“The first to speak is believed to be right, until another states his case” (Proverbs 18:17).

Human beings have been listening to and believing false prophets proclaiming false religion since the god of false religion deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden of Even.  Since then the “angel of light” has used his “ministers of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:13-15) to proclaimed religious “truths” that have supposedly come straight from God’s mouth.  Jesus said that man must LIVE BY (obey) “EVERY WORD that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Mat. 4:4), and that man would be judged by EVERY WORD THAT HE HAD SPOKEN (Jn. 12:48).  His formula for salvation is simple enough for anyone to understand: 1) learn the Words spoken by Him and His Father 2) believe them, 3) obey them.

The problem is that the only Words of God church people hear are the “headlines,” such as: “Take Jesus as your Savior and receive salvation”), which is true, as far as it goes.  Such a Truth is like a note that tells about a hidden treasure, but does not tell the reader how to locate it.  The note falls short, forcing the reader to determine his own route to where he believes the treasure awaits.  Inevitably, he takes the easiest route.  As a result of such faulty reasoning the masses of treasure (salvation) seekers eagerly embrace Satan’s “wide gate/broad path” way to paradise which “ends in destruction.”  Due to the teachings of Satan’s false prophets, when God’s true prophet presents His “strait gate/narrow path” way it is immediately rejected–EVEN WHEN IT IS PLAINLY STATED IN THE BOOK THE RELIGIOUS MASSES OWN.

Jesus addressed this deadly error in Lk. 6:46: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ but refuse to do what I say?”  The people He is addressing call Him their Lord (Master), but then reject His Words.  He addresses this issue once again in Matthew 7:21-24: “Not every one who calls me their Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but (only) HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN.  MANY will say to Me on judgment day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied (preached) in Your name? and in Your name cast out many devils? and in Your name done many wonderful works?’  And then I will say to them, ‘I NEVER KNEW YOU,’ depart from me you who work iniquity (Gk–anomia–Lawlessness).  Therefore, WHOEVER HEARS THESE WORDS OF MINE AND DOES (OBEYS) THEM IS LIKE A WISE MAN ….'” (Mat. 7:21-24).  Those who have heard only the words of Satan’s false prophets believe that they are right due because they have not heard the other 99% of God’s Word.  In Matthew 24:4,5 Jesus warned about false prophets who would proclaim that He, Jesus, was the Messiah, then would DECEIVE MANY.  These are they who lead many through Satan’s wide gate and along his broad path, all the while believing that they are walking in agreement with the Lord (Amos 3:3/ Prov. 14:12).  Read Bait and Switch.  Key word–Bait.

Knowing that this would be a problem, the Almighty gave detailed instructions concerning the study of His Holy Scriptures in Isaiah 28:9,10: “Whom shall He (God) teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand (Heb.–bin–discern) doctrine (teachings)?”  He then answers the question: “They that are weaned from the (spiritual) milk and removed from the (spiritual) breast.  For precept (Truth) must be upon (added to) precept, precept upon precept, line (statement) upon line, line upon line, here a little (information), there a little.”  God requires us to search out all of His statements relative to any subject (doctrine).  False prophets focus only on the “headlines” relative to a subject.  Headlines (promises) without the accompanying “fine print” (how to appropriate the promises) keeps the believer dependent on the “breast” (source) where he receives only the “milk of the Word” relative to the subject.  The “milk” consists of the elementary truths taught to new converts–the “A,B,C’s” of the “spiritual alphabet.”  The “breast” is the ministry that keeps them in their infantile spiritual state.  In 5:14 Paul tells the immature Hebrews they must come to “full age” (maturity) by consuming “strong meat”–the “fine print” of God’s Word where they learn to “discern both good and evil.”  Spiritual babes assume that good and evil are whatever their ministers say they are.

Paul explains that if a believer consumes only milk he “remains unskillful in the Word of righteousness” (5:13) and will never mature, and therefore never yearn for and never consume God’s strong meat (“fine print”).  For this reason he will therefore never attain personal righteousness and holiness, “the end (result) of which is salvation” (Rom. 5:21/ 6:22).  The “milk only” offerings of the counterfeit church never lifts her parishioners out of the falling down (sinning) and getting up (repenting) cycle.  As a result they spend their lives repeatedly sinning and repenting.  Because their hirelings have led them to embrace Satan’s “it’s Adam’s fault” and “only believe” lies, spiritual babies remain in their sin-repent cycle until death, all the while believing that Jesus died so that they could sin and get away with it.  Read The Message of the Cross.  Key word–message.

