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biblestudymanuals.net/TD_JAKES_FALSE_GOSPEL.htm
[TD Jakes]
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! The Angels are
rejoicing and so are we, because of your decision to live a new life in Christ
We have written this material for you to read, believing that it will assist
you as you begin your journey with Christ.
[BSM = biblestudymanuals.net]
[The message of this letter is evidently PREDOMINATELY supposed to be a salvation unto eternal life message – i.e., how to have eternal life. Thereafter there seems to be addressed living a new life in Christ once one has received the free gift of eternal life; but the two messages are mixed up with one another in a confusing manner as if to say that living a new life in Christ is necessary in order to receive the gift of eternal life - which message is no where in the Bible. Scripture does not teach this. For example, Jn 3:16 teaches that eternal life is by a moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ alone + NOTHING ELSE!!!]
[Compare John 3:16 NASB]:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His [one and one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him [should] not perish, but [should] have eternal life."
Notice
there is only stipulated "whoever believes in Him" the result of which
is a present tense moment of possession of "have eternal life," -
nothing else to be done - which when received in that present moment of
believing is
forever because it is after all eternal. This and many many passages in
the gospel of John and throughout God's Word indicate that only a
moment of believing in God's one and only Son, Jesus Christ - His
payment for one's sins - and one immediately receives eternal life
without anything else having to be added. A careful reading of God's
Word will reveal that other passages that TD Jakes and other objectors
to what Jn 3:16 and so many other passages say - a moment of faith
alone in Christ alone are not complete - they must be modified / added
to because they maintain that more is required than that moment
of faith. They invent non-biblical statements as well and cite and
misread numerous other passages which they
erroneously stipulate have listed numerous other requirements to meet
in order to have eternal life
and impose these ideas on Jn 3:16 and all the other passages that only
require that simple moment of faith alone. Most of these passages that
TD Jakes and others try to rewrite are addressed here
at biblestudymanuals.net 
as
well as the non-biblical statements they invent. The issue is context,
context, context utilizing proper reading skills learned from elmentary
school on .
[TD Jakes]
Please read it prayerfully, and make every effort to allow
Christ to lead you in everything you do. We are praying for you and encourage
you to become an active part of a Bible-teaching church as soon as possible!
Your Brother and Sister in Christ, Bishop T.D. Jakes First Lady Serita Jakes
Welcome to the body of Christ
[BSM]
[So the
phrase “Welcome to the body of Christ” addresses
the issue of having received the free gift of salvation unto eternal
life through
a moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and thereby, having
become part
of the body of Christ through that first moment of faith alone in
Christ alone to
begin a new life in Christ through your permitting the indwelling Holy
Spirit leading you in
everything you do in accordance with your efforts to study and obey the
instructions in God's Word]
[TD Jakes]
The Most Important Decision of Your Life!
[BSM]
[This statement, “the Most Important Decision of Your
Life!” can only refer to the decision to express a moment of faith alone in
Christ alone unto the reception of eternal life. Thereafter many decisions for
the new born believer are urged to be made in order to grow in ones new life in
Christ which is begun at that moment of faith alone when ones destiny to heaven
is secured solely by that moment of faith AND NOTHING ELSE. On the other hand additional
things one is commanded and exhorted to do that follow the instruction book,
the Bible are not for the sake of receiving eternal life, for that is already
done, but for the sake of growing in the faith, receiving blessings in this
life and eternal rewards in the next]
[TD Jakes]
Throughout life you have made certain decisions about what
you believe; whether it concerns politics, religion, what house you will buy,
or who you will marry. There are times when decisions in life can be difficult.
Sometimes, it is just a matter of gathering all of the information and facts
and drawing an intelligent conclusion. The decisions you will make as you read
this information can bring healing, growth, and restoration into every aspect
of your life.
[BSM]
Excellent perspective. This information predominately comes from the Bible,
God’s Word – especially when it comes to leading a blessed life in this
temporal life and an eternally rewarded life in Eternity according to God – the
God of the Bible. Notice that the subject of this paragraph above is indeed
about growing in the faith ONCE YOU HAVE MADE THAT DECISION TO BELIEVE IN
CHRIST FOR ETERNAL LIFE, as well as restoration of your day to day temporal
life through careful study of God’s Word and obedience to it which covers every
aspect of ones new Christian life ONCE ONE HAS BECOME A CHRISTIAN VIA A SINGLE
MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE
[TD Jakes]
Let me ask you this very important question: If you died
today, where would you spend eternity? The Bible says,” For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) You see, God loves you and He has a
great plan for your life. He wants everyone to accept His free gift of
salvation and everlasting life.
[BSM]
[Excellent
question. And TD Jakes puts first things first: he asks, “We have this
very important question: If you died today, where would you spend
eternity?”So it is all about becoming a Christian by expressing a
moment of believing in God’s one and only Son as John 3:16 explains;
and thereby one receives
immediate present tense possession of eternal life FOREVER because eternal life once possessed IS FOREVER as this
verse
stipulates! This question is not about growing as a believer, it is
about how
one may get to spend eternity in heaven. The temporal and eternal lifestyle quality
comes
later once one becomes a believer and receives God’s free gift of
salvation and
everlasting life by a moment of faith alone. Thereafter one may realize that “God loves you and He
has a
great plan for your life. [But, first things first] He wants everyone
to accept
His free gift of salvation and everlasting life exclusively and only
through a
moment of faith alone in Christ
alone.]
[TD Jakes]
Let me ask you another question: If you believed something
that was not true, would you want to know the truth? Perhaps, like most people,
you believe that just because you are a good person you will go to heaven.
However, Romans 3:23 says, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God.” Does that include you?
[BSM]
[TD Jakes then poses the question, “If you believed something
that was not true, would you want to know the truth,." In general
people believe what they want to believe and do not pay much attention
to evidence that supports that belief or contradicts it. They just believe without taking
the evidence into consideration seriously.
Next the statement was made, “Perhaps,
like most people, you believe that just because you are a good person
you will
go to heaven. However, Romans 3:23 says, “… all have sinned and fall
short of
the glory of God" So I agree, for all mankind all the time men have
sinned and constantly fall short of the glory of God ALL THE TIME 24/7, (1 Jn 1:8). So the Bible
concludes that “There
is none righteous, no not one.”
[Romans 3:10-18 (NASB)]: TD Jakes then asks a key question
which is again excellent: "Does that include you?" But then his answer below that key question is just not scriptural:
10 as it
is written, "THERE IS
NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN
ONE;
11
THERE IS NONE WHO
UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES
GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
13 "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY
KEEP DECEIVING," "THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR
LIPS";
14
"WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF
CURSING AND BITTERNESS";
15 "THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR
PATHS,
17
AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY
HAVE NOT KNOWN."
18
"THERE IS NO FEAR OF
GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."
[TD Jakes]
[Repeated] Let me ask you another question: If you believed something
that was not true, would you want to know the truth? Perhaps, like most people,
you believe that just because you are a good person you will go to heaven.
However, Romans 3:23 says, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God.” Does that include you?
Romans 6:23 goes on to say, “…the wages of sin is death.” You see, God knows we desire to live an upright and moral life. He knows that we basically want to do the right thing.
[BKC]
[Now we have a serious difference. No one desires to live an upright life according to God's standards!!!! Every individual decides to depart from the way God would have them live all the time - INCLUDING BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS:
EXCERPT FROM STUDY OF FIRST JOHN 1:8 A MUST STUDY TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF MAN IN HIS TEMPORAL LIFE - EVEN BELIEVERS
(1 Jn 1:8) IF WE CHILDREN OF GOD, BORN OF GOD INCLUDING APOSTLES SAY THAT WE HAVE NO SIN - IN THE SENSE OF HAVING NOT COMMITTED A SINGLE SIN WITH A PARTICULAR TIMEFRAME IN VIEW, WE DECEIVE OURSELVES AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN US - AND NEITHER FOR THE MOMENT IS FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
(1 Jn 1:6 NASB) "If we [should] say that we have fellowship with Him and.yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not [do] the truth; (1 Jn 1:7 NASB) but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, [One = God, with another = with each of we children of God, born of God walking in the light], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 Jn 1:8 NASB) .If we [should] say that we have no sin, we [deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." =
After enlightening children of God, born of God in 1 Jn 1:5-7 on how to have fellowship with God by their unceasing acknowledgment that God is Perfect Light / Absolute Righteousness, and by unceasing acknowledgment that they constantly fall short of His Absolute Righteousness and need unceasing cleansing of their sins by the blood of Jesus God's Son; author John returns in 1 Jn 1:8 to children of God, born of God' (including apostles') tendency - even those who have a consistency of being in fellowship with God, to deceive themselves when they falsely consider themselves free of committing acts of sin; when they falsely think that they do not need continuous cleansing from "the blood of Jesus Christ."
The first phrase in verse 8, "If we [should] say that we have no sin" comprises the first clause of a 3rd class If-Then statement. The Greek words "ean eipOmen" rendered "If we [should] say" is in the aorist tense and the subjunctive mood, conveying a completed action of maybe we do say, and maybe we do not say. The subjunctive mood of objective possibility conveys a message of children of God, born of God potentially making a statement that they have no sin, [sin, singular conveying that the child of God, born of God no longer bears present guilt for some particular sin - any sin*]" For the Greek words "hamartian ouk echomen" rendered "we have no sin" is in the present tense conveying a moment in time when one thinks there is not a single sin that one can be held accountable for in a timeframe they falsely perceive as one of sinless perfection.
*Although the sin nature, the principle of sin that pervades all mortal humanity except Jesus Christ is present even in children of God, born of God including the apostles; nevertheless the phrase rendered "we have no sin," in the NASB does not refer to the presence of the sin nature / the sin principle within one, as some contend. For the Greek phrase transliterated "ouk echomen hamartian" lit. "sin not we have" and rendered "we have no sin" in the NASB, occurs elsewhere in the New Testament in John's Gospel, (cf. 9:41; 15:22, 24; 19:11). In all these places, the obvious meaning is to bear present guilt for some particular sin - any sin, implying that the phrase rendered "we have no sin," in 1 Jn 1:8 implies the false idea that a child of God, born of God experiences moments of sinless perfection.
A
child of God, born of God may not be conscious of any acts of sin in
his life, or maintain that he no longer has a sin nature which produces
acts of sin; or he may think that he has overcome his sin nature with
his new nature via the indwelling Holy Spirit for
a period of time in order to achieve moments of sinless perfection.
Some might even falsely contend that they are beyond the categories of
good and evil because they possess the Spirit of God or have achieved
some kind of spiritual transcendance. But whatever one thinks does not
contradict the fact that while in one's mortal body, one nevertheless
has a sin nature, commits sin all the time, and constantly falls short
of the glory of God - His Absolute Righteousness all the time -
children of God, born of God including apostles (as well as all
unbelievers). This is clearly and repeatedly conveyed in Scripture, (1
Jn 1:10; even admitted to by the apostle Paul after he became a child
of God, born of God and an apostle: ref. Romans chapter 7 ).
The
second clause of the If-Then statement contains two phrases, "we
[deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." It declares the result
of when we children of God, born of God do say that we have no sin: we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." It brings
out into the light those children of God, born of God who have wilfully
hidden their mentalities from the sphere of light in which God dwells -
the sphere of His Absolute Righteousness, which sphere man cannot
attain under his own auspices in his mortal life. This is man's typical
self deception - his arrogance - which serves to puff himself up to
think that he has committed no sin for a period of time - that he has
no sin nature or has overcome it if he is a child of God, born of God
with the new nature within him that the Holy Spirit has provided .
