"A little here, a little there...and the entire church crumbles.
The unconverted within our ranks (the vast majority of Adventists, according to EGW) continue to chip away at the pillars of faith upon which God has established His end-time church...and who can say how many precious souls will be lost because of it.
Someday, over a thousand years in the future, even the knees of those who most vehemently (or subtly) opposed the truth will finally bow to God and admit that all His judgments are indeed true and just.
How sad that it will then be too late. Please, let's humble ourselves and submit to Christ as Lord while there is still time...let us leave behind our vain reasonings and worldly logic.
Much love."
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
But Have Not Love...
I speak with the tongues of men and angels.
I have the gift of prophecy.
I understand all mysteries and all knowledge.
I have all faith.
I bestow all my goods to feed the poor.
I give my body to be burned.
I...am...nothing.
How can it be that one who can list all those amazing spiritual blessings can in fact be nothing? The answer is simple, you are already thinking it: if they have not love.
It's an amazing thing to think about...and frightful. We could wake up one day and find that all the things we took as proofs of our Christianity are meaningless as we face the judgement of God. We may find in that day that we say, "Lord, Lord...", and He replies, "I never knew you." How dreadfully somber a scenario to ponder.
It absolutely astounds me how easily my mind turns from contemplating God's love to focusing on doctrines. Whether discovering new truths or solidifying old ones, the truths themselves inevitably steal my concentration.
First of all, what I'm not saying is that it's a bad thing to search out new truths or reaffirm the foundational truths you already have. As with anything in this world, the negative comes when our eyes drift away from Christ and His love and onto whatever it is that's demanding our attention.
In essence, I am prone to making idols of the doctrines themselves. Quite a sobering thought.
Yet, how plainly the Scriptures lay out the all-important need for us to love. How plain it is to see that all of God's Word can be boiled down to two phrases: Love God, and Love Your Neighbor As Yourself. If this one principle of love were the only thing that was grasped in this life, it would surely be enough!
How often we see, hear and quote the famous "love chapter," yet are we missing the point entirely?
1 Corinthians 13:1-3, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."
Too often we are so confident in ourselves because we suppose we understand all mysteries and all knowledge, or because we fancy ourselves to have all faith. But Paul says if we have not love we are nothing...nothing.
Lately I have felt a strong leading from God to dwell on love as an action. Namely, helping those in need: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting those who are sick or in prison. Yet how blunt that passage is to me...reminding me that even if I do bestow all my goods to feed the poor and even give my very body to be burned, yet have not love, it profits me nothing! It is no good to me!
Christ was so, so clear...why is it so difficult for me to let His words take root in my mind? It's like I'm wearing a bullet-proof jacket around my heart!
Matthew 22:37-40, "Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
John 15:12, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
If we haven't come into line with what Jesus calls the first and great commandment, and the second like it, all our pursuit of doctrinal truth becomes folly and idolatry and pride. Let us all seek to first follow these first two, and greatest, commandments, upon which all the Law and the Prophets (or, the Scriptures) hang.
Do you want to know how to be sure that the motive for all your good works is love? Just ask yourself: Am I the same person behind closed doors with my spouse (or children, or siblings, or parents) as I am at church? If not, I'm just putting on a front, a mask.
Christianity starts inside you, in your heart. Then it works its way outward. Any effort to do good works in order to be a Christian is, as Paul puts it, nothing.
The first priority of a Christian should be to display the compassionate love of God to those of his or her own household.
I pray that God will give me ears sensitive to hearing the voice of His Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. I want to walk with God, listening to Him guiding me day by day, minute by minute.
I have the gift of prophecy.
I understand all mysteries and all knowledge.
I have all faith.
I bestow all my goods to feed the poor.
I give my body to be burned.
I...am...nothing.
How can it be that one who can list all those amazing spiritual blessings can in fact be nothing? The answer is simple, you are already thinking it: if they have not love.
It's an amazing thing to think about...and frightful. We could wake up one day and find that all the things we took as proofs of our Christianity are meaningless as we face the judgement of God. We may find in that day that we say, "Lord, Lord...", and He replies, "I never knew you." How dreadfully somber a scenario to ponder.
It absolutely astounds me how easily my mind turns from contemplating God's love to focusing on doctrines. Whether discovering new truths or solidifying old ones, the truths themselves inevitably steal my concentration.
First of all, what I'm not saying is that it's a bad thing to search out new truths or reaffirm the foundational truths you already have. As with anything in this world, the negative comes when our eyes drift away from Christ and His love and onto whatever it is that's demanding our attention.
In essence, I am prone to making idols of the doctrines themselves. Quite a sobering thought.
Yet, how plainly the Scriptures lay out the all-important need for us to love. How plain it is to see that all of God's Word can be boiled down to two phrases: Love God, and Love Your Neighbor As Yourself. If this one principle of love were the only thing that was grasped in this life, it would surely be enough!
How often we see, hear and quote the famous "love chapter," yet are we missing the point entirely?
1 Corinthians 13:1-3, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."
Too often we are so confident in ourselves because we suppose we understand all mysteries and all knowledge, or because we fancy ourselves to have all faith. But Paul says if we have not love we are nothing...nothing.
