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The Church is Israel Now - Dispensational Dementia

by Charles D. Provan

During this century, Christians have been told over and over that “God has an unconditional love for Old Testament Israel,” by which is meant that God’s love is directed toward persons racially descended from Abraham, regardless of faith or obedience. Membership in Israel, therefore, is viewed as a matter of race, not faith.

“The Church is Israel Now” demonstrates that the Holy Bible totally repudiates this racialist viewpoint. Being a member of Israel in the Old Testament was dependent upon faith and obedience to God. When the Israelites obeyed God, God loved them. But when the Israelites turned from Him, He hated them, stripping them of their Israelite status. After centuries of Israelite rebellion against God, culminating in their rejection of Jesus the Messiah, the titles, attributes and blessings of Israel were transferred to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and to no one else, regardless of Abrahamic descent. The Church is Israel Now.

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the Jewish people: “I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (Matthew 21:43).

Jesus said to His disciples: “Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Old Testament Titles and Attributes of Natural Israel,
which in the New Testament refer to the Christian Church

THE BELOVED OF GOD

A) Israel is Beloved of God:
- “You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed: You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation” (Exodus 15:13; Deuteronomy 33:3; Ezra 3:11).

B) Disobedient Israel is not Beloved of God:
- “My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest; it cries out against Me: therefore have I hated it” (Jeremiah 12:8; Jeremiah 16:5; Hosea 9:15).

C) Christians are Beloved of God:
- “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world knows us not, because it does not know Him” (I John 3:1).

- “As God also said in Hosea, I will call Gentiles My people, who were not My people; and her who was not beloved, I will call My beloved, and in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there they will be called Sons of the living God” (Romans 9:25-96).

- “Therefore be imitators of God, as His beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1).

- “As God’s chosen ones, set apart and beloved, clothe yourselves with tenderness of heart, kindliness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering” (Colossians 3:12).

THE CHILDREN OF GOD

A) Israel are the Children of God:
- “You shall say to Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Exodus 4:22; Deuteronomy 14:1; Isaiah 63:8).

B) Disobedient Israel are not the Children of God:
- “They have corrupted themselves; they are not His children, because of their blemish: a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deuteronomy 32:5; Isaiah 1:1-2; John 8:39,42,44).

C) Christians are the Children of God:
- “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe on His name” (John 1:12).

- “Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus’ death was not for Israel only but for all the children of God scattered around the world” (John 11:52; Acts 2:39; Genesis 9:27).

- “For as many as are led by God’s Spirit are the sons of God. . . This Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:14,16; II Corinthians 6:18).

- “We are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:26; 4:5,6,7; Philippians 2:15; I John 3:1).

THE FIELD OF GOD

A) Israel is the Field of God:
- “Many pastors have ruined My vineyard, they have trodden down My field; they have made My pleasant field a desolate wilderness” (Jeremiah 12:10).

B) Christians are the Field of God:
- “We are God’s fellow-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (I Corinthians 3:9).

THE FLOCK OF GOD AND OF MESSIAH

A) Israel is the Flock of God and of Messiah:
- “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who leads Joseph like a flock; You who dwells between the cherubim, shine forth” (Psalm 78:52; Isaiah 40:11; Zechariah 10:3).

B) Christians are the Flock of God and of Messiah:
- ” I am the good shepherd, and know My own sheep, and they know Me. . . And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold: I must bring them also, and they will heed My Voice. So there shall be one flock with one Shepherd” (John 10:14,16; Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 2:25; 5:2,3).

THE HOUSE OF GOD

A) Israel is the House of God:
- “My servant Moses is faithful in all My house” (Numbers 12:7).

B) Christians are the House of God:
- “If I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15).

- “Jesus Messiah was faithful to God who appointed Him, just as Moses was over the household of God . . . And Moses truly was faithful in God’s house, but he was only a servant, and his work was mostly to illustrate and type those things that would take place afterward. But Christ, God’s Son, is in complete charge over God’s house. And we Christians are God’s house - for He lives in us - if we firmly maintain the confidence and pride in our hope” (Hebrews 3:2,5-6; 10:21).

- “The time has come for judgment, and it must begin first at the God’s household, and if even we who are Christians must be judged, what terrible fate awaits those who do not obey the Gospel of God?” (I Peter 4:17).

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

God’s Covenant with Israel at mount Sinai was conditional upon obedience as servants.

A) Obedient Israel is the Kingdom of God:
- “If you will obey Me, and keep My covenant, then you will be above all nations My personal possession; for the whole earth is Mine: and you shall be a kingdom of priests to God, a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6; I Chronicles 17:14; 28:5).

B) Disobedient Israel is not the Kingdom of God:
- “God will cast Israel away, because they did not hearken to Him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations” (Hosea 9:17; Jeremiah 7:15; 15:1; Matthew 8:11-12; 21:43).

God’s Covenant with Abraham’s Seed is unconditional as Sons.

C) Christians are the Kingdom of God:

- “The kingdom of God is . . . righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17; I Corinthians 4:20). - “God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13; 4:11).

- “He has made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 1:6).

THE PEOPLE OF GOD

A) Israelites are the People of God:
- “I will take you for My people, and I will be your God: and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Exodus 6:7: Deuteronomy 27:9).

B) Disobedient Israelites are not the People of God:
- “God said, Call him Lo-ammi (meaning ‘not mine’), for Israel is not My people and I am not her God” (Hosea 1:9; Jeremiah 5:10).

C) Christians are the People of God:
- “As God also said in Hosea, I will call Gentiles My people, who were not My people; and her who was not beloved, I will call My beloved, and in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there they will be called Sons of the living God” (Romans 9:25-26).

- “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God has said of us, I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (II Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 4:12; 5:3; II Thessalonians 1:10).

- “Our Saviour Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify for Himself a people all His own who are zealous to do good works” (Titus 2:14).

THE PRIESTS OF GOD

A) Obedient Israel are Priests of God:
- “If you will obey Me, and keep My covenant, then you will be above all nations My personal possession; for the whole earth is Mine: and you shall be a kingdom of priests to God, a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6).

B) Disobedient Israel are not Priests of God:
- “The Levites who abandoned Me when Israel went astray - who strayed after their idols - they bear their punishment. . . They shall not come near to serve Me as priests or to touch any of My sacred things in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame because of the abominations which they have committed” (Ezekiel 44:10,13; I Samuel 2:28,30; Hosea 4:6).

C) Christians are Priests of God:

- “Like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people; that you may show others the praises of God who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous Light” (I Peter 2:5,9).

- “Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:6).

- “Jesus Christ has made us a kingdom, and priests to our God and we shall reign over the earth” (Revelation 5:10).

THE VINEYARD OF GOD

A) Israel is the Vineyard of God:
- “And now, residents of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, please judge between Me and My vineyard. . . What more was there to do for My vineyard, that I did not do in it? When I looked for it to produce grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? Now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trodden down. . . For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His cherished planting: and He looked for justice, but beheld bloodshed! For righteousness, but cries of deep oppression met His ears” (Isaiah 5:3-5,7; Jeremiah 12:10).

B) Christians are the Vineyard of God:
- “What do you suppose the Owner will do? He will come and kill these husbandmen, and rest the vineyard to others. . .” (Luke 20:16).

THE WIFE (OR BRIDE) OF GOD

A) Israel was the Wife (or Bride) of God:
- “For your Maker is your Husband; the Lord of hosts is His Name; He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you back from your grief - as a young woman refused and abandoned by her husband” (Isaiah 54:5-6; Jeremiah 2:2; Ezekiel 16:32; Hosea 1:2).

B) Disobedient Israel is not the Wife (or Bride) of God:
- “Judah saw that for all the adulteries faithless Israel had done, I had sent her away and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, she went and played the harlot also” (Jeremiah 3:8; Hosea 2:2).

C) Christians are the Wife (or Bride) of God:
- “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to Christ, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to her one husband” (II Corinthians 11:2).

- “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church”   (Ephesians 5:31-32).

THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM

A) Israelites are the Children of Abraham:
- “Aren’t You our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this Land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the seed of Abraham Your friend for ever?” (II Chronicles 20:7; Psalm 105:6; Isaiah 41:8).

