New Moon Meeting: November 2005, 3:06 EST
To Whom Ye Yield
Qinael: Our most holy and loving Father,
We thank for your your gift of the New Moon, a time for your people to come together and apart from the world for cleansing... We thank you that you are with us during these meetings according to your Word, and we ask that you open our hearts and understanding to what is to be presented today.
In Yahshua’s name, amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Israfel: Amen.
Jeanie: Amen.
Barb: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Clair: Amen.
Zahakiel: Okay, glad to see everyone here :) We’re going to look at something this month that came up on more than one occasion during our recent camp meeting in TN. That is, the character of Yahweh. Getting to know who He is, we saw, is very important to our salvation, and the Scriptures point this out most clearly: “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Yahweh, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” (Psalm 9:10)
And why is it important for us to know Yahweh’s characteristics? There are two main reasons. First, we are to vindicate His character in the earth, and by this we mean that we act in accordance with His will, and thus show the universe the result of obedience rendered through love. Christ tells us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Second, salvation consists not of merely being “forgiven” for past sins, but also being brought into union with the Creator, so that we may dwell in His presence in eternity.
The Scriptures tell us, “Yahweh, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear Yahweh. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” (Psalm 15:1-5) Say when you’ve read this.
Qinael: Finished.
Clair: Done.
Jeanie: Done.
Barb: Finished.
Pastor “Chick”: OK
Israfel: Done.
Crystle: Okay.
Zahakiel: At the same time as all that, we know we cannot save ourselves; we cannot of ourselves generate any of these characteristics, for within the natural man is enmity against the things of Yah. (Rom 8:7) The only way to obtain this nature is through the twin processes of justification and sanctification.
I do not intend this month to go into too much detail about these concepts and their distinction, so I will just give a brief explanation of each:
Justification is found in the act of dying to self. It is that immediate, unqualified and free gift of grace that restores man to the purity of a pre-fallen state. It is of this concept that the Scriptures speak when they tell us, “See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently; being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1Pet 1:22, 23)
And here’s another passage:
“But now the righteousness of Yah without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Yahshua the Messiah unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of Elohim, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Yahshua, whom Yah hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness, that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Yahshua.” (Romans 3:21)
Zahakiel: That last part is key. The sacrifice of Yahshua was necessary that Yah “might be just AND the Justifier.” Do you understand why this is so? Who can address that a little? :)
Clair: Is it that, the sacrifice of Yahshua was necessary that Yah might be ‘just’ because of Satan’s claims that Yah was unjust? Or because He had no right to redeem us unless someone paid the price, because the wages of sin is death?
Zahakiel: Right, that gets to the center of it. Both ideas, really.
Dumah: It is necessary because the demands of the law must be fulfilled, and also because it was the only to reach us in our sin and bring us back into obedience.
Zahakiel: The Scriptures certainly point out that, “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of Yahweh is eternal life through Yahshua the Messiah, our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) Right.
So then without the death, there would have to have been a change in an eternal law; and the sacrifice was made openly, that men may see the results of their actions, and be drawn back to the Creator.
As Christ said in another place, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32)
But we see that we had no part in this process. No, the Lamb was slain “from the foundation of the world,” (Rev 13:8) and thus those who accept Christ as their substitute are “justified freely,” as the quote from Romans points out.
This idea of justification as an instantaneous procedure, which is also called being “born again,” is key to our idea of righteousness by faith. “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (Rom 4:5)
And the result is our well-known CSDA verse, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.” (2Cor 5:17)
Zahakiel: Sanctification is a little bit different. Sanctification is that “work of a lifetime,” that progressive growth that only truly begins after justification has been obtained by the conversion process. While many forms of Christianity, such as those in the once-saved-always-saved camp, will either downplay or outright avoid this process of growth, the Scriptures tell us another story, “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of Yah; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.” (Heb 12:12-16)
The key to that passage is the word holiness, the Greek term hagiasmos, which is translated in the KJV five times as “holiness” and five times as “sanctification.” It is, more significantly, the only term translated as “sanctification” in the Bible, therefore all we know Scripturally of sanctification must be understood through the definition of this particular term.
It means a consecration, a dedication of one’s self to holy things, and has implications not only for the “heart” where the thoughts and emotions are centered in Bible terms, but also the manner of the life, the deeds, the actions.
Zahakiel: Sanctification is that process of learning to do well, having ceased from all we know to be evil. (Isaiah 1:16, 17) Justification is the “washing” that Isaiah mentions in those verses, and sanctification is the learning that takes place during the course of that life which is declared clean.
Does everyone understand these things so far?
Qinael: <nods.>
Zahakiel: And are there any questions?