Lately I have felt a strong leading from God to dwell on love as an action. Namely, helping those in need: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting those who are sick or in prison. Yet how blunt that passage is to me...reminding me that even if I do bestow all my goods to feed the poor and even give my very body to be burned, yet have not love, it profits me nothing! It is no good to me!
Christ was so, so clear...why is it so difficult for me to let His words take root in my mind? It's like I'm wearing a bullet-proof jacket around my heart!
Matthew 22:37-40, "Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
John 15:12, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
If we haven't come into line with what Jesus calls the first and great commandment, and the second like it, all our pursuit of doctrinal truth becomes folly and idolatry and pride. Let us all seek to first follow these first two, and greatest, commandments, upon which all the Law and the Prophets (or, the Scriptures) hang.
Do you want to know how to be sure that the motive for all your good works is love? Just ask yourself: Am I the same person behind closed doors with my spouse (or children, or siblings, or parents) as I am at church? If not, I'm just putting on a front, a mask.
Christianity starts inside you, in your heart. Then it works its way outward. Any effort to do good works in order to be a Christian is, as Paul puts it, nothing.
The first priority of a Christian should be to display the compassionate love of God to those of his or her own household.
I pray that God will give me ears sensitive to hearing the voice of His Holy Spirit speaking to my heart. I want to walk with God, listening to Him guiding me day by day, minute by minute.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Fruit of the Spirit vs. Fruit of the Flesh
What is a Christian?
If you've ever wondered what the Christian life looks like, or what it consists of, look no more. God, through Paul, tells us point blank.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-26, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
Let me digress for a moment, what is the spirit of the law? What is it that truly fulfills the law? Love. Just a few verses earlier Paul says "the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " (Gal 5:14)
Christ Himself said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 22:37-40)
Christ says that on those two principles, love for God and love for our neighbor, hang all the Law and the Prophets. The entire word of God can be summed up so purely with those two commands. It is the entirety of our existence.
If we have allowed Christ to come into our hearts, He brings His love with Him. God will place in our hearts a true love, a self-sacrificing love, for Himself and for His creation.
How Love Fulfills The Law
If we love God, we will have no other gods before Him, because He is the ultimate desire and love of our heart, we won't worship idols because our love is directed only at God, we won't take His name in vain because we love Him, and we will save time for Him and Him only, because we love to be near Him.
If we love His creation, our fellow man, we will honor our father and mother because we love them, we won't murder those we love, we will be faithful in body and thought to those we love, we will not steal from those we love, we will not lie to those we love, we will not covet from those we love.
If we truly have love for God in our heart, the first 4 commandments are no longer a burden, but a delight. If we truly have love for our fellow man, the last 6 commandments are not difficult, but as natural as breathing.
So, with one fell swoop, Paul takes care of the law, for the first, and foundational, fruit of the Spirit is love...agape.
The Rest of the Fruit
Joy...chara. Cheerfulness, i.e. Calm delight, gladness, exceedingly joyful. With the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in our hearts, there should come a calm delight, a gladness that we have found and serve our awesome Creator. Sometimes Christians don't seem like they have one bit of joy in their lives...sometimes Christians can be a little judgemental and haughty, sometimes Christians seem to concentrate on the negative instead of the positive. It shouldn't be so. Let's rejoice in our Creator and His creation. Let's look for the good in every situation, knowing that God is in control.
Peace...eirene. One, peace, quietness, rest, set at one again. How beautiful is that! "Set at one again." Indeed the Christian can and should feel a deep sense of peace because we know that in falling prostrate before God and repenting of our sins, He has been faithful and just to forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We have been truly "set at one again" with our Heavenly Father. Christ has made atonement, "at-one-ment." Let us again remember that our peace comes because we can trust God, that He is always in control, and "all things work together for good to those who love Him." (Rom 8:28)
Longsuffering...makrothumia. Patience, longanimity (good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence), i.e. forbearance or fortitude. This is a big one, and a tough one for some of us. Since Christians are followers of Christ, and He is our example in all things, we should be longsuffering, since God Himself is "longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Pet 3:9) We too should not be hasty or rash, but instead patient and kind, especially with other people. And always in a good-natured way.
Kindness...chrestotes. Usefulness, excellence in character or demeanor, kindness. What a blessing to let others see the kindness of Christ in you. I like that the definition includes, usefulness, for as James says, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (James 2:15-17) Therefore let us be useful to our fellow man. Let us be helpers, and "be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22) Let Christ's love compel us to help, as He helped.
Goodness...agathosune. Goodness, i.e. Virtue or beneficence (doing or producing good). This goes along with the previous fruit of the Spirit. If Christians have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, His goodness should shine forth as the sun. "But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." (Proverbs 4:18)
Faithfulness...pistis. Assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity. The indwelling Spirit of God will produce in us an assurance that we are Christ's, and He will save us. The word fidelity is an interesting one. These days it speaks of the "accuracy with which an electronic system reproduces the sound or image of its input signal". So too, Christians ought to be an accurate reproduction of the signal that is input into our hearts. We should faithfully reflect the Spirit of God that lives in us. As Paul puts it, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) So we see that if we live by faith, it is no longer us who lives, but Christ who lives in us. Amen!