B) Disobedient Israelites are not the Children of Abraham:
- “The Pharisees answered Jesus and said, Abraham is our father. Jesus replied, If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39; Romans 9:6-7; Galatians 4:25,30).

C) Christians are the Children of Abraham:
- “Abraham received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was yet uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all uncircumcised believers, that also to them righteousness might be accounted . . . This is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all of his seed - not only to the adherents of the Law but also top those who share the faith of Abraham; who is thus father of us all” (Romans 4:11,16).

- “You know therefore that the real children of Abraham are those who are of the faith. . . And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:7,29).

- “Abraham had two sons; he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh; but the son of the freewoman through promise. . . Now we, brethren, as Isaac, are children of the promise. . . So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free” (Galatians 4:22-23,28,31).

THE CHOSEN PEOPLE

A) Israelites are the Chosen People:
- “The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the least of all people” (Deuteronomy 7:7; 10:15; 14:2; Isaiah 43:20-21).

B) Disobedient Israelites are not the Chosen People:
- “God . . . was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel” (Psalm 78:59; Deuteronomy 31:17; II Kings 17:20).

C) Christians are the Chosen People:
- “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, God’s own people; so that you may declare the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous Light. Once you were no people but now you are the people of God: who once experienced no mercy, but now you have received mercy” (I Peter 2:9-10).

- “Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering . . .” (Colossians 3:12).

- “Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ, and to be sprinkled with His blood: Grace to you, and peace, in increasing measure” (I Peter 1:2).

THE CIRCUMCISED

A) Israelites are the Circumcised:
- “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you; Every man child among you shall be circumcised” (Genesis 17:10; Judges 15:18).

B) Disobedient Israelites are not the Circumcised:
- “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit. Egypt, Judah, Edom, and the children of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert, that cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are circumcised, and unless all the house of Israel circumcise their hearts by loving Me to the exclusion of the world, your fleshly circumcision is a heathen rite like theirs” (Jeremiah 9:25-26; Romans 2:25,28; Philippians 3:2).

C) Christians are the Circumcised:
- “He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, a spiritual observance rather than a mere literal observation of the Law. His praise comes not from men but from God” (Romans 2:29).

- “For we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in what Christ Jesus has done for us, and put no confidence in the flesh, for we cannot save ourselves” (Philippians 3:3).

- “In Christ you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in stripping the worldly nature and past sins of the old man from off your soul” (Colossians 2:11).

ISRAEL

A) Israel is Israel
Israel is an election to whom God has revealed His will. Initially it was drawn from a nation born of Abraham, through Isaac and through Jacob - individuals whose faith manifested the Light of God’s revealed Word for their day. When the nation rejected that Light and killed the Light-bearer, God turned from that hereditary bloodline to call a people for His Name from an election whose flesh is born of the first Adam but whose soul is born by faith in the last Adam who is Abraham’s Seed, Jesus Christ.

B) Disobedient Israelites are not Israel:
- “The soul, whether born in the land, or a foreigner, who reviles the Lord; and that person shall be destroyed from among His people” (Numbers 15:30-31; Acts 3:23; Romans 9:6).

C) Christians are Israel:
- “You do not consider that it is expedient for us, that one Man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish. Caiaphas did not speak of his own accord but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for Israel only, but that also He should gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad” (John 11:50-52; Deuteronomy 32:21; Isaiah 49:6; 55:5; Malachi 1:11; Acts 2:38-39; Ephesians 1:10).

- Considering the Israelites as the spiritual ancestors of we Christians, Paul says, “I would have you to know, brethren, that although our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea . . .” (I Corinthians 10:1).

- “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but a new creation. Peace and mercy upon all of you who live by this principle, upon the Israel of God”   (Galatians 6:15-16; Hebrews 8:6,8,10).

- “At that time you were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world . . . Now you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:12,19).

JERUSALEM

A) Old Jerusalem was God’s only provided Place of Worship for natural Israel
- “You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates, which the Lord your God has given you: but at the place which the Lord your God shall choose to place His Name in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at evening, at the going down of the sun, at the season that you came forth out of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 16:5-6).

B) New Jerusalem will be God’s only provided Place of Worship for the “Saved”
- “The nations of the saved shall walk in the Light of New Jerusalem, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honour into it. Its gates will remain open for there will be no night there”  (Revelation 21:24-26).

C) Heavenly Jerusalem is the Lamb’s Book of Life, and mother of all of God’s Elect
- “Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Galatians 4:26).

- “You have come to mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, who are written in heaven” (Hebrews 12:22-23).

- “I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2).

THE NEW COVENANT

A) The New Covenant is with Israel:
- “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. . . But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My Law in their inward parts, and upon their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:31,33; Ezekiel 36:26-27; 37:11-28).

B) The New Covenant is with Christians:
- “This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20; I Corinthians 11:25).

- “God has qualified us to be ministers of the New Testament; not in a written Law, but in the Spirit: for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives Life” (II Corinthians 3:6).

- “Now Christ has obtained a ministry which is far superior to the old Laws as the covenant He mediates is better, since it is established upon better promises. . . Finding fault with them, God said, The days will come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . . . This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts: and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Hebrews 8:6,8,10).

AN OLIVE TREE

A) Israel is an Olive Tree:
- “A green olive tree, fair, with goodly fruit, the Lord once called you; but at the roaring of the great tempest He will set fire to it and consume its branches” (Jeremiah 11:16; Hosea 14:6).

B) The Christians are an Olive Tree:
- “If you have been cut from a naturally wild olive tree and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, then how much more readily will these natural branches be grafted into their own original tree?” (Romans 11:24).

Old Testament Verses referring to Israel
quoted in the New Testament with reference to Christians

- Leviticus 26:11-12; Ezekiel 37:27: “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (II Corinthians 6:16).

- Deuteronomy 30:12-19: “Righteousness based on faith says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down) or, Who will descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead). But what does it say? The Word is near you, on your lips, and in your heart: (that is, the Word of faith, which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and is justified, and confesses with his lips and is saved. The scriptures say, No one who believes in Him will be put to shame” (Romans 10:6-11).

- Deuteronomy 31:6: “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for God has said, I will never fail you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

- Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 135:14: “We know Him who said, Vengeance is Mine, I will recompense. And again, The Lord will judge His people” (Hebrews 10:30).

- Psalm 22:22: “I will proclaim Your Name to my brethren, in the midst of the Church will I sing Your praise” (Hebrews 2:12).

- Psalm 44:22: “As it is written, For Your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Romans 8:36).

- Psalm 95:7-11: “Therefore, as the Holy Ghost says, To day if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the rebellion on the day of testing in the wilderness: when your fathers tested Me, proved Me, and saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They always go astray in their hearts; and did not learn My ways. As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest” (Hebrews 3:7-11).

- Psalm 130:8: “Jesus Messiah gave Himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for Himself a people all His own who are zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

- Isaiah 28:16: “As the Scriptures express it, I am sending Christ to be the carefully chosen, precious Cornerstone of My Church, laid in Zion, and he who believes in Him will never be put to shame” (I Peter 2:6).

“You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20).

“Scripture says, Whosoever believes in Him shall never be ashamed” (Romans 10:11).

- Isaiah 49:8: “The Lord said, I have heard you at the acceptable time, and helped you on the day of salvation: behold, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).

- Isaiah 52:7: “How can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad news of good things!” (Romans 10:15).

- Isaiah 54:1: “For it is written, Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear; break out with shouting, you who have no birthpangs: because more numerous are the children of the desolate woman than the one who has a husband” (Galatians 4:27

- Jeremiah 31:31-34: “Finding fault with the Old Covenant, God said, The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the Covenant I made with their fathers the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not remain faithful to My Covenant. So I let them alone, says the Lord. For this is the Covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put My laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts: and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No longer shall each man teach his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, because they shall all know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and their sins I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:8-12).

- Hosea 1:10; 2:23: “As God also said in Hosea, I will call Gentiles My people, who were not My people; and her who was not beloved, I will call My beloved, and in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there they will be called Sons of the living God” (Romans 9:25-26).