Barb: I understand.
Jeanie: If ALL things become new, then why should there be any need to “fix” anything?
Israfel: I do understand.
Pastor “Chick”: I have often thought of “sanctification” as the moment-by-moment continuation of “justification.”
Zahakiel: Right. It is what Mrs. White described in one place as “maintaining that sinless state.”
To answer Jeanie’s question, Yahweh restores a man completely... but as we’ve noted before, He will always seek to get agreement from His creatures when proceeding. The work goes both ways... He will tell His people what He is about to do, (Amos 3:7) and He will also only lead them as fast as they can go.
Thus, He leaves a part of the work of discovering the things that need to be “fixed” to the believer, and this is why Paul tells us to “examine” ourselves. (2Cor 13:5) Does that answer your question?
Jeanie: OK
Pastor “Chick”: There is another thought. There is an oak tree in every acorn... But, in order to “see” the oak tree, something must be “fixed.”
Zahakiel: Right. <nods.> We claim the full inheritance by promise... but this does not leave out the planting, watering, etc.
Jeanie: Or at least needs to grow. :) Thanks.
Zahakiel: Right.
Okay, now our focus in this meeting is the direct connection between the knowledge of Yah’s character, and the process of sanctification. We understand it to be a principle that we become like the thing or being we worship, therefore if we intend to straighten our paths within this justified life, to continue that justification, we must know something of the end product, the divine nature of Christ. We have both the Bible and the writings of our Adventist pioneers on this matter. For example:
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom 6:16)
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of Yahweh, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of Yah.” (2Cor 3:18)
Romans 1 tells us what happens to those who worship images, or those beings that do not have true power to save:
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore Yah also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves, who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause Yah gave them up unto vile affections…” (Rom 1:22-26) and a long catalogue of sins follows.
Say when you’ve read that.
Barb: Done.
Crystle: Finished.
Qinael: Finished.
Jeanie: Done.
Dumah: Done.
Pastor “Chick”: OK
Israfel: Ok.
Zahakiel: Of the end product for the Christian, however, we are given these bright pictures:
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.” (Psa 17:15)
“Beloved, now are we the sons of Yah, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1John 3:2)
Now, do not take it to mean by the words “it doth not yet appear” that we do not know on any level what it will be like. The word means that it has not yet appeared in the sense of having come to pass, like the oak tree in the acorn that was mentioned above. We are not yet in our resurrected bodies; we are not yet standing in the visible presence of the Most High, but at the time when He appears, we who are “alive and remain” will have taken the process of sanctification to its full goal.
Until that time, the principles presented in the passage from Romans 1, and the idea that it is important to whom we yield ourselves to obey, are vital to our development of character.
Another Biblical principle that is of direct consequence here is that of cause and effect. Just as “the curse causeless shall not come,” (Pro 26:2) so the blessing will not come arbitrarily. Certainly, sanctification does not happen by accident. Let us see, then, if we can reason from cause to effect (as it relates to worship) on some of the issues we see in Christendom today.
Who is the God of an individual Christian? If the principles we cite are true, we can tell by examining the actions of the individual devotee. Now, some may say, “You cannot judge God based upon the actions of His flawed servants.” This is not a statement of faith. The true Christian, the victorious Christian, understands what the Bible says on this matter. Christ tells us, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid;” (Mat 5:14) and as we have already seen, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (verse 16) Thus, Biblically, Yahweh desires that His qualities be known by the deeds of His servants. Is everyone understanding this idea?
Qinael: Yes.
Jeanie: Yes.
Israfel: Yes.
Clair: Yes.
Pastor “Chick”: OK
Crystle: Yes.
Dumah: Yeah.
Zahakiel: What do the deeds of a worshipper tell us about his God?
Perhaps more accurately, we should ask, “What effect will a wrong picture of the Almighty have upon the deeds of His servants?” We know from the chain of character that the thoughts come first, and the actions are a result, therefore what we “think” about the One to whom we have yielded our service will undoubtedly determine some aspects of our behavior.
Barb: The deeds of His servants will give a wrong picture of his God.
Zahakiel: If the deeds are wrong, yes.
Jeanie: It would cause them to act in unGodly ways.
Zahakiel: Right.
Dumah: The concept that Jephthah had of Yahweh caused him to murder, and in good conscience.
Zahakiel: Right, that is a good example. And now we'll look at some other examples of how an incorrect view of Yahweh leads to actions that are not exactly representative of the character of the Most High.
Eternal Hell
What effect would it have on a believer if he or she thought that the God of Heaven punished sinners in an endless, agonizing sea of raging flames, and preserved their “immortal souls” to ensure that not one moment of agony went unfelt?
