“BEWITCHED” – The Most Misunderstood Passage in the Bible RESOLVED [video]
Matthew Matthew 5:17-18 Jesus did not come to tell you that you have to be the first other than Himself to perfectly fulfill the whole law. Impossible. No, He said that HE came to fulfill the law – to EXPIRE and do away with it, to abolish it for righteousness.
“For Christ is THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS to every one that believeth.” Romans 10:4
“THE END” means it’s over, obsolete as a means to try to be righteous in God’s holy eyes. Jesus’ perfect sacrifice is “The end” of trying in vain to keeping the law to be right with God came when Jesus declared “It is finished” – or “paid on full.” (John 19:30) Anyone who doesn’t believe this is not saved.
“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:1-3
This passage of divine truth should arrest our hearts afresh to stop and breathe in the faith of God, trusting Him fully, wholly… resting in Him. See also Romans 4:4-5.
When Paul writes that just “a LITTLE leaven leavens (ruins) the whole lump,” he’s speaking of mixing just a little bit of law-keeping, human effort with genuine faith empowered by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:9). Serious warning. One writer notes:
“Justification is not Christ plus law. It is Christ plus nothing. Faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone!”
Of this passage, William MacDonald writes:
“A. The Great Truth of the Gospel (3:1-9)
3:1 Their actions exhibited a lack of understanding and reason. To turn to law from grace is to be bewitched. It is to be lulled as by a magic spell and unwarily to accept falsehood for truth. When Paul asks: “Who has bewitched you?”, the who is singular (Greek, tis), not plural, perhaps suggesting that the devil was the author of this false teaching. Paul himself had preached Jesus Christ to the Galatians as crucified, emphasizing that the cross was to separate them forever from the curse and bondage of the law. How could they return to the law and thus disregard the cross? Had not the truth laid hold of them practically?” Believer’s Bible Commentary
THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD PASSAGE IN THE BIBLE
Are saved-be-grace-through-faith in Jesus NEW Testament saints required to keep the law just because the law will never pass away?
The Holy Spirit through Paul warns us about being “bewitched” and Matthew 5:17-18 have been used out of context to bewitch many! (Galatians 3:1-3) Beware.
Satan lays the trap, throws the net to get saved by grace through faith New Testament back under law-keeping futility.
This following passage is one of the ways modern judaizers cast the spell of witchcraft over believers to get them back under law-keeping.
Ever heard terms like “Torah keepers” or “Keep Torah”?
“What the judiazers miss is that Jesus Fulfilled the Law at the Cross….Jesus being the perfect sacrifice was the Fulfilment.” Byron Wilson
ANY person who is trying to keep the law to be made righteous, to be justified in God’s holy eyes, proves to be a lost soul in need of repenting and putting his whole life, his faith in Christ – who ALONE fulfilled the law perfectly and then nailed it to the cross. In His perfect sacrifice, His crucifixion for the sins of the world, Jesus Christ “TOOK IT (law keeping) OUT OF THE WAY, NAILING IT TO HIS CROSS;” (Colossians 2:14-19)
Law keeping for righteousness is the ultimate antichrist manifestation because it says “I can do this” instead of saying to the LORD in repentance and full reliance, “Without You Jesus, I can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Anti means “in place of” and those who are trying to “keep Torah” to be righteous have openly denied Christ and are “fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4) They have put sinful self in place of Christ which makes them antichrists.
“If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:21
Some mistakenly read the following passage and believe it means that we have to keep the law and that it’s through the law that men are justified.
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil (expire, do away with, abolish!). 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (by HIM, not you!).” Matthew 5:17-18
Read that often used passage and ask: Was Jesus saying His people have to keep the law OR was He speaking of Himself keeping the law? Go ahead, read it again.
WHY did Jesus even come if we could keep the law perfectly? He would not have.
“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:21
Jesus was speaking of HIMSELF coming to keep the law perfectly and fulfilling it in order to free us from such a heavy, undoable, unbearable “yoke of bondage.”
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Galatians 5:1
God is commanding you right here, you who are born again and saved by grace through faith, to never again “be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Never again!
