A UNITED STATES senator preached a sermon in a Methodist pulpit in Los Angeles, Calif.
Of all things, imagine a well-known senator saying that patriotism is a false god to many people! And he was right.
"Love of country can transcend the love of God," he said, "and we must, in time of stress, avoid making patriotism a religion."
He said a number of other things I could have said, myself. Among the idols professing Christians worship, he cited prosperity, science, patriotism, peace - and some people actually make an idol of the Bible, strange as that may sound. Some, he said, worship the Bible for itself, NOT as containing TRUTHS necessary for salvation, and, I add, as a GUIDE to a WAY OF LIFE.
What is your idol? What are you really dedicated to? Is it earning a living - making money? What absorbs your mind, your thoughts, your time - what are you really devoted to?
Is it God - above all else? Or is it your hobby, your wife or husband, your children, your home, your sports - or amusements and entertainments?
What do you keep your MIND on most of the time? What most occupies your INTEREST? Is it friends - society? Is it PEOPLE - Or is it THINGS?
It surely couldn't be GOD, could it?
Probably not. And, if not, then it is an IDOL. You are breaking the First Commandment. You have this other god before Him.
Just WHAT IS RELIGION?
Is it merely an incidental interest, secondary to many other things, such as earning a living, your home, your family, your friends, hobbies, sports, entertainments? Possibly secondary to television or movies?
Religion is your CONNECTION WITH GOD - your relationship with Him.
Religion is realizing the PURPOSE of your life - the reason why God had you to be born - the reason you draw the breath of air and exist - the PURPOSE or end GOAL of your life, and HOW to live that life so as to arrive there.
I have written of the seven laws of SUCCESS. You may have the free booklet on The Seven Laws of Success by writing our office nearest you. They are really the seven laws of LIFE. They are the seven laws of RELIGION. Yet most people do not know or practice or apply a single one of them.
The first is to have the RIGHT GOAL.
That GOAL - God's PURPOSE for having put the breath of life in you - is that you be born of GOD, to share with Him the GLORY of creation, to inherit His divine NATURE, to be LIKE HIM - to do what He does, to accomplish what He accomplishes, enjoy what He ENJOYS - peace, happiness, joy, resplendent GLORY in LIFE EVERLASTING.
No other goal could be as great. It is superlative.
But what are you,now? Just a mass of matter, put together like a machine. Your present existence has to be constantly SUSTAINED. You have to keep drawing a breath of air into your lungs about every four or five seconds. You have to eat food on the average of at least three times every day. You have to take care of eliminating the impurities from food, and of bathing and cleansing your body.
Maybe you don't really have to "brush your teeth after every meal" as a certain toothpaste TV commercial keeps repeating like a phonograph record that got stuck.
But you do have to maintain and sustain your physical anatomy to keep on existing - and even then you are aging and degenerating every day and every year - and the most certain thing in this existence we call "life" is that this machine process is going to run down - You ARE GOING TO DIE.
Actually, we have to simply keep pumping life into ourselves constantly - daily - to continue existing - to continue consciousness.
Yet most people keep on, day after day, year after year, pumping that existence into themselves, with NO MORE PURPOSE than to try to be comfortable, free from pain, and to be pleasing the five senses - with their minds on the passing physical and material things of the moment - things that are not lasting, and are soon gone.
Unless God's own CHARACTER is being formed and developed in your mind and your life, replacing the carnality that is there now, you shall have missed your GOAL.
God's PURPOSE is to CREATE within you, during this life, a new and perfect CHARACTER, so that you may be given eternal life - self-containing, inherent life.
If you are converted - that is, if you do once establish actual contact with God - He supernaturally puts within you His HOLY SPIRIT. This impregnates you with HIS LIFE - begets you as His child, actually yet unborn.
Actually, what many professing Christians call "being born again" should be termed "being begotten."
Technically, to be "born of God" means to be changed in composition from flesh and blood matter to SPIRIT - no longer mortal, no longer human.
But it does put within you a NEW NATURE, entirely opposite to HUMAN NATURE with which you were first born.
You are, as Scripture says, given "exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE"(II Pet. 1:4). Of course the old human nature remains, and your mind makes the continual decisions whether to yield to the downward pull and appetites and established habits of human nature, or to resist it by yielding to the new divine nature - to BE LED BY GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT.
This, then, BECOMES your very life!
You can only succeed if your GOAL is kept constantly - continually - before your eyes.
When you drive a car, if you take your eyes and attention off what is in front of you (and sometimes coming from the side or behind) even for two or three seconds, you may find yourself "coming to" in a hospital, dying and saying "It all happened so suddenly!"
Driving carefully means BEING ALERT - being DILIGENT every second - KEEPING YOUR EYE and your mind and attention on the matter of DRIVING - not on conversation or other things.
In the same manner, if you let other interests, material pursuits, steal first place in your mind and heart and interest, even for a few days, you are in danger of a SPIRITUAL SMASHUP that will let you wake up being plunged into the LAKE OF FIRE, which will mean eternal DEATH.
That's why God doesn't want you to have these other gods BEFORE Him.
For your own sake - in your own interest - you must keep Him enthroned and enshrined constantly ABOVE ALL.
You must study His WORD in order to be instructed by Him.
Instructed in what? Instructed in true KNOWLEDGE - knowledge of God's PURPOSE for you - knowledge of and about God - and knowledge of HOW TO LIVE. Jesus Christ said you must actually LIVE BY the words of the Bible. It is your GUIDE TO LIVING - your INSTRUCTION BOOK the Maker sent along to instruct you HOW to OPERATE this mechanism that is YOU.
More, you must study His Word - your BIBLE - to find what you now believe that is wrong, and what you are now DOING that is wrong - to be CORRECTED and reproved by it. You must study it to let it INSTRUCT you in the ways of God's RIGHTEOUSNESS - His WAY OF LIFE. And then you must devote yourself to LIVING IT!
Still, without regular and constant PRAYER, you cannot maintain CONTACT with God. And when that contact is broken, you are CUT OFF from Him - and His spiritual LIFE, LOVE and very NATURE ceases flowing into you.
For, understand, these divine attributes of His Spirit DO FLOW! They are IN MOTION. They do not stagnate.
You either GROW spiritually - in knowledge - in grace - in God's character - or you deteriorate back toward becoming a mere physical animal, to die in ETERNAL PUNISHMENT in the lake of fire!
But if God, and the things of God - His revealed knowledge - His law - His love - His WAY for you to live - are constantly foremost in your mind, your thoughts, your interest, then you are PRAYING ALWAYS - that is, in a constant SPIRIT OF PRAYER - a constant MENTAL ATTITUDE of prayer.
The contact with God must be perpetual!
This kind of Christian life - the only kind that truly is Christian - requires, as the Bible emphasizes repeatedly, zealous DILIGENCE. YOU must CONCENTRATE on it. You must be DEDICATED to it. It requires utter CONSECRATION. It requires total EARNESTNESS.
Yes, it requires the application of the other six laws of SUCCESS - education, in which the Bible is the main textbook; good physical health; DRIVE, or concentrated DILIGENCE and EFFORT; resourcefulness; sticking to it - enduring; and continual contact with, and the guidance, help and power of, GOD.
True spiritual mindedness is not a sticky sentimentalism. It is NOT a certain emotional mood. It is not the use of a certain religious phraseology, saying constantly, "Praise the Lord," or, "Glory, hallelujah."
I have known many people whose TALK is so very "spiritual" - but whose hearts were as far from God as the prophet Isaiah described (Isa. 29:13).
Jesus Christ was a perfectly SPIRITUAL man. But He did not go about using such mushy language.
He was not a girlish, effeminate, sentimental or emotional weakling. He was a strong, virile, masterful, yet kind and gentle, MAN.
He possessed LEADERSHIP, STRENGTH, PURPOSE, SUPREME STRONG WILL - and yet these masculine qualities of strength and power were perfectly blended with wisdom, judgment, knowledge, understanding, justice and also patience, compassion and mercy. He was filled with PEACE, LOVE, FAITH.
And His WILL, strong as it was, was totally yielded and obedient to GOD. All this was the character of GOD.
He is our PATTERN. We must imitate Him - copy Him.
Look at the men of God in the Old Testament - Abraham, Noah, Joseph, David, Daniel, Elijah. They were all different from Christ in one respect - in which you and I must also be different - they had human weaknesses, and all did sin, yet these men all repented and strove to overcome.
But they were all men of strong PURPOSE, strong WILL guided by God; all possessed leadership, but also love and faith and a consecrated OBEDIENCE to the will of GOD. But they were not effeminate, sentimental men indulging in an affected, put-on, religious-sounding way of talking.
Look at the apostles Peter and Paul. They were the same. You don't find any of this pseudo "spirituality" in them - yet they were truly SPIRITUAL men, devoted to obeying God and serving the needs of the people.
But one thing to watch and guard against every second, in the way of attitude, is resentment, bitterness, hatred.
Don't let ANYTHING, no matter how unjust, make you sour and bitter.
That is the deadliest mental and spiritual POISON. We must LOVE even our enemies who perpetrate the greatest outrages - though we do not condone their evils.
If you ever think I'M wrong about anything, don't get sour or bitter about it - let God correct and punish me - vengeance is His, you know.
Resentment against me won't either punish me or benefit you, but it could consign you to eternal punishment!
Whether you believe it or not, I have come, by years of experience learning the HARD WAY, to have supreme faith that God will never neglect to correct or punish me wherever I deserve it! You may TRUST Him to do it!
Remember what a GLORIOUS GOAL we have before us!
How GRATEFUL we ought to be! How our hearts ought to be FLOODED with love and gratitude to the great God for His matchless LOVE toward us.
I'm sure we don't grasp what a supreme price He paid to make it possible. He wants us to be CHANGED - to overcome and root out this debasing, rotten carnality we all have in us - and to GROW into His righteousness, that we may SHARE His GLORY.
And, you know, I believe God wants and longs to share the supreme GLORY that He has with you! Make it your supreme overall life VOCATION, and WORK HARD AT IT!
The Japanese spy who stealthily and secretly obtained all the information the Japanese needed to bomb Pearl Harbor said that he was not a very brilliant man, and learning came hard to him, BUT HE WORKED HARD AT IT, relentlessly, with zeal, and with purpose, and with diligence. He SUCCEEDED - in terrible DESTRUCTION - in plunging the United States into World War II - and, finally, in the ignominious defeat of his own nation.
Let us work hard at our calling and mission of being real Christians. We shall succeed, with God's help - in final and eternal GLORY!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Gossip And Accusation Must Stop
Good News - 1978 July 31, Page 1
PREFACE BY GOD'S APOSTLE
by Herbert W. Armstrong
Perhaps the No. 1 problem -- yes, and even the No. 1 and most prevalent SIN IN God's Church today is careless GOSSIP and rumor spreading. Whether or not realized, it often becomes accusation and slander.
If a hostile student demonstration, such as organized and promoted by Communists, had appeared on the Ambassador campus I would have made it my business to identify the LEADER and get rid of him. Once such actions lose their leadership they disintegrate. It's the same on our problem of rumors -- especially those ugly rumors that discredit or accuse, actually, perhaps unrealized, a form of character assassination.
I fully realize that often this is mere carelessness -- a sort of thinking through the mouth -- with no deliberate intention to harm. But it DOES HARM! And sometimes it is intended to harm!
The subject came up in a conversation with David Antion. At my request he has prepared the following memorandum on GOD'S LAW covering this subject.
This sort of thing MUST BE STAMPED OUT OF GOD'S CHURCH. Our Leader and HEAD of the Church, Jesus Christ, is TURNING GOD'S CHURCH AROUND, though He uses His human servant in so doing.
However, because 1) we have perhaps carelessly neglected emphatic TEACHING on this subject, and 2) much of such gossip or rumor has probably been done carelessly without full realization of the seriousness of it, I have decided to hold off direct and definite punitive corrective action UNTIL THIS THING HAS BEEN EMPHASIZED by the ministry, and in print, before the membership.
I realize that even many of us, including myself, may have been guilty of this through carelessness, thoughtlessness or neglect. I have decided, therefore, that first we must PUT EMPHATIC EMPHASIS on this matter in teachings, sermons and articles.
But this is to be followed by DIRECT ACTION, seeking out the SOURCE -- the one who started the rumor, false accusation or whatever, and then making an example of that person, if necessary, before the whole Church. I feel that this is CHRIST'S WAY of stamping out this evil from God's Church, and I act, therefore, in His name.
Following is Mr. Antion's memo to me on this subject.
____________________________________________________
Here is the memo you asked me to write when I was in your office last Friday. It is on the subject of what God's Law has to say about false witnesses and accusation.
As you have taught for many years, the statutes of Scripture are derived from the GREAT LAWS of God in the Ten Commandments.
The Ninth Commandment
The Ninth Commandment -- "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" -- is the basis for the other statutes and judgments in this category in the Bible.
Most people assume that the Ninth Commandment is only against lying. Though it does cover lying (Revelation 21:8, Colossians 3:9) it is mainly against false accusations made against another!
You have also taught that the main object of the last six commandments is love of your neighbor (Romans 13:9-10). And the Ninth Commandment forbids making a false witness against your neighbor -- thus harming him. The Moffatt and the New English Bible say, "You shall not give false evidence [against your neighbor]."
Not a light thing
Does God consider it a light thing for a man to falsely accuse his neighbor (brother)?
And what about Jesus' words: "Judge not that ye be not judged"? We know that we can judge a person's actions as being either in conformity or not with God's law. But can we judge his heart?
"But why doest thou judge thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Romans 14:10). And in verse 13, "Let us not therefore judge another any more."