“In times past you Gentiles were not a people, but now you are God’s people: once you had had not received mercy but now you have received mercy” (I Peter 2:10).

- Hosea 13:14: “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” (I Corinthians 15:55).

- Joel 2:32: “Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

“The Church is Israel Now” may be purchased from Ross House Books (PO Box 67, Vallecito, Ca. 95251, USA) for US$8.00 plus US$3.00 air mail postage.

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Revelation and Commentary

Leviticus 17:11, “The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul”.

Innocent animal life was substituted before the Lord to atone and make restitution for the guilty soul of believing Israelites. This blood daubed on the lintels of their doors on the eve of their departure from Israel, and later on to the horns or poured out at the base of the altar, was the evidence or token that the life had been given.

However, mortal animal life can never atone for the spiritual life of a man’s immortal soul and the Law requires satisfaction in kind: “life for life” (Exodus 21:22). God made provision for this vicarious restitution and atonement in the kinsman redeemer law of Leviticus 25:47-55, as demonstrated in the Book of Ruth, where Boaz acted out the part of Israel’s Messiah and kinsman who had first to redeem Naomi or Israel before he could marry His beloved Gentile Bride, Ruth. A perfect type.

It is quite remarkable in light of these Scriptures that none of the learned elders of Zion has confessed before Israel the obvious lesson that these continual animal sacrifices of ancient time could never take away sin and were no more than a temporary covering and type to instruct and foreshadow the single all-time sacrifice for man’s sins, past, present and future. And that animals are not kindred to Adam’s race, and even if they were, once their mortal life has been given they are no more as they have no soul that can come back to regenerate the soul of man. From Ruth we learn that the Redeemer must be a close kinsman who is worthy, possessed of the means and willing to pay redemption’s price.

Since the wages of sin is death (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18; Romans 6:23), and as all are born in iniquity and conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23) our kinsman will need to be born of a woman as prophesied by Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6, but without intercourse to ensure He is God’s “holy One”, with no association with Eve’s sin or the iniquity of the first Adam. In order to be an identical substitute, this the last Adam will be the Logos manifest in flesh; the first God-man and “the beginning of God creating Himself part of creation” (Revelation 3:14). Consequently, His offspring, His Wife, is the continuation of the same Creation, made from the Holy Spirit taken from His side on Calvary as Eve was made from a rib taken from the side of the first Adam. We are not a creation apart from our Husband but the continuation or byproduct of the same creation (Isaiah 53:10; 65:23).

How is it these idol shepherds of Zion have not confessed that Israel has been without an atonement for 2,000 years? That they are apostate and abhorrent to God because of their unbelief (Psalm 78:59). Why do these learned men who claim to know the Law ignore Moses and Daniel who foretold the hour, day, month and year Israel would fulfill the prophecies of David and Isaiah by sacrificing their Messiah in unbelief instead of receiving Him in faith? Have they been preoccupied with “the implements of an idol shepherd,” crying “wolf” to perpetuate their dynasty through fear of imagined or staged anti-Semitism, and hatred toward non-Jews as cover for their own anti-Semitic disdain for the flock of Israel (Zechariah 11:15-17)?

In about 708BC Hosea prophesied that in three days God would revive apostate Israel and raise them up to live in His sight. We are living well into the third day “Wherein Israel will look on Him whom they have pierced, and mourn for Messiah as one mourns bitterly for his firstborn.”

In that day an election will be Spiritually born into the kingdom of Israel in which “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, bond or free, male or female, for there we are all one in Christ Jesus,” Israel’s firstborn, her God and King (Zechariah 12:10). nl383.htm

Spiritual Types

by Timothy Sauder

Coming out of Spiritual Captivity                     

                                     Building Upon The Biblical Foundation

Ezra 3:10,12

by Tim Germain

 

                                   We are to follow the wise master builder.

 

 “As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.  But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” 1 Cor.3:10   “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.” Eph.2:20  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Romans 5:2

 

The warning is given to take heed how he builds!!  The contrast is between gold silver and precious stone with wood, hay and stubble.  Precious metals speak of the quality of the divine life and inner sanctification of the Holy Spirit working in the life of a true follower of Christ, following in the footsteps of Jesus.  Wood , hay and stubble speak of mans ways characterized by flesh or carnality, mans traditions, personal gain, and self glory.  Those who seek the esteem of men Jesus said do not have the love of God in them.

                                                 The vision 

 

 

…let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord…Ezra 1:3

 

To go up to Jerusalem speaks to us of those in Christ that the testimony of Jesus Christ and His purposes be restored.  There is a call for us to return, to come up, to build the ruined walls (we are the living stones) and the burnt gates (God’s authority we have in Christ).

 

We must understand what the Apostles of Christ gave to the church and return to this biblical pattern that is forsaken by institutional churches.  Those patterns are:

 

• Spiritual gifted functioning body/priesthood  1Cor.14:26  Rom.12:4-8
• Lord’s Supper as a full fellowship meal.  1 Cor.11:20-22
• House gatherings  Acts 20:20 Rom.16:5; 1 Cor. 16:16  Col.4:15
• Qualified Plurality Elders-leaders  Act 14:26  1Tim.3:1-7

                                          Not holding the Head 

Guard against men that would spoil us through Philosophy, traditions of men, rudiments of the world, not after Christ.  Col.2:8

                                         Restoring What was Forfeited  

All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred.  All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. Ezra 1:11

 

All The divine qualities that the gold and silver represent are in a spiritual sense being brought back from the spiritual captivity that is so prevalent today and in the past.  Those qualities of the divine life of Christ and his righteousness imputed and imparted by the Holy Spirit of God working in the heart of the repentant and believing.  This righteousness is lived  out as we walk in the spirit and thus fulfill as it is written “walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” Gal.5:16  Note that all the vessels of gold and silver were brought up. The purity of heart and the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit is the main experience of the restored saint of God on the earth.  For it is God who is working in us both to do and to will his good pleasure.  Phil.2:13

 Let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored and brought again unto the temple.  Ezra 6:5 And be found in Him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.  Phil.3:9 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  1Thes.5:23 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  1Cor.6:11                                    Out of Captivity  

 All that God has given unto us is to be restored by those who come out of captivity. 

 

Ezra 2:1 “ …the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah every one unto his city;.”  Some examples of spiritual captivity are the following.

 

• Religious programs of one man shows
• Passive spectators pew sitters
• Edifice complex mindset
• Professional  showmanship such as musicians, dancers, choirs, celebrities
• Humanistic Psychological counseling denying the sufficiency of the scriptures
• Bondage to Old Testament commandments such as Tithing
• Pulpits 
• Hierarchical  leadership  3 John 1:9
• Women preachers  1 Tim.2: 11,12  1 Cor.14:34,35
• Making themselves a name (denominations) and thus divide the body of Christ
• Contracting with Governments for legal fiction status
• Spiritually dull of hearing  Heb.5:11

                                           One man-in-Christ  

Ezra 3:1  …the people gathered themselves together as on man to Jerusalem.

 

Jesus prayed that his followers would be one, just as he is one with the father

John 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father , art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: That the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

This is a testimony in the earth of the unity of the faith and of the Spirit even as we are called in one hope.  We are to stand knit together in love and doing nothing for vain glory or selfish gain.  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.  Phil. 2:3  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  Rom.15:1-3

  

This is the life in the spirit as we gather around Christ and is the fruit of the Spirit walked out in obedience and faith.  Rom.1:5

                                              The Priesthood restored 

Ezra 3:10  And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord they set the priest in their apparel …

 The functioning priesthood of all believers is being laid once again, for us to enter into our office of priests to offer up spiritual sacrifices. 1 Pet.2:9  But ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthood , and holy nation, a peculiar people. 1Pet.2:5  …a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. We are fully clothed in Christ having our mind renewed and the old man crucified with Christ as our experience not just a doctrine. Gal.2:20 I am crucified with Christ neverthe less I live ,yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live ,in the flesh  I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.  