According to the writings of Mrs. White, “But after the fall, Satan bade his angels make a special effort to inculcate the belief in man’s natural immortality; and having induced the people to receive this error, they were to lead them on to conclude that the sinner would live in eternal misery. Now the prince of darkness, working through his agents, represents God as a revengeful tyrant, declaring that he plunges into hell all those who do not please him, and causes them ever to feel his wrath; and that while they suffer unutterable anguish, and writhe in the eternal flames, their Creator looks down upon them with satisfaction.” [The Spirit of Prophecy Volume Four, page 354]
Clair: I can’t even imagine beleiving in an eternal Hell.
Zahakiel: Well, most who abide under the banner of Christianity do...
Clair: I can’t understand how people can think they love a god like that.
Zahakiel: For non-Adventists, we can certainly show directly from the Bible that an eternal hell is not taught in the original wording of the Scriptures.
We can explain that the word “forever” in Scripture does not mean anything like it does in modern English. (Exo 21:6) We know with certainty that only the Father and Son have immortality, (1Tim 6:16) and therefore any eternal life that is granted to created beings is drawn continually either from the “fire” that is the Divine Presence (in the case of angels – Psalm 104:4, Heb 12:29) or the waters of life that represent another manifestation of the life principle. (in the case of humans – Rev 21:6, 22:2)
We can show directly that even the “everlasting fire” of destruction is only everlasting in that it burns until all is consumed, (Jude 1:7) and that the wicked will ultimately be consumed, “and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up […] that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” (Mal 4:1) Another passage reads, “Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame – there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.” (Isaiah 47:14) This is the true power of the flame: that only cold ashes will be left. And the verses that seem to say otherwise, such as Rev 14:4, are actually quotes from Old Testament symbolism to describe complete destruction that does in fact have an end. (Isaiah 34:9-14)
But what of the people who ignore all this, take parables for foundational statements, and believe in a god such as this?
Zahakiel: The result is a people for whom the justice of Yahweh is a perpetual darkness, a great mystery that cannot be explained, only really ignored. “Who are we to question Yahweh?” is the response to our pointing out the obvious – that “justice” does not demand eternal suffering for a few brief years of sin. The wages of sin is “death” not ceaseless torment, and the Scripture says in John 3:16 that whosoever believes in Christ will not “perish” or (as the term means) go away into nothingness. The result of the doctrine is a people for whom the human concept of justice is not a proper representation of Yah’s, and thus there is a gulf fixed much wider than it should be between Heaven and earth.
Yahweh invites His people into familiarity with Him. He calls us no longer merely servants; but in Christ we are called “friends.” (John 15:15) People who believe in eternal hellfire have a god who invites closeness, but with a part of his face shrouded in shadow, and it is in this “unknowable” part of his nature that the flames of hell flicker, and the screams of the tortured go unheeded (or, worse, inexplicably endured).
Such a people cannot properly represent the character of the Biblical Creator. Now, I must be careful here to explain that I do not mean everyone who believes this doctrine immediately becomes insensitive to justice and mercy. Many who simply accept the doctrine at face value, and acknowledge that they do not understand it, are protected by their trust in the “parts” of Him that they do feel they are able to grasp.
But we are not looking for the lovable parts of a god; we are looking for the full, open face of Yahweh, a Deity from which even destruction would be a mercy, if the soul remains unrepentant. This is a Creator who is the Source of life and knowledge, and from whom a separation (such as takes place in the lake of fire) means everything that the word “death” implies.
The people of God are looking to know all of Yahweh, and if doctrines like eternal hell, and the immortality of the soul (both of which are consistently denied by Scripture) are accepted, we cannot know all of Yahweh, and our characters will eventually suffer from the effects of this.
Zahakiel: If you want a concrete example of an effect, I can give one. In the SDA chatroom to which I used to go more frequently than I do now, a woman was in there, very anti-SDA, who would constantly be making jeering statements about our beliefs. But one day she said something that I consider extremely tragic. I was discussing with her the verses that say the soul that sins indeed does die, such as Ezek 18:4, (for she was saying that what she understood to be the “soul” was immortal) and she said something to the effect of, “If hell is not eternal, and the suffering not forever, but ends, then why would Christians be obedient to God?”
The direct implication, of course, is that fear (and by this she meant terror, not reverence) is the only motivation for Christian activity. This plays into the worst stereotypes of non-Christians, and worse, what can you say about the worship she offers to her god? Where is the place for a clean heart and right spirit? Where is the place for true love? This is, admittedly, an extreme example, but people like this ARE out there, and if we could only explain to them that the truth about Yahweh is different, and far better, than the lie, what freedom it would give them. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
The Trinity
This one isn’t always obvious to people, the effect of worshipping a “trinity,” but there is indeed an effect. By accepting this confused paradigm of Babylon, Christians are not only ignorantly paying homage to the beast that repudiated the very laws of Heaven, but they are setting themselves up to reject the concept of victory over sin, as I’ll explain.