The Greek word "heautous" rendered "ourselves" is the first word in the
second clause, "we [deceive] ourselves and the truth is not in us." It
is in an emphatic position emphasizing that such a self deception is
deliberate and wilful, bearing no resemblance to the truth nor to
innocence. Such children of God, born of God are in danger of becoming
progressively delusional and evil as the timespan that they claim to be
without sin increases.
So
when children of God, born of God feel close to God, they should
nevertheless remember that a closeness with God, i.e., genuine
fellowship with Him is not due to their being free of sin - without
acts of sin being committed by them, or by some kind of feeling based
on emotion or some unbiblical idea. Fellowship with God only comes to a
child of God, born of God via confession to God Who is Light / Absolute
Righteousness, and out of the grace of God because of the shed blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son, which cleanses us from all sin, (1 Jn 1:7).
Fellowship does not result from how good the child of God, born of God
behaves or feels but how much more he is focused upon God's Absolute
Righteousness as compared with the evil nature of his own thoughts,
words and deeds which he acknowledges to God.
That’s
why most people don’t ever
choose to believe in Jesus' payment for ones sins; they don't think
there is anything wrong with their lives that needs God's assistance.
That’s why none of us
is righteous no not one!!!!
[TD Jakes]
He knows that we basically want to do the right thing.
[BKC]
[People don't basically want to do the right thing according to what God thinks is Right. That’s
why most people don’t ever
choose to believe in Jesus' payment for ones sins; they don't think
there is anything wrong with their lives that needs God's assistance. Their idea of doing the right thing is not God's idea.
That’s why none of us
is righteous no not one!!!! Review excerpt on 1jn1:8 & Ro 3:10-18 quoted above.
TD JAKES]
More importantly, He knows that as humans we are weak and at
times are unable to overcome sin in our lives.
[BKC]
[According to the bible humans are weak and sin all the time. Review excerpt on 1jn1:8 above.]
[TD JAKES]
For that reason, He sent His Son, Jesus, as a substitute to
die for our sins. You see, there is power in the shed Blood of Jesus Christ.
When we go to God and ask forgiveness of sin, the Blood of Jesus covers our
sins.
[BKC]
[Where in the Bible does it say we go to God and ask
forgiveness of sin in order to have eternal life? No where!!! The operative word is ‘believe’ – over and over
and over again. We don’t ask God to forgive us; we simply believe in His one
and only Son’s payment for our sins – just as you posted it in Jn 3:16 above –
AND THEN AT THAT MOMENT WE WHO HAVE BELIEVED IN JESUS RECEIVE FORGIVENESS OF
SINS AND THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE AMONG MANY OTHER THINGS. How can people
editorialize to suit their own opinion like this man TD Jakes. Just observe the
verse and report what it says – God doesn’t need an editor. By the way, the
Blood of Jesus covers the payment for the sins of EVERYONE even the worst of
us, like Adolph Hitler without mankind having to do anything. Check it out: 1
Jn 2:2, “For He [Jesus Christ] is the propitiation [the payment for our
[believers’] sins and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. On
the other hand forgiveness of ones sins comes via a moment of faith alone in
Christ alone – not by any proactive human doing such as asking for forgiveness
or for doing good deeds, Eph 2:8-9]
[TD JAKES]
It says, “We are no longer guilty.”
[BKC]
Wrong!
Our sins
are paid for - past, present & future - but
our personal guilt remains because we have not been personally forgiven
which
forgiveness is received when one expresses a moment of faith alone in
Jesus
Christ alone. There is a difference between having our sins paid for
and being
personally forgiven of the guilt of committing those sins. So people
don't go to eternal punishment for the sins they
committed - Jesus Christ took upon Himself the punishment for those
sins; but an individual goes to eternal punishment for not being
personally forgiven for committing those
sins. Having not believed in Christ, he will remain the same person who
committed those sins - a sinner who does not qualify to enter the
eternal kingdom of God. Believers will be changed into resurrection
bodies that are like our Lord's and will not be able to sin anymore. As
it stands not for believers in this temporal life, we still have the
capacity to sin and are not yet qualified to enter heaven's shores.
[Compare Acts 10:43 NASB]:
"Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His
name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
Notice
that the Great White Throne judgment opens up books about an individual
which investigate whether or not that person's life was righteous
enough to earn his way into the kingdom of God, sins are not the issue, Righteousness is:
A) THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
On the Day of the Great White Throne Judgment, the individual unbeliever will then have his life reviewed before the Lord Jesus Christ, (Jn 5:22):
1) BOOKS ARE OPENED WHICH HAVE THE DEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUAL RECORDED IN THEM AND THE BOOK OF LIFE FROM WHICH THE UNBELIEVER'S NAME HAS BEEN BLOTTED OUT
a) [Rev 20:12]:
"And I say the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds..."
Since an unbeliever has rejected the need for receiving by faith alone the gift of God's perfect righteousness through Jesus Christ, (Ro 3:21), he has not received forgiveness of his sins, (Acts 10:43). At the end of his life, since he never chose to trust alone in Christ alone unto eternal life, his name is blotted out - erased - from the Book of Life:
b) [Ps 69:27-28]:
(v. 27) "Do Thou [God] add iniquity to their iniquity [refers to David's adversaries who are persecuting him, (v. 19)],
And may they not come into Thy righteousness.
[David is crying out to God that he wishes that his adversaries who are persecuting him mercilessly not be credited with the righteousness of God - which enables them to have eternal life in heaven. He goes on to say this in another way which includes the doctrine of the Book of Life]:
(v. 28) May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous."
So since they were requested by David to never be credited with the righteousness of God, (v. 27), which is by faith alone in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, alone, (cp Gen 15:5-6); then their names would be blotted out of the Book of Life if God complied to David's request.
So in the absence of one's name appearing in the Book of Life, God then has "other books" opened to see if that individual's life was equal to that of Jesus Christ's. Since an individual's sins are paid for, then what God is looking at is the intrinsic nature of that individual as reflected in his thoughts, words and deeds. And since an individual on his own, without the righteousness of Jesus Christ credited as his own intrinsic nature, falls infinitely short of God's absolute standard of perfect righteousness, (Mt 19:17), then that individual's destiny can be nothing else but the Lake of Fire. Furthermore, the more evil that intrinsic nature of the unbeliever is, as reflected in his acts of sin, the greater the punishment in the Lake of Fire, (Lk 12:42-48).
So the issue of God's forgiveness of an individual is always settled at the point of trusting alone in Christ alone for eternal life.
[TD JAKES]
Salvation. It’s a Free Gift Receiving the gift of salvation
is so simple. All you have to do is invite Jesus Christ into your life to be
your Lord and Savior.
[BKC]
[NO NO NO NO. Stop editorializing!!!!! Where do you see
the words, “Invite Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Savior” All
the bible says to do is to believe in God’s one and only Son having been given
for you - your sins; and you – present tense – HAVE eternal life. That’s it!!!! Just read
the words of one of the many salvation unto eternal life passages in the Bible
such as Jn 3:16 and don’t change the words, just read and observe and do what
those words say without editorializing or adding to them: a MOMENT OF BELIEVING
ALONE AND YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE as it says in Jn 3:16.]
[TD JAKES]
Ephesians
2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith; and this [neuter gender = salvation. Note faith
is feminine] not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not
by works, so that no one can boast.”
[BKC]
[Excellent passage to quote. Notice what you quoted, “For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith; and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not by works, so that no one can boast.” Notice the words rendered “through
faith,” = believe, which is a synonym for faith.]
[TD JAKES]
Now that you know it is a free gift, the only other thing
you need to know is how to receive this gift.
[BKC]
[You have already stipulated how to receive the free gift
of eternal life: THROUGH A MOMENT OF FAITH, I.E., A MOMENT OF BELIEF!!!! AND
NOTHING ELSE IS STIPULATED. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE TO DO TO RECEIVE THE FREE
GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE – JUST EXPRESS A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN THE PAYMENT THAT
CHRIST HAS MADE FOR YOUR SINS AND YOU IMMEDIATELY POSSESS ETERNAL LIFE
FOREVER!!!!]
[TD JAKES]
Once again, it is not hard. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if
you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and
are saved.”
[BKC]
[You
cannot go to another verse and extract from it some more
things to do in order to be saved beyond what Jn 3:16 and so many other
verses
say – you are not God’s editor. You cannot change what God has said.
The
context has two salvations in view, not just one!!! Notice, “For it is
with
your heart [your mind] you believe and are justified = declared
righteous and saved
unto eternal life, and [whereupon] it is with your mouth that you
confess and
are saved, i.e., delivered unto blessings, in this life and eternal
rewards in
the next. This passage has two salvations in view and you have ignored
the
context of the whole book of Romans which teaches over and over again
that eternal life / justification is solely via a moment of faith alone
in Christ alone to manufacture your own idea of what one must do to
have eternal life mixing it with what one must do to be saved /
delivered / blessed in this temporal / mortal life as a Christian and
to save / preserve the value of ones faithfulness in this Christian's temporal life unto
eternal rewards in eternity, i.e. to enhance ones eternal life
experience once one enters the eternal kingdom of God.
EXCERPTS FROM STUDY ON ROMANS CHAPTER 10
A MUST READ WHICH CLARIFY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENTRANCE INTO ETERNAL LIFE AND ENHANCEMENT OF ONES TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL LIFE
A) SALVATION FROM GOD'S ETERNAL WRATH UNTO THE RECEPTION OF ETERNAL LIFE IS RECEIVED WHEN ONE BELIEVES WITH THE HEART UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS EVEN BEFORE ONE HAS A CHANCE TO CONFESS JESUS AS LORD
(Ro 3:21) '''But now a Righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (Ro 3:22) This Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, (Ro 3:23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Ro 3:24) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus... (Ro 4:5 NAS) But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. (Ro 4:23 NAS) Now not for his [Abraham's] sake only was it written that it was reckoned to him, (Ro 4:24 NAS) but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, (Ro 4:25 NAS) [He] who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification (Ro 5:8 ASV) But God commendeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Ro 5:9 NKJV) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him... (Ro 10:6 NAS) But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), (Ro 10:7 NAS) or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
(Ro 10:8 NAS) But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (Ro 10:9 NAS) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Ro 10:10 NKJV) For with the heart [one] believes for righteousness, and with the mouth [one confesses] for salvation''' =
Just as in Ro 3:22;
4:3-5; 5:8-9, it is stipulated in Ro 10:10 that a Righteousness from God for eternal
life is credited to one when one expresses a moment of faith alone in
Jesus Christ alone to provide it through His blood sacrifice atonement for
mankind's sins so that this righteousness results in qualifying one to be
saved from God's eternal wrath for eternal life;
. So the phrase "For with the heart one believes for righteousness," in
Ro 10:10a has salvation from God's eternal wrath for eternal life
received by a moment of faith alone even before one has a chance to
confess Jesus as Lord. Note that the word rendered "heart" refers to an
activity of the mind, expressed figuratively
B)
ONLY AFTER ONE HAS EXPRESSED A MOMENT OF FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE TO
RECEIVE AN ETERNAL RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD UNTO ETERNAL LIFE IS ONE
ENABLED TO CONFESS JESUS AS LORD IN THE SENSE OF HIS SOVEREIGNTY
OVER THEM AS LORD AND SAVIOR; OR IN THE SENSE OF ONES TEMPORAL LIFE
ATTESTING TO BEING IN FELLOWSHIP AND FAITHFUL TO JESUS AS LORD
(Ro 3:21) "But now a Righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. (Ro 3:22) This Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, (Ro 3:23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Ro 3:24) and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Ro 25a NAS) Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith [for a display]. (Ro 25b NAS) This [display] was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; (Ro 26 NAS) for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.... (Ro 9:30 NKJV) What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; (Ro 10:4 NKJV) For Christ is the end of ... law [rules of behavior] for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Ro 10:5 NAS) For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law [will] live by that righteousness. (Ro 10:6 NAS) But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), (Ro 10:7 NAS) or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Ro 10:8 NAS) But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (Ro 10:9 NAS) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. =
The phrase in Ro 10:9 rendered, "if
you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord"
is a confession that having believed in Him for
eternal life through a moment of faith alone in Him alone for paying
for ones sins unto eternal life, that one acknowledges that Jesus is
now positionally ones Lord and Savior in
the sense of
one being under His sovereign authority as God and Savior - a
positional truth which may or
may not be
exemplified in the believer's life, depending upon that believer's
faithfulness to Christ's Lordship. No matter what the case moment to
moment in the believer's temporal life, Jesus is nevertheless his LORD
and Savior,
i.e., Sovereign God over that individual the moment that that
individual becomes a believer. Note that all mankind is nevertheless
subject to Christ's
Lordship whether one knows this or not, or obeys Him or not. And there
will be a time when He will bring to bear His Absolute authority upon
all mankind, (Rev 17:14; 19:16).
