The “Sealed” Scam Exposed
Beware of the false definition of sealed by dispensationalist heretics.
What does the biblical term “sealed” mean? What doesn’t it mean?
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will …” Ephesians 1:3-5
The saints of the Most High God are “blessed … with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” We also read here that “He hath chosen,” not forced, us “that we should be holy and without blame before him.” Those who are “chosen” and choose to live unto the LORD are made “holy” by Him. If one is not being made holy, it is clear that he has no part with Christ (John 13:8; 2 Timothy 2:19; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:14; Revelation 21:8, 27).
Here’s just one more example of how we know that no honest, sane person believes OSAS… Just another example of deceit and dishonesty to deny personal responsibility in obeying Jesus (Matthew 7:21). It’s ALL about THEM. Totally self-serving and could care less about knowing and obeying the Savior they claim as LORD and yet deny Him the honor of truly knowing, serving, worshipping, and obeying Him. Paul says they are “abominable” (Titus 1:16).
It’s interesting how these wolves tout the grace of God as if it’s a license to sin and automatically covers all their sin without their involvement. Yet they have NO faith in the grace of God to grant them power over sin through the crucified life (Romans 6:3-14). Are we beginning to see why they push this perverted definition of grace? If they believe so strong in grace, WHY won’t they choose to believe God’s enabling grace will bring them to victory over sin via the crucified life?
Paul makes it clear that saving grace does not abide in anyone living in sin:
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Romans 6:1-2
Every person walking in God’s saving grace, outside of which no one can be saved, is:
- Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
- living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” Titus 2:11-12
IF A SEAL IS PERMANENT JESUS COULD NOT HAVE RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD BECAUSE THE SAME EXACT GREEK WORD IS USED IN MATTHEW 27:66 CONCERNING HIS SEALED TOMB AS IS IN EPHESIANS 1:13 AND 4:30.
To a man who said that those who are born again are sealed and they cannot possibly lose it, the following response was given:
Not true. SEALED cannot possibly mean that the seal is unbreakable. You’ve followed false teachings. JESUS’ tomb was unsealed (Matthew 27:66) and He was raised from the dead. It’s the same Greek word as “sealed” Ephesians 1:13; 4:30. Case closed. Jesus’ tomb was sealed then unsealed and He was raised from the dead. Anyone who doesn’t believe Jesus rose again is not saved (1 Corinthians 15:17). OSAS/eternal security is a lie from hell.
“Sealed” is not un-sealable. It cannot possibly mean that once one is “sealed” that the seal cannot be broken as is often taught by today’s “ungodly men” who are “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 4) “Sealed” in Ephesians is the same Greek word used in Matthew 27:66.
“So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, SEALING the stone, and setting a watch. … he is risen from the dead …” Matthew 27:66; 28:7
“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17
Define “sealed” from Ephesians … same Greek word as Matthew 27:66 where Jesus’ tomb was sealed and yet it was UN-sealed when He raised from the dead. So, “sealed” is not an unbreakable seal. To seal simply means to stamp. One writer notes:
“Seal was not a lock that could not be opened; it was a mark of ownership, such as would be placed on a document.”
We see yet again in Revelation that a “seal” in God’s Word is never defined as something that is automatically permanent.
“And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” Revelation 20:3
In the verse above, we see that Satan will be cast into the bottomless pit and a “seal” will be set upon him for a thousand years and then that pit will be unsealed to release the Devil.
The OSAS false teachers are always seeking to find yet another way to prove their father Satan’s first lie. They are constantly grasping for straws.
The attempt of eternal securists to make the definition of “sealed” confirm their lie, is pitifully weak and actually completely fraudulent. Heresy. Foolishness. Sealing in the Bible does not mean permanence. Typical scam theology attempting to fortify a lie.
Some will say “But how can one become un-sealed after being saved and sealed?”
Simple: The question is not whether you can become un-sealed – that’s a moral coward approach. The question is WHO ever said the Bible definition of “sealed” meant that seal can’t possibly be broken? The same exact Greek word for sealed is used concerning Christ’s tomb which we all know was UN-sealed (Matthew 27:66). So “sealed” in Ephesians can’t possibly mean that the seal is unbreakable.
IF in fact you are truly and presently “sealed” by God, it’s proven in that you “depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19).
“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
Notice those who try to use the two “sealed” Scriptures in Ephesians don’t even want to know about this Bible verse below which gives definition to those who are truly “sealed” – as in they “depart from iniquity” instead of making excuse for it, instead of hiding behind sin-justifying false doctrine.
Joseph Gorscak writes:
“Put it together people: ‘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)
The fact that the “ungodly men” who’ve taught you Hell’s doctrine of OSAS purposely refused to tell you this biblical truth, reveals they are false prophets whose “damnation slumbereth not” (2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 3-4).
God’s choosing of us who have trusted in Christ does not automatically determine that the individual believer will answer His call to continue to trust Him. According to Revelation 17:14, Christ will soon return with those who are “called, and chosen, and faithful.” God unfailingly does His part and the individual must do his part in which he will always be granted the enabling grace of God to perform (Philippians 2:12-13). The human will must never be factored out of the picture or there will be misunderstanding. Jesus told us that “many” are “called” yet few “chosen” due to the fact that only a few choose to be “faithful” to the LORD (Matthew 7:13-14; 20:16). “Without faith it is impossible to please him” and those who “draw back unto perdition (destruction),” not choosing to “believe to the saving of the soul,” will lose out eternally (Hebrews 10:26-39; 11:6).
“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:11-14
One will find that the “sealed” teaching is prevalent among those who seek to justify the perversion of the grace of God using His very words. Their teaching on being “sealed” is quite the occasion to privately interpret, twist and misuse the Scriptures. Those who are “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” find much opportunity to exaggerate what the Bible states and does not state about being “sealed with that Holy Spirit.” Upon a closer, more thorough and sober look at the word “sealed” and in the context it is written, and of the whole of the Word of God, a quite different perspective should emerge.
Note here in Ephesians 1 that the Holy Spirit is speaking of those who have “obtained an inheritance, being pedestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” or word. His Word is His will and the fullness of His recorded Counsel reveals that the Almighty before destined (predestined) that all be saved and live according to His truth and holiness. Yet, He never forces any person to believe or obey Him. Is it not the “purpose” of God and the way that has been predestined and not the person? The LORD told us clearly that He wills all to be saved and come to repentance and that none (not one) should perish in Hell (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). In light of this fact of Scripture, we know the LORD would not choose some to be saved and some to be lost. According to His own Word, He clearly has not predestined some to go to Heaven and some to Hell. God so loved the “world” that He gave His only begotten Son to pay the full price for the sins of all of mankind – not just some (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2). Only those who appropriate His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, by meeting the conditions He set forth, will spend eternity with Him and His family in Heaven (Isaiah 1:19-20; John 1:12; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:12-15; 10:26-39; Revelation 2-3).
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to ALL men.” Titus 2:11
Who told you a seal couldn’t be broken? That’s ridiculous… we break open seals every day. “Sealed” comes from the Greek word sphragizo which is defined this way: to stamp with a signet or private mark for security or preservation. (Lit. or fig.) by implication. To keep secret, to attest: – seal up, stop.
SEALED? Phil Kassees writes:
“Do not break the seal of your salvation thus becoming reprobate (fitted for destruction). There will be many that at one time who walked with the Lord, fell from grace and shipwrecked their faith. It’s not only that someone has come to the Lord at one time, but that they continue to abide in him for all time.”
A seal can be broken. A sealed envelope can be opened. It is conditionally sealed. This Greek word, sphragizo, is the same word translated “sealing” concerning the tomb in which Christ was laid after He died on the cross for the sins of the world.
“So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, SEALING the stone, and setting a watch.” Matthew 27:66
Christ’s tomb was sealed and we all know that the seal of Jesus’ tomb was broken, and He rose again. It was not a permanent bond that could not be broken just as the sealing work of the Spirit of God in the believer is not necessarily a permanent bond. The LORD wants it to be, yet will not force any saved person to continue to meet the conditions to be ultimately saved into His holy presence. Biblically speaking, sealing does not mean permanence without condition.
The fact that Jesus’ tomb was unsealed clearly establishes that something sealed CAN be unsealed.