Even without the “history” factor, there are spiritual issues associated with it. I’ve often thought that someone who accepts the Trinity would have a harder time believing and living the victory over sin; and this can be shown doctrinally, for Yahshua said that knowledge of the Father and Son are what constitutes eternal life, (John 17:3) which is the same thing.
That is to say, victory over sin (since sin leads to death) is eternal life.
Zahakiel: But how it works is this: if we believe that the Holy Spirit is a separate God, or a separate personality within God, or something along those lines, then a couple things happen. First, salvation becomes a more mystical than practical thing.
The Scriptures tell us:
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)
And, “Yahshua answered and said unto him, ‘If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.’” (John 14:23)
And also, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Gal 2:20)
According to these verses, Christ lives in us when we die in Him, and the Father also by virtue of the Son’s presence. This is what gives us the victory. But there are verses that tell us, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)
“And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezek 36:27)
If the Spirit is another Person, separate from (though united in will with) the Father and Son, then the questions begin to arise, at least subconsciously, as to who truly “fills” the believer. To be sure, some have tried to get around the question by saying that there is a difference between the “Holy Spirit” and the “Spirit of the Lord,” but the Bible does not make any such distinction, therefore it is an artificial construction designed to deal with a problem that some people have begun to recognize.
The Bible tells us, “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit.” (1John 4:18)
Zahakiel: Even more directly, we are shown that, “the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2Cor 3:17) From verse 14 we see that the “Lord” who takes away the vail of ignorance is Christ, the very One who dwells within the convert. In fact, the only place where the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit in terms that would indicate It is separate from Christ is John 14:16 which calls It “another comforter.” We see that this merely means It is another phase of Christ’s work, however, one in which He is not with mankind in the flesh, because He says just two verses later of the work of comforting: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (verse 18)
Adventists are told even more clearly, though the Biblical evidence certainly speaks for itself, “Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself, divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent.” [Manuscript Releases Volume Fourteen, page 23, paragraph 3]
And again the Spirit is described as “the life of Christ” in This Day with God, p. 257.
The Bible tells us that where the Spirit of Christ is, there is freedom, and this leads us to the second issue that arises with Trinitarianism.
One of the other verses we looked at points out that the Spirit “causes” us to obey the commandments of Yahweh; but if the Spirit is a “personal” being that enters us and causes action, this is really a form of possession. It is true that there are some who don’t believe in free will anyway (and we will discuss that shortly), but for those who do, this idea is problematic. Where does free will end and the action of the Spirit begin?
Zahakiel: For those of us who see the Father and Son as constituting the Godhead, and the Spirit as their presence, their personality, their character (making it a direct parallel with the “spirit” of man, as in 1Cor 2:11) we understand that Yahweh truly does not use force in His dealings with mankind to secure individual salvation. As I mentioned above, in the process of sanctification there must be agreement from the human involved. Yahweh puts His Spirit in us, which is an awareness of His will, a tendency toward purity where before there was a tendency to evil, but He does not “possess” us so that we cannot control our own actions.
Now, there are times when He will give us a forceful message that we cannot seem to contain, and Jeremiah had one such experience. He tells us, “Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name.’ But His Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” (Jer 20:9)
I do not want to get too much into the “theology” of this thing in this meeting, but I would like to point out that this verse shows it is theoretically possible to “resist” the Spirit (and other verses of the Bible tell us that we can, but must not), but if we are truly on the side of Yahweh, how can we possibly remain silent if we have something to share?
It is like John’s use of the word “cannot” when he writes that whosoever is born of Yahweh “cannot” commit sin. It is simply not a practical option, for one who has partaken of the Spirit.
Certainly, the 144,000 will be so in tune with the Spirit that there will be no desire or need to resist the leadings of the Spirit, and so like Christ we submit our will to the Father. This does not destroy the will, but rather allows it to grow through submission to the Almighty, thus uniting us with Him in obedience that is more loving than obligatory.
Now, many Trinitarians may deny the conclusions I’ve pointed out here. Yet they have been seen, and are being seen, and the fact that there is such ambiguity in doctrine among those who call themselves Trinitarians (some say three-in-one, some say three-as-one, etc.) is only further evidence for the “unknowable” nature of the creation they have made and substituted for the one true God.
Zahakiel: Does everyone understand what I mean by this? People must come to a proper understanding of the Holy Spirit. It is true that some things are mysteries, but the Scripture is not silent about the nature of the Spirit.
