; Gal_3:10; Gal_5:4, etc.). Not of the letter. Not, that is, of the Mosaic Law regarded as a yoke of externalism; a hard and unhelpful “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not;” a system that possessed no life of its own and inspired no life into others; a “categoric imperative,” majestic, indeed, but unsympathetic and pitiless. Both the Law and the gospel were committed to writing; each covenant had its own book; but in the case of the Mosaic Law there was the book and nothing more; in the case of the gospel the book was nothing compared to the spirit, and nothing without the spirit. Out of the spirit. That is, of the gospel which found its pledge and consummation in the gift of the Spirit. The Law, too, was in one sense “spiritual” (Rom_7:14), for it was given by God, who is a Spirit, and it was a holy Law; but though such in itself (in se) it was relatively (per aceidens) a cause of sin and death, because it was addressed to a fallen nature, and inspired no spirit by which that nature could be delivered (see Rom_7:7-25). But in the gospel the spirit is everything; the mere letter is as nothing (Joh_6:63). For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. This is one of the very numerous “texts” which have been first misinterpreted and have then been made, for whole centuries, the bases of erroneous systems. On this text more than any other, Origen (false teacher), followed by the exegetes of a thousand years, built his dogma that the Scripture must be interpreted allegorically, not literally, because “the letter” of the Bible kills. The misinterpretation is extravagantly inexcusable, and, like many others, arose solely from rending words away from their context and so reading new senses into them. The contrast is not between “the outward” and the inward sense of Scripture at all. “The letter” refers exclusively to “the Law,” and therefore has so little reference to “the Bible” that it was written before most of the New Testament existed, and only touches on a small portion of the Old Testament. Killeth. Two questions arise.
(1) What and whom does it kill? And
(2) how does it kill?
The answers seem to be that
(1) the letter—the Law regarded as an outward letter—passes the sentence of death on those who disobey it. It says, “He who doeth these things shall live in them;” and therefore implies, as well as often says, that he who disobeys them shall be cut off. It is, therefore, a deathful menace. For none can obey this Law with perfect obedience. And
(2) the sting of death being sin, the Law kills by directly leading to sin, in that it stirs into existence the principle of concupiscence (Rom_7:7-11; 1Co_15:56; Gal_3:10, Gal_3:21). But the spirit giveth life. This contrast between a dead and a living covenant is fundamental, and especially in the writings of St. Paul (Rom_2:27-29; Rom_7:6; Rom_8:11; Gal_5:8; 1Co_15:45). The Law stones the adulteress; the gospel says to her, “Go, and sin no more.”
2Co_3:7
The ministration of death. The ministration, that is, of the Law, of “the letter which killeth.” St. Paul here begins one of the arguments a minori ad majus which are the very basis of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Written and engraven in stones; literally, engraved in letters on stones (Exo_31:18). The reference shows that, in speaking of “the letter,” St. Paul was only thinking of the Mosaic Law, and indeed specifically of the Decalogue. Was glorious; literally, occurred in glory, or, proved itself glorious. In itself the Law was “holy, just, and good” (Rom_7:12), and given “at the disposition of angels” (Act_7:53); and its transitory glory was illustrated by the lustre which the face of Moses caught by reflection from his intercourse with God (Exo_24:16).”
Articles
“Pastors According to Mine Heart” [podcast]

“The cross life is the truth! The Joel Osteen gospel is the American gospel. It is all about me and how I can live my best life now! Yesterday in the elderly home Tom and I are blessed to minister in, a resident (elder) testified, ‘I was struggling and got down on my knees, praying to Jesus for help, and asking Him to forgive my sins. And I know He did because I have joy again.’ This was such a simple prayer but I could hear the heart of a child. Jesus said, we must become like a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven (Mat 18:3).” Karen Cochran
“… but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” Isaiah 66:2
Jesus taught Us
“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:20-28
“But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself (by using titles) shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:8-12
The next time some clown let’s you know he’s a “pastor” or “minister of Christ, or that he has a seminary degree or reads the Bible in Hebrew and Greek, etc., …..” kindly ask him when the last time was that he ministered to 10 lost souls in a day or led someone to Jesus.”