Was the “sealed” stone of Jesus’ tomb rolled away? Yes or no please. It was rolled away after being “sealed.” “So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch” (Matthew 27:66).
Did you know that the same Greek word for “sealed” that is used in Matthew 27:66 is used in Ephesians 1:13 & 4:30? That must in biblical terms mean that sealing is not necessarily permanent!
The tomb in which He lay was divinely un-sealed: “He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6).
HAVE YOU EVER OPENED A “SEALED”ENVELOPE? I DO IT NEARLY EVERY DAY. THAT SEAL ON AN ENVELOPE CAN BE BROKEN AND SO CAN GOD’S SEAL. GOD IS STILL “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY” AND IF YOU LIVE IN SIN, HIS BLESSED RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL BE LIFTED AND YOU WILL NOT MEET THE CONDITION TO ENTER INTO ETERNAL GLORY (ISAIAH 6:3; EZEKIEL 33:12-13; GALATIANS 5:19-21; HEBREWS 12:14-15; REVELATION 4:8; 21:8, 27 ETC.).
IN FACT, YOU’RE NOT SAVED IF YOU THINK THAT SEAL (ON CHRIST’S TOMB) WASN’T BROKEN BECAUSE HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD WHEN THAT SEAL WAS BROKEN. AND, THE RESURRECTION IS A FOUNDATIONAL, ESSENTIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHRISTIAN’S FAITH (1 CORINTHIANS 15:17).
It’s obvious to see that Reformed theology/Calvinism has redefined what God intended in the word “sealed.” Those who are caught up in this deception are willingly deceived for buying this lie (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
As it is that the Father in Heaven alone could have broken the seal and raised Christ from the dead, so only God can break the seal He has formed. From His Word we learn that He will break the seal and loose the person who was once saved from His kingdom, if that person departs from the faith (Ezekiel 33:12-13; Acts 1:25; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 2:5; 3:16).
THE SAME GREEK WORD FOR “SEALED”THE CALVINIST GRABS AND PERVERTS FROM EPHESIANS IS THE VERY SAME GREEK WORD FROM WHICH WE READ THAT JESUS’ TOMB WAS SEALED. DID THAT SEAL THAT WAS OVER CHRIST’S TOMB REMAIN OR WAS THAT STONE ROLLED AWAY AND JESUS RAISED FROM THE DEAD?
WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION AND SO MUST CONCLUDE THAT A SEAL CAN BE BROKEN AND IS NOT IRREVERSIBLE!
“Seals left unattended can allow bacteria (sin) to enter in, losing their seal and turning from good to rotten fruit.” Clarissa Saum
From the whole of Scripture, we can conclude that it is the divine intention that the subject be sealed all the way until the day of redemption and yet no individual’s free will has been removed or diminished. If one begins to rebel, the seal is in jeopardy. The term “sealed unto the day of redemption” in no way negates what the rest of Scripture clearly states. Those who take this to seed, take it out of context, do so to their own destruction.
Every believer is “sealed” when they initially get saved yet this does not prevent that believer from sinning which grieves the Holy Spirit of God who is their seal, and that sin brings forth spiritual death (Ezekiel 18:4, 30; 33:13; Romans 6:23; 8:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; Revelation 21:8, 27).
The person who believes in “once saved always saved” will say “When one is saved he is sealed by the Holy Spirit and no power in Heaven or earth can break God’s seal!”
To this position, Jeff Paton decrees:
“There is no Scripture verse in Heaven or Earth that says that we cannot break God’s seal! Must they prey on the ignorance of their readers to get them to believe something the Scriptures never say in order to prove their point? Ephesians 4:30 warns us not to grieve the Holy Spirit, the very One who is our Seal. A warning that serves no purpose if there is no danger! Maybe they should take off their theological glasses long enough so they can stop seeing things that are just not there!”
Another author notes:
“The term ‘predestinate’ is found in two chapters; Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:5, 11. There is no reference in these four verses to either Heaven or Hell, but to Christlikeness. Nowhere are we told in Scripture God predestinates one man to be saved and another to be lost. Men will be saved or lost eternally because of their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
It should be remembered that the Greek definition, no matter the “scholar” rendering it, is never more authoritative than collating the Scriptures in English on any particular subject matter (Isaiah 28:9-10; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16). This must be realized or there is the distinct vulnerability to deception by leaders who use Greek ad Hebrew to their own advantage.
Concerning this text (Ephesians 1:13-14), Donald Stamps, in the Life in the Spirit Study Bible, writes:
“‘Holy Spirit…the earnest.’ The Holy Spirit is an ‘earnest’, i.e., a first installment or down payment, guaranteeing our inheritance. In this age the Holy Spirit is given to believers as a down payment of what we are going to have in great fullness in the future. His presence and work in our lives is a pledge of our future inheritance (cf. Rom. 8:23; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5).”
Let’s look at the last part of this text, verses 12 through 14.
“…who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:12-14
Here we observe that in this context, the writer of Ephesians speaks of those who “first trusted Christ” and this they chose to do after they “heard the word of truth.” Trusting Jesus and His full payment for our sins is volitional (left as a choice to each individual). Those who believe, trusting Christ, are then said to be “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” The whole context here is that these who are “sealed” are trusting in the LORD. The text says nothing of those who “depart from the LORD” which is a clear possibility according to the Word (Hebrews 3:12-14). The Bible has much to say of this and how all who leave the LORD by not continuing to follow and obey Him to the end of their earthly lives, will perish. Those who depart from Christ after knowing Him will have a worse time in Hell than if they had never believed and been saved in the first place (2 Pet. 2:20-22). In this text, the sealing is clearly connected to one’s trust or trusting in the LORD. Carefully notice that the word “trusted” appears ahead of (prior to in sequence) the word “sealed.” In the divine economy, trusting Christ fully precedes and is a prerequisite to the sealing of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures teach that a believer can stop believing, that sin can separate him from God, and that he can fall from grace (Isaiah 59:2; Luke 8:13; Galatians 5:4; 19-21; Hebrews 12:14-15; Revelation 21:8, 21).
According to Ephesians, the presence of the Holy Spirit is the earnest, down payment or deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. This however does not promise or automatically conclude that the one blessed to be chosen and redeemed will continue in the grace of the LORD and be ultimately saved. The individual’s ongoing choice to love and serve God are controlled by himself and no one else. God will not force the free will of men (Genesis 6:3; Deuteronomy 30:19; Isaiah 1:19-20; Galatians 6:7-9; Revelation 2-3).
On predestination, one writer notes:
“Predestination tells us about the ship’s destination and what God has prepared for those remaining on it. God invites everyone to come aboard the elect ship through faith in Jesus Christ. Predestination, like election, APPLIES TO THE CORPORATE BODY OF CHRIST (the true spiritual church), and recognizes individuals only in association with that body through a living faith in Jesus Christ. EXCEPT THESE ABIDE IN THE SHIP YE CANNOT BE SAVED.”
Let’s look at an equally divinely inspired passage of Scripture – equal in divine authority as Ephesians 1. And we know that the divine Person of the Holy Spirit would never contradict Himself in His Word. This will also help to balance and account for the whole divine counsel that we might apprehend the mind of Christ in this matter. To see that departing from Christ after trusting Him is possible, let’s look at Hebrews 3:6, 12-15:
“But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, IF we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end…Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you (brethren) an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” Hebrews 3:6, 12-15
Being “sealed” in no way exempts the one who has “first trusted in Christ” from obedient faith. He must “hold” his “confidence (in Jesus) stedfast unto the end” and not “depart from the living God.” The one who endures to the end must remain in the grace of God, not possessing “an evil heart of unbelief,” and becoming a “castaway.” A “castaway” is a biblical word for one who is cast away from God after being with Him. The very apostle who wrote these words in Ephesians did not believe that he was indelibly sealed into salvation with no possibility of departing from the LORD (1 Corinthians 9:27; Hebrews 3:6, 12-15).
“Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.” 2 Corinthians 1:10
No Scripture states that the child of God is locked into salvation. Paul says here in 2 Corinthians 1:10 that the great LORD has “delivered us…doth (presently) deliver us” and will “yet deliver us.” Those born again are presently saved, are being saved, and as we continue in His grace will be saved. This verse 10 must be taken in context with the text, including the words which precede this verse. Here this apostle of Christ is speaking of those whose lives are truly in Christ. The words of verse 9 are the following – “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9) Those who are saved, must continue in grace and if they do they will ultimately be saved into eternity with the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 21:6-8; 22:13). According to God’s Word Christ must reign in the lives of those who will be His now and forever (also see Romans 6; Gal atians 5:24). In relationship with Christ and by His grace and our own free will, we must sentence to death the deeds of the body that the resurrection life of Jesus might dwell in our mortal bodies (Romans 6; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12).
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24
In Ephesians 4:30 we are instructed to “grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” The whole verse says:
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30
Grieving the Holy Spirit is obviously possible or such a warning would not appear in God’s Word. In no place does the Bible hint that the seal cannot be broken. The grace-corrupters assume such with no Scriptural authority.
The Bible truth that one can depart from Christ after believing makes it self-evident that God’s sealing does not mean that one who initially believes is automatically locked into or forced to remain a child of God and go to Heaven. This truth must supersede the conclusion drawn by those who insist upon a “once saved always saved” theology and therefore seek to make the sealing of the Holy Spirit a permanent thing without the consent of the individual.
There are those who vainly believe they are “sealed” in such a way as to exempt them from personal accountability or responsibility for their sins. This many times leads to gross irresponsibility. What the Word of God is communicating here in Ephesians 1 concerning sealing is that the Holy Spirit’s presence is in the one who has trusted and is trusting Christ. The presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer is the “earnest” or divinely-given down payment until final salvation has occurred when that person is in Heaven (Ephesians 1:13-14). One must “believe to the saving of the soul” and be “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” to be an overcomer and receive the heavenly crown (Hebrews 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5; Revelation 2-3). There is no hint of an unconditional eternal security in this Ephesians 1 text where the Bible uses the word “sealed,” yet when dishonest men are bent upon convincing themselves and others of something, they will twist and spin Scripture until they accomplish this. While violating the text and intentionally excluding the whole Counsel of the Word of God, these men make up their own doctrine and are leading many astray. These who corrupt the grace of God for their own purposes, vainly imagine that they are “sealed” in a way the Bible never describes or validates. The “sealing” they speak of is a sham – a sin-justifying lie, placing their souls in danger and at ease in Zion. “Woe unto them” (Amos 6:1)
This whole “Sealed” doctrine cannot possibly mean that such a seal can’t be broken. This is the manipulatory twisting and redefining of biblical truth by the very wolves, the false teachers that Jude warned us about who are “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.” (Jude 3-4)
The OSAS proponents are assuming something without proper biblical authority. They run with the sealing doctrine and yet cannot prove what they teach. Beware!
Be not deceived when men attempt to hold the Greek over you as if they have some superior position of understanding with the LORD. This is where they supposedly prove their error from the Greek. God gave us His Word in our own language as He promised (Psslm 12:6-7). Knowing the Greek and Hebrew is far inferior to knowing the full spectrum of Scriptures in our own language. Collating the Word in our own language – line upon line – is said to determine the divine verdict on any given subject (Isaiah 28:9-10; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16). The LORD Himself clearly breathed His Word to us and had it transmitted to us in our own language from Genesis to Revelation. Numerous clearly revealed truths in the Bible overwhelmingly nullify the misuse of the “sealed” doctrine peddled among the deluded. In utter defiance of volumes of scriptural warnings, some convey by what they teach and do not teach, that there should be no thought of eternal danger for the believer who strays into rebellion.
Question: Was there a fall? Did mankind fall? Yes or no please.
How did the fall happen? By sin right? Was that sin a choice? Did God force or lead Adam and Eve to sin? No. They chose to disobey Him and therefore by their sin they were separated from Him who is unchangingly “Holy, holy, holy” and so anyone in sin is separated from Him, even those who were once His (Isaiah 6:3; 59:2; Revelation 4:8).
Paul Cairns writes:
“If ‘once saved – always saved’ was true, by applying the same principal to Adam and Eve… their sin would never have been counted against them. Yes… throughout the Bible, God repeatedly talks TO His children, and ABOUT those who are not. The Bible primarily is a book of instruction and correction to God’s children. 2 Ch 7:14 makes this perfectly clear; “If MY people, which are called by MY name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Matt McCoy writes:
“It’s so hard to read the Bible for what it says. If you can’t let God be true but every man a liar, you can’t have a relationship with the God of the Bible (Romans 3:4). I follow no man. I think for myself, according to the written Word of God alone (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I personally believe that yes you can lose your salvation. For those of you who believe you are eternally secure without condition, well, don’t work out your salvation with fear and trembling. See where it gets you in the end. Don’t lie to yourselves. It’s very dangerous. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell (in the wilderness) severity (severe and final judgment), but toward thee goodness, IFFFFFF thou continue (abide) in his goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be CUT OFF. If ‘once saved always saved’ was true, we wouldn’t need to be concerned about having our names blotted out of the book of life, and that would mean that all the warnings in Scripture are pointless and that God is a fool for putting them there in His Word. The Bible is for believers, specifically. All Scripture applies to God’s children.”
Calvinism | Eternal Security | Eternal Security Audios | Eternal Security Dialogue
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MESSAGE RECEIVED:
“2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
’13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.‘”
REPLY:
God chooses “ALL men” to salvation and yet only some, a “few” choose to obey Him (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2). Who’s going to be with Christ eternally? …. “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17:14
Those who will be in eternity with Christ are those whom He has “called, and chosen” and who were in their earthly life “FAITHFUL.” (Rev. 17:14) God does the calling and choosing and men must be “faithful” to receive His eternal reward. We see everywhere in Scripture, the initiating grace of God and the condition given to men – to be “faithful” to God to the end of this earthly life. Any person seeking to eliminate or deny the involvement of the personal will of men is not dealing honestly with the LORD and His Word.
Jesus Christ promised that only those who know and obey Him will be with Him eternally (Matt. 7:21; Mk. 8:34-38; Lk. 6:46; Rev. 2-3). Excerpt from the book Lie of the Ages.
Salvation is by Christ’s WORK on the cross and YET that same Savior demands conditions to be met or there is no deal … like it or not … once saved, that saved person MUST “abide” in Christ which means to remain in Him and when one does good works and good fruit are produced, not sin (John 15:1-6). Any saved person who does not “abide” or remain “to the end” will not be in Heaven with Christ but will rather be cast into the fires of hell for eternity (2 Peter 2:20-22, etc.).
Message Received:
“A seal cannot be broken you need to study this.” Susan
Reply:
Okay, how many people open envelopes daily? Did you open that envelope? If so oooops it wasn’t permanently sealed. The OSAS dupe assumes that “sealed” means that it’s an unbreakable seal. Tell me, what seal is unbreakeable? They’ve never stopped to look to see if the Greek really means that this sealing cannot possibly be broken. No Greek definition of this word will turn such up. It’s inferred by the “ungodly men” who use this word to turn God’s grace into a license for sin (Jude 3-4).
OSAS is a cliché of devils and mere sinful men. IF the Almighty, who gave us 66 books in His Word, wanted us to know that we are unconditionally, eternally secure no matter what we do after being genuinely saved, why didn’t He simply tell us straight out? Did the Almighty forget to tell us something we need to know? Absurd!
NOOO such language as “once saved always saved” (OSAS) ever appears in Holy Scripture. So, in light of this fact, we should ask and seek out what God says in the whole of His non-contradicting written Word. Only then shall we know the truth and be made free from lying clichés like this mythical fable.
There are numerous warnings to God’s people in Scripture about falling away and being lost again.
Why, Why, Why do some insist upon defending and promoting the unfounded ‘once saved always saved’ myth which is not only NOT taught in Scripture, but is actually refuted repeatedly in Scripture???
DID PAUL BELIEVE OR TEACH ‘ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED’???? Paul didn’t believe in ‘once saved always saved’ whatsoever: “But I KEEP under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Corinthians 9:27
Paul never believed or taught the heresy of no-personal-responsibility.