Those trying to keep the law are not only under the “yoke of bondage,” they are “under the curse.”
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Galatians 3:10
Jesus said this (above) BEFORE He went to the cross.
Hebrew Roots, judaizing devils use this passage to attempt to heretically “prove” that born again, saved-by grace-through faith NEW Testament saints are still under the law of Moses, that they are accountable to keep the law in order to be saved.
The more I look at this passage, Matthew 5:17-18, the more it seems obvious that people are misled by judaizers to conclude that Jesus was saying we must keep the law to earn our way into God’s justification. If that were the case, why would He have ever bothered to come (Galatians 2:21). After all, we already had the law via Moses (John 1:17). Jesus simple said the law would not pass away. He didn’t say we have to try to keep it.
We cannot die for our own sins. Jesus alone did that. He lived a sinless life under the law – to keep it perfectly as no sinful man had or could ever do (Genesis 6:5, 12; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3; James 2:10, etc.). Christ then nailed the law to the cross and “took it out of the way,” removing us from under it – from under its impossible weight (Colossians 2:14-19, etc.). Memorize Romans 10:4 and James 2:10 and Galatians 2:16 brother.
Of this, one writer says:
“The law will never pass away because we need it for whoremongers, murderers and thieves (1 Timothy 1:7-11). The law however, does not apply to believers who have been raised to walk in newness of life in the new creation. The believer actually lives in the overlap of the two realms. His body is still under law. If he speeds he gets a ticket. But his soul and spirit is no longer under the law. He has died to the law. Romans 7. He is under grace (Romans 6:14; 10:4).”
“But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” Galatians 5:18
If keeping the law justifies a man, why does the Bible then say man things like this?:
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:28
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Romans 10:4
Just because the law will never pass away doesn’t mean one can be righteous via the law.
“Ye are NOT under the law but under grace.” Romans 6:14
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
The perfect standard of God’s law, when it hits the conscience of sinful man, reveals just how sinful we are – “by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Galatians 3:20)
All who in Christ are no long under the law – they are under saving grace (Romans 6:14). To those saved by grace by faith in Christ, God’s Word says “the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient.” (1 Timothy 1:9)
Speaking specifically of those who misapply the law under the New Covenant, Paul writes:
“The law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.” 1 Timothy 1:9-11
Just because Jesus said the law will never pass away, in no way means He was commanding us to keep it, especially in our own power.
Think about that.
No one can keep the law without offense. The law is the perfect standard of perfection of divine holiness and justice that no man can perfectly keep it. Christ alone did keep it perfectly. Yet our LORD then “took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” (Colossians 2:14)
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Colossians 2:14-17
The law is the holy divine standard that magnifies just how sinful we are – in order to bring us to repentance and faith in Christ. One writer notes:
“The law arouses sin and causes sin to increase. The strength of sin is the law. The law kills the Christian life. It does bring us to Christ in that God uses that death that the law causes in order to bring us to the end of self, self-effort and self-righteousness. Rom 7:5; Rom 5:20; 1 Cor 15:56; Rom 7:10. Out of the death caused by law comes resurrection life and power. The law killed Jesus. Jn 19:7.”
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:28-29
All who have rejected Christ’s perfect sacrifice for their sins for the futility of trying to keep the whole law perfectly, are “under the curse” – they are “accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9; 3:10)
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Galatians 3:10
Now the ensuing verses are going to tell us that Christ came to redeem us from “the CURSE of the law.” NEW Testament saints, like the father of faith, Abraham, are justified by faith and are not under the law. Christ perfectly fulfilled the requirements of the law and then died to take it away – to redeem us from it! (Colossians 2:14-17)
The divine design of the law was “to bring us unto Christ.”
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Galatians 3:24-25
The law was only given and is in place to bring us to Christ so that we’re justified by faith just like Abraham was who was justified by faith over 400 before the law was given (Galatians 3:19-26).
One writer notes:
“The law come in so that sin might INCREASE! Rom 5:20. The increase of sin kills life instead of being life-giving. In this way, the law brings us to the end of self. ‘Sin revived and I died. O wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me?’ The law had done its job on Paul. Read Romans 7.”