“Preach the word” AND “DO the work of an evangelist.” 2 Timothy 4:1-4
Jesus was not playing when He warned us of “MANY false prophets” who would “deceive MANY.” (Matthew 24:11)
“People better heed these warnings now because when the man of lawlessness comes the deception will be so strong that if possible even the elect will be deceived (Mat 24:24). He will come as a religious figure-trying to mimic Jesus. There will be no greater false Christ than him.” Karen Cochran
People are Leaving the Fake “Church” System
People aren’t leaving these false “churches” because they’re leaving the faith. No. They are leaving these wolf-run “churches” in order to preserve their faith. The SCAM-d3mic further exposed the 501(C)(3) charlatans who took orders from the gov’t. Jesus warns us in these final days before His return that “many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:11)
“And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Jeremiah 3:15
PASTORING is not occupying a physical building as a real estate manager! By biblical definition and under the anointing of “the Great Shepherd of the sheep”, PASTORING involves feeding, tending to, exhorting, correcting, encouraging, teaching, equipping, warning, comforting, and nourishing the sheep of Christ for whom He died and rose again from the dead (John 21:15-17; Hebrews 13:7, 17, 20). Pastoring involves instruction and perpetual preparation in light of the soon return of the Savior (Ephesians 5:25-27; Colossians 1:28; 1 John 3:3; Revelation 2-3, etc.). Hiding away in a physical building actually hinders a man from going out and about to the people who must be reached, you know like Jesus and His apostles did (Matthew 9:35-38; Acts 8:4, etc.).
The biblical qualifications for being an elder, a servant of God to oversee His flock are found in 1 Timothy 3. Go read it and notice that no where do we see that a pastor must be cool, be eloquent of speech, a good entertainer, wear fancy clothes, have a piece of real estate he calls “church,” run a choir, etc.
As we read in the passage below, Jesus, “the Great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20), was slandered by the religious devils of His day, but that didn’t phase Him. He kept marching, fulfilling His Father’s calling – reaching out in compassion to and feeding those scattered abroad without a shepherd.
“But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:34-38
Today most modern pastors are mere hirelings who are lukewarm if they are even saved and do very little true Gospel work as we see Jesus and His apostles doing. This would mean that they are not “worthy of their hire.” Seems it would be different if they would “LABOUR in the word and doctrine” and therefore “worthy of double honour (compensation)“. See 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 Corinthians 9:1-14, etc…..
Do we have a heart after the LORD? Are we filled with tender mercies and loving kindness toward His people and the lost who He came “to seek and to save”? (Luke 19:10)
Are we, as did Jesus and His holy apostles, going about preaching the Word of God, reproving, rebuking, and exhorting His sheep with all longsuffering and pure biblical doctrine?
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 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; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:2-5
In the above passage of Holy Scripture, the true disciple of Jesus can be seen …
- Preaching the word instant in season, out of season,
- reproving,
- rebuking,
- exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine
- watching thou in all things,
- endure afflictions,
- doing the work of an evangelist,
- making full proof of thy ministry
Jesus Christ is “that great shepherd of the sheep.” He instructed us to follow Him and, in doing so, to “FEED my sheep” which includes more than just exposing false teaching.
Every single disciple of Christ is to be pastoral in heart and life. We are each to tend to our fellowship with Christ daily and to His people.
“Feed the flock of God which is among you.” 1 Peter 5:2
In order to become a balanced, fully-equipped, and mature disciple (1 Cor. 4:15), we must tend to feeding, nourishing, and also warning (Colossians 1:28). The apostolic PWT model is seen in Colossians 1:28 – Preach, Warn, Teach Christ’s body.
Some of us have learned to warn and that is so very important. We must also feed and nourish in order to “seal the law among my disciples”, says the LORD (Isaiah 8:16). There are those who are aware of wolves operating on the internet and only seek to expose them and warn us. These individuals bear fruit of rage and anger as they do nothing except tear at other ministries and people. They never take the time to feed the sheep. This alone reveals them to be wolves. They pose as watchmen and yet are wolves. Because they pose as watchmen, they can catch you off guard. Beware saints. If you don’t see kindness, mercy, grace, God’s love, and true concern for others, run!
“Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.” Isaiah 8:16
With no exception, Christ’s servants will always get YOU into HIS Word for yourself. They desire you to be faithful, loyal to GOD, not themselves!
