Lack of Wisdom

We always admire people with wisdom. We love to listen to their words.

Job asked, “From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? ~ Job 28:20

In the Psalms we read, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever". ~ Psalm 111:10

Wisdom almost always comes from difficult experiences. Lessons learned in trials and adversity. Not many get wise from Churchianity. You get wise from doing God's commandments.

Solomon admonishes us,"Wisdom is the principle thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding".~ Proverbs 4:7

Moses Commands Obedience

“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor*; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.

* The meaning of Baal-Peorr: lord of the opening, a god of the Moabites (Numbers 25:3 ; 31:16; Joshua 22:17), worshipped by obscene rites. So called from Mount Peor, where this worship was celebrated, the Baal of Peor. The Israelites fell into the worship of this idol (Numbers 25:3 Numbers 25:5 Numbers 25:18; Deuteronomy 4:3; Psalms 106:28; Hosea 9:10).

 
“Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ ~Deuteronomy 4:5-6

Churchianity teaches that Christians are not under the Law. The Law was "done away" or "nailed to the cross" as they like to phrase it. This is one of the half-truths that denies the Word of God. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, which is required under the Law. "The wages of sin is death." Romans 6:23

Another deception that Churchianity uses is to call God's Law "the Law of Moses". To be accurate, and in harmony with Scripture, the Law was given to Moses so he could impart it to us. All that has been "done away" are the animal sacrifices, the Levitical priesthood, and the death penalty for those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

"And He Himself (Jesus) is the propitiation (the acceptable sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.~ 1 John 2:2

Jesus said: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law (the written word) or the Prophets (the spoken word). I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.~ Matthew 5:17 

What does the word "fulfill" mean? It means to complete, to actualize, to satisfy. Jesus satisfied the requirement of the Law, but did not do away with the Law.

There would be no knowledge of sin without the Law. "For until the Law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law".~ Romans 5:13

How can we know that we are following Jesus and not some man-made doctrine? Let's allow The Master to answer that question.

 

Build on the Rock

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” ~Matthew 7:24-27

Churchianity wants to keep Christians as servants of the Lord. God wants sons and daughters. A servant obeys his Master because he fears him, a son obeys his Father because he loves Him.

Bringing Many Sons to Glory

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” ~Hebrews 2:10-12 and Psalm 22:22

 

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Born Again Revisited

 

FALSE DOCTRINES BRING FORTH FALSE BIRTHS

The doctrine of "once saved always saved" is like saying once an adult always an adult.

 

The born from above birth that Jesus teaches brings forth a new creature in Christ. False teaching brings a false birth... the birth of denominations, the birth of creeds, the birth of ministries, the birth of speaking in tongues, etc. A false birth is like being still-born. If belief is all there is to salvation demons would be saved. ~ James 2:19

 

Salvation is a free gift from God, but requires a process for completion. If you despise the gift by unbelief or disobedience, the gift is still yours but you lose the benefit of the gift, i.e., eternal life.  

 

Jesus never promised His followers a "mansion in heaven", He promised a Kingdom on earth. One reason people have a hard time believing the Gospel (Good News) is because it seems too good to be true. A man named Jesus/Yahshua claims to be the Son of God, comes down from heaven and is birthed of a virgin, grows up like any other human, takes all the sins of the world on Himself, dies on a cross, rises from the grave, promises to resurrect all people from the dead, and offers them eternal life in the Kingdom of God!? Yeah, right... that's too good to be true.

So, organized religion created a "reasonable" Jesus. He loves you, but will send you to an ever-burning hell if you mess up. He will not resurrect you, He will "rapture" you. You must belong to the "right" church or you will burn in hell forever. You must go through certain rituals, wear your collar backwards, pray, light candles, give 10% of your income to a Church, celebrate His birthday, and hunt Easter eggs to honor Him. Now that makes sense to the carnal mind. We can handle that "truth."

 

Is Baptism Essential For Salvation? 

 

Well, if baptism was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist not for his own sins, as He was sinless, but to fulfill all righteousness, publicly identify with humanity, set an example for believers, and inaugurate His ministry, symbolizing His identification with sinners and foreshadowing His death and resurrection for their salvation. His baptism marked the beginning of His public life, confirmed by the voice of God the Father and the descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove, revealing Him as the Son of God. If you want to be a son or daughter of God, you will follow the example set by Jesus. ~ Matthew 28:19-20

 

Jesus never preached "born again" to the public. He only explained the process one time to one man. In modern Churchanity, "born again" is a very popular sermon topic. Jesus only preached the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven to the masses. The first time the words "born again" appear in Scripture is in the book of John when Jesus is explaining the Second Birth to Nicodemus. 

Both the physical and spiritual births are a process... conception, gestation, and birth. Each of these three steps must be  completed in order to be saved (birthed into the family of God). As long as we are flesh, we are in the process of being saved... flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom. ~ Matthew 24:13 and 1 Corinthians 15:50 

 

He that endures to the end will be saved. ~ Matthew 24:13 What does "endure to the end mean"? 

