True Faith (Book II)

By Pastor Bill Taylor

A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 9/Issue 17

Prophecy: I’ve told you to expand your faith. But how does faith expand? How is faith evidenced? Faith doesn’t expand by merely asking for it to grow. Faith expands by reason of use, by exercise. The more you use your faith the greater it becomes. Also faith is evidenced by the way you speak, by the things you do. No one will say you have faith if you speak not. No one will say you have faith if you do not. No one will say you have faith to prophesy if you don’t prophesy nor will you grow in faith if you don’t speak, if you don’t testify, if you don’t act. If you sit idle and expect faith to grow just because you’ve asked, you are mistaken. Faith grows by reason of use and expands when it’s put to work. So put your faith to work, that it may live and grow, thus saith the Lord. (Prophecy delivered at "My Father's House")

 Beloved, test the spirits, for there are many false prophets! (1Jn4:1)

Superstition: satan’s kingdom is darkness: delusion, ignorance, blindness, confusion, illusion, misunderstanding! God’s Kingdom is light: truth, wisdom, understanding, clarity, and correct perceptions! There is one religion of truth which is of true faith in Christ Jesus, but there are innumerable false religions and perversions of the “faith in Christ,” all of which are under the sway of the prince of darkness who desires to prevent men from escaping his bondage and entering God’s Kingdom of light! The common characteristic of all false religion is superstition! To be superstitious is to believe or have faith in that which is irrational, baseless or lacking any reasonable foundation of supportable or verifiable truth! With the exception of true Christianity, all religions are superstitious and their adherents captives of one or another form of satanic delusion! True Christianity doesn’t exempt itself from the required foundations of truth and reason in purporting itself to be unsuperstitious but on the contrary true Christianity fulfills every requirement of truth and reasonableness in establishing itself as the only valid religion! But Paul said, “I am not mad most noble Festus, but I speak the words of truth and reason! (Acts26:25)

Anyone who doesn’t understand this, doesn’t comprehend the necessity of and reason for the atonement which Christ alone has made and which only true Christianity possesses! The lack of an atonement or the improper understanding of Jesus’ atonement causes all false religions to fail the tests of truth and reason! For if sin isn’t both atoned for and conquered in the life of the believer, there can be no salvation! The government of the universe would be defective if it didn’t both atone for and defeat sin. And the god of any such religion couldn’t stand and wouldn’t be eternal! Thus true Christianity alone can be proven to be true! And all religions that disagree with her truth can be proven to be false. Yet even the vast majority of what purports to be christianity is commonly superstitious and antithetical to the Spirit of Christ! For virtually all religions except that of the true Christ are opposed to truth, preferring their own particular version of “reality,” really delusion, to the whole truth of Christ in God! It’s in the abundance of religions that satan’s kingdom is most powerfully manifested and it’s in their great diversity of beliefs, that the “author of confusion” can most clearly be seen! To be of a religious spirit in any form except that of union in heart and soul to Christ Himself is to be not near to God at all, but in every case to be as far away from God as one can possibly get!

If the apprehension of truth is the means by which godliness is measured, God being truth, then in degrees of distance from perfect truth or godliness the publicans and harlots rank far ahead, and will be found much closer to God than the pharisees! Assuredly I say unto you that the tax collectors and harlots enter the Kingdom of heaven before you. For John the Baptist came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and harlots believed him (and were baptized) and when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him! (Matt21:31-32) Thus Jesus reveals the worst of sinners, the drug addict, the prostitute, the thief, and the drunkard may be more aware of the truth concerning their sinful estate and more easily convicted by the gospel than those who are deluded by self-righteousness and superstitious illusions of religious acceptability, who are actually the farthest away from the Kingdom of God and the least likely to be allowed to enter. Because the farthest distance from God isn’t measured in an adherence to arbitrary social requirements, civil or ritualistic religious laws, or the obedience to merely human standards of moral behavior but it’s measured in one’s ability and willingness to recognize and receive the truth that comes by God’s Spirit in love. And those who are captive to superstitious religious beliefs are the least inclined to receive the truth and therefore the most inclined of all to obey and follow the particular darkness of which they are persuaded! Thus they think they do God service when they slay you! (Jn16:2)

And it’s these, the superstitious “religious” people who crucified Christ and continue to oppose Christ’s true followers even today! For example, the priests and pharisees believed it was okay to seek false witnesses to convict Christ as long as they superstitiously kept the law of having two or more witnesses! That the witnesses are false seems of no consequence to them as long as their obedience is to the superstitious letter. Yet they totally miss the Spirit and purpose of the law; justice and truth! Such priests don’t know or fear God! But they fear the law and superstitiously keep it, as if mere obedience to the letter of the law will bless them whether their hearts are right with God or not. Later they refused to accept the money Judas returned to them, because, again, to accept “blood” money would be contrary to the law and they superstitiously feared breaking the law. But they had no fear of God judging them for their evil and murderous ways! You see, to these priests and pharisees, as to many who call themselves “christians” today, their religion is not a heart-felt relationship with a holy God but it is the superstitious keeping of religious rules which some even think can be used to one’s selfish advantage if they’re smart enough. As the pharisees believed they could remain innocent even if they did evil in benefiting themselves at some one else’s expense as long as they didn’t break one of their superstitious laws! “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’” (Matt23:16) Which shows the pharisees thought they could take advantage of gentiles by breaking contracts that they swore to by the temple as long as they didn’t break vows made by the gold of the temple. So to unjustly accuse and crucify Jesus wouldn’t be considered a sin to them as long as they could do it within the bounds of law. As long as they had two or more witnesses – the fact that the witnesses were false didn’t matter – that’s their sin not the pharisees’ sin. So if we can find a way in the law to “break” the law, a loophole, then we haven’t really broken the law and we won’t be accursed. Today anyone who claims to be a believer but who looks into the Word of God with the idea of “How can I get away with something?” is doing the same thing. “I’ll sin but I can repent later and God will forgive me,” is a typical way these religiously “wicked” may think. Thus these are the children of satan, You are of your father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do! (Jn8:44) These are blind captives of superstition, who are unable to receive or perceive the real truth! For the “light,” that was in them was darkness, and how horribly great is that darkness! (Matt6:23)

Jesus strongly warns us we’re better off in ignorance than in false light. For the merely ignorant can receive God’s light when it comes, but to have a false light means the delusion which you think to be light will actually war against and oppose the light of God whenever God’s light appears! This is true even to the point of killing God Himself, as the jews demonstrate in the crucifixion of Christ! On the measure of true godliness the sadducees, scribes, and pharisees who were possessed of a false light proved themselves to be the farthest from God. They were the murderers of God! Yet in their own sight they were perfect in obedience to what they thought was required of them. They mistakenly thought they were the closest of all men to God! But their beliefs were not founded on truth! So powerful was this false light, that even after the resurrection of Christ, most of the priests, scribes, and pharisees and their followers continued in unbelief. They had ears to hear, but could not understand, they had eyes that could see but could not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them! (Matt13:14-15;Acts28:26-27) So just as they killed Christ, they also began to kill the Christians who bore witness to Christ!

Satan’s kingdom is darkness and his weapon delusion. He fights against God’s light by means of his false light! This is that which the martyr Stephen tried to tell the jews when he cried, “You do always resist the Holy Spirit!” (Acts7:51) Which is to say you war against God’s light and God’s truth, for the Holy Spirit is the Light of God and the Spirit of Truth! (Jn14:17) For which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute and they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers! (Acts7:52) But being already in the power of satan’s false light, they refused to hear. But they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him! (Acts7:57-58) Thus it’s characteristic of satan in establishing his false and cultish religions to convince his followers that it’s “sin” to question the assertions, canons, creeds, doctrines or leadership of their particular “church.” Even to “listen” to anything that differs with the accepted “orthodoxy” or the false light of their “teachers” is regarded as “sin.” It’s the strategy of satan to close the eyes and ears of his captives by convincing them they should trust his “church’s” teachings irrespective of proof, truth, or reason! And his victims are commonly convinced that to seek any reasonable evidence or validation of the religious “truths” their “leaders” espouse is to doubt God! Now satan does this while in disguise as an “angel of light” or a false “minister of righteousness” (2Cor11:13-15) but the effect is to render his victims deaf, dumb, and blind and chain them in superstition while they’re taught to believe they’re actually serving and worshipping God! To those who are taken captive by this satanic darkness, blind obedience becomes a virtue and any rational exercise of intelligent thought or inquiry becomes vice! Satan often uses “twisted scriptures” to enforce this bondage on his captives!

Blind Faith?

“We walk by faith not by sight!” (2Cor5:7) When this scripture is misinterpreted by satan, it causes his victims to believe that “faith” is supposed to be blind, when in actuality, those who walk by godly faith being children of light actually have a much clearer vision than those who have no faith and are therefore children of darkness! For by faith, we know and are led by the Spirit of God, Who sees and understands all things, and Who can touch our consciousness in ways far more profound than mere sense knowledge. The true God can fill us with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. (Col 1:9) As children of light God’s Spirit also helps us to openly see the visible evidences of the invisible realities of God and by a faith based on those evidences, we can actually walk as seeing Him who is invisible! (Heb11:27) This faith is certainly not blindness.