.);
nevertheless, as the
believer conducts his temporal life before God under the authority of
His sovereign Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in a manner which object is
to be faithful to Christ's Lordship over him such that he is
continually confessing his sins to God; then temporal forgiveness
and purification from all temporal sins will be the result along with
temporal blessings,
such as living out the appointed years of ones temporal life,
fellowship with the Lord and eternal rewards .
And when believers confess Jesus as Lord in the sense of
declaring that the believer's salvation is through faith in Christ
alone Whose position is Lord and Savior over them regardless of how
they conduct their temporal lives, they also benefit from an ongoing
temporal salvation: that of deliverance unto blessings in this life and
rewards in eternity. So in view are acknowledgments by the believer
which are two different but closely related Lordships - one
an eternal position, the other temporal blessings and eternal rewards
for declaring that the believer's salvation is through faith in Christ
alone Whose position is Lord and Savior over them regardless of how
they conduct their temporal lives; or for ongoing attempts to be faithful accompanied by ongoing confession
of sins.[BKC]
In order to have eternal life????]
[BKC]
There is
no requirement / stipulation that you need to pray from your heart a
simple prayer in order to receive eternal life. Dozens
of verses stipulate that when you believe - you accept as true in your
mind - a simple mental assent: check your dictionary for the meaning of
believe. So all you have to do is to believe that Jesus paid the price
for
your sins and you immediately have eternal life then and there forever.
That's what Jn 3:16 says.
Note that TD Jakes quoted above '''The Bible says,” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)'''
So there is no
prayer mentioned as needed in Jn 3:16 is there? There is
NOTHING MORE TO DO, YOU ALREADY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE FOREVER. There is no
prayer needed to be made, YOU ALREADY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. If you think
you have to do something more, you won't get eternal life.
Compare also Eph 2:8-9 which TD JAKES? quoted above '''Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast.” '''
Notice: salvation unto eternal life is "by grace" - you did nothing, Salvation is "by faith" - you did nothing, no prayer. "And this not from yourselves" - you did nothing from yourself, nothing needs to be done by you. No prayer needed, you just believed. It is the gift of God. Do you owe God for a gift. Do you pay your parents for giving you a birthday gift????? And the phrase rendered, "not by works" means you do no works, i.e., nothing to receive salvation unto eternal life. Remember that believing is not a work it is a mental acceptance as true the work that Jesus did when He paid the price for all of your sins on the cross at Calvary. He did all the work you simply accept that what the Bible says He did is true. That's not a work, believing is a passive acceptance of His propitiation - His payment for your sins and the sins of everyone in the world.
[Compare 1 Jn 2:2]:
1 John 2:2 (NASB) "and He [Jesus Christ] Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."
So no
need for prayer, but how about a simple prayer of thanks to our Savior
for the gift of eternal life that you have already received when you
believed.
But then TD Jakes continues to add to what one must do to have eternal life: You have to pray to Lord Jesus - instead of to God in the name of Jesus - to come into ones life to be ones Lord and Savior:
[TD Jakes]
Lord Jesus, I ask you to come into my life, to be my Lord
and Savior.
[BKC]
Although Scripture stipulates everywhere that salvation unto eternal life is received only by a moment of faith alone in Christ alone + nothing else, no other requirement stipulated in dozens of passages that tell one how to have eternal life. Even as TD Jakes quoted Jn 3:16 and Eph 2:8-9, he still insists on adding yet two more requirements which are no where in Scripture re: to the reception of eternal life: you have to pray to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to come into your life to be your Lord and Savior. Now what is that supposed to mean?
If you
believed in Jesus isn't He your Savior then, and you don't have to ask
Him to be your Savior? And how can He be Lord of your life unless you
obey all of His commands which 1 Jn 1:8 examined above indicates that
that is not going to happen in this life unless the TULIP Calvinists
are correct and Jesus takes over your life and makes you into an
obedient robot so that you will persevere in the faith? .
And doesn't Eph 2:8-9, which TD Jakes quoted say “For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith; and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not
by works, so that no one can boast.?"
Notice: salvation unto eternal life is "by grace" - you did nothing, Salvation is "by faith" - you did nothing, no prayer. "And this not from yourselves" - you did nothing from yourself, nothing needs to be done by you. No prayer needed, no asking Jesus to come into ones life to be ones Lord and Savior. You just believed. It is the gift of God. Do you owe God for a gift? Do you pay your parents for giving you a birthday gift????? And the phrase rendered, "not by works" means you do no works, i.e., nothing to receive salvation unto eternal life. Remember that believing is not a work it is a mental acceptance as true the work that Jesus did when He paid the price for all of your sins on the cross at Calvary. He did all the work you simply accept that what the Bible says He did is true. That's not a work, believing is a passive acceptance of His propitiation - His payment for your sins and the sins of everyone in the world.
[BKC]
But then he goes futher in this proposed multifaceted prayer designed to receive eternal life as follows:
[TD Jakes]
I believe You died for my sins and rose victorious over death.
[BKC]
Excellent statement: that is all one needs to express in a moment of belief and one will receive
immediate possession of eternal life!!!!!!! No prayer, nothing to ask
Jesus, nothing to do. But TD Jakes rolls on with more steps to take in
order to get eternal life:
[TD Jakes]
I
ask You to forgive me of all my sins. I turn from my sin today, only to follow
Jesus Christ all the days of my life.
[BKC]
More asking when one is already forgiven of all of ones sins at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone + nothing else:
Acts 10:43 (NASB)
"Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His
name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
Furthermore,
to promise to "turn from sin today, only to follow Jesus Christ all the
days of my life," is never stipulated in Scripture as what one must
promise to do even can do in order to receive eternal life. For this is
not possible with mortal man - see excerpt on 1 Jn 1:8 .
And TD
Jakes is not even through yet with what he has determined one must do
in order to have eternal life - There appears to be no end to his
editorial license of God's Word:
[TD Jakes]
Lord, I give you all of my pain, all of my hurts, all of my fears, and all of my infirmities. Today, I receive total and complete healing in my life. Because of the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, from this day forward, I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. Thank you Lord!
[BKC]
So
evidently in order to receive eternal life, TD Jakes prayer requests
are expanded to "Lord, I give you all of my pain, all of my hurts, all
of my fears and all of my infirmities. Today, I receive total and
complete healing in my life." No where is this in Scripture that
Christians will no longer suffer pain, hurts, fears and infirmities
much less one is not saved if they do suffer any of these." And TD
Jakes goes on to explain that all of this healing is "Because of the
shed Blood of Jesus Christ, from this day forward," otherwise they may
not be saved at all. TD Jakes goes on to include the positive statement
in the prayer, "I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. Thank you Lord!"
Evidently TD Jakes has no clue relative to what Scripture says about a believer becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus. Let's check what God's Word says about this:
*** EXCERPT FROM STUDY ON NEW CREATURE ***
NEW
CREATION IN CHRIST
I) [2 Cor 5:17]:
"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.' "
A) BELIEVERS ARE A NEW KIND OF CREATURE IN CHRIST JESUS, NEITHER JEW NOR GENTILE
"new creature... the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." =
"new" = "kaine"
[Theological Dictionary of the NT, 1 Vol., Kittel & Friedrich, Eds, by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Eerdmans Publishing, 1985, p. 388]:
"As distinct from néos, 'new in time,' ['kaine', str 2537] means 'new in nature' (with an implication of 'better').", i.e., unique as opposed to renewed or improved over time.
1) [Compare Eph 2:10]:
"For we [believers, (vv. 8-9)] are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Note that believers have become God's workmanship in the sense that they are new creations, new creatures - in Christ Jesus, unique having been placed into the body of Christ, neither Jew nor Gentile, but a third kind of human being who is unique in the sense that he is now a part of the body of Christ.
[Dr. John Danish, Pastor Berean Memorial Church, Irving, Tx states in an audio tape of sermon 2/25/96]:
"Therefore.... [refers back to the previous context, especially vv. 1 and 5]:
[2 Cor 5:1] says that if the earthly tent, that is your human body, which is our house is torn down - that means you die - we have a building from God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. You have a heavenly body that you enter upon death. And you enter a marvelous place of blessing when that happens...
Then in verse 5, he says [that] the Holy Spirit indwells every believer as a token or down payment of God's promise to take us to heaven when we accept His salvation...
2) [2 Cor 5:5]:
"Now He Who prepared us for this very purpose [of going into heaven in this super body, v. 1] is God, Who gave to us the Spirit as a down payment."
a) [Compare Eph 1:13-14]:
(v. 13) "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
(v. 14) Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of His glory."
The reason the Holy Spirit indwells every believer is because it is God's seal, His stamp.... You're not going anywhere except to heaven... God's grace will not be frustrated by anything that man does once you have committed yourself to what God has given you...
Then in verse 6 God Himself makes it certain that if we leave our bodies, we go to be with the Lord:
b) [2 Cor 5:6]:
"Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord -"
So now we come to the greatest example and the demonstration of the grace of God in verse 17:
I cont.) [2 Cor 5:17 cont.]:
"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.'
A cont.) BELIEVERS ARE A NEW KIND OF CREATURE IN CHRIST JESUS, NEITHER JEW NOR GENTILE, cont.
[Dr. Danish, cont.]:
'''Verse 17 reaches a conclusion based on verses 1 through 16. And so we begin with this word, 'Therefore'. It means, 'So that'. It indicates a conclusion about grace provisions... ['if' =] since...
['any man' =] any one, man or woman...
['in Christ'] =
3) [Compare 1 Cor 12:13]:
"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."]
We get into Christ at the point of our faith in Christ. That's when you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. And that's what water baptism is a symbol and a sign of - that you have been placed into Jesus Christ and that's why you are eternally secure.
You can never be removed from Him. You cannot remove yourself, God cannot remove you, man cannot remove you - you are in Christ. It's an expression indicating that one is saved. It is an expression which is particularly used in the New Testament Age of the Church. They didn't talk like that in the Old Testament. In the New Testament it is a [phrase] which is commonly understood... [to mean] to be saved....