Some people insist upon the futile attempt of keeping the law – in their flesh – instead of walking by faith with Christ (Galatians 3:1-3, etc.). But the law was never to be an end of itself. If God intended to finish with the law, why did He send His only begotten Son to “fulfil” and “end” it – to take it out of our way? (Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4; Colossians 2:14-16).
“If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:21
The law is the perfect divine standard spelled out to fallen, sinful mankind – to show him just how wicked, sinful he is and to bring him into the saving mercy of Christ! See Romans 3, 7 and Galatians 3:24.
Law or grace! Law is a cruel task master but it has it’s loving purpose – to bring us to Christ! (Galatians 3:24)
Jesus Christ is “the Almighty” and sits high and lifted up above all His creation – having “loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,” having single-handedly “obtained eternal redemption for us.” (Revelation 1:5, 8; Hebrews 9:12)
“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:12
The perfect sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, is infinitely superior to the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant which were only instituted to point to and prefigure His perfect sacrifice which was to come and has come!
“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished (paid in full): and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:30
Until Christ came and died to take it out of our way, “we were kept under the law.” (Colossians 2:14-17)
Jesus Came to deliver us from being under the law and the bondage thereof….
“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed … Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 3:23; 4:3-7
Until Christ came, fallen mankind was shut up under the law.
“But when the fulness of the time – Appointed by the Father, Gal 4:2. Was come, God sent forth – From his own bosom. His Son, miraculously made of the substance of a woman – A virgin, without the concurrence of a man. Made under the law – Both under the precept, and under the curse, of it. To redeem those under the law – From the curse of it, and from that low, servile state. That we – Jews who believe. Might receive the adoption – All the privileges of adult sons. And because ye – Gentiles who believe, are also thus made his adult sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts likewise, crying, Abba, Father – Enabling you to call upon God both with the confidence, and the tempers, of dutiful children. The Hebrew and Greek word are joined together, to express the joint cry of the Jews and gentiles.” John Wesley
“When the fullness of the time was come – The time which God in his infinite wisdom counted best; in which all his counsels were filled up; and the time which his Spirit, by the prophets, had specified; and the time to which he intended the Mosaic institutions should extend, and beyond which they should be of no avail. God sent forth his Son – Him who came immediately from God himself, made of a woman, according to the promise, Gen_3:15; produced by the power of God in the womb of the Virgin Mary without any intervention of man; hence he was called the Son of God. See Luke, Luk_1:35, and the note there. Made under the law – In subjection to it, that in him all its designs might be fulfilled, and by his death the whole might be abolished; the law dying when the Son of God expired upon the cross. To redeem them – Εξαγορασῃ· To pay down a price for them, and thus buy them off from the necessity of observing circumcision, offering brute sacrifices, performing different ablutions, etc., etc. That we might receive the adoption of sons – Which adoption we could not obtain by the law; for it is the Gospel only that puts us among the children, and gives us a place in the heavenly family. On the nature of adoption see the notes on Rom_8:15.” Adam Clarke
“4:4 The fullness of the time refers to the time appointed by the Heavenly Father when the heirs would become of age (see v. 2). In this verse we have, in a few words, a marvelous statement as to the deity and humanity of the Savior. He is the eternal Son of God; yet He was born of a woman. If Jesus had been only a man, it would be gratuitous to say that He was born of a woman. How else could a mere man be born? The expression, in our Lord’s case, witnesses to His unique Person and the unique mode of His birth. Born into the world as an Israelite, He was therefore born under the law. As Son of God, the Lord Jesus would never have been under the law; He was the One who gave it. But, in condescending grace, He put Himself under the law that He had made, in order that He might magnify it in His life, and bear its curse in His death.” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary
No more a law relationship but a grace relationship. “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
“When you flirt with Moses (the law) you are cheating on Jesus.”
Grace is the divine influence on our hearts and His operational power working in us to walk with Jesus and overcome sin – Romans 6:14.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14
Walking with Jesus under the NEW Covenant He came and gave us does not require mixing law and grace or attempting to keep the law of Moses. New Testament saints are “justified by faith” and should never be deceived into thinking that any law-keeping is helping God out or assisting in meriting our own justification (Romans 5:1-2).