 We enter into the full provisions in Christ and overcome as he overcame.  Not being hearer only deceiving our selves, but doers of the word.  James 1:22

  Ours is an open heaven. Eph.1:17-23  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power… 

Our faith believes God and enters into the rest spoken of in Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

                                               Hindrances to the Work Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.  And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus King of Persia…Ezra 4:4, 5  

The people who are earthly, earthy minded ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; who have a form of godliness but deny the power.  Our citizenship is in heaven and we set our affections of things above.  For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.  Phil3:18, 19 these ones refuse to do God’s work,

God’s way, breeds divisions in making themselves names (denominations); and are wise in their own eyes. They believe it unimportant to follow Christ and the traditions that the Apostles left for us.  They are disobedient and work against the Headship of Jesus Christ.

  Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem.  So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius King of Persia.  Ezra 4:24 

They seek to stop the true work of God both in us, in others and in the kingdom.  Much of what has been done in the flesh, in the name of Christ, has brought the true work of the gospel to a standstill.  Building buildings, programs, separating families, unwise stewardship, unbiblical leadership.

                                             Prophetic role in Building Let the house of the Lord be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid:  Ezra 6:3 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews …Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel,…and began to build the house of God…with them were the prophets of God helping them.  Ezra 5:1,2 

The prophetic role of unstopping the attack of the Lord’s work to once again begin to build the Lord’s house in key today.  We see the prophets in the book of Acts who traveled at times with the other apostles, each was key to unlock the spiritual house, so liberty and power can flow once again to God’s needy people.

 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.  And they built and finished it …Ezra 6:14                                                                                                  Anointed Teaching   And Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and teach in Israel statutes and judgments.  Ezra 7:10 But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus…Eph.4:21 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;..Eph4:11-13 

Many today are beginning to hear the call of the Lord to come out of these Sauls assemblies that usurp Christ’s headship and rob the body of its priestly function that was given them as their inheritance.  The giving of titles such as reverend to brothers smacks in the face of the Lord, when he is given the title of reverend and not a pastor.  The idea of calling men pastor is so foreign to the bible! 

 

We continue to call brothers out of the Babylonian confusion of institutional assemblies back to Christ and his body the church that gather around Him, giving him his right place among the saints in the assembly of God. 

  

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind and be delivered from the institutional mindset.

We have to get rid of this tradition that nullifies the word of God.  It divides the believing congregation of the Lord’s people.  In a nutshell it is wrong!!

 The house that Christ is building doesn’t depend on building, programs, tithing, and one man pastors.

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New Testament Church Practices

Down load the PDF file so you can study these blessed truths that the institutional church will never teach you.  This is written by Don Wulff