The apostle James must have had trouble with judging and accusing in his day, for he writes: "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who are thou that judgest another?" (James 4:11-12).
Those who would speak evil of another and judge their brothers are in reality judging the law and speaking evil of GOD'S LAW! And like you have said, "The one who accuses us usually is guilty of the very thing he accuses others of."
False accusations divisive
If a minister got up in the pulpit and spoke evil of the Law of God (which is holy, just and good), he would be dismissed from the ministry! But what happens to him if he judges the intent, thought and beliefs of his brother?
For too long God's Work and God's MINISTRY have been divided BECAUSE OF FALSE ACCUSATIONS AND JUDGING! It is time that God's Law be applied and that God's own judgments be enforced against those who judge and falsely accuse.
It was false accusers that got Jesus crucified! Should God's Church house them now? Should it allow false accusers (thus encouraging them in their deeds) to continue their satanic actions?
What is the motive?
Many people don't mean or intend to be malicious with their words. They are just careless and neglectful. They say and pass on information without checking it out -- without responsibility! For some it is just habit. But God's Law also deals with neglect. And one can forfeit his life through neglect! (See Exodus 21:28-36.)
Sometimes people accuse because they want to get another person in trouble and see him thrown out of his job or the Church.
Whatever the motive, whether neglect, carelessness or malice, Jesus' words still ring true: "But I say unto you, that every idle [Moffatt says 'careless'] word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shall be condemned" (Matthew 12:36-37).
Another translation says it this way: "I tell you this: there is not a thoughtless word that comes from men's lips but they will have to account for it on the day of judgment" (New English Bible).
God's judgment
BUT WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO PEOPLE WHO FALSELY ACCUSE?
HERE IS GOD'S JUDGMENT: "If a malicious witness appears against a man to accuse him of evil-doing, then the two parties in the dispute shall appear before the Eternal, that is before the priests and the presiding judges: The judges shall investigate the matter carefully, and if it turns out that the witness is malicious and that he has given false witness against his fellow, YOU MUST TREAT HIM AS HE MEANT HIS FELLOW TO BE TREATED: SO SHALL YOU ERADICATE EVIL FROM YOUR MIDST. THE OTHERS SHALL HEAR AND FEAR AND NEVER AGAIN BE GUILTY OF SUCH A SIN" (Deuteronomy 19:16-20 Moffatt translation).
But what should happen to the person who makes these accusations?
In the last few years God's Church has been a house divided and filled with this deadly evil. Accusers take verbal rifle shots at others trying to get them fired or excommunicated or to damage their reputations. But the only thing that happens to the accuser is that he is told he is mistaken. Or if confronted by his intended victim, he apologizes.
He -- the accuser -- risks absolutely nothing. He damages others, almost succeeds in getting them fired, demoted, thrown out of the Church or cast in suspicion, considered untrustworthy and avoided. At the very least, he causes them to consume enormous amounts of time trying to straighten out the problem and track down the rumor.
But NOTHING happens to the accuser. He is fine -- alive and well -- and ready for another try in the future.
Slander affects relationships
One of the worst things about all of this is that often the victim of the accusation doesn't even know that he is being slandered, accused, cast in suspicion, judged. Things are said that may stick in the minds of those who hear. Though no action is taken, these slanders affect the relationship that people have with the accused person. People avoid him. Mistrust him. He is passed over for important jobs or assignments. ALL OF THIS JUST BECAUSE OF A WORD OR TWO SAID CARELESSLY, NEGLECTFULLY OR MALICIOUSLY!
Only by applying God's Law -- HIS GOVERNMENT -- to the Church can we rid the Church of this evil and have the HAPPINESS, PEACE, UNITY AND JOY that God will approve and BLESS in His Church!
PREFACE BY GOD'S APOSTLE
by Herbert W. Armstrong
Perhaps the No. 1 problem -- yes, and even the No. 1 and most prevalent SIN IN God's Church today is careless GOSSIP and rumor spreading. Whether or not realized, it often becomes accusation and slander.
If a hostile student demonstration, such as organized and promoted by Communists, had appeared on the Ambassador campus I would have made it my business to identify the LEADER and get rid of him. Once such actions lose their leadership they disintegrate. It's the same on our problem of rumors -- especially those ugly rumors that discredit or accuse, actually, perhaps unrealized, a form of character assassination.
I fully realize that often this is mere carelessness -- a sort of thinking through the mouth -- with no deliberate intention to harm. But it DOES HARM! And sometimes it is intended to harm!
The subject came up in a conversation with David Antion. At my request he has prepared the following memorandum on GOD'S LAW covering this subject.
This sort of thing MUST BE STAMPED OUT OF GOD'S CHURCH. Our Leader and HEAD of the Church, Jesus Christ, is TURNING GOD'S CHURCH AROUND, though He uses His human servant in so doing.
However, because 1) we have perhaps carelessly neglected emphatic TEACHING on this subject, and 2) much of such gossip or rumor has probably been done carelessly without full realization of the seriousness of it, I have decided to hold off direct and definite punitive corrective action UNTIL THIS THING HAS BEEN EMPHASIZED by the ministry, and in print, before the membership.
I realize that even many of us, including myself, may have been guilty of this through carelessness, thoughtlessness or neglect. I have decided, therefore, that first we must PUT EMPHATIC EMPHASIS on this matter in teachings, sermons and articles.
But this is to be followed by DIRECT ACTION, seeking out the SOURCE -- the one who started the rumor, false accusation or whatever, and then making an example of that person, if necessary, before the whole Church. I feel that this is CHRIST'S WAY of stamping out this evil from God's Church, and I act, therefore, in His name.
Following is Mr. Antion's memo to me on this subject.
____________________________________________________
Here is the memo you asked me to write when I was in your office last Friday. It is on the subject of what God's Law has to say about false witnesses and accusation.
As you have taught for many years, the statutes of Scripture are derived from the GREAT LAWS of God in the Ten Commandments.
The Ninth Commandment
The Ninth Commandment -- "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" -- is the basis for the other statutes and judgments in this category in the Bible.
Most people assume that the Ninth Commandment is only against lying. Though it does cover lying (Revelation 21:8, Colossians 3:9) it is mainly against false accusations made against another!
You have also taught that the main object of the last six commandments is love of your neighbor (Romans 13:9-10). And the Ninth Commandment forbids making a false witness against your neighbor -- thus harming him. The Moffatt and the New English Bible say, "You shall not give false evidence [against your neighbor]."
Not a light thing
Does God consider it a light thing for a man to falsely accuse his neighbor (brother)?
And what about Jesus' words: "Judge not that ye be not judged"? We know that we can judge a person's actions as being either in conformity or not with God's law. But can we judge his heart?
"But why doest thou judge thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Romans 14:10). And in verse 13, "Let us not therefore judge another any more."
The apostle James must have had trouble with judging and accusing in his day, for he writes: "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who are thou that judgest another?" (James 4:11-12).
Those who would speak evil of another and judge their brothers are in reality judging the law and speaking evil of GOD'S LAW! And like you have said, "The one who accuses us usually is guilty of the very thing he accuses others of."
False accusations divisive
If a minister got up in the pulpit and spoke evil of the Law of God (which is holy, just and good), he would be dismissed from the ministry! But what happens to him if he judges the intent, thought and beliefs of his brother?
For too long God's Work and God's MINISTRY have been divided BECAUSE OF FALSE ACCUSATIONS AND JUDGING! It is time that God's Law be applied and that God's own judgments be enforced against those who judge and falsely accuse.
It was false accusers that got Jesus crucified! Should God's Church house them now? Should it allow false accusers (thus encouraging them in their deeds) to continue their satanic actions?
What is the motive?
Many people don't mean or intend to be malicious with their words. They are just careless and neglectful. They say and pass on information without checking it out -- without responsibility! For some it is just habit. But God's Law also deals with neglect. And one can forfeit his life through neglect! (See Exodus 21:28-36.)
Sometimes people accuse because they want to get another person in trouble and see him thrown out of his job or the Church.
Whatever the motive, whether neglect, carelessness or malice, Jesus' words still ring true: "But I say unto you, that every idle [Moffatt says 'careless'] word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shall be condemned" (Matthew 12:36-37).
Another translation says it this way: "I tell you this: there is not a thoughtless word that comes from men's lips but they will have to account for it on the day of judgment" (New English Bible).
God's judgment
BUT WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO PEOPLE WHO FALSELY ACCUSE?
HERE IS GOD'S JUDGMENT: "If a malicious witness appears against a man to accuse him of evil-doing, then the two parties in the dispute shall appear before the Eternal, that is before the priests and the presiding judges: The judges shall investigate the matter carefully, and if it turns out that the witness is malicious and that he has given false witness against his fellow, YOU MUST TREAT HIM AS HE MEANT HIS FELLOW TO BE TREATED: SO SHALL YOU ERADICATE EVIL FROM YOUR MIDST. THE OTHERS SHALL HEAR AND FEAR AND NEVER AGAIN BE GUILTY OF SUCH A SIN" (Deuteronomy 19:16-20 Moffatt translation).
But what should happen to the person who makes these accusations?
In the last few years God's Church has been a house divided and filled with this deadly evil. Accusers take verbal rifle shots at others trying to get them fired or excommunicated or to damage their reputations. But the only thing that happens to the accuser is that he is told he is mistaken. Or if confronted by his intended victim, he apologizes.
He -- the accuser -- risks absolutely nothing. He damages others, almost succeeds in getting them fired, demoted, thrown out of the Church or cast in suspicion, considered untrustworthy and avoided. At the very least, he causes them to consume enormous amounts of time trying to straighten out the problem and track down the rumor.
But NOTHING happens to the accuser. He is fine -- alive and well -- and ready for another try in the future.
Slander affects relationships
One of the worst things about all of this is that often the victim of the accusation doesn't even know that he is being slandered, accused, cast in suspicion, judged. Things are said that may stick in the minds of those who hear. Though no action is taken, these slanders affect the relationship that people have with the accused person. People avoid him. Mistrust him. He is passed over for important jobs or assignments. ALL OF THIS JUST BECAUSE OF A WORD OR TWO SAID CARELESSLY, NEGLECTFULLY OR MALICIOUSLY!
Only by applying God's Law -- HIS GOVERNMENT -- to the Church can we rid the Church of this evil and have the HAPPINESS, PEACE, UNITY AND JOY that God will approve and BLESS in His Church!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Can you recognize counterfeit faith?
Could you be fooling yourself about your faith?
Physically tired and spiritually exhausted, another minister and I sat in a coffee shop, sipping pensively on cups of Sanka and rehearsing the last two hours. We couldn't believe what had just almost happened.
We, two ministers of the Worldwide Church of God, had just visited a severely depressed woman and her husband (both "members"), and had come within an inch of being physically thrown out of the house!
Why.' Simply because we saw that the woman probably lacked the faith necessary to be healed of a serious tumor she had growing in her body, and we had. in love and tact, told her so.
The reaction we received gave us quite a jolt. She became furious! To think that we would "accuse" her — 'her' — of lacking faith.
She, after all, was a "leading member" and a constant server in the church. She said hello to the ministry each week, and she helped the elderly people, and, and . . . well, how could we accuse her of such a thing?
How could we? It was simple. She lacked faith. And we felt an obligation to, in love, tell her so she wouldn't continue to labor under the false notion that she had faith when she did not.
This woman's problem of misjudging the amount of her own faith is not unique. Many people
— perhaps all of us, at some time — have mistaken our natural, human desires, fears or emotions for faith. The woman I described above was deceiving herself by confusing her human, carnal longing for health as faith. Yes. she may have known what faith is — in other words, she may have been able to recite the Bible definition (Heb. 11:1) — but she didn't know what faith is not.
Do you?
Your need to discern your own faith is important, because the Stakes are high indeed, for the promises God makes to us to heal us or to answer our prayers or to put us into His Kingdom all
depend upon faith.
But take notice: God will save us, heal us or answer our prayers according to the real faith we have, not according to the faith we think we have, or wish we had, or want others to think we have, or that we should have. God is not fooled by our human substitutes for faith.
But are you?
False substitutes for faith
Sadly, some people, even in God's Church, are fooled by emotions, fears or wishes that disguise themselves as faith. And this is true even for people who may have been in God's church for years. That is why many people lack faith today. They think they have it when they do not.
But the real tragedy occurs when these people meet trials that demand real faith, and instead of real faith they find only a poor substitute. The substitute quickly crumbles under pressure and they are left with nothing. Such a person who finds his false faith crumbling beneath him quickly learns about his lack of faith the hard way by experience.
But there is a better way to learn. That way is to recognize how deceitful our human nature is and to identify the false substitutes for faith before they take root and block the growth of real, godly faith.
Here are some of the most common human substitutes and counterfeits for faith:
Wishing: Wishing is simply wanting something to happen. All of us at one time or another wish for something. We wish for a new house or a new car, or we even wish to be healed. And wishing may not necessarily be wrong as long as our wishing doesn't degenerate into daydreaming or coveting. But it's most important that we do not confuse wishing for faith. Wishing is wishing, and faith is faith.
Hope: Hope is an optimistic expectation that you will get the results you want. Hope is a necessary element of the human experience (Prov. 13:12). And 1Corinthians 13:13 shows that hope is a positive Christian quality. But that does not mean it is faith.
An example of a situation that most of us have experienced at one time or another will serve to illustrate the difference between faith and hope. Most people at some time must approach their bosses and ask for time off from their jobs. If the person has an optimistic expectation that the boss will grant his wish, then that person has hope.
But faith is more than just an optimistic expectation faith is believing that God will do what He says, in His Word, He will do. For instance, God has not said that He will not allow you to lose your job, although He has said that He will never allow the righteous to starve ( Ps 37:25).