Qinael: <nods.>
Dumah: Amen.
Pastor “Chick”: OK
Jeanie: Yes.
Clair: Yes.
Barb: Yes.
Crystle: Yes.
Zahakiel: We read, “The secret things belong unto Yahweh our Almighty: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deu 29:29)
Through the Scriptures, through the paradigm of marriage (e.g., Eph 5) we see the nature of the Godhead as one of “those things which are revealed;” thus we must understand them, and teach them to those around us. Through a right knowledge of the nature of the Father, Son and their Holy Spirit, many who would otherwise remain in bondage to the forces of this world can be set free.
Once Saved Always Saved
This doctrine is fraught with danger. It is often tied to a misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit, because the people who hold this to be true believe that we are “held” in a saved state by the Spirit regardless of what we do thereafter. Now, the alternative at first sounds like a salvation-by-works idea, but it really isn’t.
The “whatever we do” refers primarily to matters of faith. The Scriptures inform us clearly that it is possible to reject salvation, even if one was “once enlightened, and [has] tasted of the heavenly gift, and [was] made a partaker of the Holy Ghost, and [has] tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come.” (Heb 6:4, 5)
The next verse begins, “If they shall fall away…” This, of course, means nothing, if they could not fall away. Some have attempted to contend that verses 4 and 5 do not describe full conversion, but if they have “tasted” of the Heavenly gift, (Psalm 34:8) and have been “enlightened,” (Psalm 18:28) and have had a part in the Holy Ghost, (Acts 2:38, Titus 3:5) these are all expressions used in Scripture for the work of Salvation that Yahweh performs in man.
Zahakiel: It is true that the Scripture tells us, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:28, 29) Again, not to get too deep into the doctrine, because this study is merely looking at the effects of the beliefs, we see that this verse speaks of “others” taking salvation from the convert, which of course we know cannot happen. There is “no temptation” (1Cor 10:13) that can be brought by men or demons that will force us against our will (as the word “pluck” implies) to leave our Redeemer. Yet, if the Spirit of Yahweh brings liberty, freedom, then we know freedom is not absent in those who are Redeemed. A man may “fall” away without being pushed, after all.
But aside from the danger of becoming presumptuous in salvation (one of the main pitfalls here), there is also the tendency toward carelessness in obedience. Those who accept this doctrine are among the staunchest supporters of the “unconditional” salvation idea, which means that even if your faith does not lead to good works, it is still a saving faith. The Bible, of course, roundly contradicts this idea. (James 2:17) Thus, we have the “salvation in sin” concept, which again denies the true force of the Gospel: victory OVER sin.
It also removes from believers their responsibilities toward each other. James tells believers, “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him, let him know that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19, 20)
This is a great expression of love, if we see a brother erring, and seek to correct him to “save a soul from death.” While this is certainly possible in the life of Victory, for we may have blind spots that the Spirit will inspire others to share with us, it is meaningless in a life for which errors can never lead to destruction even theoretically. The verse, therefore, is a waste of space without some major re-interpretation for OSAS believers.
Absolute Predestination
This one, often – but not always – connected to the Once-Saved-Always-Saved idea, has its own set of issues. Those who accept this belief hold that Yahweh chooses who will be saved and who will be lost. The verses they use to support this are generally taken from those passages that describe, not individuals, but nations (such as Romans 9) although individuals such as Ruth and Rahab have been saved out of nations that were not considered “blessed.”
While we do believe there is an “election” of grace, we understand from the Scriptures that the selection of the saved is not arbitrary – and that is the key concept. Peter tells us how to make our election “sure,” or secure, and it is by undergoing the process of sanctification. (2Pet 1:10)
Zahakiel: Predestination entirely leaves out the true impact of sanctification, and even demotes justification to a mere formality (since the saved were chosen from the beginning anyway). What we end up with is a puppet-master god, one who uses the worst kind of force (spiritual and mental) to accomplish his aims, and presides over a universe in which love is not freely offered, but pre-programmed; we find a creation filled with beings that are going through the motions of life, all subject to the unqualified sovereignty of the creator.
I asked one person who believed this doctrine what it was that attracted her to it. She replied that free will, in her mind, detracted from the sovereign nature of Yahweh. From what I understand of my Father, this kind of sovereignty is not worth having; for what greater Creator could there be than One capable of making free beings, who live and love freely?
