New Testament Books Disproving Eternal Security

In my series of articles entitled, The False Gospel of Eternal Security, I have completely disproved that doctrinal error, which is also known as Once Saved Always Saved (OSAS). In this article today, I will show you how most of the New Testament books of the Bible contain one or more verses proving that doctrine to be false. For the sake of brevity, I will directly quote only one verse per book, and simply cite the references to the other verses, while in some cases also making general reference to them for emphasis.

Matthew
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Mat 7:21). It could not be clearer than that. He said that only the one who does the will of His Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven, regardless of whether that person calls Jesus their Lord. 

Speaking to His disciples, He also taught that it is possible for them to lose their saltiness and become worthless (5:13). Anyone who says, "You fool!" is in danger of hell fire (5:22). You would be better to cut off any body part of yours that causes you to stumble, so that you can avoid hell and enter heaven (5:29-30; cf.,18:8-9). If you do not forgive, the Father will not forgive you (6:15), and any unmerciful servant will be thrown into jail (hell) to be tormented (18:32-35). If you merely hear His words, but don't practice them, you will be completely destroyed (7:26-27). Only those who stand firm to the end will be saved (10:22). You should fear God, who has the power to destroy you in hell (10:28). Jesus will disown any disciple who disowns Him (10:33). Any disciple who does not take up his cross and follow Jesus is not worthy of Him (10:38). It's possible to fall away on account of Jesus (11:6). Your words will either acquit or condemn you (12:36-37). The disciple who has no roots falls away from the Lord (13:21). You must be ready when Jesus comes back, or else be left behind (24:40-44). The wicked servant will be thrown out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (24:48-51; 25:26-30). The goats are cast into the eternal fire, and the factor that made the difference between them and the sheep was what they did or didn't do (25:41-46). The Lord clearly taught that to enter life, you must obey the commandments (19:17).

See also Mt 12:31-32; 18:6-7.

Mark
Jesus said to His disciples, "...the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mar 13:13). This salvation that He promised to those who stand firm to the end is not merely referring to deliverance from evil, but rather to the eternal blessedness to be received by all those who endure or persevere to the end throughout their service to Him in the midst of its accompanying sufferings. This implies that those who do not stand firm or endure to the end will not be saved, which he directly states elsewhere. For example, He taught about some seeds of the Word that are planted on the soil of human hearts, who initially make a start, but later fall away, because of trouble or persecution (4:16-19). For whoever tries to save his life will lose it (8:34-35), and at His coming the Lord will be ashamed of anyone who has been ashamed of Him and His Words. 

See also Mk 8:38; 9:42-48; 11:25-26; 13:22.

Luke
The Lord said to Peter, "But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers." (Luk 12:45-46). Notice that the Lord said He (the Master) will cut the servant up and assign him a place with the unbelievers (hell).

He also said that the disciple who is not careful or prayerful won’t be prepared for the Lord’s return (21:34-36).

See also Luke 6:49; 7:23; 8:13-15; 9:23-26, 62; 10:28; 12:9; 12:10; 13:24-25; 14:27; 17:33; 18:18-22; 21:19.

John
Jesus said that He cuts off every fruitless branch of His (Jn 15:2), and warned us, "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." (Jn 15:6). He meant that any disciple of His who does not remain in Him will be cut off and thrown into the fires of hell to be burned. 

That is why He warned the former, lifelong invalid whom He had miraculously healed, "Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (5:14). It's also why He told the woman caught in the act of adultery to go and leave her life of sin (8:11). For at the resurrection, those who have done good will live, and those who have done evil will be condemned (5:28-29). Those who don’t keep his Word will be condemned (12:47-48). But if you are really His disciple, you will hold to His teaching (8:31-32) and keep His Word, thus you will never see death (8:51). It's simple: Love your life and you will lose it; or hate your life and keep it for eternal life (12:25). 

Jesus never taught easy believism or grace as a license to sin. Nor did he teach that nothing you ever do or say could ever have any bearing on your salvation. Instead, He had many hard sayings, which is why at one point, many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him (6:66).