The point is that faith and hope are different. We must be careful not to confuse the two.
positive attitude:. This is the ability to look at the facts and concentrate on a possible positive outcome. A good illustration is a gambler Everyone knows that the house always wins in the end, but a gambler is able to look at the odds, which are drastically against him, and somehow believe that with the next pull of the slot machine handle or roll of the dice he will be a big winner.
It certainly requires a positive altitude to concentrate only on the narrow potential for winning and ignore the overwhelming odds for losing. And it is true that having a positive attitude is a good quality — a characteristic we should all strive to obtain. We are, after all, to concentrate on good, happy positive things (Phil. 4:8). But a positive attitude is not faith and should not be confused with faith.
Emotional enthusiasm. A temporary surge of emotional enthusiasm is just that. A person who has thousands of dollars in the stock market on a day when his stock skyrockets may feel a flush of warmth and the prospect of potential wealth. Such an experience would give a person an emotional high. Certainly the children of Israel must have fell that way when they came out of the land of Lg\pt with a "high hand" (Ex. 14:8).
But the enthusiasm that comes from winning on the stock market or leaving the captivity of ancient Egypt or from hearing a powerful prayer for healing — is not faith.
Fear of punishment: It's amazing how some people can be motivated into doing something because they fear the punishment of disobeying. Ancient Israel, after refusing to enter the promised land, had a dramatic change of heart and wanted to charge in after being told they would be punished for not doing so (Num. 14:40).
It would be easy for some to assume that the Israelites had. overnight, developed a great surge of real faith, so that they now were ready lo put aside their fears of giants or war and, instead, stalk into the land with renewed bravery. But the fact is that they did not develop faith overnight.
Instead, they developed a fear of the punishment that would come upon them (wandering 40 years in the wilderness) if they didn't do what they were told.
Unfortunately, some people obey God only out of fear of punishment. Fear of punishment certainly should not be confused with faith. It may be a motivation in obeying God, but if we lack faith we should obey anyway and ask God for the faith.
Hear of a worse alternative: Some people put off operations or decide not to seek a doctor's help not because they have deep faith in God for healing, but because they are afraid of the surgery or afraid of the doctors.
This was the real reason why the woman I spoke of at the beginning of this article did not want to see a physician. She, clearly, did not have the faith. But she was also fearful of the alternative to trusting on God, a surgeon's knife. I could not blame her for having the fear, but can find fault with her for confusing the fear with faith. Such a mistake can be deadly.
Peer pressure: Suppose a person came into God's Church and had to ask his employer for time off to keep God's Sabbath, even though the person did not have the faith to trust in God if he were to lose his job. If the employer threatened to fire him, the person might capitulate and work on the Sabbath anyway.
Why would such a person not stand up to his boss and take off the Sabbath after he had asked for it? There could be many reasons, of course, but one reason is that, often, such a person does not have the faith to trust God in the first place His real motivation for asking for the Sabbath off was fear of what other people in the Church would think if he didn't keep the day. But unfortunately, not even peer pressure, in the long run, can make a person obey if he doesn't have the faith to back it up.
Guilt: A person's conscience can be a powerful motivator toward obedience. Someone may tithe, for example, not because he has real faith or not even because he might fear < rod's punishment. but because he would feel guilty if he didn't. The person is not motivated by faith but by guilt
Of course, tithing because of guilt may be better than not tithing at all — we truly understand God's way only after we begin following it (Ps. 111:10) - but the tither should not confuse and mis-diagnose his guilt as faith. God is not deceived, although the person might be. No wonder some are not blessed for tithing.
Intimidation: Have you ever bought something, not because you wanted it or needed it, but because the salesman was slick and aggressive and talked you into it? Sure you have. We all have. Many a used-car salesman has sold many a used car to many a person solely by intimidating him into the purchase. And a minister who gives a powerful sermon might unintentionally intimidate you into obeying God in some area.
Of course, obeying God is good. But someone who is obeying solely because he is intimidated is not obeying out of faith.
Resignation or hopelessness: Most of God's ministers, at one time or another, meet a person who, on his deathbed after having tried all of the doctors' methods and approaches, comes to us and asks to be anointed for healing (Jas. 5:14). Sometimes, of course, the person has real faith and will be healed (Luke 8:43-48). Other times, the person comes for anointing or for advice simply because there are no other alternatives left. Out of sheer hopelessness or resignation, a person may seek God's help.
Of course, we should lake all of our trials to God. Trials are a tool God Himself uses to draw men to Him. But one who seeks God or "prays about it" simply because there is nothing else to do is not exercising faith. He is simply exercising good old carnal logic and doing what any soldier in a foxhole, under the thunder of blasting shells, would do.
Self-righteousness: Believe it or not. people sometimes obey God, pray for healing or other needs or even endure trials not because they have the real faith that God is looking for, but simply because they have told other people in similar situations that they wouldn't do whatever the other "weak" people had done instead of seeking God.
One may put on a show of righteousness by toughing it out. But such a show of righteousness occasioned merely by self-righteousness is unrighteousness in God's eves ( Isa. 64:6).
Stubbornness: From time to time a person will be confronted by a great trial and will see it through to the end in grand Style, keeping a Stiff upper lip. We may assume the motivating factor behind his great steadfastness is a deep and abiding faith in God. It may be. But it also might be plain old human stubbornness.
Stubbornness can be a good quality at times. It may help a person or group of people hold on and endure in times of stress or trial. But it won't get you into God's Kingdom, because it's not faith. In fact, stubbornness can be as much of a liability as it may be an asset. If you don't believe that, read the story of ancient Israel and their legacy of being stiff-necked (Deut. 9:6).
What faith is
An article on what faith is not would not be complete without a simple definition of faith. Faith is easy to define: The Bible tells us, Faith is simply the belief that God exists and that He will do what He, in His Word, says He will (Heb. 11:6).
Read that again. Faith is not merely wishing, nor hoping, nor a positive mental attitude, nor a temporary surge of emotional enthusiasm, nor fear of punishment. nor fear of a worse alternative. nor peer pressure, guilt, intimidation, resignation, self-righteousness, nor stubbornness. But it is confidently knowing that God will do what He says He will do, when He says He'll do it.
This faith — real, saving faith — comes only from God. It is a gift only He can give, and it in no way comes, in any part or fragment, from our own human nature or attitudes, such as the false "faiths'" listed above do (Eph. 2:8).
True faith is a gift God wants to give you. He will give it to you when you ask. But you will not ask until you see that you don't have it and that you may have been fooling yourself with worthless counterfeits. For an in-depth study of the kind of faith required for salvation, write for a free copy of our booklet. What Is Faith?
And. finally, realize this: All of the false "faiths" have two deadly things in common: First, none of them fool God. And second, all of them can fool us humans unless we ask God to show us our human self-deceptions.
Don't you be fooled — know what faith is. and what it is not!
by Bernie Schnippert Good News October-November 1982
Physically tired and spiritually exhausted, another minister and I sat in a coffee shop, sipping pensively on cups of Sanka and rehearsing the last two hours. We couldn't believe what had just almost happened.
We, two ministers of the Worldwide Church of God, had just visited a severely depressed woman and her husband (both "members"), and had come within an inch of being physically thrown out of the house!
Why.' Simply because we saw that the woman probably lacked the faith necessary to be healed of a serious tumor she had growing in her body, and we had. in love and tact, told her so.
The reaction we received gave us quite a jolt. She became furious! To think that we would "accuse" her — 'her' — of lacking faith.
She, after all, was a "leading member" and a constant server in the church. She said hello to the ministry each week, and she helped the elderly people, and, and . . . well, how could we accuse her of such a thing?
How could we? It was simple. She lacked faith. And we felt an obligation to, in love, tell her so she wouldn't continue to labor under the false notion that she had faith when she did not.
This woman's problem of misjudging the amount of her own faith is not unique. Many people
— perhaps all of us, at some time — have mistaken our natural, human desires, fears or emotions for faith. The woman I described above was deceiving herself by confusing her human, carnal longing for health as faith. Yes. she may have known what faith is — in other words, she may have been able to recite the Bible definition (Heb. 11:1) — but she didn't know what faith is not.
Do you?
Your need to discern your own faith is important, because the Stakes are high indeed, for the promises God makes to us to heal us or to answer our prayers or to put us into His Kingdom all
depend upon faith.
But take notice: God will save us, heal us or answer our prayers according to the real faith we have, not according to the faith we think we have, or wish we had, or want others to think we have, or that we should have. God is not fooled by our human substitutes for faith.
But are you?
False substitutes for faith
Sadly, some people, even in God's Church, are fooled by emotions, fears or wishes that disguise themselves as faith. And this is true even for people who may have been in God's church for years. That is why many people lack faith today. They think they have it when they do not.
But the real tragedy occurs when these people meet trials that demand real faith, and instead of real faith they find only a poor substitute. The substitute quickly crumbles under pressure and they are left with nothing. Such a person who finds his false faith crumbling beneath him quickly learns about his lack of faith the hard way by experience.
But there is a better way to learn. That way is to recognize how deceitful our human nature is and to identify the false substitutes for faith before they take root and block the growth of real, godly faith.
Here are some of the most common human substitutes and counterfeits for faith:
Wishing: Wishing is simply wanting something to happen. All of us at one time or another wish for something. We wish for a new house or a new car, or we even wish to be healed. And wishing may not necessarily be wrong as long as our wishing doesn't degenerate into daydreaming or coveting. But it's most important that we do not confuse wishing for faith. Wishing is wishing, and faith is faith.
Hope: Hope is an optimistic expectation that you will get the results you want. Hope is a necessary element of the human experience (Prov. 13:12). And 1Corinthians 13:13 shows that hope is a positive Christian quality. But that does not mean it is faith.
An example of a situation that most of us have experienced at one time or another will serve to illustrate the difference between faith and hope. Most people at some time must approach their bosses and ask for time off from their jobs. If the person has an optimistic expectation that the boss will grant his wish, then that person has hope.
But faith is more than just an optimistic expectation faith is believing that God will do what He says, in His Word, He will do. For instance, God has not said that He will not allow you to lose your job, although He has said that He will never allow the righteous to starve ( Ps 37:25).
The point is that faith and hope are different. We must be careful not to confuse the two.
positive attitude:. This is the ability to look at the facts and concentrate on a possible positive outcome. A good illustration is a gambler Everyone knows that the house always wins in the end, but a gambler is able to look at the odds, which are drastically against him, and somehow believe that with the next pull of the slot machine handle or roll of the dice he will be a big winner.
It certainly requires a positive altitude to concentrate only on the narrow potential for winning and ignore the overwhelming odds for losing. And it is true that having a positive attitude is a good quality — a characteristic we should all strive to obtain. We are, after all, to concentrate on good, happy positive things (Phil. 4:8). But a positive attitude is not faith and should not be confused with faith.
Emotional enthusiasm. A temporary surge of emotional enthusiasm is just that. A person who has thousands of dollars in the stock market on a day when his stock skyrockets may feel a flush of warmth and the prospect of potential wealth. Such an experience would give a person an emotional high. Certainly the children of Israel must have fell that way when they came out of the land of Lg\pt with a "high hand" (Ex. 14:8).
But the enthusiasm that comes from winning on the stock market or leaving the captivity of ancient Egypt or from hearing a powerful prayer for healing — is not faith.
Fear of punishment: It's amazing how some people can be motivated into doing something because they fear the punishment of disobeying. Ancient Israel, after refusing to enter the promised land, had a dramatic change of heart and wanted to charge in after being told they would be punished for not doing so (Num. 14:40).
It would be easy for some to assume that the Israelites had. overnight, developed a great surge of real faith, so that they now were ready lo put aside their fears of giants or war and, instead, stalk into the land with renewed bravery. But the fact is that they did not develop faith overnight.
Instead, they developed a fear of the punishment that would come upon them (wandering 40 years in the wilderness) if they didn't do what they were told.
Unfortunately, some people obey God only out of fear of punishment. Fear of punishment certainly should not be confused with faith. It may be a motivation in obeying God, but if we lack faith we should obey anyway and ask God for the faith.
Hear of a worse alternative: Some people put off operations or decide not to seek a doctor's help not because they have deep faith in God for healing, but because they are afraid of the surgery or afraid of the doctors.
This was the real reason why the woman I spoke of at the beginning of this article did not want to see a physician. She, clearly, did not have the faith. But she was also fearful of the alternative to trusting on God, a surgeon's knife. I could not blame her for having the fear, but can find fault with her for confusing the fear with faith. Such a mistake can be deadly.
Peer pressure: Suppose a person came into God's Church and had to ask his employer for time off to keep God's Sabbath, even though the person did not have the faith to trust in God if he were to lose his job. If the employer threatened to fire him, the person might capitulate and work on the Sabbath anyway.
Why would such a person not stand up to his boss and take off the Sabbath after he had asked for it? There could be many reasons, of course, but one reason is that, often, such a person does not have the faith to trust God in the first place His real motivation for asking for the Sabbath off was fear of what other people in the Church would think if he didn't keep the day. But unfortunately, not even peer pressure, in the long run, can make a person obey if he doesn't have the faith to back it up.
Guilt: A person's conscience can be a powerful motivator toward obedience. Someone may tithe, for example, not because he has real faith or not even because he might fear < rod's punishment. but because he would feel guilty if he didn't. The person is not motivated by faith but by guilt
Of course, tithing because of guilt may be better than not tithing at all — we truly understand God's way only after we begin following it (Ps. 111:10) - but the tither should not confuse and mis-diagnose his guilt as faith. God is not deceived, although the person might be. No wonder some are not blessed for tithing.