Thus, those who believe in absolute predestination have a god of force, who has limited his creative ability to making begins who are (some of them) destined beyond their abilities to destruction. And, if coupled with the concept of eternal hell, we raise a horrible specter of a god who creates some individuals merely for the purpose of subjecting them to eternal, conscious torment…
In a less dramatic sense, evangelistic work is affected. I do not mean that people who believe in this doctrine do not evangelize. They do, but their motives are different. If some are pre-ordained to life, then telling them about it is only a formality. When asked why they evangelize, many reply, “Because God told us to.” The faithful will do these things, of course, for we are not leaving out the sincerity of the genuinely convinced, and their reasons may even be good; but it is still much more along the lines of “Because we were commanded,” rather than, “Because it is necessary to save souls with a message of love.” Here we see the true conclusion of this belief: an arbitrary god.
Yahweh does not do anything arbitrarily. He does not select people arbitrarily, and He does not give commandments arbitrarily. Worship of an arbitrary god leads to a throwing-out of commandments, a rejection of the work of sanctification, and these elements of faith are inevitably played out in the daily course of one’s life.
Zahakiel: Just a couple more to go…
Weakness /Salvation in Sin
By a “weak” god, I mean one that implements a cycle of sin-repent-sin-repent for his subjects. The Almighty of the Bible is able “also to save them to the uttermost” who come to Him through Christ. (Heb 7:25) Those who worship the “weak” god believe that Christ is given to men to pick them up when they fall. The Bible speaks of Christ in terms far different from this, but as One who “is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” (Jude 1:24)
When the Bible speaks of “a just man [that] falleth seven times, and riseth up again,” (Pro 24:16) the context shows that it is speaking of misfortune, adversity, and the attacks of evil men; (verses 10, 15) and the idea is contrasted with the experience of the wicked, who have no protection from Heaven against their enemies. It is not talking about sin, nor can it be applied to transgression in a secondary sense, for the Bible says of moral “sliding,” “Unless Yahweh had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, ‘My foot slippeth,’ thy mercy, O Yah, held me up.” (Psa 94:17, 18) We may have confidence, without presumption, in the mercy and care of our Father in Heaven.
For those stuck in the sin-repent cycle, forgiveness is the issue in their minds. For those who have victory over sin, atonement is the issue in our minds. There is a difference.
Zahakiel: Forgiveness is a pardon from sin. It is being cleansed of transgressions, and having our records cleared. But what does this mean? By itself… very little. If a man has his record cleansed of all his crimes, but he is not converted, which is to say, he has not had his heart changed, he will offend again. If his character is not transformed into the likeness of Christ’s character, and this by that process of sanctification, he will not be able to endure the “consuming fire” of Yahweh’s presence. (Deu 4:24)
Worse, he will not be able to provide an effective witness, for how can we show others the character of Christ if we ourselves are aliens from that experience? Forgiveness is just the first step. There must be repentance, which allows us to be forgiven; and repentance is not just being “sorry” for our sins, but a commitment to turn away from them forever. Then, when we are forgiven there must be faith, and this faith is a living faith that leads to the work of sanctification. If repentance is not followed by faith, there will be forgiveness... but it will not be a lasting forgiveness.
The Scriptures teach us, “Again, when I say unto the wicked, ‘Thou shalt surely die,’ if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him; he hath done that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live.
“Yet the children of thy people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal,’ but as for them, their way is not equal. When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby.
“Yet ye say, ‘The way of the Lord is not equal.’ O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.” (Ezek 33:14-20)
Say when you’ve read this.
Pastor “Chick”: OK
Jeanie: Done.
Qinael: Finished.
Barb: Finished.
Crystle: Yes.
Clair: Ok.
Dumah: Yeah.
Zahakiel: This passage relates back, in an indirect way, to the concept of justice in the “eternal hell” error. Yahweh here invites men to examine His concept of justice. He says, “Do you not see the manner in which I treat all people fairly?” It is not enough to say, “We do not understand the justice and mercy of Yahweh.” To do so, in the face of His declarations and Scriptural evidence, is willful ignorance.
But as it relates to the matter of the sin-repent cycle, we see that if the righteous is not “atoned,” which is to say, made at-one with Yahweh in Spirit and character, he is in danger of simply falling back into his or her old, deadly ways. Conversion must be thorough, there must be a commitment to cleansing the heart, and walking in the ways revealed to us by Yahweh, His People, His Word, and His Spirit, or there will be no enduring to the end. (Mat 24:13)
And let it not be thought that this is a New Testament or Christian-specific concept. Consider that the most important day in the Jewish Calendar was the Day of Atonement, not the Day of Forgiveness.
A Vengeful God
This one should speak for itself, really. If we worship a hasty, critical and condemnatory god, we ourselves will begin to take on those characteristics. Consequently, if we see ourselves manifesting these qualities, it may be good for us to examine what we really think about our Father’s character. You see, the practical application of these things is to see that, if these characteristics exist in us, they did not get there by accident. When they are revealed to us, they are an opportunity to ask, “What do I think of Yahweh in this regard?” and sometimes the answer to the reason we act the way we do becomes clear.