Acts

Peter taught that just as Moses said, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people [Jesus]; you must listen to everything He tells you. Anyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from his people.'" (Act 3:22-23). Thus Scripture teaches us that anyone, no matter who they are, who does not listen to everything Jesus says will be completely cut off. That's why Peter told Simon he would perish for his sin, despite being a baptized believer (8:20-23).

Romans
Paul the apostle wrote to the Romans, "Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." (Rom 11:20-22)

To all who persist in doing good, God will grant eternal life, but for those who are self-seeking, reject the truth, and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger (2:5-8). All who sin apart from the Law will perish (2:12). If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die (8:13). It is possible to destroy a brother by distressing him (14:15-16), for you can destroy the work of God in the life of a fellow believer by what you allow in your own life (14:20-21).

1 Corinthians
Paul the apostle wrote to the Corinthians, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Co 6:9-11). By this he meant that those who do evil, including those in the Church, will not inherit the kingdom of God.

That's why Paul instructed them to expel the wicked brother from among them, and hand him over to Satan, so he that he wouldn't be destroyed (5:5). If the prospects of eternal destruction were not real, there would be no need to resort to such drastic measures. However, a believer may in fact be disqualified for the prize, even after preaching to others, and that is why Paul did everything in his power to avoid such a potential outcome for himself (9:27).

Of course, we are saved by believing the gospel, as long as we hold firmly to the Word. For it is possible to believe in vain, and perish in the end (15:2). Paul also taught the saints that God will destroy those who destroy His temple (3:16-17).

Galatians
He warned the Galatian church that, "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21). Those who live wickedly will simply not inherit the kingdom of God, regardless of whether they are a baptized believer or not. For he who sows to please the sinful nature will reap destruction (6:7-8).

Ephesians
Paul wrote to the saints in Ephesus, "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient." (Eph 5:5-6). He could not have been more clear that no immoral, impure, or greedy person shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Philippians
Why else would he have told the Philippians, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (Php 2:12). Let there be no doubt about it that we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Colossians
Again, he exhorted the saints in Colossae: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." (Col 3:5-8). You must put to death the sinful nature, for because of these sinful things the wrath of God comes.

1 Thessalonians
He wrote to the saints in Thessalonica, "For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain." (1Th 3:5). Paul was afraid the tempter may have tempted the saints, and his efforts might have been useless, meaning that they had gone back into sin and forfeited the gift of eternal life.  Also see 4:6-8.

1 Timothy
In his first epistle to Timothy, Paul exhorted him to keep on "holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." (1Ti 1:19). If any believer fails to hold onto faith and a good conscience, like Hymenaeus and Alexander, they will shipwreck their faith and perish. That's what happens to those who abandon their faith, wander from it, or turn away from it to follow satan (4:1; 5:15; 6:9-10).

2 Timothy
In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul again warned him to, "Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some." (2Ti 2:16-18). Not only do such people depart from the truth to their own ruin, but they also destroy the faith of some other believers as well (2:16-18).  

Hebrews
The apostle wrote to the Hebrews: "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb 10:26-31)

Therefore, if those who have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus deliberately keep on sinning, then there remains for them only a fearful expectation of judgement and fire that consumes God's enemies.

That's why we must pay careful attention, so that we don’t drift away, because it's possible to drift away to one's own destruction (2:1-3).  Indeed, a believer could have a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from God, so we must hold firmly till the end as Jesus said (3:12-15). Be careful that none of you falls short of God's eternal rest (4:1), and make every effort to enter that rest, so no one falls by following disobedience (4:11). The warnings against falling away are real (6:4-6), and that's why we must show diligence to the very end to make our hope sure (6:11), because those who shrink back are destroyed (10:36,38-39). Surely no one will see the Lord without holiness (12:14), and we won’t escape, if we refuse Him who warns us from heaven (12:25).

James
James wrote: "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." (Js 5:19-20). He was writing to believers regarding their fellow believers who have wandered from the truth and are headed for eternal death.

All religion, including the Christian faith, is profitless (worthless) if you don’t keep tight rein on your tongue (1:26-27). For example, James said that you will receive condemnation for swearing, and if your "yes" is not "yes", and your "no" is not "no". We must be men and women of our word, or else face condemnation (5:12). Moreover, judgment without mercy will be shown to the unmerciful, whether you are a believer or not (2:12-13). Likewise, if a believer becomes a friend of the world, then he is an enemy of God (4:4). 

