07.14.07

The True Church of Christ Obeys God

Posted in True Church at 11:31 pm by TruthofmyKing

Have you ever read this passage in the Bible:

1 John 2:4-6

4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

NASB

I love the simplicity of God’s Word!  

The true follower of Christ will keep God’s commandments, and if you don’t, the Holy Spirit calls you a liar.  Simple as that.

I hear the “legalist” argument starting.  Have you noticed how the word “legalist” has become a curse word for loose speaking individuals who really don’t know the meaning of the word or what it means in the context of Christianity.

Let me define legalism in the context of our faith.  A legalist declares that one can be justified in the eyes of God by following a set of rules and/or laws.  Such as keeping the law of God somehow Justifies you.

So let me ward off the attack.  If you offend God in any way, small or large, you have offended the most Holy, Powerful, Wise, Fearful Being known to all creation and there is no way to justify yourself.  This means the penalty for ANY sin is death.  Yes, Death!  You see, you have not sinned against some prince or mayor or president but against the Holy Creator of Heaven and Earth and every thing not in conformity to His perfection is sin.  All unrighteousness is sin.

So how can Christians claim they are saved or justified?  Well, some Christians miss the fact that Justice was served for their sin.  We only have to look to the Cross of Christ to see that the Judgement of God fell on Christ for our sin.  You see God loved Jesus immensley and He had no reason to punish Him except for the cause of you.  And Yes, one man can pay the penalty for every man that has ever lived and that is ever going to live because Jesus is worth more than everyone put together.

So Justification is only through the acceptance of Christ’s death and resurrection and there is no amount of righteousness that you can perform to cover even one sin. 

Even in the American court system, good law abiding deeds will not excuse a criminal from the execution of justice for a crime committed.  Imagine a murder happened 20 years ago and the offender within the span of those 20 years became a senator, paid all his taxes, and never got a speeding ticket.  Do you think when he stands before the judge, years later, that the judge will excuse his aweful murder because of his law abiding activity or will the judge and jury of his peers exact justice for his brutal murder?  Obviously Justice will be served here on earth, and if it is served on earth, then how much more will justice be served in heaven?

So again, justification is only through the acceptance of Christ’s death and resurrection and there is no amount of righteousness that you can perform to cover even one sin. 

So now that the “legalist” argument has been silenced we can move on with a biblical teaching.  The Scripture declares that if you say that you know Jesus, or in other words, you say “I am a Christian”, and you do not keep the commandments of God then you are a liar.  Keeping the commandments of God is one of the evidence’s of who you are, inwardly. 

Now, Mr. or Mrs. Legalism Accuser, do you keep the commandments of God?  What do you say about 1 John 2:4-6?

Ah, perhaps we found the root of your disagreement.  The Bible may condemn you as a liar.  You might actually teach, or have believed the teaching, that it is OK for you to live as though God never gave you a law to obey rather then admitting that the Scripture teaches that True Christians keep the commandments of God.

Not only do we find this subject to be very clearly written in the text of 1 John but also throughout the entire book of the Holy Bible.  For example, in book of Ezekiel, God prophesies about the “Born Again” experience:

Ezek 36:24-28

24 “For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. 25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28 “And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.

NASB

Even the beloved Peter, the Rock, the one Christ said He would build His Church upon, spoke about this matter:

1 Peter 1:14-16

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

NASB

Perhaps Jesus Himself will convince you:

John 14:15

15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

NASB

Jesus again:

John 14:21

21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.”

NASB

The Lord of Glory:

John 15:10

10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.

NASB

The Son of Man:

Matt 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

NASB

In other words, Jesus says: 

DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO DO NOT KEEP GOD’S LAWS. (LAWLESS) 

How about Paul:

Rom 6:16-18

16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

NASB

John Again:

1 John 5:2-3

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

NASB

And finally it is understood by the saints that faith and obeying God go hand and hand:

Rev 14:12

12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

NASB

Those of you who scream “legalist” and at the same time proclaim “I have come to know Him”,  I have a question for you.