In the book of Romans the Apostle Paul says that he who.... is not indwelt by Christ is none of His - making it very clear that if Christ does not indwell you, [then] you don't belong to Him - meaning, 'You're not a Christian'. Nobody can be a Christian without first having been baptized into Him by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation. So 'In Christ' is referring to a believer...
4) [Compare Gal 3:27-28]:
(v. 27) "For all of you who were baptized into Christ [i.e., all of you who have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit] have clothed yourselves with Christ.
(v. 28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Once you are in Christ as a saved person, there is no racial, there is no national, there is no gender difference. Everybody is [one] in Christ... So God sees us as part of His Son...
This [being] placed in Christ is... our positional place. And that means [that] we have positional sanctification. Sanctification means [that] you are absolutely perfect in God's sight - as perfect as Jesus Christ... It is all based upon the Grace of God [not on anything one does]...'''
*** END EXCERPT STUDY ON NEW CREATURE ***
[TD Jakes]
Joining the Local Church God places great emphasis on being involved in your local church. In Hebrews 10:25, the Word says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” You see, members of a church have an obligation to one another. They are to encourage and pray for one another. There are also special blessings that come to you when you join the local church. You will come under the prayer covering of your Pastor.
[BKC]
Excellent
points made here. One point: whoever the pastor prays for will be
covered whether or not you attend that particular church. On the other
hand, those who do not attend are less likely to be prayed for - out of
sight out of mind, so to speak.
[TD Jakes]
Healing and restoration will be made available to you because God tells us that there is healing in the storehouse, which is the local church.
[BKC]
Not in
Scripture. The local church is never referred to as "the storehouse."
Furthermore, healing is not limited to those who are in a local church
or attend a local church anywhere in Scripture.
[TD Jakes]
In our spiritual walk, we draw strength from one another. A good example of how this happens is when you put one piece of burning coal in a barbecue pit by itself. Soon it will lose its heat and burn out. However, if that same piece of coal is added to a whole pit of heated coals, it will draw from and add heat to the others. Like the coals, our faith is increased as we pray and believe together for one another. The power behind this is described in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 which states, “Two are better than one, because...If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” In other words, as we come together as one body, our faith is increased and we are able to overcome the traps of our spiritual enemy. You see, the devil knows that if you do not have other Christians around you, it will be very easy for him to isolate you and bring problems and confusion in to your life. Perhaps one of the most important reasons for you to join the local church is that God has assigned each one of us a specific place in the Body of Christ. I Corinthians 12:28 says, “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration…” In other words, God has something special for you to do within the Body of Christ. The place God has destined for you to serve cannot be filled by anyone else but you. For that reason, it is extremely important that you come under the authority of your Pastor and begin to fulfill the plan God has for your life. If you have not found a local church home yet, we would be glad to have you join us for our live Sunday (9am) and Wednesday (7pm) services streamed live over the Internet, during your search.
[BKC]
AMEN
[TD Jakes]
Water Baptism Now that you have asked Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, you may be asking, “What do I do next?” Matthew 28:19 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” According to Matthew 28 and Acts 2:38, God’s word tells all Christians that they should be water baptized.
[BKC]
Salvation is not about asking Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior as we have previously discovered. So TD Jakes hasn't even gotten anyone into heaven yet. Furthermore, the answer to the question [once one becomes a believer, a born again Christian] "What do I do next?" is not provided by Matthew 28:19 until one has learned what it means to become a disciple by studying Scripture so that one can indeed go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." We now have the New Testament Bible to aid us in that endeavor, especially the epistles / the letters which directly provide lessons toward that purpose. TD Jakes' silence on this issue is telling me he does not have a clue about becoming a Christian or growing as one.
On the other hand, the context of Acts 2:38 has first century Jews who actually took part in crucifying Jesus which cannot be applied to the church, albeit it is similar. It is all about context, context, context:
*** EXCERPT STUDY ON ACTS 2:38 ***
3) In The Case Of The Message Of The Gospel After Christ's Ascension, Beginning With The Apostle Peter, The Greek Word "Metanoeo" ("Metanoesate") Rendered "Repent" Continued To Signify A Change From Not Believing To Believing Alone In Jesus Christ (Now Having Been Revealed In His Resurrected Humanity To The World) As LORD And Christ / The Messiah For Forgiveness Of Sins Unto Eternal Life In The Eternal Kingdom Of God; Which Kingdom Would Commence Should All Of That Generation Of Israel Believe. Plus In This Time There Was Begun The Reception Of The Gift Of The Indwelling Holy Spirit In All Who Believed - Jew And Gentile Alike. But Sometime After His Address To The Jews In Acts Chapter 2, Peter Indicated That Heaven Must Receive Jesus Christ, The Holy One, Until The Times Of Restoration Of All Things, I.E., Until A Future Time When The Eternal Kingdom Of God Would Commence Upon All Of A Future Generation Of Israel Repenting / Believing In Christ
a) [Compare Acts 2:36-38]:
(Acts 2:36 NKJV) '''[Peter declared] "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, Whom you crucified, both LORD and Christ [in the sense of the promised Messiah / Savior]." (Acts 2:37 YLT) And having heard, they were pricked to the heart; they say also to Peter, and to the rest of the apostles, "What shall we do, men, brethren? (Acts 2:38 HOLMAN) And Peter said to them, "Repent (and [let each one of you] be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." ''' =
Peter's answer to the Jews' question of what they should do relative to Jesus Christ being their Lord and Christ, their Messiah / Savior, was to repent in the sense of changing their minds to believe in Him for forgiveness of sins unto eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God; which Kingdom would commence should all of that generation of Israel believe. This included being water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ - but to symbolize and not to be part of repentance as some contend. Nor was water baptism to be causative of being forgiven of ones sins unto eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God; thereafter one would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Absent is an exhortation to behave better or feel remorse or commit to a holy lifestyle.
Having
presented his case so convincingly to the crowd of Jews in Jerusalem
for Jesus being the Christ - the Messiah, and corroborating it with
Scripture - David's testimony in Psalms 16 & 110 in Acts 2:25-31 - the Apostle
Peter concluded, "Therefore let all the house of Israel," (notice once
more that Peter was addressing Jews) "know assuredly that God has made
this Jesus, Whom you [Jews] crucified, both LORD [Greek, "kurion" in
the sense of being God] and Christ [Greek, "Christon" in the sense of
the Messiah, God's Annointed One from Israel Who was to rule over the
Eternal Kingdom of God. These two titles refer to the Deity and
Humanity, respectively of the Son of God, Jesus Christ], (Isa 7:14;
9:6-7 ). The Greek verb "epoiEsen" rendered "has made" does
not signify that God fabricated Jesus into being LORD and Christ at
that moment in time. Rather, it is saying that Jesus was declared by
God to be both LORD - referring to His Diety as the Eternal Son of God;
and Christ in the sense of having fulfilled the requirement in His
Humanity of being an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world;
which declaration was evidenced by God's having raised Him from the
dead and ascended Him into glory at His right hand in heaven. Notice
that convincing and convicting fellow Jews in the sense of getting them
to change their minds and believe that "Jesus Whom you crucified, [was]
both LORD and Christ" unto forgiveness of sins and eternal life in
the Eternal Kingdom of God, (cf. 1 Jn 5:1), was Peter's message. For
Peter was declaring the imminent fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel
2:28-32, (Acts 2:16-21), in the sense of the commencement of the
Eternal Kingdom of God upon the earth should all of that generation of
Israel call upon the name of the LORD to be saved in the sense of
repenting unto trusting in Jesus as LORD and Christ for forgiveness of
sins unto eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God, (cf. 1 Jn 5:1),
and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Not
in view was an exhortation to behave better or feel remorse or commit
to a holy lifestyle, as some contend. For attempts at good behavior
will never be sufficient to pay for all the sins one has committed.
Forgiveness of sins only comes by the grace of God through a moment of
faith alone in Christ alone - His atonement for their sins. Note that
the Greek word "Christon" rendered "Christ" in the NKJV is the Greek
word which means "Messiah," referring to the Messiah of the Jews and
the world as detailed in the books of the Old Testament, (cf. Isa 7:14;
9:6-7 ); (Acts 2:36).
So the Jews having heard what Peter so convincingly had to say to this point, "were pricked to the heart," in the sense that they felt remorse. The Greek phrase "katenugEsan tE kardia," rendered "they were pricked to the heart" in the YLT was descriptive of their feelings. It connoted a sharp pain associated with great anxiety and devastating remorse. The implication is that many of the Jews present to hear Peter's sermon had painfully realized that their Messiah - the One promised to sit on the throne of David to commence and rule the Eternal Kingdom of God had been crucified by them - evidently, in their minds, destroying their chance to enter into the Kingdom, corroborating that they had not been up to this point brothers in the faith in Jesus Christ.
Whereupon they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'What shall we do, men, brethren?' implying that a number of them had just begun to believe that Jesus was both LORD and Christ - a belief that is tantamount to becoming born of God, (1 Jn 5:1), having forgiveness of sins unto eternal life. On the other hand there is no stipulation that everyone in the crowd had repented / believed in Him for forgiveness of sins unto eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God, nor was there an indication in verse 37 that everyone in the crowd was assured that they were forgiven of all of their sins including the one of crucifying Jesus.
Whereupon Peter's answer in verse 38 stipulates that the result of repentance unto faith in Christ resulted in forgiveness of sins unto eternal life. Whether or not some or all of them had repented / believed is not stipulated, but Peter's answer was assurance that those who did believe were forgiven unto eternal life at whatever moment that they did believe.
Peter then
said to them in Acts 2:38, "And Peter said to them, "Repent
(and [let each one of you] be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for
the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit." The
message of those who preceded Peter when he gave his message in Acts
chapter 2, namely the prophets of the Old Testament, (cf. Acts 3:21 ;
10:43 ), John the Baptist and his disciples followed by Jesus
and His disciples before His Ascension - one of whom was Peter - was
"Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand," implying repentance / a
moment of faith alone in the Messiah alone unto eternal life in
the eternal Kingdom of God. Peter's message in Acts chapter 2
was essentially the same relative to the reception of eternal life in
the Eternal Kingdom of God - including the imminency of the
commencement of the Eternal Kingdom of God should all Israel repent /
believe. For Peter's referral to Joel's account of the arrival of the
Day of the LORD in Joel 2:12-32 - the time when the LORD would come to
establish His Eternal Kingdom of God - set the tone of imminency of
that commencement to the time when Peter began to address the Jews in
Jerusalem, just as Joel had done, in his time, centuries earlier. Note
that the water baptism was now declared to be "in the name of Jesus
Christ" - His Humanity having now been revealed to the world; and His
atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world now completed as
promised. Hence the phrase "in the name of Jesus Christ" signified that
one had called upon the name of Jesus Christ - the LORD - to be saved
in the sense of having trusted in Him for forgiveness of sins unto
eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God, (Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32).
Furthermore,
there was the addition of the gift - the baptism of the indwelling Holy
Spirit within each believer. For Jews during the transition period from
the age of the Law to the age of the Church this gift was to be after
repenting to faith in Jesus Christ following water baptism. Gentile believers would receive
the Holy Spirit upon the moment of repentance / belief, (cf. Acts
10:43-48 ); Samaritan believers via
the laying on of hands by one of the Apostles, (Acts 8:12-17 ); Jews who expressed a
moment of repentance unto faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah / Savior and
were water baptized under the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus
after John via a second water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus +
the laying on of hands of the Apostle Paul, (Acts 19:1-6 ). Thereafter, when
the transition period was over, and the Age of the Church established
all who repented / believed in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins
unto eternal life were to receive the Spirit at that moment of faith
alone, (Eph 1:13-14 ).