Gentleness...praiotes. Meekness, humility. Since it is Christ who lives in us, we will no longer have a spirit of pride, harshness or compelling. Instead, we will have a meek spirit, a lowly spirit. For Jesus said, "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Matt 23:12) and "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matt 20:27,28). So we too should not seek to be served, but to serve.
Self-control...egkrateia. Temperance (the trait of avoiding excesses). The Seventh-day Adventists have a motto about temperance that goes something like this: "Avoid those things which are harmful and use in moderation those things which are good." Indeed, the Christian should be careful to keep in check those carnal desires and not to overindulge in things like food, drink, spending, sex, or really...anything. The only thing that is acceptable, and profitable, to overindulge in, is God Himself. Let us be moderate in all things and be zealous in prayer and study of the Bible. The Christian should let God control his life, and not his base passions.
Conclusion
So this has been a quick little look at the fruit of the Spirit as found in the fifth chapter of Galatians. Let us spend time each day reflecting on these fruit and how we can incorporate them into our lives. For, to a Christian, they are not optional. I've recently heard it said that all other areas of religion can be counterfeited, but it takes a real vital connection with Christ to produce the fruit of the Spirit. Indeed, in maybe my favorite chapter of the Bible, Christ said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) Let us seek to abide in Him, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.
The Alternative: The Fruit of the Flesh
Many people perhaps do not realize that immediately preceding the fruit of the Spirit, Paul lists the fruit of the flesh.
"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21)
Let that passage be a solemn warning to those who believe that we can die for Christ and still live like the world. Paul is very clear that those who produce the fruit of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God. Let this passage also act as a mirror by which we may look and see ourselves in and say "Woe is me, for I see myself in so many of those things." Let it be a mirror, as the Ten Commandments are a mirror, showing us our desperate need of Christ as a Saviour.
Speaking of the idea of "carnal Christians", I recently found an article by a Baptist pastor about this very subject. Please check it out here. Or copy and paste this link: http://www.godcentered.info/2008.08.13-20-27.09-03WED.Exposing.the.False.Teaching.of.the.Carnal.Christian.html
So we have two lists contrasting the Christian and the worldling. One who bears fruit of the Spirit, one who bears fruit of the flesh. Even if I had no idea who Jesus is or what God is like, even if I had never heard of the Bible, I would certainly look at these two lists and wonder: who in their right mind would want the latter?
I don't know how to close this post, so I'll just close with a written prayer:
Our Father in heaven, please give us Your Holy Spirit and let Him dwell continually in our hearts. Crucify our flesh and make us into Your image that we may glorify You. Teach us to abide in Christ and make us bear fruit. In the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, amen.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
A Message To My Church: Isaiah 58
This turned into a lot longer of a study than I originally intended, so I apologize ahead of time. I broke the study into two parts: one covering the entire chapter of Isaiah 58, and one covering additional scriptures.
Isaiah 58: A Message to My Church (part I)
1 “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.
Here verse one sets the tone for the rest of the chapter, placing it in context. God says this is a message to His people. "The house of Jacob" was a name for God's chosen people during Isaiah's time. Here we see God telling Isaiah to tell his own people their sins, not unbelievers, not heathen nations...but His church's sin. Just like in Christ's day. Were the Jewish people God's church? Weren't the Pharisees, also? Sure. But were their hearts far from God? Were they sinning unknowingly? Yes. That's why God says "tell my people", because they don't know! They don't realize it! Are we part of God's people today? Part of His church today? Perhaps we also have transgressions that we don't know about, or don't realize we have. Let's read on!
2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.
What does God say His people were doing? If I had you read only this verse you would think this passage was praising God's people. They seek God daily, they delight to know His ways, they do righteousness, and don't forsake the ordinance of God. They ask God for justice, they delight in approaching God! How beautiful they seem, don't they? Did the Pharisees also seem very religious on the outside? Didn't Jesus say they wash the outside of the cup...but that it was the inside that was filthy, the part no one could see. Let's read on and find out what God has to say about His people who look so religious on the outside.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “ In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.
Here we see their true motivation: to look good in front of God. They want to impress Him (and other people), to get noticed. But is that what God wants? Does He want us to go through the motions of religion to look good? Does He want us to follow His commands to get noticed by Him (or to be saved)? Or does He want us to obey Him because it's the right thing to do, because He knows what is best for His creation?
4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high.
5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?
Here God shows their true motives. Selfish motives. Then He asks them a straight question: Is this the fast that I have chosen? Would you call this a fast? Would you call this an acceptable day to the Lord? Let's see what His answer is:
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Here we see what God is truly looking for. Here we understand the scripture, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." God is looking for His people to minister to others. To be a blessing. To do Christ's work. If we are the body of Christ, we should be doing His work. We should be His hands...His feet. He says to "share your bread with the hungry", notice it doesn't say to give the hungry your extra bread only if you have enough for yourself first. No, it says share your bread. This is practical ministry, to give the hungry bread...when is the last time you did that? To bring the poor to your house, to cover the naked. Not to hide your face from your own people, your own flesh, your brothers and sisters. Yet, how many times do we try to avoid contact with the homeless person we drive or walk on by?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “ If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
God says then, which means only after you have done what He has just specified. Namely: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, putting a roof over the head of the poor and cast out. When you minister to the needs of others instead of turning your head the other way, that's when your light will break forth like the morning and your healing shall spring forth and your righteousness will go before you and the Lord will protect you and God will answer your cries.