Intimidation: Have you ever bought something, not because you wanted it or needed it, but because the salesman was slick and aggressive and talked you into it? Sure you have. We all have. Many a used-car salesman has sold many a used car to many a person solely by intimidating him into the purchase. And a minister who gives a powerful sermon might unintentionally intimidate you into obeying God in some area.
Of course, obeying God is good. But someone who is obeying solely because he is intimidated is not obeying out of faith.
Resignation or hopelessness: Most of God's ministers, at one time or another, meet a person who, on his deathbed after having tried all of the doctors' methods and approaches, comes to us and asks to be anointed for healing (Jas. 5:14). Sometimes, of course, the person has real faith and will be healed (Luke 8:43-48). Other times, the person comes for anointing or for advice simply because there are no other alternatives left. Out of sheer hopelessness or resignation, a person may seek God's help.
Of course, we should lake all of our trials to God. Trials are a tool God Himself uses to draw men to Him. But one who seeks God or "prays about it" simply because there is nothing else to do is not exercising faith. He is simply exercising good old carnal logic and doing what any soldier in a foxhole, under the thunder of blasting shells, would do.
Self-righteousness: Believe it or not. people sometimes obey God, pray for healing or other needs or even endure trials not because they have the real faith that God is looking for, but simply because they have told other people in similar situations that they wouldn't do whatever the other "weak" people had done instead of seeking God.
One may put on a show of righteousness by toughing it out. But such a show of righteousness occasioned merely by self-righteousness is unrighteousness in God's eves ( Isa. 64:6).
Stubbornness: From time to time a person will be confronted by a great trial and will see it through to the end in grand Style, keeping a Stiff upper lip. We may assume the motivating factor behind his great steadfastness is a deep and abiding faith in God. It may be. But it also might be plain old human stubbornness.
Stubbornness can be a good quality at times. It may help a person or group of people hold on and endure in times of stress or trial. But it won't get you into God's Kingdom, because it's not faith. In fact, stubbornness can be as much of a liability as it may be an asset. If you don't believe that, read the story of ancient Israel and their legacy of being stiff-necked (Deut. 9:6).
What faith is
An article on what faith is not would not be complete without a simple definition of faith. Faith is easy to define: The Bible tells us, Faith is simply the belief that God exists and that He will do what He, in His Word, says He will (Heb. 11:6).
Read that again. Faith is not merely wishing, nor hoping, nor a positive mental attitude, nor a temporary surge of emotional enthusiasm, nor fear of punishment. nor fear of a worse alternative. nor peer pressure, guilt, intimidation, resignation, self-righteousness, nor stubbornness. But it is confidently knowing that God will do what He says He will do, when He says He'll do it.
This faith — real, saving faith — comes only from God. It is a gift only He can give, and it in no way comes, in any part or fragment, from our own human nature or attitudes, such as the false "faiths'" listed above do (Eph. 2:8).
True faith is a gift God wants to give you. He will give it to you when you ask. But you will not ask until you see that you don't have it and that you may have been fooling yourself with worthless counterfeits. For an in-depth study of the kind of faith required for salvation, write for a free copy of our booklet. What Is Faith?
And. finally, realize this: All of the false "faiths" have two deadly things in common: First, none of them fool God. And second, all of them can fool us humans unless we ask God to show us our human self-deceptions.
Don't you be fooled — know what faith is. and what it is not!
by Bernie Schnippert Good News October-November 1982
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Just What do yo mean-Self Righteous?
There is a spiritual disease as common as the common cold — but seldom recognized for what it really is. What are its symptoms? How can you tell if you are afflicted with it?
All diseases have symptoms. Red eyes, runny nose and a hacking cough are all symptoms of the common cold.
Self-righteousness is a spiritual disease, and has its own peculiar symptoms which can be recognized, isolated and worked upon.
Of and by themselves the symptoms do not explain what self-righteousness is. They only point out the presence of the malady. But isolating the symptoms will nevertheless be of help in defeating and wiping out the disease.
Here then are seven symptoms of self-righteousness, and what can be done to curb and stamp it out.
Unteachability
First and foremost, a self-righteous person is not teachable. The patriarch Job, before his total conversion, was a classic example of self-righteousness. He was not teachable. We read his statement in Job 27:6, "My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go . . . ." Job was sure in his own mind that he was righteous and was not about to be taught to the contrary!
Another example of this symptom of unteachableness can be found in Jeremiah 2:35. Jeremiah wrote what God said to the ancient nation of Judah: "Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with you, because thou sayest, I have not sinned."
Ancient Judah was self-righteous. The people felt they were innocent; they felt they had not sinned. This made God's job of teaching them very difficult. It is virtually impossible to teach a person who thinks and is convinced he is right. However, whenever that person is willing to admit he may be wrong, he has begun to open his mind to instruction.
And so a clear sign of self-righteousness is resistance to being teachable. Are you teachable? Are you easy to be intreated? Or are you stubborn — difficult to instruct?
Pride in Obedience
In Luke 18:11-12, we read about the Pharisee who fasted twice in the week. He was proud of his obedience.
Today most of us are more sophisticated in the expression of our pride. Rather than telling people outright when we are fasting, or that we give tithes of all our increase and generous offerings besides, we go around dropping hints. But being more sophisticated about it does not make us any less self-righteous.
Do you glory in telling your friends you won't be able to accept a dinner invitation because you are fasting? Are you happy to share with your brethren the fact that you don't have finer things because you have "given most of your money to God"? Such hints are symptoms of self-righteousness. They show that in one form or another we are proud of our obedience to God.
The opposite of this attitude is humility. True humility leaves no place for self-righteousness. When we strive to do our best in fasting, giving or whatever, but without bragging, recognizing our own shortcomings at the same time, we won't be expressing self-righteousness.
The Self-Oriented Mind
To a self-righteous person, the main theme of conversation revolves around the self. "I," "me" and "my" become the center of conversation, since it is the focal point of one's thoughts.
In Job 29, we have an excellent example of the self-oriented mind. In just 25 short verses Job uses the personal pronouns, "I," "me" and "my" 52 times! Job was clearly self-oriented. This is epitomized in verse 14: "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me...."
A truly converted spirit-led mind is interested in other people. In Philippians 2:4 we read: "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." This Godly focus of attention is clearly away from self.
Have you ever listened to a candid tape recording of your own conversation? It is a very interesting exercise. You might be highly embarrassed if you did. It could show how oriented toward self you may really be.
Think about the topics of your daily conversations. Do you detect too much self-orientation? The Bible teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We need to do this more every day, for only then will we truly have other people in our hearts and minds, instead of only the self.
"Doing God a Favor"
The fourth symptom of the disease of self-righteousness is that of feeling we are doing God a service. In Job 35:7 we read that Elihu pointed out to Job:
"If you be righteous, what give you him [God]? Or what receives he of your hand?" Job somehow felt that God was highly honored and helped by his service. But in reality God does not need us. We desperately need Him!
The self-righteous person remembers what he has "given up" to serve God. Rather than thinking about what he has gained by serving God, he feels he is a tremendous asset to God, and that God is tremendously benefitted by his servitude.
If your child were to come to you and tell you he really adds to the family and that you, the parent, just could not do without him (or her), you would tend to think that child was rather vain in his thinking. Wouldn't you much rather see your child come to you with the attitude, "Thanks, mom and dad, for allowing me to be a part of this family. Thanks for sharing all that you have with me."
In this analogy, we should be able to see the difference between the person who thinks he's doing God a service and the person who is grateful that God has allowed him to be part of His Church and His Family.
Lack of Compassion
The self-righteous person lacks compassion — an empathy and feeling for other people. (The word "compassion" comes from the Latin meaning "with feeling.") He is almost invariably critical of others when they sin and judges them harshly. "Why, I wouldn't do that," he tells himself. Thus he can't understand one who does. He is so "righteous" in his own sight it is difficult for him to make allowances for another's weaknesses!
He is quick to condemn and point out where he could have done better — but slow to empathize and admit he might have done the same thing under the same circumstances.
In Isaiah 65:1-5, we read of ancient Judah's attitude toward people who were sinners. God condemns the people who, while they themselves were sinners, said to other sinners, "Stand by your self, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou." This "holier than thou" attitude is typical of a self-righteous person. Not being able to see his own faults and sins, he is critical of others' mistakes and shortcomings.
The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) gives us a good example of a self-righteous person. Three characters are mentioned in this parable, though we often overlook the elder brother of the prodigal son.
The elder brother was angry when the prodigal son received forgiveness. He lacked compassion for his licentious, wastrel brother, and was not happy to see him rescued from destitution and at home once again. He was proud of his own obedience while his brother sinned. Thus he was very self-oriented.
And lacking compassion, the elder brother was unable to understand that his brother had changed and repented. He thought his brother's return merely meant he — the "faithful" one — was about to lose even more of his patrimony. He was angry at his father for giving more of it to the spendthrift son. In his self-righteousness, he felt that he had been overlooked by his father.
Have you ever been prevented from having and expressing true Christian love and doing good deeds for others by similar feelings? Examine yourself to see if you have compassion for your fellow man — especially for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Self-Pity
The sixth sign or symptom of self-righteousness is self-pity. We read in Genesis 4:13 that Cain said to God "My punishment is greater than I can bear." In this sense, Cain was self-righteous. He did not want to change his attitude; he didn't ask forgiveness for his sin; he just wanted to wallow in self-pity.
Was God so harsh that Cain could not have found forgiveness? The point is that Cain didn't feel truly sorry for his sin. He didn't want to repent. When he was punished, he only felt sorry for himself!
Self-pity is a cancer of the spiritual life. It eats away at a person's morale and well-being and destroys the desire to fight back at one's sins and hurdle one's difficulties.
Self-pity is a self-defeating attitude, You may recognize wrong in your life, you may see your mistakes, but self-pity will cause you to act as if the situation is hopeless. Self-pity is expressed in the attitude, "Que sera, sera — whatever will be, will be." Rather than change, fighting to pull yourself out of the rut, you just accept the way things are. But self-pity will never make you happy because it is a symptom of self-righteousness!
Justification of Sins
The seventh and last symptom of self-righteousness to be discussed in this article is justification of sin.
The truly self-righteous, self-oriented person will justify his own sins. Being righteous in his own eyes, it is easy for him to think he does not have any real sins. So when a fault or a problem is pointed out to him, he justifies and excuses it. This justification makes wrong seem right in his eyes.
Long before he comes to the point of calling out and out sin right and good, however, the self-righteous person hides his eyes from his own sins.
In Revelation 3:17 we see how this self-righteous attitude works. A great deal of self-righteousness is imputed to the Laodiceans. They have an "answer for everything," including their spiritual slothfulness. In the eyes of God, they are "lukewarm and neither cold nor hot...." But not so in their own eyes. They say, "I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing ...." They justify their lukewarm attitude. In their own minds they make it right.
In Job 32:1-2, we find that Job "justified himself rather than God." Job was experiencing a physical trial. He was seemingly being punished by God. So he searched his own heart but could not find a reason for his plight. Therefore, Job concluded that since he was not wrong, God had to be at fault. He felt all of his trials were totally undeserved — that God was unfair and unjust for treating him in such a manner. He wanted to argue the point with God.
In one translation we read that Job wanted an umpire or an unbiased judge to sit in judgment between him and God (Job 23). This is the height of self-righteousness!
God finally answered Job's self-justifying argument in Job 40:8, "Will you also disannul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be righteous?" This, in fact, is what had happened.
Then God was able to convince Job that his attitude was wrong and Job finally saw his own folly. We read his repentant words in Job 42:3, "Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not." He had come to real repentance, loathed himself, surrendered to God and now repented in dust and ashes (Job 42:6).
SELF-Righteousness — or GOD'S Righteousness?
Job had earlier said, as we read in Job 29:14, "I put on righteousness and it clothed me...." And he continued to boast of himself. But that righteousness clearly was not God's righteousness.
In Philippians 3:4-9 the Apostle Paul plainly defined the difference between human self-righteousness and God's righteousness. Paul began by listing the various things he could be "proud" of. He then went on to show in verse 8 that he counted all of these past glories as nothing — as so much dung!
In verse 9 we read why he had given it up, "[To] be found in him [Christ], not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is [comes] through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is OF God by faith."
Paul recognized the difference between self-righteousness and God's righteousness. Before his conversion, Paul had been self-righteous. But after his conversion he became filled with God's righteousness as a result of the faith of Christ in him.
In Romans 10:1-3, Paul showed the difference between the Israelites' righteousness and God's righteousness. Lacking the Holy Spirit, the Israelites
tried to establish their own righteousness, which became self-righteousness. In verse 3 we read, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God."
Brethren, are any of us still trying to do the same thing?
Seek God's Righteousness
Jesus said that of Himself He could do nothing (John 5:19). He knew it. He admitted it. As a result His righteousness was not self-righteousness; it was God's righteousness. He did not trust in His own power to be righteous. He prayed without ceasing and asked God to impart His righteousness to Him.
And just as Jesus looked to His Father for that strength, so we are admonished to "seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness..." (Matt. 6:33).
The fight against self-righteousness is a constant battle. It involves daily contact with God through prayer and Bible study — having God and Christ through the Holy Spirit living in you. As God continues to live in you, His righteousness will replace self-righteousness.
Galatians 2:20 shows Paul lived with the power of Christ in him. It was his contact with God that gave him the righteousness that he manifested daily. Zechariah 4:6 also explains it: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." It is total trust in God for the righteousness that can make you truly righteous. We must do our part, certainly, but the real strength and the help to do it comes from God. And we must seek His help in prayer every day.
