Is it Possible to Resist God?

Dear friends,

I want to address a myth that's very popular in the Church today that says you cannot resist the grace of God. The irresistibleness of God's grace is actually the "I" in the Calvinist acronym TULIP. Let's see what Scripture has to say about it. But first, you should stop and pray, asking God to remove all scales from your eyes, and illuminate your heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth. I find that it's best to approach God's Word this way in humility, putting aside all your preconceived notions about Him. 

Choking the Word

In His parable of the sower, Jesus told about a farmer who went out to sow his seed, which ended up falling on four different types of soil. He said, "Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants." (Mat 13:7). Later He explained this to His disciples saying, "The seed falling among the thorns refers to him who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word, making it unfruitful." (Mat 13:22). 

He taught that the Word can actually be choked, thereby making it unfruitful. The kinds of things that can choke the Word are the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. Yet we know from John's gospel that the Word is God, because it says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (Joh 1:1). If the Word is God, and the Word can be choked, making it unfruitful, then that means it is possible to allow things into your life that choke God out of it. 

Quenching the Holy Spirit

In another passage, the apostle warns the saints not to quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thes 5:19). The Greek word for quench in that verse (sbennumi) means to quench, extinguish, or go out. This means it's possible to extinguish the fire of the Holy Spirit, who is the third Person of the Triune Godhead. The Holy Spirit is not a thing or a force. He can be grieved (Eph 4:30), lied to (Ac 5:3), and quenched (1 Thes 5:19). He is referred to with the pronoun "He". Therefore, we know that He is a divine Person, and He is God. If it were not possible to quench Him, then there would be no need to warn us against doing so.

Resisting the Holy Spirit

In fact, right before the Jews who were about to kill Stephen actually stoned him to death, he said that they always resisted the Holy Spirit. He said to them, "You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!" (Act 7:51). Not only can the Holy Spirit be lied to, grieved, and quenched, but He can also be resisted. 

Refusing Him Who Speaks

We also learn from Scripture that it is possible to refuse Him who speaks, For the apostle wrote to the Hebrews: "See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?" (Heb 12:25). If it were not possible to refuse the Lord when He speaks, then it would not be necessary to warn us not to do so.

Closing Words

Therefore, in light of the Scriptures showing us that it's possible to choke God and His Word out of our lives, as well as refuse Him when He speaks to us, and that it's possible to quench, as well as resist God's Holy Spirit, it seems quite reasonable to me that one could also resist the grace of God. Scripture is clear that you can receive God's grace in vain (2 Cor 6:1), so it is possible to mishandle it to your own detriment. Since God's grace is not God Himself, but something He gives, then it is a fallacy to teach or believe that it cannot be resisted, when Scripture says that God Himself can be resisted.

TULIP Calvinism is not biblical. If you still have any doubts about that, talk to the Lord about it, and ask Him to confirm it. He is faithful and He will do it.

Attribution notice: Scripture taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. 

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, you are invited to check out the series called The False Gospel of Eternal Security. If you would like to become a disciple, consider enrolling in our Doulos Training School. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Refuting the Oneness Christology Heresy

Oneness Christology or Modalism, also known as Modalistic Monarchianism, is a false Christian theology upholding the oneness of God as well as the divinity of Jesus. It contradicts the Scriptural doctrine of the Holy Trinity, also known as Trinitarianism¹, which I have explained in my other article on this blog found at this link. Modalism teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three different modes or manifestations of God. In the Western Church, this is called Sabellianism, and in the Eastern Church it is Patripassianism, which are both forms of theological modalism². United Pentecostals hold to this age-old heresy, denying the Trinity. But the following Scriptures prove modalism false.

1.   "Then God (Elohim) said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness," (Gen 1:6). Here it uses the Hebrew word “Elohim” for “God”, which is the plural (more than one) word for God. Elohim is like saying "Gods" because it is not singular.

 

Since the plural word for God (Elohim) is used in this verse and Elohim said, "Let Us (first person plural)" make man in "Our" (first person plural) image, and in "Our" (first person plural) likeness, why does Elohim refer to Himself in the first person plural as Us and Our?