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
In case you missed it, God summarizes what He just said. That's how important God thinks this particular message to His church is! Minister to the hungry, minister to the afflicted souls, then your light will shine, then you will have no darkness in you.
11 The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
How beautiful, my friends. Does the Lord guide you continually? Do you listen to Him throughout your day? At work? At school? Behind closed doors with your family? He will bless and strengthen and nourish you. You'll be like a spring whose waters do not fail. Does that sound familiar? Jesus said the same thing to the woman at the well, pointing us back to this message.
Most of what Jesus said He quoted directly from the Old Testament and I think we'd do well to always go back and study the passages he repeated for our benefit. It seems like much of what Jesus taught was trying to remind us of what we should already know if we studied the Scriptures. After all, that's the Bible Jesus used, just the Old Testament.
12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Here God shifts gears. He starts the chapter with what His people are doing, then He goes on to what His people should be doing, then He goes on to what will happen if they do what they're supposed to. Now He tells us about how we will make the switch from what we're currently doing to what we're supposed to be doing. Notice He says "those from among you". Now, we've already discovered this message is to His church, so God is saying people from within His church will build the old waste places, the places where our forefathers practiced their vain religion. They will raise up the foundations of many generations. What are the foundations of Christianity? What is the foundation of God's creation that has been fallen since Eden? Love, right? Love for our Creator and love for His creation. And they will be called "Repairers of the Breach", they will repair the break in the wall between God's love and our sinfulness. They will restore the true essence of Christianity: to minister to others.
13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,
Now this is a familiar scripture. This is one of the first verses I learned when I joined God's church. I used this verse to try to show my brother-in-law how God calls us to keep the Sabbath. Isn't this a verse that helps prove that we should keep the Sabbath holy? To convert those who don't keep the Sabbath? No, it's for those who already keep the Sabbath. Well, didn't the Jews keep the Sabbath in Isaiah's time? Certainly. Did the Pharisees keep the Sabbath in Jesus' time? Of course! In fact, they took pride in it. They used their strict observance of the Sabbath to prove how religious they were, to prove they were true followers of God. Does this sound familiar? Does our own church often feel this same way? Notice that this verse starts with the word "if", so if we do all these things, then what happens? Read on.
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
If we observe the Sabbath the way God intended, if our religious experience is more than just church attendance and Bible study (if we're more than just hearers of the word), then we'll delight ourselves in the Lord and He'll abundantly bless us.
Wow. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Isaiah 58, a chapter I'd used to try to prove my theology, was actually a message for myself and the rest of God's people, or God's church.
Still Not Convicted? Matthew, James, Revelation and Deuteronomy (pt II)
Perhaps too much emphasis was placed on this one obscure message back in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, though. That would be a possibility, except that Jesus brings us right back to this message when He told us about the great White Throne Judgement when Christ separates the sheep from the goats, those who will receive eternal life from those who will receive everlasting punishment. Let's read Jesus' words:
Matthew 25:31-46, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand,
‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Amazing. He doesn't say come inherit the kingdom prepared for you because you kept my commandments, you observed my Sabbath, your doctrines were correct. No, He says those who inherit the kingdom will do so because they ministered to others. And those who will be cast into the everlasting fire will be cast out because they did not minister to others. Did the Pharisees keep the commandments? Better than you or I probably ever have. It was their compassion that was lacking. Their love for others.
Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? All the Jews passed their brother by, turned a blind eye to his need. It was the members of God's church that did not help their brother! It was a Samaritan, a "bitter enemy" of God's people, that stopped and had compassion on the Jew who had fallen into trouble.
From the end of Matthew chapter 25 we learn that what really separates the saved from the lost are the sins of omission. Not just the sins of commission.
James 4:17, "Therefore, to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."
If we did what we were supposed to do, we wouldn't have to worry about committing sins. If we spent our time ministering to others, we would have little opportunity to commit sins.
Okay well there's two passages, one from Christ's own lips, but how can we be sure this is so important? Well let's see what else James has to say about it:
James 1:27, "Pure and undefiled religion is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."
James 2:15-17, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled." but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
It just doesn't get more simple than that. God tells us point-blank through the Apostle that pure and undefiled religion is to minister to the needs of others and to not partake in the sins of the world. It does no good to merely give lip service and to speak good words.
James 1:22, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
This is a call to action, beloved. A call to ministry. A call to true Christianity.
Still feel like this stuff doesn't apply to you? That you have your own place in the grand scheme of things, your own jobs to do? You don't have need of these things? Let's take a look at God's message specifically to His end-time Church:
Revelation 3:14-22, “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.
Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”
Do we feel rich with knowledge, wealthy in doctrines, having no need for ministry to those in need? Perhaps instead we should obey God's command to "be zealous and repent" and to open the door to our hearts so that His Spirit will dwell within us. A Spirit of ministry. A Spirit of love.
Our example is Christ. What is the nature of Christ, the nature of God?
Deuteronomy 10:17-19, "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
A pretty perfect summary of the Character of God, if you ask me. Helping the fatherless and the widow, giving food and clothing to the stranger. Does He want any less of us? He actually promises no less of us:
Matthew 5:48, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the Bible seems to be clear that our Christian walk should be less about church attendance and giving Bible studies (though these things are indeed important) and more about loving our fellow man.
So the one question I have is this: When is the last time you ministered to someone in need? Now we all have a choice about what kind of Christians we're going to be. Are you a hearer...or are you a doer?
Isaiah 58: A Message to My Church (part I)
1 “Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.
Here verse one sets the tone for the rest of the chapter, placing it in context. God says this is a message to His people. "The house of Jacob" was a name for God's chosen people during Isaiah's time. Here we see God telling Isaiah to tell his own people their sins, not unbelievers, not heathen nations...but His church's sin. Just like in Christ's day. Were the Jewish people God's church? Weren't the Pharisees, also? Sure. But were their hearts far from God? Were they sinning unknowingly? Yes. That's why God says "tell my people", because they don't know! They don't realize it! Are we part of God's people today? Part of His church today? Perhaps we also have transgressions that we don't know about, or don't realize we have. Let's read on!
2 Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.
What does God say His people were doing? If I had you read only this verse you would think this passage was praising God's people. They seek God daily, they delight to know His ways, they do righteousness, and don't forsake the ordinance of God. They ask God for justice, they delight in approaching God! How beautiful they seem, don't they? Did the Pharisees also seem very religious on the outside? Didn't Jesus say they wash the outside of the cup...but that it was the inside that was filthy, the part no one could see. Let's read on and find out what God has to say about His people who look so religious on the outside.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’ “ In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.
Here we see their true motivation: to look good in front of God. They want to impress Him (and other people), to get noticed. But is that what God wants? Does He want us to go through the motions of religion to look good? Does He want us to follow His commands to get noticed by Him (or to be saved)? Or does He want us to obey Him because it's the right thing to do, because He knows what is best for His creation?
4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high.
5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?
Here God shows their true motives. Selfish motives. Then He asks them a straight question: Is this the fast that I have chosen? Would you call this a fast? Would you call this an acceptable day to the Lord? Let's see what His answer is:
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Here we see what God is truly looking for. Here we understand the scripture, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." God is looking for His people to minister to others. To be a blessing. To do Christ's work. If we are the body of Christ, we should be doing His work. We should be His hands...His feet. He says to "share your bread with the hungry", notice it doesn't say to give the hungry your extra bread only if you have enough for yourself first. No, it says share your bread. This is practical ministry, to give the hungry bread...when is the last time you did that? To bring the poor to your house, to cover the naked. Not to hide your face from your own people, your own flesh, your brothers and sisters. Yet, how many times do we try to avoid contact with the homeless person we drive or walk on by?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “ If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
God says then, which means only after you have done what He has just specified. Namely: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, putting a roof over the head of the poor and cast out. When you minister to the needs of others instead of turning your head the other way, that's when your light will break forth like the morning and your healing shall spring forth and your righteousness will go before you and the Lord will protect you and God will answer your cries.
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
In case you missed it, God summarizes what He just said. That's how important God thinks this particular message to His church is! Minister to the hungry, minister to the afflicted souls, then your light will shine, then you will have no darkness in you.
11 The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
How beautiful, my friends. Does the Lord guide you continually? Do you listen to Him throughout your day? At work? At school? Behind closed doors with your family? He will bless and strengthen and nourish you. You'll be like a spring whose waters do not fail. Does that sound familiar? Jesus said the same thing to the woman at the well, pointing us back to this message.
Most of what Jesus said He quoted directly from the Old Testament and I think we'd do well to always go back and study the passages he repeated for our benefit. It seems like much of what Jesus taught was trying to remind us of what we should already know if we studied the Scriptures. After all, that's the Bible Jesus used, just the Old Testament.
12 Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
Here God shifts gears. He starts the chapter with what His people are doing, then He goes on to what His people should be doing, then He goes on to what will happen if they do what they're supposed to. Now He tells us about how we will make the switch from what we're currently doing to what we're supposed to be doing. Notice He says "those from among you". Now, we've already discovered this message is to His church, so God is saying people from within His church will build the old waste places, the places where our forefathers practiced their vain religion. They will raise up the foundations of many generations. What are the foundations of Christianity? What is the foundation of God's creation that has been fallen since Eden? Love, right? Love for our Creator and love for His creation. And they will be called "Repairers of the Breach", they will repair the break in the wall between God's love and our sinfulness. They will restore the true essence of Christianity: to minister to others.
