“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). According to Pentecostals, Christ instructed all Christians to receive an impartation of the Holy Spirit subsequent to salvation which is evidenced by the sign of tongues. This power is supposedly some kind of an inward power that makes us more effective at evangelizing or sharing the gospel. This is how the word “witnessing” came to be coined.
But Christ was actually speaking to His apostles about them being eyewitnesses of Him after His resurrection. It was the apostles who were eyewitnesses of the risen Lord, “The apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days” (Acts 1:2, 3). And apparently they did not misunderstand what He meant by them being witnesses because when it came time to replace Judas Iscariot they declared this as a needed qualification for possible candidates: “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22).
Christ’s resurrection is even the subject of the first sermon preached, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32). Establishing the one true saving gospel message of Christ dying for our sins and rising from the dead could only be accomplished by actual eyewitnesses of Him. “Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high’” (Luke 24:46-49).
It could not be any clearer than in this passage that the apostles were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ and received a unique power for the task of proclaiming their testimony. The following are several passages which substantiate this fact:
“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32).
“But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses” (Acts 3:15, 16).
“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33).
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32).
“And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead” (Acts 10:39-41).
“He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people” (Acts 13:31).
“But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you” (Acts 26:16).
In Acts 1:8, Jesus was not commanding all Christians to receive power from the Holy Spirit for the task of witnessing. This power was an impartation given exclusively to the apostles and a few other ministry offices in the early church who were actual eyewitnesses of Him. But nobody has seen Him since that time because Paul was the last eyewitness, “Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time” (1 Cor. 15:8).
Now what exactly was this power that was given to them? This word “power” is translated from the Greek word “dunamis” and almost always refers s to the miracle working power of God. In fact, it was used for the mighty works that Christ performed when He was on earth.
“Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works [dunamis] had been done, because they did not repent: Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works [dunamis] which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works [dunamis] which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Matt. 11:20-23).
“Now He did not do many mighty works [dunamis] there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).
“And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this Man get these things? [dunamis]’” (Mark 6:2).
“Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power [dunamis] He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out’” (Luke 4:36).
“Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works [dunamis] they had seen” (Luke 19:37).
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles [dunamis], wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know” (Acts 2:22).
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power [dunamis], who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).
This same word “dunamis” was also used for the miracles performed by those endued with power from the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. The apostles’ eyewitness testimony of the resurrected Lord was confirmed by the signs, wonders, miracles, and healings they did.
“And with great power [dunamis] the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33).
“And Stephen, full of faith and power [dunamis], did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8).
“Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles [dunamis] and signs which were done” (Acts 8:13).
“Now God worked unusual miracles [dunamis] by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:11, 12).
“In mighty signs and wonders, by the power [dunamis] of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 15:19).
“Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds [dunamis]” (2 Cor. 12:12).
“God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles [dunamis], and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” (Heb. 2:4).
The power of the Holy Spirit was the ability to perform signs, wonders, and miracles and was given only to certain individuals in the early church who were actual eyewitnesses of the risen Lord. To say that this is a power to be received by all Christians at all times for the sake of more effective personal evangelism is an unfortunate misinterpretation that has brought confusion to many.
What better testimony would there be than for actual eyewitnesses of His resurrection to also show tangible proof that He is alive by the undeniable miracles He is working through them? Many of the people who personally saw Jesus working miracles were now seeing Him continue to display the same miracles after His death. What tremendous proof of His resurrection!
This power to be witnesses has nothing to do with Christians today because Christ ceased appearing to anyone long ago. Scripture is clear that it was an endowment to work miracles, signs, and wonders as evidence of His resurrection from those who were actual eyewitnesses.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Obedience is the Mark of a True Disciple
Christ’s analogy of the vine and the branches in John chapter fifteen helps us understand who is a true disciple and who is not. I believe the withered branches which are burned are false disciples such as Judas Iscariot who commit apostasy. I hold this interpretation mainly because of the statement, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (v. 3). The other eleven disciples, to whom Christ was speaking, were “clean” because of the commandment He had spoken to them previously in the thirteenth chapter.
“Jesus said to him, ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’ For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, ‘You are not all clean’” (John 13:10, 11). Judas was not “clean” because he was not a true disciple. Christ then spoke this word or commandment after Judas departed to betray Him, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34, 35). True disciples keep the commandment of love. This is the word that Christ spoke to the remaining disciples who were “clean.”
Are we “clean?” Are we true disciples of Jesus Christ? Do we really love Him like we say we do? The proof our love is whether or not we keep His commandments: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:21), “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (v. 23), “He who does not love Me does not keep My words” (v. 24).
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed’” (John 8:31). Again, Christ stated that true disciples abide by His word; they obey Him. “‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
The test of true discipleship is in the keeping of His commandments. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3, 4).
“Jesus said to him, ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’ For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, ‘You are not all clean’” (John 13:10, 11). Judas was not “clean” because he was not a true disciple. Christ then spoke this word or commandment after Judas departed to betray Him, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34, 35). True disciples keep the commandment of love. This is the word that Christ spoke to the remaining disciples who were “clean.”
Are we “clean?” Are we true disciples of Jesus Christ? Do we really love Him like we say we do? The proof our love is whether or not we keep His commandments: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:21), “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (v. 23), “He who does not love Me does not keep My words” (v. 24).
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed’” (John 8:31). Again, Christ stated that true disciples abide by His word; they obey Him. “‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
The test of true discipleship is in the keeping of His commandments. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3, 4).
Saturday, February 14, 2009
But I Say Unto You
“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20). Many have taken Christ to be talking about imputed righteousness in this statement. In other words, that since Christ’s own righteousness, which of course far exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, is imputed to us by faith therefore our righteousness now exceeds theirs. But the context makes it clear that He was really teaching about practical righteousness; the remainder of His sermon bears this out.
In chapter five, several times He says, “You have heard that it was said to those of old…” (vv. 21, 27, 33, 38, 43), “But I say to you…” (vv. 22, 28, 34, 39, 44). Christ was reminding His listeners of what the scribes and Pharisees, “those of old,” had said. Then when He said “But I say to you…” He was stating how His standard of righteousness exceeds theirs. They taught, “You shall not commit adultery” (v.27) which by their standard meant not committing the act of adultery. But the true interpretation of the seventh Commandment is that we don’t even lust in our hearts. This is the standard of righteousness Christ expects of us. So, if we’re committing adultery in our hearts we are not exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees and we will “by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” regardless of our confession of faith in Him.
