Six False Gospel We Must Avoid

Posted on October 13, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by sayan Nath on Unsplash

Galatians 1:6-9 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

When God made the heavens and the earth, He made it in six days. On the sixth day God looked at all He had made. The pinnacle of creation was humanity. From the third day to the fifth day, God created everything necessary to sustain human life on earth. Everything God made was “good”. But when God made man and woman in His image and in His likeness, and placed humanity in the midst of Paradise, only then did God judge that everything was …

Very Good!

In six days God made everything very good. As “no one is GOOD, except GOD” (Matthew 19:17), God alone knows what is good. Man with woman is good. Man working with woman to populate the earth is good. “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, rule it” (Genesis 1:28). That’s good. God said so. Obedience to God is good. Adam was given one rule in the midst of a sinless environment

Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV – And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Preach! This is the Gospel. You may CLING to the Tree of Life (Genesis 2:9) and live forever. Or you may WALK AWAY and taste the forbidden tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That will kill you. We all know that Adam followed the false Gospel, and led all humanity into sin and death. God made everything “very good” in SIX DAYS. The devil came in with a false gospel, and enticed Adam to eat the forbidden. That was very bad!

There were SIX DAYS of creation to a state of VERY GOOD. The devil offers SIX FALSE GOSPELS which will lead you to a state of VERY BAD.

Let’s look at what Paul says about these false gospels.

Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are SO SOON REMOVED FROM HIM that called you into the GRACE OF CHRIST unto ANOTHER {heteros} gospel:

Word Study: The word translated “ANOTHER” is the Greek heteros, which can be translated “some other not of the same quality”. It may look like the Gospel, but it is defective in what it accomplishes. The false gospel leads you away from Jesus, the One Who called you into salvation. When you are led away from Jesus, you are led away from Grace.

Galatians 1:7 Which is NOT ANOTHER {ou allos}; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

Word Study: This time the word “ANOTHER” is an entirely different word, the Greek allos, which means “another way”. This false gospel is not another way to the Grace of God, but it is a perversion of the truth. It can’t help you at all. It leads you from Jesus.

Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be ACCURSED {anathema}.

Word Study: The word translated “ACCURSED” is the Greek anathema, which means “to be bound under a great curse”. The Apostle used the same word when he wrote:

1 Corinthians 16:22 KJV – If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be ANATHEMA. Maranatha.

Paul tells us that such preaching and such persons are not blessed of God, but are CURSES, accursed and evil people. Their actions do not lead people to surrender to or love Christ, but cloak or hide the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) so that people will remain lost. No good comes of a false gospel. The “god of this world, Satan, blinds the minds of unbelievers with the false gospels”, taking both glory and honor from the Lord Jesus Who saves us.

Jesus warned us of false gospels and false Christs (Matthew 24:4-5)
Peter warned us of false gospels, twisting the Way of truth (2 Peter 2:1-3)
Jude warned us of false gospels, turning Grace into sensuality (Jude 3-4)

Let’s take a few minutes and look at the six false gospels Satan and his agents have spread throughout the Church.

1. Prosperity Gospel

One of the Prosperity Gospel preachers Kenneth Copeland has preached:

“You are a little god on the earth”

Another of this type, Joel Osteen, has said:

“God wants us to be happy”

What the Prosperity preachers declare as the gospel is the same thing that the Serpent proclaimed in the Garden of Eden. When the Serpent (a picture of Satan, the Devil, for like a snake he twists God’s truths) approached Eve with a challenge:

Genesis 3:1 (AP) Has God really said you both can’t eat of every tree in this Garden?

The implication is that God is withholding something good from us. The Serpent came back again with these words:

Genesis 3:4 -5 (AP) If you eat what God forbade, you’ll certainly not die! No! God knows the day you eat of the forbidden, YOU SHALL BE AS GODS. You yourself will know what is good and evil.

The Prosperity Gospel says that if you give enough money, pray the right pray, speak affirming words over your life, God is obligated to make you both HEALTHY and WEALTHY. God is a Cosmic Vending Machine if you put the right words in Him.

Does God “want us all to be happy”? Yes, He does. We are to be happy because we are obedient and loving to the God Who saved us. The Scripture says:

“HAPPY is the man whom God corrects (Job 5:17). HAPPY are the people whose God is the LORD” (Psalm 144:15). HAPPY is the one who finds wisdom (Proverbs 3:13). Whoever has mercy on the poor will be HAPPY (Proverbs 14:21). Whoever obeys God will be HAPPY (Proverbs 29:18). If you obey Jesus, you will be HAPPY (John 13:17).”

Does God promise that the Christian will have a full bank account, that we will never suffer health problems? Does the Bible even say we will never get depressed, upset, or sad? No! Jesus said:

John 16:33 (ESV) I have said these things to you, that IN ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

If you live for Jesus, in his light, walking with Him, YOU WILL BE PERSECUTED. You will suffer. But the Bible says “When you SUFFER FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS SAKE, you WILL BE HAPPY” (1 Peter 3:14). The Scripture says “If you are REPROACHED FOR THE NAME OF CHRIST, YOU WILL BE HAPPY, for the Spirit of God rests on you” (1 Peter 4:14). And again,

2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV) Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus WILL BE PERSECUTED will be persecuted

The Prosperity Gospel is accursed because it makes your comfort and your riches and your glory the center of your life. Jesus is supposed to be the center of your life. Our treasures are to be in Heaven, not on this earth (Matthew 6:19-20).

2. Cheap Grace Gospel

Cheap Grace takes Grace and twists it, telling people they have a license to live any way they want. Cheap Grace makes Jesus our Servant, not our Lord. Cheap Grace does not preach repentance, conviction, or transformation into the image of Christ. Cheap Grace teachers declare we need not obey God, that we just need to relax and do as we wish.

Cheap Grace preachers teach that you can receive Jesus Christ as Savior, but that you do not need to receive Him as LORD to be saved. Cheap Grace preachers do not emphasize the need for repentance – just acceptance of Jesus as Savior.

But what does the Bible say? What is the Word of the Gospel that Paul preached?

Romans 10:8-11 NKJV – 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 PREACH): 9 that if you confess with your mouth THE LORD JESUS and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever BELIEVES ON HIM will not be put to shame.

Jesus is Lord! When a person hears the Gospel, that they are lost and hell bound, that they need to REPENT and SURRENDER THEIR LIVES TO JESUS, the Holy Spirit comes on that person and causes a transformation. The person is “BORN AGAIN” (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23). That does not happen unless you CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH – OPENLY AND DECLAREDLY – THAT JESUS IS LORD.

A surgeon can’t fix you unless you turn your life over to him. Jesus will not fix you while you are still your own god. You must repent! You must be God’s possession.

The Bible declares that the Christian is “BOUGHT WITH A PRICE” (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). When you are saved by Grace, you belong to Jesus. And as God’s possession, His sons and daughters, His servants, we live our lives for Him, not for ourselves. We are dead to sin (Romans 6:1-2), and no longer under obligation to obey it as our master (Romans 6:6-7).

When people met Jesus, He commanded them. Jesus told the man at the Pool of Bethesda that He healed:

John 5:14 LSB – Behold, you have become well; DO NOT SIN ANY MORE, so that nothing worse happens to you.

When Jesus forgave the woman taken in adultery, He told her:

John 8:11 LSB – I do not condemn you, either. Go, and from now on SIN NO MORE.

Jesus shall “SAVE HIS PEOPLE from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Peter preached:

Acts 2:36 Let all the House of Israel know assuredly, that GOD HAS MADE THAT SAME JESUS, Whom you have crucified, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST

You can’t divide Jesus up. He is Lord over His people – and He is not yours if He is not Lord to you.

3. Self Help Gospel

The Self Help Gospel teaches that God only gets involved in your life when you need Him. Believers of this gospel think that all God wants for us is to be happy and satisfied, but that God expects nothing else from us. When we need Him God is there to be our Cosmic Coach. He improves our lives where we want Him, and stays out of our lives until we call on Him. Pastor David Platt said:

“We have turned the gospel into a self-help program: God wants you to love yourself more, to fulfill your dreams, to reach your potential. That is not the gospel. The gospel says you are a sinner and you need a Savior.”

The product of this Gospel is a pretend Christian who never wrestles with sin, and never seeks to glorify God. These people refuse to obey Jesus and be baptized as He has commanded. As long as they are happy, they leave God out of their lives.

The true Gospel demands that we deny ourselves and commit our lives to Jesus.

Luke 9:23-24 {Jesus} said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him DENY HIMSELF, and TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY, and FOLLOW ME. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

God does not want us to be HAPPY. He wants us to be HOLY, and WHOLLY His children. He wants us as members of the Kingdom of Light, walking with Jesus daily.

1 John 1:7 (KJV) IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT, AS {GOD} IS IN THE LIGHT, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

The Christian is “crucified WITH CHRIST” (Galatians 2:20).
The Christian is “dead WITH CHRIST” (Romans 6:8)
The Christian “IS CHRIST’S” (Galatians 5:24), and
The Christian “SEEKS CHRIST” (Colossians 3:1)

Jesus did not come to make a better version of you. He came to REMAKE you into a “NEW CREATURE” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15).

4. Social Gospel

As Christians we should care about the poor, and about blessing and uplifting those in need. Jesus taught this in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus told His followers:

Matthew 25:40 (KJV) Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN, ye have done it unto me

Jesus portrayed those destined for eternal judgment as the greedy ones who would give no food to the hungry, would give no drink to the thirsty, would give no safe space to the homeless, and give no clothing to the naked. The Christian does not do these things to BE SAVED. The Christian does these things because they HAVE BEEN SAVED. God put love in our hearts.

Jesus fed the hungry and healed the sick, but His focus was always to point people to eternal life. The mission is to lead others to Christ. As Christians, we should stand up again abortion, because life is sacred. As Christians, we should support the widowed, those in need. As Christians, we should care about the state that people are in. But we should also present the true Gospel to them. The stepbrother of Christ wrote:

James 1:27 NKJV – Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to VISIT ORPHANS AND WIDOWS IN THEIR TROUBLE, and to KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD.

We’re not supposed to be like the world. We’re not to imitate the darkness. But we are to care for those in need. The Scripture tells us:

James 2:15-17 NKJV – If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but YOU DO NOT GIVE THEM THE THINGS WHICH ARE NEEDED FOR THE BODY, WHAT DOES IT PROFIT? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Those who harden their hearts to the needy are very possibly not Christians. The saved love others, and regard every life as precious (Isaiah 1:17). Having said that, the Church must NEVER FORSAKE THE GOSPEL TO BECOME A WELFARE STATION. What Jesus said is clear:

Matthew 24:11-14 KJV – And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And THIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM SHALL BE PREACHED in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The pulpit is not where political candidates preach social change. Our business is the Gospel, to lead others to Christ so He might lead them to Heaven.

5. Universalist Gospel

This Gospel teaches that there is no such thing as hell, no eternal damnation, no punishment nor separation from God. People who believe this say “a loving God would never send anyone to hell”. One liberal preacher named Rob Bell wrote in his book Love Wins:

“At the center of the Christian tradition since the first church have been a number who insist that history is not tragic, hell is not forever, and love, in the end, wins.”

The Universalist Gospel is a lie that leaves people unprepared for eternity. Jesus spoke about hell extensively. Jesus said:

Matthew 13:49-50 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and SEVER THE WICKED FROM AMONG THE JUST, And shall CAST THEM INTO THE FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth

When Jesus talked about repentance and people going to hell, He never portrayed them as burning up. In Luke Jesus spoke of a certain rich man and a poor man named Lazarus:

Luke 16:22-24 KJV – And it came to pass, that {Lazarus} died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And IN HELL HE LIFTED UP HIS EYES, BEING IN TORMENTS, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I AM TORMENTED IN THIS FLAME.

In the story Jesus tells us, the rich man is unknown to God. He goes to hell. He does not burn up, but “is TORMENTED IN THIS FLAME”. Jesus frequently addressed hell and eternal punishment. He told Nicodemus, a well trained and highly ranking Rabbi:

John 3:16-18 NKJV – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM IS NOT CONDEMNED; but HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

There are not many paths to God, but only one – through Jesus Christ our Lord (John 14:6). You must receive Jesus as Lord and Savior while you are able. Jesus said “If you DO NOT BELIEVE I AM HE, YOU SHALL DIE IN YOUR SINS” (John 8:24).

God seeks the lost. TODAY if you will hear him calling (Hebrews 3:15; Isaiah 55:6), if you will not turn away from His Gospel call, you shall be saved! The Universalist Gospel does not make God look more loving – it makes the Cross of Christ to be meaningless. If all will be saved – why repent?

6. Self Centered Gospel

This form of the Gospel makes YOU the center of the universe. God made YOU because He needed a friend. That’s not true. The Bible tells us that God is TRIUNE, Father, Son and Spirit. He is not lonely. Evangelist Paul Washer said:

“The Gospel is not about you. It’s about Jesus. The self-centered gospel says ‘God exists for me.’ The true Gospel says ‘I exist for God.’”

Pastor John MacArthur stated:

“Today’s gospel is man-centered. It tells you how to have a happier life. The true gospel is God-centered. It tells you how God can be glorified even if your life falls apart.”

Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill said:

“We preach a gospel that says ‘Come to Jesus and He will make your life better.’ Jesus preached ‘Come and die.”

We are not saved so we can live for ourselves. We are saved so we can live for Jesus as members of His Kingdom. Look at these Scriptures:

2 Corinthians 5:15 NKJV – He died for all, that those who live should LIVE NO LONGER FOR THEMSELVES, BUT FOR HIM who died for them and rose again.

Philippians 2:3-4 NKJV – Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in LOWLINESS OF MIND let each ESTEEM OTHERS BETTER THAN HIMSELF. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Worship is not about my emotional experience – it is to glorify God. I come to Church to glorify God. I pray that God will be exalted. The Self Centered Gospel is a product of the merger of capitalism with religion. This Gospel produces consumers, not students and citizens of Christ’s Kingdom.

The True Gospel calls us out of ourselves. The Gospel says that God created everything, even us. God put man in a perfect environment, and gave him a job to do, and a thing NOT to do. Man ignored the command of God. He ate what God said not to eat, and because he failed sin entered the world, and death came with sin. Everyone born from that man through ordinary generation inherited this sin nature, the desire to walk apart from God. The world is in the mess it is in because of that sin nature, and we ALL stand guilty before God, Who is holy, righteous, loving and good. God in His mercy and goodness sought Man in the Garden when he sinned, and seeks man today. God called out to Adam, “Where are you?” He calls out to us today through His Son Jesus Christ. God became perfect Man in Jesus. Jesus was not born of ordinary generation, He was virgin born. He was born without a sin nature. As Pastor Voddie Baucham said, “If Jesus was born of ordinary generation, He was born in sin. But because He’s not born of ordinary generation, He’s clean of sin, His record is clean, and He keeps His record clean”. Jesus obeyed the Law of God on our behalf. And Jesus went to the Cross to pay for our sins, “the Just for the unjust”(1 Peter 3:18). When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, when we hear His call and follow Him, we are adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:15) and are indwelt by God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 8:9). Because of Jesus,

We are saved from the penalty of sin.
We are saved from the power of sin.
And one day we are saved from the presence of sin.