The Faith Movement Heresy  

The Atonement And The Word OF Faith  By  Timothy Germain  The word of faith is also known as the Faith Movement.  The main preachers besides Kenneth Hagin and Kenneth Copeland are:  Gloria Copeland, don Gossett, Marilyn Hickey, Roy Hicks, Charles Cowan, Roy Hicks,  Lester Sumrall, Ed Dufresne, Jerry Savelle, Fed Price, Benny Hinn, Charles Capps, Buddy Harrison and Ken Stewart.  The Father of the word of Faith Movement is E.W. Kenyon who died in 1948, where ever you go, books by E.W. Kenyon will go hand in  hand with the Faith Movement.  Kenyon’s fist book was published in 1916, while Kenneth Hagin’s was in 1960.  The following quotes, represent the teaching of the Word of Faith  Movement concerning the doctrine of the Atonement. ” You have to realize that He (Jesus) died; you have to realize that he went into the pit of hell as mortal man made sin.  He didn’t stay there, thank God.  He was reborn in the pit of hell and resurrected.” “Don’t let the physical suffering of the graphic scene of Golgotha rob you of the reality of the son of God being made sin for us.  When he was made sin he was turned over by God to the adversary.  You remember that he uttered the sentence “it is finished”.  You can now understand that he did not mean that he had finished his substitutionary work” “Jesus went to hell like any sinner” “Satan had conquered Jesus on the cross…Satan triumphantly bore his Spirit to the dark regions of Hades.  When he had suffered Hell’s agonies for three days and three nights, the supreme court of the universe cried “Enough”.  He had paid the penalty and met the claims of justice” “Adam died spiritually when he ate of the fruit.  Jesus died spiritually when he opened himself to sin…he became a spiritually dead man” “When (Jesus) said it is finished, on the cross, he was not speaking of the plan of redemption.  The plan of redemption had just begun.  There were still three days and three nights to go through..(in hell).  He suffered punishment for three horrible days and nights.” “There can be no substitution unless Christ actually paid the spiritual penalty of man’s transgression…But this work (atonement) was not finished on the cross.  “Isaiah 53 is a picture of the substitutionary sufferings in our stead.  It is neither mental nor physical suffering.  It is suffering in the spirit”. “It is hard to understand how he (Jesus) became sin, but I know he did.  Satan would become his master” :Jesus Christ took upon himself our sin nature…the nature of spiritual death, that we might have eternal life.” In the spirit world we are free, because Jesus Christ shed his blood 2000 years ago on Golgotha’s hill…went to the very pit of hell, and was chained with the chains of sin, disease, and all the evil of the enemy.  I can almost see him in my mind as his feet were enshackled in those chains and he dragged them as an emissary of the pits led him through hell itself.  But on the third day God…bellowed down through the atmosphere… it is finished the supreme sacrifice has been paid.  The prison is open I have paid the price.  All you have to do is accept it and walk out to freedom.  Jesus Christ signed your pardon…” “Because he was Made sin impregnated with sin, and became the very essence of sin, on the cross he was banished from God’s presence as a loathsome thing.  He and sin were made synonymous…Justice demanded that the full penalty for every sin of all mankind be paid by someone.  This meant that it was not sufficient for Christ to offer up only his physical life on the cross.  His pure human spirit had to “descend into hell”…The Father turned Him over, not only to the agony an death of Calvary, but to the satanic torturers of His pure spirit as part of the just desert of the sin of all the race.  As long as Christ was “ the essence of sin” he was at Satan’s mercy in that place of torment where all finally impenitent sinners  are imprisoned upon leaving this life…If Jesus paid the full penalty of sin on the cross only, that is, by his physical death alone, then sin is wholly a physical act.  If sin is wholly a physical act, then every man could pay for his own sin by his own death.  Because sin is basically or primarily in the spirit realm and of the spirit, therefore Jesus’ work was not finished when he yielded up His physical life on the cross.  It was not completed until He descended into hell, paid once and for all the eternal consequences of the aggregate sin of the world..”   The topic of the Atonement is The Cardinal Doctrine of the Bible No matter what other beliefs that may be embraced, if you get this one wrong, then all is lost!  What we believe with regard to this subject can not be underestimated. Jude1:2 says…that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says…Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 1 Timothy 4:16 we read, Take heed unto yourself and unto the doctrine; continue in them, for in doing this you shall both save yourself and them that hear you. I believe that the reason for the vast majority of all wrong teaching today can be traced to a wrong understanding of the atonement.  By carefully examining the statements of key Word OF Faith teachers and the revealed scripture let us determine whether this teaching can be supported and defended in the light of reason and God’s Word.  I want to say up-front that while there are multitudes of sincere Christians who identify themselves with the word of Faith teaching, nevertheless, the basis of the doctrinal error, if embraced, with lead the soul to perdition.  It is my intention that with love and truth, to my best ability, present the light concerning this most sacred and holy subject, the atoning death of Jesus Christ. ·        Summarize the word of faith teaching on the atonement A.     The physical death of Christ did not constitute the atonement.  His physical sufferings are insufficient and incomplete to reconcile man to God. B.     Jesus literally became a sinner or sin was imputed to him. Satan was his master on the cross. C.     His spiritual sufferings in hell constitute the redemption of man.  A literal payment was required to be made to satan on man’s behalf.  This was accomplished in hell. D.    After three days and three nights Jesus had paid a ransom to the devil for man.  God looked down from heaven pronounced it is finished, and then Jesus was born again in hell subsequently over coming the devil and rising from the dead. E.     The sin problem has been wiped away.  As far as God is concerned all mankind is pardoned, forgiven in his sight. F.      Man’s responsibility is only now to receive this judicial pardon from God. ·        Correctly defining the atonement In defining and correctly understanding the atonement we can say the following.   A.     “Properly understood, an atonement is an arrangement by which the literal infliction of the penalty due to sin may be avoided; it is something which may be substituted in the place of punishment; it is that which will answer the same end which would be secured by the literal infliction of the penalty of law.  It is not a commercial transaction- a matter of debt and payment, of profit and loss.  It pertains to law, to government, to holiness; not to literal debt and payment.  Sin is crime not debt; it is guilt.  The atonement pertains to love, and mercy, and truth and kindness, as well as to justice. It regards a race of offenders with compassion; it seeks to alleviate and lessen suffering; and it is not therefore, the cold and stern business of paying a debt, of meeting the mere demands of justice and law.  It seeks to bring back wanderers by the consideration that God loves them- that they may be forgiven- that salvation is free for all men if they choose to avail themselves of it.  It is real, not imaginary salvation” B.     So then the atonement is something substituted in the place of the penalty of the law, which will answer the same ends as the punishment of the offender himself would.  It is instead of his punishment.  It is something which will make it proper for a lawgiver to suspend or remit the literal execution of the penalty of the law, because the object or end of the penalty has been secured, or because something has been substituted for that which will answer the same purpose.  In other words, there are certain ends proposed by the appointment of a penalty in case of a violation of the  law; and if these ends are secured, then the punishment may be remitted and the offender may be pardoned.  That which will secure these ends is an atonement.   Man, due to his love of sin and his unwillingness to be reconciled to God, enlists himself in defying and warring against the creator of the universe.  This defiance and rebellion must be overcome if reconciliation is to be accomplished and a return to obedience and devotion put in its place Two part obstacles that are to be overcome On the part of man There must be a willingness for men to want to obey and return to be at peace with God.  If there is any way for men to be persuaded and humbled to repentance, it is the sufferings of the saviour .  It is the manifestation of love in his suffering for others which is intended to secure the reformation of sinners.  The atonement is adapted to convince the sinner of the evil of those sins for which he died.  It is therefore fitted most deeply to the heart of the guilty. On the part of God   C.     The obstacle to reconciliation on His part did not arise from any unwillingness to be at peace with men…but solely from the fact that he is the lawgiver of the universe, and that his law has been violated; from the fact that the law has a just penalty, threatening death to the violator;…from the fact that if the transgressor was released from the penalty of the law there would seem to be a total disregard of the law and its threatenings; form the fact that if the sinner was admitted to the favour conferred on those who had not sinned, it would seem as if God was regardless of character and treated the good and the bad alike…and destroy…the interests of justice.” D.    In the idea of the atonement…these difficulties have been removed, and that  God is in all respects now is free to bestow His favour on those for whom it was made as he is on those who have never violated his law.” E.     Reconciliation is in fact produced between God and man by the atonement.  God becomes the friend of the pardoned sinner.  He admits him to His favour and treats him as a friend.  The sinner becomes the friend of God. He changes his view of the character of God; he submits to his arrangements; he no longer opposes His plans;  he is pleased with His government and His laws.  He loves Him as he loves no other being.  He lives to promote His glory.  He loves what God approves, defends what he has stated to be true, advocated the plans which He has formed, vindicate4d the doctrines which he has revealed, trusts in trial to the promises which He has made, flies to Him in times of trouble and sorrow, leans upon His are in death, finds in the mortal agony his highest consolation in the belief that God is hi friend, and expects to find felicity in the future world only in God.  There is no friendship so strong so sincere, so tender, so enduring as that between God and the reconciled sinner.”   ·        The essential points established from the scriptures The atoning death consisted solely in the physical death of the Saviour; it was the giving of His life represented by His Blood. Reconciliation is effected through Christ as a result of His substitutional death and sufferings.  That not only was he himself a substitute, but that his sufferings were substituted sufferings, and not the literal penalty of the law. He suffered and died as a substitute in the place of sinners.  The innocent was treated as if he were guilty.  This work was accomplished on the cross. Man is still guilty, separate, an enemy of God.  Repentance from dead works and faith toward God are necessary conditions which must be met without which there can be no granting of pardon or forgiveness. That the benefits of His suffering may become ours as a ground of our salvation; that is, a public and sufficient reason why God should treat sinners as if they were righteous.   First Point The physical death of the Redeemer or the giving of His life that constituted the atonement.  A few passages from the New Testament on this doctrine are unequivocal.  Rev. 5:9  “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes,…and made them white in the Blood of the lamb.  1 John 1:7  “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 Pet.1:18;19  “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Pet 2:34  “who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness;  by whose stripes ye were healed.’ Hebrews 10:10  “ By which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once.” Hebrews 13:12  “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctity the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate.” Col.1:14  “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…vs20 …”and having made peace through the blood of his cross…” Eph. 1:7  “ In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Heb. 9:12  “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, he enterd in once into the hly place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Heb. 10:19  “Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” 1 Pet 1:2  “Elect…unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:28  “Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Rom.3:25  “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.” Eph.2:13  “  Ye, who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”   F.      The doctrine of the Hebrews was, That the blood is the seat of life, or that the life is in the blood; and hence to shed blood became synonymous with taking life.  Lev. 17:11  “ the life of the flesh is in the blood.” G.     