Andy Stanley's Disconnect from the Old Testament

Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point

Dr. Charles Stanley's son Andy is the pastor of perhaps the second or third largest church in America. As a mega church pastor in Atlanta, he has a great deal of influence. Yet he has been teaching people incorrectly that they should "unhitch" from the Old Testament. Here are some of his heretical statements:

Unhitched
“(First Century) Church leaders unhitched the church from the worldview, value system, and regulations of the Jewish scriptures. Peter, James, Paul elected to unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures, and my friends, we must as well.”

“When the Church launched, the foundation of the faith of the early Christians was not a book (they didn’t have one), it wasn’t the Bible (there wasn’t one), and it wasn’t the Old Testament – what they called the Law and the Prophets – because that didn’t tell the story of Jesus. The foundation of the early church was an event – the resurrection.”

“If you were raised on a version of Christianity that relied on the Bible as the foundation of faith, a version that was eventually dismantled by academia or the realities of life, maybe it’s time for you to change your mind about Jesus. Maybe it’s time for you to consider the version of Christianity that relies on the event of the resurrection of Jesus as its foundation. If you gave up your faith because of something about or in the Bible, maybe you gave up unnecessarily. His message for them is simple: 'Start with Jesus! He came to introduce something totally new.'”

“What Jesus meant when He said He had not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17) was that He came to 'replace it.'" Stanley's interpretation of that verse is: “I am in fact replacing. I’m not going to change what you’ve always been taught. I’m going to challenge you to abandon what you have been taught.”

“The Law and the Prophets, the old covenant, had an expiration date.”

The Gospel of Jesus “is completely detached … from everything that came before."

Every one of these statements made by Stanley is refuted by Scripture. Jesus, who is the Word of God (Joh 1:1,14), quoted the Hebrew Scriptures extensively during His ministry; in fact He quoted from a total of twenty-four different books of the Hebrew Bible, and He is the foundation of the Church. "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 3:11, NIV). The only Scriptures they initially had in the first-century Church were the Hebrew Scriptures. And as the apostles and their companions wrote the Gospels, Acts, and the epistles, they quoted extensively from those Scriptures. In fact, they quoted from all but five books of the Hebrew Bible (for a full list of all Old Testament Scriptures cited in the New Testament, see here).

When the apostle Paul preached to the Bereans, they searched the Hebrew Scriptures to verify that everything he said was true. "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Ac 17:11, NIV). This practice of the Bereans was considered noble, since they checked to see if everything the apostle preached agreed with the Hebrew Scriptures, especially the ones he was quoting. It was Paul who wrote that God's household is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." (Eph 2:20, NIV). Let me quote to you from three different men commenting on this passage.

Matthew Henry stated: "In Ephesian 2:20 the church is compared to a building. The apostles and prophets are the foundation of that building. They may be so called in a secondary sense, Christ himself being the primary foundation; but we are rather to understand it of the doctrine delivered by the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New. It follows, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone."

John Wesley stated: "As the foundation sustains the building, so the word of God, declared by the apostles and prophets, sustains the faith of all believers. God laid the foundation by them; but Christ himself is the chief corner - stone of the foundation."

Albert Barnes stated that when the apostle Paul wrote "...And prophets..." in Ephesians 2:20, he was referring to "The prophets of the Old Testament, using the word, probably, to denote the Old Testament in general. That is, the doctrines of divine revelation, whether communicated by prophets or apostles, were laid at the foundation of the Christian church."

Therefore, when Stanley says that "the foundation of the faith of the early Christians...wasn’t the Bible...and it wasn’t the Old Testament...the Law and the Prophets," he is contradicting the Word of God itself. They most certainly had the Scriptures in the first century. There can be no doubt that the apostles of the New Covenant and prophets of the Old Covenant are the foundation of the Church.

Unleashed
Stanley’s new book is called, “Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World." In it he writes: “Participants in the new covenant (that’s Christians) are not required to obey any of the commandments found in the first part of their Bibles. Participants in the new covenant are expected to obey the single command Jesus issued as part of his new covenant: as I have loved you, so you must love one another." Moreover, in the final part of a 2018 sermon series, Stanley explained that while he believes that the Old Testament is "divinely inspired," it should not be "the go-to source regarding any behavior in the Church."

However, contrary to what Andy teaches, Scriptures like "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Ex 20:2) are still valid and applicable to us today as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Obedience to God's commandments is clearly taught throughout the New Testament by Christ and His apostles (Mt 5:17-20; Lk 8:21; Jn 14:15-31; 1 Cor 7:19; 1 Jn 3:4). To deny that is to deny the very foundation upon which the Church is built. Yet that is precisely what Stanley is doing. He is not preaching the gospel of the kingdom that Jesus and His apostles preached. He is preaching another gospel -- a replacement theology.