This is the Gospel the devil seeks to hide. This is the Gospel that magnifies Jesus. This is the Gospel I must preach. This is the Gospel that we all need. And this true Gospel is more than enough!

Amen.

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Acting Like Saints

Posted on October 13, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Karla Hernandez on Unsplash

Paul has just finished chastising the Corinthian believers for horrendous sexual sin in the Church, sin that even the unbelievers of that day would not commit – that a young man was sleeping with his stepmother. Paul told that Church to judge that young man and to have no fellowship with him until he repented.

Now Paul addresses another spectacle causing the world to mock Christ and His Church. The believers are suing one another in civilian courts. Not over big matters – over every trivial thing they disagree about. Paul is not pleased, and neither is God.

1 Corinthians 6:1-3 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Does The Bible Talk About Civilian Courts?

Yes, the Bible does make allowances for civilian courts and lawsuits. The Apostle in another place speaks of the governing legal system:

Romans 13:1-7 LSB – Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD, and those which exist have been appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of that authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is A MINISTER OF GOD TO YOU FOR GOOD. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword in vain, for it is a minister of God, AN AVENGER WHO BRINGS WRATH ON THE ONE WHO PRACTICES EVIL. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of that wrath, but also because of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

God establishes courts and legal systems, governments and national boundaries. The police department, military, judges, the Law itself is established by God. Paul said “THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD”. God authorizes those who maintain law and order “A MINISTER OF GOD TO YOU FOR GOOD”. The Law is a “AVENGER WHO BRINGS WRATH ON THE ONE WHO PRACTICES EVIL”. This is the reason we pay taxes, and respect the laws of our land. God uses the law to restrain the evil in mankind’s heart. In the previous chapter, the Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 5:13 … those who are OUTSIDE {the Church}, GOD WILL JUDGE

It’s not wrong to take someone to court if that person is outside of the Body of Christ. But Paul tells us …

1 Corinthians 6:1 KJV Dare any of you, having a matter against ANOTHER (heteros), go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

Word Study: The Corinthian believers were taking every offense, every disturbance, anything at all and were rushing to secular courts over ordinary disagreements that could be resolved in the Church. The word rendered “ANOTHER” is the Greek heteros which means another like or similar to you. He’s not telling us we cannot take unbelievers to court, but he is telling us that the Gospel is the most important thing we have. We are not to risk clouding the Gospel by petty arguments in the public courts. Paul reminds us that:

1 Corinthians 6:2 Do ye not know that THE SAINTS SHALL JUDGE THE WORLD?

The Bible tells us that:

2 Timothy 2:12 LSB – If we endure, WE WILL ALSO REIGN WITH HIM…

Believers are those who endure, who maintain their undying faith in Christ no matter what might come. In His future Kingdom “WE WILL REIGN WITH HIM”. We will be active members of the future Millennial government. Again the Bible says:

Revelation 20:4 LSB – Then I saw thrones, and THEY SAT ON THEM, and JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN TO THEM. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their witness of Jesus and because of the word of God, and who also had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and REIGNED WITH CHRIST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS.

The overcoming believer is promised that …

Revelation 2:26-29 LSB – he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES.’

and again,

Revelation 3:21 LSB – He who overcomes, I will grant to him to SIT DOWN WITH ME ON MY THRONE, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Believers, we will rule with Jesus during the Millennial reign of Christ. That being the case, Paul says:

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 KJV – … and if the world shall be judged by you, ARE YE UNWORTHY TO JUDGE THE SMALLEST MATTERS? 3 Know ye not that WE SHALL JUDGE ANGELS? HOW MUCH MORE THINGS WHICH PERTAIN TO THIS LIFE?

Again, there may be times when you have to use a court of Law. But when the matter deals with the saints – fellows brothers and sisters in Christ – the matter should be brought to the Church first. Let other believers make a determination. Who should be the judges in these cases? Paul says:

1 Corinthians 6:4 KJV – If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them TO JUDGE WHO ARE LEAST ESTEEMED (exoutheneō) in the church.

Word Study: The phrase “TO JUDGE WHO ARE LEAST ESTEEMED” is but one word in the Greek, exoutheneō, which means … hold it … “those who are despised, of no account, considered next to nothing”. In other words, don’t pick the greatest or the noblest people in the Church. Pick the ones who nobody ever picks. The quiet ones. The ones that aren’t connected to wealth or power. The ones who have nothing to gain based on the judgment. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:5 the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL preached to them

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR

Those who have little but Jesus will have more than the rich! The poorest are often the closest to God – so pick these to make judgments.

1 Corinthians 6:5-6 KJV – I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and THAT BEFORE UNBELIEVERS.

When believers do battle in secular courts, it is damaging to the witness of the Gospel in the world. Jesus said,

John 13:35 KJV – By this SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU HAVE LOVE ONE TO ANOTHER.

It does not advance the Gospel when brothers in Christ are in legal disputes over little to nothing. Let the lowest in the Church make a judgment.

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 KJV – Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. WHO DO YE NOT RATHER TAKE WRONG? why do ye not rather {allow} YOURSELVES TO BE DEFRAUDED? 8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Paul was willing to give up his life in order to spread the Gospel of salvation through the world. To share the Gospel is the most important thing the Church can do.

The Unrighteous Shall Not Inherit Heaven

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

Those who do evil – the “UNRIGHTEOUS” – will not be in Heaven. When God saved the Christian, He changed the tree from a bad tree into a good tree. Jesus said:

Matthew 12:33 Either MAKE THE TREE GOOD, and HIS FRUIT GOOD; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for THE TREE IS KNOWN BY HIS FRUIT.

And again,

Matthew 7:17-20 Even so EVERY GOOD TREE BRINGETH FORTH GOOD FRUIT; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. EVERY TREE THAT BRINGETH NOT GOOD FRUIT IS HEWN DOWN, and CAST INTO THE FIRE. Wherefore BY THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM.

The Corinthians are supposed to be bringing forth good fruit, fruit pleasing to God. It is not pleasing to God when His children do not get along. Christians should love one another, and love Jesus. If we’re supposed to be good trees bringing forth good fruit, if we fail to do so we can be judged of God (“CAST INTO THE FIRE”). I don’t believe Jesus is talking about hellfire, but the fire of God’s judgment.

The UNRIGHTEOUS or unsaved who bring forth bad fruit WILL NOT GO TO HEAVEN. They need to hear the Gospel unhindered by foolishness. The world needs Jesus!

Paul next gets very specific as to what is BAD FRUIT:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 .. neither FORNICATORS (pornos, heterosexual sinners), nor IDOLATORS (eidōlolatrēs, worshipers of false gods), nor ADULTERERS (moichos, those who violate the vow of God or marriage – Hebrews 13:4; James 4:4), nor EFFEMINATE (malakos, soft boys used for homosexual relations), nor ABUSERS OF THEMSELVES WITH MANKIND (arsenokoitēs, one who lies with a male as with a female, sodomite), 10 Nor THIEVES, nor COVETOUS (pleonektēs, greedy of gain), nor DRUNKARDS, nor REVILERS (loidoros, abusive bullies), nor EXTORTIONERS (harpax, robbers), shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Those without Jesus are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). These lost people do not follow Jesus, but they follow “the PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR” (Ephesians 2:2). These poor souls are “DEAD IN SINS” (Ephesians 2:5), and need to find life in Jesus Christ. God can save them. Paul reminds the Church:

1 Corinthians 6:11 KJV – And such were some of you: but ye are WASHED (apelousasthe), but ye are SANCTIFIED (hagiazō), but ye are JUSTIFIED (dikaioō) in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Word Study: God saved the Corinthians through the power of the Holy Spirit. God WASHES His Children. This is the Greek apelousasthe, which means “to wash completely away”. We are:

1. WASHED in the Blood of Christ: Revelation 1:5 Unto Him that loved us, and WASHED US FROM OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD

2. WASHED by the Holy Spirit, made BORN AGAIN: Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy HE SAVED US, BY THE WASHING OF REGENERATION, and RENEWING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

3. Only God can wash sin out of our lives: Psalm 51:2 WASH ME THOROUGHLY from mine iniquity, and CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN.

4. Once God WASHES you, you are SET APART for His use (hagiazō). Washing removes the defilement so that God can use you.

1 Corinthians 1:2 KJV Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, TO THEM THAT ARE SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST JESUS, CALLED TO BE SAINTS, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

5. One commentary notes “Washed is clean, sanctified is set apart, justified is legally declared righteous. Dikaioo – God as Judge declares you not guilty, because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to you.”

Romans 3:24 Being JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE through the redemption that is IN CHRIST JESUS

Romans 4:25 {Jesus} was delivered for our offenses, and was RAISED AGAIN FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION.

Those who persist in walking in darkness, who will not repent and cling to Jesus, are not saved. They were never washed in the first place! Those who are born again will overcome, for their faith is a gift of God … and it will persist through any trial or loss.

Thank You, Jesus, for the great gift of Grace!

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Strange Fire Before The Lord

Posted on September 28, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Marek Piwnicki on Unsplash

Numbers 3:1-4 These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai. 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. 4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.

The Bible Is God’s Book, And It Speaks Of Jesus

The Bible is not a man made book filled with human traditions. The Bible is a God made Book. Every part of the Bible is inspired of God. The Apostle tells us:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV All Scripture is GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD {theopneustos}, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Greek theopneustos can mean inspired. But the word literally means “breathed out from God”. When God made Adam in the Garden of Eden, the Bible says that “yᵊhōvâ ĕlōhîm (The Triune God) breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life – and man became a living being”. When God breathed into that which He formed from the ground, His breath made man “in His image, and in his likeness”. We are living creatures because God breathed life into Adam, and gave humanity the power to transfer life through reproduction. The Bible is “God breathed”, just like Adam was God breathed. The Bible is not the product of dead trees and ink wrapped in dead animal skins.

The Bible is the Word of God. It’s 66 Books were written by 40 men who were moved by God the Holy Spirit. The Bible was given by God, preserved by God, and its words “are full of the Holy Spirit and LIFE” (John 6:63). We come together weekly to “unfold” and apply the Word of God, so that we might light and understanding (Psalm 119:130).

Many Christians do not understand the importance of the entire Bible. Many have never read – for instance – Numbers or Nahum or Leviticus or Zechariah. In fact, many Christians have never read any of the Old Testament at all. When Jesus said:

John 5:39-40 LSB – You SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES because you think that in them you have eternal life; IT IS THESE THAT BEAR WITNESS ABOUT ME; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

“THE SCRIPTURES” Jesus was referring to was the Old Testament. The only Bible the early Church had was the Old Testament. It was not until God moved the Apostles to write the New Testament that we had a New Testament. And Jesus said, “THE SCRIPTURES … BEAR WITNESS ABOUT ME”. In another place Jesus said:

Luke 24:44-45 LSB – These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN ABOUT ME IN THE LAW OF MOSES AND THE PROPHETS AND THE PSALMS MUST BE FULFILLED. 45 Then He OPENED THEIR MINDS TO UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES..

Many Christians do not read the Old Testament because they think it is a bunch of superseded laws and gobbledygook that the Cross erased. Beloved, God never erased the Law – the first 5 Books of Scripture. The LAW OF MOSES (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) testifies of Christ. God gave “The Law” or “The Law of Moses” for a specific reason. Again the Apostle tells us:

Galatians 3:24-25 NKJV – Therefore THE LAW WAS OUR TUTOR TO BRING US TO CHRIST, that WE MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. 25 But after faith has come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR.

God gave the Old Testament to teach us that we need the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God gave us the Law of Moses to teach us that our works cannot save us. Salvation has always been by faith in Jesus Christ. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David … every person mentioned in the Old Testament were saved by faith in the COMING JESUS. As God formed the Old Testament through 40 men, year after year people learned of their need for Jesus. Every sacrifice, every festival, every holy day, every Sabbath spoke of Jesus. The Old Testament is all about Jesus. The Old Testament is all about saving faith.

Let’s Look For Jesus In This Fourth Book
Of The Law Of Moses, Numbers

Numbers 3:1 These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that THE LORD SPAKE WITH MOSES IN MOUNT SINAI.

Why was Israel at the base of Mount Sinai? When God came to Moses in the Desert of Midian, He called Moses to – by faith – lead Israel out of Egypt. God was going to make a way, but Moses was to follow. Salvation has always been by faith in God. When God saved Abraham the Bible says:

Genesis 15:6 {Abraham} BELIEVED THE LORD, and the Lord COUNTED IT TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS

The same was true of Israel and of Moses. Though Moses was raised in the Pharaoh’s family, the Bible says:

Hebrews 11:24-25 By faith Moses… refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. HE CHOSE TO BE MISTREATED ALONG WITH THE PEOPLE OF GOD rather than to enjoy the FLEETING PLEASURES OF SIN.

Moses believed in Jesus. Moses believed in God.

Hebrews 11:27-29 BY FAITH {Moses} left Egypt… BY FAITH he KEPT THE PASSOVER and THE APPLICATION OF BLOOD… BY FAITH the people passed through the Red Sea.

Moses didn’t debate God. He just did what God told him to do. Moses sacrificed the Passover Lamb, and put it’s blood on the doorposts of his home. Those of faith, the people of God, sacrificed the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12). This Lamb is an Old Testament picture of Christ.

1 The Passover Lamb had to be without blemish – and Christ was without blemish, without sin. The lamb was to be sacrificed, and the sins of the people were poured out on that lamb by faith. Jesus is without sin.

1 Peter 2:22 {Jesus} COMMITTED NO SIN, neither was deceit found in his mouth

As the sins of the people were laid on the Passover Lamb, the sins of the believer are laid on Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake {God the Father} made {Jesus} TO BE SIN WHO KNEW NO SIN, so that IN HIM WE MIGHT BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

2 The “day that THE LORD SPAKE WITH MOSES IN MOUNT SINAI” two offerings were made to God, a “BURNT OFFERING” and a “PEACE OFFERING” (Exodus 24:5).

Exodus 24:4-5 NKJV – And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS and SACRIFICED PEACE OFFERINGS of oxen to the LORD.

In the “BURNT OFFERING” a male animal without blemish (bull, sheep, goat or dove – Leviticus 1:3, 10) would be brought to the altar. The person making the offering would lay their hand on the head of the animal (Leviticus 1:4), symbolically transferring the guilt of sin to the creature. Then the entire animal (minus the hide) was burned completely on the altar. We are told in Leviticus 1:4 that the Burnt Offering was accepted to God “to cover the sins of the people”.