13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,
Now this is a familiar scripture. This is one of the first verses I learned when I joined God's church. I used this verse to try to show my brother-in-law how God calls us to keep the Sabbath. Isn't this a verse that helps prove that we should keep the Sabbath holy? To convert those who don't keep the Sabbath? No, it's for those who already keep the Sabbath. Well, didn't the Jews keep the Sabbath in Isaiah's time? Certainly. Did the Pharisees keep the Sabbath in Jesus' time? Of course! In fact, they took pride in it. They used their strict observance of the Sabbath to prove how religious they were, to prove they were true followers of God. Does this sound familiar? Does our own church often feel this same way? Notice that this verse starts with the word "if", so if we do all these things, then what happens? Read on.
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
If we observe the Sabbath the way God intended, if our religious experience is more than just church attendance and Bible study (if we're more than just hearers of the word), then we'll delight ourselves in the Lord and He'll abundantly bless us.
Wow. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Isaiah 58, a chapter I'd used to try to prove my theology, was actually a message for myself and the rest of God's people, or God's church.
Still Not Convicted? Matthew, James, Revelation and Deuteronomy (pt II)
Perhaps too much emphasis was placed on this one obscure message back in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, though. That would be a possibility, except that Jesus brings us right back to this message when He told us about the great White Throne Judgement when Christ separates the sheep from the goats, those who will receive eternal life from those who will receive everlasting punishment. Let's read Jesus' words:
Matthew 25:31-46, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand,
‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Amazing. He doesn't say come inherit the kingdom prepared for you because you kept my commandments, you observed my Sabbath, your doctrines were correct. No, He says those who inherit the kingdom will do so because they ministered to others. And those who will be cast into the everlasting fire will be cast out because they did not minister to others. Did the Pharisees keep the commandments? Better than you or I probably ever have. It was their compassion that was lacking. Their love for others.
Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan? All the Jews passed their brother by, turned a blind eye to his need. It was the members of God's church that did not help their brother! It was a Samaritan, a "bitter enemy" of God's people, that stopped and had compassion on the Jew who had fallen into trouble.
From the end of Matthew chapter 25 we learn that what really separates the saved from the lost are the sins of omission. Not just the sins of commission.
James 4:17, "Therefore, to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."
If we did what we were supposed to do, we wouldn't have to worry about committing sins. If we spent our time ministering to others, we would have little opportunity to commit sins.
Okay well there's two passages, one from Christ's own lips, but how can we be sure this is so important? Well let's see what else James has to say about it:
James 1:27, "Pure and undefiled religion is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."
James 2:15-17, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled." but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
It just doesn't get more simple than that. God tells us point-blank through the Apostle that pure and undefiled religion is to minister to the needs of others and to not partake in the sins of the world. It does no good to merely give lip service and to speak good words.
James 1:22, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
This is a call to action, beloved. A call to ministry. A call to true Christianity.
Still feel like this stuff doesn't apply to you? That you have your own place in the grand scheme of things, your own jobs to do? You don't have need of these things? Let's take a look at God's message specifically to His end-time Church:
Revelation 3:14-22, “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.
Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”
Do we feel rich with knowledge, wealthy in doctrines, having no need for ministry to those in need? Perhaps instead we should obey God's command to "be zealous and repent" and to open the door to our hearts so that His Spirit will dwell within us. A Spirit of ministry. A Spirit of love.
Our example is Christ. What is the nature of Christ, the nature of God?
Deuteronomy 10:17-19, "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."
A pretty perfect summary of the Character of God, if you ask me. Helping the fatherless and the widow, giving food and clothing to the stranger. Does He want any less of us? He actually promises no less of us:
Matthew 5:48, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the Bible seems to be clear that our Christian walk should be less about church attendance and giving Bible studies (though these things are indeed important) and more about loving our fellow man.
So the one question I have is this: When is the last time you ministered to someone in need? Now we all have a choice about what kind of Christians we're going to be. Are you a hearer...or are you a doer?
William Miller Studied
William Miller studied the Bible for 13 years before ever preaching his first message. Of those, 5 long years were spent studying the time prophecy found in the book of Daniel, attempting to discover if there was any error in his interpretation.
He said that during those 5 years, he thought of every argument that his critics would later use against him, and found satisfactory answers for all of them. Remarkably, he stated that he had thought of many more arguments that no one had ever brought up!
Brothers and sisters, can we learn from the experience of William Miller? Oh I truly believe so. Before we accept, and certainly before we teach, any new doctrine, we would do well to spend not hours, days or even months studying them...but perhaps years conducting a prayer-filled, exhaustive study of them in God's Word, the Bible.
Even with established doctrines we should strive earnestly to be well grounded in the Bible texts which relate to proving the doctrine beyond a shadow of a doubt, and also to be grounded in all the Bible texts which one could possibly present that would provide an argument against the doctrine.
It is in this way that we will become firmly established in the teachings of Scripture, as well as becoming well able to defend the teachings of Scripture with the Scripture itself and not our own logic.
He said that during those 5 years, he thought of every argument that his critics would later use against him, and found satisfactory answers for all of them. Remarkably, he stated that he had thought of many more arguments that no one had ever brought up!
Brothers and sisters, can we learn from the experience of William Miller? Oh I truly believe so. Before we accept, and certainly before we teach, any new doctrine, we would do well to spend not hours, days or even months studying them...but perhaps years conducting a prayer-filled, exhaustive study of them in God's Word, the Bible.