“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
Those who attempt to work for their justification instead of believe God for, are deceived at best.
“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Romans 4:4-5
Who are the true Jews – the people of God – “the Israel of God”? (Galatians 6:16)
“For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Romans 2:28-29
My Testimony
Personally, coming from a catholic background…. which is 100% works-based…
Years ago, the LORD quickened me to seek His face, to study His Word veraciously concerning His saving grace and mercy and love in particular … Through which He began to establish my heart in His grace and continues. See Hebrews 13:9; 2 Peter 1:2; 3:18.
Memorizing passages like Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5-7 have been divinely transforming
Also poring prayerfully over Ephesians, Colossians, Galatians, and Hebrews.
One disciple gets at the self-righteousness always fostered by law-keeping in contrast with the humility that possesses those who choose to walk in a grace by faith relationship:
“The Prodigal’s Father unconditionally both loved AND accepted both his sons at the party\feast. The licentious prodigal son was accepted unconditionally at the party. The legalist elder brother would have been accepted unconditionally at the party but his legalism kept him away. He was angry, entitled and had in his mind earned his way to a special party for he and his friends. Never happened. He would not come to the grace party. There is no law party. God unconditionally accepts everyone at the party who wants to come. Some just don’t want to party. They want to work and earn.”
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LIE OF THE AGES: From the Garden to Glory [podcast]
Excerpt from the book Lie of the Ages
The First Lie and the Fall of Man
“Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” ~ Genesis 3:1-5
Have you ever wondered what the first lie ever told was? Who told it? Why was it told? What was the result of it? Can the fruit be seen and felt today? Can its effects be traced throughout history and even into the future?
According to the Genesis account, the Garden of Eden was the sanctuary of the Most High, where He communed with the first man and woman He had made in His very own image. The Garden was a sinless, guiltless sanctuary of unimaginable relational bliss between the LORD Almighty and the man and woman. The Garden of Eden was the place of pure truth and love—a place where lies were not even suspected.
Enter Satan.
Enter the lie.
Enter the seduction.
Enter no fear of God.
Enter stolen restraint.
Enter sin.
Enter the fall of man.
Enter alienation from the Creator.
Garden Scene—The First Lie
Do you think this first lie may hold some insight into the work of Satan and his war against God and His treasured people today?
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die…(Now here’s what the woman said:) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Now here’s what Satan said:) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” ~ Genesis 2:16-17; 3:3-4
In the book of origins (Genesis) where every major biblical doctrine is rooted (has its beginning), there can be found the keys and answers to life. Mankind’s Maker, his beginning, his ultimate enemy, temptation, sin, the resulting fall, and the redemption of man are revealed in the first chapters of this all-important first book of the Holy Bible.
Perhaps there could be no greater occupation than for the student of Scripture to undertake, pour over, pray over, and dismantle the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. In this endeavor, he will gain insight into the origins and purpose of creation, pitfalls facing mankind, divine restoration, and the keys to living a victorious life in harmony with his Creator.
Sin entered the human experience through the temptation and fall of the first man (Rom. 5). By this the enemy gained a foothold and has warred with that sole creation made in the image of the Maker Himself. But it is sin that is man’s problem, not circumstance or self-esteem nor any other diagnosis. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (See Jer. 17:9.)
Someone has wisely stated: “The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.”
From the very beginning, Satan has tempted man to believe that breaking the commandment of His Maker was not to be feared or avoided and could not harm him. The temptation for man is if he is going to determine truth on his own terms and how it fits his own lifestyle, or repent and humbly accept and obey what God says.
Cain was a religionist. He refused relationship with the LORD because he chose to do things his own way instead of God’s (Gen. 4:1-7). In his pride, Cain wanted to make up his own rules – he was lawless. Religion is where men have created a god in their own image and follow those teachings which render obedience to that false god. The most deceptive and evil form of religion is that which is close to the truth and uses Bible Scriptures out of context to make up that doctrine which circumvents obedience to the plain truth of God. (See Jesus rebuke the Pharisees in Matt. 23.)