SIN SEPARATES – GOD IS HOLY: “That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas BY TRANSGRESSION FELL, that he might go to his own place (eternal hell).” Acts 1:25
Salvation is received and kept by faith – “The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.” 2 Chron 15:2 (KJV)
—- Jude warned of the “ungodly men” who would peddle their perverted grace, the very lie of “lasciviousness” – a perverted grace (see Jer. 23:17)….. “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:3-4 (KJV) … The Perversion of Grace by Dr. Robert B. Thompson
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Apostasy
The Audacity of Defending the New Versions
The Promise of Divine Condemnation
for all who Dare Add to Or
Take Away from His Word
“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 (including the lake of fire).” Revelation 22:18-19
If you defend the new versions by attempting to detract from the King James Bible, please answer these simple questions:
4 SILENCING VERSES AND QUESTIONS – Here are the 4 verses I compare with people. There is rarely an argument when a King James and a new version are laid open and compared side by side. Watch this:
Matthew 17:21
(KJV) “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.“
(NIV) (whole verse omitted)
Removed in new versions because Satan didn’t want God’s people to know how to cast him out. And you agree with this?
Romans 8:1
(KJV) “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
(NIV) “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
What’s missing? Half the verse is missing which is in the original Greek. Verses chopped in half because Satan wants believers to believe his ‘once saved always saved’ lie. And this is okay with you?
Colossians 1:14
(KJV) “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:“
(NIV) “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.“
“Through his BLOOD” removed because the LORD Jesus is Satan’s enemy. And you side with Satan who’s removing Christ’s very blood from redemption and forgiveness of sins? Are you saying the LORD is a liar by agreeing that there is redemption outside of Christ’s blood? (Hebrews 9:22)
1 John 5:7-8
(KJV) “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. {8} And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.“
(NIV) “For there are three that testify: {8} the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.“
This is the clearest verse in the Bible on the triune nature of God. It’s all but removed from the new versions or neutered to mean nothing because Satan didn’t want God’s people to understand the nature of the Godhead. And you agree with Christ’s enemy on this?
Saints, never argue this topic, just show them. Write these verses above on a sticky and put them in your Bible. Memorize and cross-reference these references so you can be ready always to give an answer (1 Peter. 3:15). If someone can’t see the hand of the enemy here it’s due to their walking in darkness. This is why some don’t fear God and can’t see Christ’s truth and value it. Darkness due to sin is the root reason a person could crassly dismiss this diabolical travesty. You can’t argue someone into the truth. They must choose to repent – otherwise you will be talking to a brick wall of antichrist unbelief.
So Let’s Review:
Let’s see… How can you possibly justify “the blood” being removed from Colossians 1:14? How about the fact that the new versions chopped Romans 8:1 in half? That okay? Not with God (Revelation 22:18-19). How about the butchering of 1 John 5:7? You okay with the fact that Matthew 17:21 has been removed?
ANY person who has the ignorance and audacity to go so far as to defend the new per-versions of the “Bible,” is utterly in need of repentance.
Do the new versions not come from the same manuscripts as did the Jehovah’s Witness corrupted “bible”?
If you are reading a new version, you have a Vatican Bible. So sorry if this offends you friend …. it’s the undeniable historical fact. God bless us to know the LORD and to have His discernment lest we unknowingly walk in darkness.
“The Alexandrian minds believe the Bible is not perfect and can be improved by their great scholarship, but this is actually a spiritual illness of Egypt (Ex. 15:26). This terrible spiritual illness is called A.I.D.S. (Alexandrian Idiots Degrading Scripture). The Antiochan mentality believes the Bible is perfect and cannot be improved. God promised to preserve His inspired word (Ps. 12:6-7; Jer. 32:36) and the humble mind of the common man simply believes God (1 Thess. 2:13). Faith is simply believing what God says (Isa. 66:2; Acts 27:25; Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 11:1-6). THE ALEXANDRIAN CULT is ALL people who REJECT the FACT of the KJB being “THE” FINAL AUTHORITY; which means there is only “ONE” OBJECTIVE STANDARD OF TRUTH, NOT many! Because these people are afraid of there being an absolute TRUTH that will judge them. That means no loopholes, only conviction. This cult is people who use and support the new modern PERversions of the (b)ible (NIV, NASV, NKJV, TNIV,… ESV, and all others etc…)! THE ALEXANDRIAN CULT is anyone that doesn’t believe that the KJB is Inherent, Inerrant, Infallible, PERFECT, INSPIRED WORD OF GOD WITHOUT “ERRORS”! Brian Sirois
THE CREED OF THE ALEXANDRIAN CULT: (by Brian Sirois)
1. There is NO FINAL AUTHORITY but God.
2. Since God is a SPIRIT, there is NO FINAL AUTHORITY that can be seen, heard, read, felt or handled. …
3. Since all books are MATERIAL, there is NO BOOK ON THIS EARTH THAT IS THE FINAL AND ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY on what is right and what is wrong; what constitutes TRUTH and what constitutes ERROR.
4. There WAS a series of writings one time which, IF they had all been put into a BOOK as soon as they were written the first time, WOULD HAVE constituted an infallible and final authority by which to judge truth and error.
5. However, this series of writings was LOST, and the God Who inspired them was UNABLE TO PRESERVE THEIR CONTENT through Bible-believing Christians at Antioch (Syria), where the first Bible teachers were (Acts 13:1), and where the first missionary trip originated (Acts 13:1-6), and where the word “CHRISTIAN” originated (Acts 11:26).
6. So, God chose to ALMOST preserve them through Gnostics and philosophers from Alexandria, Egypt, even though God called HIS SON OUT of Egypt (Mat. 2), JACOB OUT of Egypt (Gen. 49), ISRAEL OUT of Egypt (Exod. 15), and JOSEPH’S BONES OUT of Egypt (Exod. 13).
7. So, there are two streams of Bibles: the most accurate – though, of course, there is NO FINAL, ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY FOR DETERMINING TRUTH AND ERROR: it is a matter of “preference” – are the Egyptian translations from Alexandria, Egypt, which are “almost the originals,” although NOT QUITE.
8. The most INACCURATE TRANSLATIONS were those that brought about the GERMAN REFORMATION (Luther, Zwingli, Boehler, Zinzendorf, Spener, etc.) and the worldwide MISSIONARY MOVEMENT of the English speaking people: the Bible that Sunday, Torrey, Moody, Finney, Spurgeon, Whitfield, Wesley, and Chapman used.
9. But we can “tolerate” these if those who believe in them will tolerate US. After all, since THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE AND FINAL AUTHORITY THAT ANYONE CAN READ, TEACH, PREACH, OR HANDLE, the whole thing is a matter of “PREFERENCE.” You may prefer what you prefer, and we will prefer what WE prefer: let us live in peace, and if we cannot agree on anything or everything, let us all agree on one thing: THERE IS NO FINAL, ABSOLUTE, WRITTEN AUTHORITY OF GOD ANYWHERE ON THIS EARTH.
That is the creed of the Alexandrian Cult.^^^ Brian S.
“KJV Only-ist” OR Honest Bible Student?
Most who read the KJV only do so out of conviction based on personal comparison and not out of preference or to belong to a certain group. Antagonists attempt to ridicule those Bible believers who have discernment and conviction and therefore read the KJV. Mock on.
People have become so delusional that they mock those who see the obvious, major doctrinal differences in the versions and read the KJV only. This alone demonstrates the impact of the new versions. In other words, just because you see the corruptions in the new versions and so read the real English Bible, you are mocked. Rejoice.
Since they have no other leg to stand on, some unrepentant defenders of the new versions want to try to demonize those who can see clearly enough to see that the new versions are corrupt.
To see the purity of the KJB and the corruptions of the new versions is simply being an astute, honest student of the LORD…. whereby the enemy and his works are discerned. That makes you Christ’s disciple not a “KJV onlyist.” Let’s just talk the truth instead of trying to classify people who see these things.
The unfathomable audacity of those who defend the corrupt new versions is mind boggling until you realize that it’s a spiritual matter. They are walking in darkness, blinded by “the god of this world” who is Satan himself, the author of those new versions they defend (2 Corinthians 4:4). I’m speaking of those who still defend the new versions after being clearly shown that 1) It’s okay to remove the very “blood” of Jesus from salvation (Col. 1:14), to 2) remove the clearest verse in God’s Word testifying to His triune nature (1 John 5:7), 3) to say that it’s just important to be in Christ once and no need to continue in the spirit and not the flesh (Rom. 8:1), and 4) that fasting and prayer are not important even though Jesus says they are (Matt. 17:21).