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
THE BEAUTY AND THE LOVE OF OUR LORD AND HIS MINISTERING
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.” Matthew 4:23-25
As our memories glance across the record of the 4 glorious Gospels, we see among many things that the ministry of our LORD was perfect. He is the Model of perfection in all things, including ministering to others. As we read the Holy Scriptures, we observe the perfectly balanced wisdom He used in feeding, rebuking, warning, showing mercy, and admonishing. Jesus knew the hearts of all men and He taught appropriately and justly to all whom He ministered to (John 2:24). Due to there being no sin in Him, Christ did not get moody or have mood swings. He did not minister according to how He was feeling, but rather according to as His Father led Him and according to the hearts of those He ministered to – “he knew all men.” (John 2:24) Remember how He was “moved with compassion” upon and so merciful to sinners, lambasted the rich and the religious, healed the lame and blind, raised the dead, opened blinded eyes, cast out devils to deliver souls, and preached His good tidings of great joy, calling all men to repent and believe His Gospel? (Luke 4:18)
Being “Nourished Up in the Words of Faith and Good Doctrine” and Feeding the Saints
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” 1 Timothy 4:6
It all begins with taking personal responsibility over our own souls – “Take heed unto THYSELF.”
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” 1 Timothy 4:16
The disciple whom God uses is the disciple who truly puts Him first – “daily.” (Luke 9:23-24) The LORD is not a second class citizen in the life of the Heaven bound true disciple of Jesus. Like Mary, this disciple chooses that good part of worshiping, seeking, and loving on Jesus (Luke 10:38-42). Out of the overflow of that abundant and rich fellowship and communion with our LORD, this disciple receives an outpouring of His Holy Spirit, which is then used to bless others. Truly, this disciple’s cup is running over and blessing many.
In order to be used of God to feed and tend to His blessed sheep for whom He bled, one must qualify. All bitterness, self-promotion, selfishness, must be laid aside. The girdle of servant hood must be taken up. Ministry that pleases our LORD is Christ is others-centered, not self-centered. It all begins with recognizing and seeking Him as LORD, Savior, and Master of our lives.
Jesus told Peter three times to “feed” His beloved people and coupled this essential duty to Peter’s love for Him. Without fail, those who love Christ will feed His sheep and care for them with a genuinely concerned and compassionate heart. Notice here in this platinum passage that it all begins with dining or fellowshipping – intimate communing with the Savior.
Loving Jesus and feeding His beloved sheep are connected. Check this out:
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” John 21:15-17
Those who love Jesus will pour His love on others. They serve Christ first, then people, and then themselves (Matthew 22:37-40). Wicked wolves serve themselves first and foremost. This is why they possess no true concern for others.
“Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” John 13:13-17
Most of us have seen the many hirelings abounding in that which calls itself the church in this late hour. Their self-promotion is sickening and many times it is subtle, so beware. Most of us are learning to discern between the true and the false (Ezekiel 44:23-24). Watch out for those who have no compassion towards others. In other words, they are hard-hearted. The sin of selfishness and pride always brings a hardened apostate heart (Hebrews 3:12-14). These wolves in sheep’s clothing are more interested in being heard than actually being used of the LORD to bless the people.
We can follow the Apostle Paul’s example and also His warning about wolves among us who “mind” or tend to “earthly things”, such as their own ministries, so-called “church buildings,” and other temporal trinkets. These savage wolves are so busy serving the god of self that they have no true concern for Christ and the precious sheep He bled to redeem.
“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Philippians 3:16-21
What is a pastor? Is it someone who merely holds a title or position? Many today hold the title and have no clue as to the heart of “that great shepherd of the sheep” and what He desires of them. Pastor is a calling to help bring God’s people to (Ephesians 4:11-13).
Ra ah is the Hebrew word for “pastor.” To pastor means to tend to a flock or person, to feed as a friend, and to shepherd. Now, as usual, the definition of anything in God’s economy, is best defined by what the whole of Scripture says about that word or topic. Here’s is the apostle Peter’s instructions to overseers.