 

2.   "I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain." I will proclaim the LORD's decree: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have become your Father. (Psa 2:6-7)

 

Why does Yehova God need to install His King on His holy mountain and declare the King to be His Son and Himself as the King’s Father, if there is no distinction between them at all?  How could this be possible if they are not distinct from one another?

 

3.   For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? (Heb 1:5)

 

Why would the Son say to Himself, “I will be His Father” if He is the Father?

 

4.   “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Mat 10:33)

 

If Jesus is the Father, how will He disown anyone before His Father?

 

5.   Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Mat 26:39)

 

If Jesus is the Father, then why did He have to pray this way to the Father, asking for the Father’s will and not His will, since it makes their wills distinct from each other?

 

6.   Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Mat 28:18)

 

How can the Father give all authority to Jesus unless the Son is another One?

 

7.   “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).” (Mat 27:46)

 

How could Jesus ask why God had forsaken Him if they are exactly the same Person?

 

8.   "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mar 13:32)

 

How can only the Father know something and not the Son unless they are two distinct Persons?

 

9.   Then I said, 'Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, my God.'" (Heb 10:7)

 

If Jesus is the Father, why does He present Himself before Himself and tell Himself that He has come to do His own will, and call Himself “My God”?

 

10.  “To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” (1Ti 1:2; cf., 2 Tim 1:2)

 

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:” (2Ti 4:1)

 

The Father and Son are both referenced in these verses. Why do so, if the Father is the Son?

 

11.  “For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus,” (1Ti 2:5)

 

How can the man Jesus Christ be the one mediator between God and man, if He is the Father? How does He act as a mediator between man and Himself?

 

12.  Read the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus to the Father in John 17.

 

Why did Jesus pray to the Father in John 17 and many other places if He is the Father, since He would be talking to Himself?

13.  “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (Joh 14:13)

 

How can the Father be glorified in the Son if there is no distinction between them?

 

14.  "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.’” (Joh 14:28)

 

If Jesus is the Father, then why did He say, “the Father is greater than I”?

 

15.  Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (Joh 20:17)

 

If Jesus is the Father, why did He say He was ascending to the Father, and why did He call the Father “My God”?

 

16.  Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” (Joh 7:16-17)

 

Why did Jesus say that His teaching was not His own, but that it came from someone else who is the Father, if He were the Father? If He were the Father, wouldn’t His teaching be His own?

 

17.  Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me." Then they asked him, "Where is your father?" "You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." (Joh 8:14-19)

 

Why did Jesus refer to Himself and the Father as two witnesses, if He is the Father?

 

18.  So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (Joh 8:28)

 

If Jesus were the Father, how could He do nothing on His own, but only do what the Father has taught Him? That would be the same as saying, I the Son can do nothing on my own but only what I the Father have taught myself. However, doesn’t the fact that Jesus said He could do nothing on His own mean that He relies on One other than Himself, namely the Father? And in saying this, didn’t Jesus teach us that the Father is someone other than Himself?

 

19.  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me.” (Joh 8:42)

 

Why does Jesus refer to God who sent Him as someone other than Himself, if He is the Father?

 

20.  “For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.” (Joh 12:49)

 

Since Jesus did not speak on His own, but said only what the Father commanded Him to say, why did He refer to the Father as someone other than Himself that was commanding Him what to say, if He is actually the Father?

 

21.  “Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (Joh 14:10)

 

Why did Jesus refer to the Father’s authority as one other than His own if He is the Father?

 

22.  “Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” (Joh 14:24)

 

Why did Jesus say that the words He taught did not to belong to Him, but someone other than Himself, who is the Father, if He were the Father? If He were the Father, wouldn’t the words He spoke be His own?

 

23.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Act 7:55-56)

 

If Jesus is the Father and the Father is Jesus, then how was Stephen able to see Jesus the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God?

 

24.  “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Col 1:15)

 

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,” (Col 1:19)

Since God, who is invisible to us here on earth, was pleased to have all of His fullness dwell in the Son, who is the image of the invisible God, why would Scripture refer to God and the Son separately if Jesus is both the Father and the Son?

 

25.  “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." (Luk 24:49)

 

Jesus referred to Himself in the first person singular as "I", and to "My Father" in the third person, and then to the gift of the Holy Spirit in the third person as "what My Father promised." Why do so, if Jesus is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost?