COMMON EXCUSE FROM SKEPTICS:
QUESTION RECEIVED:
“Most KJV Only Christians appear to be legalistic. Explain?”
REPLY:
Hi David. Some of those who use the new versions are rabid fanatics about them and appear legalistic also. In the opinion of many, some of the new version readers simply are what Jude calls lascivious – they like fables – stories, fairytales (Jude 3-4). Many KJV-only folk are simply God-fearing, have looked into this matter, and therefore have His discernment to see the hand of the enemy in the new versions …. which is more than obvious. Those who insist upon the King James Bible and have no respect for the perversion counterfeits only appear to be legalistic due to the lack of understanding of those who would surmise such and due to Satan’s impressions upon their own darkened minds. A simple comparison of verses between the KJV and the new versions leaves no question of the diabolical origins of the new versions … nothing else needed except a truly repentant heart for God …..
The fact that there are significant doctrinal differences in the King James Bible and the new versions is what’s at question. The scapegoat of some is to try to stereotype those who have a bit of discernment and therefore see these differences. Of course, many have not looked into the matter enough to see the blaring differences. This is something one should do before weighing in on this important matter. | Compare This!
EXCUSE:
“Oh but the Bible was originally written in Greek and Hebrew.”
REPLY:
Yes and God has kept His Word to translate it into our language (Ps. 12:6-7). The idea that God somehow dropped the ball after the original manuscripts borders on a blasphemous indictment against the Almighty and seems to make excuse for us to live any way we wish since the insinuation is that we really don’t have His pure Word. Nonsense. If such were the case that makes Jesus’ words null and void when He said “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”(Matthew 4:4) And “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:4) After all, how are we supposed to live according to “every word of God” if we really don’t have God’s pure Word? Did the LORD lie to us when He promised to “preserve” His Word to us? (Psalms 12:6-7) Will you call the LORD a liar? The devil himself has done a number on many. There was only the need for one English Bible and that was complete in the KJV. The new versions are a greed-driven, money-making scam and those peddling their poisonous wares have duped many and made a fortune doing so. Was this not foretold? – “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring (slip) in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And MANY shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” (2 Peter 2:1-3)
SOME SPOUT:
“Well the KJV wasn’t the first English Bible:
REPLY:
True. There were 6 English versions leading up to the 7th (which means completion), the KJB. This fulfills Psalms 12:6-7 which states “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” …… “tried” and “purified” (perfected) how many times? – “seven times.”
ANOTHER ERRONEOUS IDEA:
“But you have to learn Hebrew and Greek and have a Greek and Hebrew Bible.”
REPLY:
I have a Greek Interlinear Bible. Yet we have God’s Word in our own language and Jesus says that the divine Person of the Holy Spirit is our teacher, not the original language. See John 14:26; 16:13; 1 John 2:20, 27.
MESSAGE RECEIVED:
“But my child can’t learn the KJV.”
REPLY:
Hi. I taught my son the KJV from birth and he had no problem at all understanding it because of the Holy Spirit and the self-interpretive nature of the King James Bible. Memorize and believe Psalms 119:105 and Isaiah 55:11. Gail Riplinger’s book titled “In Awe of Thy Word” is a masterpiece on this topic and much more.
SMOKESCREENS:
To cover for your favorite little fairy tale “bible,” you cast doubt on the preserved word of God by pretending to correct it? Where is the fear of God in your heart?
Wescott and Hort
If you are reading a fake “bible” ….
2 Wicked Ungodly men – Wescott and Hort – participated in the corrupting of those manuscripts from which those new “bibles” come.
Without the slightest apology to anyone, I, with hundreds of thousands of Christ’s disciples today, have no respect for the NIV, NASB, ESV, or any other Wescott and Hort perversion of Satan that charlatans have sought to pawn off on the gullible. If you read a new version of the Bible, consider this:
***WOULD YOU read a “bible” by men who said this concerning the Scriptures?:
“I reject the word infallibility of Holy Scriptures overwhelmingly.” (Westcott, The Life and Letters of Brook Foss Westcott, Vol. I, p.207).
“Our Bible as well as our Faith is a mere compromise.” (Westcott, On the Canon of the New Testament, p. vii).
“Evangelicals seem to me perverted. . .There are, I fear, still more serious differences between us on the subject of authority, especially the authority of the Bible.” (Hort, The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort, Vol. I, p.400)
“Dr. Wilbur Pickering writes that, Hort did not hold to a high view of inspiration.” (The Identity of the New Testament Text, p.212)
Perhaps this is why both the RV (which Westcott and Hort helped to translate) and the American edition of it, the ASV, translated 2nd Timothy 3:16 as, “Every scripture inspired of God” instead of “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (KJB).
If you are reading a new version “bible” it came directly from the work of these wicked, unsaved men.
ALL new “bible” versions come from the corrupted manuscripts which were perverted by these two evil men, Wescott and Hort.
To realize through simple, personal comparison that the new versions are perverted and the KJB is God’s pure Word is not arrogance. It’s actually arrogance to READ the very significant differences, to see the removal and twisting of cardinal divine truth and then try to defend it.
Don’t Like Talking About This? Why Not?
—-IS THERE NOT A CAUSE? My big QUESTION is how in the world can a true follower of Christ not stand and condemn these perversions???? Forget how pure the King James Bible is or is not …. these new per-versions are nothing less than diabolically inspired. I am amazed at how some subtly attempt to cast doubt on the real Bible and simultaneously defend the new versions of the Bible. It’s certainly not the divine Person of the Holy Spirit inspiring someone to cast doubt on His Word (KJV) and defend satanic corruptions. Shannon Cook notes: “They have bought into this lie: “Yea, hath God said?” (Gen 3:1) And this one: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be [like] the most High.” (Isaiah 14:14) Wanting to be gods themselves, therefore ignorant of the salvation unto Christ alone.”
Satan is still doing the same thing and using “Christians” to help his cause. Find out here why so many remnant believers are trashing their new versions for the real Bible.
Shannon Cook aptly exposes the work of Satan:
“John 1:14 tells us “And the Word (capital letter W) 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.” Now, remove words, (modern translations) and the serpent attempts to remove the very deity of Jesus Christ. HELLO!
“How does a man live not on bread alone, but by [every word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4), when devils, through modern translations and versions are working overtime to blind and bind the bride of Christ, through these modern (per)versions?
Perhaps the main reason many members of the body of Christ have not a love for the truth is because so much has been removed?
And they know not the truth because they don’t study to show themselves approved unto God.
How is it that the bride shall live by [every word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of God when they’ve embraced doctrines of devils? (1 Timothy 4:1)” Shannon Cook
Note:
God’s Word is “quick (alive, living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword” … “For the word of God is quick (alive, living), and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Satan’s little plastic butter knives (NIV, NASB, ESV, etc.) are fairytale, mythical stories basically …. neutered of divine potency …. why do you think that the witches, warlocks and all satanists hate the KJB? Is that a clue as to who the father/author of the new versions is?
This is a fascinating topic. Are There Significant Differences in the Bible Versions?
Personally, I don’t want to waste time on folks that are going to argue to defend the very work of Satan and then try to turn it around on those who believe God kept His Word to preserve His Word (Psalms 12-6-7). If after being shown the clear and large, significant differences in the version and still arguing to defend them, I am done … with folk like that. Those who defend the work of Satan obviously belong to him. Of these religiously cloaked devils, Jesus says “Ye are of your father the devil.” (John 8:44)
Speaking to the religious leaders of His day and our day, Jesus says:
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44
Shannon Cook notes:
“The KJB is the inerrant Word of God. God preserves His Word. Psalms 12:6,7; Deuteronomy 4:1,2; Proverbs 30:5,6; Mark 13:31; Revelation 22:18,19. Man however, and modern “translations” are fallible. We believe that the writers of the KJB (not version) were in fact carried along by the Holy Ghost.
We’re also inspired to believe this way. No righteousness of ours, but of the Christ.
Look at the Bible boom just within the last few decades. Amazing! Just in time for the end of the age. The deception age that we’ve been warned about!” Shannon Cook
This is a fascinating topic. Are There Significant Differences in the Bible Versions? << This is SafeGuardYourSoul’s main page on Bible Versions.