God changes not (Mal 3:6). Jesus is God, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). He doesn't need to repeat Himself in order for us to know that what He has said is true. What was evil in the days of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Moses, Saul, David, Solomon, Ahab, Elijah, and the prophets is still evil today. What was pleasing to God then is pleasing to Him now, although we are under a New Covenant and are not bound by the specific terms and regulations of the Mosaic Covenant.

The Bible is not just "a collection of ancient documents," as Andy calls them. The sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired Word of God. "ALL Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Ti 3:16). We must declare the whole counsel of God (Ac 20:27), not only the things that Jesus reiterated in the Gospels. Andy says that nothing in the Old Testament should have any bearing on the behavior of a Christian, but since it is all the inspired Word of God useful for training us so we might be thoroughly equipped for every good work, then obviously ALL Scripture including the Old Testament has relevance to our behavior.

Rather than rewrite all my previous articles about the importance and significance of obedience to God's commandments, including those found in the Law and the Prophets, I would like to provide links to those here for you to read. They provide ample proof from Scripture that Stanley is teaching heresy. If you really care about this and want to get to the truth of the matter that is found in God's Word, then I recommend taking the time to read all of these articles, in order to get the full and balanced message that I am teaching as found in the Bible. I challenge you to do as the Bereans did with the apostle's teaching and search the Scriptures to see if these things are really so.

Is Obedience Optional? The Law of Christ  The Law Fulfilled in Us The Law Established Through Faith The Cost of Discipleship Faith Works! Deleted Scriptures in the Bible? Did Jesus Nail the Law to the Cross? The Obedience of Faith Righteousness by Faith not Law Listen to Jesus, Who Upholds Moses and the Prophets  The Spirit's Law of Life

The Law of Love in the New Testament Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God Wesley and Henry on the Gospel Law Righteous Deeds and White Robes Doing What is Right Partaking of the Divine Nature Walking in the Perfect Will of God Obedience by the Spirit The Law is Good if Used Lawfully What Then Must We Observe? Remember the Eternal Law of God The Flesh vs. the Spirit

The Bible De-emphasized 
Andy Stanley says that if he were an evangelical Pope, who had the authority to issue a decree that all evangelical Christians must obey, he "would ask preachers and pastors and student pastors in their communications to take the spotlight off the Bible." Apparently he undervalues the Word of God, since he would use his papal authority to de-emphasize it. This man-made rule of his essentially nullifies the Word of God (Mk 7:13), which instructs the Lord's messengers to preach the Word (2 Tim 4:2). Through His inspired apostle, the Holy Spirit clearly charged Timothy -- and effectively all men of God -- to devote ourselves to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching (1 Tim 4:13). Jesus also warned us, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Lk 9:26).

In addition, Andy disparages expository preaching through the Scriptures one verse at a time. He says, "Guys that preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible -- that is just cheating. It's cheating because that would be easy. First of all, that isn't how you grow people." This preposterous statement of his proves that the enemy hates expository preaching from the Bible, explaining it one verse at a time. Andy says this doesn't grow people, perhaps because he is interested in growing the numbers of people. But while expository preaching may not draw huge crowds, it has the potential to grow individuals into disciples of Christ and eventually result in the multiplication of disciples, like what happened in the first century Church. "The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith." (Ac 6:7).

What preachers need to do is preach the Word exactly as it is written, drawing out the meaning that is already in Scripture, which is a practice called exegesis, rather than reading their own meaning into it, which is known as eisogesis. When preachers take license to practice eisogesis, they are free to twist the Scriptures, which they do to their own destruction (2 Pe 3:16). If we had more Spirit-filled, expository preaching today, we would have fewer people taking Scriptures out of context and making them say whatever they want them to say. Instead they would have to explain what the Scripture means when it is understood in its proper context, and people would receive the undiluted, unadulterated message of God's Word. Their faith would grow, since faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of God (Rom 10:17).

Open Homosexual Baptized at Northpoint

In a video posted on Youtube, an open homosexual proudly announced that he was going to be water baptized at Northpoint Church. Your can see the video at this link. Let me remind you that Scripture clearly teaches against the sin of homosexuality in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. To cite just one of them, the apostle Paul stated:

"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1Co 6:9-10)

For more a more complete discussion on this topic, see Pope Frances Supports Homosexuality.