A pilot who flies by instruments and not by sight has learned under many conditions his instruments are more trustworthy than his eyes. He’s not truly flying blind, but he’s flying by instruments which under low visibility conditions are even more trustworthy than his unaided eyesight! So also the Christian who walks by faith not by sight isn’t blind but guided by the Spirit and principles of godly truth, reason, the scriptures and the visible evidences of his invisible Lord. In this evil age, the true believer knows these manifestations and evidences of God are far more trustworthy than his own personal ideas and senses! Thus those who walk in true faith in Christ Jesus actually see things clearer than those who walk in the flesh! But that’s not the case with satan’s dupes and their twisted delusions. For his followers are deprived of even ordinary sense and reason and all godly judgment while receiving no guidance from the Holy Spirit! As though a pilot would be sent into a storm at night and then have his instruments taken away! Thus the victims of superstition become children of darkness and prisoners of the antichrist! They’re even worse off than ordinary “unbelievers.” They’re trying to traverse a strange spiritual realm that’s full of grave invisible and unknown dangers and they have neither the Holy Spirit to be their guide nor even their ordinary intelligence. For the deceptive doctrines which they’ve unwisely believed have deprived them of both! Now they’re led by demons, destroyers, and false prophets who are following devils, blind followers of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into a ditch! (Matt15:14)

Doubting Thomas:

Another scripture satan commonly twists is the passage about “doubting Thomas!” For blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe! (Jn20:29) The false teachers will use this scripture to tell you that it’s “sin” for you to doubt their teachings or even ask for any reasonable confirmations or proofs of that which they espouse. In other words, if you can’t simply believe without any evidences you are a “doubting Thomas!” But Jesus doesn’t mean we’re to believe anything anybody says in His name without confirmation. Absolutely not! Christ often warns us to beware of false prophets! (Matt7:15) Paul instructs us to Let the prophets speak and let the others judge! (1Cor14:29) God expects and even commands us to judge what we hear, even when it comes from acknowledged prophets of God. God knows the devil will do his utmost to deceive us to receive his false light that he may hinder or prevent us from learning God’s truth, since it’s God’s truth that gives basis to real faith. And it’s true godly faith that overcomes the (devil’s) world! (1Jn5:4) Thus God wants us to be sure what we believe is actually of God! That it’s His Word and of His Spirit, both rightly spoken and rightly understood! And how can we do this if we’re not permitted to compare the new thing which we’ve just heard to the previous things which we’ve known and have already established as truths of God? Such things as include the holy scriptures, the teachings and examples of Christ, Paul, and the Apostles, the witness of the Spirit, and even the evidences (fruit) of godly love and holiness in the lives of the ones who teach. Of course we must be free to think, compare and judge such things that we may discern what’s of God from what isn’t. And in learning we may have to reassess and re-examine some things in the increasing light of Christ’s Spirit. For when there’s a discrepancy between one belief and another we need to carefully examine both to see which is really true – the new or the old! Which truly agrees with the Spirit of Christ and the scriptures? We must Judge righteous judgment; using every faculty of wisdom and understanding God has made available to us if we’re to escape the snare of the devil! Remember Christ says if you continue in My word, you shall learn the truth and the truth shall set you free! (Jn8:31-32)

It’s the nature of superstitions to be written in stone; rigid and inflexible! Thus satan’s lies imitate God’s immutable truths by resistance to reason or change! Yet God’s truth is not immutable because of stubbornness. It’s inherently invariable because it’s totally true! It was superstitious adherence to their inflexible interpretations of the sabbath laws that most often set the pharisees in opposition to Christ! Yet the living Word of God as we are able to receive and perceive it can’t be forever written in concrete and resistant to every change! For though truth is immutable, we’re not! And we need to increase continually in our understanding and application of God’s truth! This means we have to be ever open to learn more of what we don’t yet know! In men, truth isn’t yet fully apprehended! So as pertains to us, truth can’t yet be written in stone! The living Word must be able to expand in us even as our hearts and minds consider and meditate upon it. For the path of the just is as a shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day! (Pr4:18) We find an increasing light, faith and knowledge given to those who continue in God’s Word. For God’s Word is alive! It grows in us!

As an example Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, and judge yourselves whether it is right to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath; to save life or destroy it?” (Mk2:27;Lk6:9) Thus Jesus gives new light and revelation and fresh and deeper meaning to God’s truth. But the superstitious understanding of the law as it’s perceived by the pharisees is petrified, much as the superstitious canons and creeds of many who call themselves God’s “churches” today.

I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good… (Is65:2) But the living Word of God’s truth continues to grow and expand with godly revelation as the true believer’s heart grows and expands in love and understanding, of how to perceive and to do godly good! So when the contemporary “church” falls into superstitious adherence to dead interpretations of God’s Word they fail to judge righteous judgment. (Jn7:24) Whether it is better to save life or to kill? And they allow satan to raise up superstitious doctrines which become strongholds against truth, so they do always resist the Holy Spirit! (Acts7:51) And God’s light can find no entrance among them because of their “false light!”

Touch Not

One of these superstitions is “touch not the Lord’s anointed” (Ps105:15) which is persistently utilized by false teachers of the “faith movement” to protect them and their doctrines from godly light and scrutiny! What God meant by this scripture, however, has nothing to do with criticizing doctrine, but it’s a prohibition against doing harm, primarily physical harm, to his chosen people. That is “don’t kill my prophets or enslave my people!” It wasn’t meant to be a kind of “special protection” from criticism for church leaders! When they (Abraham, Isaac, and finally the nation of Israel) went from one nation to another, He permitted no one to do them wrong; Yes, He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” (Ps105:13-15) Many of the false teachers who hide behind their blatant misinterpretation of this scripture, forbid their followers to listen to any preacher who speaks correction to the church or its leaders! They falsely accuse such men of touching the anointed, when in fact the so-called “offenders” may be trying to save the church or correct her with godly truth! In such a case, which is the one who is actually touching the anointed? Consider, when a church doesn’t forbid its people to listen to heretics, but forbids them to listen to those who would correct the heresies, whose church is it? This modern mis-interpretation of the law “speak no evil” or “touch not the Lord’s anointed” didn’t originate with Paul or the early church, for we see Paul often admonishing the errant of His day, including Peter himself! For when Peter came to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed! (Gal 2:11) And I said to Peter before them all…(Gal 2:14) Nor will you find the Christians of the second and third centuries following such a foolish and superstitious interpretation of “speak no evil.” The earliest historical writings such as Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History are filled with names and examples of the heretics, heresies, and superstitions which the true believers found it necessary to publicly expose and rebuke in order to protect God’s sheep from the wolves of satan!

In God’s real church it’s always been required that true believers take an open stand against heretics and unrepentant sinners! Paul did so in the scriptures! of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (1Tim1:20) And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, (2Tim2:17) As did Jesus, when He warned His disciples of the leaven of the pharisees. (Matt16:6) And also after His glorification, in His letter to the Church of Thyatira where He rebukes them for permitting the false prophetess Jezebel to teach “My servants” to sin! (Rev2:20) Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering! (2Tim4:2) That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convict those who contradict! (Titus1:9) I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the (true) faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed… ungodly men, who turn the grace of God into licentiousness (permission to sin)! (Jude3-4)

How could so much of what calls itself the contemporary “church” be so offended by that which Jesus, Paul, Jude and all the true Christian fathers found to be a scriptural and spiritual necessity in protecting of the souls of God’s flock? How can it be “sin” to blow the trumpet that warns believers away from perverted forms of “christianity.” How can it be “sin” to warn Jesus’ lambs of the unrepentant “preachers” of such heresies, who’d again entangle them in the pollutions of this world and overcome them? (2Pe2:20) Who do the “doctrines” of your church protect, the false prophets, or the children of God? An interesting observation concerning this “speak no evil/touch not the anointed” superstition is that while its proponents purport it to be “sin” to name the heretical “preacher” or to warn the believers of his error, they are quite willing to freely “speak evil” of those who break their self-serving law! So it’s easy to see their “law” of “speak no evil” is not a law of God as coming from their hearts at all but merely a subterfuge to protect those whom they consider to be of their own school from criticism and righteous judgment while leaving them free to speak as much “evil” as they desire of those who they consider to be their enemies! So such satanic doctrines are used to protect heretics while attacking and trying to subvert the word of true prophets and preachers of righteousness! The contemporary “church” is filled with such nonsense!

