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Author Topic: A question - falling away  (Read 8353 times)

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Oatmeal

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A question - falling away
« on: September 19, 2009, 07:44:12 PM »

I haven’t (yet?) thoroughly read through the LOF series.  I’ve begun again and gone back to chapter one.

Ray writes:

What an astonishing truth it is, that God CAUSES all those destined from the foundation of the world, to be chosen in Christ, that they should "fall away" from the Truth and "leave their first love" before they can be truly spiritually converted. Yet this is the plain declaration of Scripture.

How do the following verses fit in?

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

It is impossible for the elect to fall away, so these verses must apply to the called (just a comment).

Does Ray answer this question anywhere?
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From Micah 7:9:  By the grace and call of Yahweh I will bear the trials of the narrow way, because I have no love, until He fully shows me my sin and I am judged by Him.  He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall see His righteousness.

mharrell08

  • Guest
Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2009, 10:59:49 PM »

I haven’t (yet?) thoroughly read through the LOF series.  I’ve begun again and gone back to chapter one.

Ray writes:

What an astonishing truth it is, that God CAUSES all those destined from the foundation of the world, to be chosen in Christ, that they should "fall away" from the Truth and "leave their first love" before they can be truly spiritually converted. Yet this is the plain declaration of Scripture.

How do the following verses fit in?

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

It is impossible for the elect to fall away, so these verses must apply to the called (just a comment).

Does Ray answer this question anywhere?


Hello Oatmeal,

As Ray teaches, it is Jesus himself who tells us that all who will overcome (His Elect) will have first fallen away.

Lake of Fire Part 14 (http://bible-truths.com/lake14.html):

EXCEPT THERE COME A FALLING AWAY FIRST

What an astonishing truth it is, that God CAUSES all those destined from the foundation of the world, to be chosen in Christ, that they should "fall away" from the Truth and "leave their first love" before they can be truly spiritually converted. Yet this is the plain declaration of Scripture.

Peter fell away:

    "Jesus said unto him [Peter], Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, you shall deny me thrice [three times]" (Matt. 26:34).

All the apostles fell away:

    "Then said Jesus unto them, ALL YE shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad" (Matt. 26:31).

    "And they ALL forsook Him, and fled." (Mark 14:50).

Paul fell away:

    "As for Saul [renamed Paul], he made havock of the church…" (Acts 8:3) [while at the very same time he was "blameless" in keeping the Law of Moses] (Phil. 3:6).

ALL the Churches in Asia fell away after being in full support of Paul’s ministry. First:

    "The churches of Asia salute [greet] you…" (I Cor. 16:19).

Later near the end of Paul’s ministry:

    "This you know, that ALL they which are in Asia be TURNED AWAY FROM ME…" (II Tim. 2:15).

Paul warned the Ephesian Elders about the "flock—church" falling away:

    "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock [the whole flock]." (Acts 20:29).

Jesus prophesied that all who will become overcomers will have first fallen away temporarily by leaving their first love:

    "Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you [the seven-in-one golden candlestick church of God that is, was, and will be] have LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE" (Rev. 2:4).

Jesus Himself calls this leaving of our first love, a falling away:

    "Remember therefore from whence you ARE FALLEN, and REPENT…" (Rev. 2:5).


Whenever we "fall," we leave our "first love." For spiritual falling IS, LEAVING LOVE. Jesus said that when we leave our first love we are to ‘remember from whence we are FALLEN…’ Love itself has not failed us, but we have failed love, for true love is not capable of failure or falling:

    "Charity [Old English for ‘love’] never fails…" (I Cor. 13:8 ).

Jesus reprimands us for "falling" from love in Rev. 2:5. Interestingly, the word translated "fails" in I Cor. 13:8 is the very same word translated "fallen" in Rev. 2:5. And so, "love never FALLS," but before we are saved, we will fall.

Why is it that this Scriptural truth is not taught in the Church? Simple: Most in the church have not as yet experienced "leaving their first love." Therefore, they are still deceived, and CANNOT see the beast within. They are still in the process of constructing their spiritual house upon the sand. Most will never see the beast in this lifetime.