The plain doctrine of the New Testament, therefore, is that the blood of Christ –that is the giving of His life- was the means of making the atonement, or of securing reconciliation between man and his maker.  In other words, his life was regarded as a sacrifice in the place of sinners, by means of which the penalty of the law which man had incurred might be averted from him…and treated as if he had not sinned.  This is the doctrine of the atonement. Second point What is needed to be established is that the sufferings of the Redeemer were substituted sufferings or that they were not the literal penalty of the law.  Webster gives us a definition of substitute.  “substitute” is “one person put in the place of another to answer the same purpose”.  Christ is never spoken of as being guilty or deserving of punishment.  He always has been regarded as the object of God’s highest love.  We must take note how carefully the scripture states this and guard against the view of the imputation of sin which would regard a literal transfer of guilt to him and thus speak of him as a sinner.  The following scriptures fortify this truth.  1 Pet2;22  “Who did no sin; neither was guile found in his mouth.” Heb.4:15  “But in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  Heb7:26”  Who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” 1 Pet.3:8  “For Christ also hath once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust.” Isa. 53:9  “because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” Vs11  By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many.” Matt. 3:17  “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”   H.     The passage in 2 Cor. 5:21 “he hath made him to be sin for us”  cannot be intended to be literally true…in no proper sense can it be true that he was made to be a sinner; for this would be contrary to the teaching of the passages just quoted, that he “ knew no sin”, that he was “ holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners” and that he “died the just for the unjust.”  We must therefore look for some other interpretation than the literal one; and that is found in the doctrine that the word here rendered sin, in accordance with Hebrew usage, is employed in the sense of sin-offering.   Lev 6:25…This is the law of the sin offering:  In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD:  it is most holy.  Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy . . .”  Note that the lamb was holy, so also The Lamb of God was holy on the cross.  There was no literal transfer of sin to Jesus. This is very important to understand!!   I.        Similar passages occur in Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.”  The word here properly means cursing malediction, execration, a devoting or dooming to destruction.  It occurs in the New Testament in the following places; Col.3:10, 13 rendered curse; Heb6:8, James 3:10, rendered cursing. Applied to a lost sinner, it would mean that all saving influences were withdrawn and that he was given over to the malediction of God.  But what is its meaning as applied to the  redeemer  in the passage now before us? J.       It cannot mean that he was made a curse in the sense that his work and character were displeasing to God; for as we have seen, just the contrary doctrine is everywhere taught in the New Testament.     It cannot men that he was the object of the divine displeasure, and was therefore abandoned by him to deserved destruction.   It cannot be employed as denoting that he was in any sense…blameworthy; for this is equally contrary to the teaching of the bible.   It cannot mean that he was guilty in the usual and proper meaning of the word, and that therefore he was punished; for this would not be true.   It cannot mean that he bore the literal penalty of the law; for, there are parts of that penalty-remorse of conscience, and eternity of suffering, which he did not and could not bear.    It cannot mean that he was sinful, of a sinner, in any sense; for is equally contrary to all the teaching of the bible in regard to his character.   There is but one other conceivable meaning that can be attached to the passage, and that is that, though innocent, he was treated in his death as if he had been guilty; that is, he was put to death as if he had personally deserved it.  He was suspended on a cross, as if he had been a malefactor.  He was given up by God and man to death as if he had himself been such a malefactor, in order that by his substituted sorrows he might save those who were personally guilty.  The idea which make the atonement so wonderful- the idea which makes it an atonement at all- is that innocence was treated as if it were guilty;  that the most pure and holy and benevolent being on earth was treated as if he had been the most vile and ill deserving.   Third Point   The Work of the redeemer was accomplished on the cross.  The following scriptures suffice.   Col 2:14,15  “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against u, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 1 Cor. 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God. Eph.2:15,16 “having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances to make in himself of two one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby…” Figuratively, Paul identified himself as being crucified with Christ.  The entire basis of his new life was what his master had accomplished for him on the cross.   Gal.2:20  “ I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  This too was the reason for his boasting.     Gal. 6:14 “But God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.”   Fourth Point Man is not forgiven by God subsequent to the death of Christ.  Man is separated, an enemy of God, by his own rebellion.  The death of Christ is mans’s provision for the forgiveness of sin.  Men must repent form dead works and turn to God, exercising faith that Christ’s death was on man’s behalf, before man can receive pardon.   Rom1:18  “ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness..” 3:10,18,19  “There is none righteous, no, not one…There is no fear of God before their eyes…Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:  that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”   Gal.6:7,8  “Be not deceived;  God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption…” Titus. 1:15,16  “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” James 4:4 “…whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Acts 2:28 “…Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 3:19 “…Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come…” Vs 23 “And it shall come to pass that every soul, who will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.”   Matt.16:24, 25  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Luke 13:3,5 “I tell you, Nay but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Acts 20:24 “Testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 26:20 “…That they should repent and turn to God, and do works fit for repentance.   Fifth Point   The merit of the Redeemer’s death is a proper and just cause for God to pass over the repentant sinner’s penalty. We may avail ourselves of the benefits of His sufferings as if those sufferings had been our own.   The delicate blending of mercy and justice is accomplished at Calvary.  God as an expression of his love and disposition to pass over transgression offers pardon freely by his grace; on the basis of the sacrificial death of His beloved Son, reconciliation is provided due to the atonement.   Rom. 3:24-26.  “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God hath set froth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of Him which believeth in Jesus.    1 Cor. 5:18, 19.  And all things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation: To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself . . .   1Cor. 1:30   “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: . . .”   Gal. 3:26  “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” And 4:5,6.  “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons and because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father.’”   Col. 1: 21-23.  “And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, . . .”   K.    “There in no transfer of character of honour.  There is no confounding of identity.  There is no confusion in the estimate which is formed in regard to meritorious services.  But in respect to the results we are regarded and treated as if all that valour, . . . had been ours.”   L.      “The merit of the Redeemer is unexhausted by time . . .  The fountain ever flows, by day and by night, in seed-time and harvest, in summer and winter.  It is ample for all that apply.  It is unexhausted by the numbers that some, and by the nature of the maladies that are healed.  It flows in large abundance above and beyond all that is needed, and though it seems to be useless or wasted, it is neither: for, whether men avail themselves of it or not, it is a standing proof of the inexhaustible and illimitable benevolence of God.   . . . the streams of salvation will still pour forth their unexhausted floods over a lost world.  Never till time shall end will the sentiment of the beautiful stanzas with which this Treatise on the atonement may appropriately close, cease to be true There is a fountain, filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel’s veins, And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains. Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood, Shall never lose its power, Till all the ransomed church of God, Be saved, to sin no more.”   CONCLUSION: We have seen that the heart of the Gospel message is Jesus Christ and Him crucified: that it was His physical suffering or the giving of His life represented by His blood constitute our Redemption.  The sufferings of Christ were substituted sufferings and not the literal penalty which the lawbreaker himself would have received.   The problem of reconciling man to God, as well the justice of the law, is solved through the atonement.   The Word of Faith teaching completely passes over the heart of the Gospel: that is, the physical suffering and death of the Saviour.  Instead, by shifting and perverting the reason for mans’ Redemption, (from the cross to being born again in hell) they introduce a Damning Heresy by nullify the cross.  They charge Jesus as the vilest and most perverted sinner of the human race and will justly incur the wrath of the most holy, pure, and righteous Son of God.  This teaching not only brings disgrace to the Son of God with respect to His Righteous character, but it pollutes the high value of the Kingdom of His Father, which He represents.   This teaching is a new hybrid of an old age heresy called Universalism which says all the world has been pardoned, “you just don’t know it”!  This is what Kenneth Hagin Jr. meant when he said, “In the spirit world we are free . . .” The new twist is that you just have to receive it!   Knowingly or unknowingly, this teaching says:   1)  The physical death of Christ can’t save you.   2)  All of man’s sin was transferred to Jesus (except the sin of unbelief, and the sin against the Holy Spirit, he missed those) all men are pardoned (forgiven).   3)  Jesus is a sinner, of the worst kind.  He bore the sin of the world in His Spirit.   4)  Jesus was born again in hell and overcame the devil.   5)  Jesus paid a ransom to the devil being in torment by him in hell.  This regained man’s right to have authority over the devil, and the sole author of his circumstances.  Redemption is now finished.   6)  The concept of payment to the Devil, erases the truth that Christ’s sacrifice was to God as a sweet smelling savour.   Eph. 5:2   7)  It can not be said that forgiveness is freely by His grace, since Jesus paid the devil what was coming to him.  Rom. 3:24 FINALLY   I charge those who embrace this teaching with sin, and the spirit of error, by circumventing the physical death of Christ on the cross to bearing the sin of the world in his spirit to hell. You have made the physical death of Christ of none effect and have perverted the gospel.  Thus you preach another gospel.  If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.  Galatians 1:9   Those of you who have changed the Gospel of the grace of Christ whereby God is willing to pass over transgression, to a payment to the Devil have perverted the Gospel of the grace of God.  You must repent of this hellish doctrine.  The truth is that Christ bore your sin in His body on the tree.  1 Peter 2:24.  (This is the reason you can be forgiven, not that you are, and you just have to receive it).  The apostle Peter wrote, Acts3:19, “Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted our, when the times of refreshing shall come . . . “   Resources:   Kenneth Copeland  “What happened from the cross to the throne”  classic redemption series  Forth Worth:  Copeland Ministries. #00-0303 E.W. Kenyon, “What happened from the cross to the throne”  p.46 Kenneth Copeland   What happened from the cross to the throne. Tape  side 2 E.W. Kenyon  What happened from the cross to the throne.p89 Charles Capps   Authority in three Worlds Tulsa Harrison Housed 1982 p.159 Kenneth Copeland  ‘what happened for the cross to the throne  tape classic redemption series E.W. Kenyon, What happened from the cross to the throne. P.60 Ibid., p.61 Ibid., p.33 Kenneth  Hagin  The New Birth  Tulsa OK pp. 13,14 Kenneth Hagin Jr.  The Prison Door is open-what are you still doing inside? Tulsa  OK  pp. 26-28 Paul E. Billheimer,  Destined for the throne  Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis MN  p 83,84,89   Albert Barnes,   The Atonement.  Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, MN. P.230 Ibid p.244      H. Ibid p. 263 Ibid p.265        I. Ibid p. 263 Ibid p. 265       J. Ibid p. 301 Ibid p. 266      K. Ibid p. 302-3 Ibid p. 267       Ibid p. 263