Who are we going to believe and trust? Whose report will you believe? Since the LORD and the devil stated something in direct opposition to each other, we know that one of them is a liar. As He gave the first man and woman the option, so the LORD gives us the choice to trust and obey Him or not to obey Him. Each of us will decide who it is that is going to be a liar in our hearts—the Almighty, or Satan.
God said (Gen. 2:17): “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof THOU SHALT SURELY DIE.”
Satan said (Gen. 3:4): “And the serpent said unto the woman, YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE.”
The lie of the ages began in the very cradle of creation. The aim of the enemy of all souls was the first man and woman who were uniquely created in the image of the One who made all things. Adam and Eve were the subjects of Satan’s deadly lie—the first lie ever told. Apparently, this cunning enemy understood that if he could cause the man and woman to take things into their own hands and violate the instruction of their Maker, they would be ushered out of His Garden (presence) and forfeit their place with Him.
Mankind’s enemy led him to believe that he could violate the instruction of his holy Maker and still remain within His approval. Like Adam and Eve, it is readily observed that men naturally internalize this philosophy as “I can sin with no fear of consequences.” Is it possible that this lie is still leading men and women to believe that they “shall not surely die” if they live in direct opposition to the LORD?
Concerning this most insidious and destructive lie of the serpent, the Life in the Spirit Study Bible states:
“‘YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE’…The first lie proposed by Satan was a form of antinomianism (lawlessness), denying the judgment of death for sin and apostasy. One of the basic sins of humankind is unbelief in God’s word. It is believing that somehow God does not really mean what He says about salvation, righteousness, sin, judgment, and death. Satan’s most persistent lie is that unrepentant, deliberate sin and rebellion against God will not necessarily bring separation from God and eternal condemnation.”
As he did with the first man and woman, the adversary tells us “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4).
Escaping the judgment of a holy God has long been the vain imagination of depraved men, fueled by the enemy of all righteousness who has come “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (Jn. 10:10).
“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” ~ Ecclesiastes 8:11
“Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.” ~ Psalms 10:13
Question: “Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God?
Answer: “He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.”
The hearts of those who are not in fellowship with the LORD say “The LORD will not ‘require it’ of me. He will not bring me into accountability for my life in this world. After all, He has not done anything to me for my wrongdoing thus far. I am okay in my sins; God will just overlook them.”
Lucifer’s lure capitalizes on the sinful nature of men, preying upon his desire to be his own god, controlling his own destiny. Somehow, according to this revelation and others, it is within man’s makeup to believe that because his Creator is not presently executing tangible judgment for his sin, he believes that God is not going to judge him at all. So, unregenerate man goes on sinning with reckless abandon, not realizing that that Great and Terrible Day of Judgment lies just ahead.
The first man and woman bought into the first lie that claims there is no consequence for violating the command of the one true God. Such self-deception is no new thing. Since the first man and woman, people have sought to define right and wrong on their own terms instead of simply acknowledging what the LORD says. As the first couple found out, it is a losing endeavor to determine truth by how it fits one’s lifestyle instead of by God’s non-negotiable counsel given us in His Word (Jn. 17:17; Rom. 3:3-4; 2 Tim. 3:16). Defining truth on one’s own terms is buying into the lie of the ages presented to every man by the evil one who “walketh about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
When men seek to redefine truth on their own terms, they unwittingly create a god in their own image—one who accepts them in their sins with no judgment. They then migrate to pastors and teachers who will tickle their itching ears with smooth messages void of the full-counsel revelation of Holy Scripture (Jer. 5:30-31; 2 Tim. 4:2-4).
After Adam and Eve, it was their son Cain who sought to make up his own way to God on his own terms. He failed. To Cain and to all who seek through religion, whether self-styled or organized, the Almighty would ask: “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door” (Gen. 4:7).
The LORD says to Cain “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” This simply means “If you will do things the way I prescribed, will I not fully accept you as I did your brother Abel?” Cain hardened his heart and refused to do things God’s way by offering the type of sacrifice God requires. Due to his own choice to rebel against the Most High he became so filled with the enemy that he killed his own brother (Gen. 4).