 

26.  “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.” (Mar 16:19)

 

If Jesus is the Father, why did He sit down at the right hand of God the Father in heaven?

 

27.  “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Heb 1:3, cf. Heb 8:1)

 

If the Son is the Father, then why does it say that He is the radiance of God’s glory, and why again does it say He sat down at the Father’s right hand?

 

28.  In Romans 8:11, it says, "God raised Jesus from the dead,"

 

How did God the Father raise Jesus, if Jesus is the Father?

  

29.  “Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.” (1Co 15:24)

 

How will Jesus the Son hand the Kingdom over to the Father, if Jesus is the Father? How will He hand the Kingdom over to Himself? 

 

30.  “For he ‘has put everything under his feet.’ Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.” (1Co 15:27-28)

 

In 1 Cor 15:27 it says that when God puts everything under the feet of Jesus Christ, that does not include God Himself. God is not putting Himself under Jesus' feet. That is very clear. In 1 Cor 15:28, it says that the Son will be made subject to the Father.

 

Why would Scripture say that God is not under the feet of Jesus and that Jesus will be subject to the Father, if Jesus is the Father, unless they are eternally two distinct divine Persons, with the Father always being the greater than the Son?

 

31.  “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,” (Rev 1:1)

 

Why did God the Father have to give the revelation to Jesus Christ, if Jesus is the Father?

 

32.  “John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,” (Rev 1:4-5)

 

Why does it refer to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit separately and distinctly if Jesus is all three?

 

33.  “and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” (Rev 1:6)

 

Why does it refer to God as “His God and Father”, if He Himself is the Father?

 

34.  “To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— that one 'will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'—just as I have received authority from my Father.” (Rev 2:26-27)

 

If Jesus is the Father, why did He need to receive authority from the Father?

 

35.  “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” (Rev 3:2)

 

In this passage, the resurrected and ascended, glorified Christ is speaking. Why the need for Him to call the Father “My God” if He is the Father”

 

36.  “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.” (Rev 3:5)

 

Again, how could Jesus acknowledge anyone before His Father and His Father’s angels in heaven, if He is the Father?

 

37.  “The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” (Rev 3:12)

 

Why did Jesus always refer to the Father as “My God”, even after he was glorified in heaven, if He is the Father?

 

38.  “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Rev 3:21)

 

Why would Jesus say He sat down with His Father on His throne, if He is the Father? Can one sit down beside oneself or with oneself?

 

39.  "The Lamb came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne." (Rev 5:7)

 

How does Jesus take the scroll from the hand of the One (the Father) sitting on the throne, if Jesus is the Father? Surely He does not take it from His own hand and hand it to Himself.

 

40.  “And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Rev 5:9)

 

Why does the Lamb purchase men for God if He is the Father?

 

41.  “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’"  (Rev 5:13)

 

Why do they specify that their praise is given to both Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, if the Lamb is the Father and the Father is the Lamb?

 

42.  “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?’" (Rev 6:15-17)

 

Why do these people seek to hide themselves from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, if the Lamb is the Father?

 

Why do they refer to “their wrath” (plural) if the Lamb is the Father?

 

43.  “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; 'he will lead them to springs of living water.' 'And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'" (Rev 7:17)

 

Why refer to the Lamb and God separately here if the Lamb is the Father?

 

44.  The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." (Rev 11:15)

 

Why would they say it has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, if our Lord and His Christ were not two distinct Divine Persons?

 

45.  Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” (Rev 12:10)

 

Why would it refer to both the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ if there was no distinction between them?

 

46.  “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” (Rev 12:17)

 

Why does it speak separately and distinctly about keeping God’s commands and holding fast their testimony of Jesus, if Jesus is the Father?

 

Two more verses:

47.  “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev 22:1)

 

Why does it say the river of the water of life is flowing from the throne of God and from the Lamb, if the Lamb is the Father and the Father is the Lamb?

 

48.  “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.” (Rev 22:3)

 

Why does it say the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, if the Lamb is the Father and the Father is the Lamb?

Closing Words

Three modes of God do not talk to each other and sit beside each other. One mode does not refer to another as His God or as someone other than Himself. One mode does not command another mode to do something or give another mode authority. Modalism does not agree with Scripture and is a false teaching.

The Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, according to Scripture. But the Father is not the Son or the Holy Spirit; the Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. They are not three gods. They are three in One, a triune Godhead, God in three Persons, the blessed Trinity.

¹Wikipedia, Modalistic Monarchianism

²Wikipedia, Sabellianism

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan 2011, all rights reserved, used by permission. The "Trinity Doctrine" graphic may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see the following related posts:

The Holy Trinity
The Person of the Holy Spirit
Baptized with the Spirit
Holy Fire Baptism
Is Jesus God?
The Name of Jesus

You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.  Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Restored Truth

In His great mercy, the Lord Jesus Christ has been revealing His standards of holiness to His children in these last days, as I have written about in my articles on Eternal Destinations. He is naming specific sins, such as compromising, not keeping Sundays holy, not tithing, watching secular TV, fashion, women wearing trousers, jewelry, artificial things like wigs, hair attachments, and fake eyelashes, and/or make up, tattoos, smoking cigarettes, addiction to drinking alcohol, worldliness, covetousness, masturbation, immoral practices on the marital bed, divorce, abortion, using contraceptives, idolatry, rock, rap, and reggae music, dancing that does not glorify Jesus or the Father, embezzling money and accepting bribes, gossip, abortion, keeping boyfriends and girlfriends, failing to evangelize, as well as witchcraft, video games, movies, art that does not glorify God, and secular cartoons.

Some people are rejecting these messages as from the devil, while many others are embracing them as from God. Some who reject the messages say that God has not left anything out of His Word, so He doesn't need to give us any new revelations. However, what they fail to realize is that these things have been in the Word of God all along right beneath our noses, although in certain cases the specific sin may not be mentioned by name.  The problem is not that they are missing from God's Word.  Rather the problem is with us that we have been beaten with blindness. The devil has deceived us, so that we have hardened our hearts and rejected the truth.  And over the decades, these truths have been lost, which were once embraced by the Church. Therefore, Christians no longer believe what is written in the Bible.

When God calls us back to the ancient paths written in His Word, which we have strayed from, I call this a restored truth.  God is restoring Truth.  This is no different from when He did so through Martin Luther and his ninety-five theses in 1517.  The religious leaders rejected his disputation protests against clerical abuses at that time in the same way pastors are rejecting these current revelations today.  And it's also like what the Lord did when He restored Truth about perfection and holiness through John Wesley in the 1700's, then around 1900 He restored Truth about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.   He revealed that He is still baptizing believers with the Holy Spirit as on the day of Pentecost, and that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still actively distributed by Him today; they did not cease after the first century.  Along with that He has restored the Truth of The Laying on of Hands and Supernatural Power for All Disciples. More recently in the 1990's He has restored Truth about apostles still existing today.  He has revealed that these did not cease to exist after the first Twelve apostles of the first century. And during the past decade, He has restored Truth about the Holy Fire Baptism. 

Each time God restores Truth, people either reject it or embrace it.  The ones who embrace it and repent find mercy, forgiveness, grace, freedom, deliverance, peace, and all the good fruit the Lord brings about with the growth.  "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free... So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (Jn 8:32,36).

Those who reject the truth that God is restoring get left behind and miss the grace of God (Heb 12:15).  Be careful you are not like the religious leaders who rejected Martin Luther's ninety-five theses. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Heb 4:7b).

I want to encourage you to embrace the Truth that God is restoring.  He hasn't changed.  He says, “I the Lord do not change." (Mal 3:6a).  And Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8).  It is we who have changed.  It is we who have gone stray and departed from His Word.  All we like sheep have gone astray. That's why it is we who must repent and turn back to the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to cry out for The Knowledge of the Holy and Ask for the Ancient Paths once again.