The writer of Hebrews further expounds on those who are 'impossible to be renewed again unto repentance' in the same chapter:

Heb 6:4-8

4  For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

5  and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

6  and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

7  For
[or 'because', this is the reason why] ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; [this is talking about God's Elect...those who bring good fruit (Luke 6:43)]

8  but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.[this is talking about those resurrected to judgment...those that bring forth corrupt fruit (Luke 6:43)] [NASB]

Matt 7:15-19  

15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.


People who bring forth corrupt fruit, fall away to not be renewed to repentance, do not overcome (in this age), etc were NEVER chosen to be God's Elect in the first place...The Lord has chosen these few before the foundation of the world:

Eph 1:3-6  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Rom 8:29-30  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.



Hope this helps,

Marques


P.S.  Welcome to the forum  :)
« Last Edit: September 19, 2009, 11:29:49 PM by mharrell08 »
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Kat

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Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #2 on: September 19, 2009, 11:28:02 PM »


Hi Oatmeal,

Welcome to the forum  :)
Here is an excerpt form the Lake of Fire article no. 13 'Who is the Beast?'  This should help with your question, but there is more details in the article, here is the link.

http://bible-truths.com/lake13.html -------------

Now I am sure that we all would like to declare that we have built OUR spiritual house upon The Rock of Jesus Christ, and that certainly WE are not among the foolish saints who have build our spiritual house upon the sand.

Make no mistake about it; if your spiritual house is built upon sand, IT WILL FALL! ALL spiritual houses built upon the sand, will fall.

The Great Church in Revelation is called:

"Mystery BABYLON THE GREAT, The Mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth" (Rev. 17:5).

This great church decidedly does NOT spiritually dwell in the heavens, but is ‘of the earth, earthy.’ This great church is built upon the spiritual sand of this world’s doctrines. And being built on sand, SHE WILL FALL:

"And there followed another angel, saying Babylon IS FALLEN, IS FALLEN, that great city [‘For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children’ Gal. 4:25], because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Rev. 14:08).

And this…

"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great IS FALLEN, IS FALLEN, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities" (Rev. 18:5).

And so, dear reader, if you have built your spiritual house upon the sand of this world’s great Church, you are warned to COME OUT OF HER, because she is going to fall, and "GREAT will be the fall of it."

This then, is the condition of ALL the saints at some time in their life, as they along with John, "…stood upon THE SAND OF THE SEA, and saw a wild beast rise up out of the sea…"
v
v
ALL FALL AWAY

I showed numerous times that all: leave their first love, forsake Jesus, look back, blaspheme, build a spiritual house upon the sand, etc.

It is when John is standing on the sand of the sea that he first sees the wild beast come up out of the sea. Now the questions become: "WHEN did John stand upon the sand in HIS life? WHEN do we stand upon the sand in OUR lives?

Answer: When the spiritual house that we all build falls down with a ‘GREAT FALL.’ When (notice I did not say, ‘IF’)…when our spiritual house built upon the spiritual sand falls, WE ARE LEFT STANDING ON THE SAND OF THE SEA. We are only INCHES above the very sea itself—the masses and multitudes of humanity who do not have any knowledge of God AT ALL. It doesn’t mean that we have no knowledge of God at all at this quandary in our spiritual lives; it just means that we are no closer to God than all the humanity in the sea. Hence, we are not IN the sea, but rather standing on the SAND of the sea where out spiritual house just FELL!

And since God is not only calling some of us but choosing us also, God begins to teach us anew. And the first thing He begins to show us is the WILD BEAST coming up out of the sea that is the CAUSE of our being overcome and the CAUSE of our spiritual house falling! This wild beast will be reckoned with by all humanity sooner or later.

THERE MUST COME A ‘FALLING AWAY’ FIRST

I have shown you that John, Paul, Peter, ALL of the apostles, the whole church in Asia, the Seven Churches of Revelation, the entire flock of God’s called, all built their houses upon spiritual sand—in other words EVERYONE ever called by God, falls, falls down, falls away.