Note that Peter's message as recorded in Acts chapter 2 included Gentiles in verse 39, albeit with some variation such as the reception of the Holy Spirit upon repentance and a variation in the role of water baptism. His inclusion of Gentiles in his message of the gospel to the Jews was nothing new, (Isa 49:6, 56:7, 57:19; Joel 2:28; Mal 1:11; cf. Acts 2:39, 10:24-48, 22:21). Although the prophets of the Old Testament largely addressed Israel, the promise of eternal life in the Eternal Kingdom of God always included Gentiles, (Isa 49:6, 56:7, 57:19; Joel 2:28; Mal 1:11). And although accounts of John the Baptist were limited to his ministry to Israel, there is no indication that he excluded Gentiles, (cf. Acts 19:1-4). Furthermore, Acts 1:8 speaks of the disciples of Jesus carrying the gospel to the end of the earth which implies the inclusion of all mankind. And finally, although our LORD began sending His disciples to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," He expanded His ministry, instructing the disciples to carry His message to Gentiles - which included Peter, (Mt 10:5-18; Lk 7:1-10).
Although the
imminency of the commencement of the Eternal Kingdom of God should all
of a generation of Israel repent / believe was in view in Acts chapter
2. It was no longer in view at the time of Peter's address in Acts
chapter 3. For Peter then stipulated that heaven would receive the LORD
"until the times of restoration of all things," (Acts 3:21 ).
The Greek
word "metanoEsate," from the root word "metanoeo," is rendered "repent"
in Acts 2:38. It comes from the combination of the Greek words meta
meaning 'after,' implying change; and the Greek word noeo
meaning the mind, the understanding = literally, an 'after thought.'
Hence it is a rethinking or a change of mind. The sphere of this word
in the context of Acts chapter 2 is therefore limited to a change
within the mind. Other kinds and spheres of activity, such as a change
of lifestyle, are not in view in Acts 2:38, . These other activities require
other words which are not present in the text at hand which designate
changes outside of the sphere of the mind. For Peter's sermon was all
about Who Jesus was. It wasn't about the Jews taking some kind of
action, such as behaving in a godly manner, or feeling remorse, or
making a committment to behave better. For Peter did not indicate that
the Jews were to "produce fruit" in order to receive forgiveness of
sins unto eternal life and the gift of the Holy Spirit - they were only
commanded to repent / believe. Even when John the Baptist commanded
many pharisees and sadducees to "Bear fruits worthy of repentance," he
implied that this was to be done after forgiveness of sins unto
eternal life had been eternally secured via a moment of repentance unto
faith alone in Christ alone, (Mt 3:8 ). So the Greek word
"metanoEsate," second person plural imperative / command form of the
Greek word "metanoeo," appears in Acts 2:38, conveying a command to the
people of Israel - as well as Gentiles, (Acts 2:39, 10:24-48, 22:21) -
to change their minds from not believing to believing alone in the
Messiah, Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness of sins unto eternal life
in the Eternal Kingdom of God; whereupon each one was to be water
baptized to symbolize that forgiveness through Christ's atonement for
them.
*** END EXCERPT STUDY ON ACTS 2:38 ***
[TD Jakes]
Water baptism is not a ritual,
but is an outward sign to the world that you have made Jesus Christ, Lord of
your life.
[BKC]
Merriam-Webster
defines a ritual as "a ceremonial act or action" or "an act or
series of acts regularly repeated in a set precise manner." This fits
"water baptism" in the New Testament very well. Isn't Christian water
bapsim a ceremonial act which is
regularly repeated in a set precise manner - in the sense of repetitively in the same way? Doesn't Christian water
baptism represent certain specific things each time it is performed,
hence isn't it symbolic???? So it is a ritual!!! So TD Jakes is once again wrong. He is just making stuff up.
And since water baptism is performed in public, then it is a sign, an outward sign to the world and hence to all believers that represents some very significant things which are delineated in the excerpt below. On the other hand, it does NOT represent "that you have made Jesus Christ, Lord of your life," as TD Jakes says it does. For the Christian has neither made Jesus Christ anything; nor has the capacity to make Him anything. Jesus Christ is God and Creator, (Jn 1:1-3); and He is Lord of all no matter what you do. If you think that you have made Jesus Christ Lord of your life in order to be saved unto eternal life; then you are not even saved unto eternal life. You can't make Jesus Lord of your life because you are unable to act righteously even for one second. So your behavior is not capable of demonstrating Righteous behavior at any time!! Therefore your behavior cannot demonstrate that you are faithful to His Lordship - His perfect righteousness.
So what does Christian water baptism represent?
****** EXCERPT FROM STUDY ON BAPTISMS ******
A) CHRISTIAN WATER BAPTISM DEFINED
This is the third of three wet baptisms. Three which are symbolic - representative identifications.
1) [Mt 28:19]:
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
Here is the commandment - very clear and definitive - that we as the representatives, the ambassadors of Jesus Christ as we go through the world explaining the Gospel of salvation to people, "winning" them to the Lord, that they should identify themselves symbolically, i.e., they should portray their actual identification with Jesus Christ in a symbolic way with water baptism. In other words, water here represents the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. When a church age believer is immersed in water he is portraying symbolically that he has been placed into Christ. The water represents Jesus Christ, you go into the water, you portray that you have been joined to Christ. When you come up out of the water, that action is representative of a new lifestyle. Water baptism portrays the reality of what Paul is talking about in Romans 6:3-4 which reality is Holy Spirit baptism into Christ and which water baptism portrays symbolically:
2) [Ro 6:3-4]:
(v. 3) "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
[Note that this portrays an actual baptism/indentification into Christ Jesus and His deat Holy Spirit baptism - not water baptism]
(v. 4) We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
So, when you are water baptized as a Christian, you go under the water - you associate yourself symbolically with the actual Holy Spirit identification with the death of Christ. Thus you are saying, 'I am through with attempting to do human good in order to work my way into heaven, my trust is in Christ alone for that.' You come up from the water and thus you are associating yourself with the resurrection of Jesus Christ with your current position in Him and the result now is divine good production in your life. So that this is the testimony you are making when you get water baptized.
The church age baptism with water is a ritual baptism. It is the baptism of believers in the church age who have already been identified with Jesus Christ via Holy Spirit baptism. What has been previously taught about the baptism of the Holy Spirit is illustrated by the water baptism of the church age. When a believer is placed into the waters of baptism today, those waters represent retroactive positional truth: Those waters represent the believer having been associated with the death of Christ on the cross. When the believer is placed into those waters he is symbolically represented as being buried with Christ Who paid for the sins of the whole world, (1 Jn 2:2). When the believer is brought back out of the waters, he is representing his current positional truth: that he is now representing himself as having eternal life credited to his account - as having God's absolute righteousness credited to his account, (Ro 3:21). He now stands as one who is absolutely perfect in his standing before God; and that is portrayed symbolically by water baptism; but it has been previously accomplished by Holy Spirit baptism. Therefore, Christian church age water baptism identifies a believer symbolically with Jesus Christ in His death, His burial and His resurrection - and that's all it is - it's just a picture. The placing into the water is not the cause of any divine accomplishment - but symbolic of what God has already done.
For this reason we say that water baptism represents two things about the Christian:
a) It represents retroactive positional truth - having been identified with the death of Christ on the cross.
b) It represents current positional truth - having Christ's perfect righteousness credited to one's account along with the immediate reception of eternal life.
So you see, there is only one baptism which does bring about a relationship of eternal life with God in heaven: Holy Spirit baptism.
****** END OF EXCERPT FROM STUDY ON BAPTISMS ******
[TD Jakes]
The Bible tells us that as we enter the water during baptism, we are identifying with Christ’s death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and His resurrection from the dead. When we rise from the water, this signifies that our old sin nature has been crucified and we now have a new godly nature.
[BKC]
This requires explanation that is tied to Scripture, which T D Jakes has not done. There is a sense here that TD Jakes is saying that Christians no longer have the capacity to sin - that the sin nature is no longer operative in them. That is wrong! The sin nature is still within the mortal being - even the believer - the Christian. So it is operative if one chooses to let it be in control - even Christians / even believers!
****** EXCERPTS FROM STUDY ON ROMANS 6 ******
GOTO COMPLETE STUDY TO READ FROM BEGINNING TO END
II cont.) [Ro 6:2 cont.]:
(v. 6:1) "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
(v. 6:2) Far be the thought! Such ones as we, - who died to sin! How shall we any longer be living in it?"
"Such ones as we, - who died to sin! How shall we any longer be living in it?" =.
Notice that Paul's question, 'How shall we any longer be living in it?' implies that it is indeed possible that the believer can do just that: The believer still has the capacity to live in sin in spite of the fact that he has died, i.e., been separated from the control of the sin nature of his lifestyle.
(v. 6:3 NIV) "Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?"
(v. 6:3a) "Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus" =
"Or" = This conjunction begins an all important point relative to the believer's choice of lifestyles - a point about him being baptized into Christ, into His death, burial and resurrection so that that believer can choose to live a new & godly life, instead of choosing to go on sinning so that grace may increase, (v. 6:1).
(v. 6:4) "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into [His] death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
(v. 6:1) "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (v. 6:2) Far be the thought! Such ones as we, - who died to sin! How shall we any longer be living in it? (v. 6:3) Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (v. 6:4) We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into [His] death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ provide the believer in some manner with the freedom to choose and the capacity to live a new and godly life, (v. 6:4). Or he can revert to slavery to the old ungodly nature which still remains within him, (v. 1). So verse 4 in Romans chapter 6 verifies that this union with Jesus Christ via Holy Spirit baptism means that the believer is credited with sharing the benefits of Christ's death, burial and resurrection, (cf. v. 3), which includes complete forgiveness, (v. 1), the crediting to him of the Righteousness of Christ, (cf. 3:21-24), and the provision of the enablement to live a new and godly life, (v. 4).
VI) [Ro 6:6]:
(v.
5 NIV) "For if [since] we have become united with Him in the likeness
of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His
resurrection.
(v. 6:6) Knowing this that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin -"
"For [= Since] we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection; knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him" (cont.) =
(v. 12) "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires."
****** END OF EXCERPTS FROM STUDY ON ROMANS 6 ******
[TD Jakes]
Now, You Need the Power of the Holy Spirit Before the day of
Pentecost, the disciples were afraid of persecution and death threats. When the
power of the Holy Ghost fell on the day of Pentecost, common fisherman turned
from being cowards to being world changers and history makers. After they
received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were afraid of nothing. Prison
did not scare the disciples, torture did not frighten them, and persecution
just made them stronger. You see, if you need a breakthrough in your life, you
need the power of the Holy Spirit and a baptism of boldness. The Holy Spirit
will give you strength that you do not have in the natural. If you need this
power in your life, all you have to do is ask.
Luke 11:9-10 says, “So I say to
you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
The Bible also tells us that all of the following things happened to the disciples on the day of Pentecost. “Suddenly a sound like a blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:2-4). God is no respecter of persons. What He did for the disciples, He will do for you.
[BKC]
This is
about the disciples in Jesus' time with special circumstances in the
establishment of the church, not about Christians in the 20th century. Not all
went well with the disciples in the first century either, just consult
your bible especially in the book of Acts. If you want direction for
your Christian lives dig into the epistles and get direction there not
from TD Jakes comic book account of how the disciples became
supernatural supermen. You are not a disciple of Jesus in the first
century before the New Testament bible was even written!!!!! Christians
have their directions and it does not include
becoming supernatural supermen. Open up your bibles to the directions
given to us in the epistles to the church - Christians that Paul,
John, Peter, the author of
Hebrews, and Jude wrote, etc. Put things in perspective not in superman
comic
books.