Attribution notice:Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: I recommend you read the following articles about various restored truths: Baptism with the Holy Spirit, Holy Fire Baptism, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Garments of Godliness, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations,  Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine Revelations,  A Warning for Christian Married Couples, Messages from the Lord for Catholics Worshiping Idols, Tattoos and Body Piercing, The Laying on of Hands, Supernatural Power for All Disciples, and Is a Woman's Hair Her Head Covering?, A Warning to the Nay Sayers, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II , Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth?,   The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness,  Is Tithing Required?,   Lifting Hands in Prayer,  Is Obedience Optional?, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, Aim for Perfection. You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Tradition vs. Truth

I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church, which I came out of when Jesus Christ came into my heart and set me free from sin.  The Roman Catholic Church places a great deal of emphasis on traditions.  In fact, their own catechism teaches that equal devotion and reverence must be given to tradition and Scripture.

However, in that religion, tradition is actually placed above the Word of God.  In other words, if there is a question about something in the Bible, they follow tradition, rather than the Bible.  Some examples include the veneration of Mary, her "immaculate conception" and her bodily "assumption into heaven." There is also the apocrypha, transubstantiation, praying to saints, the confessional, penance, purgatory, and more. This is not to single out the Catholic Church, but it serves as an example of what many of the traditional religions do.

Yet Jesus taught that the commandments of God take precedence over man-made tradition.  Any religion that does not put God's Word above tradition is in direct contradiction to the words of our Lord Jesus.

The Pharisees and teachers of the Law were concerned about His disciples breaking their tradition.  They kept many traditions, which you can read about in the Mishnah, the Talmud, and the Midrash. These were oral traditions that were written down.  They asked Jesus about it, saying: "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." (Mat 15:2)

But Jesus responded by asking them why they broke the command of God for the sake of their tradition.  In order to follow their traditions, they had to break God's commands.

Here is a chart showing the difference between how these people viewed themselves and how God viewed them:

Their perspective	God’s perspective
They were teachers of God’s Law, experts in it.	They were teachers of mere man-made rules and traditions (Mt 15:9)
They worshipped God	They worshipped God in vain, in other words, to no purpose (Mt 15:9)
They honored God with their lips	Their hearts were far from God. They were a great way off and kept themselves distant from him (Mt 15:8)
They were sincerely devoted to God	They were hypocrites or mere stage players (Mt 15:7)
They kept the traditions of the elders	They broke God’s commands (Mt 15:3)
They ceremonially washed their hands before eating and only ate with clean hands, so that nothing unclean ever went into their mouths.  They were undefiled.	Their hearts were full of unclean things like evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and slanders. They uttered these things from their mouths and defiled themselves.  Washing their hands did nothing to keep them from being defiled (Mt 15:10, 17-20)
They taught people the path of righteousness	They were blind guides, leading the blind into a pit (Mt 15:14)

This was like another conversation Jesus had with a group of Jews, which is recorded in John 8.  Once again, there was a sharp contrast between how they viewed themselves and how God viewed them.  The following chart shows the differences:

Their perspective	God’s perspective
They were children of God (Jn 8:41)	They were children of the devil (Jn 8:41, 44)
They heard God’s Word	They did not hear God’s Word spoken by His Son (Jn 8:43)
They honored God	They dishonored the Son of God, who honored the Father (Jn 8:49)
They were of God	They were not of God (Jn 8:47)
They were Abraham’s descendants (Jn 8:33)	They were not children of Abraham (Jn 8:39-41)
They were free (Jn 8:33)	They were slaves (Jn 8:34-36)
They believed in Jesus (Jn 8:30-31)	They would only be His true disciples if they continued in His Word (Jn 8:31)

Likewise, many religious people today see themselves as children of God.  They consider themselves free and feel like they honor God.  They think they worship God, and with their lips they do so.  They consider themselves sincerely devoted to God.  They avoid eating things that would defile them. They teach the importance of their religious traditions and they also teach from the Bible. They feel like they are teaching the path of righteousness.

Multitudes of people in so-called Christian religions, as well as non-Christian religions see themselves this way.  Yet God calls them hypocrites, those who honor Him with their lips, but whose hearts are far from Him.  He says they worship Him in vain.  He says they teach mere, man-made rules, yet break God’s commands.  He says their hearts are still full of evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and slanders. He calls them blind guides, who are leading blind people into the pit.  He says they are slaves and still children of the devil.