The Proverb tells us that, "For a just man falls seven times…" That’s a COMPLETE fall. But strange as it may seem, this is necessary in God’s plan. What happens to a just man after he falls seven times? "…and RISES UP AGAIN" (Prov. 24:16). When he completely falls, he falls from grace. But for those whom God is both calling AND choosing, they will RISE UP AGAIN, for

"Who are you that judges another man’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be holden up [made to stand up]: for God is able to MAKE HIM STAND" (Rom. 14:4).

We will ALL FALL! But afterwards, God "raises us UP AGAIN," and "makes us STAND." And from that time onward we have this sure promise of which we read before, but I want to read again:

"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, and dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen" (Jude 124-25)!
--------------------------------------------------------------

mercy, peace and love
Kat


« Last Edit: June 29, 2011, 01:02:37 AM by Kat »
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CEO

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Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2009, 02:30:25 PM »

Kat, Marques

How did Paul fall away? How did Paul leave his first love?  How did Paul come out ot her?

Isn't his falling away equal to leaving first love and equal to coming out of her, her being the corrupted mother church, Judaism?

Wouldn't falling seven times mean falling from lies into truth, when we have fallen far enough to hit bottom then we have come to the foundation, which  is truth(Christ)?

Wouldn't this explain the more severe judgment for those who have heard with spiritual ears and  seen with spiritual eyes the truth from Christs elected church (my Church) yet revert to false teaching?

Hmmm...

Askseeknock
Charles
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mharrell08

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Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2009, 03:05:10 PM »

Kat, Marques

How did Paul fall away? How did Paul leave his first love?  How did Paul come out out her?

Lake of Fire Part 14 (http://bible-truths.com/lake14.html):

Paul fell away:

    "As for Saul [renamed Paul], he made havock of the church…" (Acts 8:3) [while at the very same time he was "blameless" in keeping the Law of Moses] (Phil. 3:6).


Isn't his falling away equal to leaving first love and equal to coming out of her, her being the corrupted mother church, Judaism?

No, Paul and everyone else's 'falling away' is NOT equal to coming out of Babylon. When one is 'falling away' or 'leaving their first love' there are in the very midst of Babylon with no thought of coming out. That is why Christ tells us to 'repent' (to turn away) from the paganism we have been following.

Wouldn't falling seven times mean falling from lies into truth, when we have fallen far enough to hit bottom then we have come to the foundation, which  is truth(Christ)?

No, one does not fall any number of times 'into' the truth. Like Christ says, we must repent...if falling was a means into His Truth, He would have commanded us to 'keep falling away' not to repent and turn away from carnal works.

Wouldn't this explain the more severe judgment for those who have heard with spiritual ears and  seen with spiritual eyes the truth from Christs elected church (my Church) yet revert to false teaching?

Hmmm...

Askseeknock
Charles

Is the 'this' from your comments above referring to the excerpt from Hebrews 6? Here is my original post if so, and if not, please correct me by letting me know what the 'this' is you are referring to above:

The writer of Hebrews further expounds on those who are 'impossible to be renewed again unto repentance' in the same chapter:

Heb 6:4-8

4  For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

5  and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

6  and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

7  For
[or 'because', this is the reason why] ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; [this is talking about God's Elect...those who bring good fruit (Luke 6:43)]

8  but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.[this is talking about those resurrected to judgment...those that bring forth corrupt fruit (Luke 6:43)] [NASB]

Matt 7:15-19  

15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.


People who bring forth corrupt fruit, fall away to not be renewed to repentance, do not overcome (in this age), etc were NEVER chosen to be God's Elect in the first place...The Lord has chosen these few before the foundation of the world:

Eph 1:3-6  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Rom 8:29-30  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.


Thanks,

Marques
« Last Edit: September 25, 2009, 04:27:04 PM by mharrell08 »
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Marky Mark

  • Guest
Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #5 on: September 25, 2009, 03:38:38 PM »

Welcome to the forums Oatmeal. :)

  Great first post. Oh,and the answers given by Kat and Marques are what this forum is all about,edification and the Truth of Scripture.