“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” 1 Peter 5:1-6
So many today – most – who have the title of “pastor” have never learned to be pastored themselves by “that great shepherd of the sheep,” even Jesus (Hebrews 13:20). They could care less about the people other than to get those people to listen to them and give them their money. The apostate modern church priesthood today is made up of moral cowards who refuse to die to self and truly learn to walk with Jesus but rather trust in their flimsy certificates they paid good money to earn in seminary where they learned what mere sinful men said about God’s Word instead of learning God’s Word. They are too busy with their idols and loving this fleeting and sinful world and its pleasures than to bother with serving God and His people according to the biblical pattern (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15). Most people who are true Bible students can clearly see that the majority of those who hold the mere title of “pastor,” are not even saved. If they were, they would be loving and serving God and not themselves. See Philippians 3:18-19, Jeremiah 23, and Ezekiel 34.
Jesus commands us to “Feed my sheep” and yet we know that ultimately HE is “the Great Shepherd” and feeder of His beloved sheep (John 21:15-17; Hebrews 13:20).
God-fearing people who pastor others, feed the people and don’t exploit the people for their own self-serving purposes.
“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. 2 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. … 4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:1-4
PRAYER: Holy Father, rebuke me. Bless this life to be full of the fear of God, broken, contrite, and living in true humility, serving and lifting up others above self and as unto You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Articles
Ridiculous King James Bible Corrections

New Version Attack on the Deity of Christ….They remove the word “begotten” in John 3:16 …. The new versions are Gnostic!
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Jesus Christ could not be divine if He were born from an earthly father.

“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:20-23
On this account alone we know that the new versions cannot possibly be of God because they remove the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the one Messiah.
NEVER foolishly pretend to correct the Bible! No, correct your own foolish self!
Below is from by John Hinton, Ph.D.
jhinton@post.harvard.edu
John 3:16, Only Begotten
John 3:16 KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 is quoted more than any other verse in the Bible, at least by Christians and other church-goers. There may be no verse that is more frequently perverted than this one, but most people still know the full verse as presented by the KJV. Why then, is it so hard to find the word ‘begotten’ in other versions? The word in question is ‘monogenes’. This is a compound of two words monos and genes, the latter being drawn from the verb genao, which means to beget or cause to be produced. Monos means only or single, as is clear by its many appearances in English, such as monotony, monopoly, monotone, etc. Genao has come into the English language as well in words like generation, genesis, genes, generate, and so forth. The two words together mean only-begotten! It could not possibly mean anything else. In spite of this obvious, uncontestable, and invariable meaning, it is perverted with great frequency. The perversion of this verse appears to have begun, not with Christians, but with Gnostics in Egypt. These Gnostics not only denied the nature of Christ, but rewrote much of the New Testament in order to pervert the truth. These Gnostics had to lie through their teeth in order to suggest that the second half of this compound word did not count. Followers of the Alexandrian heresies, such as today’s New Age Bible version translators, being unconcerned with integrity, were more than happy to follow the Gnostic lead. It should be noted that the Gnostics did not even speak Greek as a native language. Their language was Coptic, which is about as close to Greek as Turkish is to Arabic. This means that it is less close to Greek than English is to Polish. Coptic adopted and adapted the Greek for their form of Egyptian, and borrowed many New Testament Greek words, just as Turkish borrowed the Arabic alphabet (until modern times) and many vocabulary words, as did Malaysian, Swahili, Farsi, Urdu, and many other unrelated languages, but this makes for only the most superficial comparisons. In both cases this is as far as the similarities go. Their language families are unconnected and their grammars are entirely dissimilar. Why on earth would anyone with a half a lick of sense accept a nonsensical definition of a Greek word by heretical, non-Christian Coptic speakers for a Greek word that is completely clear in its meaning to start with?
The ASV was not bold enough to pervert this verse, but the RSV and almost every modern version since has done so.
RSV For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
NIV: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is not the only place where only begotten son is changed to only son. The modern versions do the same thing in the following verses.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
1Jo 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him
Unfortunately, many foreign Bible translations no longer have legitimate translations of these verses, and there are many languages that have never had one. No translation in French history has failed to pervert this verse. Not only do the modern perversions like the Louis Segonde, which is below, fail to say begotten, but even the much better earlier versions, such as the Olivetan and the Martin do so.
Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu’il a donné son Fils unique, afin que quiconque croit en lui ne périsse point, mais qu’il ait la vie éternelle.
They all say unique son, which is clearly wrong. The first French translation to include the whole verse is my KJV oriented revision of the Martin Bible, which I hope to make available soon.