The Fruit Test Reveals Apostasy
As I explained in my previous article, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, we are supposed to test men's fruit to determine whether or not they are false. When we do a fruit test on the North Point Community Church that Andy Stanley pastors in Atlanta, we find that there is apostasy. That church of around 38,000 people is engrossed in worldliness, rather than being separated from the world as the Scriptures teach that we should be. The following video is just one piece of evidence that reveals their worldly practices. The video is titled The Andy Stanley Show: North Point Ministries Worldly Satanic Synagogues Fully Exposed!!!. It shows, among other things, rock bands in the church singing secular rock music like Journey's song Don't Stop Believing with it's lyrics about seedy nightlife in the big city. Another example is a group on stage during a Sunday service singing, "Baby, love the way you turn me on," while several men perform a choreographed break dance. In yet another service the band is singing a medley of Michael Jackson's hit songs including Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, which has been criticized for its sexual references. Take a look at this and see for yourself:



Closing Words
Be careful whom you listen to, because if they are in error on important issues like this, then your very soul could be in danger. We live in the days when men do not put up with sound doctrine, but instead, to suit their own desires, they surround themselves with a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim 4:3). We live in the days of great apostasy in the Church, which some call the Laodicean Church age (Rev 3:14-21). These are the days of mega churches like Stanley's North Point Community Church in Atlanta, where people flock in large numbers to be entertained by the abundance of worldliness that takes place there, and to listen to another gospel (Gal 1:8-9). They prefer a pop-culture, Christianity-lite message like the ones Andy preaches, and they are itching to unhitch from our Scriptural foundations.

We the Church are not "unhitched" from the Hebrew Scriptures, the gospel is not "detached" from them, and we are not unleashed from obeying God's sacred commandments. On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it (Lk 11:28). Jesus' mother and brothers are still those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice (Lk 8:21). The Word of God is still the seed that we must receive in order to produce fruit (Lk 8:11). The Bible is still our sole rule of faith in Christ. It is still not desirable for us to neglect the Word of God (Ac 6:2). Indeed, we must still speak the Word of God with boldness (Ac 4:31), and continue to declare the whole counsel of God (Ac 20:27), because all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). Therefore, let us not be moved off of our Scriptural foundation, but let us continue holding fast the faithful Word (Tit 1:9). Beware of Andy Stanley. He is a false teacher. As I have written elsewhere, just because a church is large and prominent, that doesn't mean they are preaching the truth. The way of life is narrow and few are they who find it (Mat 7:14).

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright and are used per the Fair Use Act for commentary and education purposes only.

Author's note:  I also recommend reading Andy Stanley's Unbiblical Views on Homosexuality, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separated from the World, The Bible is the Word of God, Scripture Alone (Sola Fide), The Ways of Life, Avoiding Worldly Worship, Is Secular Music for Christians?, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music - Five Divine Revelations, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Holding Fast the Faithful Word, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Exposing Heresy, and Popularity of the Gospel. I also recommend my daughter's poem, The Dazzling Wine of Deception. You can access the Home page of this blog for more articles on Truth and heresy, 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

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?"

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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.

Children of God

It seems that everywhere these days I hear people saying, “We’re all the children of God.” And if something is repeated often enough, it becomes generally accepted as true. I have even heard this taught in the Christian church from the pulpit. It seems like such a nice teaching, embracing all of humanity as our brothers and sisters. Those who hold this viewpoint believe that whether you are Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, you are a child of God. You are my brother and my sister. Some would even go so far as to say that no matter what you believe, even if you are Buddhist, Hindu, or atheist, that you are a child of God. Others believe that everyone who calls himself a Christian is a child of God.

Does the Word of God address this? If so, what does the Scripture teach about it? Is everyone a child of God by virtue of being part of the human race? If not, then what are the conditions, if any, that a person must meet in order to become a child of God?

You must receive Jesus
In the gospel of the apostle John, we read: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (Joh 1:12-13)

From this passage we learn several things. First we learn that you must be given the right to become a child of God. And only those who receive Jesus are given that right. Receiving Jesus is defined here as believing in His name. And finally, you must be born of God, which is defined as something entirely separate from being born of blood or of the will of your parents. So that one passage makes it abundantly clear whom the children of God are.

The apostle Paul affirms this. He wrote to the Romans, “That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” (Rom 9:8) He made it clear that the children of the flesh are not the children of God. In this passage, he was referring to the nation of Israel and the natural descendants of Abraham. He referred to Abraham’s descendants as the children of the flesh and he said that they were not the children of God.