When Jesus rebuked Thomas it wasn’t because He required Thomas to believe blindly! It was because Thomas had refused to believe several very credible witnesses! He’d refused to believe even the prophecies of Jesus Himself. He’d refused to believe the many corroborating circumstances and evidences that accompanied and followed the resurrection. Jesus was rebuking Thomas because Thomas was stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the truth even when that truth was well substantiated. Jesus wasn’t rebuking those who would seek reasonable and scriptural assurances for their faith but he was rebuking Thomas’ tendency to make unreasonable demands for extraordinary evidences before he’d believe. Thomas was like a juror in murder trial, who after hearing sufficient evidence to convince all rational men that the accused was guilty beyond any reasonable doubt, still refuses to believe saying “I’ll not convict unless the murder victim himself supernaturally appears to me and tells me this is his killer!” Making such an unreasonable requirement would defeat the purpose of the courtroom and destroy the systems of justice which protect our society! Thomas was being unreasonable in his demands to see the resurrected Christ before believing! There was already more than sufficient evidence to convince any reasonable person of the truth, and if such unreasonable evidences were to be required to believe God there could really be no salvation by faith!

Even in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus Jesus cautions If they don’t hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead! (Lk16:31) The fact that God commands us to Test all things and hold fast to that which is true is not to be construed as an excuse not to believe when we’ve more than enough evidence. Nor is it an excuse to withhold faith until we have sight! For hope that is seen is not hope for why does one still hope for what he sees? (Rom8:24) If we have sight we don’t need faith. For faith is the conviction of the existence of those things for which we have trustworthy evidence but haven’t yet seen! And the just shall live by faith! (Rom1:17) Which tells us God intends we use our intellect, discernment, and faculties of reason to properly judge the evidences that prove the existence of the as yet unseen things. And those who believe those evidences for things unseen and live accordingly will receive His gift of righteousness – they’ll be justified or saved by such a faith! True faith is founded on reasonable and reliable evidences and a true believer accepts reliable evidences. He won’t believe that for which he has no such evidences nor disbelieve that for which ample and reliable evidences are available.

The Shield of Faith!

True faith is like a roof or wall that protects us from the attacks of contrary elements. Taking the shield of faith by which you may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one! (Eph6:16) In practice, true faith becomes a protection to keep us from taking wrong or ungodly action under pressures of affliction, stress, and temptation! Because we know and are convinced of the truth we can’t be coerced, bribed, or deluded into sin, no matter how hard the devil, circumstances, the world, or the ungodly try. This is the proof of real faith and one of the prime purposes of godly faith! True faith produces holy, obedient behavior in us; the very nature of Christ, even when it’s painful or seemingly costly to obey God! Therefore without (this true) faith it is impossible to please God! (Heb11:6) And if this protective roof or wall of faith is to successfully withstand the assaults of every ungodly enemy such faith must be supported by strong pillars of truth; proven, tested evidences on which true faith can rest, such evidences as fully convince us of God’s will in every circumstance, that we may do His will at every opportunity!

One believes because he’s judged the evidence and found it worthy of trust. It’s believable only because the evidence is proven and judged to be sound; because the supposition has been tested and found to be true! And this produces conviction of truth, which is another way of saying faith! For the pillars and supports of faith are truth which has been both revealed and proven (established)! And true faith is the conviction of that truth! It’s only because one has examined the evidences and found them reliable that one can believe and therefore that belief or faith must rest upon the evidences or foundations of the truth from which it springs! So true faith can be no stronger than the actual perception or consciousness of the evidence on which it rests! If the perception is weak, the faith will be weak even if the evidence is true! If there’s much strong evidence but only some evidence is comprehended the faith will be weaker than if much or all the evidences were strongly apprehended! Thus if you desire to have a strong faith you must devote yourself, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to the serious examination and apprehension of every evidence that can support such faith!

But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. (Matt13:20-21) As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. (Col 2:6-7) What does Paul claim these believers have been taught? They’ve been taught the truths or evidences concerning God and Christ which can build and give strong support to their faith so they can be deeply rooted in true faith! Unlike those who have no root and so lose their faith as soon as they encounter any opposition to the WORD, these believers will persevere and endure in the face of tribulations and afflictions, having been deeply rooted in a faith that is established upon many sound and infallible evidences and which they well comprehend! Thus before speaking of a mountain moving faith Jesus says first “have faith in God!” (Mk11:22) He thereby indicates the conviction, the assurance of a true faith that would enable one to believe without doubting in his heart must rest on the powerful perception of the existence, intentions, character, and knowledge of God Himself!

So how does one receive this powerful perception of God? You begin by searching for the evidences specific to God’s existence, and there are many! Are the scriptures trustworthy? God has given you the ability to reason so you can properly weigh and judge evidences to discern truth! If there’s one characteristic that definitely separates man from the animals it’s his ability to reason. So God created man in His own image! (Gen1:27) That man may be a reasonable creature, having the ability to be guided by reason, as God is a reasonable Creator, having righteous reasons for everything He does! But God didn’t create the beasts in His own image! Animals may have a measure of intelligence, but they can never be considered reasonable. For whatever intelligence they possess is submitted to their appetites, instincts, and feelings! That is animals do what they feel like not what is reasonable or wise. And their limited intelligence is used to help them do what they feel like! They eat! Escape! Protect their young! Procreate! Sleep! Fight! Sing or howl according to their feelings and not according to wisdom! What intelligence they possess is used to serve their flesh. But when we say a man is reasonable we mean his will is subject to his reason! A reasonable man submits his appetites and feelings to his intelligence! He does what’s wise rather than what he feels like doing! This is the nature of God and it’s the nature of godly men who are created in the image of God! For God Himself lives by His infinite and perfect intelligence and submits Himself to His own immutable wisdom and reason on behalf of all His creation! God’s will isn’t arbitrary, impulsively doing what He feels like and pleasing only Himself (except in the sense that He is always pleased to do right). For God is love. (1Jn4:8) And Love does not seek its own, but rejoices in truth and love suffers long and is kind! (1Cor13:4-6)

So love is unbiased, not even favoring itself but seeking the good of all and finding it to be infinitely reasonable to do so! Thus this love, which God is, voluntarily chooses to do what will produce the greatest good for the greatest number of creatures and for the longest possible time, even unto eternity! This love isn’t mere feeling, but consists of a totally reasonable disposition which is immutably inclined to follow only the highest wisdom and truth for the greatest good of all, rather than any selfish, arbitrary impulses or pleasures! Thus the scriptures speak of love rejoicing in truth and of wisdom that the Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way… And I was daily His delight! (Pr8:22,30) So our God is a God of such love as rejoices in truth and delights in wisdom – Not a foolish, sentimental, self pleasing love which is blind to everything but its own desires as most natural men seem to regard is their deepest emotion. But a true caring love which seeks out that path of persistent goodly activity on behalf of those who are loved! And isn’t such a reasonable love the only possible foundation for eternal life as a love which must ultimately exclude all things that can be found in any way detrimental to life and which must follow only such a course of behavior as would protect, foster, nurture, and maintain life itself perfectly throughout eternity? So we see God is love and God is reasonable! And God created man in His own image, thus intending man to be a reasonable and loving creature! Now if man were reasonable he’d submit himself to the greater wisdom and intelligence of God! And he’d recognize the love of God and he’d trust in that love, and be loving himself and would reciprocate that love by Loving the Lord with all his heart and soul and mind and strength, and loving his neighbor as himself! (Lk10:27)

And such a man who bears the image of God would devote himself to doing the greatest good possible towards God and all creation! And if such a man were truly reasonable and loving, he’d find his pleasure in the pleasure he could give his Creator and God’s children rather than the pleasures he could take selfishly for himself! And such a man is Jesus! Thus any man who might be granted entrance into God’s Kingdom must become in heart and mind like Jesus! For how can two walk together (or experience any form of union with God) unless they be agreed! (Amos3:3) And thus if he weren’t in heart and mind like Jesus, such a man would need to be born again (Jn3:3) He’d need to be conformed to the image of Christ! (Rom8:29) Until he could say like Paul, “I’ve been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!” (Gal 2:20)

But if man were fallen from God’s first purposes and had become unloving and unreasonable, he’d seek his own pleasures even at another’s expense and disregard any good he could do for others except as he could thereby receive good unto himself. And he’d generally live for the present without considering what evil he might be bringing upon himself in the future! And he’d seek to satisfy his carnal impulses, appetites, feelings and emotions. Thus in himself such a man would elevate the animal in his nature above the godly portion of his being! So the God in him would serve the beast in him! And he’d not be like the image of God, but he’d be like the image of the beast! And having submitted himself to his beastly nature, that beast would become the head of such a man! Which is the nature of satan who openly desires God should be ruled over by his own creature and who’s even said to the Jesus, By whom all things were created that are in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him! (Col 1:16) Who has even said to Christ “All these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me!” (Matt4:9) Who has nothing to give but what belongs to Jesus already, yet in the most presumptuous arrogance offers his Holy Creator such an unfathomably foolish trade. Of course satan hopes Jesus might be overcome by such carnal desire for immediate pleasure as to trade God’s eternal treasures for satan’s temporal. This is precisely what satan has done, and what he tries to tempt others to do! And if they succumb they receive the inheritance of Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright! (Heb12:16) And is thereby doomed to hell! Such fools as fall to satan’s guile, surrender their heavenly eternity with God to gain a temporary pleasure here, then face an eternity in perdition!