Are the commandments burdensome to you?

If so, it is evidence of your nature.  You are most likely unconverted and have every reason to fear the Justice of God.  I beg you to pray to God, who has the ability to take out your old disobedient nature and replace it with an obedient nature; He can take out your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh.  The commandments will no longer be burdensome to you and you will joyfully concur with the Law of God, just as Paul, the preacher of faith.

Rom 7:22

22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,

NASB

For a fish, being out of the water is burdensome, and I can see why a fish does not like that experience for it is completely contrary to his nature. I can also see why some “professors of faith” have used the “legalist argument” and twisted the word of God when it comes to obedience; it is because obedience is contrary to their inner nature.

God declares in Scripture;”I WILL PUT A NEW SPIRIT WITHIN YOU AND CAUSE YOU TO WALK IN MY STATUTES.” and “YOU WILL BE CAREFUL TO OBSERVE MY ORDINANCES.”   Do we believe God or man?

Acts 5:29

29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

NASB

Legalist Accuser, Examine yourself!

Are you in Christ or are you just accusing the brethren?

For the Truth of my King

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The Perfect Church Found in Christ

Posted in True Church at 12:34 am by TruthofmyKing

“If you wait for a perfect church, you must wait until you get to Heaven; and even if you could find a perfect assembly on earth, I am sure they would not admit you to their fellowship, for you are not perfect yourself.  Find out those people who are nearest to the Scriptures, who hold the truth in doctrine and in ordinance, and are most like the apostolic church, and then cast in your lot with them, and you will be blessed in the deed.”~Charles Spurgoen

If you say there is a perfect spiritual church you will find no better friend than I standing next to you, but if you are looking for that perfect church here on earth in the form of men, I am afraid your seeking is in vain. 

First, I must address an issue, some say there is the same amount of child abuse, pornography, fornication, and adultery inside the Church as there is outside the Church.  These people come with statistics and so called facts, but I declare to them that the True Church is alive and well.  The true church hungers and thirsts for righteousness, and obeys the commandments of God, and not for justification reasons, but out of respect for their Father’s house, who is Holy, and God declares because “He is Holy, so you shall be Holy”, and so it is with them.

What these people also don’t understand is that everyone who proclaims to be a Christian is not one just because of their profession of Christ.  No, the bible is clear, it is your actions that are the evidences of your faith.

Some of you now are asking, “aren’t you a sinner?”   “You don’t claim that Christians are perfect, do you?”  Well, I am glad you asked.

I am a sinner.  If I say I have no sin then I am a liar and the truth is not in me, but I say that I am a sinner that is declared to be right, NOT on my own virtue or merit, but I am righteous and perfect by the virtue and merit of another, that is my Lord, Jesus Christ. 

If I was perfect on my own, I would not have need of a Saviour!

In fact, the Scripture is clear, There is none perfect, no, not one.  Even Paul, who calls us to be perfect in his letters, admitted that he did not obtain perfection.

Phil 3:12

12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

NASB

Even the beloved Simon Peter was rebuked in the Scripture for showing partiality to the Jews over others. This is an imperfection of a member of the True Church to say the least.

So if Paul and Peter were not perfect and they made up the early Church, why do you search for perfection in the present day Church?

One of the hardest things for men to understand is how Jesus justifies sinners.  Even though Paul and Peter were not perfect while they walked on this earth, I can assure you that they are declared perfect and righteous even as I write.

To be “perfect” is to be Jesus, Himself, and no one has obtained this form of perfection.  To be “perfect in Christ” is to be an imperfect wretch, broken and contrite over sin but found in repentance, and through the Grace of God, who searches the deep parts of the heart, he is gloriously redeemed and justified by a mighty Savior.

So there is only one way to perceive if a church is “perfect”, that is to look spiritually and see if it is “perfect in Christ.” 

In the same manner, you will never find “perfection” in men, the only thing you can possibly see in a man is his “perfection in Christ”.

For the Truth of my King

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