The Arabic Bible is a fairly good Bible, but it botched this verse too. I suspect that the reason for this is that the Arabic translators may have used the French as their model. The Arabic says “ibn wahid”, which means unique son. I had to think about the French for a while, but the proper Arabic translation came to me instantly and quite naturally: “ibn wahid wulida bihi”. It sounds even more natural in Arabic than it does in English. I don’t understand why it didn’t occur to the original translators. I cannot believe that it had anything to do with technical issues. Most Gideon’s KJV Bibles include several translations of John 3:16 before the Bible text itself. I cannot read several of the languages at all, but among those that I can read the Arabic, French, Hindi, and Hebrew mistranslate it. If I were to compare verses from Bibles from all over the world the list of corrupted verses would go on for page after page.
I’ve had many people tell me that they see these verses as stating that Jesus is God’s unique Son in a very special way, but that is not even a relevant argument. It is irrelevant not only because the Greek does not say that he is unique, but because it is a subjective term with little meaning. Is Jesus God’s unique son? Yes, of course he is, but so is every other born-again Christian. As a born-again believer I am counted as a son of God. I also am unique. How many multilingual, KJV defenders who are Arabic translators, survival instructors, classical guitar players, wild critter gourmets, ex-hermitic mountain men, and former freight train-riding, chicken-farming Ivy League graduates who nearly flunked out of high school (due to truancy) are there out there? In the unlikely event that there are any, they are not going to look like me, sound like me, or share all of my other traits, faults and experiences. Everyone born-again Christian reading this can claim their own brand of uniqueness. We are all unique. Being unique is not unique and calling someone unique is not saying much of anything at all. Jesus is not just a unique son of God, but he is unique because he was his only-begotten Son!
Why is it so important to make such a big deal of this one word, some ask? There are many reasons, but the following come to my mind right away.
1) It is a lie to translate the word as “only” or “unique”. The word doesn’t mean unique. That is an attempt to rob Jesus of his true nature. This is a trick learned from Gnostics, Arians, and other heretics.
2) It is a lie that Jesus is the only son of God.
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Ro 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Ro 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3) If translators can’t get a plain statement like John 3:16 right, what credibility does that give to the rest of their translation?
Finally, it needs to be pointed out that Jesus is not the only son to be described as an only begotten one. Isaac also is described as only begotten.
Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
We know that Abraham had another son, Ishmael, and the modern version translators were just as aware of it. In this example Isaac is his only begotten son because he was the only one to be born of his lawful wife through him, the same way that Mary begot the only Son to ever be begotten through God. So why did they, once again, ignore the word begotten, and translate this verse as “only son” as they did with the references to Jesus? This is surely an act of incompetence, but it was more a desire to follow Gnostic/New Age philosophy that dictated the modern version translation than it was one of incompetence. They knew that if they were to translate this correctly, and it were to be noted by anyone looking at the Greek, their corruption would be disclosed. They had to cover their tracks by corrupting the verse regarding Isaac for that reason. As a result they make the ridiculous error of saying that Isaac had only one son.
Whatever the motive for the modern perversions’ treatment of these verses, they are glaring proofs that their alleged superior knowledge of Greek is as phony as Bill Clinton’s repentance. It is most sad that they have been allowed to get away with it by so many church-goers throughout the ages. The emperors need to put on some clothes, because they are guilty of indecent exposure.
The preceeding is part of a series of examples of KJV verses that arrogant would-be scholars have tried to correct and showed themselves to be fools. These examples are for the benefit of those who would like more ammunition to defend God’s Word against the attacks of the arrogant Bible “correcting” modernists. I hope that some of you find them useful.
Your servant in Christ,
John Hinton, Ph.D.
Bible Restoration Ministry: A ministry seeking the translating and reprinting of KJV equivalent Bibles in all the languages of the world.
by Will Kinney
“Doesn’t the KJV talk about unicorns?”
Yes, the KJB and many others as well, both in English and other languages, refer to unicorns. Unicorns DO exist; they just aren’t what you think they are.
Are you willing to look into this a bit more and learn something?
https://brandplucked.webs.com/unicorns.htm
Question for you. Most Bible agnostics and unbelievers in the inerrancy of ANY Bible refuse to answer it because they are too dishonest to admit what they REALLY believe about “the Bible”. How about you?