Now true faith is coming into unity with truth in such a way that your heart obeys or is motivated to the proper action that is in line with that truth! In the operations of godly faith, in other words, the heart yields itself to the control of truth! If anyone purports to believe something, yet in action ignores what he claims to believe or refuses to act in accordance with that belief – for example, if one were to say that he believes “Jesus is Lord and all who refuse His government and salvation will be doomed to hell!” – Yet such a person refuses to obey that truth himself and yield himself to actions in agreement with that truth, then even though he claims to believe, such a person must in heart either disbelieve, or at the very least hold some conflicting and contrary beliefs in greater esteem or importance than the truth concerning Christ’s Lordship! For example, he may also believe his immediate pleasure is more important than his eternal well being! Now this is obviously a lie. But this is what Esau proves he believed by his ungodly action! And if any man believes this, he’ll likely not act upon gospel truth even though he says he believes in God and the gospel. And such a man will, like Esau, lose his eternal soul, even though he says he believes. But his actions tell on him, that he’s succumbed to temptation and prefers the immediate pleasures of unrighteousness to an eternity of delightful communion with God! This is the key difference between the carnal mind, which is temporal, and the spiritual mind, which focuses on eternity. The spiritual man rightly regards eternal things to be of immeasurable higher significance than the temporal. Therefore the spiritual man yields himself to actions that would be in goodly agreement with eternal truths. The carnal mind, however, even though he may give lip service to a belief in God, still prefers to partake of the temporal pleasures. He finds his immediate comfort to be of primary importance and thus yields himself to the obediences of temporary expediences and considerations. Though his mouth may purport to believe in God, in action he ignores God and all considerations of eternity!

This is a totally unreasonable state of mind and is nothing else than selfishness. For the spiritual mind is characterized by godly love, which bears all things, endures all things, and never fails! (1Cor13:7-8) So godly love is patient and willing to forego temporal pleasures now in the hope of eternal joys later! But selfishness is impatient and can’t endure to wait even though wisdom says the wait would be worth it! Thus the selfishness of the carnal mind sells its eternal future in order to obtain today’s immediate pleasures. And it’s only thru rebirth by God’s Holy Spirit that this incredibly destructive and evil disposition of the heart can be changed! You must be born again! (Jn3:7) The carnal mind may claim to assent to the eternal godly truths, but in action will choose not to obey them. Rather yielding his obedience to those temporal truths, the wisdom of this world, that bring more immediate pleasures, as being more important than the things of eternity! The devils believe and tremble! (Jas2:19) The devils are well convinced the things of God are true. Yet they don’t choose to live in obedience to God. So as they continue to indulge themselves they understandably tremble as they consider the eternal torment that most assuredly lies before them! And it’s no different with sinful men! For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but only a certain fearful (trembling like the devils) expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. (Heb10:26-27)

This is the nature of Esau, whose carnal mind and selfishness was evidenced in the choice he made to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup. And who therefore has been despised by the God whom he despises. Thus Esau is held as a prime example throughout the scriptures of that selfish and wicked heart which God will ultimately destroy! And unless such a carnal mind can be brought to see his temporal choices must be in line with eternal necessities he’ll lose his eternity with God and receive only an eternal hell. Such a mind will sell his soul and bypass Jesus’ salvation for the foolish and fading pleasures of this temporary world! But this is the nature of the flesh, which is the beast! Having fallen thru sin into the clutches of satan, flesh attempts to rule and lord it over the godly reasoning heart of man! Where satan is successful and where the flesh rules, godly love is destroyed and only the sentimental, ineffectual, emotional shell of human love remains – unreasonable, blind, self serving love which seeks its own and despises truth, and envies and puffs itself up and fails as quickly as it is disappointed; often changing in an instant into the most intense hatred! Very little like the love that comes from God remains! Man who was created in the image of God, becomes a most diabolic beast! Such a man is far more devilish and dangerous than any of the lesser animals! For in fact a carnal man is as much more evil than the beasts as he is more intelligent than the beasts for his intelligence is now corrupted into serving the beastly “carnal and fleshly” nature. The subordinating of the intelligence to serve the flesh is rather like giving a loaded gun to a misbehaving child. Intelligence under the direction of the unreasonable flesh will only multiply the potential for evil and immeasurably increase the damage that can be done by the sin in the flesh!

Thus we see in the holy scripture that the final governing kings of the world, representing the reasoning rulers of men, ultimately give their authority to the beast! “For these are of one mind and they will give their power and authority to the beast. And these will make war with the lamb…” (Rev17:13) Because they haven’t submitted their carnal appetites and lusts to their reason, after which it’s only reasonable for men to submit themselves ultimately to the greater intelligence, wisdom, and reason of God! But professing themselves wise, they become fools! (Rom1:22) In rebelling against God and submitting to their flesh they’ve become enemies of Christ and have entered into open warfare against all that is godly! For the flesh lusts against the Spirit! (Gal 5:17) But the just shall live by faith! (Rom1:17) And faith works through love! (Gal 5:6)

So salvation thru faith is a return to a life of godly love that rejoices in God’s truth and delights in the wisdom and reason of God! It must be a life of unselfishness to be a life of faith that works by love! It must be a life established consistently on truth and lived according to wisdom rather than mere emotions if it is to be of true faith. For as we’ve previously indicated faith that isn’t supported by strong pillars of established godly Truth is presumption. To believe anything without sufficiently proving it is foolishness, not wisdom! So the saved are those who live by godly faith. To live by godly faith requires a constant seeking out of God’s will and truth, and a wise and thorough testing of every proposition, every doctrine, every action, and every emotion and every feeling, to be absolutely certain it’s of God before it’s accepted or acted upon! This life of faith is described by Jesus as: “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do!” (Jn5:19) “I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.” (Jn8:28) “I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works!” (Jn14:10) and “He who has seen Me has seen the Father!” (Jn14:9) So the person who lives by true faith in God, must know God personally and be in union with all God’s intents and purposes that he might be continuously certain of God’s will in all he does, and which is the very life that Jesus lived and continues to live in those who belong to Him! Such a life becomes an expression of the righteousness and will of God Himself. For we are made the righteousness of God in Him! (2Cor5:21) For to live by faith in God is to know God’s voice – “My sheep hear My voice!” (Jn10:27) It’s to obey God perfectly, doing all God requires of you! For if you love Me you will keep My commandments! (Jn14:15) So the believer who lives by true faith in God becomes the very expression of God’s will in the earth! “That you might prove (by demonstration) that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom12:2)

Christian Righteousness:

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him! (2Cor5:21) One of the great errors in the contemporary church is the misunderstanding of true Christian righteousness, which because it is thought to be “imputed” and not earned is often mistakenly construed as hypothetical rather than behavioral and actual! Much of the professing “church” because they correctly believe that righteousness which is synonymous in the Greek with justification is given by grace thru faith, then wrongly assume they can possess such righteousness even though they never see any fruits of it! This is a grievous error! For if you don’t have the fruits of righteousness then you don’t have righteousness! If you don’t have this righteousness then you’ll by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven! For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven. (Matt5:20) Jesus, after making this statement, proceeds to describe the kind of righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and the pharisees and which you must possess if you’re to enter into the Kingdom. What He describes isn’t in any way a hypothetical, theoretical or invisible righteousness such as many mistakenly believe may be counted to your credit by God even though your life displays no actual evidence of righteous behavior. But Jesus describes a very real righteousness of heart and action. That is a righteousness which begins in a pure heart and mind, where the desires and the thoughts are godly and correct and which then shows up in righteous or godly actions, behavior, activities, and conversation! This righteousness, which Jesus says you must have if you’re to enter the Kingdom of heaven, is real, visible, and discernable in both the heart (where it appears in motives, thoughts and purpose) as well as the activities where it manifests as good works!