Lineage of the Modern Corrupt Versions
The Message “Bible” Exposed | Bible Versions Category
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Abiding
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
The reason God gave His only begotten Son was to clear you of all your sin in His regeneration, to bring you into His eternal family for fellowship with Him.
“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” John 17:21
“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3
When God clears a man at the moment of salvation or thereafter, so should we! When any man truly repents there will be definite fruit to prove it. When one obeys sound biblical doctrine the result will always be that he will bring forth fruit to demonstrate he truly repented, and is cleared by the LORD and must be cleared by us. After the fornicator in the church of Corinth repented, he was cleared and the LORD, through Paul, instructed the believers in that assembly to forgive, clear, and love him.
“So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.” 2 Corinthians 2:7-8
Remember this from the prodigal son parable our LORD taught us?
“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance … 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:7, 10
When someone returns to the LORD from sin, regardless of their past, with or without Christ, there is great celebration in Heaven and should be also among the saints of Christ on the earth.
A fresh reading of Luke 15 is highly recommended where Jesus gives us 3 parables to teach the restorative love of God!
WATCH THIS: When we repent we openly renounce and are clear…. God is good.
Godly Sorrow brings the blessings of God and a clearing of past sin.
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what CLEARING OF YOURSELVES, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be CLEAR in this matter.” 2 Corinthians 7:11
Example: Remember how the fornicator in 1 Corinthians 5 was turned over to Satan and then repented and God cleared Him? Read 2 Corinthians 2 for the “CLEARING.” In this verse above, Paul is addressing this very issue and the sorrow, diligent obedience, and consequent “CLEARING” the Corinthian saints experienced. First they allowed the fornicator to function in their midst whereas Paul had to come in and instruct them to turn the transgressor over to Satan (1 Corinthians 5). Then, as a result, the backslider repented.
“He says, what clearing of yourselves. This does not mean that they tried to justify or excuse themselves, but rather that by taking resolute action, they tried to clear themselves of any further guilt or blame in the matter. Their change in attitude led to this change in action. What indignation may refer to their attitude toward the sinner because of the reproach he brought on the name of Christ. But more probably it refers to their attitude toward themselves for ever having allowed such a thing to go on for so long without taking action on it. Paul then adds: In all things you ‘ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.’ Of course, we are not to understand by this that they were never to blame, but simply that they had done everything they could to take the proper action and to act as they should have acted in the first place.” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary
“Clearing of yourselves – From either sharing in, or approving of, his sin. Indignation – That ye had not immediately corrected the offender. Fear – Of God’s displeasure, or lest I should come with a rod. Vehement desire – To see me again. Zeal – For the glory of God, and the soul of that sinner. Yea, revenge – Ye took a kind of holy revenge upon yourselves, being scarce able to forgive yourselves. In all things ye – As a church. Have approved yourselves to be pure – That is, free from blame, since ye received my letter.” John Wesley
“In all things, etc. – In the whole of your conduct in this affair since ye have received my letter, ye have approved yourselves to be clear, ἁγνους; not only to be clear of contumacy and obstinate persistence in your former conduct, but to have done all in the compass of your power to rectify the abuses which had crept in among you. The Corinthians were not clear, i.e. innocent or void of blame in the fact, but they were clear of all blame in their endeavors to remove the evil.” Adam Clarke
The Corinthian saints repented, obeyed God by turning the unrepentant sinner in their midst over to Satan, and were then forgiven and cleared of their sin of allowing the un-repentant fornicator to remain in their company (1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2 and 7).
Today, is the LORD showing you something in your life that you must turn back over to Satan where it came from – to rid your heart, your life of a sin?
Interestingly, this 2 Corinthians 7 chapter begins with this:
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1
When we simply agree with the LORD, His Word, and turn to Him afresh and away from what He calls sin, confessing it to Him for what it is, He will immediately forgive us and promises to grant us a clearing, a clear conscience.
“Now the end (chief purpose) of the commandment (written Word) is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:” 1 Timothy 1:5
The LORD made it clear that He intends for His children to be possessed with a clear conscience which is a gift He alone provided through the perfect sacrifice of His only begotten Son.
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14
“A disciplined conscience is a man’s best friend. It may not be his most amiable, but it is his most faithful monitor.” Austin Phelps
Have you ever had a past sin nag you for many years after you committed and even confessed and were forgiven for it?
WHEN we DO what is right, then and only then do we have the bless-ed confirmation of a clear conscience. AND, doing what’s right begins with re-turning, turning afresh to our LORD and confessing all sin.
“God is greater than our heart”
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:18-21
In fellowshipping with other men who serve our LORD, I’ve often heard them say how that sins they committed in the past still bother them in a hindering way. Yet, we know that God knows all these things and “is greater than our heart” and provided a complete salvation through the blood of His only begotten Son!
“WHEN HE HAD BY HIMSELF purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3
Even though 90% of today’s pastors prove themselves to be false by never mentioning this, we must never ever lose sight of the truth that God is “Holy, holy, holy” and He commands us to “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 4:8).
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
Are we presently allowing sin in our own lives, including keeping company with someone who claims to be Christ’s and yet is living in sin? Are you in need of doing an inventory check on your current friends – namely those who name Jesus as their Savior? Read this unchanging divine truth and note the many specific sins listed here:
“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
When we truly repent and obey the counsel, the Word of God, only then will we be cleared in conscience and before God and His people. True repentance always, without exception, brings forth a changed life – a life set apart to the LORD (Matthew 3:7-10; Luke 19:1-10).
The fact that our LORD is correcting us today clearly proves how much He loves us. When the LORD points out our sin, it’s because He loves us, He wants us to repent, to return to Him, agree with Him, and depart from that sin. This is all so He can clear us!
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19
Refreshing Always Follows Fresh Repentance
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 3:19
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Read 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians 2 and 7.
Yes, we’ve all been hurt by others and we have also hurt others, right? Let’s take accountability for our own evil and watch what God does. Blaming others without taking the blame due to us is a deep, endless ditch.
This morning I prayed “LORD, if I have angered or hurt someone, anyone, please let it be revealed so that amends can be made, in Jesus’ name, amen Father.”
In this passage below, our LORD is addressing being easily angered as well as making amends when we intentionally or unintentionally have harmed another.
“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly…” Matthew 5:22-25
PRAYER: My Father in Heaven, I come to You now on the sole basis of the holy name and blood of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Here and now I ask You LORD to convict, grant repentance, and complete clearing of any and all sin in my life. Please sanctify my life dear LORD. LORD Jesus thank You for dying on that cross, shedding Your precious blood for all my sins. Please bless me with a oneness with You and the Father and a clear conscience. Be glorified in my life dear LORD. I love You LORD Jesus. Amen.
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Apostasy
Richard Foster Exposed
Wait, WHAT, WHO are Christ’s disciples to celebrate?
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14
A Biblically based commentary on current issues that impact you
Richard Foster—Celebration of Deception
by Bob DeWaay
Christianity Today ran a glowing cover story about Evangelicalism’s recent embrace of medieval Roman Catholic mysticism entitled The Future lies in the Past.1 The article traced the beginning of the movement as follows: “The movement seems to have exploded in a 24-month period in 1977-1978, which saw the publication of Richard Foster’s bestselling Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth and Robert Webber’s Common Roots: A Call to Evangelical Maturity.”2
The article views Foster as one who continues to guide the movement: “From Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and living practicing monks and nuns, they [those going back to Roman Catholic mysticism] must learn both the strengths and the limits of the historical ascetic disciplines.”3 So Foster was instrumental in starting a movement that is still growing 30-plus years later.
The irony about this particular CIC regarding Foster’s 1978 book is that in 1978 I myself was living in a Christian community committed to practicing much of what he promotes in Celebration of Discipline (even though we had not learned it from him directly). So I am not criticizing a practice about which I know nothing (or one in which I have no experience). I am criticizing a practice I foolishly allowed to deceive me for a significant portion of my early Christian life. When it comes to being deceived by mysticism, I have had abundant involvement. The only way I escaped it was through discovering and adopting the Reformation principle of sola scriptura.
In this article I will show that Foster’s “journey inward” is unbiblical and dangerous. I will show that most of the spiritual disciplines that he calls “means of grace” are no means of grace at all—but a means of putting oneself under spiritual deception.