[TD Jakes]
Just as your salvation was a free gift
from God, so is the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
[BKC]
Consult
the epistles. Believers today are not first century disciples of Jesus
who began as Jews who were not Christians as part of the body of Christ
until later, they were Jews following Jesus as recorded in the gospels
who received the Holy Spirit under different circumstances from today's
believers. Believers
in this age in the 20th century receive the Spirit at the point of
faith alone in Christ alone, whereby as they follow the Spirit's
leading them at a moment that is called being filled, i.e., controlled
by the Spirit, (Eph 1:13-14). So there is NO second
infilling of the Holy Spirit. That is not in the Bible. Believers who
at a moment in time who follow
the leading of the Spirit within them are at that moment "filled" i.e., controlled by
the Spirit.
[TD Jakes]
If you want this Power in
your life, all you need to do is ask. Begin by following these four simple
steps: Step 1: Praise Him. Begin by being thankful to the Lord for His
goodness. Thank Him for His grace and mercy in your life. Step 2: Now pray this
prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you that I am born again and on my way to
Heaven. I desire today to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke
11:10 says, “For everyone who asks receives…” I ask You to fill me with the
Spirit to overflowing. Step 3: Now close your eyes and raise your hands to the
Lord. This is simply a sign to the Lord that you surrender all to Him. Step 4:
Open your mouth and speak out by faith. Say nothing in English. Your heavenly
language will bubble up on the inside of you and come right out of your mouth.
You must make the sounds and the Holy Spirit will form the words. Don’t worry
about what you are saying or anyone around you. Lock in with God. Give Him your
tongue and give Him the breath in your body. Just open your mouth and begin to
speak. Let it out. Don’t worry about what it sounds like to you. Don’t be
ashamed, or embarrassed or timid. He’s right there with you. **If you prayed to
receive the Holy Spirit and for some reason you did not receive, you must
understand that there is nothing wrong with you. On occasion, some people need
a little help. Please feel free to come to the alter at the conclusion of any
church service and ask a minister to pray with you.
[BKC]
TD Jakes wrote, "If you want this Power in your life, all you need to do is ask." The problem is that according to the Bible, God has not appointed today's church age believer to have the particular powers which the disciples of Jesus, who were Jews, not Christians at that time, demonstrated in the first century. God has appointed church age believers other powers which are delineated in the epistles - now that is according to Scripture., not from TD
Jakes' word and you will find that the gift of speaking in tongues is a
gift of
known human languages which when exercised was to authenticate the individual
as speaking for God - telling the people of the first century
BEFORE THE NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE WAS WRITTEN AND CIRCULATED all about
Jesus and the subject of that yet future group of books of the Bible,
which expression of the miraculous gift of tongues would authenticate
the speaker as speaking for and from God about Jesus and Him crucified,
etc: .
[TD Jakes]
If You Need Healing It is
not God’s will that you or your family suffer with disease or sickness. His
word says in 3rd John Chapter 2, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good
health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along
well.” Healing is for today and it is for you! The devil wants you to believe
that God brings sickness and disease to punish you, but that is a lie. God’s
word says in 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have
been healed.” In other words, when God sent Jesus, He also made provision for
us to receive healing. So when sickness appears in your life, recognize that it
is not of God and begin to speak God’s word over your situation. The following
are some scriptures dealing with healing: Proverbs 4:20-22: “My son, pay
attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of
your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find
them and health to a man’s whole body.” Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will
be yours.” James 5:14: “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of
the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
Psalms 103:2-3: “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits;
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Don’t Get Discouraged!
If it looks as though your healing did not happen immediately when you prayed,
do not get discouraged. Healing is already yours. Just continue to pray the
healing scriptures. Remember, “trust in the LORD with all of your heart and
lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). “So is my word that goes
out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I
desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). In other
words, your healing will be made visible because God’s word says in the
scriptures, “You are already healed!” (1 Peter 2:24)
[BKC]
Here is a study that does follow Scripture on the subject of healing:
According to the Bible, Why Do People Get Sick?
By Don Stewart, blueletterbible.org
Divine Healing – Question 16
It is obvious that all people, sooner or later, get sick.
Nobody doubts this. Why does it happen? Where does sickness come from? Does the
Bible give us an answer to this question?
The Scripture does indeed give a number of direct and
explicit answers as to why we humans become sick. They include the following.
Sickness Is Real
First, the Bible admits the reality of sickness. Indeed,
from the very beginning of Scripture until the end, we find the reality of
sickness, death and dying.
Contrary to some cultic groups, Scripture does not try to
pretend that sickness does not exist. It is something that each of us will have
to deal with in this fallen world in which we live. Thus, sickness is here to
stay as long as we are in these bodies.
Sickness Is a Consequence of the Original Sin of Adam and
Eve
In fact, the Bible tells us how sickness originated. We find
that all illnesses and ailments have come about as a result of the original sin
of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
This first couple was warned what would happen to them if
they disobeyed God’s commandment. The Bible explains it in this manner.
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden
to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are
free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will certainly die”
(Genesis 3:15-17 TNIV).
Adam and Eve were told that the death process would begin if
they disobeyed God. Sickness is part of that process. Unfortunately, they did
break God’s command and ate of the forbidden fruit. Death and dying has been
the experience of humanity ever since.
Paul wrote about this truth in his letter to the Romans. He
explained it in this manner.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,
and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all
sinned (Romans 5:12 TNIV)
Death, therefore, is a consequence of this original sin of
the first two human beings. Each of us is born spiritually separated from God
because of our sin nature. When Adam sinned, his body began to die physically.
This is true for the rest of us. We are all in the dying process.
Our Bodies Are Presently Perishing
Consequently, the Scripture emphasizes that our present
bodies are corruptible and, thus, subject to sickness and death. Paul wrote
about the nature of our weak, perishable, natural bodies in his letter to the
Corinthians. He put it this way.
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is
perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor it is raised
in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural
body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also
a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44 ESV).
Each of us possesses a body which is in the process of
perishing. This is why we will all die physically. The writer to the Hebrews
stated.
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this
the judgment (Hebrews 9:27 NKJV).
Sickness and death awaits all of us.
There Are Physical Causes and There Are Spiritual Causes for
Sickness
There is something else which we must appreciate. Scripture
speaks of both physical and spiritual causes for sickness. Sometimes a person
is ill for merely physical reasons while at other times there are spiritual
factors that are the cause for the sickness.
Thus, when we examine the Bible we find that sickness can
have a natural origin or a supernatural one. It is not always natural, neither
is the origin of sickness always supernatural. It is essential that we
understand this important truth.
Sickness Can Come as a Result of Violating God’s Laws
Indeed, there are times when people get sick simply because
they violate the laws of nature which God has established. In other words, if
we do not take care of our bodies, then we put ourselves at risk of becoming
ill.
Indeed, we find that God gave the nation Israel certain laws
to follow while they were traveling in the wilderness toward the Promised Land.
These laws not only had ceremonially value, they were also given for the
continued health of the people. If the people of Israel violated these laws,
then illness could result. We will provide a few examples from Scripture.
Sewage Was to Be Kept Separate from the People
In a very practical matter, God commanded that the people of
the nation of Israel keep their sewage outside of the place where they camped.
We read about this precaution in the Book of Deuteronomy. It says the
following.
Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to
relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and
when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. For the LORD
your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to
you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything
indecent and turn away from you (Deuteronomy 23:12-14 TNIV).
This law not only kept the camp holy, it protected the
people from the various diseases which could result by living amongst raw
sewage.
In the same manner, we need to practice simple laws of
sanitation where we live. If we do not, then sickness can result.
They Were to Wash with Water after Coming into Contact with
Things Unclean
In the Book of Leviticus, we read what was to take place if
a member of the nation came into contact with anything unclean. We read the
following words of Moses.
Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean, and
whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till
evening; whoever picks up those things must wash their clothes and bathe with
water, and they will be unclean till evening. (Leviticus 15:9, 10 TNIV).
Whenever anyone touched something which was unclean that
person had to wash themselves in the manner which God prescribed. This included
using running water as well as some type of antiseptic. Again, the violation of
these laws could cause someone to be physically ill as well as transferring
diseases to others.
The same holds true today. If we come into contact with
something which is diseased then we must also take the proper steps to
safeguard ourselves from catching the disease.
The People Were Isolated When Contracting Certain Diseases
We will give one more example. God commanded those who had
some type of contagious disease to be isolated from the people. The Book of
Leviticus gives the following instructions.
When anyone has a defiling skin disease, they must be
brought to the priest. The priest is to examine them, and if there is a white
swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh
in the swelling, it is a chronic skin disease and the priest shall pronounce
them unclean. He is not to isolate them, because they are already unclean
(Leviticus 13:9-11 TNIV).
This is another practical step which God gave to keep the
people of Israel from contracting some type of communicable disease. Those who
were contagious were to be kept separate from the rest of the people.
In the same manner today, we keep those who have
communicable diseases isolated from the population until they are no longer
contagious.
To sum up, God gave these laws to His people for a purpose.
If these laws were violated then sickness could be the result.
The same holds true for us today. If we do not use common
sense in taking care of our bodies then sickness may be the result. There is
nothing supernatural occurring if this takes place. Therefore, sickness does
not always have a supernatural cause to it.
Sickness Itself Is Not Sin
We also want to emphasize that nowhere the Bible equates
sickness with sin. This is illustrated in an episode in the life of Jesus. We
read of the following episode.
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His
disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was
born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this
happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:1-3
NIV).
Jesus’ disciples assumed that this man was blind because of
some sin which he or his parents may have committed. However, in this case,
Jesus taught otherwise. His blindness was actually going to result in the glory
of God. Indeed, Jesus miraculously healed this man giving him sight for the
first time in his life. Thus, it was not his sin that caused his blindness.
This brings up an important principle. Nobody in Scripture
was ever judged because they were sick – they were judged because they were
sinful.
Sickness Can Be the Result of Sin
While sickness is not sin, it is possible for sickness to be
the result of sin. Paul emphasized that our body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit. He wrote the following to the Corinthians.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For
you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body (1 Corinthian
6:19, 20 NRSV).
Sometimes sickness results for a very simple reason – people
do not take care of themselves. People do not heed God’s commands and
overindulge in food, alcohol or work. They let their body run down to the place
where it is susceptible to illness. Doing this is sinful and thus sickness can
be the result of sin.
Sickness Can Result from Overwork in the Ministry
The Scripture teaches that sickness can actually result from
overwork God’s ministry. In fact, Paul wrote that a fellow Christian worker,
Epaphroditus, was sick to the place of death because of his work for the Lord.
We read the following words to the Philippians.
For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at
the point of death while trying to do for me the things you couldn’t do because
you were far away.(Philippians 2:30 NLT).
This man of God became sick because he was overworked in the
Christian ministry. This is an important warning for those who are engaged in
God’s work. Rest is an important aspect of work.
We find this also to be true in the Old Testament. The
prophet Daniel became ill from the spiritual battle. The Bible says.
The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been
told is true. As for you, seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from
now. So I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days; then I arose and
went about the king’s business. But I was dismayed by the vision and did not
understand it (Daniel 8:26, 27 NRSV).
Daniel became ill due to the spiritual battle in which he
was engaged. Believers today can also have this same experience if they do not
take care of their bodies.
Jesus Needed Rest
We find that Jesus and His apostles needed rest from their
labors in the ministry. Mark records the following account.