This is a classic example of how the enemy led this man Cain to believe that he could make up his own rules, violating the holy Creator and still escape His just judgment. Like Cain, millions of faithful religionists today have a mere formula of godliness while denying the power of a truly surrendered life to the one true God who sent His only begotten Son as the only sacrifice for the sins of men (2 Timothy 3:5).
When he was able to successfully persuade the first man to violate the command of the LORD, Satan gained access to authority over the man by the sin of the man (Isaiah 59:1-2; Ephesians 4:27; James 4:7). Jesus re-gained that authority for His highest and prized creation and all those who come into relationship with Him experience the abundant blessings that come along with being saved by His precious blood (Jn. 10:10; Rom. 5:17; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).
“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)” Romans 5:17
“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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” ~ John 3:16-17
PRAYER: Father in Heaven, please unite my heart to fear Thy name and keep it from falling prey to this same lie that led to Adam and Eve’s fall. Quicken my heart in the fear of the LORD. Please teach me that there are many harsh consequences for disobeying You, by not doing what You say, by sinning against You. Convict my heart of sin, and I beg You to make my conscience extremely sensitive to Your conviction and leading. Change my heart, O LORD. Grant me a heart of flesh that delights to live in Your presence and do Your perfect will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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Apostasy
“The Certainty of the Words of Truth” [podcast]
Nicholas, the Apostate Deceiver
Historians say that Nicholas (Acts 6:5), a deacon in the first century church, backslid, and led his followers to believe that living in sin would not affect one’s relationship with Christ. The term Nicolaitans is said to come from those who followed Nicholas. Nico-laitans is a compound Greek word. Nico means “to conquer,” and laitans means “the laity.” Satan used Nicholas to conquer his followers through the lie of lawlessness. The evil spirit of Nicholas lives on today through many lawless leaders who operate in the church world in this late hour.
Nicholas taught free love. He and his followers taught that the deeds of believers could not affect their relationship with God. This is antinomianism, which means lawlessness. The Bible clearly refutes such a lie as we will witness in our walk through the Holy Scriptures.
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:19
“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Titus 1:16
The Bible states here, that those who “profess that they know God” and yet “deny him…in works,” are “abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
By this lie of lawlessness, the enemy of souls conquered the people.
“But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans (means “conquer the laity”), which I also hate…So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.” Revelation 2:6, 15
Here is some modern terminology for this age-old doctrine:
- Once Saved, Always Saved
- Eternal security (unconditional)
- Calvinism, perseverance of the saints doctrine
In Revelation 2, Jesus Christ tells us that He “hates” two things — “the deeds” and “doctrine of the Nicolaitans.” The Son of God despises the doctrine that teaches that the deeds of men have no effect upon their relationship with Him.
The Scriptures continuously reveal the divine hatred for the acceptance, and even doctrinal authorization, for living in the sins which the LORD tells us violate His holiness, reveal a wicked heart, and will prevent one from entering into the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8, 27).
The word “lasciviousness” appears six times in the Bible and means “lack of restraint (from sinning); license for sin; licentiousness.”
To underscore the utter, divine hatred against this lie of lawlessness, it should be noted that this is the only place in Scripture where Jesus Christ, Himself, states that He hates something.
Though they may vary in packaging, these are all kin to the same lawless “ye shall not surely die” lie, which is the lie of the ages.
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2
“For ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.” Jeremiah 23:36b
“Thus saith the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word.” Jeremiah 26:2
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19
“Hath God said” ?
Always remember that whenever you have someone casting doubt on God’s Word, words, you are dealing with a person who is under Satan’s control, is a rejecter of the LORD, and therefore His truth, and is a child of the devil. Every time.
Notice what we see Satan doing in the Garden of Eden just before he changed, altered, added one word to God’s words:
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1
Then, in verse 4 we read how Satan added just one three-letter word which changed the meaning of what God said and changed world history.
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:” Genesis 3:4
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17
“Thou shalt surely die” from God was then changed by Satan to “Ye shall NOT surely die.”