The Sermon on the Mount is a sermon for believers to live by. In fact, if we don’t live by it we are not saved. Our practical righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. But, as you may be objecting, it sounds like you are teaching salvation by works. Not so. Christ and His apostles taught holiness “without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). There is no such thing as “no-Lordship salvation” or “easy believism.” A person cannot receive Christ as Savior only and not serve Him as Lord for the very requirement of salvation is that we confess Him as Lord (see Rom. 10:9).
Christ’s parting words to His apostles was: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (Matt. 28:19, 20). To be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be obedient to His commandments. Christ had also taught, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:21), “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (v. 23). A person can say they love Jesus but the true test is whether or not they are keeping His commandments. Obedience is the essence of true saving faith.
It’s truly a sobering thought that if we’re not consistently keeping the supreme commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39; Rom. 13:9; Jam. 2:8), then we are not saved. Many of us don’t even love our own spouse as ourselves. Who are we kidding? If we don’t express love to our spouse in servitude then we are certainly not serving others in the body of Christ as we should.
Christ taught that there will be a judgment before Him of the sheep and the goats (see Matt. 25:31-46). It will be based on the amount, or lack thereof, of good works a person has done. But please keep in mind that these are works of love toward fellow brothers and sisters in Christ which validates true saving faith, not moral works toward earning salvation. James also taught about the works that accompany faith and the example he used is: “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food” (Jam. 2:15). To clothe and feed our brethren is to express true saving faith: “I will show you my faith by my works” (v. 18). This is also what the apostle John taught (see 1 John 3:16-18).
Paul revealed “the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath” (Rom. 2:5-8). Eternal life is to those who patiently continue to do good but indignation and wrath awaits the disobedient. In other letters, Paul listed multitudes of sins and said that the people who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (see 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5). He taught practical righteousness in order to enter heaven.
Peter taught the same thing: “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:14-16). In his second letter he expressed, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (1:5-7). He said that if we diligently do these things “for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 11). In other words, the entrance into His kingdom is open to those who diligently “add” these virtues to their faith. This entrance is the “narrow gate” which few find (Matt. 7:13, 14) because few live-out what they say they believe.
Toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ foretold of many who call Him “Lord” which will someday hear Him say “depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (7:23). Luke records Him saying, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (6:46). Calling Him Lord without obedience to Him as Lord is not salvation.
Finally, at the end of His sermon Christ taught: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (7: 24), “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (v. 26). What determines whether we are building on the rock or on the sand is whether or not we are keeping Christ’s sayings in His sermon. “But I say unto you” is the standard of righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. And if we don’t exceed their righteousness, we won’t enter the kingdom of heaven.
In chapter five, several times He says, “You have heard that it was said to those of old…” (vv. 21, 27, 33, 38, 43), “But I say to you…” (vv. 22, 28, 34, 39, 44). Christ was reminding His listeners of what the scribes and Pharisees, “those of old,” had said. Then when He said “But I say to you…” He was stating how His standard of righteousness exceeds theirs. They taught, “You shall not commit adultery” (v.27) which by their standard meant not committing the act of adultery. But the true interpretation of the seventh Commandment is that we don’t even lust in our hearts. This is the standard of righteousness Christ expects of us. So, if we’re committing adultery in our hearts we are not exceeding the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees and we will “by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” regardless of our confession of faith in Him.
The Sermon on the Mount is a sermon for believers to live by. In fact, if we don’t live by it we are not saved. Our practical righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. But, as you may be objecting, it sounds like you are teaching salvation by works. Not so. Christ and His apostles taught holiness “without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). There is no such thing as “no-Lordship salvation” or “easy believism.” A person cannot receive Christ as Savior only and not serve Him as Lord for the very requirement of salvation is that we confess Him as Lord (see Rom. 10:9).
Christ’s parting words to His apostles was: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (Matt. 28:19, 20). To be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be obedient to His commandments. Christ had also taught, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:21), “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word” (v. 23). A person can say they love Jesus but the true test is whether or not they are keeping His commandments. Obedience is the essence of true saving faith.
It’s truly a sobering thought that if we’re not consistently keeping the supreme commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:39; Rom. 13:9; Jam. 2:8), then we are not saved. Many of us don’t even love our own spouse as ourselves. Who are we kidding? If we don’t express love to our spouse in servitude then we are certainly not serving others in the body of Christ as we should.
Christ taught that there will be a judgment before Him of the sheep and the goats (see Matt. 25:31-46). It will be based on the amount, or lack thereof, of good works a person has done. But please keep in mind that these are works of love toward fellow brothers and sisters in Christ which validates true saving faith, not moral works toward earning salvation. James also taught about the works that accompany faith and the example he used is: “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food” (Jam. 2:15). To clothe and feed our brethren is to express true saving faith: “I will show you my faith by my works” (v. 18). This is also what the apostle John taught (see 1 John 3:16-18).
Paul revealed “the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath” (Rom. 2:5-8). Eternal life is to those who patiently continue to do good but indignation and wrath awaits the disobedient. In other letters, Paul listed multitudes of sins and said that the people who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (see 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5). He taught practical righteousness in order to enter heaven.
Peter taught the same thing: “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:14-16). In his second letter he expressed, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (1:5-7). He said that if we diligently do these things “for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 11). In other words, the entrance into His kingdom is open to those who diligently “add” these virtues to their faith. This entrance is the “narrow gate” which few find (Matt. 7:13, 14) because few live-out what they say they believe.
Toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ foretold of many who call Him “Lord” which will someday hear Him say “depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (7:23). Luke records Him saying, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (6:46). Calling Him Lord without obedience to Him as Lord is not salvation.
Finally, at the end of His sermon Christ taught: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (7: 24), “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (v. 26). What determines whether we are building on the rock or on the sand is whether or not we are keeping Christ’s sayings in His sermon. “But I say unto you” is the standard of righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees. And if we don’t exceed their righteousness, we won’t enter the kingdom of heaven.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Faith Without Works is Dead
James 2:14-26 is a favorite passage used by Roman Catholics to teach that we are not saved by faith alone but by a combination of faith and works. They say that James’ statement, “faith without works is dead” (v. 20) means that it is not enough to believe on Christ as the sufficient sacrifice for our sins but that we must also earn salvation by our own works. But James was teaching nothing of the sort.
Three reasons why
First of all, the context makes it clear that it was not our own works of righteousness that he had in mind when he spoke about “faith without works.” He had just instructed his readers to keep the “royal law” or supreme commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 8). He then explained the expectations of the Law of Moses: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law” (vv. 10, 11). He understood the Law’s requirements; that it demanded absolute perfection. Therefore, he was not teaching that we are saved by our own works of righteousness.