He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by
yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no
leisure even to eat (Mark 6:31 NRSV).
If Jesus and His disciples needed to take some time off from
their work in the ministry then we certainly ought to do the same.
Paul Wrote about the Need to Be Refreshed
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians about how they
refreshed the man Titus. He put it in this manner.
By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own
encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because
his spirit has been refreshed by all of you (2 Corinthians 7:13 NIV).
Rest and refreshment is something which is necessary for all
humans. There is a time to work and there is a time to rest. This is something
which is crucial for each of us to understand.
Indeed, we find that God commanded the people of the nation
Israel to rest one day a week. In the Book of Exodus we read.
It came about on the seventh day that some of the people
went out to gather, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long
do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? See, the LORD has
given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth
day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the
seventh day” So the people rested on the seventh day (Exodus 16:27-30 NASB).
While this command is not binding for modern day Christians,
the concept behind it certainly is valid. We need to rest from our work.
Sickness Can Result from the Lack of Exercise as Well as
Rest
This brings us to our next reason as to why people become
sick; it is often because there is not the correct amount of exercise as well
as rest.
As we study the Old Testament Scripture, we find that the
Lord provided the means where the people would get sufficient exercise as well
as sufficient rest. During the Old Testament period many of those from the
nation of Israel practiced farming. Working a farm would obviously be
physically strenuous. In other words, these people would get plenty of physical
exercise. Add to this that each male had to go to Jerusalem three times a year to
observe the various feasts. This type of exercise would also aid with the
overall health of the people.
While the Lord prescribed such exercise He also prescribed
rest. Indeed, one of out every seven days, the Sabbath day, was a day of rest.
One year out of every seven was a time for the land to rest. When the fiftieth
year was about to come around, the people were to commanded to rest for both
the forty-ninth as well as the fiftieth year.
When we add all of this up, including the time it took for
the males to walk to Jerusalem for the feasts and back, we find some
interesting facts. The people rested from their work one day out of seven, one
week out of seven, one month out of seven and one year out of seven. While
physical labor was an essential part of their lives so was rest. Thus, the
Bible allows for exercise as well as for needed rest. If we do not exercise our
bodies, or give them rest, then we will subject ourselves to sickness.
Sickness Can Be Judgment from God
The Bible gives instances where God sent sickness to judge
people. Certain members of the Corinthian church were judged for taking the
Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. Paul explained what happened to them.
That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even
died (1 Corinthians 11:30 NLT).
Therefore, it is possible that sickness can be a judgment of
God.
The Nation of Israel Was Divinely Judged by God
This was also true in Old Testament times. God warned the
nation Israel that they would be judged with sickness if they were not obedient
to Him. We read these words of Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy.
The LORD will send upon you disaster, panic, and frustration
in everything you attempt to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, on
account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. The LORD will
make the pestilence cling to you until it has consumed you off the land that
you are entering to possess. The LORD will afflict you with consumption, fever,
inflammation, with fiery heat and drought, and with blight and mildew; they
shall pursue you until you perish (Deuteronomy 28:20-22 NRSV).
These disasters which the people were to suffer would be
sent by the Lord Himself. Indeed, there would be consequences for disobedience.
Moses further explained what would take place.
The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with
tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured... The
LORD will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured,
spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head (Deuteronomy
28:27, 35 NIV).
Again, they were warned that the Lord would judge them
through these diseases.
These warnings were again restated. The Bible says.
He will bring back upon you all the diseases of Egypt, of
which you were in dread, and they shall cling to you. Every other malady and
affliction, even though not recorded in the book of this law, the LORD will
inflict on you until you are destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:60, 61 NRSV).
The nation of Israel was certainly not ignorant of these
God-given warnings. If they sinned against the Lord, then sickness could be the
result. This was always an option which the Lord could exercise.
The Nation Is Judged
The Bible records that God actually sent a plague to the
people of Israel as they were on their way to the Promised Land. The Bible
says.
But while the meat was still between their teeth and before
it could be consumed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he
struck them with a severe plague (Numbers 11:33 NIV). From this episode, they
certainly realized the warnings from God were real.
Obedience to the Lord Would Spare Them from the Plagues
God promised Israel that He would not send the same plagues
to them as He did to the Egyptians if they obeyed Him.
He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD
your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands
and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought
on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26 NIV).
The nation would be spared if they obeyed the Lord. On the
other hand, they would be judged if they disobeyed. It was their choice.
There Were Also Ailments Sent to Individuals
We find, at times, that the Lord judged certain individuals
by means of various ailments. We can list a few examples.
Miriam Was Judged with Leprosy
Miriam, the sister of Moses was struck with leprosy for her
disobedience to the Lord. We read the following account in Exodus.
So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He
departed. And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly
Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and
there she was, a leper (Numbers 12:9, 10 NKJV).
This episode shows us that God, at times, will judge His own
people with sickness.
The Servant of Elisha Was Struck with Leprosy for
Disobedience
In another episode, Gehazi, the servant of the prophet
Elisha, was struck down with leprosy for his disobedience to the command of the
prophet as well as lying to him. Elisha said his judgment would be as follows.
Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you, and to
your descendants forever. So he left his presence leprous, as white as snow (2
Kings 5:27 NRSV).
Again, we find that leprosy was used as a tool of judgment.
Herod Agrippa
The Lord struck down the evil king Herod Agrippa for not
giving glory to the Lord. The Book of Acts records what happened in this
manner.
Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he
did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died (Acts 12:23
NKJV).
This judgment for this godless king was death. This was
God’s righteous judgment for his sin.
Therefore, we find that the Lord, at times, uses sickness,
disease and death as a means of judgment.
Sickness Can Have Positive Benefits
We should not assume that sickness is always negative. There
can be positive benefits derived from sickness. The psalmist wrote.
I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I
closely follow your word (Psalm 119:67 NLT).
The discipline of the Lord, through sickness, can cause us
to change our habits and thus follow the Lord more closely.
The psalmist also wrote about the benefits of suffering. He
put it this way.
It was good for me to suffer, so that I might learn your
statutes (Psalm 119:71 NET).
There can be actual benefits from suffering. This being the
case, we should not always complain when we suffer. Instead, we should look for
something positive to come out of it.
Sickness Can Have a Satanic Origin
There are instances where sickness can originate with the
devil. We find this from a statement from Jesus when He healed an infirmed woman.
And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for
eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And
when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from
your infirmity.” And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made
straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant
because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, “There are six
days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not
on the sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each
of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away
to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound
for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Luke
13:11-16 RSV).
According to Jesus Satan had bound this woman for eighteen
years. When He healed her, the Lord released her from Satan’s grip. Therefore
it is possible that some sicknesses may be satanic in origin.
In sum, there are a number of reasons as to why people get
sick. Therefore, we cannot assume that each time a person is sick there is only
one cause for their sickness. Indeed, there are many possibilities as to why
they are ill.
Summary – Question 16
According to the Bible, Why Do People Get Sick?
The Bible is the ultimate authority on all matters of belief
and practice. Indeed, there is no higher authority. Whatever it says on any
topic is the final word on the matter. This being the case, we need to know
what it has to say about the questions as to why people get sick. What does it
have to tell us about this very important subject?
First, it admits that sickness is a reality. Indeed, there
is no denying its existence. Sickness is real and it will continue to be real
as long as we are in these bodies. Scripture consistently teaches this from
beginning to end.
The Bible also tells us where sickness originated. It came
from the original sin of the first couple, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden.
Sickness, dying, and death were the results of their sin. They were warned that
this would take place.
We also discover that sickness may have either natural or
supernatural causes. Natural causes for sickness include not obeying the laws
which God has given concerning health. There are also times when God sent
sickness, disease and death as a divine judgment.
Consequently we should not assume that the reasons for our
sicknesses are in every case supernatural or in every instance natural. It may
be one or the other.
However, the Bible does not say that sickness is sin.
Sickness, however, can be the result of sin yet sickness itself is not sin.
Indeed, no one was ever told to ask for forgiveness for being sick. We do not
confess our illnesses!
Scripture also says that sickness can result from overwork.
This is why the Lord set aside one day of rest each week for the people of
Israel. In other words, they were not to be constantly working.
In fact, as we look at the Old Testament, we find that the
Lord provided the means for physical exercise for His people as well as the
much needed rest from their physical activities. Among other things, these
regulations which He instituted would be an aid for the overall health of the
people. Indeed, exercise and rest are both essential for good health.
There is also the possibility that people can become sick
through overwork in the Christian ministry. This is another reason why rest is
necessary.
The Bible does say that sickness can have some positive
benefits. Indeed, it makes us realize our need for total reliance on the Lord.
Consequently, we should not always look upon illness and infirmity as something
which is negative. Finally, there is the possibility that some illnesses can
have a satanic origin. This is something else which we must be aware of.
However, this is only one of many possible origins for sickness and infirmity.
This briefly sums up what the Bible says about where
sickness originated and why human beings may become sick. It is important that
we have the biblical perspective on the matter. This will allow us better deal
with the subject of sickness and disease whenever they occur.
[TD Jakes]
Priorities for a
Successful Start as a New Convert
1. Make sure that you follow up your new
commitment by finding yourself a good Bible-believing church. Experience the
free-flowing power of God, which you so desperately need. “Let us not give up
meeting together.” If you haven’t found a church that you feel comfortable attending
yet, we would love to have you be a part of our eChurch via our live web
stream. 2. Be baptized according to Scripture, which is commanded of Jesus to
all new converts. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 19:1-6) 3. Read your Bible each
day so you can grow, receive direction, and be strengthened in your spirit. As
you read the Word, you are allowing God to talk to you as well. (II Timothy
2:15; Psalms 119:11; Matthew 4:4) 4. Pray each day. Prayer is simply talking to
God. Set aside time and find a quiet place where you can be alone with Him. It
is important to be consistent. (Luke 11:1; James 5:16; Philippians 4:6-8)
[BKC]
Amen
[TD Jakes]
5.
Begin tithing as you are commanded by God. The word “tithe” means “tenth”. One
tenth of your total income belongs to God. He leaves in our trust 90% of our
income but expects the first 10%. (Numbers 18:24-28; Malachi 3:8-10)
[BKC]
Tithing is for Jews. Follow Paul's directions on Christian grace giving.
[TD Jakes]
6. Become
involved in the different ministries within your new church home. This will
give you the opportunity to function within your God-given spiritual and
motivational gifts. (Ecclesiastes 9:10; I Corinthians 12) 7. Do not allow
yourself to do the same things or frequent the places, which may cause you to
stumble. You have a new life in Christ. Enjoy that life by developing a new
lifestyle and experience the freedom God has for you. (Romans 8:1-2: II
Corinthians 6:14-18; I Thessalonians 5:22) We trust that these things
implemented in your everyday walk, as a child of God will help you to grow and
become strengthened in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If
you walk with God, He will walk with you. We rejoice in the fact that you have
personally accepted Christ as your Savior today, and our prayer for you is that
you continue to abound in the grace of God that is able to keep you from
falling.
[BKC]
Amen
[TD Jakes]
Now, You Need the Power of the Holy Spirit Before the day of
Pentecost, the disciples were of persecution and death threats. When the
power of the Holy Ghost fell on the day of Pentecost, common fisherman turned
from being cowards to being world changers and history makers. After they
received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were afraid of nothing. Prison
did not scare the disciples, torture did not frighten them, and persecution
just made them stronger. You see, if you need a breakthrough in your life, you
need the power of the Holy Spirit and a baptism of boldness. The Holy Spirit
will give you strength that you do not have in the natural. If you need this
power in your life, all you have to do is ask. Luke 11:9-10 says, “So I say to
you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” The Bible also tells us
that all of the following things happened to the disciples on the day of
Pentecost. “Suddenly a sound like a blowing of a violent wind came from heaven
and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be
tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them
were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the
Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:2-4). God is no respecter of persons. What He did
for the disciples, He will do for you. Just as your salvation was a free gift
from God, so is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. If you want this Power in
your life, all you need to do is ask.