For example Jesus says this true righteousness will not only forbid a man to murder but even to be selfishly angry with his brother! (Matt5:21-22) This true righteousness will not only forbid a man to commit adultery but even to think about a woman in a lustful way! (Matt5:27-28) Jesus tells us a revelation of true righteousness would make a man who has it so conscious of the deadliness of sin and the perils of hellfire that such a man would actually cut off his hand or pluck out his eye, rather than allow that member to cause him to sin! (Matt5:30) This true righteousness will bear such fruit in the one who possesses it, that his yes will be yes and his no will be no! (Matt5:37) He’ll turn the other cheek, go the extra mile and give his extra coat to one who’s in need. (Matt5:38-42) The possessor of such righteousness will not only love his neighbor, but he will love his enemies, and bless those that curse him, and do good to those who hate him, and pray for those who despitefully use him and persecute him, that he may truly be the child of his heavenly Father! (Matt5:44-45) Let no one deceive you, these words of our Lord Jesus Christ prove the righteousness that’s required for salvation is neither invisible nor theoretical, but must be manifest and actual in the life of the believer if he’s to be saved! That even though this true righteousness isn’t earned by works which we’ve done, once it’s received by grace thru faith it most certainly produces holy intentions, clean thoughts and good works in those who have it. For the very purpose of God in giving us this free gift of His righteousness thru faith is to produce for Himself a holy people zealous of good works! (Titus2:14) Now the good works which are done by those who’ve received true righteousness aren’t done to justify themselves, for they’re already justified by faith. But having been justified by faith their hearts now belong to God and they love Him as their true Spiritual Father and Jesus as the Savior of their souls! They delight to do God’s will! So their works aren’t works of self-justification, but works of faith and labors of love! (1Thes1:3) These good works of the true saints are done in loving obedience and grateful submission to the Lord who saved them! Their righteousness is of Him! (Is54:17) Thus the good works of those who possess this true righteousness follow after and give evidence to the actual existence of this true righteousness!

So let no man believe he has this righteousness which is by faith and not by works if he doesn’t have the fruit of it; the good works which follow after and give evidence to the actual existence of this righteousness. If you claim to have this righteousness which exceeds that of the scribes and the pharisees but you don’t have the pure heart, thoughts and motives together with the good works Jesus says constitute such righteousness then you LIE and walk in darkness and don’t practice the truth! (1Jn1:6) If you say you have this righteousness and yet don’t have the good works and mind Jesus says constitute such righteousness then you deceive yourself and the truth isn’t in you! (1Jn1:8) If you don’t have the good works and good heart that Jesus describes as being of this righteousness then you aren’t saved for without this true righteousness, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven! (Matt5:20) If you claim you have this righteousness when your works show you don’t, and if you claim you’re saved when your works show that you’re not then you make God a liar and His Word isn’t in you! (1Jn1:10) To be justified means to be made righteous! We know we’re justified by faith and not by works and righteousness is therefore imputed (imparted) to the believer for faith! For it (righteousness) shall be imputed (imparted) to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead! (Rom4:24) But let’s be careful to understand what this imputed (imparted) righteousness really is. Let’s not mistake it for some superstitious fabrication of a demonic imagination; for something to which there’s no reality but only a deadly delusion as would cause its victim to believe he has what he actually doesn’t have, and therefore lead him to destruction and hell while he thinks he’s “saved!” The lie is that “imputed” righteousness means God calls us righteous when we aren’t, which would make God a liar.

The true believer, or the justified hasn’t just been called righteous he’s been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2Cor5:21) because with the heart one believes unto righteousness. (Rom10:10) The true Christian has believed the evidence; the testimonies of Christ’s sacrifice, propitiation and atonement on our behalf. Having received the word of reconciliation, in a heartfelt confession of his faith the believer has professed Christ Jesus to be his Lord in obedience to God in water baptism and thus acknowledged his absolute submission to Christ and his sincere intentions of being totally obedient to Christ’s Lordship forever! Now God is love! (1Jn4:8) Love believes all things! (1Cor13:7)  Which means God is gracious enough to believe you when you’ve been baptized and confessed Christ Jesus as your Lord and to believe you when you sincerely say you’ll obey Jesus in all things! If you actually do obey Jesus in all things you’ll be doing God’s righteousness every time you obey Jesus. For everything He does is God’s righteousness! Thus the righteousness you’ll be doing won’t be your righteousness since it didn’t originate with you. But it will be the righteousness of God since the things that you’ll be doing won’t be your ideas, they’ll be God’s ideas! Therefore the glory won’t be yours but God’s glory! For the righteousness behind the good works you do won’t be yours, but God’s!

Now, in view of the atonement of Christ by which thru faith in Christ the true believer has been freed from the condemnation and punishment due him for past sins, and in view of his present faith in Christ by which he professes his sincere intentions to obey Jesus’ Lordship and attain to Christ’s righteousness, it’s only reasonable that God should impute (impart) righteousness to the believer on account of his faith. For if his faith is true and his submission to Christ’s’ Lordship sincere, then as long as he maintains his obedience to Christ the believer will only do what His Lord Jesus shows him, and only say what His Lord tells him! Thus if you’ve seen this true believer you’ve seen the Lord Jesus. The works such a believer does in true faith are actually the very works of God: the righteousness of God in action! buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Col 2:12) And in the true believer’s obedience to Christ and thru his faith, God in water baptism “raises” him by His power into a new “resurrection” life in Christ. Which means the power to live a righteous life unto God is not merely “imputed” but actually imparted to the properly baptized believer in Christ. And truly the newly baptized believer has become the righteousness of God in Christ. He’s not merely called “righteous,” but he’s made righteous!

But let not the presumptuous believer think he can merely profess Jesus to be his Lord and then continue doing his own things, disobeying Christ and yet possess this righteousness of faith! For as surely as faith without works (of obedience) is dead. (Jas2:20) So righteousness can’t be imparted by God to a dead (disobedient) faith! Don’t be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh (doing selfish things) will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit (doing God’s things) will of the Spirit reap everlasting life! (Gal 6:7-8)

To be found among the true saints in Christ or to be saved, to be one of the just who live by faith, you must love God! You must obey God! You must know God! You must seek God! You must possess an intimacy with God in which you become deeply aware of God’s heart! Ultimately the true believer must grow in faith and in works of righteousness. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the Word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are full of age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil! (Heb5:13-14) That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine … but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ! (Eph4:14-15) Those who refuse to do this will eventually be cast out as a branch and withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. (Jn15:6) To grow up in faith you must learn of God! You must come to understand what God loves and what He hates! You must become acquainted with God’s seasons! You must gain a sense of God’s patience but also a sense for when God is ready to act! Your knowledge of God must be such as fills you with a true communion with God so you know God’s will to such an extent that when you speak to the mountain you’re absolutely convinced it’s God’s will and God’s time for that mountain to move, because the powerful evidence that flows from your intimate relationship with God leaves no room for doubt! Therefore Jesus says, “Have faith in God! For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain ‘be thou removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.” (Mk11:22-23) Thus the true believer’s maturing relationship and deep love for God removes all fear. “Perfect love cast out fear!” (1Jn4:18) and fills him with a confidence in God so when he prays his love for God and heartfelt unity with the purposes of God mean he’ll only ask for such things as he’s absolutely convinced it’s God’s will he should have! So this is the confidence (faith) we have in God, that if we ask anything according to God’s will, God hears us! And if we know that He hears us (because we have absolutely irrefutable evidences that convince us what we’re asking for is God’s will for us) then we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him! (1Jn5:14-15) So because we’re rightfully convinced by the true knowledge of God He desires us to have the things we’re asking for, we can “believe that we receive them!” Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask for when you pray, believe that you receive them (Have the kind of faith that produces such a loving and intimate relationship with God that when you pray you’re certain the things you ask for are God’s perfect will for you) and then you shall have them! (Mk11:24) Thus this true faith arises from such knowledge of God as leads us to a true relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

However satan has devised a dangerous counterfeit for true faith. Presumption fills our churches with the spiritually dead children of a lesser god, who falsely believe themselves to be among “the saved” while their hearts and lives evince no evidences of Christ living within, or of a true relationship of intimacy, love and heartfelt obedience to God. So, if one doesn’t base his belief upon sound evidences and even go so far as to test the evidences to be certain they are both true and properly understood, then one’s believing won’t be faith at all, but presumption! Although presumption is satan’s counterfeit for faith in actuality, it’s very much unlike real faith! For presumption occurs when an idea or doctrine is accepted without having been tested and is assumed to be true though it hasn’t borne the good fruit that proves the tree good, nor even been seriously examined to see if it’s in agreement with Christ and the scriptures!

A presumptuous belief may, on the surface, appear to be true but it hasn’t been thoroughly tested to prove that it is in fact true! By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established! (2Cor13:1) It’s the nature of the presumptuous to think, “I’ve fulfilled the condition, because I’ve done what God said to do.” For example, I’ve repented and believed the Gospel. “Therefore, I must be saved!” However, the presumptuous “believer” may have only met God’s conditions according to his own opinion and not according to God’s actual requirements! Has He brought forth fruits worthy of repentance? (Matt3:8) It’s possible, for example, a professing “believer’s” repentance may be insincere and his “faith” in the Gospel mere mental acknowledgement and not true obedient faith! Thus in actuality the presumptuous “believer” isn’t saved even though he thinks he’s met God’s conditions for salvation! For the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; and who can know it? (Jer17:9) Many professing “christians” have called Jesus their Lord, while in fact they do not hear His voice nor follow Him, “My sheep hear My voice… and they follow Me!” (Jn10:27) Nor do they do the things which He says! “Why do you call Me ‘Lord! Lord! And do not do the things which I say!” (Lk6:46) Such presumptuous professors believe they’re saved when in fact they’re yet lost and on their way to hell! For they’ve only satisfied themselves as to their “salvation” but they haven’t actually satisfied God’s conditions and fully met God’s requirements, which include hearing His voice and obeying Him and holiness without which no one will see the Lord! (Heb12:14) The presumptuous are content to do only the easy things, for they tithe mint and cumin, but they ignore the more difficult and important requirements, and have neglected the weightier matters of justice, mercy and (true) faith! (Matt23:23) Then to determine whether we’re really saved, or whether we really have that for which we’re believing, we must search out all the applicable conditions that God has placed upon His promises, and be certain we’ve fulfilled them.