Secondly, James, like the apostle Paul, used Abraham as an example of imputed righteousness by faith, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (v. 23). It is obvious he understood that righteousness is not earned by any works of our own but is accounted, imputed or reckoned to us. James was not at odds with Paul on the subject of righteousness as some accuse.
And finally, James was not teaching the works of the Law for righteousness because he even gave an example of the type of “works” he was speaking about: “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (Jam. 2:15, 16). So, it is clear from this example that he was not speaking about working for our salvation but rather showing works of love toward our brothers and sisters in Christ after we are saved.
Works of love
James was not at all saying that a combination of faith and our own works of righteousness is what saves a person but rather that true saving faith is revealed by works of love. He was speaking about the validity of genuine saving faith. The key statement is, “someone says he has faith but does not have works” (v. 14). Not everyone who says they have faith really do. There is nominal faith and real faith.
He goes on to explain how that our works of love show our faith, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (v. 18). True saving faith is not revealed by what someone says but by what they do. Works of love toward our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is the natural outflow of genuine faith. Therefore, if there are no “works,” according to James, there is no faith.
The apostle John made a similar statement about faith without works: “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 Jo. 3:17, 18). True believers have God’s love abiding in their hearts and it manifests itself in good works toward the brethren. It is not enough to just “say” we love them but our love must be revealed in “deed and in truth.”
Abraham justified by works?
What did James mean when he asked the question, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” (v. 21). We must recognize that the word “justify” has more than one meaning which must be determined by the context. As a theological term it means “to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit.” But it can also mean “to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded.” This is the way James was using it.
“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God” (v. 23). God had already accounted righteousness to Abraham in Genesis 15:6 and this Scripture was “fulfilled” or satisfied many years later when he offered Isaac his son in Genesis 22:1-19. In other words, Abraham’s obedience to God in offering his son “justified” (defended, upheld) his relationship with God. His “works” satisfied the position of righteousness previously declared. This is what is meant by “faith without works is dead” (v. 20).
Conclusion
This passage in James does not support the Roman Catholic doctrine that works cooperate with a person’s faith in order to save them. Scripture specifically states that it is not by our own works that we are saved (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:9; Titus 3:5). Works are antithetical to faith. James was not even talking about works of righteousness—earning salvation—but works of love. Our “works” substantiate and verify the fact that we truly are saved.
Three reasons why
First of all, the context makes it clear that it was not our own works of righteousness that he had in mind when he spoke about “faith without works.” He had just instructed his readers to keep the “royal law” or supreme commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 8). He then explained the expectations of the Law of Moses: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law” (vv. 10, 11). He understood the Law’s requirements; that it demanded absolute perfection. Therefore, he was not teaching that we are saved by our own works of righteousness.
Secondly, James, like the apostle Paul, used Abraham as an example of imputed righteousness by faith, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (v. 23). It is obvious he understood that righteousness is not earned by any works of our own but is accounted, imputed or reckoned to us. James was not at odds with Paul on the subject of righteousness as some accuse.
And finally, James was not teaching the works of the Law for righteousness because he even gave an example of the type of “works” he was speaking about: “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (Jam. 2:15, 16). So, it is clear from this example that he was not speaking about working for our salvation but rather showing works of love toward our brothers and sisters in Christ after we are saved.
Works of love
James was not at all saying that a combination of faith and our own works of righteousness is what saves a person but rather that true saving faith is revealed by works of love. He was speaking about the validity of genuine saving faith. The key statement is, “someone says he has faith but does not have works” (v. 14). Not everyone who says they have faith really do. There is nominal faith and real faith.
He goes on to explain how that our works of love show our faith, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (v. 18). True saving faith is not revealed by what someone says but by what they do. Works of love toward our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is the natural outflow of genuine faith. Therefore, if there are no “works,” according to James, there is no faith.
The apostle John made a similar statement about faith without works: “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 Jo. 3:17, 18). True believers have God’s love abiding in their hearts and it manifests itself in good works toward the brethren. It is not enough to just “say” we love them but our love must be revealed in “deed and in truth.”
Abraham justified by works?
What did James mean when he asked the question, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?” (v. 21). We must recognize that the word “justify” has more than one meaning which must be determined by the context. As a theological term it means “to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit.” But it can also mean “to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded.” This is the way James was using it.
“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God” (v. 23). God had already accounted righteousness to Abraham in Genesis 15:6 and this Scripture was “fulfilled” or satisfied many years later when he offered Isaac his son in Genesis 22:1-19. In other words, Abraham’s obedience to God in offering his son “justified” (defended, upheld) his relationship with God. His “works” satisfied the position of righteousness previously declared. This is what is meant by “faith without works is dead” (v. 20).
Conclusion
This passage in James does not support the Roman Catholic doctrine that works cooperate with a person’s faith in order to save them. Scripture specifically states that it is not by our own works that we are saved (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:9; Titus 3:5). Works are antithetical to faith. James was not even talking about works of righteousness—earning salvation—but works of love. Our “works” substantiate and verify the fact that we truly are saved.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Why I Believe Christianity is the One True Religion
Since Jesus Christ made the claim that He is the only way to God (John 14:6), it follows that either Christianity is true and all other religions are false or that Christianity is false and that one or more other religions may in fact be true. But as the result of Christ’s exclusive claim to the truth, Christianity cannot coexist with other religions. I saw a bumper sticker one time that made each letter of the word “coexist” into a symbol of the major world religions. I don’t remember all of the symbols used but just that the “X” was the Star of David which represented Judaism while the “T” of course stood for the Cross of Christianity. That’s the message of the world; that all religions lead to God and we must learn to coexist by respecting each other’s beliefs.
Why can’t God use many different religions? The simple answer is that God is Sovereign and can do anything He wants. Maybe He could very well have chosen to use other religions but the fact is He did not. He ordained that His Son would receive all the glory and be the only access to Him. God sent His Son and only sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Therefore, since God ordained that His Son would be the only Savior then no invented religion of man can substitute. How could we possibly override God’s will and invent some other way to get to Him?
There are several reasons why I believe Christ is the only way to God and that Christianity is the only true religion. Mine is not a “blind” faith. Many people accuse God of not giving enough evidence to believe. But, as I believe we will learn, this is not the case. Other religions demand their followers to just take them at their word in spite of lack of substance. In other words, there is no evidence to what they claim to be true yet they expect loyalty from their disciples. This is the essence of “blind” faith.
The unity of Scripture
One of the most incredible evidences for the truth of Christianity is the unity of Scripture. The Bible consists of 66 books written by more than 40 authors over a 1500 year time span. And the running theme of the entire work is Jesus Christ. There is no explanation other than God is the overseer and author of it. How could dozens of men from different occupations, in different locations, and at different times in history write a unified book?