The Journey Inward
The Bible nowhere describes an inward journey to explore the realm of the spirit. God chose to reveal the truth about spiritual reality through His ordained, Spirit-inspired, biblical writers. What is spiritual and not revealed by God is of the occult and, therefore, forbidden. We have discussed this in many articles and have produced DVD seminars on the topic. But the concept of sola scriptura is totally lost on mystics such as Richard Foster. They, like the enthusiasts that Calvin and Luther warned against, believe they can gain valid and useful knowledge of spiritual things through direct, personal inspiration.
Foster describes the idea of the disciplines that are the topic of his book: “The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm.”4 So Foster has conceptually repudiated sola scriptura on page one to replace it with a journey inward to explore the realm of spirits. Something must have been seriously amiss in evangelicalism already in 1978 to render this book a bestseller! It ought to have been repudiated on the spot. In a footnote to that statement Foster writes, “In one form or another all of the devotional masters have affirmed the necessity of the Disciplines” (Foster: 1). The devotional “masters,” by the way, are mostly Roman Catholics who never were committed to the principle of sola scriptura. It is not surprising that they looked for spirituality through experimentation. But as an “inner light” Quaker, Foster never was committed to sola scriptura either.
Forgetting that the Bible forbids divination, Foster explains what he is after:
[W]e must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation. In their writings, all of the masters of meditation strive to awaken us to the fact that the universe is much larger than we know, that there are vast unexplored inner regions that are just as real as the physical world we know so well. . . . They call us to the adventure, to be pioneers in this frontier of the Spirit. (Foster: 13)
Realizing that his readers would likely take this as an endorsement of Eastern religions, he makes a disclaimer that it is not Transcendental Meditation (TM) or something of that ilk: “Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to empty the mind in order to fill it” (Foster: 15). But what Foster wishes us to fill our minds with are personal revelations from the spirit realm that we naively are to think are the voice of God. This sort of meditation is not meditating on what God has said, but uses a technique to explore the spirit world. In other words, it is divination.
What we learn about the spirit realm either is revealed by God (once for all in Scripture) or gleaned by man-made techniques. That distinction is the difference between Christianity and paganism. Only Bible believers know what God has said about Himself and what He wishes to reveal about the unseen spirit world. Foster’s material continues to be popular because we live in an age where being spiritual pioneers on a journey into the unseen realm of the spirits is the essence of popular piety. It is the spirituality of secular talk shows.
To fully understand the degree of Foster’s deception, he even calls these techniques to the inner journey “means of grace”: “They [the Disciplines] are God’s means of grace” (Foster: 6). As with all who teach spiritual disciplines, there are no boundaries to these false “means.” For example, consider this recommended practice: “After you have gained some proficiency in centering down, add a five- to ten-minute meditation on some aspect of the creation. Choose something in the created order: tree, plant, bird, leaf, cloud, and each day ponder it carefully and prayerfully” (Foster 25). This after he had just taught breathing exercises (a means of “centering down”). Then he makes a startling claim: “We should not bypass this means of God’s grace” (Foster: 25). And there we have it: meditating of a leaf can be a means of grace!
Foster’s journey inward is to discover a spirit world that is available for any who search for it: “How then do we come to believe in a world of the spirit? Is it by blind faith? Not at all. The inner reality of the spiritual world is available to all who are willing to search for it” (Foster: 18). He claims that this spiritual search is analogous to scientific experimentation. Never mind that every pagan culture that has existed has believed in the “spiritual world.”
Spirituality of the Imagination
The Bible does not have anything good so say about the imagination. For example: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord'” (Jeremiah 23:16). A search of the KJV for “imagination” yields 14 verses, and in each case it is a bad thing. According to the Bible, the imagination is where people go when they do not want to listen to God.
However, for Foster the imagination is central: “The inner world of meditation is most easily entered through the door of the imagination. We fail today to appreciate its tremendous power. The imagination is stronger than conceptual thought and stronger than the will” (Foster: 22). Some of the authorities he cites on this point are C. G. Jung, Ignatius of Loyola, and Morton Kelsey. Jung is famous for his concept of the collective unconscious, and Kelsey was an Episcopal priest committed to Jungian principles. Kelsey wrote many books promoting mysticism. The advice Foster gleans from these teachers is that we must learn to think in images and take our dreams to be a possible doorway into the spirit world. Foster claims that dreams are something we already have and can help us develop the use of the imagination. He says, “Keeping a journal of our dreams is a way of taking them seriously” (Foster: 23).
There is, Foster warns, a danger to this process: “At the same time [that we ask for dreams to be God speaking to us], it is wise to pray a prayer of protection, since to open ourselves to spiritual influence can be dangerous as well as profitable” (Foster: 23). I would say that is asking God to protect us as we use various techniques to go where He does not want us to go (into the world of the spirits to gain information). The danger he warns of is far greater than Foster imagines. Those who take the journey inward will be deceived—every time! We are not equipped to gain spiritual information from that realm. That is why God speaks to us through His ordained mediators (the inspired Biblical writers); otherwise we would be fishing in the dark in a medium we are not suited for.
Foster teaches his readers to use their imaginations to experience Biblical stories with the five physical senses. Here is what he claims will happen:
As you enter the story, not as a passive observer but as an active participant, remember that since Jesus lives in the Eternal Now and is not bound by time, this event in the past is a living present-tense experience for Him. Hence, you can actually encounter the living Christ in the event, be addressed by His voice and be touched by His healing power. It can be more than an exercise of the imagination; it can be a genuine confrontation. Jesus Christ will actually come to you. (Foster: 26)
Showing that Foster’s ideas are still influential in our day, Greg Boyd cites some of Foster’s words here to support what he calls “cataphatic prayer” which uses the imagination and images as a means to contact God and gain spiritual information.5 Those who endorse this practice assume they are not being deceived by spirits, but I cannot see on what grounds.
Foster prescribes a practice using one’s imagination that mimics astral projection to the degree that he actually includes a footnote disclaimer stating that it is not astral projection (Foster 28). It begins by telling his readers to imagine themselves going out into nature into a beautiful place (Boyd describes how he practices this, as well as its results6). After enjoying the sights and smells (in your imagination) these are the next steps:
In your imagination allow your spiritual body, shining with light, to rise out of your physical body. Look back so that you can see yourself lying in the grass and reassure your body that you will return momentarily. Imagine your spiritual self, alive and vibrant, rising up through the clouds and into the stratosphere. . . Go deeper and deeper into outer space until there is nothing except the warm presence of the eternal Creator. Rest in His presence. Listen quietly, anticipating the unanticipated. Note carefully any instruction given. With time and experience you will be able to distinguish readily between mere human thought that may bubble up to the conscious mind and the True Spirit which inwardly moves upon the heart. (Foster: 27, 28)
I must ask how one knows whether “True Spirit” is not a deceiving one? Mysticism’s fatal flaw is that it naively assumes that Christians having subjective religious experiences must therefore be having Christian experiences that are truly from God—even if the experiences were provoked through unbiblical practices similar to those used by pagans.
Mental Alchemy
Foster’s approach to prayer is laced with mysticism as well. He claims that prayer needs to be learned from people who have the right experiences and are “masters” who know what they are doing. Foster does not teach ordinary prayer, whereby we bring our needs and requests to the Lord and know that He hears us (because He promised that He does). Here is why he thinks such prayer fails:
Often people will pray and pray with all the faith in the world, but nothing happens. Naturally, they were not contacting the channel. We begin praying for others by first centering down and listening to the quiet thunder of the Lord of hosts. Attuning ourselves to divine breathings is spiritual work, but without it our praying is vain repetition (Mt. 6:7). Listening to the Lord is the first thing, the second thing, and the third thing necessary for successful intercession. (Foster: 34)
Of course this means we have to become mystics if we want to pray.
He teaches that we first must hear personal revelations from God, using meditation techniques such as he teaches, before we pray. He says: “The beginning point, then, in learning to pray for others is to listen for guidance . . . This inner “yes” is the divine authorization for you to pray for the person or situation” (Foster: 35). No! Foster is wrong! The only authorization we need to pray is the Biblical command to pray—not personal revelations.