The burning of the animal is representative of the judgment of God being poured out on Christ.

Isaiah 53:6-10 NKJV – All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And THE LORD HAS LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF US ALL. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; FOR THE TRANSGRESSIONS OF MY PEOPLE HE WAS STRICKEN. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked–But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet IT PLEASED THE LORD TO BRUISE HIM; He has put Him to grief. When YOU MAKE HIS SOUL AN OFFERING FOR SIN, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

That male Lamb without blemish, burned to coal, was symbolic of the punishment Christ took for us. Following the Burnt Offering was the Peace Offering. Once judgment passed, the person has peace with God. Jesus is OUR PEACE (Ephesians 2:14)

After these offerings were made, the Bible tells us that …

Exodus 24:9-11 NKJV – Then MOSES WENT UP, also AARON, NADAB, and ABIHU, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and THEY SAW THE GOD OF ISRAEL. And there was UNDER HIS FEET as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So THEY SAW GOD, and THEY ATE AND DRANK.

When the people made the Burnt Offerings and the Peace Offerings, they were allowed into the presence of God. What they saw was a manifestation of God. Jesus said “No man HATH SEEN GOD AT ANY TIME” (John 1:18), and God told Moses

Exodus 33:20 You CANNOT SEE MY FACE; for NO MAN CAN SEE ME, and LIVE …

They saw God in a MANIFESTED form. No one can see the invisible, infinite, unmediated essence of God. They saw “UNDER HIS FEET as it were a paved work of sapphire stone”, which suggests that they could see His feet and legs, but not His face covered with the clouds above. This is called a theophany, a manifestation of God.

How did MOSES, AARON, NADAB, and ABIHU, and seventy of the elders of Israel get into the presence of God? Only through the Burnt Offering. Only because of the Peace Offering. These offerings speak of Christ.

Numbers 3:2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

Who was there with Moses on Mount Sinai? Who witnessed the burnt offerings, and the peace offerings? Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. They watched Aaron their father prepare the burnt offerings and the peace offerings. The sons of Aaron saw their father the High Priest take a portion of the smoking offering and put it in the golden censer. The offering was burnt whole, symbolizing the Judgment of God being poured out on the Lamb instead of the people. The coal placed in the censer, as the smoke rose up, symbolized that acceptable offering rising unto God in Heaven. This rich tapestry, a “shadow of good things to come”, illustrated the life, ministry, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:36) John the Baptist cried out when he saw Jesus. Aaron took a coal from the burnt offering, and put it in the golden censer. As it’s smoke ascended to Heaven, the burnt offering represented the death of Christ.

When Noah first got off the Ark, the Bible says:

Genesis 8:20-21 NKJV – Noah built an altar to the LORD … and OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS ON THE ALTAR. 21 And the LORD SMELLED A SOOTHING AROMA. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

The burnt offering brought peace with God. The smoke of that offering ascending to Heaven pleases God, for it covers our sins. The burnt offering “made BY FIRE, of a SWEET SAVOR UNTO THE LORD” (Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17).

Numbers 3:2-3 Aaron; NADAB the firstborn, and ABIHU, ELEAZAR, and ITHAMAR. 3 These are the NAMES OF THE SONS OF AARON, the PRIESTS WHICH WERE ANOINTED, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest’s office.

Before Aaron and his sons could be consecrated as Priests before God, God told Moses:

Exodus 29:15, 18 NKJV – You shall also take one ram, and AARON AND HIS SONS SHALL PUT THEIR HANDS ON THE HEAD OF THE RAM; … 18 And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. IT IS A BURNT OFFERING TO THE LORD; it is A SWEET AROMA, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

The ram was without blemish or spot. The priests, Aaron and his sons, transferred their sins to the head of the offering. Then judgment fell not on them, but on the ram.

Judgment falls on Jesus rather than on us.
He paid the penalty for our sins.
He is our burnt Offering!

Ephesians 5:2 Christ also hath loved us, and HATH GIVEN HIMSELF FOR US AN OFFERING AND A SACRIFICE TO GOD for a sweet smelling savor.

The Old Testament sacrifices – given by the Law – were temporary until Christ came. They were shadows that taught of Christ. They taught us that we cannot save ourselves, that we must rely on Jesus for salvation. The Bible says:

Hebrews 10:11-12 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: {12} But {Jesus}, AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOREVER, sat down on the right hand of God;

The animal sacrifices speak of Christ. They lead us to Christ. They teach us we cannot save ourselves. Aaron and his sons knew exactly what God required, for they saw it, and saw God once they did as He said. It was so important that Nadab and Abihu make themselves available to God, serving the Lord in the Way that He required. They were taught. They were equipped. They knew what to do. And knowing the right, knowing the seriousness of their office, they did the wrong thing.

They Offered Strange Fire Before The Lord

Numbers 3:4 And NADAB AND ABIHU DIED BEFORE THE LORD, when THEY OFFERED STRANGE FIRE BEFORE THE LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children …

Nadab and Abihu knew all about burnt offerings and peace offerings. They knew that the only way to come into the presence of God was through the burnt offering. The burnt offering was to be without blemish, without spot. It was to be burnt on the altar (minus the hide), and the coal taken from the altar and placed in the golden censor.

The story is found in Leviticus chapter 10.

Leviticus 10:1-3 KJV Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and PUT FIRE THEREIN, and put incense thereon, and OFFERED STRANGE FIRE BEFORE THE LORD, which HE COMMANDED THEM NOT. 2 And there WENT OUT FIRE FROM THE LORD, and DEVOURED THEM, and THEY DIED BEFORE THE LORD. 3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I WILL BE SANCTIFIED IN THEM THAT COME NEAR ME, and BEFORE ALL THE PEOPLE I WILL BE GLORIFIED. And Aaron held his peace.

What is “STRANGE FIRE”? This is the Hebrew ʾēsh zārâ, which means “foreign, unauthorized, unapproved or profane”. Nadab and Abihu took incense and placed it in their golden censers just as they were shown. But then – rather than take a coal from the Burnt Offering to light the incense – they took a coal from a regular fire. They tried to do their holy office apart from God’s command. They put a human spin on what God told them to do. They tried to do what the Lord told them apart from the burnt offering, apart from Jesus Christ.

There are many people today trying to get to Heaven in their own power. Like the confused people at the Tower of Babel they are building walls of brick and mortar, of self righteousness and self improvement, hoping that they will get into God’s Heaven. There are preachers across this country who, like Nadab and Abihu, have preached a Gospel where Christ is never mentioned and His power never exalted.

Faith believes God. Faith obeys God. Faith trusts God for salvation. Faith doesn’t modify or twist what God has commanded. Faith takes Israel through the Red Sea, but strange fire keeps them from crossing the Jordan, and sends them on a 40 year trip to nowhere.

When Isaiah was blessed of God to look into Heaven, he said:

Isaiah 6:1-3 KJV – In the year that king Uzziah died I SAW ALSO THE LORD SITTING UPON A THRONE, HIGH AND LIFTED UP, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the SERAPHIMS: each one had six wings; with TWO HE COVERED HIS FACE and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is the LORD of hosts: THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY.

Isaiah saw a God so holy that even the angels could not look on Him. Seeing this manifestation of God, Isaiah cried out:

Isaiah 6:5 KJV – … Woe is me! for I am undone; because I AM A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS, and I DWELL IN THE MIDST OF A PEOPLE WITH UNCLEAN LIPS: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

At that moment when Isaiah in anguish cried out, the Bible says..

Isaiah 6:6-7 KJV – Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having A LIVE COAL IN HIS HAND, which he had taken with the tongs FROM OFF THE ALTAR: 7 And HE LAID IT UPON MY MOUTH, and said, Lo, THIS HATH TOUCHED THY LIPS; and THINE INIQUITY IS TAKEN AWAY, and THY SIN PURGED.

It is a coal from the altar, the burnt offering, that purges sin. It is Jesus Christ Who died for us, once and for all, paying the penalty for our sins. His sacrifice is the coal of the altar.

Take Me Past The Outer Courts
And Through The Holy Place
Past The Brazen Altar
Lord, I Want To See Your Face.
Pass Me By The Crowds Of People
And The Priests Who Sing Your Praise
I Hunger And Thirst For Your Righteousness
It’s Only Found One Place
Take Me In To The Holy Of Holies
Take Me In By The Blood Of The Lamb
Take Me In To The Holy Of Holies
Take a Coal, touch My Lips, Here I Am.

Nadab and Abihu, along with thousands of others, have sought to take fire from the wrong source. They take it from human works, religion, good intentions. And nothing good came from it. You must come surrendered to Christ. He is Lord and Savior. His Word is truth.

“NADAB AND ABIHU DIED BEFORE THE LORD”. These two men – trained in serving the Lord – decided to take Christ out of the center of their worship. Rather than take a live coal from the Burnt Offering (symbolic of Christ on the Cross) they took an unsanctified coal – a coal not centered in Jesus and in the Cross – and tried to pass this off on the Lord. Fire went out from the Lord. Fire literally shot out of the Holy of Holies and destroyed them. They did not become ash – nor, do I believe – were their clothes burned – for Moses said in verse 4:

Leviticus 10:4 … Come near, CARRY YOUR BRETHREN from before the sanctuary out of the camp.

The Holy Fire may have been something like lightening. Regardless as to what it was, their lives were forfeited. Listen Beloved to this Truth: Where the Judgment of God falls depends entirely on your actions. Have you trusted in Christ? Do you approach God through Him? God told Israel:

Leviticus 10:3 … I WILL BE SANCTIFIED in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I WILL BE GLORIFIED…

We don’t set the rules. God sets the rules. You may have the opinion that your efforts, your own righteousnesses, are good enough to get you into Heaven. Yet Jesus has said:

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

According to Jesus you are in a state of spiritual death without Him. You must be passed from death unto life. You can only do that by hearing Christ’s Word and by believing on Him. Your redemption from death to life must come through faith in Jesus. The Bible says:

1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were NOT REDEEMED WITH CORRUPTIBLE THINGS, as silver and gold, from your vain {way of life} received by tradition from your fathers; {19} But WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, AS OF A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT SPOT

When Jesus is in the center of your life we are made the righteousness of God in Him. He has …

Revelation 1:5-6 … loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

We who are saved are not saved because we are good, but because we simply bent the knee to Christ. We believed on Him. We trusted our souls to His hands. We know that He is able to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, because He continually – as our High Priest – stands between us and the Judgment of God (Hebrews 7:25-26). A little sin, a little self righteousness will destroy a life – but a little faith in Christ will save it.

Numbers 3:4 … Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD … they had no children: and ELEASAR AND ITHAMAR MINISTERED IN THE PRIEST’S OFFICE office in the sight of Aaron their father.

Eleazar and Ithamar went on to minister in their brothers place. They did as God said, and were blessed. There is no blessing outside of the will of God. May God draw you close to Jesus this very day!

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When The Church Is Like The World

Posted on September 25, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Matt Richmond on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

When The World Infiltrates The Church

What do we do when the world infiltrates the Church? The world is ALWAYS trying to infiltrate the Church. When a person joins the “membership” roll of the Church following water baptist, each professing believer in the Church takes the word of the new member that they are actually “born again”. Sadly,

Some of those who are on the physical roll of the Church are not spiritually a part of the Church.

Though we use man made paper and “rolls” to annotate our “members”, the Bible says that:

Acts 2:47 (ESV) … the LORD ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER DAY BY DAY those who were being saved.

1 Corinthians 12:13 (NKJV) For BY ONE SPIRIT WE WERE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY–whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free–and have ALL BEEN MADE TO DRINK INTO ONE SPIRIT.

It is the Holy Spirit of God Who adds people to the Church. To be in the Church, one must be in the Book of Life (Psalm 69:28; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5). You cannot be in the Book of Life unless you are regenerated, or born again. The Christian has seven actions performed on them from the Holy Spirit of God. They are …

1. Regenerated (Palingenesia, born again) – John 3:3; Ephesians 2:1

2. Justified (Dikaiosis, imputed righteousness) – 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:24-26

3. Adopted (Huiothesia, legally brought into the family of God) – Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:4-5

4. Reconciled (Katallage, restored relationship with God) – Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

5. Redeemed (Apolutrosis, purchased or ransomed from slavery) – Colossians 1:13

6. Sanctified (Hagiasmos, Positionally set apart for God’s use. Daily changed to be more like Christ) – 1 Corinthians 1:2

7. The promise of Glorification (Doxazo, ultimately purified to walk with God in eternity) – Romans 8:30

No man made “roll” does this. Now there’s really nothing wrong with a “roll”. It’s not sinful. When Jesus called the Apostles to His side, Matthew (10:2-4), Mark (3:16-19), and Luke (6:14-16) all list a “Roll Call”. It is later in Scripture we find out that Judas Iscariot, though he was called by Jesus, though he was on the paper roll, was never saved. Jesus said:

John 6:70 KJV … Have not I chosen you twelve, and ONE OF YOU IS A DEVIL?

Jesus chose Judas knowing he was not saved, that he was a false follower (John 17:12). The Apostle John said of Judas “HE WAS A THIEF, and having charge of the money bag he used to HELP HIMSELF to what was in it” (John 12:4-6). When someone “joins” the Church physically, we cannot see their hearts.

But we can see their fruit.

The Apostles saw the fruit of Judas Iscariot, and John called him out on it. But sadly, this young man who was a “member” of Corinth, his fruit was rotten. But the Church did nothing about it. They just looked the other way.

The Fruit Of The Child Of God
Should Not Be Sexual Sin

1 Corinthians 5:1 It is REPORTED COMMONLY (akouō holōs) that there is FORNICATION (porneia) among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

Word Study: Paul says “It is REPORTED COMMONLY”. This is the Greek akouō holōs, and this could be translated “EVERYBODY HAS HEARD”. This was long before there was an Internet or Social Media. What was happening in Corinth was being passed on by word of mouth. Beloved, When something weird is going on in a Church body, word gets out. People hear. Unbelievers hear.

What the unbelievers are hearing is that there is “FORNICATION”, porneia “illicit and unbiblical sexual activity”. This is a catch all phrase for any type of sexual deviancy, including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, sexual intercourse with close relatives. There is porneia in the local Church.

This man – a member of Corinth – was in a sexual relationship with his stepmother (Paul here says “HIS FATHER’S WIFE” (patēr gynē) rather than “his mother” (mētēr)).

Among the “Gentiles” or the unsaved Romans this was not even allowed. And it was certainly not allowed according to the Scripture that the Church had at this time. The Bible says:

Leviticus 18:8 NKJV – The nakedness of YOUR FATHER’S WIFE you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness.

Only your father should enjoy an intimate relationship with his stepmother. Even the Romans understood this was evil. The Digest of Justinian (Book 23, Title 2) stated “For a man to marry his stepmother, ex-mother-in-law, stepdaughter, or ex-daughter-in-law… was, in juristic interpretation, incestuous”.