1 Peter
In his first epistle, Peter taught that judgment begins with the family of God, that it is hard for the righteous to be saved, and that we must obey the gospel. He said, "For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, 'If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?'" (1Pe 4:17-18)

2 Peter

In his second epistle, Peter taught: "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." (2Pe 2:20-21). Believers who have once known the way of righteousness, and then become entangled in the world again, after escaping it by knowing the Lord, are worse off in the end than they were before they got saved.

Therefore, you must make your calling and election sure by doing what Peter instructs us to do in his opening chapter. For if you do these things, you’ll never fall (1:10-11). Moreover, you must be on guard against error, so as not to be carried away by it and fall from your secure position (3:17). If it were not possible to fall from your secure position, there would be no need to warn against it. For more on this verse, please see my in-depth, Greek-word study called Can You "lose" Your Secure Position in Christ?

Revelation
Our Lord Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, said: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (Rev 22:14-15). This means that only those who wash their robes can enter the Holy City, not those who practice evil. 

Based on what He had previously said to the church in Sardis, we understand that, as a believer, you must be dressed in white, being careful not to soil your robes, and you must overcome in order for your name not to be blotted out of the book of life (3:4-5). We also learn from Him that those who’ve forsaken their first love must repent or have their lampstand (their church) removed (2:4-5). And as He warned the church in Sardis, if your deeds are not complete in God’s sight, you need to repent, wake up, and obey God, or Jesus will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour He comes (3:2-3).

Also see Rev 21:7-8.

Putting it All Together
There are 207 New Testament verses found in 19 out of the 27 New Testament books, disproving the false doctrine of eternal security, more than half of which (52%) are the very words of our Lord Jesus Himself found in the gospels. Put differently, seventy percent of the New Testament books, including seven out of the eight writers of the New Testament, contain one or more verses disproving the once-saved-always-saved heresy. This does not include countless Old Testament verses that we could also cite to disprove it.

Attribution Notice: All Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Special thanks to my wife Jennifer, and my sons Christopher and Joseph, for their help  in compiling these verses together with me.

Author's note: This article is part of 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.

The Evil Agenda of the World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches and its advocates would like us to believe that this is a wonderful and necessary organization that is doing so much good by helping to bring unity in the Church throughout the world, seeking a common witness and Christian service. They would like us to believe that they are promoting the true gospel. But that could not be farther from the truth.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is an ecumenical organization whose leadership has no understanding of biblical salvation and spirituality. They find "spirituality" in this wicked, fallen world. They are blinding the eyes of Christians and others worldwide. 

The WCC is NOT of God and has no biblical moorings. It has also been said that the WCC appears to publicly embrace liberal socialistic and communistic principles, and that they demonize Israel. 

One of their projects called Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) is allegedly anti-Semitic and is said to have promoted terror (see video clip).

The WCC has a pro-Roman Catholic, ecumenical agenda, whereby they are spreading their perverse philosophy throughout Christendom. They are a Trojan Horse, which is something that appears on the surface to be good (like a gift), but is intended secretly to undermine or bring about the downfall of an enemy or opponent -- and in this case the intended target is the Church. The WCC is leaven that is working mischief throughout the world. Beware of that leaven. They are working to replace true, biblical Christianity with a hybrid form of Christianity inevitably leading to Roman Catholic / Luciferian power.

Scriptural Warnings

We have been warned about this in Scripture by Paul the apostle:

"For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things." (Php 3:18-19)

"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears." (Act 20:29-31)

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron." (1Ti 4:1-2)

"The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." (2Th 2:9-12)

"Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [i.e., the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction," (2Th 2:1-3, NASB77). Bracketed, italicized text added for clarity.

Closing Words

This organization is part of the New Age-New World Order that I have written against publicly. There are around 350 church groups or denominations are a part of the WCC*, who together represent more than half a billion Christians around the world. It is a syncretistic group combining together the doctrines of demons that even blaspheme our God, tolerating an enormous number of heretical beliefs such as the ordination of practicing homosexuals. They embrace demonic worship and pagan ceremonies, as seen at their 1991 WCC Seventh Assembly in Australia (see video clip). It is the beast religion or the religion of the beast that will probably be pushed by the antichrist. They are seeking to bring the whole world under the control of the New World Order. They are seeking to save the earth apart from Christ. They want to make “saving the earth” to seem more important than saving you soul. Therefore, take heed and beware of this group.