Even with established doctrines we should strive earnestly to be well grounded in the Bible texts which relate to proving the doctrine beyond a shadow of a doubt, and also to be grounded in all the Bible texts which one could possibly present that would provide an argument against the doctrine.
It is in this way that we will become firmly established in the teachings of Scripture, as well as becoming well able to defend the teachings of Scripture with the Scripture itself and not our own logic.
An Examination of Isaiah 22:12-14 and Vegetarianism
DOES ISAIAH 22:12-14 TEACH THAT EATING MEAT IS A SIN?
This is the result of a Bible study I did when I was told that Isaiah 22:12-14 teaches that eating meat is a sin:
"Thank you so much for explaining to me a little more about SDARM (Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement). I appreciate it greatly as you can never quite get an accurate view of an organization by asking someone who opposes it. (e.g. you would not get a clear understanding of Adventist teaching if you asked an ex-Adventist, you would not get a clear understanding of JW teaching if you asked an ex-JW.) The best way to get a clear understanding of what a church teaches is by asking those that believe it.
Anyway, I'll stick to one point and that's the one about eating meat being a sin. I cannot accept that doctrine and these are the reasons:
Isaiah 22:12-14,
'And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts
Called for weeping and for mourning,
For baldness and for girding with sackcloth.
But instead, joy and gladness,
Slaying oxen and killing sheep,
Eating meat and drinking wine:
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
Then it was revealed in my hearing by the LORD of hosts,
“Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you,
Even to your death,” says the Lord GOD of hosts."'
This passage does not declare that eating meat is a sin. God said these people had committed iniquity...but the question is how?
The passage tells us of 6 things these people did: 1) were joyful, 2) had gladness, 3) slayed oxen, 4) killed sheep, 5) ate meat, and 6) drank wine.
If we conclude that it was their actions alone that were the iniquity, we must then believe it a sin to be joyful, have gladness, slay oxen, kill sheep, eat meat and drink wine.
We know that it is not a sin to be joyful, we know that is is not a sin to be glad...for the Bible tells us to be these things. "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24 (and 1 Thes 5:16, etc)
We know that slaying oxen and killing sheep is not a sin...for God commanded such things. "When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD." Lev. 22:27, etc.
Since the Bible is clear that it was not their specific actions that were the iniquity...what was it?
The answer is found in the very first words of the passage...the very first verse... "And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth." - Isaiah 22:12
God had told the people that it was a time for repentance and sorrow...He "called" for it, and yet the people did not obey His voice.
In spite of what He had called for, they turned their backs and said, "Hey, since He is going to destroy us anyway, we might as well live it up and have fun while we still can!" And they did not repent.
"And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: 'Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.'" - Isaiah 22:13
If we look at what the Bible tells us...we see that these people turned their back on God, refusing to repent of their sins and choosing instead to indulge and party as long as they could until their punishment came. And this is why God then said...
"And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts." - Isaiah 22:14
They would not turn away from their sinfulness, would not repent and seek God, even 'til their death.
That is only a deeper look at the passage of Isaiah 22:12-14...but here is the true reason we cannot accept that eating meat is a sin:
If God declared in the days of Isaiah that eating meat is a sin...we must then conclude that Jesus Christ sinned by eating fish, and caused others to sin by giving them fish to eat.
"But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence." - Luke 24:41-43
"And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. So they all ate and were filled." - Mark 6:41, 42
It is the little twists on Bible truths, even to teach a good thing like vegetarianism, that may seem harmless but have terrible consequences when brought to their logical conclusion. We have to be ever so careful when believing a "Bible doctrine" that it is truly what the Bible teaches, plain the clear, without any man's thoughts applied to the texts.
When we say that "The Bible teaches..." we are treading on holy ground, for the Bible is the word of God Himself and we dare not put words in God's mouth or declare that He teaches something that He truly does not.
Again, I want to thank you so much for what you've shared with me about SDARM doctrines...it has helped a great deal, and I have more studying to do on some of these things, in particular the Battle of Armageddon. God bless you!
-Todd
This is the result of a Bible study I did when I was told that Isaiah 22:12-14 teaches that eating meat is a sin:
"Thank you so much for explaining to me a little more about SDARM (Seventh-day Adventist Reform Movement). I appreciate it greatly as you can never quite get an accurate view of an organization by asking someone who opposes it. (e.g. you would not get a clear understanding of Adventist teaching if you asked an ex-Adventist, you would not get a clear understanding of JW teaching if you asked an ex-JW.) The best way to get a clear understanding of what a church teaches is by asking those that believe it.
Anyway, I'll stick to one point and that's the one about eating meat being a sin. I cannot accept that doctrine and these are the reasons:
Isaiah 22:12-14,
'And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts
Called for weeping and for mourning,
For baldness and for girding with sackcloth.
But instead, joy and gladness,
Slaying oxen and killing sheep,
Eating meat and drinking wine:
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
Then it was revealed in my hearing by the LORD of hosts,
“Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you,
Even to your death,” says the Lord GOD of hosts."'