So during this Passover season, let's each examine himself or herself, searching our hearts and examining our motives, and begin to root out every trace and vestige of self-righteousness!
by Stephen Martin January-March 1973 GOOD NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brought to you as a Study Resource by the
Church of God Faithful Flock
All diseases have symptoms. Red eyes, runny nose and a hacking cough are all symptoms of the common cold.
Self-righteousness is a spiritual disease, and has its own peculiar symptoms which can be recognized, isolated and worked upon.
Of and by themselves the symptoms do not explain what self-righteousness is. They only point out the presence of the malady. But isolating the symptoms will nevertheless be of help in defeating and wiping out the disease.
Here then are seven symptoms of self-righteousness, and what can be done to curb and stamp it out.
Unteachability
First and foremost, a self-righteous person is not teachable. The patriarch Job, before his total conversion, was a classic example of self-righteousness. He was not teachable. We read his statement in Job 27:6, "My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go . . . ." Job was sure in his own mind that he was righteous and was not about to be taught to the contrary!
Another example of this symptom of unteachableness can be found in Jeremiah 2:35. Jeremiah wrote what God said to the ancient nation of Judah: "Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with you, because thou sayest, I have not sinned."
Ancient Judah was self-righteous. The people felt they were innocent; they felt they had not sinned. This made God's job of teaching them very difficult. It is virtually impossible to teach a person who thinks and is convinced he is right. However, whenever that person is willing to admit he may be wrong, he has begun to open his mind to instruction.
And so a clear sign of self-righteousness is resistance to being teachable. Are you teachable? Are you easy to be intreated? Or are you stubborn — difficult to instruct?
Pride in Obedience
In Luke 18:11-12, we read about the Pharisee who fasted twice in the week. He was proud of his obedience.
Today most of us are more sophisticated in the expression of our pride. Rather than telling people outright when we are fasting, or that we give tithes of all our increase and generous offerings besides, we go around dropping hints. But being more sophisticated about it does not make us any less self-righteous.
Do you glory in telling your friends you won't be able to accept a dinner invitation because you are fasting? Are you happy to share with your brethren the fact that you don't have finer things because you have "given most of your money to God"? Such hints are symptoms of self-righteousness. They show that in one form or another we are proud of our obedience to God.
The opposite of this attitude is humility. True humility leaves no place for self-righteousness. When we strive to do our best in fasting, giving or whatever, but without bragging, recognizing our own shortcomings at the same time, we won't be expressing self-righteousness.
The Self-Oriented Mind
To a self-righteous person, the main theme of conversation revolves around the self. "I," "me" and "my" become the center of conversation, since it is the focal point of one's thoughts.
In Job 29, we have an excellent example of the self-oriented mind. In just 25 short verses Job uses the personal pronouns, "I," "me" and "my" 52 times! Job was clearly self-oriented. This is epitomized in verse 14: "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me...."
A truly converted spirit-led mind is interested in other people. In Philippians 2:4 we read: "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." This Godly focus of attention is clearly away from self.
Have you ever listened to a candid tape recording of your own conversation? It is a very interesting exercise. You might be highly embarrassed if you did. It could show how oriented toward self you may really be.
Think about the topics of your daily conversations. Do you detect too much self-orientation? The Bible teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We need to do this more every day, for only then will we truly have other people in our hearts and minds, instead of only the self.
"Doing God a Favor"
The fourth symptom of the disease of self-righteousness is that of feeling we are doing God a service. In Job 35:7 we read that Elihu pointed out to Job:
"If you be righteous, what give you him [God]? Or what receives he of your hand?" Job somehow felt that God was highly honored and helped by his service. But in reality God does not need us. We desperately need Him!
The self-righteous person remembers what he has "given up" to serve God. Rather than thinking about what he has gained by serving God, he feels he is a tremendous asset to God, and that God is tremendously benefitted by his servitude.
If your child were to come to you and tell you he really adds to the family and that you, the parent, just could not do without him (or her), you would tend to think that child was rather vain in his thinking. Wouldn't you much rather see your child come to you with the attitude, "Thanks, mom and dad, for allowing me to be a part of this family. Thanks for sharing all that you have with me."
In this analogy, we should be able to see the difference between the person who thinks he's doing God a service and the person who is grateful that God has allowed him to be part of His Church and His Family.
Lack of Compassion
The self-righteous person lacks compassion — an empathy and feeling for other people. (The word "compassion" comes from the Latin meaning "with feeling.") He is almost invariably critical of others when they sin and judges them harshly. "Why, I wouldn't do that," he tells himself. Thus he can't understand one who does. He is so "righteous" in his own sight it is difficult for him to make allowances for another's weaknesses!
He is quick to condemn and point out where he could have done better — but slow to empathize and admit he might have done the same thing under the same circumstances.
In Isaiah 65:1-5, we read of ancient Judah's attitude toward people who were sinners. God condemns the people who, while they themselves were sinners, said to other sinners, "Stand by your self, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou." This "holier than thou" attitude is typical of a self-righteous person. Not being able to see his own faults and sins, he is critical of others' mistakes and shortcomings.
The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) gives us a good example of a self-righteous person. Three characters are mentioned in this parable, though we often overlook the elder brother of the prodigal son.
The elder brother was angry when the prodigal son received forgiveness. He lacked compassion for his licentious, wastrel brother, and was not happy to see him rescued from destitution and at home once again. He was proud of his own obedience while his brother sinned. Thus he was very self-oriented.
And lacking compassion, the elder brother was unable to understand that his brother had changed and repented. He thought his brother's return merely meant he — the "faithful" one — was about to lose even more of his patrimony. He was angry at his father for giving more of it to the spendthrift son. In his self-righteousness, he felt that he had been overlooked by his father.
Have you ever been prevented from having and expressing true Christian love and doing good deeds for others by similar feelings? Examine yourself to see if you have compassion for your fellow man — especially for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Self-Pity
The sixth sign or symptom of self-righteousness is self-pity. We read in Genesis 4:13 that Cain said to God "My punishment is greater than I can bear." In this sense, Cain was self-righteous. He did not want to change his attitude; he didn't ask forgiveness for his sin; he just wanted to wallow in self-pity.
Was God so harsh that Cain could not have found forgiveness? The point is that Cain didn't feel truly sorry for his sin. He didn't want to repent. When he was punished, he only felt sorry for himself!
Self-pity is a cancer of the spiritual life. It eats away at a person's morale and well-being and destroys the desire to fight back at one's sins and hurdle one's difficulties.
Self-pity is a self-defeating attitude, You may recognize wrong in your life, you may see your mistakes, but self-pity will cause you to act as if the situation is hopeless. Self-pity is expressed in the attitude, "Que sera, sera — whatever will be, will be." Rather than change, fighting to pull yourself out of the rut, you just accept the way things are. But self-pity will never make you happy because it is a symptom of self-righteousness!
Justification of Sins
The seventh and last symptom of self-righteousness to be discussed in this article is justification of sin.
The truly self-righteous, self-oriented person will justify his own sins. Being righteous in his own eyes, it is easy for him to think he does not have any real sins. So when a fault or a problem is pointed out to him, he justifies and excuses it. This justification makes wrong seem right in his eyes.
Long before he comes to the point of calling out and out sin right and good, however, the self-righteous person hides his eyes from his own sins.
In Revelation 3:17 we see how this self-righteous attitude works. A great deal of self-righteousness is imputed to the Laodiceans. They have an "answer for everything," including their spiritual slothfulness. In the eyes of God, they are "lukewarm and neither cold nor hot...." But not so in their own eyes. They say, "I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing ...." They justify their lukewarm attitude. In their own minds they make it right.
In Job 32:1-2, we find that Job "justified himself rather than God." Job was experiencing a physical trial. He was seemingly being punished by God. So he searched his own heart but could not find a reason for his plight. Therefore, Job concluded that since he was not wrong, God had to be at fault. He felt all of his trials were totally undeserved — that God was unfair and unjust for treating him in such a manner. He wanted to argue the point with God.
In one translation we read that Job wanted an umpire or an unbiased judge to sit in judgment between him and God (Job 23). This is the height of self-righteousness!
God finally answered Job's self-justifying argument in Job 40:8, "Will you also disannul my judgment? Will you condemn me, that you may be righteous?" This, in fact, is what had happened.
Then God was able to convince Job that his attitude was wrong and Job finally saw his own folly. We read his repentant words in Job 42:3, "Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not." He had come to real repentance, loathed himself, surrendered to God and now repented in dust and ashes (Job 42:6).
SELF-Righteousness — or GOD'S Righteousness?
Job had earlier said, as we read in Job 29:14, "I put on righteousness and it clothed me...." And he continued to boast of himself. But that righteousness clearly was not God's righteousness.
In Philippians 3:4-9 the Apostle Paul plainly defined the difference between human self-righteousness and God's righteousness. Paul began by listing the various things he could be "proud" of. He then went on to show in verse 8 that he counted all of these past glories as nothing — as so much dung!
In verse 9 we read why he had given it up, "[To] be found in him [Christ], not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is [comes] through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is OF God by faith."
Paul recognized the difference between self-righteousness and God's righteousness. Before his conversion, Paul had been self-righteous. But after his conversion he became filled with God's righteousness as a result of the faith of Christ in him.
In Romans 10:1-3, Paul showed the difference between the Israelites' righteousness and God's righteousness. Lacking the Holy Spirit, the Israelites
tried to establish their own righteousness, which became self-righteousness. In verse 3 we read, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God."
Brethren, are any of us still trying to do the same thing?
Seek God's Righteousness
Jesus said that of Himself He could do nothing (John 5:19). He knew it. He admitted it. As a result His righteousness was not self-righteousness; it was God's righteousness. He did not trust in His own power to be righteous. He prayed without ceasing and asked God to impart His righteousness to Him.
And just as Jesus looked to His Father for that strength, so we are admonished to "seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness..." (Matt. 6:33).
The fight against self-righteousness is a constant battle. It involves daily contact with God through prayer and Bible study — having God and Christ through the Holy Spirit living in you. As God continues to live in you, His righteousness will replace self-righteousness.
Galatians 2:20 shows Paul lived with the power of Christ in him. It was his contact with God that gave him the righteousness that he manifested daily. Zechariah 4:6 also explains it: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." It is total trust in God for the righteousness that can make you truly righteous. We must do our part, certainly, but the real strength and the help to do it comes from God. And we must seek His help in prayer every day.
So during this Passover season, let's each examine himself or herself, searching our hearts and examining our motives, and begin to root out every trace and vestige of self-righteousness!
by Stephen Martin January-March 1973 GOOD NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brought to you as a Study Resource by the
Church of God Faithful Flock
Saturday, May 3, 2008
The Johannine Comma
The Johannine Comma
(1 John 5:7-8)
The so-called Johannine Comma (also called the Comma Johanneum) is a sequence of extra words which appear in 1 John 5:7-8 in some early printed editions of the Greek New Testament. In these editions the verses appear thus (we put backets around the extra words):
ὅτι τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες [ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Πατήρ, ὁ Λόγος, καὶ τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· καὶ οὗτοι οἱ τρεῖς ἔν εἰσι. 8 καὶ τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ] τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν.
The King James Version, which was based upon these editions, gives the following translation:
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.
These extra words are generally absent from the Greek manuscripts. In fact, they only appear in the text of four late medieval manuscripts. They seem to have originated as a marginal note added to certain Latin manuscripts during the middle ages, which was eventually incorporated into the text of most of the later Vulgate manuscripts. In the Clementine edition of the Vulgate the verses were printed thus:
Quoniam tres sunt, qui testimonium dant [in caelo: Pater, Verbum, et Spiritus Sanctus: et hi tres unum sunt. 8 Et tres sunt, qui testimonium dant in terra:] spiritus, et aqua, et sanguis: et hi tres unum sunt.
From the Vulgate, then, it seems that the Comma was translated into Greek and inserted into some printed editions of the Greek text, and in a handful of late Greek manuscripts. All scholars consider it to be spurious, and it is not included in modern critical editions of the Greek text, or in the English versions based upon them. For example, the English Standard Version reads:
For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
We give below the comments of Dr. Bruce M. Metzger on 1 John 5:7-8, from his book, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed. (Stuttgart, 1993).
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After μαρτυροῦντες the Textus Receptus adds the following: ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Πατήρ, ὁ Λόγος, καὶ τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· καὶ οὗτοι οἱ τρεῖς ἔν εἰσι. 8 καὶ τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ. That these words are spurious and have no right to stand in the New Testament is certain in the light of the following considerations.
(A) External Evidence.
(1) The passage is absent from every known Greek manuscript except eight, and these contain the passage in what appears to be a translation from a late recension of the Latin Vulgate. Four of the eight manuscripts contain the passage as a variant reading written in the margin as a later addition to the manuscript. The eight manuscripts are as follows:
61: codex Montfortianus, dating from the early sixteenth century.
88: a variant reading in a sixteenth century hand, added to the fourteenth-century codex Regius of Naples.
221: a variant reading added to a tenth-century manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
429: a variant reading added to a sixteenth-century manuscript at Wolfenbüttel.
629: a fourteenth or fifteenth century manuscript in the Vatican.
636: a variant reading added to a sixteenth-century manuscript at Naples.
918: a sixteenth-century manuscript at the Escorial, Spain.
2318: an eighteenth-century manuscript, influenced by the Clementine Vulgate, at Bucharest, Rumania.
(2) The passage is quoted by none of the Greek Fathers, who, had they known it, would most certainly have employed it in the Trinitarian controversies (Sabellian and Arian). Its first appearance in Greek is in a Greek version of the (Latin) Acts of the Lateran Council in 1215.