Footnote: According to the WCC website: "WCC member churches can be found in all regions of the world and include most of the world's Orthodox churches (Eastern and Oriental), as well as African Instituted, Anglican, Assyrian, Baptist, Evangelical, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Moravian, Old-Catholic, Pentecostal, Reformed, United/Uniting and Free/Independent churches, Disciples of Christ and Friends (Quakers)."

Attribution notice: Most Scriptures takes from the NIV Holy Bible, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Some Scriptures from the NASB where noted, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission.  WCC logo used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, I recommend New Age-New World Order, Pope Establishes One World Religion. Pagan Symbols of the Popes, and The False Gospel Without Repentance. 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.

Have the Spiritual Gifts Ceased?

There are those who teach that the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we see in operation in the New Testament during the first century AD have ceased, and that they are no longer in operation. One of the Scriptures they cite is the following statement by the apostle Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians: "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." (1Co 13:8). This is known as cessationism, which was originated by Reformers such as John Calvin.

First of all, in its context, what Paul meant by that statement was to contrast love with the gifts of the Spirit. The Corinthians emphasized speaking in tongues, and Paul stated that one day the gift of tongues will no longer be needed and prophecy will one day cease, but that love will endure forever. He did not mean that at the end of the first century all the supernatural gifts of the Spirit would cease.

Having a Form of Godliness But Denying Its Power

The people who believe in cessationism deny the supernatural power of God without any proper Scriptural basis. Paul warned us about such people when he said they are those who are "having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." (2 Timothy 3:5).

Such people have often been known to accuse those who operate in the supernatural power of God and the gifts of the Spirit to be merely pretending to do so, or in some cases cessationists accuse such people of doing so by the power of demons. When they say such things to those who are genuinely operating in the power of God, they are attributing acts of the Holy Spirit to the devil, and in doing so are in danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, if they have not already done so. While there are certainly counterfeit miracles and healings that the demons are able to perform through those who are under their control, there are also genuine miracles, signs, and wonders that the Lord is doing today. 

These Signs Accompany Those Who Believe

Jesus Himself said, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mar 16:17-18). 

These are the signs that follow those who believe in Jesus Christ. In other words, these signs are seen in the lives of those who believe in Him. They do these things in His name: drive out demons, speak in new tongues, lay hands on the sick and they recover; and even deadly poison doesn't harm them if they drink it.

The fact that these signs still follow believers in Jesus to this day is well documented and supported by indisputable evidence. I have personally experienced the gifts of the Spirit and countless other signs and wonders operating in my own life, seen them in operation in others, and know people who have also experienced them in their lives. This includes but is not limited to healing, miracles (including raising the dead), word of knowledge, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, discerning of spirits, deliverance from demons, gems coming down from heaven, the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire, dreams, visions, encounters with angels, being caught up to heaven, visits to hell, prophecy, and much much more. To God be all the glory forever and ever. 

Why should anyone consider it incredible that God still raises the dead (Ac 26:8)? After all, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (Joh 14:12). This means that anyone who believes in Him will do the works Jesus did during His earthly ministry (that includes raising the dead), and even greater things than these! If you believe in cessationism, you are making God out to be a liar. The reason these signs don't follow you is because you don't believe.

Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and forever

Speaking of prophecy, cessationsists believe that the only prophecy that happens today is the preaching of the Word. They deny that anyone can still prophesy for the Lord as the prophets did in Bible days, but they are badly mistaken. The gift of prophecy is still in operation today, just as all the other gifts are. God changes not (Mal 3:6; Jas 1:17). He has not changed from the way He worked in the days of the Bible. He is still a supernatural, wonder-working God. Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Heb 13:8).

