In the first segment of this series we established the fact that ALL of God’s Word/Law/Gospel/Truth–the Holy Bible–is His WRITTEN TESTIMONY CONCERNING HIMSELF. We were also reminded that His Word is His “POWER AND THE METHOD BY WHICH HE DEMONSTRATES HIS HOLY SPIRIT. He tells us that everything He has done, is doing and will do He accomplishes by His Holy Spirit. Also, whatever His apostles and prophets do (preaching, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, etc.) is DONE BY THE POWER OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT WHEN MOVED BY WORD OF MOUTH. In this portion of the series we pick up with verse five of chapter two of the Apostle Paul’s first epistle to the church at Corinth. Let us return to that passage at this time.

Here Paul is explaining that he wanted to make certain that the believers’ faith was not based on church doctrine, which he calls “the wisdom of the world.” Nor is the believer’s faith to be based on the wisdom of the “princes of this world WHOSE WORDS come to naught (nothing).” Here Paul is noting that the “wisdom” being put forth by many, if not most of the churches (3:1-3) is not the wisdom of the Lord, but rather, the wisdom generated by Satan-influenced man. In 3:1-3 Paul describes the majority of those in the church as CARNAL, meaning that they “walk in the flesh” and are spiritual babies. He reminds the fleshly believers that he had tried to feed them spiritual meat–God’s HOLY WITNESS–but that they were not able to accept it because they “walk (live like) men,” meaning immature, worldly men. Today we would say they acted like “mere men”–no different from those outside the church. Because all Scripture applies to the church in all ages, specifically in the end-time in which we are living today (1 Cor. 10:11), we will be applying Paul’s Words to professing Christianity existent now in the final age of the world.

Jesus describes the modern, end-time (Laodicean) Church in Revelation 3:14-20, the vast majority of whom differ from the nonchurched people only in where they spend a couple of hours on Sunday morning as the gather to pay homage to their god–the sun–on his day of worship–SUNDAY. Admittedly, I was once part of that religious group, even to observing Easter Sunrise Services while looking toward the east, just as did the backslidden Jews in Jerusalem as recorded in eighth chapter of Ezekiel.

In Hebrews 5:11-6:3 we learn that the church of Corinth was not alone in their immature, fleshly walk. There we find Paul trying to teach the Hebrew converts about the deep things of God (“strong meat”) but was unable to do so because they were “dull of hearing.” He reminded them that when they should have been teaching others, they needed someone to teach them AGAIN the first principles of the oracles (Words/commandments/Law) of God. So far behind in spiritual development were those people that, being unable to handle God’s powerful words which I call Hid “fine print,” they were in need of spiritual milk. They would be very comfortable in today’s church environment.

In chapter six of his letter to the converted Hebrews, Paul admonishes them to grow in faith and maturity unto perfection (maturity), to stop teaching the elementary principles of Christendom such as the doctrine of baptisms, the laying on of hands (for healing), faith in God and eternal judgment. Paul makes it clear that those Hebrew Christians, who had been taught the deep things of God, were in danger of losing all that they had gained. In 6:4 Paul warns them that those who had known the power of God through the Holy Spirit, had embraced the Spirit-empowered Word of God and the powers of the world to come, IF THEY FELL AWAY (APOSTACIZED), IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO RENEW THEM TO THEIR FORMER SPIRITUAL STATUS BECAUSE, HAVING TURNED THEIR BACKS ON WHAT THEY HAD ONCE EMBRACED BY CONTINUING TO SIN, THEY CRUCIFIED JESUS CHRIST AGAIN WITH EACH SIN AND PUT HIM TO AN OPEN SHAME BEFORE THE WORLD (6:6). Read about the crucifixions of Christ by those in the church using the key word–Recrucifixion.

Returning to the Book of Romans, we pick up with chapter two, verse two and read through verse 11. Read that segment carefully, remembering that Paul is writing TO the church, ABOUT the church, as did all of the apostles. Here we will compare what church people do to what nonchurch people do. They watch the same television programs and movies, read the same books and magazines, listen to the same music, laugh at the same jokes, speak the same foolishness, wear the same clothes, go to the same places, desecrate the Lord’s Sabbath day in the same ways, etc. Outside of the time spent in church on Satan’s Sunday Sabbath, there is virtually no difference between church people and “mere men.”

Those who know and believe the Holy Bible realize that the Lord commands us to set the standard for the other 99% of those within our personal part of the world, which includes the church. We must do this by walking through this life as Jesus of Nazareth walked through it (1 Jn. 2:6). He warns us that ONLY those who resist and overcome Satan’s temptations to sin AS HE (JESUS) DID WILL SIT WITH HIM ON HIS THRONE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Let us be about overcoming the pull of this world, whose god is Satan (2 Cor. 4:4), who has “blinded the eyes” of those in the religious world (2 Cor. 4:1-4). His solution is the church’s continuous sin problem is his extremely popular sin-and-repent rule that has rendered billions of people spiritually dead. Forgiveness, his ministers assure the church masses, is just a repent away. Read the Bible Truth about God’s forgiveness. Key word–Forgiveness. You have not been told the Bible Truth about this subject.

Through His holy Word God is WITNESSING His Truths to those with eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart (mind) to believe what they read in His Word and hear from His anointed messengers. The Lord commands church people to STUDY the Holy Bible to determine if they are approved by Him (2 Tim. 2:15). Believers are commanded to “test the spirits” of those who lead them to determine if they are of God (1 Jn. 4:1). We are commanded to prove all things in the spiritual realm by comparing what we hear and read to what God says in His Holy Scriptures, then to reject any spiritual “truth” that cannot be proven Scripturally (1 Thes. 5:21).

Henceforth I will be providing a list of series titles and key words at the end of each teaching. The following are a few series titles and key words. The series title will be provided with the key words written in italics. Read the website home page under the heading NOTICE for instructions as to how to download a series. You will find that I have at times written more than one series on a particular subject.

Bible Study God’s Way/ Rejected Scriptures/ The Source of Church Heathenism/ This I Believe/ Slouching Toward Apostasy/ The Few–The Difference/ What Is Truth?/ Hope And Salvation/ Born Again/ Human Nature/ Be Ye Therefore Perfect/ The Body Of Christ/ The Void/ First John. L.J.