The Bible was not written in a vacuum; it is true history. In other words, it is not a volume of “wise” sayings or teachings from some sage or religious leader. It is God intervening into actual world history. The men who wrote it did not just live in a cave somewhere and record their philosophical thoughts. They were prophets, priests and kings called out by God who changed the history of Israel which in turn affected the surrounding world. The entire history of the world has been shaped by these men.
Christianity is not an offshoot of Judaism. Many believe that the Old Testament is the foundation for Judaism and that the New Testament church is a branch from it. But Judaism, like all other religions, tries to earn its way to heaven. It is just another manmade religion which was invented by the nation of Israel. Christ is the theme of the entire Bible and His church is the end result of the work He started in the beginning. God has always saved His people by their faith, not by the works of the Law of Moses or any other religious works.
Fulfilled prophecy
No religion other than Christianity has genuinely fulfilled prophecies as their basis. Some religions claim to have prophecies but miserably fall short of substantiating them. Even the most famous of the false prophets in the world, Nostradomus, gave predictions that are entirely too vague. Not only are his predictions vague but they have nothing to do with the redemption of man. They are just empty sayings that are supposedly fulfilled in modern events.
Now the enemies of Christ have made up reasons to try and explain away the fulfilled prophecies of the Bible. One of these is that the Scriptures were altered to make it look like they were truly fulfilled. But the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls in 1949 proved otherwise. These Old Testament documents actually pre-date Christ proving the authenticity of the prophecies they contain.
Another excuse they promote is that the prophecies of the Bible are too vague. But this simply is not true. The events surrounding the birth, life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ foretold in the Old Testament were a mystery and were “hidden.” Therefore, the prophecies flow within the narration of Scirpture. But this was all in God’s plan. It may be that the reason God “hid” the prophecies until after their fulfillment was so that there would never be a doubt that the events came to pass by God alone without the help of any man. Plus, we are told, if man had understood ahead of time what was supposed to take place then it may very well not have happened at all, “Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8).
Miracles
A miracle is supernatural intervention into this natural world. It is God doing something only God can do. Christianity was confirmed to be true by multitudes of miracles performed by Christ. Just to name a few of Christ’s miracles: changed water into wine (John 2:6-10); healed diseases (Matt. 4:23, 24; Luke 6:17-19); cast out devils (Mark 1:34); raised the dead (Matt. 9:25; John 11:43, 44); restored sight to the blind (John 9:1-7); fed the multitudes (Matt. 14:15-21, 15:32-38); walked on water (Matt. 8:26, 27); calmed a storm (Mark 4:39).
Christ not only claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) but backed up His claim by the miracles He performed. He does not expect us to simply take Him at His word without any proof. In fact, speaking of His miraculous works, He said, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:11). He was stating that His miracles give us the evidence we need to believe.
The resurrection
Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the basis for our faith (1 Cor. 15:14). To somehow disprove the resurrection would destroy the entire foundation of Christianity. On the other hand, proving it as an actual historical event establishes the Christian faith throughout all ages.
There are several legitimate evidences for Christ’s resurrection: the empty tomb; multitudes of eyewitnesses; the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; miracles performed by the apostles; the silence of critics. Without going into detail about each of these, it is sufficient to say that these provide ample evidence for Christ’s resurrection as an historical event. And His resurrection proves that He is the only way to God because He is the only man to win the victory over death.
The most reasonable world view
It just makes sense that for a religion to be true then it must answer the crux of life’s spiritual questions such as the creation, death, sin, righteousness, and love. But not only should it address the spiritual but also the issues of daily life like family, marriage, divorce, money, work, politics and ministry. No other religion touches on so many areas of life than the Bible.
I know a lady who is diligently seeking the one true religion among many. Along with my wife witnessing to her about Christ, she is also being pursued by a Muslim who gave her a Koran. One day she read in it that it is acceptable for a man to beat his wife. This really turned her off to that religion and rightly so. We need to recognize that the Bible portrays men and women in their proper roles and gives dignity to both.
Conclusion
Some people try to test God by stating that if He is real then why does He not just show Himself or else give us overwhelming evidence of His existence and His will. Actually, God is not obligated to give us anything at all. It is His own prerogative to do as He pleases. But He did choose to show Himself to us in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ. He said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And in order that we would have strong faith, He gave us not only sufficient evidence but also overwhelming evidence of Him. All the evidence we need is right there in Scripture and mankind is left without excuse.
Why can’t God use many different religions? The simple answer is that God is Sovereign and can do anything He wants. Maybe He could very well have chosen to use other religions but the fact is He did not. He ordained that His Son would receive all the glory and be the only access to Him. God sent His Son and only sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Therefore, since God ordained that His Son would be the only Savior then no invented religion of man can substitute. How could we possibly override God’s will and invent some other way to get to Him?
There are several reasons why I believe Christ is the only way to God and that Christianity is the only true religion. Mine is not a “blind” faith. Many people accuse God of not giving enough evidence to believe. But, as I believe we will learn, this is not the case. Other religions demand their followers to just take them at their word in spite of lack of substance. In other words, there is no evidence to what they claim to be true yet they expect loyalty from their disciples. This is the essence of “blind” faith.
The unity of Scripture
One of the most incredible evidences for the truth of Christianity is the unity of Scripture. The Bible consists of 66 books written by more than 40 authors over a 1500 year time span. And the running theme of the entire work is Jesus Christ. There is no explanation other than God is the overseer and author of it. How could dozens of men from different occupations, in different locations, and at different times in history write a unified book?
The Bible was not written in a vacuum; it is true history. In other words, it is not a volume of “wise” sayings or teachings from some sage or religious leader. It is God intervening into actual world history. The men who wrote it did not just live in a cave somewhere and record their philosophical thoughts. They were prophets, priests and kings called out by God who changed the history of Israel which in turn affected the surrounding world. The entire history of the world has been shaped by these men.
Christianity is not an offshoot of Judaism. Many believe that the Old Testament is the foundation for Judaism and that the New Testament church is a branch from it. But Judaism, like all other religions, tries to earn its way to heaven. It is just another manmade religion which was invented by the nation of Israel. Christ is the theme of the entire Bible and His church is the end result of the work He started in the beginning. God has always saved His people by their faith, not by the works of the Law of Moses or any other religious works.
Fulfilled prophecy
No religion other than Christianity has genuinely fulfilled prophecies as their basis. Some religions claim to have prophecies but miserably fall short of substantiating them. Even the most famous of the false prophets in the world, Nostradomus, gave predictions that are entirely too vague. Not only are his predictions vague but they have nothing to do with the redemption of man. They are just empty sayings that are supposedly fulfilled in modern events.