Well, let's see what the Bible says.
a) In Noah's day it rained 40 days. On day 41 it stopped raining.
b) The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. Year 41 they entered the promised land.
c) Jonah preached to Nineveh for 40 days. On day 41 God spared the city.
d) Jesus fasted for 40 days. On day 41 the Devil fled.
e) After his death and resurrection, Jesus returned to earth for 40 days. On day 41 He ascended to heaven.

The number 40 symbolizes periods of testing, judgment, and redemption.  A process. It takes 40 weeks for a full term baby to be born. Endure to the end means... hang in there, keep the faith, and never give up hope, your day 41 is coming. 

  

The Second Birth

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ~ John 3:3

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ~ John 3:1-7

Let's examine closely what Jesus said, but more importantly, what "born again" entails.

After Nicodemus asks a foolish question, "can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born", Jesus very patiently replies, "unless one is born of water (earthy birth) and the Spirit (spiritual or heavenly birth)." Jesus makes it abundantly clear there are two births... That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Both of these births require a process. If you have been around denominational Christianity very long you know that they teach the "new birth" is immediate the instant you give your heart to the Lord. Churchianity always wants to speed things up and avoid the long hard process. 

In a physical earthy birth the process is approximately nine months with three trimesters called conception, gestation, and birth. The exact process for a spiritual birth is called justification, sanctification, and glorification, and takes a lifetime.  

 

Are you saved because you gave your life to Jesus, or are you saved because Jesus gave His life for you? On another note, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God until Jesus gives His life TO you. That's what the new birth is all about.

 

Humans are not born with a "dead" spirit. Until we obey the gospel, we are not mature enough to conceive to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is spiritual DNA that guarantees the end result when we complete the process. We are not born of Spirit until we receive our glorified bodies. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom. ~1 Corinthians 15:50. The day the seed is planted is not the day of harvest.

Nowhere in scripture is a person ever referred to as an adult of God. We are children in the process (gestation/sanctification) of being born from above, not actually birthed. Jesus is our older brother, the first born among many brethren.The only way to become a son or daughter of God is to be born into God's family. God is bringing many sons to glory. Read Romans 8:28-30 and Hebrews 2:10

 

Some might say, that's splitting hairs. What difference does it make whether we are born again instantly or have to go through the process? The difference is... one doctrine is from man and the other is from God. 

 

The Bible describes how the Faithful from every age will be resurrected... But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. - 1 Corinthians 15:23

Christ Jesus was the first Son to mature and be resurrected. Likewise, Christians in the Barley Company will come to maturity just as Jesus did. They will be harvested (i.e., resurrected or translated) before the Wheat Christians. The Barley Company are the Overcomers of all ages who will be raised in the first resurrection.

Desiring to grow rapidly, the Barley Company Christians leave (or get “disfellowshipped” from) Churches that only preach the milk of the word,  Churches where virtually every sermon ends in an altar call to “get saved.” The Barley Christians strive to “go on to perfection (completion); not laying again” the foundational doctrine of salvation. ~ Hebrews 6:1 

The Wheat Christians will be resurrected later, at the end of the millennium, and the olive and grape companies even later. 

The Bible says, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. ~ Matthew 18:16

So let's get the testimony of the Apostle Peter.

"Since you have purified your souls* (your life) in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away". ~ 1 Peter 1:22-24

* Souls are not immortal. Churchianity believes soul and spirit are the same thing. The word soul means living being. We don't have a soul, we are a soul. ~ Genesis 2:7

 

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it shall die. (souls can die, not immortal) ~ Ezekiel 18:4 & James 5:20

So Peter confirms that there are two "seeds" and two births; one corruptible and one incorruptible. He says all flesh "falls away"... dies, returns to dust, passes away, gone. Our earthy birth is temporary, our spiritual birth is eternal. That's why Solomon said the day of a one's death is better than the day of one's birth. ~ Ecclesiastes 7:1

God has preordained a process whereby all people will have the opportunity to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18. Death is part of God's Great Plan. When the Spirit leaves the body, the body (soul) dies. We are buried and await the resurrection. "I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just (saved) and the unjust (unsaved)." ~ Acts 24:15

Here again, Churchianity wants to bypass the resurrection and go directly to heaven or hell upon death. Without the resurrection our hope in Christ is in vain. Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-43

For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. ~ Ecclesiastes 9:5

 
Then the dust (the body) will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. ~ Ecclesiastes 12:7

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. ~ John 3:13 

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (died), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep (died) in Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

 

At death time stops, the dead do not know how long they have been "asleep" in the grave... 5 minutes or 5000 years. It's a glorious plan of God! 

That's all for this installment. Don't believe me. Search the Scriptures.

You are cordially invited to join Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group

 

 

The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong. To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you. God always gives us a choice. We can choose to believe the Truth of the Bible, or we can choose the lies of the Adversary.