For Foster, meditation (mystical style) is necessary but not sufficient. He also brings the imagination into the process: “As with meditation, the imagination is a powerful tool in the work of prayer” (Foster: 36). He credits Agnes Sanford7 for helping him see the value of using the imagination in praying. Foster writes, “Imagination opens the door to faith. If we can ‘see’ in our mind’s eye a shattered marriage whole or a sick person well, it is only a short step to believing it will be so” (Foster: 36). Sanford got her ideas from Theosophy, New Thought, Jung, and Emmet Fox. These ideas, echoed by Foster, come from the unbiblical “mind over matter” thinking of that era. That kind of thinking uses creative visualization to change reality or channel spiritual power. Foster suggests, “Imagine the light of Christ flowing through your hands and healing every emotional trauma and hurt feeling your child experienced that day” (Foster: 39).
In his 1985 book, The Seduction of Christianity, Dave Hunt labeled creative visualization such as what Foster promotes, “mental alchemy.”8 Hunt warned the church that Foster promoted such mental alchemy in Celebration of Discipline, and as we have shown, he, in fact, does. So how is it that 24 years after Hunt’s warning Foster is more popular than ever with Evangelicals? The answer is end times deception. Now, a huge movement that claims to be a reformation promoting Foster, Willard and their versions of mysticism does exist (i.e., The Emergent Church). Things have gotten so very much worse.
Spiritual Directors
Once mysticism and the supposed need to gain personal revelations from God are embraced, there arises a need for new “masters” who are better at navigating the spirit world. Pagan societies have always had such persons. They are called “shamans.” Eastern religion calls them “gurus.” Deceived Christians call them “spiritual directors.” Foster explains, “In the Middle Ages not even the greatest saints attempted the depths of the inward journey without the help of a spiritual director” (Foster: 159). The problem, according to Foster, is that the churches (in 1978) lacked “living masters”:
No doubt part of the surge of interest in Eastern meditation is because the churches have abrogated the field. How depressing for a university student, seeking to know the Christian teaching on meditation, to discover that there are so few living masters of contemplative prayer and that nearly all of the serious writings on the subject are seven or more centuries old. No wonder he or she turns to Zen, Yoga, or TM. (Foster: 14)
Foster’s dream has come true. Today people can even practice Yoga in a Christian church. We have Christian TM; it is called contemplative prayer. Yes, Eastern religion has come right into the church, and Foster has helped usher it in.
But what about “living masters” or spiritual directors? In 1972 Morton Kelsey lamented their lack: “Indeed I would suggest that everyone who is serious about relating to the spiritual realm find himself a spiritual director, if there were more men trained and experienced in this way.”9 That “problem” has been solved in a huge way. Evangelical theology schools are now offering masters degrees in “spiritual formation” in order to equip people to be “spiritual directors.” Here is what Biola University says about its program: “This degree is designed to equip men and women for the ministry of spiritual direction, discipleship, formation and soul care in the local church and for further academic training in spiritual formation.”10 Spiritual Directors International will help you find a spiritual director regardless of your religion.11 Richard Foster’s own Renovare, which purports to “encourage renewal in the Christian church,” has a list of spiritual direction programs.12
Foster explains the purpose of the spiritual director: “He is the means of God to open the path to the inward teaching of the Holy Spirit” (Foster: 160). Apparently, in a full-blown rejection of sola scriptura where the Holy Spirit’s teaching is mediated to the church through the Biblical writers only, we need mediators for personal revelations beyond scripture.
Foster explains how spiritual directors lead: “He leads only by the force of his own personal holiness” (Foster: 160). In Roman Catholicism the Pope is called “his holiness” and in Tibetan Buddhism the Dalai Lama is called “his holiness” but now evangelicals are developing a class of people who evidently deserve the title. How exactly are we to judge when someone has gained “personal holiness” sufficient to be a spiritual director and mediate spirituality to others? Foster says, “Though the director has obviously advanced further into the inner depths, the two [master and disciple] are together learning and growing in the realm of the Spirit” (Foster: 160). Foster cites Roman Catholic mystic Thomas Merton about how this works: “The spiritual director was something of a ‘spiritual father who begot the perfect life in the soul of his disciple by his instructions first of all, but also by his prayer, his sanctity and his example. He was . . . a kind of ‘sacrament’ of the Lord’s presence in the ecclesiastical community” (Foster: 161).
End Times Delusion
When it comes to end times deception, Foster is on the cutting edge of embracing it. Consider what he wrote: “In our day heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emerging of a Spirit-led, Spirit-intoxicated, Spirit-empowered people. . . . Individuals can be found here and there whose hearts burn with divine fire” (Foster: 150). Such inclinations have led to massive deception. They smack of the Latter Rain deception, now embodied in such false teachers as Rick Joyner and Mike Bickle. They are elitist. They are in line with the beliefs of the Emergent Church as well. He also says: “Our century has yet to see the breaking forth of the apostolic church of the Spirit” (Foster: 150). Now we have the New Apostolic Reformation claiming to be just that. Foster’s ideas now embody the massive apostasy and end times deception that characterize our age.
Foster’s teachings have taken the church as far away from the Reformation principle of sola scriptura as the Roman Catholic Church ever was. The only thing left is for them to bring us all the way back to Rome. Christianity Today praises Foster for pointing us in that direction.
In early 2008 I wrote a CIC article about how abandoning the principle of sola scriptura would lead evangelicals back to Rome.13 It was partly a response to the CT article praising mysticism. The response I received was rather unexpected. I was contacted by former evangelicals who had rejected sola scriptura and had gone back to Rome! They wanted to debate me about sola scriptura. Sadly, my point was proven. As a response to their misguided challenge our church hosted a seminar on sola scriptura, called Faith at Risk 4.14 In the seminar Gary Gilley and I defended the scriptures as the sole authority for the church.
The aforementioned CT article discusses a new monasticism, former evangelical leaders converting to Roman Catholicism, and mystical practices like lectio divina—and they call all of it a good and hopeful thing. Chris Armstrong, the author of the article, concluded, “That they [evangelicals] are receiving good guidance on this road from wise teachers [Foster and Willard] is reason to believe that Christ is guiding the process. And that they are meeting and learning from fellow Christians in the other two great confessions, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox, is reason to rejoice in the power of love.”15
Who is left to defend the principles of the Reformation? One would think Reformed theologians are, but they aren’t doing their job. In the last CIC article we mentioned Reformed theologian Donald Whitney who wrote: “Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline has been the most popular book on the subject of the Spiritual Disciplines in the last half of the twentieth century. The great contribution of this work is the reminder that the Spiritual Disciplines, which many see as restrictive and binding, are actually means to spiritual freedom.”16 That from a teacher in a Reformed seminary?
If a book that teaches Christian TM, Christian astral projection and mental alchemy by means of the imagination is a “great contribution,” then something is seriously wrong here. The delusion is so widespread that I see no other explanation for it than the end time deception predicted by Paul: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1Timothy 4:1). Another passage warns: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2Timothy 4:3, 4).
That time now is here. We are accountable to God for what we believe and practice. Those who wish to persevere in the faith in this age of delusion must base their beliefs and practices only on the truths found in Scripture. Foster’s journey into the world of the spirits will deceive all who enter it.
Issue 112 – May / June 2009
End Notes
-
- Chris Armstrong, “The Future lies in the Past” in Christianity Today, February 2008.
- Ibid. 24.
- Ibid. 29.
- Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: Harper & Row, 1978) 1. All subsequent citations from this book will be bracketed within the text in this fashion: (Foster: 1).
- Greg Boyd, Seeing is Believing, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004). Boyd cites Foster to prove that the Lord will actually come to us through our use of “imaginative meditation.” I deal with this issue more fully in CIC issue 83 July/August, 2003: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE83.HTM
- Ibid. 111-125.
- I write about Sanford’s inner healing theories in CIC Issue 96: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE96.HTM
- Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon, The Seduction of Christianity (Eugene: Harvest House, 1985) 138.
- Morton Kelsey, Encounter With God, (Bethany Fellowship: Minneapolis, 1972) 179.
- http://www.biola.edu/spiritualformation/programs/ SEE PDF
- HTTP://WWW.SDIWORLD.ORG
- HTTP://WWW.RENOVARE.ORG/JOURNEY_TRAINING_DIRECTION.HTM
- CIC Issue 105; March/April 2008: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE105.HTM
- Watch this seminar HERE
- Armstrong, Future
- DONALD S. WHITNEY, SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (COLORADO SPRINGS: NAVPRESS, 1991) 23.
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