Now the enemies of Christ have made up reasons to try and explain away the fulfilled prophecies of the Bible. One of these is that the Scriptures were altered to make it look like they were truly fulfilled. But the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls in 1949 proved otherwise. These Old Testament documents actually pre-date Christ proving the authenticity of the prophecies they contain.
Another excuse they promote is that the prophecies of the Bible are too vague. But this simply is not true. The events surrounding the birth, life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ foretold in the Old Testament were a mystery and were “hidden.” Therefore, the prophecies flow within the narration of Scirpture. But this was all in God’s plan. It may be that the reason God “hid” the prophecies until after their fulfillment was so that there would never be a doubt that the events came to pass by God alone without the help of any man. Plus, we are told, if man had understood ahead of time what was supposed to take place then it may very well not have happened at all, “Which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8).
Miracles
A miracle is supernatural intervention into this natural world. It is God doing something only God can do. Christianity was confirmed to be true by multitudes of miracles performed by Christ. Just to name a few of Christ’s miracles: changed water into wine (John 2:6-10); healed diseases (Matt. 4:23, 24; Luke 6:17-19); cast out devils (Mark 1:34); raised the dead (Matt. 9:25; John 11:43, 44); restored sight to the blind (John 9:1-7); fed the multitudes (Matt. 14:15-21, 15:32-38); walked on water (Matt. 8:26, 27); calmed a storm (Mark 4:39).
Christ not only claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) but backed up His claim by the miracles He performed. He does not expect us to simply take Him at His word without any proof. In fact, speaking of His miraculous works, He said, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:11). He was stating that His miracles give us the evidence we need to believe.
The resurrection
Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the basis for our faith (1 Cor. 15:14). To somehow disprove the resurrection would destroy the entire foundation of Christianity. On the other hand, proving it as an actual historical event establishes the Christian faith throughout all ages.
There are several legitimate evidences for Christ’s resurrection: the empty tomb; multitudes of eyewitnesses; the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; miracles performed by the apostles; the silence of critics. Without going into detail about each of these, it is sufficient to say that these provide ample evidence for Christ’s resurrection as an historical event. And His resurrection proves that He is the only way to God because He is the only man to win the victory over death.
The most reasonable world view
It just makes sense that for a religion to be true then it must answer the crux of life’s spiritual questions such as the creation, death, sin, righteousness, and love. But not only should it address the spiritual but also the issues of daily life like family, marriage, divorce, money, work, politics and ministry. No other religion touches on so many areas of life than the Bible.
I know a lady who is diligently seeking the one true religion among many. Along with my wife witnessing to her about Christ, she is also being pursued by a Muslim who gave her a Koran. One day she read in it that it is acceptable for a man to beat his wife. This really turned her off to that religion and rightly so. We need to recognize that the Bible portrays men and women in their proper roles and gives dignity to both.
Conclusion
Some people try to test God by stating that if He is real then why does He not just show Himself or else give us overwhelming evidence of His existence and His will. Actually, God is not obligated to give us anything at all. It is His own prerogative to do as He pleases. But He did choose to show Himself to us in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ. He said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And in order that we would have strong faith, He gave us not only sufficient evidence but also overwhelming evidence of Him. All the evidence we need is right there in Scripture and mankind is left without excuse.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A Little Leaven
In the old days, when people made bread, they included an ingredient called leaven. Leaven is a yeast that makes bread rise. It creates air pockets in the dough, which end up being the tiny holes of air in finished bread. Have you ever had bread that had air pockets in one end of the loaf, and none in the other? No. Bread that has these air pockets has them evenly distributed throughout the bread. That's because when you put leaven in dough, it affects the whole loaf.1
The symbolism of leaven is used many places in the New Testament. Jesus was the first to teach about it in the form of a parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened” (Matt. 13:33). The obvious point is that leaven characterizes something that starts out small but permeates the entire thing in which it is introduced. Now we just need to learn what leaven symbolizes.
What does leaven symbolize?
Leaven was used by Christ and His apostles to symbolize a few different things. On one occasion Jesus warned His disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt. 16:11), and they understood it to be false doctrine (v. 12). Therefore, false doctrine, like leaven, can spread and permeate wherever it is present.
On another occasion, Christ explicitly stated that leaven is hypocrisy, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:1, 2). In a similar way that leaven is “hidden” in dough until all of it is leavened, hypocrisy is a trait that hides the heart and true intents of a man. The Pharisees were hypocrites; they appeared righteous before men but hidden inside was rottenness.
“Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6). Paul used leaven to refer to sin. This passage is about a Christian in the Corinthian church who was living with his father’s wife. Paul was having to rebuke the church for not dealing with this man’s sin by way of proper discipline prescribed by Christ (Matt. 18:15-19). His point seems to be that when a church doesn’t discipline its sinning members, the sins of those individuals becomes a reproach upon the entire body of believers. Thus, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
Leaven in Galatia
There are a few possible interpretations of Paul’s statement to the Galtians, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9). The leaven could be sin in the life of the Galatian believers and the warning is that a little bit of it will affect their whole life. On a sub point, it might be speaking about the keeping of the whole law for righteousness. In other words, to seek righteousness by the law requires perfect righteousness and a little bit of sin corrupts the entire effort, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (Jam. 2:10).
The leaven could also be the false teachers who are few in number but infiltrated the whole church. On the other hand, it may be speaking more about the characteristics of these false teachers: that the leaven is their false doctrine which eventually infects the whole church or that it is their hypocrisy which hides their true motives.
The context seems to bear out that the leaven is false doctrine. Just prior to his analogy of leaven, Paul indicated that someone had “hindered you from obeying the truth” (v. 7) and referred to it as “persuasion” (v. 8). Earlier in the letter he had warned the Galatians about heeding “a different gospel” or “any other gospel” (1:6-9) than what they had received.
Conclusion
Christ taught us: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven.” The Passover was celebrated by eating the flesh of the sacrificial lamb and eating unleavened bread. This was a type of the true sacrifice of Christ and the “unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). In other words, Christ took away the penalty for our sins and we are now to live sincerely without hypocrisy or sin. We are to keep the true Passover feast.
1 http://www.ebibleteacher.com/children/lessons/leaven.htm
The symbolism of leaven is used many places in the New Testament. Jesus was the first to teach about it in the form of a parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened” (Matt. 13:33). The obvious point is that leaven characterizes something that starts out small but permeates the entire thing in which it is introduced. Now we just need to learn what leaven symbolizes.
What does leaven symbolize?
Leaven was used by Christ and His apostles to symbolize a few different things. On one occasion Jesus warned His disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt. 16:11), and they understood it to be false doctrine (v. 12). Therefore, false doctrine, like leaven, can spread and permeate wherever it is present.