As such, this New Moon study makes a good companion to last month’s, which deals with motives. Now that we see have seen what our motives are, we can get down to the needful work of character refinement. One of the most effective ways to do that is to look to our own words, actions and thoughts, and compare them to what we know about Yahweh, and then finally to what He says about Himself in the Scriptures.
Zahakiel: It was those who worshipped the concept of a vengeful, forceful god who ordained the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Sunday Law, and the Trademark Law. We see here a process of the deception becoming gradually more subtle, less overt, but those with eyes to see recognize the same spirit behind them all. They are all an attempt to control conscience. Some may deny that they worship a vengeful god; but all we need to do is point to their actions, the mirrors of their faith, and we may know that some who genuinely think they are doing the Almighty a service are only deceiving themselves and others.
The most important verses to help those who have fallen into this error are probably these: “And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom 2:3, 4)
The way we think Yahweh is looking at us is the way we will often look at others. Servants of a vengeful god may become hard-hearted, revenge-seeking, and hypocritical, because no one, they believe, can ever measure up to the standard anyway.
But Romans 2 tells us something else, something better. It is not the wrath of Yahweh that scares people into churches. It is not fear that leads to true conversion (although it can be used at the beginning to get the sinner’s attention – Jude 1:23). It is the longsuffering of Yahweh, His patience with us and His goodness, that leads to true faith. It is the admiration and love His character inspires in those who behold Him that changes them from “glory to glory” as the earlier verse from 2 Corinthians reads.
The knowledge that Yahweh’s goodness is the transforming power is a very important key to developing His character.
Are there any questions about what has been said so far?
Clair: No.
Qinael: No.
Pastor “Chick”: None.
Barb: No.
Dumah: Beautiful.
Jeanie: No.
Zahakiel: Okay, finally…
A Passive God
This is the opposite error to the one we have just seen. Some, while rightly rejecting the idea that Yahweh is waiting in Heaven to mete out punishment, fall into the ditch on the other side of the road. They take the position that, “Yahweh will not do good, neither will He do evil,” (Zeph 1:12) where the word “evil” there is one we’ve seen before in the course of our New Moon studies, and means misfortune, injury, and not moral wrongdoing.
Zephaniah’s message is that those who take this position will come to desolation (verse 13) because they will entirely fail to realize who He is that seeks to save them. Some say that Yahweh will not do good or evil in order to alleviate their consciences when they themselves commit sin, but others do it in a mistaken attempt to present Yahweh in a “good” light as they count goodness.
Some even go so far as to throw out parts of the Bible as uninspired, if they speak of Yahweh visiting destruction on the ungodly. Many others, less inclined to cut pages from the Books, will attempt to explain all of these incidents as Yahweh merely “allowing” destruction to occur.
But it is not always that simple, and thus this is a very big mistake. We must come to understand that justice and mercy cannot be separated, they are both elements of true love. When the probation of nations has closed, the most merciful thing Yahweh can do is to remove them from life. And of course, He does not merely “allow” it to happen, because some cases of destruction were decidedly unnatural, such as the wiping-out of Sodom and Gomorrah. We are told that angels were directly involved in this event. (Gen 19:1-24)
No amount of citing literary devices gets rid of the idea that Yahweh was actively involved in this process, and certainly no one would claim that Yahweh “allowed” the firstborn sons of Egypt to die while the Scriptures tell us He sent an intelligent Being to accomplish the task. The Agent, after all, was able to intelligently tell who had blood on his or her doorpost, and spare that family. This was not an ordinary “plague” in the medical sense. (Exo 12:23)
Zahakiel: It is also not possible to say that Yahweh merely gave permission to an unholy spirit to do this work, for the case in Job was different than here. Satan was not allowed to destroy Job, but was used as a tool for the human’s refinement. Satan, for his part, wished to destroy Job because he was a good example of a servant of Yahweh, and this upset him. (Job 1:9-11) The same cannot be said for the Egyptian firstborn, or of the cattle. Christ tells us, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?” (Mat 12:25, 26)
The Egyptians were doing Satan’s work in the world, keeping the Israelites captive; and they had inherited the job of ancient Babylon, of spreading a pagan influence over the planet’s religious systems. The principles of Spiritual warfare make it impossible to accept that the demons had willingly cooperated with the Almighty in releasing the Hebrews and bringing destruction on the land of their greatest glory.