Do Not Quench the Spirit or Despise Prophetic Utterances

That is why we are commanded not to quench the Spirit or despise prophetic utterances (1Th 5:19-20).  We are instructed in Scripture to test them all, and correctly discern the things of the Spirit.  The saints are to pass judgment on the utterance (1 Cor 14:29), and all things be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses (Mt 18:16).  We are instructed to test the fruit and verify the good character of the messenger (Mt 7:17-19; 12:33).  We are to search the Scriptures to ensure that the message is consistent with the Word (Ac 17:11). If the fruit (character) and message are consistent with the Word, then we should receive it as from the Lord.  We are to hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil (1Th 5:21-22). Genuine dreams, visions, revelations, signs, and wonders that come from God always confirm the Word, but do not add to it (Mar 16:20).

Last Days Outpouring of the Spirit

On the Day of Pentecost when the early church received the baptism with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, as tongues of fire appeared over their heads in the upper room, the apostle Peter explained to the observers what was happening, by quoting the prophet Joel:

"No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" (Act 2:17-21)

This passage clearly says that God will pour out His Spirit on all people in the last days, which is the period we are now living in. The last days began during the first century (Ac 2:16-17; Heb 1:2; Jas 5:3; 1 Jn 2:18; 1 Pet 4:7) and continue until Christ's return. The evidence of the outpouring of the Spirit as stated in this passage (Act 2:17-21; Joel 2:28-31) includes people seeing visions and dreaming dreams, as well as prophecy, signs, and wonders. Since the last days did not cease during the first century, but continue to this day, that means the outpouring of the Spirit also continues and so do all of these signs, wonders, and gifts of the Spirit.

Continuation of Five-fold Ministry Gifts

In Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, he said that God gave certain ministries to the Church as gifts to equip the saints for works of service (Eph 4:11-13). These gifts include apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists. 

Cessationists believe that only some of these gifts still exist today, namely pastors, teachers, and evangelists, but that apostles and prophets ceased at the end of the first century. However, if you read the Ephesians passage in context, Paul said that these gifts would continue until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and we become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Last time I checked, the church had not yet attained to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Therefore, there is still a need for all of these five-fold ministry gifts to equip the saints for works of service.

Even during the first century, there were more than just the Twelve apostles. Of course, there was the apostle Paul along with his fellow apostle Barnabas (1 Cor 9:5-6), but he even mentioned others in his writings that were apostles also, such as Andronicus and Junia (Rom 16:7). An apostle is a "sent one" and the Lord is still sending people today. Although there are still false apostles today as there were during Paul's day, there are still true apostles and prophets as well.

Speaking of modern prophets, some of the New Testament prophets included Agabus (Ac 11:27; 21:10), Judas and Silas (Ac 15:32), as well as other unnamed prophets (Ac 11:27-28), and ones that were named (Ac 13:1). There is nothing in Scripture that says this ministry was discontinued by God, as I have already stated earlier. Quite the contrary! In fact, Paul said, "And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues." (1Co 12:28). And he went on to give specific instructions for how prophets are to conduct themselves in the Church (1 Cor 14:29, 32).

Articles Disproving Cessationism

Many of my other articles address the topic indirectly. Here are some examples:

Supernatural Power for All Disciples

Baptized with the Holy Spirit

Holy Fire Baptism

The Holy Spirit's Role in God's Kingdom

The Gift of Speaking in Tongues

Discerning the Things of the Spirit

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit

Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit: What's the Difference?

By the Spirit of God Alone

International Impact of Pentecost

Anointed by the Holy Spirit

Healing is in the Atonement

A Warning to the Nay Sayers

Testimonies Disproving Cessationism

There are also countless testimonies and videos documenting the fact that genuine signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Spirit are still in operation today. Here are just a few:

Forty Days in Heaven and Hell

Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell

Gems from Heaven (our personal experience)

Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies (see Howard Pittman's testimony)

The Body Parts Storehouse in Heaven (one of our graduates)

The Voice That Changed Everything -- the Testimony of Dr. Stenhouse (a personal friend of mine)

Amazing Healing and Deliverance in Uganda (one of our graduates)

Saved By a Vision of Second Coming (a personal acquaintance of mine)

The Night the Lord Came Into My Hut (one of our graduates)

Testimonies from Voila (a pastor I came to know in Romania)

Pastor Raised from the Dead (a Bulgarian pastor I know)

Boy Raised from the Dead After One Day (through one of our disciples)

Supernatural Encounter While Striving to Draw Closer to God (another one of our students)

Outpouring of the Spirit (our personal experience)

Michael Shigaba's End Time Message for Mankind

Dreams and Visions: Tsunamis, Asteroids, Nuclear, etc.