Even unbelievers would not tolerate what this young man was doing. But Corinthian Christians not only tolerated, but were proud of that the man was doing!

1 Corinthians 5:2 KJV And ye are PUFFED UP (physioō, swollen up with pride), and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU (exairō).

Rather than be ashamed that one of their members was in grievous sexual sin, the Corinthian believers were proud that they were so tolerant. I am sure that the Pastor of the Church was heavily involved in promoting this type of evil. The Ten Commandments, the basis of national stability, states:

Fifth Commandment – Exodus 20:12 HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. (Deuteronomy 5:16; Ephesians 6:2-3; Matthew 15:4)

Seventh Commandment – Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Deuteronomy 5:18; Matthew 5:27-28; Hebrews 13:4)

Word Study: Paul said that rather than be proud, they should have desired that the one who did this “might be TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU”. This is the Greek exairō. This word is used in the Septuagint to describe how to handle a false witness:

Deuteronomy 19:17-19 KJV Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; 18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou PUT THE EVIL AWAY FROM AMONG YOU.

Paul quotes this verse in our context:

1 Corinthians 5:13 KJV – But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore PUT AWAY FROM AMONG YOURSELVES (exairō) that wicked person.

The Church is to disfellowship those in unrepentant sexual sin. The Church is not to give the nod to such behavior. But the Church is to:

1 Corinthians 5:4-5 KJV – In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, WHEN YE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 To DELIVER SUCH AN ONE TO SATAN for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

In the Bible, the world outside of Christ’s Kingdom (the Church) is called “the Kingdom of Satan”. The Church recognizes the behavior is godless, and withdraws from association with the openly sinning believer until they repent.

Jesus sends the Church with a mission, to …

Acts 26:18 NKJV – … to open their eyes, in order to TURN THEM FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, and FROM THE POWER OF SATAN TO GOD, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.

Those who are saved by the Grace of God are “DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS, and CONVEYED into the KINGDOM OF THE SON of His love” (Colossians 1:13). We are not to be walking in darkness, but to be walking in the light with God, according to His Word. The Church is to “DELIVER SUCH A ONE TO SATAN”. Not to condone what that person does, but to distance yourself from that person. If he continues down that path, since “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), he will reap what he sows.

The intent of addressing the problem is to lead the professing Christian back into harmony with the will of God and His Word – that the person might be saved.

that the spirit MAY BE SAVED in the day of the Lord Jesus

If someone gets into sin and the Christian looks the other way, or even justifies the sin that this person is engaged in, then that person will never repent. And if that person never repents, then that person will leave this life without Christ and without forgiveness.

So the sinner is disfellowshipped. Not to hurt them. Not to be cruel. But a genuine Christian is indwelt with the Holy Spirit, and a genuine Christian knows what is righteous and what is not. When the Church goes along with the nonsense of sin, then that person will most likely die in their sins.

You need not repent if you think its OK!

Illustrate: Just today I heard about a “Pastor” from Myers Park Covenant Church (Charlotte, NC), a Church that encourages its members to march in Gay Pride Parades wearing shirts saying “God is PROUD of you”. The Church celebrates “Supporting our Muslim Neighbors”, telling those in the local Muslim faith that they celebrate “your building plans for your new house of worship”. In a recent “sermon”, the “pastor” Tim Moore celebrated the annual homosexual Pride March by telling the congregation that the Eunich that Philip led to the Lord was “transgender, queer, or gay”. The Church is not Bible based, but culturally based.

And they claim to be Baptists.

They are not, in any real sense of the word, “Baptists”. They are acting like unbelievers. And their actions are leading people away from repentance and reception of Christ.

Looking The Other Way On Open Sin
Allows Sin And Death To Spread

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 KJV Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

How did Corinth get so far away from the Scripture? How did Myers Park get so far away from the God of the Bible? Paul makes it clear:

a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump

I love baking bread. “Leaven” or yeast is used in making and baking bread. In the Old Testament, leaven or yeast was often used to illustrate sin. You small amount of yeast into a flour mixture, add sugar (making it sweet), and it will feed on that sweetness. As the yeast feeds, it spreads throughout ALL the flour mixture, causing the bread to rise.

Preach: Leaven will not grow without assistance. You have to put something “sweet” in the bread mixture that the leaven will feed on. Sin will not grow without assistance. When sin is not addressed and rebuked, but PRAISED, it will grow and go throughout the entire congregation. The Pastor is called to rebuke, not to justify, sin. The Body of Christ is the Kingdom of Christ on the earth. The Church is never to justify sin.

2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, REBUKE, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

Titus 2:13-15 NKJV looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, that HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM EVERY LAWLESS DEED and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. 15 Speak these things, exhort, and REBUKE WITH ALL AUTHORITY. Let no one despise you.

Titus 1:9 NKJV {A Pastor is to be} HOLDING FAST THE FAITHFUL WORD as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and CONVICT THOSE WHO CONTRADICT.

1 Timothy 5:20 NKJV Those who are sinning REBUKE IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL, that THE REST ALSO MAY FEAR.

The Pastor at Corinth was encouraging the congregation to look the other way. The congregation was looking the other way. And over time, sin so disrupted the Church that the Church didn’t look like a Church, but the dark world around it.

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that YE MAY BE A NEW LUMP, as YE ARE UNLEAVENED. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us

Jesus died on the Cross not just to save us, but to purify us. We are not saved IN our sins, but FROM our sins.

The Apostle tells us:

Romans 6:18-23 NKJV And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so NOW PRESENT YOUR MEMBERS AS SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR HOLINESS. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For THE END OF THOSE THINGS IS DEATH. 22 But now having been SET FREE FROM SIN, and HAVING BECOME SLAVES OF GOD, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Christian is to be UNLEAVENED with sin. The Church is to be UNLEAVENED with sin. Those who “HAVE EYES FULL OF ADULTERY and that CANNOT CEASE FROM SIN, entice unstable souls. Their HEARTS ARE TRAINED IN COVETOUSNESS. They are cursed children who have forsaken the right way. They have GONE ASTRAY, like Balaam the son of Beor, who LOVED UNRIGHTEOUSNESS” (2 Peter 2:14-15, AP). They must be recognized as unfit, as bad fruit, and not recognized as believers but as unbelievers.

We Can And Should Reach Out To The Lost,
But We Must Never Claim The Lost Are Saved

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 KJV I wrote unto you in an epistle NOT TO COMPANY {synanamignymi} WITH FORNICATORS: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you NOT TO KEEP COMPANY {synanamignymi}, if any MAN THAT IS CALLED A BROTHER be a FORNICATOR {pornos, sexual sinner}, or COVETOUS {pleonektēs, pronounced pleh-on-ek’-tace, greedy}, or an IDOLATOR {eidōlolatrēs, worshiper of false gods}, or a RAILER {loidoros, pronounced loy’-dor-os, abusive bully}, or a DRUNKARD {methysos}, or an EXTORTIONER {harpax, robber, thief}; with such an one no not to eat.

Word Study: Paul had previously written Corinth, and told the believers there “NOT TO COMPANY {synanamignymi} WITH FORNICATORS”. That really difficult Greek word synanamignymi (pronounced soon-an-am-ig’-noo-mee) means “do not mix up together with, do not receive to yourself as equals, do not be intimate with”. Paul uses this word three times in his writings. Twice here, and in:

2 Thessalonians 3:14 KJV And if any man OBEY NOT OUR WORD BY THIS EPISTLE, note that man, and HAVE NO COMPANY WITH HIM {synanamignymi}, that he may BE ASHAMED.

The word is also used in the Septuagint for compromising your faith. God said in Hosea 7:8 “Ephraim MIXED HIMSELF AMONG THE PEOPLE (synanamignymi)”. Rather than stay true to God, the nation of Ephraim compromised their faith – and God was not happy with them. In verses 9-11 Paul establishes a principle that every believer is to follow. To paraphrase this section, the Apostle is saying:

“If someone says that they are a believer in Christ, but the fruit of their life is sexual sin, greed, worship of false gods, an abusive bully, a drunkard, or a thief … do not share a meal with them. However, you are allowed to sit and share a meal with known sinners, just as Jesus did (Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:29-32).”

With believers who are acting like unbelievers, you are NOT to eat with them. You are in no way to encourage them to stay in sin. But with unbelievers who are acting like unbelievers, you ARE to eat with them to perhaps to win them to Christ.

Paul ends with these words:

1 Corinthians 5:12-13 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

Those that are “WITHOUT”, that is, outside the Kingdom of Christ, God will judge them. These people we are to witness to, to tell of Christ. But within the Church we must Biblically police our own ranks. If someone wanders from Christ, we do not justify the wandering. We encourage them to repent, to return to Christ, to live for Him and for His glory. But if they will not repent, we are plainly told:

put away from among yourselves that wicked person

Sin is a horrible affront to God. His Son died on the Cross to make atonement for our sins. We are not to cover sin, but to cast off sin. We are to be light in this present evil world, to the glory of God our Savior. Amen.

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The Only Way Home

Posted on September 23, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by George Hiles on Unsplash

John 14:1-6 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Opening: A little boy’s mother asked him to go and get her broom. The little boy asked “where is it Mama?”, to which she replied, “It’s on the back porch”. The sun had just gone down and the child, like many young children, was afraid to step out into the dark, moonless night. His mama realized what was bothering him and said, “Son, don’t you remember when I told you that Jesus would always be with you? He’ll be with you when you step on to the back porch – you just have to trust Him.” The child replied, “Is Jesus really on the back porch, Mama?” “Yes, honey, now go get my broom”. The child went to the door, opened it a crack, and whispered through the opening, “Jesus, if You’re there, will you bring me my Mamma’s broom?”

As a Pastor I have heard the words above said – and I’ve preached them – more times than I can count. “Let not your heart be troubled”. When we are at a funeral, our hearts are troubled. When sickness strikes, we are troubled. But Jesus said “Let not your heart be troubled”.

Who Should Have Untroubled Hearts?

Should ALL of us have untroubled hearts? When Jesus said “Let not your heart be troubled” – the Greek mē tarassō – this is a command that can be translated,

“Stop letting your heart be troubled”

Who was Jesus speaking to when He said this? Jesus is speaking to Thomas (verse 5). He is teaching Philip (vs 8), and Jude (vs 22). Jesus was addressing John, because he recorded the conversation. In short, Jesus was addressing those who loved Him and followed Him. Jesus was addressing those willing to sit at His feet and be taught.

“You believe in God – believe ALSO IN ME”

Preach! Jesus was not talking to the religious crowd, those who are self righteous or self sufficient. Jesus is talking to people who heard His call, “Come, follow Me”. And He is telling them “Just as you believe in GOD – believe in ME for I AM GOD”. I’m not a Rabbi. I’m not just a Teacher. I am God the Father’s Son, sent from glory to you. Your faith in the Father – the same quality of faith should be in Me!

The disciples had many exposures to religious teachers – Sadducees, Pharisees, Scribes, and Herodians – who all claimed to be the Way to God. But, like the Pharisees and Sadducees – they elevated human tradition over the Word of God. Jesus told them – and us:

John 8:42-44 NKJV IF GOD WERE YOUR FATHER, YOU WOULD LOVE ME, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO LISTEN TO MY WORD. 44 YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, and THE DESIRES OF YOUR FATHER YOU WANT TO DO. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own [resources], for he is a liar and the father of it.

We are all born into this world broken creatures. Everyone seeks a religion to rest in – and until Jesus calls and we answer that call we walk in darkness. Jesus said:

John 8:12 … I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. WHOEVER FOLLOWS ME WILL NOT WALK IN DARKNESS, but will HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE.

That’s who Jesus is addressing when He says

John 14:1 LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED: ye believe in God, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME

Have you heard His call? Have you come to His side? Are you sitting at His feet? ARE YOU HOME? It is Jesus Who calls us home, out of the darkness and confusion and into the light. There was a song I heard right after I was saved by a man named Barry McGuire. So pretty. He sang:

Sailboats sailin’ a crystal sea
Gypsy dolphins runnin’ free
Seagulls circling endlessly
Callin’ me home
Mocking bird, butterfly
Sunset colors, ah, they’re filling the sky
Newborn baby starts to cry
Callin’ me home

When I was lost and all alone
I took a look on what I’d done
You know, the only love I’ve ever known
Was callin’ me, callin’ me, callin’ me
I heard Him callin’ me home
I’m going home, going home
I’m going home, I’m going home

Jesus called these men to His side, and they answered the call. They put down all the secondary things, and ran into His open arms. To these, Jesus said “let not your heart be troubled”. The God Who made everything, the God the Scripture tells us is “The Word”, the God we see defined in:

John 1:1-4 NKJV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD. 2 HE WAS IN THE BEGINNING WITH GOD. 3 ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Should you be “troubled”? If you do not know Jesus – and Jesus does not know you – you should be troubled. You don’t have to be – you could come to Him. Abraham came to Him. Moses came to Him. David came to Him. The disciples came to Him. He calls you – will you come?

A young man came to Jesus one day. He had heard Jesus was a Great Teacher, perhaps the equivalent of Gamaliel. This young man had looked on God’s creation, looked at the testimony of nature, and knew there must be more. We all know in our hearts there must be more than this life. So he asks Jesus,

Matthew 19:16 KJV – … Good Master, what GOOD THING SHALL I DO, that I MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?

Is there a “good thing” I can do to get in good with God? This young man saw Jesus as a mere teacher, so the first thing He told him was:

“There are NONE GOOD, but GOD”

God is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). And we are NOT, NOT, NOT.

Each and every one of us “FALL SHORT of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Bible says that “our human RIGHTEOUSNESS is AS FILTHY RAGS” (Isaiah 64:6). Born broken because of Adam’s sin, we “WALK IN DARKNESS” (Isaiah 9:2; John 12:35) because we walk apart from God. But God calls to us out of the darkness. God gave us the Bible with its commandments to draw us to Jesus. Jesus tells this young man to keep God’s Commandments:

Matthew 19:17-19 NKJV – … if you WANT TO ENTER INTO LIFE, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

The young man listened to Jesus, and said “ALL THESE THINGS I’VE KEPT FROM MY YOUTH. What do I still lack?”. Like many of you, you’ve been religious your whole life. You grew up in the Church and attend Church still …. but you don’t feel quite right. Do you know why that is?

The Bible says that the reason God gave the Law was not to save you, but to lead you to the One Who CAN SAVE YOU.

Galatians 3:24 NKJV Therefore THE LAW WAS OUR TUTOR TO BRING US TO CHRIST, that we might be justified by faith.

There is no justification by faith in keeping the Law. The Law cannot take you home. This young man “since a child I followed that Law”, but he stands before Jesus now. His heart is restless. He wants to be home, and the Law has brought him to the very door of Heaven – but it cannot get him through the door.

The Key is REPENTANCE and JESUS.