Now the Messiah stated, speaking of all the Old Testament, “they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) This means that it is our job, our duty, to understand the Scriptures in light of Christ’s character. Some have difficulty with this, because some very early errors such as Marcionism have poisoned the water.
Is anyone familiar with that doctrine?
Barb: I'm not.
Clair: No.
Dumah: No.
Jeanie: No.
Zahakiel: Basically, it denies that Christ is truly a representative of the God of the Old Testament. They look at the Messiah, and His meekness and His sacrifice and, not understanding the totality of His character, conclude that He could never be involved with a God who instituted animal sacrifices and the Law of Moses. Circumcision, the destruction of the ungodly nations... they throw all that out as a deception of the Hebrews.
Yet Christ says that the Scriptures testify of Him. He says to people, “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:46, 47) The Savior had not come in His capacity of Judge, but of Redeemer, and thus “He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phl 2:8) This was the aspect of Himself He displayed during His time on earth, but His servants have told us that His work for mankind is not complete. Now He attends us as the High Priest, but there comes a day when He will return as Judge and King. (Jude 1:14, 15; Rev 19:11)
The sacrifices were bloody, yes… but they needed to be so for a reason, to explain in a very visible and dramatic way that the wages of sin is indeed death; and again, that Christ’s death was to serve as an atonement for the guilty. If Christ did not come to fulfill this aspect of the law (the sacrificial system) then He himself was misled, and the truth was not in Him. (Mat 5:17) Thus, the sacrificial system is a vital element to Christianity, and absolutely essential to understanding how Yahweh feels about sin.
The destruction that was visited on ungodly nations… these were pre-figures of the destruction that will come upon the unsaved in the Judgment. Jude, for example, explains that Sodom and Gomorrah were, “set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire,” (verse 24) and thus important for our understanding of the Most High. Now, some rightly understand the final judgment to be the withdrawal of Yahweh’s protection from the results of sin; yet He raises them back to life for it, and this for a reason – to demonstrate the cleansing process to the universe. There is an active element of the Judgment, and it involves a right understanding of the justice of the Most High. The most important thing here is to let the Scripture be the judge of our understanding, and not let our understanding be the judge of Scripture. (Pro 3:5, John 12:48)
Does anyone have any questions about these things?
Jeanie: No.
Clair: None here.
Pastor “Chick”: None, and thanks.
Barb: No.
Dumah: I have a comment.
Zahakiel: Go ahead.
Dumah: I see the apparent differences in Yah’s dealing with people in the first advent verses the second not so much as two aspects of Him but as same principle played out .....love to the believer is life... and to the unbeliever is death
I think that the second coming is something that we can hardly begin to image in regard to the destruction of the wicked.
Zahakiel: Oh, certainly :) There are, however, some dramatic differences in the way it appears to the universe.
Dumah: Yeah.
Zahakiel: For example, those who rejected Him at His first advent were not immediately destroyed.
So this is what I mean by "phases"of His work.
Dumah: Right. The second time He comes “without mercy.”
Zahakiel: Hm... in a sense... in this case, the mercy IS destruction. But of course that would not really make sense to someone who accepts eternal hell.
So we see how these errors all relate to the way we view the work of Yahweh... These were just a few examples of the errors, and their results; and perhaps you can think of some others.
Dumah: Yeah.
Zahakiel: To conclude we look at the other side, on which we are told, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Mat 5:48) Yahweh has never asked us to do something impossible, or something for which He does not provide the means. When Yahshua told Peter to walk to Him over the water this was, in the eyes of men, asking for the impossible. Yet the demand of faith, Peter jumping into the ocean believing his Master – this is the thing that makes miracles possible, this is the thing that sanctifies us, and prepares us to stand in the presence of the Most High without the stain of guilt, and with characters that are suitable for the eternal society of the angels and saints.
Zahakiel: Let’s close with a prayer.
Almighty, loving and merciful Father in Heaven,
We thank you for your revelation to mankind. We thank you that through your Scriptures, through your Prophets, through your own Son and the record of His life, we can draw near to you and learn of your character. We thank you that you have given us the opportunity to accept this character as a gift, an exchange for our broken lives, and we marvel at what it cost you to provide the means for this to be accomplished.
May we continue to look carefully at the way we conceive of you, and grow ever more aware of how our thoughts affect our actions, and our testimonies. As the road narrows while time draws to a close, we thank you for the promise that there will be a company of believers who will have understood who you truly are, and will be able to reflect your power and beauty to a watching creation...
and we give you thanks that we are invited to this most holy, and most happy, company.
In Yahshua’s name we pray, Amen.
Qinael: Amen.
Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Jeanie: Allelu-Yah!
Barb: Amen.
Clair: Amen.
Dumah: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.