This passage does not declare that eating meat is a sin. God said these people had committed iniquity...but the question is how?
The passage tells us of 6 things these people did: 1) were joyful, 2) had gladness, 3) slayed oxen, 4) killed sheep, 5) ate meat, and 6) drank wine.
If we conclude that it was their actions alone that were the iniquity, we must then believe it a sin to be joyful, have gladness, slay oxen, kill sheep, eat meat and drink wine.
We know that it is not a sin to be joyful, we know that is is not a sin to be glad...for the Bible tells us to be these things. "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24 (and 1 Thes 5:16, etc)
We know that slaying oxen and killing sheep is not a sin...for God commanded such things. "When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD." Lev. 22:27, etc.
Since the Bible is clear that it was not their specific actions that were the iniquity...what was it?
The answer is found in the very first words of the passage...the very first verse... "And in that day the Lord GOD of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth." - Isaiah 22:12
God had told the people that it was a time for repentance and sorrow...He "called" for it, and yet the people did not obey His voice.
In spite of what He had called for, they turned their backs and said, "Hey, since He is going to destroy us anyway, we might as well live it up and have fun while we still can!" And they did not repent.
"And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: 'Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.'" - Isaiah 22:13
If we look at what the Bible tells us...we see that these people turned their back on God, refusing to repent of their sins and choosing instead to indulge and party as long as they could until their punishment came. And this is why God then said...
"And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts." - Isaiah 22:14
They would not turn away from their sinfulness, would not repent and seek God, even 'til their death.
That is only a deeper look at the passage of Isaiah 22:12-14...but here is the true reason we cannot accept that eating meat is a sin:
If God declared in the days of Isaiah that eating meat is a sin...we must then conclude that Jesus Christ sinned by eating fish, and caused others to sin by giving them fish to eat.
"But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence." - Luke 24:41-43
"And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. So they all ate and were filled." - Mark 6:41, 42
It is the little twists on Bible truths, even to teach a good thing like vegetarianism, that may seem harmless but have terrible consequences when brought to their logical conclusion. We have to be ever so careful when believing a "Bible doctrine" that it is truly what the Bible teaches, plain the clear, without any man's thoughts applied to the texts.
When we say that "The Bible teaches..." we are treading on holy ground, for the Bible is the word of God Himself and we dare not put words in God's mouth or declare that He teaches something that He truly does not.
Again, I want to thank you so much for what you've shared with me about SDARM doctrines...it has helped a great deal, and I have more studying to do on some of these things, in particular the Battle of Armageddon. God bless you!
-Todd
Continued Discussion on Vegetarianism
The following is part of an email conversation I was having with a friend.
My Response:
It is very clear from those statements that God's people will not be eating meat...and again, I believe it. But I cannot come to a place where I say to eat meat is a sin because Christ ate meat. And I cannot say that Christ was anything less than perfect in any age. He is our example, our only perfect example, and we are to walk even as He walked, according to His Father's will. And I know that it is His will for His remnant people now to abstain from eating flesh...not because it is a sin in itself, but because it is now become altogether harmful to us to eat meat.
What I'm saying is that I think you are right...very very right. But I cannot call meat-eating a sin in itself, because I cannot say that Jesus did something sinful or that He allowed His people to do something sinful...
The reason we are not to eat meat now is not that the act is sinful, but because "Disease is accumulating rapidly. The curse of God is upon the earth, because man has cursed it. The habits and practices of men have brought the earth into such a condition that some other food than animal food must be substituted for the human family." {CD 384.5}
Because of how we have defiled the world the animals are no longer safe for us.
Conclusion:
I've heard before that God's people will eventually stop eating meat sometime before the end. It was over a hundred years ago when we first heard that message and began saying, "Yes, eventually..."
If what we teach is true, then the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is close, even at the door. Yet we are still saying, "Yes, eventually..." I believe the time is now...give it up if you haven't already. What would stop you?
My Response:
It is very clear from those statements that God's people will not be eating meat...and again, I believe it. But I cannot come to a place where I say to eat meat is a sin because Christ ate meat. And I cannot say that Christ was anything less than perfect in any age. He is our example, our only perfect example, and we are to walk even as He walked, according to His Father's will. And I know that it is His will for His remnant people now to abstain from eating flesh...not because it is a sin in itself, but because it is now become altogether harmful to us to eat meat.
What I'm saying is that I think you are right...very very right. But I cannot call meat-eating a sin in itself, because I cannot say that Jesus did something sinful or that He allowed His people to do something sinful...
The reason we are not to eat meat now is not that the act is sinful, but because "Disease is accumulating rapidly. The curse of God is upon the earth, because man has cursed it. The habits and practices of men have brought the earth into such a condition that some other food than animal food must be substituted for the human family." {CD 384.5}
Because of how we have defiled the world the animals are no longer safe for us.
Conclusion:
I've heard before that God's people will eventually stop eating meat sometime before the end. It was over a hundred years ago when we first heard that message and began saying, "Yes, eventually..."
If what we teach is true, then the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is close, even at the door. Yet we are still saying, "Yes, eventually..." I believe the time is now...give it up if you haven't already. What would stop you?
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