Thanks all...



Peace...Mark
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Kat

  • Guest
Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2009, 05:04:44 PM »


Hi Charles,

Quote
How did Paul leave his first love?

Well firstly what is our first love?  It is when we first understand who God really is.  This usually happens early in our church life, though our spiritual eyes are not yet opened, we do realize that Christ is our Savior and we want to follow Him.  Paul as with all of the Jewish believers at that time have 'first love.'   Paul states in Scripture that "according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee."

Acts 26:4  "My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.
v. 5  They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.

Quote
How did Paul fall away?

So Paul served God as a Pharisee to the strictest degree.  This is his 'first love.'  But all who have this first love will find it is grounded in the flesh, because they are still carnal and therefore we all will fall.  Whether a Christian or a Jew everybody will turn their love of God into serving the doctrines of man.  With Paul we know he zealously persecuted Christ's church, but at the same time he was blameless under the law.

Php 3:4  Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
v. 5  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee,
v. 6  as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law blameless.

Act 26:10  This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

Quote
How did Paul come out ot her?

The same as we all do, he had to stop serving the doctrines of men/the chief priests and leave that institution, Babylon.

Here is another excerpt from article no. 13 on falling from our first love.

http://bible-truths.com/lake13.html -----------------------------

THERE IS HOPE FOR THE BUILDERS ON SAND

Yes, there is HOPE for all those who build their house upon the sand? But there is hope only according to God’s choosing. Remember, "many are called, but FEW ARE CHOSEN."

Every one who is chosen out from the called, will have first built their spiritual house upon the sand, and it will FALL! Every one who is of the chosen FEW will leave his "First Love" (Rev. 2:4). There is a time when all of the chosen will "look back," and see a time when they were not, "…FIT for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). It happened to Peter, it happened to the other eleven apostles, it happened to Paul, it happened to Paul’s followers, it happened to the entire early church, it will happen to US!

"Surely you [Peter] also are one of them: for your speech betrays you. Then began he to CURSE AND TO SWEAR [Gk: call down curses, damning and swearing], saying I DO NOT KNOW THE MAN [Jesus Christ]" (Matt. 26:73 & 74).
 
How true: at that very moment in Peter’s life he TRULY DID NOT KNOW Jesus Christ! HIS HOUSE OF SAND FELL!
  
"But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then ALL THE DISCIPLES FORSOOK HIM AND FLED" (Matt. 26:56)!
v  
v
Everyone’s first house (the house built upon the sand) FALLS! It is just part of the process in our suffering to learn obedience, that God has mandated.

"MANY [the called but not chosen] will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not

prophesied in Thy Name? And

in Thy Name cast out devils? And

in Thy name done MANY WONDERFUL WORKS?" (Matt. 7:22).

These are "Christians" (Lord, Lord) who BELIEVE in the Name of the Lord, and they do MANY… WONDERFUL… WORKS in the Name of the Lord. But what happens to them? Their house on the sand FALLS— "…DEPART from Me, you that work iniquity [lawlessness]" (Ver. 23). Jesus then goes on to show how those who do not build on the foundation of Jesus are building their house upon the sand, even though they do MANY wonderful works.

Their house falls, not because of the super structure itself. No, the super structure is composed of MANY WONDERFUL WORKS. The house falls because it is not build upon the ROCK of Jesus Christ who is the ONLY FOUNDATION that will support a spiritual house. The "wonderful works" part of Christendom is good. Jesus doesn’t say that all of their works are bad. No, they are wonderful, however, their house will not stand and therefore it must come down. A Christian’s personal good works will not forgive his personal SINS! These must be REPENTED of and OVERCOME.

Now for all of you whom God is calling only, you will not believe what I am saying, you will not do what I am teaching you, and you will not recover (in this lifetime) from the disaster of building your spiritual house (life) upon the sand. But what about those of you whom God is calling AND choosing? What are you to do when you see that your spiritual house has fallen with a GREAT FALL? Answer:

"Remember therefore from whence you ARE FALLEN, and REPENT" (Rev. 2:5)!
  