(3) The passage is absent from the manuscripts of all ancient versions (Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Arabic, Slavonic), except the Latin; and it is not found (a) in the Old Latin in its early form (Tertullian Cyprian Augustine), or in the Vulgate (b) as issued by Jerome (codex Fuldensis [copied a.d. 541-46] and codex Amiatinus [copied before a.d. 716]) or (c) as revised by Alcuin (first hand of codex Vallicellianus [ninth century]).
The earliest instance of the passage being quoted as a part of the actual text of the Epistle is in a fourth century Latin treatise entitled Liber Apologeticus (chap. 4), attributed either to the Spanish heretic Priscillian (died about 385) or to his follower Bishop Instantius. Apparently the gloss arose when the original passage was understood to symbolize the Trinity (through the mention of three witnesses: the Spirit, the water, and the blood), an interpretation that may have been written first as a marginal note that afterwards found its way into the text. In the fifth century the gloss was quoted by Latin Fathers in North Africa and Italy as part of the text of the Epistle, and from the sixth century onwards it is found more and more frequently in manuscripts of the Old Latin and of the Vulgate. In these various witnesses the wording of the passage differs in several particulars. (For examples of other intrusions into the Latin text of 1 John, see 2.17; 4.3; 5.6, and 20.)
(B) Internal Probabilities.
(1) As regards transcriptional probability, if the passage were original, no good reason can be found to account for its omission, either accidentally or intentionally, by copyists of hundreds of Greek manuscripts, and by translators of ancient versions.
(2) As regards intrinsic probability, the passage makes an awkward break in the sense.
For the story of how the spurious words came to be included in the Textus Receptus, see any critical commentary on 1 John, or Metzger, The Text of the New Testament, pp. 101 f.; cf. also Ezra Abbot, "I. John v. 7 and Luther's German Bible," in The Authorship of the Fourth Gospel and Other Critical Essays (Boston, 1888), pp. 458-463.
(1 John 5:7-8)
The so-called Johannine Comma (also called the Comma Johanneum) is a sequence of extra words which appear in 1 John 5:7-8 in some early printed editions of the Greek New Testament. In these editions the verses appear thus (we put backets around the extra words):
ὅτι τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες [ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Πατήρ, ὁ Λόγος, καὶ τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· καὶ οὗτοι οἱ τρεῖς ἔν εἰσι. 8 καὶ τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ] τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν.
The King James Version, which was based upon these editions, gives the following translation:
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.
These extra words are generally absent from the Greek manuscripts. In fact, they only appear in the text of four late medieval manuscripts. They seem to have originated as a marginal note added to certain Latin manuscripts during the middle ages, which was eventually incorporated into the text of most of the later Vulgate manuscripts. In the Clementine edition of the Vulgate the verses were printed thus:
Quoniam tres sunt, qui testimonium dant [in caelo: Pater, Verbum, et Spiritus Sanctus: et hi tres unum sunt. 8 Et tres sunt, qui testimonium dant in terra:] spiritus, et aqua, et sanguis: et hi tres unum sunt.
From the Vulgate, then, it seems that the Comma was translated into Greek and inserted into some printed editions of the Greek text, and in a handful of late Greek manuscripts. All scholars consider it to be spurious, and it is not included in modern critical editions of the Greek text, or in the English versions based upon them. For example, the English Standard Version reads:
For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
We give below the comments of Dr. Bruce M. Metzger on 1 John 5:7-8, from his book, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed. (Stuttgart, 1993).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After μαρτυροῦντες the Textus Receptus adds the following: ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Πατήρ, ὁ Λόγος, καὶ τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· καὶ οὗτοι οἱ τρεῖς ἔν εἰσι. 8 καὶ τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ. That these words are spurious and have no right to stand in the New Testament is certain in the light of the following considerations.
(A) External Evidence.
(1) The passage is absent from every known Greek manuscript except eight, and these contain the passage in what appears to be a translation from a late recension of the Latin Vulgate. Four of the eight manuscripts contain the passage as a variant reading written in the margin as a later addition to the manuscript. The eight manuscripts are as follows:
61: codex Montfortianus, dating from the early sixteenth century.
88: a variant reading in a sixteenth century hand, added to the fourteenth-century codex Regius of Naples.
221: a variant reading added to a tenth-century manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
429: a variant reading added to a sixteenth-century manuscript at Wolfenbüttel.
629: a fourteenth or fifteenth century manuscript in the Vatican.
636: a variant reading added to a sixteenth-century manuscript at Naples.
918: a sixteenth-century manuscript at the Escorial, Spain.
2318: an eighteenth-century manuscript, influenced by the Clementine Vulgate, at Bucharest, Rumania.
(2) The passage is quoted by none of the Greek Fathers, who, had they known it, would most certainly have employed it in the Trinitarian controversies (Sabellian and Arian). Its first appearance in Greek is in a Greek version of the (Latin) Acts of the Lateran Council in 1215.
(3) The passage is absent from the manuscripts of all ancient versions (Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopic, Arabic, Slavonic), except the Latin; and it is not found (a) in the Old Latin in its early form (Tertullian Cyprian Augustine), or in the Vulgate (b) as issued by Jerome (codex Fuldensis [copied a.d. 541-46] and codex Amiatinus [copied before a.d. 716]) or (c) as revised by Alcuin (first hand of codex Vallicellianus [ninth century]).
The earliest instance of the passage being quoted as a part of the actual text of the Epistle is in a fourth century Latin treatise entitled Liber Apologeticus (chap. 4), attributed either to the Spanish heretic Priscillian (died about 385) or to his follower Bishop Instantius. Apparently the gloss arose when the original passage was understood to symbolize the Trinity (through the mention of three witnesses: the Spirit, the water, and the blood), an interpretation that may have been written first as a marginal note that afterwards found its way into the text. In the fifth century the gloss was quoted by Latin Fathers in North Africa and Italy as part of the text of the Epistle, and from the sixth century onwards it is found more and more frequently in manuscripts of the Old Latin and of the Vulgate. In these various witnesses the wording of the passage differs in several particulars. (For examples of other intrusions into the Latin text of 1 John, see 2.17; 4.3; 5.6, and 20.)
(B) Internal Probabilities.
(1) As regards transcriptional probability, if the passage were original, no good reason can be found to account for its omission, either accidentally or intentionally, by copyists of hundreds of Greek manuscripts, and by translators of ancient versions.
(2) As regards intrinsic probability, the passage makes an awkward break in the sense.
For the story of how the spurious words came to be included in the Textus Receptus, see any critical commentary on 1 John, or Metzger, The Text of the New Testament, pp. 101 f.; cf. also Ezra Abbot, "I. John v. 7 and Luther's German Bible," in The Authorship of the Fourth Gospel and Other Critical Essays (Boston, 1888), pp. 458-463.
1 John 5:7-8
The text from 1 John 5
KJV - 6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 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.
NRSV - 6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.
TEV - 6 Jesus Christ is the one who came with the water of his baptism and the blood of his death. He came not only with the water, but with both the water and the blood. And the Spirit himself testifies that this is true, because the Spirit is truth. 7 There are three witnesses: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and all three give the same testimony.
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Commentary
1Jo 5:7-8 - in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth - (based on the original text's correction of KJV's Greek text)
This text is not found in any modern English versions, i.e., not found in those versions that are translated from the current representations of the original texts. (The NKJV is not such a modern translation. It is still totally dependent upon the KJV and the same faulty Hebrew and Greek texts from which the KJV was translated. )
For additional details regarding the corruption of the Textus Receptus that was the basis of the Greek text used by the KJV translators, browse http://www.bibletexts.com/kjv-tr.htm#1jo0507. Below is an excerpt from that article.
Even up to the fifth and final edition of Erasmus' Greek text in 1535, Erasmus fell prey to pressure and manipulation from church authorities to add to subsequent editions phrases and entire verses that he strongly (and rightly) suspected were not part of the original text. (Ibid., pages 100-101, which document how Erasmus was conned to include what is translated in the KJV in 1Jo 5:7-8, the following text: "in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth." Conservative biblical scholar F.F. Bruce (History of the English Bible, Third Edition, New York: Oxford University Press, 1978, pages 141-142) explains the sad history of how 1Jo 5:7-8 had been errantly added to Erasmus' Greek text:
The words ["in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth."] omitted in the R.V. [Revised Version, 1881] were no part of the original Greek text, nor yet of the Latin Vulgate in its earliest form. They first appear in the writings of a Spanish Christian leader named Priscillian, who was executed for heresy in A.D. 385. Later they made their way into copies of the Latin text of the Bible. When Erasmus prepared his printed edition of the Greek New Testament, he rightly left those words out, but was attacked for this by people who felt that the passage was a valuable proof-text for the doctrine of the Trinity. He replied (rather incautiously) that if he could be shown any Greek manuscript which contained the words, he would include them in his next edition. Unfortunately, a Greek manuscript not more than some twenty years old was produced in which the words appeared: they had been translated into Greek from Latin. Of course, the fact that the only Greek manuscript exhibiting the words belonged to the sixteenth century was in itself an argument against their authenticity, but Erasmus had given his promise, and so in his 1522 edition he included the passage. (To-day one or two other very late Greek manuscripts are known to contain this passages; all others omit it.)
[For more details on Erasmus' addition of the 1Jo 5:7,8 text, see Metzger's The Text of the New Testament, Second Edition, pages 101-102.]
In the Textual Commentary of the Greek New Testament, Second Edition (NY: United Bible Societies, 1994, page 647-649), Bruce Metzger writes a detailed textual commentary regarding this verse, excerpts from which are below:
After marturountes [the Greek word meaning "testifying", Strong's #3140] the Textus Receptus adds the following: en to ourano, ho Pater ho Logos, kai to Hagion Pneuma. kai houtoi hoi treis hen eisi (8) kai treis eisin hoi marturountes en te ge. That these words are spurious and have no right to stand in the New Testament is certain in the light of the following considerations.
(A) EXTERNAL EVIDENCE.
(1) The passage is absent from every known Greek manuscript except eight, and these contain the passage in what appears to be a traslation from a late recension of the Latin Vulgate... The eight manuscripts are the following:
61: codex Montfortianus, dating from the early sixteenth century.
88v.r.: a variant reading in a sixteenth century hand, added to the fourteenth-century codex Regius of Naples.
221v.r.: a variant reading added to a tenth-century manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
429v.r.: a variant reading added to a sixteenth-century manuscript at Wolfenbuttel.
636v.r.: a varant reading added to a sixteenth-century manuscript at Naples.
918v.r.: a sixteenth-century manuscript at the Escorial, Spain.
2318v.r.: an eighteenth-century manuscript, influenced by the Clementine Vulgate, at Bucharest, Rumania.
(2) The passage is quoted by none of the Greek Fathers, who, had they known it, would most certaily have employed it in the Trinitarian controversies...
(3) The passage is absent from the manuscripts of all ancient versions.
(B) INTERNAL PROBABILITIES.
(1) As regards transcriptional probability, if the passage were original, no good reason can be found to account for its omission, either accidentally or intentionally, by copyists of hundreds of Greek manuscripts, and by the translators of ancient versions.
(2) As regards intrinsic probability, the passage makes an awkward break in the sense...
Archibald Thomas Robertson (Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume VI, Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933, page 240) writes:
7. For there are three who bear witness (hoti treis eisin hoi marturoountes). At this point the Latin Vulgate gives the words in the Textus Receptus, found in no Greek MS. save two late cursives (162 in the Vatican Library of the fifteenth century, 34 of the sixteenth century in Trinity College, Dublin). Jerome did not have it. Cyprian applies the language of the Trinity and Priscillian has it. Erasmus did not have it in his first edition, but rashly offered to insert it if a single Greek S. had it and 34 was produced with the insertion, as if made to order. The spurious addition is: en toi ouranoi ho pater, ho logos kai to hagion pneuma kai houtoi hoi treis hen eisin kai treis eisin hoi marturountes en tei gei (in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth). The last clause belongs to verse 8. The fact and the doctrine of the Trinity do not depend on this spurious addition. Some Latin scribe caught up Cyprian's exegesis and wrote it on the margin of his text, and so it got into the Vulgate and finally into the Textus Receptus by the stupidity of Erasmus.
In Biblical Hermeneutics, Second Edition (edited by Bruce Corley, Steve W. Lemke, and Grant Lovejoy, Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002, page 388), Harold Freeman, in his chapter on "Biblical Criticism and Biblical Preaching" writes:
Textual criticism is the discipline that seeks to identify the original wording of an ancient document. Textual criticism of the Bible benefits preaching by preventing nonbiblical sermons... We regret giving up a nice doctrinal sermon on the Trinity based on 1 John 5:7b (KJV). Nevertheless, if it is determined that these are additions to the original writings, whether intentional or accidental, biblical preaching based on these texts cannot occur... Sermons based on spurious or corrupted texts cannot be genuinely biblical. The determination of exactly what the Scripture said is the starting point for biblical preaching.
KJV - 6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 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.
NRSV - 6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 7 There are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.
TEV - 6 Jesus Christ is the one who came with the water of his baptism and the blood of his death. He came not only with the water, but with both the water and the blood. And the Spirit himself testifies that this is true, because the Spirit is truth. 7 There are three witnesses: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and all three give the same testimony.
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Commentary
1Jo 5:7-8 - in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth - (based on the original text's correction of KJV's Greek text)
This text is not found in any modern English versions, i.e., not found in those versions that are translated from the current representations of the original texts. (The NKJV is not such a modern translation. It is still totally dependent upon the KJV and the same faulty Hebrew and Greek texts from which the KJV was translated. )
For additional details regarding the corruption of the Textus Receptus that was the basis of the Greek text used by the KJV translators, browse http://www.bibletexts.com/kjv-tr.htm#1jo0507. Below is an excerpt from that article.