The Lord has warned those practicing the traditions of men.  Those who attend festivals in the name of worshiping idols or in remembrance of anything, He shall crush them and cast them into the lake of fire (Mt 15:1-28).  In fact, to those worshiping idols in any way, especially the Roman Catholics, the Lord says you should stop doing that or else He will crush you and cast you from His sight into the lake of fire, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, and their smoke shall rise forever.

My friend, please check yourself to see if that is you.  Are you following after religious traditions, yet breaking God’s commands?  Be sure these things are not true of you.  Make sure that your perspective of yourself is consistent with God's perspective of you.  And if God's perspective of you is one of those listed above in the right-hand column of these charts, then please repent and make it right with God.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the Father except by Him (Jn 14:6).  Your traditions are not what matters to God.  Jesus said that if you continue in His Word, then you would truly be His disciple.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

References: Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 77, 88, 82, and 97.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotation taken from the NASB. The "I Am the Way" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note:  You may also see Roman Catholicism, the Bible and Tradition, by Matt Slick, as as well my own article, Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church. Don't miss Angelica Zambrano's First Visit to Hell and Angelica Zambrano's Second Visit to Hell. I also suggest visiting Jack Chick's page on Catholicism. . You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

What is Truth?

Two thousand years ago, a politician asked a very poignant question.  Governor Pontius Pilate asked, "What is truth?"  For him this was a foreign concept, since he viewed all things as relative rather than absolute, therefore he was confused.  Through his question, he seemed to infer many things.  He incorrectly inferred that the truth itself is a myth, a lie, and does not exist, except in someone's imagination.  He also inferred that there was no such thing as truth. This is because he himself had never come to know the truth.  Little did he realize that the Truth is a Person and he was speaking to Him.

You see, unless you yourself are of the truth, you cannot hear His voice.  You can be looking right at the Truth and not see it.  Jesus had said to Pilate, "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." (Jn 18:37b).  The truth is not just information.

God Cannot Lie
Jesus is the Truth! When the apostle Thomas wondered about the way to heaven, Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Joh 14:6).

God cannot lie! The apostle Paul wrote to Titus, “Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,” (Tit 1:1-3)

Paul was saying that he was an apostle for the faith of God's chosen people. He was an apostle for the knowledge of the truth.  He said the truth is according to godliness.  Godliness is possible when you have the hope of eternal life.  How do you have the hope of eternal life?  Paul said that God promised it long ages ago, and that's where God's chosen people need to have faith.  You've got to believe it's true.

Let's look at the premise of Paul's statement and what he inferred:

God (cannot lie) --> promised --> eternal life --> godliness --> Truth --> knowledge

I would have preferred to make this a pyramid with God at the base and knowledge at the top, but you can still get the basic idea here.  If you follow my little diagram, you will see that the basis of everything Paul inferred here is the fact that God cannot lie.  Our knowledge of the Truth is based on that.  The Truth itself is based on that.  Eternal life is based on that.  You see, God promised it, and since it is impossible for God to lie, you can be sure the promise will be fulfilled.  God is bound by His own nature to keep all His promises.  Not one word of all His good promises has ever failed. 

The apostle John wrote to the disciples who already knew the truth, "I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. (1Jn 2:21)

You need to understand that no lie is of the truth!  These days men lie so much about everything that they don't even realize it, and it clouds their understanding of truth.  The truth contains absolutely no lies.  It's one hundred percent genuine reality.  And reality is found in Christ.  And reality is more real than the things of this world, which are here today and gone tomorrow.

Many people today say that nothing is absolute.  They can believe that 2+2=4, but they cannot believe in absolutes.  They would admit that it's ridiculous to try and say that 2+2=5 or 2+2=10.  But they fail to realize that just as there are absolutes in mathematics, there are spiritual absolutes.

The apostle John continued, "As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." (1Jn 2:27)

An anointing in the natural sense is when you pour liquids like oil over someone.  When you lather up your head with shampoo you are anointing it.  When you splash on after shave you are anointing your face. When you receive the Holy Spirit, then in the spirit you are anointed. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth, and He will lead you into all Truth. His anointing is true and is not a lie.

Jesus said, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come." (Joh 16:13)

Jesus also said, "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me," (Joh 15:26)

The Spirit of Truth proceeds from the Father, who cannot lie, and always testifies about Jesus, who is the Truth.  That's why you need His help.