Jesus told this man …

Matthew 19:21 SELL WHAT YOU HAVE AND GIVE TO THE POOR, and you will have treasure in heaven; and COME, FOLLOW ME

Why did Jesus tell the young man to “SELL WHAT YOU HAVE” and give it away? Because what he had was an idol, a thing he worshiped above God. You cannot follow Jesus and idols. You cannot worship two things. Jesus told him – and us – you must REPENT, put away the idols – and hearing the Voice of Jesus, “Come, FOLLOW JESUS”.

That’s where home is. Home is with Jesus. Home is loving Him, sitting at His feet, hearing and obeying His Word. Home is being unashamed of Jesus, and not letting anyone rob you of your place with Him.

He’s calling you home.

Are You Looking Forward To The Mansion – Or Jesus?

John 14:2-3 … I GO to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I GO and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

At this point in His ministry, Jesus has to “GO to prepare a place for you”. Jesus isn’t talking about Heaven at this point. Jesus is going to go to hell for you. Jesus is going to suffer for your sins and mine. The God of Heaven is holy, righteous, pure, free from all sin. And this Holy God, of Whom Joshua said:

Joshua 24:19 “… He is a HOLY GOD; He is a JEALOUS GOD; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins”

You cannot make yourself good enough to stand in God’s place. God must make you good enough. God must cover your sins. We are all sinners. We are all fallen. We are all short of His glory. And God, Who alone is Holy and Pure, sees our sin:

Romans 3:10-12 … There is none righteous, no, not one: {11} There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. {12} They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; THERE IS NONE THAT DOETH GOOD, NO, NOT ONE.

When Jesus told His followers “I go to prepare a place for you”, He is telling all who will listen that He is the only One Who can do this. Where was Jesus going? He is going to the Cross. He is going to make payment for our sins. He is going to lay His life down in our place. He is going to suffer and die for those who believe in Him. Jesus is “the Lamb of God Who takes away our sins” (John 1:29). Jesus didn’t just wave a magic wand and make our sins go away.

Jesus prepared a place for us in God’s presence by TAKING OUR PLACE on the Cross. He bore the punishment for our sins. He took the hell we so rightly deserve, so that we who love Him can take His Heaven.

The Bible says …

1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV – … you were not redeemed with corruptible things, [like] silver or gold, from your aimless conduct [received] by tradition from your fathers, 19 but WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, AS OF A LAMB without blemish and without spot.

Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son, was sent by the Father to become a Redeemer for all who believe in Him.

God sent His Son into the world so that
we might live through Him (1 John 4:9).

God loved us, and sent His Son to be
the payment for our sins (1 John 4:10).

He alone came from Heaven – went to the hell of Calvary, died and then went to Heaven. Once in Heaven during the three days and three nights His body lay in the Tomb, the Bible says:

Hebrews 9:12, 15 NKJV NOT with the blood of goats and calves, but WITH HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED THE MOST HOLY PLACE ONCE FOR ALL, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION. … 15 And for this reason HE IS THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that THOSE WHO ARE CALLED MAY RECEIVE THE PROMISE OF THE ETERNAL INHERITANCE.

Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16). Jesus Christ is the Blessed and only Potentate, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15). As the Only Begotten Son and God Himself He has every right to prepare a place for us in His Father’s House. He has the right, and exercises that right for us.

No angel of God prepared you a place.
Your good works did not prepare you a place.
Your benevolence toward others did not prepare you a place.
Jesus Christ ALONE prepared you a place.

Jesus went to prepare a place for you because He was alone Chosen of God to redeem His people. Jesus prayed as He approached the Way of the Cross:

John 12:27-28 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but FOR THIS CAUSE CAME I UNTO THIS HOUR. {28} Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

You are “THE CAUSE” that Jesus came for. And only those who love Jesus will be with Him in Heaven one day. Jesus has (John 17:2) “power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him”. When Jesus fulfilled the prophecy:

Isaiah 50:6 I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting.

He did that for those who love Him. Hung on a Cross in a garbage dump “outside the gate of the city” (Hebrews 13:12), Jesus suffered and died. For you. So He could do as He promised,

John 14:2 … I go to prepare a place for you.

Jesus made “peace between God and man through the Blood of His Cross” (Colossians 1:20). Jesus’ shed Blood alone “blotted out the handwriting of ordinances – offenses against God – for us” (Colossians 2:14). Jesus did this for those who came home to Him. These words,

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN, and RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF; that WHERE I AM, THERE YOU MAY BE ALSO.

Jesus will come back to those who love Him NOW. Jesus will one day return for every believer, and take you to the place where He is. People like to capitalize on this text:

John 14:2 In My Father’s house are MANY MANSIONS …

and wonder about the “MANSION” we will have in Heaven. That shows a flaw in your thinking. Heaven isn’t about “stuff”. Heaven is about JESUS. It’s about being with Jesus.

When Jesus said “in My Father’s house are MANY MANSIONS (Greek monē)”, what He is conveying is that there is room enough for whosoever will. Heaven will never fill up. You won’t get to Bethlehem and find out there’s no room at the inn. There is room for those who love Jesus, who respond to His call and FOLLOW HIM.

Those Without Love For Jesus Will Not Find
The Welcome Mat Out In Heaven

John 14:4-6 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

People like to call the disciple Thomas, “doubting Thomas”. But Thomas was actually a great student of Christ. The Roman Church gave Thomas the nickname of “doubting Thomas” because – when Jesus resurrected and appeared to the disciples – Thomas was not there at the first meeting. When the disciples told Thomas Jesus rose from the grave, he told them:

John 20:25 Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.

The Bible itself never calls Thomas “doubting Thomas”. Jesus makes a special appearance to Thomas eight days later and invites him to do exactly what he told the disciples he wanted to do. “Thomas, put your finger in My hands. Put your finger in My side where the soldier pierced Me. Believe Me!”. Jesus did not chastise Thomas for doubting, nor did He mock Peter for abandoning Him while He hung on that Cross. When Thomas saw Jesus, he exclaimed:

John 20:28 MY LORD AND MY GOD!

We all have doubts. But when we do, Jesus comes to us and bids us to draw near to Him. If you are saved, you want to be near Jesus. If you are born again, you want to be near the One Who made your new birth possible.

Back to Thomas. He tells Jesus “we don’t know where You are going”. Thomas doesn’t understand where Jesus is going. In fact, none of them really understand until after the resurrection. So Thomas asks “HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY?”.

Earlier we saw a young man who came to Jesus wanting to know the WAY to eternal life. Now Thomas says “HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY?”. Jesus’ reply is absolute.

John 14:6 I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.

How can Thomas know the Way that Jesus goes? The answer is simple. STAY CLOSE TO JESUS. The Bible tells us that:

Proverbs 16:25 NKJV – There is A WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, But ITS END IS THE WAY OF DEATH.

People are fond of saying “there are many ways to God”. Senate candidate James Talarico, a self professed “Christian”, a Presbyterian Seminarian and a preacher has been recorded as stating:

“Modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes. In fact there are six…”

Jesus recognizes only two genders, male and female (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4). Talarico also said:

“I find that they’re all kind of equal pathways to truth. You know, that’s how I think, you know, I always think of all of the world’s faith traditions as like a circle with that divine mystery of the universe in the middle. And we all have different names for that mystery. … Whether it’s God or Yahweh or Allah or Nirvana, the Great Spirit, whatever you call it, this is all, you know, different pathways to the same kind of fundamental truth of reality”.

This is a direct contradiction to what Jesus said in John 14:6. Jesus said “I AM THE WAY”. My comments on Mr Talarico are not meant to demean him, but to point out that though he says he is a Christian (here he said “my faith is rooted in Scripture and the teachings of Jesus Christ”), his statements are contrary to what Jesus said. What this man is preaching is what many false preachers have preached for years.

We don’t want to offend anyone – so ALL WAYS are equally valid. If you believe this, you offend the One Who matters most. You offend God.

The early Apostles, the preachers of the Gospel, were very specific. They declared:

Galatians 1:8-9 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL unto you than that which we have preached unto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. {9} As we said before, so say I now again, if ANY MAN PREACH ANY OTHER GOSPEL unto you than that ye have received, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.

Christ alone has prepared a place for us. Christ alone has invited us – by faith – into His Father’s House, so that

John 3:15 That whosoever BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have eternal life.

Once more, read the clear words of Christ:

John 14:6 I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.

If you do not love Jesus, if you do not cling to Jesus, if you do not walk the pathway of righteousness with Jesus, if you do not believe the words of this Book that Jesus wrote, THEN you will not enter into life.

Many like Talarico – and others – think they have life. They try to enter Heaven by the W I D E gate. They compromise with the world. They try to re-write the words of Scripture. But Beloved, “W I D E is the gate and B R O A D is the way TO DESTRUCTION, and there are MANY THAT GO THAT WAY”. The way you need to go is “A NARROW GATE, a DIFFICULT WAY that leads to LIFE” (Matthew 7:13-14).

That Way is Jesus. Jesus is the Only Way home. Jesus is home. Jesus tells us what is truth, and what is fiction. And only Jesus – NOT Mohammad, NOT Buddha, NOT Talarico, NOT Trump.

Just Jesus. I hope you know Him.

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Standing For Jesus In The Devil’s World

Posted on September 18, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by William Veitch on Unsplash

Paul had a LOT of problems with the Church at Corinth. First of all, they compared him with other preachers and evangelists – and Paul came up short. Second, the Church was compromising with the darkness, and would not stand up and LOUDLY live for Christ.

Paul who founded the Church at Corinth.
But a confused leadership was running it!

Jesus To Be Lifted Up Whether People Like it Or Not

1 Corinthians 4:6-8 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us NOT TO THINK OF MEN ABOVE THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

Last week we saw how Paul talked of our stewardship, and that we are stewards of the mysteries of God. We are all stewards of what God has given us. What is necessary for a steward? Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 4:2 … it is required in stewards, that A MAN WE FOUND FAITHFUL

The steward is to be faithful in managing that which the owner has entrusted to him. God has given the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Church. No man will go into Heaven without Jesus. So we are to STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS whether others like it or not. Let’s continue:

1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might LEARN IN US NOT TO THINK OF MEN ABOVE THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Neither Paul nor Apollos set themselves above others when fulfilling their stewardship. As Paul preached the Gospel to the lost world, he was attacked. Paul would later write:

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (ESV) with far greater labors, far more IMPRISONMENTS, with countless BEATINGS, and often near death. FIVE TIMES I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. THREE TIMES IN WAS BEATEN WITH RODS. ONCE I WAS STONED. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea… in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

Preach! Do you know why Paul went through all this trial and tribulation? Because the Gospel OFFENDS LOST PEOPLE. The Christian way of life OFFENDS LOST PEOPLE. Talk about Buddha, people will think you sophisticated. Talk about Confucius, and people will think you smart. Talk about Nihilism, and people will feel you are college educated. But talk about Jesus – live for Jesus – lift up the God of the Bible and honor Him in the name of Jesus – and YOU WILL OFFEND.

Paul warned the Corinthian Church – and us all – to “NOT TO THINK OF MEN ABOVE THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN”. God is to be elevated. God is the Owner of all things. We as humans are but stewards of what God has given us. God has given us life. God has given us Jesus. God has given us the Bible. Look again at the phrase, “ABOVE THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN”. As Paul writes under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, he has quoted or referred to 13 Old Testament passages in 1 Corinthians chapters 1-4. Paul didn’t write the Bible without the Bible. The Apostles quoted the Old Testament – the Bible of that day – and wove its truths into the New Covenant Scripture. For example …

In 1 Corinthians 1:19 he quotes Isaiah 29:14 “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent”

In 1 Corinthians 1:20 Paul quotes Jeremiah 8:8-9 saying “Where is the wise? Where is the Scribe?

In 1 Corinthians 3:20 Paul quotes Psalm 94:11, “The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity”.

In 1 Corinthians 2:16 Paul quotes Isaiah 40:13, “Who has known the mind of the Lord?”

In the 13 quotes Paul lists from the Old Testament up to this point in just the Book of 1 Corinthians, the emphasis is this: God is everything, but man is nothing. Paul has taught us that:

God overturns human wisdom (Isaiah 29:14; Job 5; Psalm 94).
True wisdom comes only from revelation (Isaiah 40; Isaiah 64).
Boasting must be in the Lord alone (Jeremiah 9).
God chooses the unexpected and the weak (Isaiah 52–53; Isaiah 65).

We are NOT TO THINK OF MEN ABOVE THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN”. Humanism and human philosophy sets man up as wise. Paul says that, no, we are none of us wise apart from God. That which we have, we have from God. So Paul tells us as believers “don’t be puffed up against one another”.

Three Questions To Ponder As Professing Christians

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

We as believers are to be “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). Each believer in Christ receives a gift from God. The gift is given not to puff us up, but to “MINISTER IT TO ONE ANOTHER”, to elevate your brother or sister in Christ, and to share Christ with the lost. Paul now asks each of us three searching questions:

1 “WHO MAKETH THEE TO DIFFER FROM ANOTHER?”. Who made you? Did you make yourself? No, God made you, and He made you to serve Him. Not to please the world, but to please Him. We are supposed to walk in our faith, to be fruitful, to be apparent Christians in this present evil world. The Bible says …

Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that NOT OF YOURSELVES; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand that WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM.

God made us to do good works. Not everyone does the same thing, but no believer does nothing. God doesn’t ask us to please people, but to please Him. One of the biggest cop outs is when believers hunt for work for others to do. Each of us has a gift from God. Each of us has something God expects us to do. We are not to be welfare chicks, wanting others to wait on us. We are to be salt and light in this present world.

Being salt and light in a dark and unsavory world will offend that world – but we are called to serve the One Who saved us.

2 “WHAT HAST THOU THAT THOU DIDST NOT RECEIVE?”. God gave you the salvation through Christ. God gave you the Holy Spirit. God gave you the gift. Every gift, every ability, every truth, every strength that you have, it was a grace gift from God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV – Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD.

We are not told “do all to the glory of God UNLESS YOU OFFEND SOMEONE”. We’re not told that. We are to live out loud for Jesus.

3 “NOW IF THOU DIDST RECEIVE IT, WHY DOST THOU GLORY, AS IF THOU HADST NOT RECEIVED IT?”. If what you have – whether it be physical or spiritual – is a gift that God gave you, why would you boast on yourself? God told His Israel:

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NKJV – The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you BECAUSE YOU WERE MORE IN NUMBER than any other people, for YOU WERE THE LEAST of all peoples; 8 but BECAUSE THE LORD LOVES YOU, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

He did not save Israel because they were worthy. There were nations a whole lot more worthy than Israel was. But God chose Israel out of loving Grace. Israel was given the Promised Land not because they were better than other people. In many ways, they were worse. But God saved them out of mercy. In the same way, God saved us and gifted us out of merciful love.