Even up to the fifth and final edition of Erasmus' Greek text in 1535, Erasmus fell prey to pressure and manipulation from church authorities to add to subsequent editions phrases and entire verses that he strongly (and rightly) suspected were not part of the original text. (Ibid., pages 100-101, which document how Erasmus was conned to include what is translated in the KJV in 1Jo 5:7-8, the following text: "in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth." Conservative biblical scholar F.F. Bruce (History of the English Bible, Third Edition, New York: Oxford University Press, 1978, pages 141-142) explains the sad history of how 1Jo 5:7-8 had been errantly added to Erasmus' Greek text:
The words ["in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth."] omitted in the R.V. [Revised Version, 1881] were no part of the original Greek text, nor yet of the Latin Vulgate in its earliest form. They first appear in the writings of a Spanish Christian leader named Priscillian, who was executed for heresy in A.D. 385. Later they made their way into copies of the Latin text of the Bible. When Erasmus prepared his printed edition of the Greek New Testament, he rightly left those words out, but was attacked for this by people who felt that the passage was a valuable proof-text for the doctrine of the Trinity. He replied (rather incautiously) that if he could be shown any Greek manuscript which contained the words, he would include them in his next edition. Unfortunately, a Greek manuscript not more than some twenty years old was produced in which the words appeared: they had been translated into Greek from Latin. Of course, the fact that the only Greek manuscript exhibiting the words belonged to the sixteenth century was in itself an argument against their authenticity, but Erasmus had given his promise, and so in his 1522 edition he included the passage. (To-day one or two other very late Greek manuscripts are known to contain this passages; all others omit it.)
[For more details on Erasmus' addition of the 1Jo 5:7,8 text, see Metzger's The Text of the New Testament, Second Edition, pages 101-102.]
In the Textual Commentary of the Greek New Testament, Second Edition (NY: United Bible Societies, 1994, page 647-649), Bruce Metzger writes a detailed textual commentary regarding this verse, excerpts from which are below:
After marturountes [the Greek word meaning "testifying", Strong's #3140] the Textus Receptus adds the following: en to ourano, ho Pater ho Logos, kai to Hagion Pneuma. kai houtoi hoi treis hen eisi (8) kai treis eisin hoi marturountes en te ge. That these words are spurious and have no right to stand in the New Testament is certain in the light of the following considerations.
(A) EXTERNAL EVIDENCE.
(1) The passage is absent from every known Greek manuscript except eight, and these contain the passage in what appears to be a traslation from a late recension of the Latin Vulgate... The eight manuscripts are the following:
61: codex Montfortianus, dating from the early sixteenth century.
88v.r.: a variant reading in a sixteenth century hand, added to the fourteenth-century codex Regius of Naples.
221v.r.: a variant reading added to a tenth-century manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
429v.r.: a variant reading added to a sixteenth-century manuscript at Wolfenbuttel.
636v.r.: a varant reading added to a sixteenth-century manuscript at Naples.
918v.r.: a sixteenth-century manuscript at the Escorial, Spain.
2318v.r.: an eighteenth-century manuscript, influenced by the Clementine Vulgate, at Bucharest, Rumania.
(2) The passage is quoted by none of the Greek Fathers, who, had they known it, would most certaily have employed it in the Trinitarian controversies...
(3) The passage is absent from the manuscripts of all ancient versions.
(B) INTERNAL PROBABILITIES.
(1) As regards transcriptional probability, if the passage were original, no good reason can be found to account for its omission, either accidentally or intentionally, by copyists of hundreds of Greek manuscripts, and by the translators of ancient versions.
(2) As regards intrinsic probability, the passage makes an awkward break in the sense...
Archibald Thomas Robertson (Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume VI, Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933, page 240) writes:
7. For there are three who bear witness (hoti treis eisin hoi marturoountes). At this point the Latin Vulgate gives the words in the Textus Receptus, found in no Greek MS. save two late cursives (162 in the Vatican Library of the fifteenth century, 34 of the sixteenth century in Trinity College, Dublin). Jerome did not have it. Cyprian applies the language of the Trinity and Priscillian has it. Erasmus did not have it in his first edition, but rashly offered to insert it if a single Greek S. had it and 34 was produced with the insertion, as if made to order. The spurious addition is: en toi ouranoi ho pater, ho logos kai to hagion pneuma kai houtoi hoi treis hen eisin kai treis eisin hoi marturountes en tei gei (in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth). The last clause belongs to verse 8. The fact and the doctrine of the Trinity do not depend on this spurious addition. Some Latin scribe caught up Cyprian's exegesis and wrote it on the margin of his text, and so it got into the Vulgate and finally into the Textus Receptus by the stupidity of Erasmus.
In Biblical Hermeneutics, Second Edition (edited by Bruce Corley, Steve W. Lemke, and Grant Lovejoy, Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002, page 388), Harold Freeman, in his chapter on "Biblical Criticism and Biblical Preaching" writes:
Textual criticism is the discipline that seeks to identify the original wording of an ancient document. Textual criticism of the Bible benefits preaching by preventing nonbiblical sermons... We regret giving up a nice doctrinal sermon on the Trinity based on 1 John 5:7b (KJV). Nevertheless, if it is determined that these are additions to the original writings, whether intentional or accidental, biblical preaching based on these texts cannot occur... Sermons based on spurious or corrupted texts cannot be genuinely biblical. The determination of exactly what the Scripture said is the starting point for biblical preaching.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Let God Handle It!
Are you resisting God. because you don't understand some facet of His truth? Obedience to your Creator must come through faith.
The Bible, in no uncertain terms, relates the stories of two different kinds of people: those who questioned God and disobeyed His orders because they were displeased with His answers, and those who obeyed Him without questioning. The first way leads to eternal death: the second way leads to eternal life.
Be honest with yourself! How do you ask questions about the Bible? How do you seek the truth? Is it wrong to ask questions? Why do you ask questions? Is it to learn or to argue? To understand or to rationalize? To obey or to rebel?
More often than not, people ask questions not because they are truly interested in the answer, but because they are looking for an excuse to disagree - to not submit themselves to an order - OR simply to pretend they are smart.
For instance, to the carnal mind, Sabbath keeping doesn't make much sense. What's so holy about the seventh day of the week? Why should the Sabbath be different, than any other day? What difference does it make whether God rested in that day or not?
The answer, of course is utterly simple for those who believe in God and are honestly searching for the truth. If for no other reason, we keep the Sabbath because God says to!
Faith does not require understanding.
Strange as it may seem, your obedience to God does not depend upon His answers to your "whys."
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:l ). Notice!
The Bible does not say, "Faith is the answer to all of your questions" or "the satisfaction of your intellectual curiosity. Faith is implicit trust in God and His Word - whether you, understand its meaning or not. You believe God without questioning - and do what He says.
"For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (verses 2-3).; The understanding is through faith, and not by arriving at some answer that is plausible to you - the answer that humanly you may have wanted. When you grasp this truth, your attitude will change, and you will have a totally different outlook on life-a depth of faith in God that you have never experienced before.
Adam and Eve missed the point
Our first parents questioned God's orders and refused to believe Him. God commanded Adam: "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:16-17).
And as Adam and Eve let doubts enter their minds, they gradually became vulnerable to Satan's destructive deceptions. Why indeed had God given them such an unfair order? Why didn't He want them to eat of that particular fruit? Why, of all the trees in the garden, should this one be forbidden? The couple was unable - actually unwilling - to understand God's reasons and they refused to obey Him without fully grasping the purpose of His order - and agreeing with it.
And so came about, as Herbert W. Armstrong has called it, the first "scientific experiment." It was based on distrust of God's Word! Adam and Eve yielded to their intellectual curiosity - to vanity. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat" (Gen. 3:6).
Think. Where did the pair get the idea that the tree was good for food and would "make one wise"? Had God told them that? No. Under Satan's influence, Adam and Eve convinced themselves that it was possible for them to reach the goal of Godship without submitting to God's order. They rejected the Holy Spirit - which, in time, would have caused them to understand everything they needed to know for salvation.
Do you see how this can also affect all of us as Christians? If your obedience, to God depends upon His answers to your questions - answers that will satisfy you - then you are most vulnerable to Satan's - attacks. Satan is today trying to divide the Church by putting doubts in God's people's minds!
Noah didn't ask why
"Noah was righteous before God-How can we be? The Bible simply states, "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:9).
Unlike Adam and Eye, Noah did not question God's orders. He didn't doubt His Creator's intentions and Word. "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (verse 22).
Simple, isn't it? A childlike faith. Yet, ironic as it may seem, many people today, swayed by their intellectual vanity, claim that the biblical account of Noah's ark is not scientific. They are, convinced - despite what God says - that the ark could not. have been big enough to shelter all of the animals. Or they raise questions about how the animals of their own accord came into the ark. None of this, in the minds of the "wise" of this world, is scientific. In short, they distrust God's Word.
But Noah didn't. He faithfully obeyed the order, went ahead with the construction and after many years of hard labor, completed it - just in time, before the waters came. Noah trusted God's scientific mind!
Abraham's obedience
Abraham's life is one of the most difficult stories for a carnal mind to accept. In some ways, it may even( sound illogical to a Converted mind. Just imagine! Abraham was 75 years, old when God told him, "Get thee out. of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee" (Gen. 12:1).
But Why? Why should an older man be ordered to leave his homeland and settle in an unknown country? Why couldn't God choose a younger man? After all, Abraham was prosperous and blessed in his native country. He was a happy man, why did he have to move? Wouldn't God have blessed him or his children in some other ways - ways that would have been more humane and more logical?
However valid these questions may seem our forefather Abraham didn't ask them. He trusted God and obeyed Him. "So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him"(verse 4)
And how about the Unthinkable order God, gave the old patriarch to sacrifice Isaac, the son he loved? Does that really make sense? Is it just - is it godly - to kill a son and burn him as an offering?
Let's face it - Abraham could have found numerous reasons to argue with God - to even doubt Him. Why did God have to put him through such difficult tests? Can you possibly obey a God who tells you to kill your son, when He Himself has emphatically ordered you, "Thou shall not kill"? Why in the world would God give such an impossible order?
Again, humanly speaking, these are logical questions, but Abraham knew that his obedience to God was not subject to his perfect understanding of God's orders. He unconditionally trusted and obeyed his Creator, who knows all things best.
"And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass., and took two of his young men with, him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him" (Gen. 22:3).
What an attitude! Would you have acted the same way? Would you have obeyed God without raising all kinds of objections? No wonder Abraham is called the father of us all" (Rom 4:16) - in faith! Now compare his attitude with that of Saul, the first human king of Israel.
Obedience is better than Sacrifice
Unlike Abraham, King Saul did not choose to walk with God. He questioned the orders he received, rather than obeying in faith.
Saul was instructed by the prophet Samuel: "And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal and behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do" (I Sam 10:8)
The order Was clear. It needed no explanation. But Saul had neither Abraham's obedient attitude nor Noah's patience; He allowed his vanity to lead him into disobedience. He asked why Samuel -and not he, the king - should perform the burnt offerings. What difference would that really make? And why should the wailing period be seven days? What if Samuel were delayed? There was no obvious, reason for him to follow the order exactly.
Actually, Samuel was delayed. For some reason, he did not show up at the appointed time. King Saul needed no better- excuse to disobey. Since the prophet didn't come at the appointed time - and since "the people were scattered from him" - he took things in his own hands and offered the burnt offerings.
However, no sooner had he undertaken the task than Samuel arrived. "Thou hast done foolishly," he told the king. "Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever" (I Sam. 13:13). Saul failed to pass the test; his heart was not right and God rejected him.
Saul's character was also tested when God ordered him to "go and smite Amajek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass" (I Sam. 15:3).
Once again, Saul and his people had something to say. Why did God want to smite every single Amalekite and utterly destroy their belongings? Was that kind? Why not spare, the children and women? What wrong had they done? Moreover, why take vengeance on the oxen, sheep, camels and asses?
To King Saul's carnal mind none of this made sense. Any responsible human being could simply, not obey such an order - even if it came from God. Consequently, "Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly" (verse"9).
Strange isn't it? King Saul and his people thought they knew better than God. This reasoning prevented them from obeying Him.
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice; and to hearken than the fat of rams" (verse 22).
What a lesson for all of us to learn. And what a pity, that some of God's people have forgotten it. Partial obedience is not sufficient, with God, it's all or nothing.
How not to be healed
Naaman, a commander of the Syrian army, was a leper and sought to be healed. "So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean (II Kings 5:9-10).
Naaman's healing from leprosy required only that he wash himself seven times in the Jordan. But Naaman didn't like that. He disagreed with the procedure. Why the Jordan, he asked himself, instead of some other river. And why seven times? Wouldn't once be enough? He had totally different ideas as to how his healing should take place. He wouldn't accept the prophet's order. So "Naaman was wroth, and went away and said, Behold, I thought, He [Elisha] will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper (verse 11).
Fortunately, some of Naaman's soldiers had more sense than he and convinced him of his, foolishness. And his servants came near, and spake unto him and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee to do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, wash and be clean? (verse 13).
So Naaman went down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, "according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean'' (verse 14).
If Naaman had had to wait until he understood the exact reasoning of God's order, he probably would have never been healed. But there are in God's Church today, some spiritual Naamans. They will only accept an answer if it pleases them. If they disagree, they may decide to turn away, dissatisfied, unhappy - and prone to leaving the Church!
Where Shall We Go
Christ's disciples, before their conversion, also had some doubts about xertain things. They would often question Jesus, expecting some answer that would satisfy their curiosity and carnal minds.