[BKC]
This is about the disciples in Jesus' time with special circumstances in the establishment of the church, not about Christians in the 20th century. Not all went well with the disciples in the first century either, just consult your bible especially in the book of Acts. If you want direction for your Christian lives dig into the epistles and get direction there not from TD Jakes comic book account of how the disciples became supernatural supermen. You are not a disciple of Jesus in the first century before the New Testament bible was even written!!!!! Christians have their directions and it does not include becoming supernatural supermen. Open up your bibles to the directions given to us in the epistles to the church - Christians that Paul, John, Peter, the author of Hebrews, and Jude wrote, etc. Put things in perspective not in superman comic books.[TD Jakes]
Begin by following these four simple
steps: Step 1: Praise Him. Begin by being thankful to the Lord for His
goodness. Thank Him for His grace and mercy in your life. Step 2: Now pray this
prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you that I am born again and on my way to
Heaven. I desire today to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke
11:10 says, “For everyone who asks receives…” I ask You to fill me with the
Spirit to overflowing. Step 3: Now close your eyes and raise your hands to the
Lord. This is simply a sign to the Lord that you surrender all to Him. Step 4:
Open your mouth and speak out by faith. Say nothing in English. Your heavenly
language will bubble up on the inside of you and come right out of your mouth.
You must make the sounds and the Holy Spirit will form the words. Don’t worry
about what you are saying or anyone around you. Lock in with God. Give Him your
tongue and give Him the breath in your body. Just open your mouth and begin to
speak. Let it out. Don’t worry about what it sounds like to you. Don’t be
ashamed, or embarrassed or timid. He’s right there with you. **If you prayed to
receive the Holy Spirit and for some reason you did not receive, you must
understand that there is nothing wrong with you. On occasion, some people need
a little help. Please feel free to come to the alter at the conclusion of any
church service and ask a minister to pray with you.
[BKC]
Furthermore, the four simple steps that
TD Jakes gives ARE NOT STIPULATED IN SCRIPTURE LEADING TO SPEAKING IN
TONGUES either. His words change what Scripture says. Nor is his
portrayal of the spiritual gift of tongues
scriptural. Take a look at passages from God's Word , not from TD
Jakes' word and you will find that the gift of speaking in tongues is a
gift of
known human languages which when exercised was to authenticate the individual
as speaking for God - telling the people of the first century
BEFORE THE NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE WAS WRITTEN AND CIRCULATED all about
Jesus and the subject of that yet future group of books of the Bible,
which expression of the miraculous gift of tongues would authenticate
the speaker as speaking for and from God about Jesus and Him crucified,
etc: .
[TD Jakes]
If You Need Healing It is not God’s will that you or your family suffer with disease or sickness. His word says in 3rd John Chapter 2, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” Healing is for today and it is for you! The devil wants you to believe that God brings sickness and disease to punish you, but that is a lie. God’s word says in 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” In other words, when God sent Jesus, He also made provision for us to receive healing. So when sickness appears in your life, recognize that it is not of God and begin to speak God’s word over your situation. The following are some scriptures dealing with healing: Proverbs 4:20-22: “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.” Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” James 5:14: “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Psalms 103:2-3: “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Don’t Get Discouraged! If it looks as though your healing did not happen immediately when you prayed, do not get discouraged. Healing is already yours. Just continue to pray the healing scriptures. Remember, “trust in the LORD with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). “So is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11). In other words, your healing will be made visible because God’s word says in the scriptures, “You are already healed!” (1 Peter 2:24)
[BKC]
Miraculous
healing and all of the miraculous sign gifts were temporary spiritual gifts during the time when the New
Testament was not available in order to authenticate the message of the
person doing the healing as speaking for God . Now we have the Scriptures to testify to what they spoke of in the first century, especially about Jesus and Him crucified.
****** EXCERPTS FROM STUDY OF 1 COR 13 . *******
CONCLUSION: THE CHARISMATIC GIFTS OF TODAY ARE NOT SIMILAR TO THE AUTHENTIC EARLY CHURCH AGE EXPRESSION OF THE MIRACULOUS SIGN GIFTS
'''The "charismatic gifts" of today are not similar to the [early Church Age] phenomena either in general perspective or in the details. There is no evidence to conclude that they are the same; there is every reason to conclude that they are not. The historical fact that the [early Church Age] gifts ceased long ago and the fact that there is no historical link whatever between the charismatic phenomena and the [early Church Age] gifts require the same conclusion. The only remaining possibility for giving credence to the modern charismatic claims would be to produce direct statements of Scripture that the apostolic phenomena will always be present in the church, or that they will specifically be in the modern church despite their cessation through most of church history. Even if this were produced, there must also be evidence that the charismatic phenomena are somehow the same phenomena referred to in the passages. However, there is no specific biblical evidence such as this. There is no biblical statement that requires a denial of historical fact or that requires an equation of such dissimilar entities merely on the assertion of the proponents. All objective evidence is contrary to the charismatic claims. It is not sufficient to assert that by faith their claims must be taken contrary to the evidence. This is existential naiveté, not faith. Faith is trust in biblical evidence rather than in experience.....
James 5:14 does not instruct the sick to look for a healer or for someone with the ability to heal. Rather it instructs the sick to call for the elders and they are to pray for him. This is basically in accord with the procedure in noncharismatic churches, but is in direct contrast to what would be expected if the gift of healing were available for believers. Either the gift was not to be used to heal believers, or the only other option is that it had ceased.
Paul had the gift of healing (Acts 19:11-12) and was able to use the gift at will....until he lost it: At the end of Paul's ministry Apaphroditis became sick near unto death and Paul did not heal him. All Paul could do was pray just as you and I can only do (Phil 2:27). Furthermore, Paul left Trophimus at the city of Miletus because Trophimus was sick rather than heal him. Evidently, Paul did not have the gift of healing anymore. (2Tim 4:20).'''
OBSERVATION OF THE LAST 1900 YEARS RE: THE MIRACULOUS SPIRITUAL GIFTS:
So if Scripture is described as eventually completed and if this occurred approximately 2000 years ago, then anything additional in the way of new revelation from supposed spiritual gifts afterward would not be an acceptable addition to God's Word.
Careful observance of today's expressions of supposed 'sign and wonder' gifts will show that they are not scriptural. These supposed revelations from God are either exactly what one finds in Scripture or that which contradicts it or an application of what is already in Scripture which is not new revelation at all. Compare the chart below:
|
|||||||||
| SCRIPTURE | TODAY AND THE LAST 1900 YEARS | ||||||||
| HEALING: INFALLIBLE, NO RELAPSES | NOT ALWAYS
SUCCESSFUL, FREQUENT RELAPSES WHERE INDIVIDUAL GETS WORSE, NOT PROVEN AS
EXERCISE OF A SPIRITUAL GIFT
(GOD DOES HEAL W/O THE GIFT EXERCISED) |
||||||||
| HEALINGS INCLUDE RAISING FROM THE DEAD, ORGANIC HEALINGS INCLUDING INSTANTANEOUS LIMB AND BODY PART REPLACEMENT | NOT INCLUDED | ||||||||
| INSTANTANEOUS | NOT ALWAYS
INSTANTANEOUS, OFTEN GRADUAL.
UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS MADE FOR INSTANT HEALING |
||||||||
| ANYTIME, ANY PLACE | OFTEN
FAR AWAY AT SOME UNREACHABLE SPOT OR
IN LARGE 'WELL FUNDED' RELIGIOUS MEETING WITH MEDIA ATTENTION |
||||||||
| PURPOSE IS TO AUTHENTICATE THE PERSON, PLACE OR EVENT TO BE OF GOD | PURPOSE: OTHER THAN AS AN AUTHENTICATION THAT THE ONE WITH THE 'GIFT' SPEAKS FROM GOD | ||||||||
| NOT DEPENDANT UPON THE FAITH OF THE INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING THE MIRACLE | RESULTS BASED ON THE FAITH OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO RECEIVE THE MIRACLE AND KEEP IT | ||||||||
| TONGUES: AN ACTUAL KNOWN LANGUAGE | TONGUES: AN ECSTATIC 'HEAVENLY' LANGUAGE LACKING SUFFICIENT VOCABULARY AND GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE TO CONVEY INFORMATION ADEQUATELY | ||||||||
| TONGUES: A SIGN TO UNBELIEVING JEWS WHO WERE FAMILIAR WITH THAT LANGUAGE OF GOD'S WORD BEING COMMUNICATED NOW THROUGH GENTILE LANGUAGES | TONGUES: A SELF-EDIFYING EXPERIENCE CONVINCING ONE THAT HE IS SAVED AND FAVORED BY GOD OVER OTHERS | ||||||||
| ORDERLY EXERCISING OF
THE GIFTS FOR THE EDIFICATION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST WHEN LED BY THE HOLY
SPIRIT
|
DISORDERLY AND SELF-EDIFICATION IS THE RULE OF THE DAY: I.E., NOT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - NOT LEGITIMATE | ||||||||
Here is a study that does follow Scripture on the subject of healing for Christians today which has been quoted above :
[TD Jakes]
Priorities for a
Successful Start as a New Convert
1. Make sure that you follow up your new
commitment by finding yourself a good Bible-believing church. Experience the
free-flowing power of God, which you so desperately need. “Let us not give up
meeting together.” If you haven’t found a church that you feel comfortable attending
yet, we would love to have you be a part of our eChurch via our live web
stream. 2. Be baptized according to Scripture, which is commanded of Jesus to
all new converts. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 19:1-6) 3. Read your Bible each
day so you can grow, receive direction, and be strengthened in your spirit. As
you read the Word, you are allowing God to talk to you as well. (II Timothy
2:15; Psalms 119:11; Matthew 4:4) 4. Pray each day. Prayer is simply talking to
God. Set aside time and find a quiet place where you can be alone with Him. It
is important to be consistent. (Luke 11:1; James 5:16; Philippians 4:6-8)
[BKC]
AMEN BTW aren't you repeating yourself here.
[TD Jakes]
5. Begin tithing as you are commanded by God. The word “tithe” means “tenth”. One tenth of your total income belongs to God. He leaves in our trust 90% of our income but expects the first 10%. (Numbers 18:24-28; Malachi 3:8-10)
[BKC]
Tithing is for Jews. Not for Christians. Follow Paul's directions on Christian grace giving.
[TD Jakes]
6. Become involved in the different ministries within your new church home. This will give you the opportunity to function within your God-given spiritual and motivational gifts. (Ecclesiastes 9:10; I Corinthians 12) 7. Do not allow yourself to do the same things or frequent the places, which may cause you to stumble. You have a new life in Christ. Enjoy that life by developing a new lifestyle and experience the freedom God has for you. (Romans 8:1-2: II Corinthians 6:14-18; I Thessalonians 5:22) We trust that these things implemented in your everyday walk, as a child of God will help you to grow and become strengthened in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you walk with God, He will walk with you. We rejoice in the fact that you have personally accepted Christ as your Savior today, and our prayer for you is that you continue to abound in the grace of God that is able to keep you from falling.
[BKC]
Amen, but aren't you repeating yourself here?