Titus 3:4-7 LSB – But when the kindness and affection of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

God chose a broken, enslaved Israel to bring out of Jesus and adopt as His own. God chooses broken, sin enslaved people to bring out of the world and into His Kingdom.

Under the Old Covenant, God chose the most broken people He could find to offer salvation to them. Under the New Covenant, God does the same. “While we were yet sinners, Christ DIED FOR US”. We weren’t worthy – God made us worthy.

The Corinthians are like many churches today. Filled with people whom God saved, they don’t want to have to deal with the others that are not like us. They were happy where they were, and just wanted to go along to get along. They thought they had it all. Sadly, they had nothing.

If You’re Not Serving Jesus, You’re Not
Where You Need To Be

1 Corinthians 4:8 NOW ye are full, NOW ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings WITHOUT US: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

The Holy Spirit looked into the hearts of the Corinthians, and saw where they really were. They are thinking …

1 Word Study: “NOW WE ARE FULL”. The word translated “NOW” is the Greek ēdē, which means “ALREADY”. The best way to translate this is “ALREADY WE ARE FULL”. We lack nothing. We got there on our own. God didn’t make us this way – WE DID. When Paul asked the question in the previous verse “WHO MAKETH THEE TO DIFFER FROM ANOTHER?”, they didn’t answer “GOD”. They said in their hearts, “WE DID. WE GOT HERE ON OUR OWN”. No one gets there on their own. God gets us there.

Self righteousness not only sends people to hell, it makes the Christian unteachable! Only the humble can be blessed of God. Humble people serve the Lord, and learn of Jesus.

2 Word Study: “NOW WE ARE RICH”. Once more Paul uses the word ēdē, which means “ALREADY”. The word translated “RICH” is the Greek plouteō, meaning “we have all the resources we need. THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN GIVE US”. This violates the second question Paul asked in the previous verse, “WHAT HAST THOU THAT THOU DIDST NOT RECEIVE?”. If you think you have it all, then you have no where to go. If you think you are complete in yourself, then God can’t do anything for you. The Christian is ALWAYS a work in progress – and God will never stop working in us. The Bible says:

Philippians 1:6 LSB – For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you WILL PERFECT IT UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS.

Everything we go through as Christians, we go through it to move us to be more like Christ. We are not what we are going to be YET – but we will get there. Paul wrote:

Romans 8:18-19, 23 LSB – For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared WITH THE GLORY THAT IS TO BE REVEALED IN US. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation eagerly WAITS FOR THE REVEALING OF THE SONS OF GOD. … 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even WE OURSELVES GROAN WITHIN OURSELVES, eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, THE REDEMPTION OF OUR BODY.

No Christian is complete – NOW. We are all growing. If you think you’re finished, you are seriously deluded … and God cannot work in your life.

3 The third thing the Corinthians believed in their hearts is the worst thing of all. They believed “we have reigned as kings WITHOUT THE APOSTLES”. This is a common error – a heresy – even among Christians today. It is arrogance. The Corinthians – though founded by the Apostle Paul – were saying “we don’t need the Apostles, nor do we need Pastors or Evangelists anymore. We are complete in ourselves. We don’t even need the Bible”. This violates the third question of the previous verse, “NOW IF THOU DIDST RECEIVE IT, WHY DOST THOU GLORY, AS IF THOU HADST NOT RECEIVED IT?”. God established certain gifts to teach the Church, gifts that every believer needs. The Bible says:

Ephesians 4:11-15 LSB – {God} Himself gave some as APOSTLES, and some as PROPHETS, and some as EVANGELISTS, and some as PASTORS and TEACHERS, 12 FOR THE EQUIPPING OF THE SAINTS FOR THE WORK OF SERVICE, TO THE BUILDING UP OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, 13 UNTIL WE ALL ATTAIN THE UNITY OF THE FAITH, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, 14 so that WE ARE NO LONGER TO BE CHILDREN, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to GROW UP IN ALL ASPECTS INTO HIM WHO IS THE HEAD, THAT IS, CHRIST

God gave the Church the Bible through the Apostles and Prophets. God gave Evangelists to preach the Gospel, to lead others into salvation. God gave the Pastor and Teachers to teach the Church the application of the Word of God. The Corinthians believed they had outgrown Paul and the other Apostles. They are like the many confused but professing Christians who sit at home, saying “I don’t have to have a Church to be a Christian”. Beloved, you will never be even close as a Christian until you allow God to lead you to a body of like minded believers. Paul tells the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 4:8 KJV – {You are already full, you are already rich, you are reigning as kings without us} : and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.

Paul said, “I wish you WERE there, so we could relax and reign with you”.It would be nice to take a break, to not have to worry and fret over a people who not only will not listen, but are openly defiant of the call of the spiritual leader. There is nothing better than a Church that has reached a level of maturity, that will do what needs to be done without worrying its earthly shepherd to death.

Few churches are there.
Too many are like Corinth.

Living For Jesus Will Exact A Toll

Paul begins to speak his heart about the treatment he and the other Apostles have suffered at the hands of the self righteous:

1 Corinthians 4:9-13 KJV – For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are MADE A SPECTACLE UNTO THE WORLD, and to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honorable, but we are despised. 11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; 12 And labor, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: 13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.

The Corinthians thought they were wise, strong and honorable, and to them the Apostles were fools, weak, and despised. The reality was that …

A Christian who has never suffered persecution in any form, has never lived for Christ.

Jesus told us in John 15:20, “If THEY PERSECUTED ME, then THEY WILL PERSECUTE YOU”. Too many churches have departed from their God given assignment, so much so that they are indistinguishable from the world. Jesus told us:

Matthew 28:19 LSB – Go therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, BAPTIZING THEM in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you

That is our assignment. To go, and make disciples. To teach others to follow Christ as we follow Christ. But instead, many churches are not making disciples. They are

making politicians
fighting culture wars
promoting social justice

When you become like the world, you will NEVER suffer as the Apostles did. You will also never be a blessing to God, or to others. If you live for Jesus against the darkness, you can expect to “hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place”. You will be “made as the filth of the world”.

That’s what happened to Charlie Kirk.
He stood, and died, for Jesus.
And they mock him even today.

Paul told the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 4:14-16 KJV I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I WARN YOU. 15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU THROUGH THE GOSPEL. 16 Wherefore I beseech you, BE YE FOLLOWERS OF ME.

The Born Again Follow Godly Leadership

Paul called the Church to repent, and follow him as he followed the Lord. He said:

1 Corinthians 4:17-20 KJV – For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. 18 Now SOME ARE PUFFED UP, as though I would not come to you. 19 But I WILL COME SHORTLY, IF THE LORD WILL, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. 20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but IN POWER.

Paul had taught Timothy, and Timothy learned what Paul taught. Paul intended to go to Corinth, but some of them were of the mindset that “If Paul won’t come, we’re not going to listen”. Paul would not cater to the whim of the disobedient and prideful in Corinth. He sent Timothy in his place – and they could receive him or not.

Were these people truly Christians – or were they just pretenders to the faith. Genuine Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and would respond to Paul’s rebuke. False believers would get mad and leave (thank the good Lord). Paul said, “I WILL COME SHORTLY, IF THE LORD WILL, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, BUT THE POWER”. Saved people will heed the Word of God. Saved people will listen to godly leadership. Lost people will follow the darkness – for all their self righteous talk – and are blind leaders of the blind.

1 Corinthians 4:20-21 KJV – For the kingdom of God is not in word, BUT IN POWER. 21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

It’s not what you say. It’s your fruit. Where’s your fruit.

There was a Wendy’s commercial years ago where three old ladies bought a hamburger, a tiny burger in a huge bun. They asked, “Where’s the beef?” Are you saved by the Grace of God. Are you born again, indwelt of the Spirit of God? If so, let’s see the beef. “Where’s the beef?”

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Treat Others Righteously

Posted on September 15, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Luise and Nic on Unsplash

Having given us the seven characteristics of the Christian (Matthew 5:1-12), and defining His people as salt and light (Matthew 5:13-20), Jesus begins to tell us how we show the Kingdom through our personal relationships. Last week we looked at maintaining unity and peace in the Body of Christ. This week Jesus is going to get into some really politically incorrect areas, beginning with …

How Men Should Treat Women

For some reason, women want to be equal to men. I think it started in the Garden of Eden, when Adam stepped back and allowed Eve to be duped by the serpent. Women are not the same as men. In fact, the Bible tells men that we are to cherish and elevate women. In the marital relationship the wife is directed to:

1 Peter 3:1-6 NKJV – Wives, likewise, BE SUBMISSIVE TO YOUR OWN HUSBANDS, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward–arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel– 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, BEING SUBMISSIVE TO THEIR OWN HUSBANDS, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, WHOSE DAUGHTERS YOU ARE IF YOU DO GOOD and are not afraid with any terror.

How were men to treat their wives? The Apostle goes on to say:

1 Peter 3:7 NKJV – Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, GIVING HONOR {timē} TO THE WIFE, AS TO THE WEAKER VESSEL, and as BEING HEIRS TOGETHER OF THE GRACE OF LIFE, that YOUR PRAYERS MAY NOT BE HINDERED.

Word Study: The husband is to HONOR HIS WIFE. The word translated “HONOR” is the Greek timē, which means “to cherish as precious, to highly value or reverence as something or someone of great value”. This word was used to describe the Blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the Cross for us:

1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV – For ye are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE:[timē] therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 KJV – Ye are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE:[timē] be not ye the servants of men.

This is the exact same word that is used when it tells us how to treat God Himself:

Hebrews 2:9 KJV – But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and HONOR;[timē] that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

When God says the wife is the “WEAKER VESSEL”, He is not saying she is of lesser value than the man. The wife is to be treated like a Ming Vase. She is very valuable, but does not have the strength of the man. God made the man strong to cherish and protect his wife, to guard her from harm, to lift her up and to, if need be, die for her. In a related text, God tells husbands:

Ephesians 5:25, 28-29 NKJV – Husbands, LOVE YOUR WIVES, JUST AS CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH and gave Himself for her, … 28 So HUSBANDS OUGHT TO LOVE THEIR WIVES AS THEIR OWN BODIES; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

The husband should love his wife and protect her, elevate her, and cherish her. The wife is to “SUBMIT TO YOUR OWN HUSBANDS, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). That is how God designed marriage. Eve is to follow Adam as Adam follows God.

Now let’s go to the Sermon on the Mount. What is going on in Israel? The same nonsense that is going on in America today. Men are not pursuing wives – they are pursuing pleasure. Jesus says:

Matthew 5:27-28 KJV – Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

When God gave the Seventh Commandment

“Thou shalt not commit ADULTERY (nā’ap̄)” Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18

Word Study: God used the Hebrew nā’ap̄, or “adultery”, as opposed to the other sexual sins. “Adultery” is when someone breaks the union of marriage, and has sexual relationship outside of that consecrated union. The Bible forbids other types of sex outside of marriage, such as:

1 Corinthians 6:18 … Flee FORNICATION (porneia, sexual immorality)
1 Corinthians 6:15-18 PROSTITUTION (pornē)
Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27 HOMOSEXUALITY
Leviticus 18:23 BESTIALITY
Deuteronomy 22:5 TRANSGENDERISM
Ephesians 5:3 PROMISCUITY

When God gave the Ten Commandments, these commandments, if kept, would maintain the stability of the nation who kept them. When marriage and the marital union is broken, the family is broken, and the nation is weakened.

God believes in family. God believes in marriage. But what was happening in Israel is the same thing happening in America today. The man is supposed to cherish his wife, and treat her like a valuable vessel. But when the man’s eyes start wandering, it isn’t long before the marital union is destroyed because of adultery.

“Whosoever LOOKETH ON A WOMAN TO LUST after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”. Many of the Jewish husbands started looking around as their wives got older. They started eyeing younger women. What did Jesus say about this?

Matthew 5:29-30 KJV – And if thy RIGHT EYE OFFEND THEE, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

God does not take violation of the marriage vows lightly. Men are not to take a wife and then, when she ages, throw her away and look for a newer model. When a man begins to chase pleasure rather than loving the wife God has given him, it doesn’t just hurt the man. It hurts the woman, it hurts the family, and it hurts the stability of the nation. The Jewish leaders had begun to make divorce and remarriage easy. Jesus condemned this.

Matthew 5:31-32 KJV – It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, LET HIM GIVE HER A WRITING OF DIVORCEMENT: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Imagine you are a wife in ancient Israel. Your husband starts looking around as you age, picking out his next or improved wife. The leadership in Israel said “If you want to trade models, just “GIVE HER A WRITING OF DIVORCEMENT”. Tell her you no longer want her. Jesus tells the men that God is not pleased with that way of life. Jesus said:

whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of FORNICATION (porneia), causeth her to commit adultery

Word Study: What is a valid reason for a man to dump his wife? Because there’s some pretty young thing out there, ready to take her place? Absolutely not! The primary reason Jesus gives for divorce is not old age, disease, or a desire for something new. The primary reason is “FORNICATION”, the Greek porneia, which means sexual activity outside of Biblical marriage. If the wife breaks the marital union by stepping out on the man, in such cases a writing of divorce is legitimate. This is the reason that the Angel Gabriel came to Joseph when Mary was discovered to be with child (Matthew 1:20-24). Joseph was going to “put her away privately” until he discovered that she was carrying God Incarnate, Jesus in her womb.

God’s People Should Keep Their Word

When a man and woman stand before the Pastor and take vows to “love, honor, and cherish one another”, these vows matter. God’s people should keep their word. Again, the leadership of Israel began to support conditional honesty. They began to teach that – as long as you did not make the promise as a vow before God, then you are not held to it.

Matthew 5:33 KJV – Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt PERFORM UNTO THE LORD THY OATHS:

The Child of God should keep their word whether or not they swore a vow to God. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:34-37 KJV – But I say unto you, SWEAR NOT AT ALL; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: 35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. 37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Don’t swear by Heaven. Don’t swear by earth. Don’t swear by Jerusalem, nor by your life (I swear on my life). Jesus said “let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil”. What does He mean?

If you say you’re going to do it – DO IT. If you don’t want to do it, then SAY IT. Keep your word and your integrity.

Trust That God Will Look After You

Matthew 5:38 KJV – Ye have heard that it hath been said, AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH:

In the Old Testament there was a principle called “lex talionis”—the law of equivalent justice. God gives this law in several places:

Exodus 21:24 (KJV) … Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot…

Leviticus 24:20 (KJV) Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth…

Deuteronomy 19:21 (KJV) And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth…

The intent of lex talionis was to give equal justice for an offense. It was not given as a means to taking vengeance against someone. God told His people:

Proverbs 20:22 (ESV) Do not say ‘I will repay evil’; WAIT FOR THE LORD, and HE WILL DELIVER YOU …

Romans 12:19 (ESV) Beloved, NEVER AVENGE YOURSELVES, BUT LEAVE IT TO THE WRATH OF GOD, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is MINE, I WILL REPAY, says the Lord’

The law of lex talionis never meant for you to avenge yourself. What it meant was that – if your case was brought before a judge, the judge could only inflict an equivalent punishment on an offender.