On another occasion, Christ explicitly stated that leaven is hypocrisy, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:1, 2). In a similar way that leaven is “hidden” in dough until all of it is leavened, hypocrisy is a trait that hides the heart and true intents of a man. The Pharisees were hypocrites; they appeared righteous before men but hidden inside was rottenness.
“Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Cor. 5:6). Paul used leaven to refer to sin. This passage is about a Christian in the Corinthian church who was living with his father’s wife. Paul was having to rebuke the church for not dealing with this man’s sin by way of proper discipline prescribed by Christ (Matt. 18:15-19). His point seems to be that when a church doesn’t discipline its sinning members, the sins of those individuals becomes a reproach upon the entire body of believers. Thus, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
Leaven in Galatia
There are a few possible interpretations of Paul’s statement to the Galtians, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9). The leaven could be sin in the life of the Galatian believers and the warning is that a little bit of it will affect their whole life. On a sub point, it might be speaking about the keeping of the whole law for righteousness. In other words, to seek righteousness by the law requires perfect righteousness and a little bit of sin corrupts the entire effort, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (Jam. 2:10).
The leaven could also be the false teachers who are few in number but infiltrated the whole church. On the other hand, it may be speaking more about the characteristics of these false teachers: that the leaven is their false doctrine which eventually infects the whole church or that it is their hypocrisy which hides their true motives.
The context seems to bear out that the leaven is false doctrine. Just prior to his analogy of leaven, Paul indicated that someone had “hindered you from obeying the truth” (v. 7) and referred to it as “persuasion” (v. 8). Earlier in the letter he had warned the Galatians about heeding “a different gospel” or “any other gospel” (1:6-9) than what they had received.
Conclusion
Christ taught us: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven.” The Passover was celebrated by eating the flesh of the sacrificial lamb and eating unleavened bread. This was a type of the true sacrifice of Christ and the “unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). In other words, Christ took away the penalty for our sins and we are now to live sincerely without hypocrisy or sin. We are to keep the true Passover feast.
1 http://www.ebibleteacher.com/children/lessons/leaven.htm
Monday, February 2, 2009
The False Teaching of Faith Healing
Many Christians today are deceived by the false doctrine that they can have faith to be divinely healed of bodily sickness and disease. Alot of them are new believers who lack a solid foundation of sound Biblical teaching and therefore are easy prey for false teaching. Instead of extracting the intended meaning of Scripture by expository preaching verse by verse through a passage, false teachers will select various verses out of unrelated contexts and then combine them to build a convincing case for their doctrine.
One example we will examine comes from the popular verse, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). These teachers reason that if faith comes by hearing God’s word and the whole Bible is His word then faith comes when we hear whatever God says in the Bible. Next, they will quote two key verses from the Bible to supposedly prove that healing belongs to us.
"When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:16, 17).
"Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Pet. 2:24).
All they need to do now is simply build upon the premise they already established earlier. They will claim that since faith comes by hearing the word and the word says we are healed then we can now have faith to be healed. Because in their own estimation, Isaiah clearly revealed that Christ redeemed us from sickness by bearing it on the Cross and that the stripes He received purchased our healing. It appears to be a closed case for them.
Another one of their tricks begins with reminding us of what the writer of Hebrews declared, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). They reason that since Christ always remains the same then whatever He has done in the past He still does today; including miraculous healing.
Next, they will point out that many people in Christ’s day were healed by their own faith, “Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour” (Matt. 8:13), “Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’ And their eyes were opened” (Matt. 9:29, 30), “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Matt. 15:28), “And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction’” (Mark 5:34). Therefore, they conclude that if people back then were healed by their faith in Him then people today can still be healed by their faith in Him because He is still the same. And just so nobody can argue that faith healing only works for some, they put the final touch on their case by quoting, “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), “For there is no partiality with God” (Rom. 2:11).
What we have seen are just two examples of how false teachers use the Bible to build a seemingly convincing case for divine healing by faith. Their usual strategy is to lift a verse or two out of context to construct a simple premise. Then it is an easy task for them to reason toward a final conclusion with one or more verses that satisfy the premise.
Faulty premises
When Paul said, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17), was he revealing to us that faith for anything and everything comes by hearing what God said in the Bible? Was he telling us to find the promise in the Bible and then you can believe God for it? Actually, he had already clarified earlier that he was speaking about his desire for Israel to be saved, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved” (Rom. 10:1). The faith Paul is talking about concerns faith for salvation.
Israel was seeking righteousness through the Law of Moses rather than through faith in Christ (Rom. 10:3-5). Paul then lists a chain of events that must happen if they are to be saved (Rom. 10:13-15). Since they can’t be saved without calling on the name of the Lord, and they can’t call on Him if they do not believe, and they can’t believe in Him without hearing, and they can’t hear without a preacher, and the preacher can’t preach unless he is sent, then the faith Israel needs to be saved comes by hearing, and this hearing comes by the preacher declaring the word of God to them. Paul’s point is that he along with the other apostles had been sent to them so that they would hear and be saved. But they were proving to be the disobedient and gainsaying people Isaiah had prophesied them to be (Rom. 10:21).
Reading Romans 10:17 in the passage where it belongs yields its intended meaning. But none of us has the right to lift it out and make it say that we can get faith for healing by hearing Scriptures on that subject. Paul was simply speaking of the faith Israel needs for salvation that can only come by hearing the gospel preached.
And what the writer of Hebrews meant by his statement, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8), can only be learned by reading it in its proper context.
"Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them" (Heb. 13:7-9).
He is urging his subjects to continue following those who preach sound doctrine that never changes because it originated with the One who never changes. Pharisaical teachers of the law abounded and were trying to turn Christians from dependence upon grace to the dietary doctrines of men. But the writer wanted them to keep following those whose faith is in Christ; whose teaching is consistent with and whose conduct reflects what He taught. Jesus Christ has not changed, therefore His doctrine has not changed either. So then when someone brings a strange doctrine, it is not to be followed. This was the writer’s point.
But false teachers lift this verse from the passage where it belongs and make it refer to the miracles Christ worked rather than to the doctrine He taught. They will say that if He ever healed then He is still healing because He is still the same.
Satisfying the premises
In the first example, the two Scriptures—Matthew 8:16, 17 and First Peter 2:24—were used to claim that bodily healing belongs to us. But, as we will see, these Scriptures declare nothing of the sort.
When Matthew quoted Isaiah who said that Jesus “bore our sicknesses,” he used the Greek word “bastazo” for “bore” which means to “carry in the hands,” “bear what is burdensome,” “sustain, uphold, support.” It occurs 29 times in the New Testament but never once for bearing in a substitutionary manner as Christ bore our sins on the Cross.