Never having consumed the Lord’s “strong meat” (“fine print”) Scriptural food which leads to personal righteousness and holiness, milk addicts summarily reject Christ’s command to the ex-prostitute and the man at the Bethesda pool.  Having forgiven their sins (justified them), He commanded them to “… sin no more.”  He did not tell them that He would later die so that they could continue to sin with impunity.  Spiritual babes hate the Lord’s “fine print” because it is His light which exposes their darkness.  For this reason only the first 13 verses of Leviticus 26 and the first 14 verses of Deuteronomy 28 are taught and believed.  The other 31 and 54 verses respectively are considered meaningless, having been “nailed to the cross” along with the rest of “all that Jewish stuff.”  And Satan smiles as his converts file into his citadels of false religion to hear his prophets remind them that they are saved and sealed, that, due to Adam’s parting gift they must sin, but that, being saved, they can do so and not lose the salvation they supposedly have–they “…. not surely die.”

The Lord’s modern day apostles continue to exalt that precious Old Testament Truth (aka “Jewish stuff”) through their ministries and their “holy,” “priestly,” “peculiar” lives (1 Pet. 2:9/ Titus 2:14).  Paul told the Ephesians that the New Testament Church was founded on the teachings of both the PROPHETS and the apostles (2:22).  We are reminded that Old Testament Scripture was spoken and written by “holy men of old” as they spoke and wrote under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:14-16/ 2 Pet. 1:21).  Would God nail to the cross that which was spoken and written under the direction and power of His Holy Spirit?

In Hebrews 5:11-6:6 the Apostle Paul addressed the sin-repent, sin-repent, sin-repent infection that many Hebrew (Israelite) converts had contracted.  Hearing a feel good, “you’re saved,” “the fix is in” themed message every time they met had deafened their ears to the Lord’s “strong meat” messages.  Paul knew that unless those spiritual babies broke free of the “milk” they were being fed they would remain spiritually dead.  Let us pick up his milk-to-meat message beginning with 6:12 where he is telling them that when they should be teaching others the way of the Lord, they themselves needed to be taught His ways.  The milk message had dulled their spiritual ears so that they could not hear God’s strong meat message, consume it, obey it and thereby attain the ability to “discern good and evil,” choose good, obey it and become heirs of salvation.

The solution to the Hebrew’s deadly problem was to leave the milk and graduate to a steady diet of “strong meat” which would enable them to grow spiritually until they reached a state of perfection–until they “come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).  Having attained that status, they were not to return to the “elementary teachings of repentance of sin, faith toward God, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.”  These subjects form the foundation of the sermons repeatedly preached in all so-called “Christian” churches.  God  describes such messages as “milk.”  I have been told, and heatedly so, that we need not reach the Ephesians 4:13 status because everyone who has taken Him as their Savior is saved and therefore “sealed, ” making them God’s Very Elect.  Therefore, it is impossible for them to fall away from God.  Paul debunks this Satanic ploy in chapter 2 verses 1-3 were he warns converted Israelites: “How shall WE (Paul included) escape (punishment) if WE let ‘these things’ (including salvation) “slip” away from US by continuing to sin.  (Note that these Hebrews had received the Holy Spirit (6:3) and were ‘heirs of salvation’–1:14).  How can WE escape God’s punishment if WE miss the salvation spoken of by those who heard Jesus speak?”  Notice that Paul included himself when referring to those who would let salvation “slip” away through disobedience to God’s Word.  Important note: an HEIR has not yet received the promised inheritance (salvation).  An inheritor has received it.  In this life we are “HEIRS of salvation” and not yet inheritors (Heb. 1:14).  Salvation will be awarded upon Christ’s return to earth.  Read Hope and Salvation.  Key word–Hope.  In a future series we will study the process of sealing which many have misunderstood to their peril.

In 6:4-6 Paul warned heirs of salvation who had received the Holy Spirit that it was impossible for them to be renewed to repentance (good standing with God) if they fall away (e.g.–read about the 5 foolish virgins–key word–Virgins), in that with each sin they “crucified Christ again and again put Him to an open shame.”  Note that Paul is writing to New Testament Church people then and now.  L.J.