Don't make the same mistake the rest of the world makes.  They cannot receive Him, simply because they don't see Him or know Him.  Jesus said, "That is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." (Joh 14:17)

You've got to receive Jesus into your heart and receive the Holy Spirit. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Joh 4:24).  Young people these days are searching for authenticity, and so is God.  He's seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and Truth.

There's No Truth in the father of lies
On the other hand, many people believe in Jesus and call themselves His disciple, yet don't worship in spirit and truth.  They consider themselves children of God, yet they are children of the devil.  This was the case with many of the Jews who believed in Jesus.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (Joh 8:31-32)

He had this whole conversation with these people, who thought they were children of God, but weren't.  He said that if you continue in His Word, then you are really His disciple.  He said if you continue in His Word, you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free!

Since they were not of the truth, like Governor Pilate, they could not understand what He was saying.  They insisted they were children of God, and Jesus corrected them saying that they were children of the devil:

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (Joh 8:44)

Yes, be very careful, because it is possible to think you are a child of God and yet be a child of the devil.  You need to make sure you are really continuing in Jesus' Word by faith in Him, obeying His commandments.

I want to show you what was inferred here in this statement Jesus made, in contrast to the other diagram above:

devil (finite father of lies) --> desires/nature --> speaks lies --> no truth --> murder --> death

The devil had a beginning, since he is a created being, so he is finite.  He is a liar and the father of lies.  He has a nature and evil desires that spring out of that nature.It's out of that nature and those desires that he speaks.  Whenever he speaks, he always lies.  There is no truth in what he says.  This leads to murder and ultimately results in eternal death. 

Do you see the difference between this diagram and the one above about God?  They are quite the opposite of each other.  With satan, everything is inverted.  The reason for death is ultimately because of the devil.  He has used the fear of death for millenia to hold people in slavery to himself and to sin.  But through Jesus' death on the cross, He conquered hell and death.  Death has been swallowed up in victory.  Now Jesus holds the key to death:

The apostle John saw Him after He rose from the dead and said, "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, 'Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." (Rev 1:17-18, KJV)

Putting it All Together
Everyone is on a ladder of inferences of some sort.  They start by climbing the first rung of the ladder when they infer something to be true, based on something else they assume is true.  Then from that first rung, then climb to the second rung, making another inference.  And as they continue to climb, they ultimately reach a conclusion, which figuratively is the top of the ladder.  You need to be sure your ladder of inference is leaning against the right wall.

Regarding inference, Noah Webster said, "From the character of God, as creator and governor of the world, we infer the indispensable obligation of all his creatures to obey his commands. We infer one proposition or truth from another, when we perceive that if one is true, the other must be true also."

I have diagrammed for you the inferences about God and about satan above.  I have tried to show you where each set of inferences leads to, and what each set of inferences is based on.

Some of you reading this today may be like Pilate.  You may be saying, "What is truth?"  I'm here to tell you that Jesus is the Truth!  He cannot lie.  Believe Him and do what He says.  You need a personal relationship with Him, and you need to continue in His Word.  Then you will actually know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.

Others reading this today may be like those Jews who had believed in Jesus, yet they were children of the devil.  If you'll be honest with yourself, you know you're living a lie.  You're not living a holy life of godliness, righteousness, and truth.  You may have put your faith in Jesus, and you believe the facts about Him, but your not yet a child of God.  You must be born again.  It's not enough to be part of a Christian religion.  You need your own relationship with the Lord.  You need to invite Him into your heart.  You need to believe that He died on the cross for your sins, not just the sins of the world.  You need to repent of your wicked ways, and ask God to forgive you, based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.  You need to continue in His Word, and then you, too will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.

Many of you reading this may have been born again at one time, and you say you love the Lord, but the religion you are part of is breaking God's commandments.  Your religion is idolatrous.  There are many idols, objects to pray to, and a lot of adulation of men.  You need to repent and come out from among them.  Be separate and the Lord will receive you.  Don't settle for anything less than the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth.  Jesus is the Truth and no man comes to the Father except by Him.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 

Author's note: You may also like the other posts in this blog, such as Accurately Handling the Word of Truth, Tradition vs. Truth, and Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality. You may access more of my articles on the Main Directory of this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.