Prophetic End Time Warnings from Little Children

Angelic Escape from Terrorist Assassins (someone I know personally)

More Than Dreams

And the list goes on and on. For more examples proving cessationism is false, please see EternalDestinations.info and Testimonies from Eastern Europe.

Conclusion

Please check out those articles and testimonies carefully, and I think you will find plenty of Scriptural proof that cessationism is false. It is clear from Scripture, as well as abundant experiential evidence, that the gifts of the Spirit have not ceased to operate to this day. Our God is an awesome God, all things are possible with Him (Matt 19:26), and nothing is impossible for those who believe (Mk 9:23). If you are a true follower of Jesus Christ, who has been saved through faith in Him, and you have not yet received the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire, then I encourage you to pray and ask Him for that gift today. This will open up the door for the supernatural power of God to begin operating in your life, too, which is all part of the full gospel. For the kingdom of God is not merely a matter of talk, but of power (1 Cor 4:20)!

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

Author's note:  I also recommend reading The False Gospel of Eternal Security, Accurately Handling the Word of Truth, Exposing Heresy. 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.

Is it a Sin for a Woman to Cut Her Hair?

A common belief of Pentecostal Holiness Churches is that it is a sin for a woman to ever cut her hair at all, even to keep it manageable. They consider this true holiness. Of course, there is no Scriptural basis for that, which I will prove to you from the Bible in this article. In order to do so, let's examine 1 Corinthians 11, looking carefully at the Greek words. I found that in this particular case, the King James Version is the closest literal expression in English of the original language without adding words to smooth it out, although I do not believe the KJV is the best or only inspired version of the Bible. It says:

“For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.” (1Co 11:6)

Paul said it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, so I studied these two words. Here are the Greek word definitions:

• Gr. keirō, 4x: to cut off the hair, shear, shave, Act_8:32 (as a sheep before it’s shearer is silent); Act_18:18 (Paul had his hair cut, for he was keeping a [Nazarite] vow); 1Co_11:6 (2x).
• Gr. xyraō, 3x: to cut off the hair, shear, shave, Act_21:24 (take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads); 1Co_11:5-6.
• One word means to shear and the other means to shave, which are very similar. 
• To shear is a. to cut off the hair from. b : to cut or clip (hair, wool, etc.) from someone or something also : to cut something from shear a lawn. c chiefly Scotland : to reap with a sickle. d : to cut or trim with shears or a similar instrument. Webster’s defines the verb shear as follows: 1. To cut or clip something from the surface with an instrument of two blades; to separate any thing from the surface by shears, scissors or a like instrument; as, to shear sheep; to shear cloth. It is appropriately used for the cutting of wool from sheep on their skins, for clipping the nap from cloth, but may be applied to other things; as, a horse shears the ground in feeding much closer than an ox. 2. To separate by shears; as, to shear a fleece.
• To shave (according to Webster’s Dictionary) means: 1. To cut or pare off something from the surface of the body by a razor or other edged instrument, by rubbing, scraping or drawing the instrument along the surface; as, to shave the chin and cheeks; to shave the head of its hair. “He shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing.” Num 6. 2. To shave off, to cut off. Neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard. Lev 21. 3. To pare close.

Based on the way these two Greek words are used elsewhere in Scripture (not including our text in 1 Cor 11), they are both used in Scripture to refer to cutting off the hair close to the scalp, as Jewish men and woman initially did when they took a Nazarite vow. In the Hebrew Bible, a nazirite or a nazarite (Hebrew: נזיר) is a man or woman who voluntarily took a vow which is described in Numbers 6:1–21. "Nazarite" comes from the Hebrew word nazir meaning "consecrated" or "separated". Among other aspects of the vow of separation or consecration to God, the Nazirite would begin the vow by cutting off his or her hair and laying it on the altar, and he or she was not to cut his or her hair for the length of the vow. The act of separation of the hair from the head and offering it on the altar to God was symbolic of the person consecrating or separating himself or herself to God for a period of time. The vow had a definite beginning and end to it. Thus it was voluntary and for a finite period, rather than mandatory and for a lifelong period, except in the case of Samson who was to be a Nazarite from birth until death (Judges 13:7). 