 Satisfaction Theory 

The Payment Or Satisfaction Theory Of The Atonement

By Tim Germain

 

Once a man or woman has been brought into a right relationship with God through saving faith in Jesus Christ, is it at all possible in the future for that man to fail the grace of God and apostatize?  Is it necessary for Jesus to be Lord of ones life or is there a salvation offered by God whereby Jesus is embraced as Saviour exclusively?

We will discuss what s commonly called the satisfaction or payment theory of the atonement. We want to communicate the origin of this teaching, highlighting as we go some very real problems that have resulted from this view being embraced today by so many Christians.  Let’s se if this view can be supported biblically!

 I will first define what the payment theory is and uncover the writings of men who first put forth this idea.

 The death of Christ is commonly understood, that  all  the sins of mankind were imputed (transferred) to Christ.  Jesus endured the total penalty, punishment, and guilt of sinful man, insomuch that sin may no longer be imputed nor the penalty be required for those he died for.

 It is said that that Christ’s righteousness is imputed (transferred) to the believer as a judicial standing, therefore all sins past, present, and future have been forgiven.

 Historically, this view was first penned by St. Anselm of Canterbury, a Roman Catholic priest in 1098.  Anselm stressed that man had incurred a debt of punishment to God as a result of his sin and that if he is to find release from the penalty a substituted penalty is necessary.  God had to be pain off in suffering.  Whether the actual sinner should suffer the penalty of some one else in their place, nevertheless, the debt had to be paid.

 Martin Luther (1483-1546) pressing the literal interpretation, picked up Anselm’s idea of punishment and transfer, insisting that Christ’s payment was exact, satisfying the Father’s wrath.

 “…no doubt all the prophets did foresee in spirit, that Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, blasphemer, that ever was or could be in the world.  For he, being made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. In not now an innocent person and without sins: is not now the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary but a sinner which hath and carrieth the sin of Paul…but if it be not absurd to confess and believe that Christ was crucified between two thieves, then it is not absurd to say that he was accursed, and of all sinners the greatest.  God, our most merciful Father, sent his only Son into the world, and laid upon him all the sins of all men, saying, Be thou Peter, that denier; Paul, that persecutor, blasphemer, and cruel oppressor; be thou the person which hath committed all the sins of all men, See, therefore, that thou pay and satisfy for them.” 1

 As you can see Luther understood that Christ not only literally paid a debt, but that he also actually became sinful; a sinner of the worst kind. 

 John Calvin (1509-1564) also a contemporary of Luther, developed a whole systematic theology, insisting that a literal payment had been met by Christ in satisfying the wrath and justice of God.  Calvin insisted, however, that Christ’s substitutional  penalty as a payment for sin, was transferred to only the elect and was not made for the whole world.  He laid particular stress upon the believer being perfectly judicially pardoned.  By making Christ’s death a payment for sin he removed all the warnings in the scriptures of falling from grace, presuming that all sins past, present, and future have been paid for.  He eliminated all conditions and walking in the faith as being necessary, without which one cannot be saved.

 Let’s ask ourselves some questions concerning fundamental flaws in the idea that Jesus paid for sins.

 First, if Jesus paid for sin (satisfaction) then whose sin did he pay for?  1 John 2:2 says “ he is the propitiation for our sins’ and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”  1 Tim. 2:6 says “Who gave himself a ransom for all”  Heb.2:9 says ..that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”  Obviously, Jesus died for all men.   2 Cor. 5:14-15 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

 If Jesus made a payment for sin, then all men’s sins are paid for. Thus sinners could not be required to be punished, since Jesus has already paid for their sins, regardless of whether or not they are ignorant of the fact. The doctrine of Universalism would then be correct in saying the whole world has been pardoned!  If Jesus made a payment for sin, God would be unjust in punishing a sinner for his sin by requiring two parties to suffer for the same crime: first Jesus, then the sinner himself.

 The next question is just what is the penalty  which the sinner will have to suffer for his sins?  Did Jesus suffer the same kind of suffering as well as the same amount of suffering that the sinner will suffer?

 Since the substituted payment for sin is to be equivalent in amount and in Jesus’ payment for sin then too would have been the same amount and kind of suffering the sinner would have endured, if he bore the penalty.  The sinner would not have only suffered physical death, but eternal separation from God in everlasting punishment.  Jesus didn’t suffer eternally.  On the cross He was treated as though He was sinful; as though He was guilty; as though he was the most vile and unclean.  Jesus’ voluntary laying down of his life, represented in the giving of His flesh and blood, as a sacrifice and offering to God, was a sweet smelling savour.  The laying down of His physical life, suffering for six hours on the cross, dying of a broken heart constituted the atonement.  Christ suffered as a man.  His suffering was not equal in amount and in kind that the whole world would have suffered had they received the penalty.

 Christ also did not suffer the same kind of suffering that the sinner would have suffered had he received the penalty.  Jesus for example had no remorse or guilt while he was suffering on the cross.  Only guilty people can possibly have remorse or guilt.  Jesus was not guilty of sin, but was treated as though he was!!

 If Jesus satisfied the full demands of justice, then the reason or ground for pardon extended would be on the basis of justice.  The sinner could demand pardon based on justice but not on mercy nor of grace.

 “…in a case where it is supposed  that the exact punishment due to sin is borne by another, whatever kindness there may be in him who endures it there s no mercy in him who has exacted the penalty…it would have been a transaction of mere law and justice…there would have been in the case neither mercy nor compassion.”2

 

Forgiveness vs Payment

 

If it were true that Jesus made a payment for sin by satisfying the full demand of the law, the idea of forgiveness would be nullified. According to Webster’s dictionary forgiveness means  “ to give up claim to (to release) requital from an offender; to pardon.  To give up resentment or claim to requital on account of an offense; to remit the penalty of “  the Random House College dictionary adds “to give up all claim on account of ; (remit a debt, obligation, etc.) to grant free pardon to (a person). To pardon an offense or an  offender. To grant free pardon of or remission  (an offense, debt, etc) absolve.”

 If I owed you ten dollars and my neighbor stepped in to help me by giving you what was owed, then you could say that the debt had been paid.  Someone else had given you what I myself did not.  As a result you could not come back to me and demand that I give you another ten dollars since my neighbor has procured for me,  so to speak, my release of the debt.  However, if I owed you ten dollars and you forgave me the ten dollars, I would not be required to give you the money and you would   release me of the obligation that was due.

 In the first case, the payment was given back through the kindness of someone else. In the second case, the debt was released and the claim is relaxed. You can pay a debt or forgive a debt, but you cannot do both.  If Jesus paid the debt of sin, then there can be no forgiveness from God.  The scriptures however say “ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.  Eph. 1:7

 “ You may receive payment of a wrong done or you may forgive, but you cannot do both at the same time.  When a debt is paid, there can be no forgiveness.  When a penalty is served, there has been no mercy.  If the Father punished the Son in order to be paid for sin, then we are left with the conclusion that there is not forgiveness or mercy in the Father’s heart.”3

 We must see that the atonement was not a commercial transaction. God did not have to be paid off before He was willing to extend pardon.