If a tooth was knocked out, the judge could only rule that the offender lose a tooth. If an eye was put out, the judge could only rule that an eye be taken from the offender. There was to be equal justice. But somehow the unstable leadership of Israel had begun to twist the lex talionis, making it into something it was never meant to be. Jesus said:

Matthew 5:39-42 KJV – But I say unto you, That ye RESIST {anthistēmi, to set yourself against} NOT EVIL: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, TURN TO HIM THE OTHER ALSO. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall COMPEL THEE TO GO A MILE, go with him twain. 42 GIVE TO HIM THAT ASKETH THEE, and from HIM THAT WOULD BORROW OF THEE TURN NOT THOU AWAY.

In the ancient world to slap someone on the cheek was to give an insult to them. Jesus isn’t saying we can’t defend ourselves. At the Last Supper Jesus told His disciples:

Luke 22:36 (NKJV) … he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and BUY ONE

We’re not supposed to “live by the sword” (Matthew 26:52), but we are allowed to protect ourselves. But we must also understand that as Christians, as Children of God, we are to be PEACEMAKERS:

Matthew 5:9 KJV – Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS: for THEY SHALL BE CALLED THE CHILDREN OF GOD.

It is our purpose to lead others to Christ. So we are to expect insults – and turn the other cheek on those insults. We are not to be militant, but are to model what a child of God is to be. We are allowed to defend ourselves against attacks – but we don’t have to respond to every insult.

In the ancient world the Roman soldier could compel you to carry his pack for a mile. The Jews hated that! They saw the Roman soldier as the enemy, and if forced to carry the pack, would slam it down at the end of the mile – and walk away spitefully. Jesus tells us:

whosoever shall COMPEL THEE TO GO A MILE, go with him twain

If the Roman soldier makes you carry his pack a mile – carry it TWO. And if someone comes to you in need, satisfy that need as long as it does not violate that standards of the Scripture. A loving, caring attitude will do more to win people to Christ than all the sermons the preacher can make.

People Should See The Love Of The Child Of God

Matthew 5:43-46 KJV – Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, BLESS THEM that curse you, DO GOOD TO THEM that hate you, and PRAY FOR THEM which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

Again, the leaders of Israel had taught the people to hate the Roman invader, to hate the Samaritan, to hate anyone who was not like the Jew. But in the Old Testament God never told Israel to hate anyone. There is no verse in the Bible that says “Hate your enemy”. In fact, God demanded that the Israelite be good to the enemy. God said:

Exodus 23:4-5 NKJV – If you meet YOUR ENEMY’S OX OR HIS DONKEY going astray, you shall surely BRING IT BACK TO HIM AGAIN. 5 If you see the donkey of ONE WHO HATES YOU you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, YOU SHALL SURELY HELP HIM WITH IT.

You may not like your enemy, but you are to do good toward him regardless as to what you feel. Jesus doesn’t tell us that we have to like everyone. But He demands that we

BLESS THEM that curse you, DO GOOD TO THEM that hate you, and PRAY FOR THEM which despitefully use you, and persecute you

Bless and do good and pray for the enemy. Why do you do this? Because you are imitating your Heavenly Father:

He MAKETH HIS SUN TO RISE on the evil and on the good, and SENDETH RAIN on the just and on the unjust

God blesses everyone equally, though God does not like the actions of the wicked. There will come a day when He will punish them for the evil that they do. Jesus says:

Matthew 5:47-48 KJV – And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 BE YE THEREFORE PERFECT (teleios), even AS YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT (teleios)

Word Study: The word rendered “PERFECT” is the Greek teleios, which means “to be complete or whole”. When you allow others who are not in Christ to drag you down to their level, you rob yourself of the blessings of God. We are to be salt, not asphalt. We are to be light, not a blight. We are to live so as to honor our Creator, so as to make the world a better place. We are to love like God loves. Thomas Shepherd, Senior Research Professor of New Testament at Andrews University writes:

“When a thing is full grown and has reached its goal, it is called teleios (perfect). The Christian life has a goal. It is pointed toward heaven. The upward call of the gospel is distinct (Philippians 3:12–14). God accepts us wherever He finds us, but He never leaves us there. He takes us on a journey to Christian maturity. The command of Jesus expresses the fruition of that journey. To accept the command is to accept the journey and to walk within His will. The goal of perfection—of Christian maturity, of being like our Father in heaven—is given to us not to discourage, but to serve as our guiding star in a world of moral darkness.”

Jesus is not saying we can be flawless as God is flawless – for that is impossible. But He is saying that the goal we should strive for is to do good to others even when they do bad to us. We cannot control our emotions, but we can control our actions. The Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary notes:

“Jesus is not setting an impossible standard of infinite perfection; He is describing the character — the full-orbed, complete moral quality — that is to mark His disciples and His kingdom. The divine Model is invoked not to crush but to define the shape of the life He is calling His followers into.”

Let us live together for the glory of Christ! Amen.

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We Are Called To Faithful Stewardship

Posted on September 13, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

1 Corinthians 4:1-4 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and STEWARDS {oikonomos} of the MYSTERIES {mysterion} of God. 2 Moreover it is required in STEWARDS {oikonomos}, that A MAN BE FOUND FAITHFUL. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but HE THAT JUDGETH ME IS THE LORD.

Word Study: A “STEWARD” , the Greek oikonomos, means “someone appointed or commissioned to manage household affairs”. The steward was appointed by the owner, the head of the house, or the proprietor to manage his affairs, to take care of receipts and expenditures, and to even pay other staff members.

The “steward” is accountable to the owner, and to no one else. The steward owns nothing, but manages what is entrusted to him for the owner. What Are God’s servants “stewards” of?

Word Study: God’s ministers are “STEWARDS “OF THE MYSTERIES OF GOD”. What is a “MYSTERY” in the Scripture? This is the Greek mysterion, which means a divine truth somewhat hidden in ages past, but now revealed or exposed by the Holy Spirit of God. It is called “MYSTERIES” or “MYSTERIOUS” because it cannot be solved by human logic, human philosophy, or human wisdom. The “MYSTERIES” are the Kingdom principles …

The “MYSTERIES” can only be revealed to us when we give our lives to Jesus in salvation. The “Mysteries” belong to every follower of Christ.

Mark 4:11-12 KJV – {Jesus} said unto them, UNTO YOU IT IS GIVEN TO KNOW THE MYSTERY {mystērion} OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD but unto THEM THAT ARE WITHOUT, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

A lost person cannot understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Why? Because they will not come to Christ. Rejecting Christ, they “see but cannot perceive” and “hear but do not understand”. Jesus Christ is the “Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). If you reject Him, you reject the Key to the Mysteries. If you reject Him, you refuse the Key to Heaven.

What Are Some Of The “Mysteries” Of Our Faith

1 Mystery #1: Under the Old Covenant, it was commonly believed that only Israel would be the people of God. God did choose to reach out to the world through Israel. God told His people Israel:

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 NKJV – For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has CHOSEN YOU TO BE A PEOPLE FOR HIMSELF, a SPECIAL TREASURE ABOVE ALL THE PEOPLES ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. 7 The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but BECAUSE THE LORD LOVES YOU, and because HE WOULD KEEP THE OATH WHICH HE SWORE TO YOUR FATHERS, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

God chose Israel because He chose Israel. God chose Israel because He keeps His promises. God chose Israel to be “a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). BUT God also told Israel that this was conditional. He told them “IF YOU WILL INDEED OBEY MY VOICE AND KEEP MY COVENANT”. God chose Israel to bring His written Word into the world.

But God did not just choose Israel. He chose Israel to be His Ambassador to the Gentiles.

God told His people:

Isaiah 49:6 … I will MAKE YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE NATIONS, THAT MY SALVATION MAY REACH TO THE END OF THE EARTH.

God never intended to save just one people. He saved Israel from Egypt to have Israel lead others to God their Savior. God said:

Isaiah 42:6 I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, A LIGHT FOR THE NATIONS

And again,

Psalm 98:2-3 The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH HAVE SEEN THE SALVATION OF OUR GOD

Sadly, Israel kept wandering away from God, and kept binding to the false gods of the Gentiles. Israel allowed the Gentiles and the Pharisees to lead them, rather than God.

Of God did not intend Israel to lead the Gentiles to Christ, then WHY was there a “Court of the Gentiles” in the Temple?

God never told Israel that they would be His only people. They ignored the Word of God, and focused on themselves. The Apostle wrote:

Ephesians 3:2-7 KJV – If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation HE MADE KNOWN UNTO ME THE MYSTERY {mystērion} ; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the MYSTERY {mystērion} OF CHRIST) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is NOW REVEALED unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 THAT THE GENTILES SHOULD BE FELLOW HEIRS AND OF THE SAME BODY, and PARTAKERS OF HIS PROMISE IN CHRIST BY THE GOSPEL: 7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Being a Pharisee, Paul before he was born again considered the Gentiles as dogs, not worthy of God. But once saved God opened his eyes, and he understood the mystery. God saved Israel to use Israel to save the world. God saves us Gentiles to lead other Gentiles to Jesus. When Simeon saw the Baby Jesus, the Bible says:

Luke 2:28-32 NKJV – {Simeon} took {the baby Jesus} up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOUR SALVATION 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A LIGHT TO BRING REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And THE GLORY OF YOUR PEOPLE ISRAEL.”

2 Mystery #2: Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit came and went. But under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit came to stay in the believer. This is only possible because of the Blood of Jesus Christ.

When King Saul refused to obey God the Bible says:

1 Samuel 16:13-14 NKJV – Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed {David} in the midst of his brothers; and THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME UPON DAVID FROM THAT DAY FORWARD. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 14 But THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD DEPARTED FROM SAUL, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.

The Holy Spirit came on people for specific purposes – then left afterward. As the case of Samson:

Judges 14:6 NKJV – And the SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME MIGHTILY UPON HIM, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.

When God foretold the coming of the New Covenant, He said that …“I will put MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU, AND CAUSE YOU TO WALK IN MY STATUTES” (Ezekiel 36:27). When Jesus came, He told us:

John 14:16-17 NKJV – And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOREVER— 17 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and WILL BE IN YOU.

Paul called this a mystery in

Colossians 1:25-27 NKJV – I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, TO FULFILL THE WORD OF GOD, 26 THE MYSTERY {mystērion} which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but NOW HAS BEEN REVEALED TO HIS SAINTS. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the GLORY OF THIS MYSTERY {mystērion} AMONG THE GENTILES: WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory.

The Holy Spirit indwells every believer – whether Jew or Gentile – and represents Christ in us. The Old Covenant with its animal sacrifices could not permanently cover sin. The Blood of Jesus can, and does – to those who believe and receive Him.

3 Mystery #3: Under the Old Covenant, God walked among His people as a Spirit. Under the New Covenant, God became Man so that He might save us.

1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV – And without controversy great is the MYSTERY {mystērion} OF GODLINESS: GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

There are a number of places in the Old Testament where God walked with man. He walked with Adam “in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). God spoke to Noah (Genesis 6:13) and told him to build an Ark to save mankind from Divine judgment. God came to Abram (Genesis 12:1), and called him to follow His will. In the Old Covenant God came to man as “The Angel of the Lord”, and made promises that only God could make (Genesis 16:10; 22:11; Exodus 3:2). In fact, the Bible tells us that when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush,

Exodus 3:2, 6 NKJV – … the ANGEL OF THE LORD appeared to {Moses} in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. … 6 Moreover He said, “I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHER–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for HE WAS AFRAID TO LOOK UPON GOD.

God appeared as a Spirit, an Angel of the Lord, to humans under the Old Covenant. But under the New Covenant:

John 1:14, 18 NKJV – And THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. … 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, HE HAS DECLARED HIM.

God became perfect Man through a virgin. The Holy Spirit moved on the womb of a willing woman, so that the “Seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15) could crush the head of the serpent Satan. What a fantastic mystery this is!

God became Man, so that as Man He could make payment for our sins, sins we could not pay for. God became Man so that He could bring Man to God.

4 Mystery #4: Under the Old Covenant, the Resurrection and the Glorified Body were mysteries.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57 NKJV – Behold, I tell you a MYSTERY {mystērion}: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament spoke of the resurrection of the righteous, as in …

Daniel 12:2 many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth SHALL AWAKE, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt

Job 19:25-26 For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.

But the New Testament reveals the resurrection in much greater detail. The Apostle told the Roman Governor Felix:

Acts 26:22-23 NKJV – Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come– 23 THAT THE CHRIST WOULD SUFFER, that HE WOULD BE THE FIRST TO RISE FROM THE DEAD, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.

When Jesus rose from the grave, His body – His glorified body – is a pattern that we all shall follow. The Apostle wrote:

1 John 3:2 NKJV – Beloved, NOW WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is.

We are not like Jesus now – but we will be. We will have a glorified body, just as Jesus does. Jesus is called “the FIRSTFRUITS of those WHO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP” (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Jesus is, we one day shall be. “Christ the FIRSTFRUITS, afterward THOSE WHO ARE CHRIST’S AT HIS COMING” (1 Corinthians 15:23).

We Are “STEWARDS OF THE MYSTERIES” – So Don’t Be Concerned With human Judgments

1 Corinthians 4:2-4 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Paul said that – as a “STEWARD” of God’s mysteries, he didn’t worry about the judgment of the Corinthians, of the lost world, or even of himself. The world through social media tries to push falsehood in the name of being “progressive”. The steward knows that we need to be pleasing the Owner of the business.

1 God is the Owner of everything, even though the lost don’t understand this.

(Psalm 24:1 NKJV) The EARTH IS THE LORD’s, and ALL ITS FULLNESS, THE WORLD AND THOSE WHO DWELL THEREIN.

God owns everything and everybody. It’s not ours, but His. When God requires a tithe, or ten percent, He could require all. In reality, He gives us all – but He can take back all anytime He wants. The lost person, blinded by sin and greed, thinks they are over everything. How foolish! God gave you life, and breath, and talent.

Like Israel, many churches today and many so called “Christians” think that THEY are in charge. God told Israel …

(Deuteronomy 8:17-20 NKJV) … you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ [18] “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for IT IS HE WHO GIVES YOU POWER TO GET WEALTH, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as [it is] this day. [19] “Then it shall be, if you by any means FORGET THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND FOLLOW OTHER GODS, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that YOU SHALL SURELY PERISH. [20] “As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would NOT BE OBEDIENT TO THE VOICE of the LORD your God.

Walk away from God and find out. Start pleasing yourself instead of your Owner, and find out.