Since both men and women could take such a vow, we see that both the men and women who took the vow would begin by cutting their hair off, and since they would not cut their hair until the vow had ended, then at the end of the vow their hair would be long. Therefore, there is a time for everything, as it says in Ecclesiastes, and in this case there was a time for both a man or a woman to have both a shaven head and long hair, if they chose to voluntarily take the Nazarite vow.

Furthermore, in the context of 1 Corinthians 11, Paul was contrasting the long tresses of a woman’s hair to a man’s short hair. He said it is a disgrace for a man to have long hair, but that it is a woman’s glory to have long hair. “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering.” (1Co 11:14-15). 

The whole reason he made this distinction was to teach that a woman ought to have her head covered with a veil when she prays or prophesies. He was drawing a parallel between the nature of things and spiritual things, between hair length and head coverings. He spoke in terms of the natural hair length of men and women, in order to teach a spiritual lesson about a veil or head covering while praying or prophesying, which is a sign or symbol of being under spiritual authority. 

We see Paul doing the same thing all throughout his epistles, including in 1 Cor 9, where he uses the ox who treads out the grain being entitled to eat the grain as an example to teach that a man who preaches the gospel should make a living from the gospel. We see him use the seed in 1 Cor 15 as an example to teach about natural bodies and glorified spiritual bodies. He also uses the sun, moon, and stars in the natural realm to teach about the glory that is given to different people in the spiritual bodies in the resurrection. So that is all he was doing in 1 Cor 11 by using the example of women cutting their hair off. 

He was not at all saying it is a sin or unholy for a woman to ever trim her hair to keep it manageable or to remove damaged and split ends or to keep it out of her eyes. If a woman never cuts her hair over a period of many years and decades, this becomes very unmanageable and damaged, not to mention that it will be extending below her chin on the front of her head and below her buttocks in back. In some cases, depending on hair type and how fast it grows, her hair would eventually become quite heavy and burdensome on her head, which could cause headaches and neck pain. It would present a number of practical burdens, including regular care to wash and dry it, as well as to tie it up so that it is out of the way. 

For African women, it would become tangled, as that type of hair does, when it is not trimmed from time to time. If an African woman never allowed scissors to touch her hair for her entire life, then it becomes difficult to comb or maintain, because it becomes thick, hard, coiled around itself, and does not grow well.

It is not the heart of God to put a lifelong mandate on all women that they can never allow scissors to touch their hair. If a woman chooses not to ever cut her hair, it should be by her own choice and not because it is a rule placed upon her.

Conclusion

We can learn from Paul’s contrast of men’s and women’s natural hair lengths, however, that it is a disgrace for a man to have long hair and for a woman to have her hair sheared or shaved off, as is done in the special circumstance of a Nazarite vow. On the other hand, we learn that it is glorious for a woman to have long hair. We may also safely conclude that it is a disgrace for a woman to wear her hair short as men do, because there must be a distinction between men and women. 

Since the two Greek words in 1 Corinthians 11 for shear and shave are not used in Scripture to refer to merely a light trim of the ends of the hair to keep it manageable and healthy or to slightly shorten it a bit, then we should not conclude from this passage that it is a sin or disgrace for a woman to do so.

Therefore, the NASB translation of 1Co 11:6 accurately conveys the meaning of the original language: “For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.”

For any church or denomination to require all women in their congregations to abstain from ever touching their hair with scissors, saying it is a sin to do so, and calling it “holiness” if she never cuts her hair, is clearly error and bondage. It is nothing more than a manmade rule that has an appearance of wisdom, with its self-imposed worship, its false humility and its harsh treatment of the body, but it lacks any value in restraining sensual indulgence (Col 2:23).

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from King James Version, as well as New American Standard Bible, copyright Lockman Foundation, all rights reserved, used by permission. 

Author's note:  I invite you to also read my articles called Is a Woman's Hair Her Head Covering? and Refuting the Oneness Christology Heresy. 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.

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?"

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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.