On one occasion, the disciples and several others were totally confused; when Christ revealed to them that He was the bread, which came down from heaven.
Just what did He mean by that statement? Some murmured against Him while others argued with Him.
Patiently, Christ explained: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
That was the breaking point. Not only could they not understand the explanation, but they were outraged. How could they follow a man whose teachings made so little sense? "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (verse 66).
Does this remind you of the attitude of anyone you know? Yours perhaps? Would you turn away from God or leave His Church because something is hard to understand?
When Jesus saw that some of His disciples left Him, He turned to the 12 and asked them: "Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life" (verse 6).
This is the basic, clear truth we all need to remember. It you have the same attitude, God will always, be with you and protect you against doubts and fears.
Peter meant exactly what he said during the last Passover, AS Christ was washing His disciples' feet, Peter objected when his own turn came. It was unthinkable that Jesus, the Master, should wash their feet.
But Christ answered: "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:7-8) Notice that Christ didn't stop to explain the exact spiritual meaning of the foot washing.
And what was Peter's sudden reaction? He said; to Him, Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head" (verse 9). Are you beginning to see what God expects of you?
Whether your "whys" are answered or not, the question is, "Are you willing to obey God?".
God's way, not yours
There are some things that we in God's Church do not yet fully understand. We don't always know why God does things the way He does them. But one, thing is sure: He always knows best. Let Him handle it - His way, not yours!
Some in the Church today demand that all their questions be fully anwered before submitting themselves to God and His government. They can't comprehend the Church's simple faith in God's leadership and thus get into bad attitudes.
Just remember: So-called "intellect" is not required for salvation. Curiosity for the sake of pleasing your intellect your human vanity will only draw you away from God and His truth.
God has already clearly revealed everything you need to know and understand for salvation. You don't have to search for the answers to those "whys"- they are already made plain in the Bible. However, for the time being, God has chosen not to reveal certain things - He has chosen not to answer some of your questions - for your own good. Let Him take care of things. Don't lose your salvation by demanding that He explain everything He is doing - God has no such responsibility.
God know best
We have come to God's Church to learn His ways - not to impose ours on Him or on others. We didn't come to His Church to reason with Him, but to surrender to Him - totally and, unconditionally. We have been called to obcy and serve. Servants don't argue with their masters. They simply do what the masters say, Unfortunately some of our friends and brethren have not quite understood this fundamental truth. That's why they are no longer with us.
Individually and collectively we have a job to do. Are you doing your part? Or are you perhaps hindered by your doubts, questions and worries? Obviously, all of us would like to see God's Kingdom come as soon as possible. We may even wonder why the waiting is so long! But God knows best. Let Him do things His way, wait patiently, trust Him, submit your will to His - and you will truly know that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28)
Reprinted from the April 1980 Good News article by Dibar Apartian
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Brought to you as a Study Resource by the
Church of God Faithful Flock
The Bible, in no uncertain terms, relates the stories of two different kinds of people: those who questioned God and disobeyed His orders because they were displeased with His answers, and those who obeyed Him without questioning. The first way leads to eternal death: the second way leads to eternal life.
Be honest with yourself! How do you ask questions about the Bible? How do you seek the truth? Is it wrong to ask questions? Why do you ask questions? Is it to learn or to argue? To understand or to rationalize? To obey or to rebel?
More often than not, people ask questions not because they are truly interested in the answer, but because they are looking for an excuse to disagree - to not submit themselves to an order - OR simply to pretend they are smart.
For instance, to the carnal mind, Sabbath keeping doesn't make much sense. What's so holy about the seventh day of the week? Why should the Sabbath be different, than any other day? What difference does it make whether God rested in that day or not?
The answer, of course is utterly simple for those who believe in God and are honestly searching for the truth. If for no other reason, we keep the Sabbath because God says to!
Faith does not require understanding.
Strange as it may seem, your obedience to God does not depend upon His answers to your "whys."
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:l ). Notice!
The Bible does not say, "Faith is the answer to all of your questions" or "the satisfaction of your intellectual curiosity. Faith is implicit trust in God and His Word - whether you, understand its meaning or not. You believe God without questioning - and do what He says.
"For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (verses 2-3).; The understanding is through faith, and not by arriving at some answer that is plausible to you - the answer that humanly you may have wanted. When you grasp this truth, your attitude will change, and you will have a totally different outlook on life-a depth of faith in God that you have never experienced before.
Adam and Eve missed the point
Our first parents questioned God's orders and refused to believe Him. God commanded Adam: "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:16-17).
And as Adam and Eve let doubts enter their minds, they gradually became vulnerable to Satan's destructive deceptions. Why indeed had God given them such an unfair order? Why didn't He want them to eat of that particular fruit? Why, of all the trees in the garden, should this one be forbidden? The couple was unable - actually unwilling - to understand God's reasons and they refused to obey Him without fully grasping the purpose of His order - and agreeing with it.
And so came about, as Herbert W. Armstrong has called it, the first "scientific experiment." It was based on distrust of God's Word! Adam and Eve yielded to their intellectual curiosity - to vanity. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat" (Gen. 3:6).
Think. Where did the pair get the idea that the tree was good for food and would "make one wise"? Had God told them that? No. Under Satan's influence, Adam and Eve convinced themselves that it was possible for them to reach the goal of Godship without submitting to God's order. They rejected the Holy Spirit - which, in time, would have caused them to understand everything they needed to know for salvation.
Do you see how this can also affect all of us as Christians? If your obedience, to God depends upon His answers to your questions - answers that will satisfy you - then you are most vulnerable to Satan's - attacks. Satan is today trying to divide the Church by putting doubts in God's people's minds!
Noah didn't ask why
"Noah was righteous before God-How can we be? The Bible simply states, "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:9).
Unlike Adam and Eye, Noah did not question God's orders. He didn't doubt His Creator's intentions and Word. "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (verse 22).
Simple, isn't it? A childlike faith. Yet, ironic as it may seem, many people today, swayed by their intellectual vanity, claim that the biblical account of Noah's ark is not scientific. They are, convinced - despite what God says - that the ark could not. have been big enough to shelter all of the animals. Or they raise questions about how the animals of their own accord came into the ark. None of this, in the minds of the "wise" of this world, is scientific. In short, they distrust God's Word.
But Noah didn't. He faithfully obeyed the order, went ahead with the construction and after many years of hard labor, completed it - just in time, before the waters came. Noah trusted God's scientific mind!
Abraham's obedience
Abraham's life is one of the most difficult stories for a carnal mind to accept. In some ways, it may even( sound illogical to a Converted mind. Just imagine! Abraham was 75 years, old when God told him, "Get thee out. of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee" (Gen. 12:1).
But Why? Why should an older man be ordered to leave his homeland and settle in an unknown country? Why couldn't God choose a younger man? After all, Abraham was prosperous and blessed in his native country. He was a happy man, why did he have to move? Wouldn't God have blessed him or his children in some other ways - ways that would have been more humane and more logical?
However valid these questions may seem our forefather Abraham didn't ask them. He trusted God and obeyed Him. "So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken unto him"(verse 4)
And how about the Unthinkable order God, gave the old patriarch to sacrifice Isaac, the son he loved? Does that really make sense? Is it just - is it godly - to kill a son and burn him as an offering?
Let's face it - Abraham could have found numerous reasons to argue with God - to even doubt Him. Why did God have to put him through such difficult tests? Can you possibly obey a God who tells you to kill your son, when He Himself has emphatically ordered you, "Thou shall not kill"? Why in the world would God give such an impossible order?
Again, humanly speaking, these are logical questions, but Abraham knew that his obedience to God was not subject to his perfect understanding of God's orders. He unconditionally trusted and obeyed his Creator, who knows all things best.
"And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass., and took two of his young men with, him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him" (Gen. 22:3).
What an attitude! Would you have acted the same way? Would you have obeyed God without raising all kinds of objections? No wonder Abraham is called the father of us all" (Rom 4:16) - in faith! Now compare his attitude with that of Saul, the first human king of Israel.
Obedience is better than Sacrifice
Unlike Abraham, King Saul did not choose to walk with God. He questioned the orders he received, rather than obeying in faith.
Saul was instructed by the prophet Samuel: "And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal and behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do" (I Sam 10:8)
The order Was clear. It needed no explanation. But Saul had neither Abraham's obedient attitude nor Noah's patience; He allowed his vanity to lead him into disobedience. He asked why Samuel -and not he, the king - should perform the burnt offerings. What difference would that really make? And why should the wailing period be seven days? What if Samuel were delayed? There was no obvious, reason for him to follow the order exactly.
Actually, Samuel was delayed. For some reason, he did not show up at the appointed time. King Saul needed no better- excuse to disobey. Since the prophet didn't come at the appointed time - and since "the people were scattered from him" - he took things in his own hands and offered the burnt offerings.
However, no sooner had he undertaken the task than Samuel arrived. "Thou hast done foolishly," he told the king. "Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever" (I Sam. 13:13). Saul failed to pass the test; his heart was not right and God rejected him.
Saul's character was also tested when God ordered him to "go and smite Amajek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass" (I Sam. 15:3).
Once again, Saul and his people had something to say. Why did God want to smite every single Amalekite and utterly destroy their belongings? Was that kind? Why not spare, the children and women? What wrong had they done? Moreover, why take vengeance on the oxen, sheep, camels and asses?
To King Saul's carnal mind none of this made sense. Any responsible human being could simply, not obey such an order - even if it came from God. Consequently, "Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly" (verse"9).
Strange isn't it? King Saul and his people thought they knew better than God. This reasoning prevented them from obeying Him.
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice; and to hearken than the fat of rams" (verse 22).
What a lesson for all of us to learn. And what a pity, that some of God's people have forgotten it. Partial obedience is not sufficient, with God, it's all or nothing.
How not to be healed
Naaman, a commander of the Syrian army, was a leper and sought to be healed. "So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean (II Kings 5:9-10).
Naaman's healing from leprosy required only that he wash himself seven times in the Jordan. But Naaman didn't like that. He disagreed with the procedure. Why the Jordan, he asked himself, instead of some other river. And why seven times? Wouldn't once be enough? He had totally different ideas as to how his healing should take place. He wouldn't accept the prophet's order. So "Naaman was wroth, and went away and said, Behold, I thought, He [Elisha] will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper (verse 11).
Fortunately, some of Naaman's soldiers had more sense than he and convinced him of his, foolishness. And his servants came near, and spake unto him and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee to do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, wash and be clean? (verse 13).
So Naaman went down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, "according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean'' (verse 14).
If Naaman had had to wait until he understood the exact reasoning of God's order, he probably would have never been healed. But there are in God's Church today, some spiritual Naamans. They will only accept an answer if it pleases them. If they disagree, they may decide to turn away, dissatisfied, unhappy - and prone to leaving the Church!
Where Shall We Go
Christ's disciples, before their conversion, also had some doubts about xertain things. They would often question Jesus, expecting some answer that would satisfy their curiosity and carnal minds.
On one occasion, the disciples and several others were totally confused; when Christ revealed to them that He was the bread, which came down from heaven.
Just what did He mean by that statement? Some murmured against Him while others argued with Him.
Patiently, Christ explained: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
That was the breaking point. Not only could they not understand the explanation, but they were outraged. How could they follow a man whose teachings made so little sense? "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him" (verse 66).
Does this remind you of the attitude of anyone you know? Yours perhaps? Would you turn away from God or leave His Church because something is hard to understand?
When Jesus saw that some of His disciples left Him, He turned to the 12 and asked them: "Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life" (verse 6).
This is the basic, clear truth we all need to remember. It you have the same attitude, God will always, be with you and protect you against doubts and fears.
Peter meant exactly what he said during the last Passover, AS Christ was washing His disciples' feet, Peter objected when his own turn came. It was unthinkable that Jesus, the Master, should wash their feet.
But Christ answered: "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:7-8) Notice that Christ didn't stop to explain the exact spiritual meaning of the foot washing.
And what was Peter's sudden reaction? He said; to Him, Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head" (verse 9). Are you beginning to see what God expects of you?
Whether your "whys" are answered or not, the question is, "Are you willing to obey God?".
God's way, not yours
There are some things that we in God's Church do not yet fully understand. We don't always know why God does things the way He does them. But one, thing is sure: He always knows best. Let Him handle it - His way, not yours!
Some in the Church today demand that all their questions be fully anwered before submitting themselves to God and His government. They can't comprehend the Church's simple faith in God's leadership and thus get into bad attitudes.
Just remember: So-called "intellect" is not required for salvation. Curiosity for the sake of pleasing your intellect your human vanity will only draw you away from God and His truth.
God has already clearly revealed everything you need to know and understand for salvation. You don't have to search for the answers to those "whys"- they are already made plain in the Bible. However, for the time being, God has chosen not to reveal certain things - He has chosen not to answer some of your questions - for your own good. Let Him take care of things. Don't lose your salvation by demanding that He explain everything He is doing - God has no such responsibility.
God know best
We have come to God's Church to learn His ways - not to impose ours on Him or on others. We didn't come to His Church to reason with Him, but to surrender to Him - totally and, unconditionally. We have been called to obcy and serve. Servants don't argue with their masters. They simply do what the masters say, Unfortunately some of our friends and brethren have not quite understood this fundamental truth. That's why they are no longer with us.
Individually and collectively we have a job to do. Are you doing your part? Or are you perhaps hindered by your doubts, questions and worries? Obviously, all of us would like to see God's Kingdom come as soon as possible. We may even wonder why the waiting is so long! But God knows best. Let Him do things His way, wait patiently, trust Him, submit your will to His - and you will truly know that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28)
Reprinted from the April 1980 Good News article by Dibar Apartian
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