"RETURN unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts" (Mal. 3:7).
  
"For ye [all of you, the whole flock, the whole church, the whole house of God] were as sheep going astray [Isa. 53:6]; but are now RETURNED unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls" (I Pet. 2:25).
  
"And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous [‘prodigal or wasteful extravagance’] living.
 
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine [a spiritual famine] in that land [in his land, his earth, for his thoughts were not ‘in heaven’]; and he began to be in want [‘…and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked’ Rev. 3:17].
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of the country; and he sent him into his fields to FEED SWINE [his spiritual house ‘has FALLEN, has FALLEN’].

And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

And when he CAME TO HIMSELF [‘remember from whence you are fallen, and REPENT’] he said, How many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

I will arise, and GO TO MY FATHER [‘RETURN UNTO ME, and I will return unto YOU’], and will say unto him, Father, I have SINNED against heaven [I have ‘left my first love’] and before Thee…

Seven times Jesus says to the Seven Churches who had LEFT THEIR FIRST LOVE; that they should "REPENT!"
And so after we repent of leaving our first love, and all the sin and corruption that goes along with it, what are we to do? Why we begin building our spiritual house upon The ROCK of Jesus Christ—the FOUNDATION of Jesus Christ, of course.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

mercy, peace and love
Kat

« Last Edit: September 25, 2009, 05:35:30 PM by Kat »
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cheekie3

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Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2009, 11:38:46 AM »

Kat - Excellently put. Regards, cheekie3.
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firefly77

  • Guest
Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2009, 12:06:13 PM »

Kat,
As always, you do a wonderful job explaining it. Thank you!
Angie
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mharrell08

  • Guest
Re: A question - falling away
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2009, 01:11:41 PM »

Not to beat a dead horse, but here are some excellent scriptures that Ray points out concerning Paul.

Excerpt from Lake of Fire series part 7 (http://bible-truths.com/lake7.html):

THE CHIEF OF SINNERS WAS THE PERFECT LAW KEEPER

Now then for the shocker! In I Tim. 1:15 we read this:

    "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation [in other words, what Paul is about to say is the absolute truth and worthy of considerable contemplation] that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF"!!

I covered these verses in great detail in a previous installment. Paul REALLY WAS the WORST, PREEMINENT SINNER THAT HAS EVER LIVED. Paul was truly "CHIEF of sinners"!! And we read where Paul was once "BLAMELESS in the keeping of the law of Moses."

Now then, WHEN was Paul (1) "BLAMELESS IN LAW KEEPING"? And WHEN was Paul (2) "the CHIEF OF SINNERS"? The answer: AT THE SAME TIME!!!

    WHEN PAUL HAD REACHED THE ZENITH OF TOTAL OBEDIENCE AND ZEAL TO GOD UNDER THE OLD COVENANT LAW OF MOSES, IT CAUSED HIM AT THE SAME TIME TO BE THE WORLD’S WORST SINNER!!!

    Paul was both THE MOST PERFECT LAW-KEEPER AND THE WORLD’S WORST SINNER, AT THE SAME TIME!!!

NO WONDER PAUL WROTE:

    "Who also makes us competent dispensers of a NEW covenant, NOT of the letter, but OF the spirit, for the letter KILLS but the spirit gives LIFE" (II Cor. 3:6).

The Old Covenant written in Ten Commandments on stone tablets was an "ADMINISTRATION OF DEATH" (Ver. 7). And the letter will ALWAYS KILL:

    "They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time comes, that whosoever KILLS YOU will think that he does God service [by following the law of Moses under the Old Covenant]" (John 16:2).

To prove to God his GREATEST ZEAL, Paul persecuted and slaughtered the church, which was legal for him to do under the authority of the High Priest, Chief Priests, Elders and Council at the Temple in Jerusalem, of whom Jesus Himself said, "They SIT IN MOSES SEAT." And it was this very ZEAL FOR GOD that also made him the world’s WORST SINNER! Unbelievable! UNBELIEVABLE!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!

But we must believe it—it is the Word of God!



Thanks,

Marques
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