This means that even those who were from the very bloodline of Abraham were not God’s children, even if they could prove it through their genealogy! Rather it is the children of the promise who are regarded as descendants of Abraham and children of God. The promise he referred to was God’s promise to Abraham that He would multiply his descendants. God made that promise when Abraham was very old and his wife Sarah was beyond childbearing years. Abraham believed God, and by faith his wife bore him a son Isaac. It’s that same faith in God that we need to have in order to become children of the promise.

Jesus affirmed this when He spoke to the Jews seeking to kill Him. He said, “’I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.’ They answered and said to Him, ‘Abraham is our father.’ Jesus *said to them, ‘If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.’” (Joh 8:37-40). Jesus said that theses descendants of Abraham did not have the same Father as He did.

They did what they heard from their father, the devil. And Jesus came right out and told them so. He said, "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)

The children of God are from many nations
When the elders among the Jews were discussing what to do with Jesus, the high priest made the following comment. “But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.’ Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” (Joh 11:49-52)

Without realizing what he was saying, Caiaphas was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation of Israel, and also that He would die for all the children of God scattered abroad. This indicates that God does have children in other nations besides Israel. It also shows that Jesus needed to die so that God’s children would not perish. Without His death on the cross, there would be no salvation and all would perish.

We are made in God’s Image
We know that God made man in His own image. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Gen 1:26-27)

In this sense, it is true that all human beings bear the image of the Divine Creator. As the apostle Paul said to the idol worshipers in Athens, "Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.” (Act 17:29).

Why did Paul say, “Being then the children of God”? Did he really believe that all men were God’s children, including these idol worshipers? Certainly not!

If you read the entire passage, Paul was quoting one of their own poets. He said to them, “For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'”(Act 17:28). So he was trying to use their own language in order to reach them. We cannot use this passage to teach that we are all God’s children.

In this case, Paul was trying to reach them with the message of the gospel. If you read the entire passage, he told them that God is not like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. He went on to say, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." (Act 17:30-31)

It’s very clear from the context that these people, who considered themselves God’s children, had need to repent of their sins. He told them that God would no longer overlook such ignorance and that He would soon judge the world in righteousness through His Son Jesus. If we understand this passage properly, we will see that Paul did not simply accept these people as children of God who would all go to heaven if they simply continue in their ignorance.

The Spirit testifies
So how does a person know whether or not he or she is a child of God? Once we have true saving faith in Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul wrote: “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Rom 8:16) The Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God. This provides the assurance we need.

Prove yourselves to be children of God
So we know that we become a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and we know that the Spirit of God Himself testifies to our spirit that we are His children. So what’s left for us to do? Paul said you must “prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” (Phi 2:15). In other words, you have a part to play. If you are a true child of God as you say you are, then act like one! Your blameless and innocent conduct, living above reproach, will cause you to appear as lights in the world to this crooked and perverse generation.

The world does not know the children of God
The apostle John showed that there is a direct connection between the love of God and being called His children. He wrote: “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” (1Jo 3:1).

John also taught here that since the world did not know Jesus, that is why they also do not know us, His children.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (1Jo 3:2)

There are the children of God and the children of the devil
How do we know if someone is a child of God or a child of the devil? John said, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” (1Jo 3:10). John went on to write: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.” (1Jo 5:2)

This is just as the apostle Paul taught how our actions should confirm that we are God’s children. If you love the children of God, you’ll love God and observe His commandments. This passage also teaches us that if you are not a child of God, then you are a child of the devil. The world is comprised of both types of people, so not all humans are children of God.

Consider another occasion where Jesus spoke about His mother. "While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, 'Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.' But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, 'Who is My mother and who are My brothers?' And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, 'Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.' " (Mat 12:46-50). So Jesus taught that those who are truly His brothers, and come from the same Heavenly Father, would do the will of the Heavenly Father.

Putting it All Together
As we see from Scripture, the popular belief that all human beings are children of God is simply not true. While all humans are made in God’s image, the world is comprised of the children of God and the children of the devil. The children of the devil do what they hear from their father the devil. They do not recognize the children of God.

In order to be a child of God, you must sincerely repent with a broken heart, and receive Jesus by putting all your faith in His Name. Then God in His love for you will give you the right to become His child. Then the Holy Spirit will testify to your spirit that you are a child of God.

And you will experience a glorious freedom when you become a child of God. You will know it has happened. You will no longer be a slave to sin, but will be free to love, free to live righteously. This is how you can recognize a child of God. He or she will love God and obey His commandments.

This is such good news to know that it is possible to be saved and become a child of God. I hope this encourages the children of God to go on and prove it by living blameless and innocent lives above reproach. Then we will appear as a light in the midst of a perverse generation. And let’s avoid falling into the common belief that all people are God’s children.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: 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.