Here is the question.
Do you believe there IS (present tense) ANY Bible in ANY language, translated or untranslated, that you can SHOW US (Give us a link to where we can see it) that you honestly believe IS the complete and inerrant (infallible, 100% true) words of God? Yes or No?
If Yes, which one
is it?
If No, or simply “I don’t know” are you honest enough to admit it.
Thank you.
THINK ABOUT THIS – ARROGANT, UN-REPENTANT REBELS MANIFESTED:
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16
Obviously some are foolishly arrogant and therefore refuse to receive the “correction” the real Bible brings. No wonder they love Satan’s corruptions and despise God’s preserved Word, the King James Bible.
If you don’t believe God kept His holy hand on the preserving His Word to us, all the way through to the King James Bible…..
“Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalms 121:4
Oh what a great God and King Jesus we serve!
LET’S LEARN GOD’S WORD TOGETHER – ONE TRUTH AT A TIME: This message was sent out to each person who is on the Moments for My Master e-mail devotional list. In supplementation to your personal daily study of God’s Word, we would love to add you and have the privilege of nourishing your heart with God’s Word (Jn. 5:39; 1 Tim. 4:6, 16; Heb. 5:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:2). Sign up here.
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Articles
Darwin’s Demise: What they don’t want You to know about Charles Darwin! [podcast]

“Darwin’s theories are hardly irrefutable. He refuted them himself. This is how science works. Even he conceded that his theories would never be proven. Any actual learned Darwinist would have to concede the same. Also, we use the term ‘evolution’ so improperly that it’s become desensitized to actual facts of biology. We misuse it. Evolution is most often times intertwined with ‘adaptation’, which it is not. It’s like saying the term ‘free’ is the same as the term ‘no cost to you.’ Those are also obviously different. In any case, the ‘evolution of hominids’ is nonsense. These are nothing more than piles of various bones cherry picked to put the skeletons that they hope to display together. God made man in His image. Not in a monkey’s image. His.” Dave Fury
Darwin himself described the lack of transitional fossils as, “… the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory.”
With the theory of evolution, we still lack much evidence. Where do we go from here?
Why do we not have unlimited fossil records of missing links of transitional forms if Darwin’s theory of evolution is true?
For example: If man came from apes, why are there still apes? And, where is the fossil record of the intermediary, transitional stages?
Shocking Charles Darwin Quotes
“But, as by this theory, innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth?” (Darwin, Origin of Species, 1859).
“When we descend to details we can prove that no one species has changed (i.e., we cannot prove that a single species has changed): nor can we prove that the supposed changes are beneficial, which is the groundwork of the theory.” Charles Darwin, 1863
“To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree.” – Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, 1st Ed., p. 186.
“I have asked myself whether I may not have devoted my life to a fantasy . . . I am ready to cry with vexation at my blindness and presumption” Charles Darwin [12].
“Often a cold shudder has run through me, and I have asked myself whether I may have not devoted myself to a fantasy.” (Charles Darwin, Life and Letters, 1887, Vol. 2, p. 229)
“The number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed must be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory.” (Darwin, Charles, Origin of Species, 6th edition, 1902 p. 341-342)
“The FOOL hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Psalms 14:1
If “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God,” the wise people say in their hearts that “There is a God, you’re not Him – and we are all accountable to Him.”
“As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27
Not one library the world over contains a stitch of proof that evolution is true.
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” Romans 1:22
Atheism – The belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs. Makes perfect sense.
It simply doesn’t matter how many scientific sounding words or theories one uses, we know from the first law of thermodynamics that matter cannot appear accidentally, by chance. We didn’t need someone to coin a “law” to know what the very first law of thermodynamics admits – that something cannot come out of nothing.
In His Word, God warns us of “avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20). False science is designed to oppose true science which acknowledges that which is self-evident. Much of what presents itself today, that which comes in the mere name of “science” is nothing more than an atheistic religion designed to deny that creation has a Creator. Consider the source. The atheistic peddlers of the debunked mere theory of evolution can be found to be miserable deniers of the obvious. More in a moment on how it’s been rightly stated that evolution is a “fairy tale for grownups.”
Remember, science is the mere study of the creation of an Almighty infinite Creator by the mere finite human.
Making Peace with God – Before it’s too late. | Atheism/Evolution
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