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would take and bear the sicknesses of the people through His healing ministry in the role of a Servant, not in the role as a Substitute. The message is not that Jesus bore our sicknesses on the Cross, but that although He surely showed Himself to be the Messiah by bearing and taking away the sicknesses of the multitudes through His healing ministry, yet that generation hung Him on the Cross and esteemed Him stricken and smitten of God. They never would have put Him there if they truly believed He was their Messiah that He proved Himself to be.
Other passages in Matthew such as 4:12-16 and 12:14-21 begin with the same statement, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,” and clearly refer to events in the life and earthly ministry of Jesus that fulfilled the quoted prophecy. Bearing sicknesses was also a prophecy He fulfilled during His earthly ministry, not as our Substitute for sickness on the Cross.
When Peter quotes from this same prophecy of Isaiah, he uses the word “anaphero” for “bore” when he said that Jesus “bore our sins.” It means “to carry up or bring up to a higher place,” “to put upon the altar,” “to take upon one’s self.” This word is in fact used in the New Testament for Christ’s substitutionary work in bearing our sins as a sacrificial offering, “so Christ was offered once to bear [anaphero] the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb. 9:28).
Peter, therefore, makes it clear that Isaiah’s prophecy of Christ’s substitutionary work on the Cross concerned His bearing of our sins, not our sicknesses. And when he says, “by whose stripes you were healed” (v. 24), his next statement clarifies exactly what he meant, “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (v. 25). It was our relationship with God that was healed, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him” (Is. 53:5). We were as lost sheep who were enemies of God, but Christ took the punishment necessary to reconcile us back.
In our second example, several verses were cited (Matt.8:13, 9:29, 30, 15:28; Mark 5:34), which supposedly proved that people in Christ’s day used their faith to get the healing they wanted. False teachers represent faith almost as a magic wand used to get whatever is desired.
But these healings that involved the subject’s faith are easily explainable; Jesus healed believers. He primarily healed those who had faith in Him as the Messiah. It is not that these people generated some kind of healing faith that cooperated with Christ in order to get them healed. Their belief was in His identity as the Messiah of Israel and they were saved and healed because of it. And it was because they believed on Him that they knew He was their only hope of being healed.
Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. Matthew 13:14, 15
Jesus Himself quoted this prophecy of Isaiah who predicted that the people of Israel would not recognize Him as their Messiah. Since they would not see or hear Him for who He was, He would not heal them. Right after this He went to His hometown of Nazareth and did not heal many because they did not believe on Him, “Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).
And concerning these statements, “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), “For there is no partiality with God” (Rom. 2:11), the contexts deal with ethnic and national issues. Peter was finally convinced that Gentiles could get saved as well as Jews and so concluded that God is impartial with people in regards to nationality. In fact, the very next thing he said was, “But in every nation” (Acts 10:35). And Paul was making a similar point to the Romans. Just before he declared God’s impartiality, he stated his subjects as, “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 2:10). Therefore, God is impartial with people when it comes to salvation, meaning that He saves from out of every tribe, people, tongue, and nation. But it is unfounded to say that He shows no partiality with regards to faith healing; whether or not it will work for everyone. Peter and Paul meant nothing of the sort.
Cleaning up the mess
What we have seen is how a few verses can be isolated from the passages where they belong to build an entire doctrine that is utterly false. And because of these corrupt techniques, many Christians today are deceived about faith healing.
It is faith for salvation that comes by hearing the word of God preached, not faith for healing. And Scripture never declares that healing belongs to anyone, therefore nobody can have faith to be healed. Yet many are convinced otherwise because of false teaching based on faulty premises reached by lifting verses out of their contexts.
Another quick example is when Christ once said to a leper, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Matt. 8:3). False teachers will then claim that it was Christ’s will to heal this man but since He is no respecter of persons then it’s His will to heal all. And of course He is the same forever (Heb. 13:8) so it’s His will to heal all today. But it’s because Christ Himself is the same and never changes that sound doctrine never changes. We simply cannot use this truth for a pretext to claim that Christ still heals the same way today. God most certainly can heal anyone at anytime if He so chooses but this fact alone gives none of us a basis for having a kind of healing faith. We must pray for our healing and put ourselves at His mercy, not make demands based upon supposed promises.
The only reliable safeguard against false doctrine is the knowledge of sound doctrine. I am convinced that any of us who will not consistently study Scripture for ourselves are going to be deceived to some degree. We must work hard at correctly understanding God’s word or we can be caught in the deceivings of false teachers.
One example we will examine comes from the popular verse, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). These teachers reason that if faith comes by hearing God’s word and the whole Bible is His word then faith comes when we hear whatever God says in the Bible. Next, they will quote two key verses from the Bible to supposedly prove that healing belongs to us.
"When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:16, 17).
"Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Pet. 2:24).
All they need to do now is simply build upon the premise they already established earlier. They will claim that since faith comes by hearing the word and the word says we are healed then we can now have faith to be healed. Because in their own estimation, Isaiah clearly revealed that Christ redeemed us from sickness by bearing it on the Cross and that the stripes He received purchased our healing. It appears to be a closed case for them.
Another one of their tricks begins with reminding us of what the writer of Hebrews declared, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). They reason that since Christ always remains the same then whatever He has done in the past He still does today; including miraculous healing.
Next, they will point out that many people in Christ’s day were healed by their own faith, “Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour” (Matt. 8:13), “Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith let it be to you.’ And their eyes were opened” (Matt. 9:29, 30), “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Matt. 15:28), “And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction’” (Mark 5:34). Therefore, they conclude that if people back then were healed by their faith in Him then people today can still be healed by their faith in Him because He is still the same. And just so nobody can argue that faith healing only works for some, they put the final touch on their case by quoting, “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), “For there is no partiality with God” (Rom. 2:11).
What we have seen are just two examples of how false teachers use the Bible to build a seemingly convincing case for divine healing by faith. Their usual strategy is to lift a verse or two out of context to construct a simple premise. Then it is an easy task for them to reason toward a final conclusion with one or more verses that satisfy the premise.
Faulty premises
When Paul said, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17), was he revealing to us that faith for anything and everything comes by hearing what God said in the Bible? Was he telling us to find the promise in the Bible and then you can believe God for it? Actually, he had already clarified earlier that he was speaking about his desire for Israel to be saved, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved” (Rom. 10:1). The faith Paul is talking about concerns faith for salvation.
