The Very Elect child of God views everything in life through His (God’s). Having the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5/ 1 Cor. 2:16) makes this phenomenon not only possible but necessary. If one is to “walk as He (Christ) walked,” as he is commanded to do in First John 2:6 and Revelation 3:21, one must think as He thinks, speak as He speaks and act as He acts. Such a “walk” is possible only if one has Christ’s mind, His faith, etc. which is possible only by studying His Word by which He tells those who seek Him how to view everything in this life and how to acquire everything He has promised those who obey Him. Contrary to popular opinion, such blessings are not automatically awarded when one is converted. A God-view is a REWARD that is EARNED. The experience of a close college friend will illustrate this Biblical Truth.

Don and I arrived on the college campus at the same time and became roommates. He, being a super religionist, was absolutely convinced that, because he totally embraced all of his denomination’s beliefs and customs and was a faithful witness to the doctrines and customs of that denomination, he would automatically get good grades without having to study. He almost flunked out the first semester. This perfectly describes professing Christendom’s attitude toward God’s Law (Word) which Jesus commanded to be obeyed in order to be saved, born again and welcomed into His Father’s kingdom upon His (Christ’s) return to earth. Don’s attitude toward study correlates with the religionist’s “only believe” rule. The church is infected with this “I know all I need to know” affliction.

Such spiritually infected people are convinced that, because they believe the Lord’s premiere “headline” (John 3:16), they have no need to know, believe and obey His “fine print” messages. If the Holy Bible is to be believed, without obedience to His “fine print,” His “headlines” will not come to pass. The “headline” is the promise; the “fine print” is the “IF” factor that determines the outcome. Honest Truth seekers will notice that each of God’s “headlines” is followed by the most important Word in the Holy Bible–“IF.” The “IF” caveat (condition) can be found only by using God’s Scripture Study Formula found in Isaiah 28:9-13 where He presents His formula two times for emphasis. If His “IF” caveat is not met, one’s faith is meaningless. For example, “Jesus loves you” (a “headline”) means nothing unless the all-important “IF” factors are addressed in the prescribed way. The “IF” factors relative to Christ’s love for man and man’s love for Him are recorded in such passages as John 14:21; 15:10,13,14; 19:17/ 1 John 2:3-6 and Revelation 3:21. Read those passages CAREFULLY. Then read the series concerning the Lord’s “fine print” mandates (conditions/caveats) using the key words Fine Print.

Churchman’s rejection of God’s Law and his replacing it with his own options/suggestions/choices, etc. is not a new phenomenon. In Proverbs 1:22-29 we find King Solomon’s “words to the wise” proclamations being given to God’s chosen people–Israel (vs 1) sometime between the tenth and the seventh centuries B.C. Here God is warning His chosen people about the consequences for rejecting His Law. Read this passage carefully for it is Israel’s God speaking through King Solomon. This makes clear the Biblical Truth that the God Who spoke the ancient Scriptures to the prophets and the God Who spoke the modern Scriptures to the apostles is one and the same–the Word Who created the universe and later came to earth as Jesus of Nazareth. This is the same God who said that He did not change, that He is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that there is in Him no shadow of turning. He also said that He did not lie.

So what happened? Why did the eternal, all-knowing, all-present, all-powerful, Law-giving Lord God of universe-creating fame have to take a back seat to hundreds of man-created gods and lords as we are warned about in First Corinthians 8:5 where the Apostle Paul noted that, even in his day there were already “gods many and lords many” within professing Christendom. I recently saw the pictures of four men who had claimed to be Jesus Christ. Each man claimed to know THE truth and promised to share it with those who embraced him and his teachings. Four gods is a long way from the “many” gods Paul warned about. The “many” gods and lords in today’s church system are the 450,000 church ministers in the 35,000 churches found in the United States alone. That means that there are approximately 450,000 idolatrous leaders of approximately 240 million idolatrous followers in America. These gods and lords have replaced the Lord just as their original parents did in Eden.

God said in the First Commandment of His Law that man must not have any other gods before (besides) Him. When Adam and Eve decided to believe Satan rather than God they declared themselves to be gods who overruled their Creator. Having assumed His power, they took to themselves the power to determine good and evil, which only God can do. This is brought out in Genesis 3:22 where one God said to the other God: “Man has become as one of Us, able to determine good and evil.” Man had taken on himself the role of final arbiter of right and wrong. And what did he do with that self-given power? He changed good into evil and evil into good (Isa. 5:20). Sound familiar? It should, for …

Nothing has changed. Notice what is going on in the name of the Lord in that which defines itself as “the church” with its hundreds of bodies, gods, lords, truths, doctrines, customs, names, etc. What God sees in modern churchdom (Rev. 3:14-18) is exactly what He saw in His ancient people as described in Proverbs 1:22-29. This proves that there is a divine connection between the writings of the prophets and the writings of the apostles. The continuum can be neither be broken nor denied no matter how hard religious man tries to do both. God’s Holy Bible is one singular message from on high. God has not changed since Genesis one. Nor has His message. L.J.