 How then do we account for the passages that read “ You are bought with a price.” (1 Cor.6:20) or “feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.:  (Acts 20:28)  or “until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory?  (Eph. 1:14)

 “The scriptures frequently describe the atonement in language of a figurative character; and the literal construction which has been put upon this language, has, no doubt, sometimes embarrassed the subject and misled the honest enquirer.  We are informed by the pen of inspiration, the Christ “hath purchased” the church “with his own blood.” Christ was “made a curse for us” and “ he made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” These and many, other passages of similar import, are often pressed into a literal exposition, while the figurative character is entirely overlooked.  When the scriptures tell us, that Christ “has purchased the church or the believers, “ are bought with a price” they do not intend to teach us. That the salvation of sinners through the atonement is a pecuniary (money) transaction, and regulated according to the principles of debt and credit: but that salvation was effected, in the moral government of God, by nothing less than the consideration- the stipulated consideration of the death of his beloved Son.  To these figurative expression… “Christ has paid our debt…satisfied the justice of God in our behalf.”  If we say that Christ has paid our debt, it is true only in a figurative sense; and can mean no more or less than this, that the suffering of Christ accomplished the same purpose, in the divine administration which would have been accomplished by our rejection and punishment.”4

 Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.  We need no other proof than that suggested in this passage, that Christ did not pay the debt, or literally suffer the penalty of the law for His people.  He prepared the way for our debt to be remitted; or in plain language, dispending with all metaphor, he made it consistent and proper and honorable for sin to be for given according to the prescribed terms of the gospel.”5

 “The truth is Christ paid no man’s debt. It is true indeed, that our deliverance is in scripture, sometimes called a  redemption;  and this word refers to the deliverance of a prisoner from captivity, which is often effected by the payment of a sum of money.  Christ is also called”a ransom” and we are  said to be “bought with a price.” But it must be remembered that these are figurative expressions.  They are designed to communicate this idea, that as payment of money as the price of liberty is the ground on which prisoners are released from captivity, so the atonement of Christ is the ground on which sinners are pardoned, or set free from a sentence of condemnation.  These passages, thus understood literally, appear intelligible and consistent whereas, they would contradict other plain declarations of the word of God.  It is evident, therefore, that these are metaphorical expressions, and were never designed to be taken in a strictly literal sense.”6

 

Two Kinds of Justice

 

When Jesus went to the cross to “satisfy the justice of God” was it to satisfy public justice or retributive justice?  Let’s clearly distinguish the difference between the two.

 The design of law is to secure the happiness and well-being of a society.  Laws are legislated to promote certain ends.  However, laws are no ends in themselves, but are only means to an end.

 Punishment is designed to discourage violation of law, but is not intended to reform the violator.  The degree of punishment should be equal to the value of the law broken.  Simply stated, this says that punishment is equal to the crime.  Every time a violator of law is punished, the law is strengthened.  Conversely, every violator of law who is shown mercy tends to weaken law by fostering the hope of impunity to those who violate its precepts.  Once a lawbreaker understands that consequences for violation  of law are essentially nullified, lawlessness of course will grow all the more.

 Where mercy is shown without any safeguards to reform the offender and justify the sanctions of law, society would be reduced to barbarism, where the strong would rule the weak.

Retributive Justice

 

Concerning retributive justice the only consideration made toward the offender is according to strict calculating justice.  The letter of the law is held to, while the spirit of law is entirely overlooked.  Under this for of justice there can be no mercy, nor forgiveness.  Punishment is handed out according to merit without any other consideration.  “Retributive justice makes no exceptions but punishes without mercy in every entrance of crime.”7

 

Public Justice

 

 

Public justice implies that the lawbreaker will be punished, unless something else is done that will serve the same end  as would the punishment of the lawbreaker.  The purpose of punishment is to secure the authority and influence of law.  It reveals abhorrence of all crime, and safeguards the public’s welfare.

 Whatever, will fully reveal the lawgiver’s regard for his law, his hatred for its violation, his diligence to support it, without fostering or begetting a hope that violators can continue in there crime as would punishment have had, is a full satisfaction of public justice.

 Once these conditions are fulfilled, and the sinner has returned to obedience, public justice insists that the penalty be se aside.  Here the spirit of the law spares and pardons him.  Here also there is mercy and forgiveness.

Christ in His substituted sufferings to support the authority of law, has so exonerated the government of God and His pure character that on the basis of public justice pardon is extended, through the merit of the Redeemer’s death and man meeting prescribed conditions.  That being repentance from dead works and faith towards God.

 

Ground of our Salvation verses Conditions of our Salvation

Before you label me as teaching salvation by works let me distinguish the difference between the ground of salvation and the conditions of salvation.

 

The ground of salvation is the reason why pardon is offered to the world.  And that ground is made on the fact that God wants to save and embrace man in Christ, by bringing him into His great heart.  God’s means of securing reconciliation between man and Himself is the death of His Son.  Note, that man, has nothing to do with the ground of salvation.  The fact is that God wants to reconcile man to Himself because He’s a wonderful God.  Nothing that man does can change God from wanting to reconcile man.

 God wants to pardon, if he can only find a way that will not weaken the authority of his law, as well, as to make it safe so He can extend pardon without encouraging the hope of impunity to the offender.

 We might say in order to reconcile mercy and justice, God so designed the atonement as the remedy to forgive man and so transform the offender that it would make it right and safe to extend pardon.

 Here the bible give us the description of the ground of man’s salvation.  Eph. 2:8,9
”For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God not of works, lest any man should boast.”  Rom.3:24-26  “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;  Whom God hath set forth to be  a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance o God:  To declare, I say at this time his righteousness:  that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”

 Belief of the truth through obedience is a condition which must be met before God will extend pardon.  We see the blending of the two (ground and condition) in many passages of the bible.  For example, “Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit… 1 Pet.1:22  “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Rom.5:1 (faith implies obedience)  “know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;  whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  But god be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being then made free from sin, ye become the servants of righteousness.” Rom 6:16-18

 

Other Conditions

 

Seek:  “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Rom5:13 

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near; Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord.”  Isaiah 55:6,7

 

Humility:  “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  Submit yourselves therefore to God.  “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Lk. 14:11

 

Self denial:  “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”  Mat.16: 24  “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Mk 8:34  “and whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.  Lk. 14:27

 

Confession:  “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hat raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Rom 10:9

 

Conditions:       1) Repentance

                        2) Belief / Faith

                        3) Seeking

                        4) Humility

                        5) Self denial

                        6) Confession

 

I started out this issue with a question and then proceeded to explain the satisfaction theory of the atonement.  The reason being that a large percentage of professing Christians rest the salvation of their souls on the ground of being saved without meeting the day by day conditions of salvation.  By presenting a gospel in such a way as to lower the standard by telling people they must “accept Jesus” they Passover the conditions of what a man is to do.

 Because of the payment theory, people are led to believe that they have no responsibility in keeping themselves in the grace of God.  They are told that the gift of grace does not have conditions which must be met; without which, they cannot be saved.  Herein lies the deception which has entrapped countless numbers. Multitudes I dare say, consent to live in sin and have been told that Christ has paid their penalty, and they need not worry.  “the sin issue has been dealt with”

 By preaching cheap grace that costs the believer nothing the church is guilty of producing many people who will find themselves on the wrong side of eternity.  Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all!! Can this be said or you?

 

Conclusion

The reason that we see so little conviction of sin and so many careless people when it comes to sin in the church, is because bible teachers present a gospel that does not eradicate the practice of sin.  Actually, by making Christ’s death a literal payment for sin, these teachers are fostering disobedience.  Instead of showing how the believer can have victory over sin by appropriating God’s promises and looking to Jesus in the moment of their temptation, these teachers say that we’ll always be sinners, saved by grace.

 Secondly, this teaching begets a false security assuring that a believer is accepted all the while in his sins.  This doctrine also gives license to sin by proclaiming that sin does not have to be utterly eradicated from the believers’ life.  Most people who hold to the

payment theory do not believe they can have victory over all besetting sin.  By looking at the ground of there salvation and almost entirely overlooking the conditions of salvation, they rest in a false hope that “Jesus paid it all” therefore I don’t have to be holy.  The scriptures say “ But God be thanked, that whereas ye were the servants of sin, he have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  Being, then, made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Rom.6:16,17  “…and thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matt.1:21

 The deliverance from sin is real not theoretical.  Those who name the name of Christ must preach a message that honours Christ and that frees men from the bondage of sin.  Does a message which says that in practice you will always be a sinner, and in theory says you will always be considered righteous, honour Christ?

 The conditions of salvation and continuing to walk in the light as he is in the light, must be upheld, if we are to see the church go forward and the world converted.

 I believe the satisfaction theory of the atonement is an enemy of the Gospel.  This teaching must be rejected by all those who live to promote the kingdom of God.  Any message that does not actually bring a person into liberty, delivering them from the power of sin is not the Gospel.

 Only by returning to the Gospel of total obedience, relying on the power of God through Jesus Christ to fill and produce the fruit of righteousness in us, will there be salvation in our lives and in the lives of those we teach.

 Shall we withhold from God the honour that is due by disobedience and unbelief?  Or, shall we look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, for our constant supply of grace and help! 

 

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen”  Jude  24,25