Israel was seeking righteousness through the Law of Moses rather than through faith in Christ (Rom. 10:3-5). Paul then lists a chain of events that must happen if they are to be saved (Rom. 10:13-15). Since they can’t be saved without calling on the name of the Lord, and they can’t call on Him if they do not believe, and they can’t believe in Him without hearing, and they can’t hear without a preacher, and the preacher can’t preach unless he is sent, then the faith Israel needs to be saved comes by hearing, and this hearing comes by the preacher declaring the word of God to them. Paul’s point is that he along with the other apostles had been sent to them so that they would hear and be saved. But they were proving to be the disobedient and gainsaying people Isaiah had prophesied them to be (Rom. 10:21).
Reading Romans 10:17 in the passage where it belongs yields its intended meaning. But none of us has the right to lift it out and make it say that we can get faith for healing by hearing Scriptures on that subject. Paul was simply speaking of the faith Israel needs for salvation that can only come by hearing the gospel preached.
And what the writer of Hebrews meant by his statement, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8), can only be learned by reading it in its proper context.
"Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them" (Heb. 13:7-9).
He is urging his subjects to continue following those who preach sound doctrine that never changes because it originated with the One who never changes. Pharisaical teachers of the law abounded and were trying to turn Christians from dependence upon grace to the dietary doctrines of men. But the writer wanted them to keep following those whose faith is in Christ; whose teaching is consistent with and whose conduct reflects what He taught. Jesus Christ has not changed, therefore His doctrine has not changed either. So then when someone brings a strange doctrine, it is not to be followed. This was the writer’s point.
But false teachers lift this verse from the passage where it belongs and make it refer to the miracles Christ worked rather than to the doctrine He taught. They will say that if He ever healed then He is still healing because He is still the same.
Satisfying the premises
In the first example, the two Scriptures—Matthew 8:16, 17 and First Peter 2:24—were used to claim that bodily healing belongs to us. But, as we will see, these Scriptures declare nothing of the sort.
When Matthew quoted Isaiah who said that Jesus “bore our sicknesses,” he used the Greek word “bastazo” for “bore” which means to “carry in the hands,” “bear what is burdensome,” “sustain, uphold, support.” It occurs 29 times in the New Testament but never once for bearing in a substitutionary manner as Christ bore our sins on the Cross.
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would take and bear the sicknesses of the people through His healing ministry in the role of a Servant, not in the role as a Substitute. The message is not that Jesus bore our sicknesses on the Cross, but that although He surely showed Himself to be the Messiah by bearing and taking away the sicknesses of the multitudes through His healing ministry, yet that generation hung Him on the Cross and esteemed Him stricken and smitten of God. They never would have put Him there if they truly believed He was their Messiah that He proved Himself to be.
Other passages in Matthew such as 4:12-16 and 12:14-21 begin with the same statement, “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,” and clearly refer to events in the life and earthly ministry of Jesus that fulfilled the quoted prophecy. Bearing sicknesses was also a prophecy He fulfilled during His earthly ministry, not as our Substitute for sickness on the Cross.
When Peter quotes from this same prophecy of Isaiah, he uses the word “anaphero” for “bore” when he said that Jesus “bore our sins.” It means “to carry up or bring up to a higher place,” “to put upon the altar,” “to take upon one’s self.” This word is in fact used in the New Testament for Christ’s substitutionary work in bearing our sins as a sacrificial offering, “so Christ was offered once to bear [anaphero] the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb. 9:28).
Peter, therefore, makes it clear that Isaiah’s prophecy of Christ’s substitutionary work on the Cross concerned His bearing of our sins, not our sicknesses. And when he says, “by whose stripes you were healed” (v. 24), his next statement clarifies exactly what he meant, “For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (v. 25). It was our relationship with God that was healed, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him” (Is. 53:5). We were as lost sheep who were enemies of God, but Christ took the punishment necessary to reconcile us back.
In our second example, several verses were cited (Matt.8:13, 9:29, 30, 15:28; Mark 5:34), which supposedly proved that people in Christ’s day used their faith to get the healing they wanted. False teachers represent faith almost as a magic wand used to get whatever is desired.
But these healings that involved the subject’s faith are easily explainable; Jesus healed believers. He primarily healed those who had faith in Him as the Messiah. It is not that these people generated some kind of healing faith that cooperated with Christ in order to get them healed. Their belief was in His identity as the Messiah of Israel and they were saved and healed because of it. And it was because they believed on Him that they knew He was their only hope of being healed.
Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. Matthew 13:14, 15
Jesus Himself quoted this prophecy of Isaiah who predicted that the people of Israel would not recognize Him as their Messiah. Since they would not see or hear Him for who He was, He would not heal them. Right after this He went to His hometown of Nazareth and did not heal many because they did not believe on Him, “Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt. 13:58).
And concerning these statements, “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), “For there is no partiality with God” (Rom. 2:11), the contexts deal with ethnic and national issues. Peter was finally convinced that Gentiles could get saved as well as Jews and so concluded that God is impartial with people in regards to nationality. In fact, the very next thing he said was, “But in every nation” (Acts 10:35). And Paul was making a similar point to the Romans. Just before he declared God’s impartiality, he stated his subjects as, “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 2:10). Therefore, God is impartial with people when it comes to salvation, meaning that He saves from out of every tribe, people, tongue, and nation. But it is unfounded to say that He shows no partiality with regards to faith healing; whether or not it will work for everyone. Peter and Paul meant nothing of the sort.
Cleaning up the mess
What we have seen is how a few verses can be isolated from the passages where they belong to build an entire doctrine that is utterly false. And because of these corrupt techniques, many Christians today are deceived about faith healing.
It is faith for salvation that comes by hearing the word of God preached, not faith for healing. And Scripture never declares that healing belongs to anyone, therefore nobody can have faith to be healed. Yet many are convinced otherwise because of false teaching based on faulty premises reached by lifting verses out of their contexts.
Another quick example is when Christ once said to a leper, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Matt. 8:3). False teachers will then claim that it was Christ’s will to heal this man but since He is no respecter of persons then it’s His will to heal all. And of course He is the same forever (Heb. 13:8) so it’s His will to heal all today. But it’s because Christ Himself is the same and never changes that sound doctrine never changes. We simply cannot use this truth for a pretext to claim that Christ still heals the same way today. God most certainly can heal anyone at anytime if He so chooses but this fact alone gives none of us a basis for having a kind of healing faith. We must pray for our healing and put ourselves at His mercy, not make demands based upon supposed promises.
The only reliable safeguard against false doctrine is the knowledge of sound doctrine. I am convinced that any of us who will not consistently study Scripture for ourselves are going to be deceived to some degree. We must work hard at correctly understanding God’s word or we can be caught in the deceivings of false teachers.
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