This is the first time we see what’s known as the “eternal security” lie. It’s also known as “once saved always saved” or “perseverance of the saints” heresy. Any person teaching or believeing this lie has partnered with Satan himself.
Knowing “the certainty of the words of truth”
“Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.
18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.
19 That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21 that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? Proverbs 22:17-21
“that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth” – and how can we “know the certainty of the words of truth” if we aren’t even reading them – if we are not reading the preserved Word of God but rather a cheap counterfeit?
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Apostasy
8 Classes of Sinners Guaranteed to Spend Eternity in the Lake of Fire [podcast]
8 Classes of Sinners Guaranteed to Spend Eternity in Hell
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
“The second death”
[which is the second death] The second death is the lake of fire, or the second separation from God in hell (Rev_2:11; Rev_20:14; Rev_21:8).
Of Revelation 21:8, Adam Clarke writes the following:
Revelation 21:8
But the fearful – Δειλοις· Those who, for fear of losing life or their property, either refused to receive the Christian religion, though convinced of its truth and importance; or, having received it, in times of persecution fell away, not being willing to risk their lives.
And unbelieving – Those who resist against full evidence. And sinners, και ἁμαρτωλοις, is added here by about thirty excellent MSS., and is found in the Syrian, Arabic, some of the Slavonic, and in Andreas and Arethas. On this evidence Griesbach has admitted it into the text.
The abominable – Εβδελυγμενοις· Those who are polluted with unnatural lust. (sodomites, lesbians Romans 1)
And murderers – Φονευσι· Those who take away the life of man for any cause but the murder of another, and those who hate a brother in their heart (.
And whoremongers – Πορνοις· Adulterers, fornicators, whores, prostitutes, and rakes of every description.
Sorcerers – Φαρμακοις· Persons who, by drugs, philtres, fumigations, etc., pretend to produce supernatural effects, chiefly by spiritual agency.
Idolaters – Ειδωλολατραις· Those who offer any kind of worship or religious reverence to any thing but God. All image worshippers are idolaters in every sense of the word.
And all liars – Και πασι τοις ψευδεσι· Every one who speaks contrary to the truth when he knows the truth, and even he who speaks the truth with the intention to deceive; i.e., to persuade a person that a thing is different from what it really is, by telling only a part of the truth, or suppressing some circumstance which would have led the hearer to a different end to the true conclusion. All these shall have their portion, το μερος, their share, what belongs to them, their right, in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. This is the second death, from which there is no recovery.
“21:8 But not all are overcomers. Some are cowardly, afraid to confess Christ; unbelieving, unwilling to trust the sinner’s Savior; sinners, all those who remain in their sins, whether guilty of the gross iniquities listed here or not; abominable, given over to disgusting immorality; murderers, malicious and savage killers; sexually immoral, practicing fornication and other forms of sexual sins; sorcerers, those who traffic with evil spirits; idolaters, insulting God by worshiping images; and all liars, compulsive deceivers. These will be assigned to the lake of fire as their final destiny.” Believer’s Bible Commentary
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. … 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:10, 14-15
One source notes the following:
“Brimstone and fire” refers to the fiery imagery of divine judgment and eternal punishment found in the Bible. It symbolizes God’s wrath, often describing the fate of sinners in hell, and is a phrase used in religious sermons and literature. “Brimstone,” an old word for sulfur, is a key component of this imagery, evoking a smell and heat associated with inescapable, fiery destruction.
Biblical origins
Old Testament:
The phrase originates in the King James translation of the Old Testament, used to describe God’s destruction of enemies. A key example is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
New Testament:
The imagery is used to describe eternal damnation, a common theme in both the Old and New Testaments. In the book of Revelation, for example, it describes those who worship the beast being tormented in a lake of fire and brimstone.
Etymology:
The phrase is a calque of the Biblical Hebrew and Ancient Greek words for “sulfur and fire”.
Geological evidence:
Archaeological and geological evidence of sulfur deposits and charred formations in areas like the Dead Sea region have been noted as consistent with biblical descriptions of fire and sulfur-related events.”
“But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12
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