Many “christians” seem to think if they can just work up enough “faith” in the promises of God they’ll be able to receive them. So they search the scriptures and concern themselves almost exclusively with learning about the promises, and trying to have “faith” in them. Such “faith” rarely works! You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life (or healing, or prosperity, or any other promise); and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. (Jn5:39-40) Promise oriented “believers” meditate the promises, memorize the promises, pray the promises, confess the promises, and make every effort to believe the promises. All in the deluded belief that if they can just have enough “faith” in the promise it will come to pass. But Bible faith is not a faith in the promises of the scripture per se but faith in Christ. And if your faith is in God Himself and in Jesus Christ, or the one who has made the promises, then your faith is not just in His promises but in everything He says. For man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God! (Matt4:4) If you have faith in God and not just “faith” in His promises, then you’ll be interested in learning all that He says, and you’ll search the scriptures, not just for His promises, but to learn of Him, and the conditions He’s placed on His promises. For you can’t have a true faith to believe you receive a promise from God until you know for certain you’ve fulfilled every condition that’s required for you to receive the promise. Therefore it’s as important for you to know and believe the conditions as it is to know and believe the promises. If you have true faith in Jesus you’ll believe His commands just as much as you believe His promises. And if you believe His commands, you’ll keep them! He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him! (Jn14:21) And faith works by love! (Gal 5:6)

If you don’t believe in Jesus in such a way as to keep His commands, how then can you expect to believe in His promises in such a way as to receive them? For if you make Him a liar by refusing to believe and keep His commands, how then can you believe He speaks the truth when He makes a promise? If you don’t consent to believe Him all the time, you can’t rightly believe Him any of the time! If you aren’t willing to receive His instructions and keep His commands then you aren’t even worthy to receive His promises and they won’t be given to you! For what right have you to declare My statues, or to take my covenant (promises) in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast my words behind you. (Ps50:16-17) Too many “churches” today are trying to teach their members to believe in the promises of God when they haven’t yet taught them to believe in Christ Himself and His Lordship in such a way as to seek out and to obey His commandments. They teach a false faith! To hope in God’s promises while you reject or fail to obey His commands is the height of delusion. It’s not faith! It is a most demonic form of presumption!

On the other hand, if you do believe in Christ in such a way that you receive His every word and keep His every command, then there’s no difficulty for you to believe His promises. For they’re made for such as you! For if you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (Jn15:10) And faith works by love! (Gal 5:6) If you have true faith you have a faith that believes Jesus in such a way as to obey Him. And if you have a faith that obeys Jesus you’ll have no trouble having faith that receives His promises. True faith is first of all a trusting in Christ in such a way that the believer obeys Christ. It’s not just working up a faith to believe the promises of God but it’s an actual faith in God of such a nature that God is obeyed in all His conditions and expectations of us! And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep is commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight! (1Jn3:22) Also, though we may think we’ve yielded our hearts completely to God and we’ve actually met all God’s conditions, yet before we presume to have received the blessing, we must see that we’re actually bearing the fruit which God’s Word requires as an accompaniment to the blessing. For example, if you claim to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, you must be able to demonstrate a gift of the Spirit like speaking in tongues, and a new boldness and power to be a fruitful witness, else how can you claim to have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit if it has produced no fruit in you such as the scriptures indicate are associated with the Baptism in the Spirit? It’s presumptuous to believe you’ve received God’s promise solely on the basis of opinion when you evidence no fruit! For the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; and who can know it? It’s only God Himself who can truly search your heart to see if you’ve rightly believed and properly fulfilled the conditions for His blessings! I the Lord search the heart, and I test the mind, even to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jer17:9-10) It’s God not you who must affirm that you’ve actually met His conditions. The way God usually does this is by evidencing the fruits which are scripturally described to be in the lives of those who’ve properly received His blessing. To ignore the scriptural requirements is to leave yourself wide open to presumption.

John says we know we’ve passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. (1Jn3:14) If we know we love the brethren then we can be sure we’re saved. But how do we know we really understand what godly love is? John answers, “By this we know love, because He (Jesus) laid down His life for us. And we (if we have this love) also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1Jn3:16) Then John provides another example that we may be sure we truly possess this godly love! Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in Him? (1Jn3:17-19) How does John say we can assure our hearts we’re really saved and of the truth? He says we can assure our hearts by examining the fruit! Do we have godly love? Is that love producing good works? Are we truly laying our lives down for the brethren? Are we truly sharing what we have with those in need? Are we loving in deed and in truth? Can you assure your heart you have this love by the many good and loving deeds that are flowing from your Christ-like heart? If you don’t have this good fruit, this evidence of good works of love, then you can’t be assured of your salvation! For a good tree produces good fruit! If you can’t find the good fruit God declares to be a necessary product of a valid salvation then you’re presumptuous in believing yourself to be saved!

To Know You Possess The Promise!

ü      You must believe!

ü      You must meet every godly condition!

ü      You must exhibit the fruit the scriptures describe as found in those who actually have obtained the blessing!

Before you can assure your heart you really have received the gift for which you’re believing you must be bearing the fruit which the scriptures indicate will demonstrate the reality of that gift in your life! Without the scripturally required fruit in manifestations you can’t honestly profess to possess the gift. We dare not believe to have received without having the scriptural evidences indicating the reality of what we claim to possess. This is the most important scriptural evidence in resolving the dilemma of whether or not we’ve received. If after we’ve met God’s conditions, we can then find the fruit which is the proof of our possession, then we know our tree is good! Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matt7:17,20) Concerning salvation, for example, if your faith doesn’t produce the fruit the Bible describes as being consistent with true salvation, then your faith must be considered deficient and you better not presume to have what you have no evidence of actually possessing. The Kingdom of heaven…is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! (Rom14:17) If you aren’t experiencing this then according to the scriptures, you can’t be in the Kingdom! You can’t be truly saved! In such a case you must return to seeking God for the answer until you’ve truly met His conditions and until God Himself has convinced you, you possess the required evidences and you are actually saved.

As another example, you may have prayed that you might walk in the Spirit, but now you need to know whether you’re actually walking in the Spirit? So you closely examine your testimony, conversation, and behavior since if you’re really walking in the Spirit you should be free from the Works of the flesh; hatred, contentions, jealousies, wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, etc. (Gal5:19-21) For if you walk in the Spirit you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh! (Gal 5:16) But if you’re really walking in the Spirit you should also be overflowing with the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) If these fruits or evidences of the Spirit aren’t manifesting then you can’t claim to be walking in the Spirit.  But if the fruits of the Spirit are manifesting abundantly in your life then you can assure your heart your faith is true and you’re fulfilling the will of God!

The Witness of the Spirit!

God has another evidence to assure us our faith has been accepted. This evidence is most important in the realm of intercessions and believing for such things as we may not have any natural way of determining the efficacy of our faith. This evidence is also one without which you can’t truthfully claim you’re saved! For if you don’t have the witness of the Holy Spirit as a proof that your faith is true and has been accepted by God, the holy scriptures indicate you can’t be saved! In whom also, having believed (with true faith) you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest (the evidence) of our inheritance until the redemption or the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory! (Eph1:13-14) For the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Rom8:16) God Himself gives us the witness of His Spirit to confirm that our faith is true and has been accepted by Him. So the true believer doesn’t have to live in fear that his heart may have been deceived and he may have left some necessary godly condition unfulfilled in his quest for salvation but he may know of certainty that his faith is true and he’s indeed a child of God.

But is it possible to deceive oneself concerning the witness of the Spirit so one who actually doesn’t have such a witness might think he does? No doubt it’s not only possible but a common occurrence in false religion. For one who’s really received the witness of the Spirit will certainly know the reality of that which he has. For you received the Spirit of sonship by whom we cry out “Abba Father!” (Rom8:15) But one who’s never experienced such a thing might presumptuously imagine he’s received what he doesn’t have. So again God provides us with other witnesses. By the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established. (2Cor13:1) For the works which the Father has given Me to finish – the very works that I do – bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. (Jn5:36) Do your works bear witness that Christ has sent you? Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do and greater works than these he will do. (Jn14:12) This doesn’t refer to miracles alone, but to the building up of the Kingdom of God, and to doing the will of the Father; saving souls and the purifying and glorification of the Church! In other words the continuation of Christ’s works in our time and on behalf of our generation! Are you doing such works? Now we know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself and the wicked one does not touch him. (1Jn5:18) Do you keep yourself from sin in such a way the wicked one can’t touch you?

Such scriptures are tests by which we may ascertain whether or not the things for which we’re “believing” are actually ours. God has given us many such scriptures and we must not ignore them or try to make them of no effect by perverting their meaning according to the doctrines of men. These test scriptures help us to comprehend our true spiritual state! By their proper use, they’ll protect us and keep us from falling victim to delusions and presumptions. Reputable scientists and medical doctors have learned to carefully test each other’s theories and discoveries under strict controls to ascertain for sure the truth of their hypothesis before inflicting them upon the world or their patients! Such scientific tests must be repeatable so unbiased researchers can independently confirm, and come to the same conclusions! “In the mouth of two or more witnesses let every word be established!” (2Cor13:1)

Our government created the Food & Drug Administration and other authoritative agencies for the purpose of corroborating or verifying the results of medical scientists and doctors to be certain a new medicine is actually proven to be both safe and helpful before permitting it to be administered to the citizenry! This carefulness, and labor toward accuracy which is expected and even required in contemporary science and medicine are the fruit of lessons hard learned in times past when there were no such “checks and balances” available. For many centuries presumptions and superstitions were commonly incorporated in medical practice to the detriment of many a patient’s health. For example, just a few generations ago “bleeding” was considered beneficial therapy and thousands of already disease damaged people were killed or further weakened in their illness by unknowing physicians whose ignorant expertise was to take more and more blood from an already sick patient as he became weaker and weaker! Also, barely a century ago “Laudanum” (morphine) was commonly prescribed for minor ailments and many patients who might have recovered with no help at all from their physicians were instead introduced to the deplorable problems of opium addiction!

Though in the last century our government seems to have broken the bonds of medical superstition and been heading towards a better way, sadly that has not been true of the “churches.” It’s lamentable many of the so-called “churches” are still in a spiritual age of “laudanum and leeches!” They haven’t learned to test all things and hold fast (only) that which is true! (1Thes5:21) Nor do they know that By the mouth of two or three (reliable) witnesses every word shall be established! (2Cor13:1) So they often administer an unholy mixture of superstition and grace then wonder why the results are so tragically ineffective!

Presumption:

is the beginning of superstition! It’s “lazy man’s” faith! Rather than exerting the effort necessary to ascertain whether a particular doctrine is actually true the lazy “believer” wants his pastor, his church, or someone else to do the work for him! He wants to be able to accept his religion or any doctrine he’s presented with on someone else’s word without exerting any effort to verify it himself! He wants to contribute as little mental or spiritual labor of his own as possible. This may be seen in the Bible as Cretan faith! Cretans are lazy gluttons! Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to religious fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth… For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers, and deceivers, whose mouths must be stopped! (Titus1:12-14, 10) Cretan faith or presumptuous believing requires the least possible effort! We have a problem! We need an answer! Here’s an answer! Rather than expending the energies necessary to determine whether this answer is actually correct, the easy thing is to just accept the first answer that comes along. Presumption requires no asking, seeking, or knocking to confirm or make sure a doctrine is true! But God says By the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word shall be established. (2Cor13:1) And God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him!  (Heb11:6) And let us therefore labor to enter (God’s) rest (of faith). (Heb4:11)

There are efforts involved in acquiring true faith! Even if what you believe presumptuously is true you still can’t stand upon it during the tests and trials, or in the storms of life! You can’t stand because you do not know for certain in your own heart and experience what you purport to believe actually is true since you’ve never really tested it! That’s where presumption always fails! Presumption doesn’t always mean your answer is wrong! But it does mean the method used to obtain your answer is wrong. Remember, Jesus is not just the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, but He’s also the Way, the Truth and the Life! (Rev1:8;Jn14:6) Jesus isn’t just the answer but He is the WAY (the method) you receive the answer! If the method by which you seek truth is correct, truth is what you’ll find! If anyone wants to do God’s will, he shall know concerning the doctrine whether it is from God! (John7:17) The key here is, do you really want to do God’s will, even if it hurts? Is your heart really pure, or do you have your own preferences and agenda? Are you in a hurry? Looking for a quick fix? Whatever is not of faith is sin. (Rom14:23) Even if what he believes is true, the presumptuous believer has no real faith in it.

Two students are taking a mathematics exam! On a very difficult problem one student carefully works out the answer and writes it down with his calculations on his test paper. The other student, being less industrious just copies the first student’s answer! Now the instructor begins to interrogate the students. The instructor seems to believe the answer is wrong. He asks the student who copied the answer to defend his solution, to prove it to be true. The lazy student can’t prove it, for he doesn’t really know whether the solution was correct or not. He only assumes the student he copied from worked the problem correctly, but he can’t be sure since he’s never worked the problem himself! So he fails under interrogation! He may stubbornly hold to a wrong answer which he can’t defend, or he may doubt and let go of a correct answer which he has no confidence in! He may pretend to be sure but he has no real personally acquired evidences and in the face of his instructor’s interrogation he can’t honestly defend or have any true faith in his answer!

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone that asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear! (1Pe3:15) So it is with those whose “faith” is presumptuous. Those who’ve copied their beliefs from their pastor, friends, family, or church, but have never searched out the evidences and worked their faith out themselves, in times of testing they fail! They can’t give a defense! Even if what they’re believing is correct, they can’t be sure their faith is true having never really proven it for themselves! For having no root in himself, he endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises for the Word’s sake, immediately he stumbles! (Matt13:21) Unlike the industrious student who actually worked the problem and can check and recheck and therefore defend the accuracy of his answer, these presumptuous believers can’t stand in true faith in the face of any reasonable opposition and uphold the truth! They’ll either stubbornly hold fast to a falsehood or having no root in themselves, they’ll quickly let go of what is a very important scriptural truth in which they’ve no firsthand confidence! But the true believer can say, “I know this is true. Look! Here are my calculations (scriptures), my verifiable reasons! My roots!” Like the wise student, having done what his instructor taught him to do, he can defend his faith in the time of testing. He can verify and reverify his calculations (doctrine) until his confidence (faith) is sure! Now it’s for the very purpose of helping us avoid this kind of presumption that Jesus says, “Do not call anyone on earth your Father, for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ!” (Matt23:9-10) For though you may have ten thousand teachers in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” (1Cor4:15) Paul is intimating that he’s more than just a teacher, but even a kind of father to the Corinthian church! And He (Jesus) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers! (Eph4:11) Scripture cannot be broken. (Jn10:35) We know Paul isn’t a sinner, but following the Spirit of Christ. “For to me, to live is Christ!” (Phil 1:21) That’s true even when he refers to himself as a “father” to the Corinthian Church. We see Jesus Himself has given TEACHERS to the church! So we must assume that Jesus is using the terms “Father” and “Teacher” in a different sense than Paul is when Jesus says, “Call no man Father… and do not be called teachers!” The true sense of what Jesus is saying is you should never let any man assume the position of God to you. That is no man is to assume such a place of authority over you as to be permitted to tell you what to believe and what not to believe or to tell you what is truth and what is not truth solely on the basis of his position or his office! Nor is any Christian to put himself in such a position of authority over another believer as to be called supreme “teacher” or supreme “father” in the sense that he becomes the sole determinant of what that disciple is to believe! Only God Himself can hold the position of authoritative or supreme “Father!” And only Christ can fulfill the office of authoritative or supreme “Teacher!” Any man who’s permitted to assume the position of supreme Father or Teacher, whether he be a preacher or a pope, such a man usurps the rightful place of God and Christ as the head of that believer. Not even the church herself is granted such authority over God’s people but is subject to Christ… in all things! (Eph5:24)

This is that which the apostle John speaks of when he says, “You do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him!” (1Jn2:27) If you’re a true believer God has given you the ability to discern truth yourself thru your personal relationship with Christ your Head. You don’t need some spiritual “father” or “teacher” to decide for you what is true or isn’t true! You yourself must decide in Christ! You must inspect the evidences. You must search the scriptures. You must test all things; and hold fast what is good! (1Thes5:21) Now this isn’t an excuse for you to assume that you can reject the help godly preachers and teachers will give you in pointing you toward God’s truth! For how can you hear without a preacher! (Rom10:14) You’re to consider the evidences which such teachers present to you with a pure heart! You’ll be held responsible by God for rejecting any valid truths his servants present to you. But neither are you to believe any teachers without being fully convinced yourself by sound and reasonable evidences of the validity of the truths which they present! When you stand before Christ in the judgment, you’ll not be able to say, “My teacher led me astray!” or “My pastor deceived me!” For God has given you the ability to judge the truth and He’ll hold you responsible for what you believe!  Further more, Christ has commanded you not to allow man to usurp the position of truth determiner over you! If you allow any man to take such a position of authority, you have blatantly disobeyed Jesus and given the divine throne which belongs to God and Christ alone to a mortal man.

Dogmas:

are doctrines delivered as truths but not presented in connection with any evidences which would support them! Dogmatic teachers and preachers expect to be believed in whatever they say, not because they can prove what they say to be true, but because of who they are! Often such dogmatic instructors demand to be believed even when there’s much evidence opposing what they say, but their rationale is “I represent the church, and this is the doctrine of the church, and you are to submit to my authority and believe the doctrine for that reason alone.” The catholic heresy of “transubstantion” is such a dogma. They blindly profess their “wafer” changes into the body of Christ during the mass ceremony when all evidences are contrary – just because the church says so! Now this is the height of wickedness, and directly disobedient to Jesus who says you shall call no man father in that very sense. Yet this is a common sin in much of the professing “church” today and her ministers, who often “believe” and teach nothing more than dogma! Such dogma may also include church creeds, statements of faith, and catechisms which are asserted as truth but not presented together with the evidences or proofs upon which they’re purported to be established. Even if such “creeds” are true, they can’t be considered a foundation for Christian faith, for to have faith in the doctrines presented in the “creed” each potential “believer” must be brought to see and be convicted by the evidences upon which the “creed” is based. That is the doctrines as expressed in the “creed” must be proven, and reproven to each believer personally if he’s to arrive at a true faith or conviction that the doctrines expressed in the “creed” are in fact true!

A “creed” may be a “statement” of what your church believes. But it doesn’t usually contain the evidences for why you believe it! As such, a creed may be used as a basis for determining whether others agree with your beliefs, but it can’t be used as a foundation to produce faith in a potential “believer.” For faith can only be founded upon evidences which “creeds” are not! Nor can the “creed” be used properly to judge another believer as to his “orthodoxy,” because the creed is not the standard of judgment! Rather, it’s the evidences from which the “creed” is derived that must remain the true standard by which orthodoxy must be judged! For the “creed” to be true it must be founded upon a proper interpretation of holy scripture or the “creed” can’t be considered “orthodox” itself! Because of human fallibility, there’s always the possibility a particular “creed” has been founded on an incomplete or improper interpretation of the scriptures. Because of this, in any case where there’s a question of “orthodoxy” we must return to the foundational evidences, the only reliable standards upon which faith can be based; the holy scriptures themselves! Therefore, no “creed” by itself is ever an acceptable standard by which to judge christian orthodoxy!

A “statement of faith” or “creed” isn’t evidence any more than faith itself can be evidence, but it’s rather the conviction a believer or believers have come to after examining the evidences, just as faith is a conviction that arises out of a perception of evidences! The “creed” is the verdict of a particular “jury” but it’s not the evidences itself, and subsequent “juries,” have the right to inspect all the evidences by which the original “jury” arrived at that “verdict.” An “appeals court” could never be content to just inspect the original “verdict” alone in any case which it may review! Else there’d be no such thing as an “appeals court” since once a verdict was reached, if the original evidences could never be reconsidered, that verdict couldn’t be changed!

Similarly, if you’re to judge another man’s beliefs, you must judge them according to the evidences by which he’s arrived at that belief, and not merely upon the conclusions you may have reached after examining what may be a very different set of evidences! A “creed” is a set of conclusions based on evidences! If we’re to correct the “creed” of one who’s in error, we must be able to refute his incorrect conclusions or expose his unreliable evidences, before we can effectually condemn his incorrect answer! This means we must examine the foundations upon which both the correct and incorrect faiths are based. We must expose the roots, or false evidences of every ungodly error and reaffirm every righteous foundation of a true Christian faith. Else there can be no real conviction of right or wrong on behalf of either. And also if a man strive for masteries, yet he is not crowned unless he strives lawfully! (2Tim2:5) You won’t accomplish the will of God if while you’re attempting to correct one who disagrees with you, you must resort to using an inequitable or unfair set of standards to uphold your position! You must be willing to treat your opponent’s evidences fairly if you expect him to receive yours!

Again, if you’re judging someone according to your “creed” you’re judging them according to your conclusions regarding the evidences as you or your church have interpreted them. But how do we know that your conclusions are actually correct if we don’t see your evidences first? In any honest question of judgment we must always return to the evidences before we reach a verdict! We can’t apply our conclusion to someone with whom we disagree and expect him to be convicted, if we don’t show him the evidences upon which that verdict or conclusion was reached! Far too many “churches” and believers today are judging others according to “creeds” they can’t even defend. For their “creeds” were established by theologians in generations past, and the “believers” of today don’t even know the evidence upon which their “creeds” are based. In such a case these “creeds” are no longer statements of faith since the contemporary “believer” has no foundation of evidence upon which to base his faith! In actuality, having not been effectively re-established by the conviction that comes from examining the evidences in the contemporary generation of “believers” such “creeds” are statements of superstition and prejudice and not statements of faith at all!

Dogmatic religion is superstitious. Dogma is doctrine presented as truth. But without supporting evidences to prove that it’s truth, dogma can never become true faith in the hearts of those who receive it. For without any evidences the dogmatic “believer” has no foundation upon which to rest his faith! Dogma is usually forced upon the congregations of dogmatic “churches” and the victims of such dogma are usually instructed to “believe by faith” and not to seek evidences. But having no evidences, how can they believe with any real faith or become rooted and grounded? The situation with the dogmatic “believer” is similar to that of the student who copied his answer from another. In this case the “teacher” himself or the church organization etc., has purported to have worked out the problem on the “believer’s” behalf and given him the answer. But having not shown him how to work the problem for himself, he’s left unable to defend his “faith!” If you have “faith” in such a case it’s not really in the truth of the doctrine which you believe, or in Christ as the revelator of that truth. But in such a case your “faith” must be founded in the man or the church that’s taught you! Judge for yourself, is it right for you to place your “faith” in a fallible mortal man, or fallible organizations of men? Can you really stand on such an untrustworthy “faith?”

To be truly convinced or convicted in such a state is nearly impossible. Even if the dogma is true how can you have faith or know it to be correct without a foundation for that truth! Nor can you witness such a truth to others, since you’ve nothing viable with which to convince them such a dogma is “truth.” Dogmatic teachers are expecting you to have “faith” in them or their churches, rather than in truth itself. They stand in the way and oppose Jesus. For I (Jesus) am the way, the Truth, and the life! (Jn14:6) They are expecting you to “believe” them, but commanding you not to test all things and hold fast that which is good! (1Thes5:21) Dogmatic religion is never the stuff of which true faith is made, but in every case, even when some of the dogma might be true, it’s of the nature of superstition. For it requires its followers to “believe” that for which they have no foundations of evidence.

Christ’s true teachers, the “fathers” in Israel, such as Paul, Peter, John and those who serve the Lord faithfully in our generation aren’t authorities who expect to be believed because of who they are. Rather, they’re servants of Christ and of the church who are endeavoring to show you the evidences upon which you may base a truly scriptural faith. Thus if you can see for yourself the evidences which they see, then you can know and choose to believe the same things which they believe. So the true teacher sent by Christ is a presenter of evidences and not an enforcer of dogmas! He doesn’t decide for you as an authoritative “father” what you can and can’t believe; the very thing which Jesus said should not be permitted! Call no man on this earth your father! (Matt23:9) But he guides you to the heavenly Father and to the true Teacher Jesus. He does this by presenting you the evidences that will convict you of truth and become a foundation for your faith and which will show you the way. He does this from the position of a servant, not a Lord! He expects you not to believe him, for himself, but to test all things and to believe truth only when it’s properly supported by foundations of sound evidence! This is the kind of “teacher” we find in Paul: And for three Sabbaths, (Paul) reasoned with them from the scriptures.(Acts17:2) Now as he (Paul) reasoned about righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid! (Acts24:25) But he (Paul) said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but I speak the words of truth and reason!” (Acts26:25)

The dogmatic instructor relies upon his position or authority, or the authority of the church he represents to support his doctrines. He does not rely upon evidences of truth or reason. He usually will be offended if you ask him for proofs or reasons! He doesn’t persuade men to believe, Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. (2Cor5:11) But he orders men to believe! Now it’s acceptable to order men to obey something they already know to be true! But it’s not possible for men to believe something they aren’t convinced really is true! Therefore it’s ineffectual to order them to believe in such a case!

For this reason dogmatic churches, preachers, etc., terribly mislead the people.  It’s impossible for their followers to have true faith. Rather the “faith” of a dogmatic believer is mere “opinion” based upon the word of the church and not the “believers” own convictions of that truth! Such a “believer” violates the commandment of Jesus who says, “Call no man on this earth your father!” (Matt23:9) It’s in that very sense which Jesus speaks, that you’re to put no one in the position of deciding truth for you. But you must rightly judge for yourself and answer for yourself before God as to what you’ve believed! For let each man be fully convinced in his own m