2 The smart money is on pleasing God. Are you living a life pleasing to God. The Bible says:

(Colossians 3:23-25 NKJV) And WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT HEARTILY, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT TO MEN, [24] knowing that FROM THE LORD you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for YOU SERVE THE LORD CHRIST. [25] But HE WHO DOES WRONG WILL BE REPAID for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

Illustrate: I heard a preacher the other day recounting what happened in his Church. He said a young girl came to him and said, “Pastor, I love your sermons! My boyfriend and I laid in bed last Sunday listening to you preach”. The Pastor was stunned. He told the young woman, “Don’t you know you’re not to be in bed with a man not your husband? Don’t you know that sexual sin defiles the Temple of God? It defiles YOU?” He said that several members told him they were leaving the Church because of his comments to that girl. His response – “Then leave. I will not change the truth of God into a lie.” That’s wisdom.

Go ahead. Fool around and find out. God will not be trifled with. I hope you understand. I’ve followed the Lord for over 50 years now, and have been in Pastoral ministry since 1996 – about 30 years. I’ve seen people fool around and find out. You cannot outgive God, but you can anger God. I want to be on the side of God’s smile, not His frown. May God lead you to a right relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.

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God Wants Whole Men

Posted on September 13, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. [2] Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

King Solomon, the son of King David, was a saved believer. The Bible says that:

1 Kings 3:3 And Solomon LOVED THE LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: …

He loved the Lord. He was a believer in the Lord, saved by faith in the coming Jesus Christ. But the Bible tells us that – though Solomon was saved – he had an area of weakness. When we read the rest of 1 Kings 3:3 we see that:

1 Kings 3:3 … only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

Solomon loved the Lord, but he compromised with the ways of the world. He loved the Lord, but he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. He tolerated the false gods in his lifestyle and in his actions.

Solomon was tolerant to other religions. I don’t mean that Solomon was tolerant in the sense that he had a live and let live mentality toward the unbelievers of the faith. Christians ought to be kind, and ought to show love toward all people. Our standard should be what Jesus said:

Matthew 5:44-45 NKJV – … LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Loving your enemies doesn’t mean to justify what the lost do. It doesn’t mean to go along with the gods of this world, sacrificing to that which is not the God of the Bible. Loving your enemies means to actively “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), to declare with the Apostles “There is salvation in no other: there is NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN TO US WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED” (Acts 4:12). We are not to be hateful to people blinded by sin and false gods, but we are to tell the truth.

Solomon was not telling the truth. The King is in a position of authority, looked at by the entire nation. “To whom MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS EXPECTED” (Luke 12:48). A King should love his people, and Solomon did not love his people. He joined with other religions outside of our faith and began to practice rituals to these false gods and goddesses.

Here’s the thing about sin. Once you let a little sin in, it will spread. A little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9).

1 Kings 11:3-4 {Solomon} had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. {4} For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that HIS WIVES TURNED AWAY HIS HEART AFTER OTHER GODS…

Saved as a young man, Solomon took his focus off of the Lord Jesus Christ and instead began to focus on the world. When a believer stops looking to His Lord God and begins to look to the world it will not be long before Satan will open a door of destruction for him. Solomon was called a “wise man”.

God gave Solomon wisdom.
Satan gave him stupidity.

When Solomon had his eyes on Jesus, God used him in mighty ways. Solomon wrote three books in our Bible, “as he was MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT” (2 Peter 1:21). He wrote the The Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs when his heart was filled with love. He wrote 3000 proverbs which were bound into the Book of Proverbs, a testament to the wisdom that Solomon had. Solomon was a man of God. Solomon wrote the Book we’re reading today, the book of Ecclesiastes, which means “The Word of the Preacher”.

Solomon departed from serving the living God and began to chase after the things of this world. He wrote Ecclesiastes looking back over the wasted years of his life.

Now an old man filled with regret and bitterness Solomon knew that he was – soon and very soon – going to see his Creator. Solomon knew that he would have to give an account of himself unto God (Romans 14:12). He would have to explain how he – the wisest man who ever lived – fell into the pig pen of sin.

When God saved Solomon and set him over Israel to be its King this man could have done so much for God’s people. Instead of “redeeming the time, knowing that the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16) Solomon dabbled in worldliness. He now understood the words of his father David:

Psalms 39:5 … verily every man AT HIS BEST STATE IS ALTOGETHER VANITY.

Word Study: That word translated “VANITY”, the Hebrew heḇel, means “smoke, emptiness, vapor, breath, something transient and unsatisfactory”. Solomon used the word heḇel 28 times – and it is found 73 times in all of the Old Testament. Each time it’s used, it describes actions that are totally worthless, actions that enrage God and do nothing to satisfy man. Solomon as an old man looked back over his life and wrote – as God inspired him –

Ecclesiastes 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

He is saying “All I did apart from Christ is a fog, a smoke, blown away by the winds of time”. The Christian living apart from the Lord Jesus Christ (if you ARE a Christian) has a terribly unfulfilling life. The devil runs this circus we call the world. When the devil couldn’t stop the Lord from making man perfect and in the image of God he was satisfied with leading man astray in the Garden of Eden. If the devil can’t keep you from being saved, he will do the next best thing. He will get you to step into the world, just as a child steps on to a merry-go- round, and he’ll let you ride as long as you want to ride for “free”.

ILLUSTRATE I heard the story once of a poor farmer who decided to take his family to the circus. He scrimped and saved and finally got enough money to take the wife and kids. When he and his family arrived he saw a wonderful thing – a merry-go-round filled with beautifully painted horses. That old farmer got on the merry-go-round and rode it not once, but many times. Each time it stopped, he gave the man running it more and more of his money, while the family looked on. When the farmer finally ran out of money and came back to his wife she said, “Now there, look at you. You got on where you got off, spent all our money, and you haven’t gone no where – and neither have we.” This is what Solomon did.

Solomon got on the devil’s merry-go-round and, investing his very life into ride after ride, stayed there until it was too late to fully serve the Lord.

Oh that God would keep us all from ever getting trapped on Satan’s merry-go-round. Oh that we wouldn’t have to eat the swill of the hogs as the prodigal son did before we turn and repent, resting in the arms of Jesus.

Solomon Thought Human Knowledge And Philosophy Would Make Him Happy

Ecclesiastes 1:13 And I gave (nāṯan pro. naw-than’) my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning ALL THINGS THAT ARE DONE UNDER HEAVEN: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

Solomon surrendered his heart to seek and search out wisdom – not of God but of “ALL THINGS THAT ARE DONE UNDER HEAVEN”. Solomon was given wisdom so that he could reign over Israel. Instead, he turned that gift of God into something that would bring pride. Solomon was an expert in zoology (study of animal life), in botany (study of plant life), in ornithology (study of bird life), in entomology (study of insect life), and in ichthyology (the study of fish life). Solomon sought out and studied all the lesser things …

but he didn’t learn of Jesus.
He knew all the ologies but the one that mattered.
He did not study THEOLOGY. He didn’t study God.

Knowledge can be an idol. I remember years ago a man who professed to be a “mature Christian” believed some nonsense, and brought that to me. I opened up the Bible and showed him what it said – but he refused to believe the clear teaching of Scripture. Why? Pride in oneself blinds us to God. God tells us:

Colossians 2:8-10 NKJV – Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, ACCORDING TO THE TRADITION OF MEN, according to the BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE WORLD, and NOT ACCORDING TO CHRIST. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, who is the head of all principality and power.

Everybody thinks they will have happiness if they follow human logic and political correctness. But Solomon said …

Ecclesiastes 1:14-15 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, ALL IS VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT. [15] That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

The more knowledge and wisdom Solomon gathered, the less satisfied he was in his soul. Some of the saddest people in the world are those who possess great wisdom and knowledge. They are sad because they chase after human knowledge, but have no time to come and know the Lord. Solomon said:

Ecclesiastes 1:18 For IN MUCH WISDOM IS GRIEF: and he that INCREASETH KNOWLEDGE INCREASETH SORROW.

The wisdom and knowledge of man does not increase happiness. Don’t misunderstand – wisdom should be sought, and knowledge should be sought – but through the Lord. The Bible says:

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ASK OF GOD, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and IT SHALL BE GIVEN HIM.

God wants His people to be wise. We are to be “wise as serpents, but harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). But the Source of our wisdom must always come from a ongoing relationship with the Lord Who gave Himself for us. There is a wisdom of man, and a wisdom of God. We who are Christ’s should seek wisdom from God. The wisdom that is from above

James 3:17 …. is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

The lowest uneducated man is far happier than the PHd professor or the self righteous Pharisee who has not learned that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Solomon knew this before he drifted from the Lord, for fourteen times in the Book of Proverbs he spoke of the fear of the Lord. Solomon wrote that “The fear of the Lord …

… is the BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE (Proverbs 1:7)
… PROLONGS DAYS (Proverbs 10:27)
… is the FOUNTAIN OF LIFE (Proverbs 14:27)

And “By humility and the fear of the Lord are RICHES, HONOR, AND LIFE” (Proverbs 22:4). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), but the fear of the Lord brings life and happiness and peace.

Solomon Thought Pleasure And Entertainment Would Make Him Happy

Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with MIRTH, therefore ENJOY PLEASURE: and, behold, THIS ALSO IS VANITY.

Just as it was in Solomon’s day, we in America live in a please me society. Everyone wants to be entertained. Everyone wants to be happy. Video game sales bring in billions of dollars a year in profits. Households that are starving for food often have cable television and high speed internet access. People spend billions on drugs, alcohol, pornography. Every aisle at the grocery store is filled with magazines that let us look into the debauched and sin laden lives of Hollywood stars.

Solomon chased after pleasure, but in finding pleasure he discovered something. Sin always brings diminishing returns.

Laughter and entertainment divorced from a walk with Christ in time loses its charms. This also is vanity. Solomon’s father, King David, wrote:

Psalms 16:11 Thou {O God} wilt show me the path of life: IN THY PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; AT THY RIGHT HAND THERE ARE PLEASURES FOREVER MORE.

Here is where pleasure is. It is not in the world wallowing in debauchery. Pleasure is at the right hand of God, dwelling in His presence. Blessed be the Name of the Lord! As Pastor Jerry Vines once said, “The Christian faithfully serving Jesus can have more fun accidentally than the world has on purpose!”. Solomon had to learn that. He tried the booze, the wine and liquor trail. He wrote:

Ecclesiastes 2:3 KJV – I sought in mine heart TO GIVE {} MYSELF UNTO WINE, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should DO UNDER HEAVEN ALL THE DAYS OF THEIR LIFE.

Word Study: The word rendered “TO GIVE” is the Hebrew māšaḵ, which means “to stretch oneself out”. Solomon became a man who sets out to “get wasted”, laying hold on foolishness. He opened himself up to addiction. The woman who gives herself to drugs or alcohol for the sake of pleasure may actually destroy her life. Drunk drivers die in accidents, and kill others in accidents. People who give themselves to the folly of alcohol and drugs do foolish things, demeaning things.

Solomon chased after sexual sin. He wrote:

Ecclesiastes 2:7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house ….

He collected people about him for pleasure. Dear ones, consider your bodies to be Temples of God. Avoid the sensuous evil of our age. People think that we are in the age of sexual freedom. What has this “freedom” gotten us? Broken families, teenage pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases. Abortions in the millions. Children raised in single parent homes, missing a mother or a daddy.

Illustrate: And disease, horrible disease. There was a story published in USA Today© I read several years ago. It seems that a man met a woman at a bar and invited her up to his room. The next morning he woke up and the woman was gone. She had left behind a nice note thanking him for the evening. The man thought about how nice that was, and he wish he had known the woman’s name. When he stepped into the bathroom he noticed – scrawled in red lipstick across the mirror – these terrifying words:

“Welcome To The Wonderful World Of AIDS”

She purposely infected him, knowing she was contagious. The Bible predicted this years ago, before there was ever any concept of AIDS or HIV. The Bible tells the believer:

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 NKJV – Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but HE WHO COMMITS SEXUAL IMMORALITY SINS AGAINST HIS OWN BODY. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Solomon Thought that Work And Projects Would Make Him Happy

Ecclesiastes 2:4-6 I made me great works; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards: [5] I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: [6] I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

Solomon threw himself into his work. He tried knowledge & wisdom, but this did not satisfy. Solomon tried pleasures of the flesh, but again all was vanity. So he changed his methods and turned to work. It is estimated that Solomon was worth in excess of 20 BILLION dollars. The Bible says that “King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom” (1 Kings 10:23). What pleasure did this give Solomon? He wrote:

Ecclesiastes 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and, behold, ALL WAS VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT, and there was NO PROFIT (yiṯrôn, no advantage or excellence) under the sun.

Solomon said there is no profit under the sun – it is all vanity (smoke) and vexation of spirit. For all his riches Solomon was miserable. You would be surprised how many rich people kill themselves every year. Though I’ve never been rich (and never will be), I can imagine its tough to be rich. The people you think are your friends are just there because they want your money. People hound the rich incessantly to try and get what they have. Rich people are targets of kidnapping for ransom. Jesus often spoke of the rich person. He said that the deceitfulness of riches often choke the Gospel so that it will not bring life (Mark 4:19). Jesus said of the rich man:

Luke 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for A RICH MAN TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

But of the poor Jesus said:

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR…

The Apostle Paul said of those who are rich:

1 Timothy 6:17-19 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded; nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; [18] That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; [19] Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

If the Lord has blessed you with money or land or possessions, He has given them to you to be used for His glory. Riches are a poor god. Follow Jesus. Love one another.

What Is Solomon Preaching To Us Today?

As Solomon came to the end of his days this wise man – the wisest man who ever lived – left behind this truth. He said:

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

While you are able, before your body falls to pieces, focus on serving and living for Jesus. The Apostle wrote:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV – Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Paul didn’t want to stand before Jesus one day with nothing to show for his stewardship. The Apostle said in

Philippians 3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. [8] Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, (skubalon) THAT I MAY WIN CHRIST

Everything is lesser than when compared to running the race with Christ. Solomon ends his letter to us today with these sobering words:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For GOD SHALL BRING EVERY WORK INTO JUDGMENT, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

You and I, in fact, every person will meet Jesus one day. A judgment is coming that no one can escape. “GOD SHALL BRING EVERY WORK INTO JUDGMENT”. What you did for Him. What you didn’t do for Him. Have you received Him as Lord and Savior? This is the first work you must do – but not the only work. That which makes a WHOLE MAN is to serve the Lord and to heed His Word. When we depart from God we become incomplete. No man, woman, or child is complete without an ongoing relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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The Righteous Scarcely Saved: 1 Peter 4:17-19

Posted on September 7, 2026 by bibleteacherorg

Photo by Ojaswi Pratap Singh on Unsplash

1 Peter 4:17-19 KJV – For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

Being A Christian Is About Loving And
Knowing The Biblical Jesus

Let’s play a little game for a minute. Everyone of you pretend that you are a Pastor, and that MY relative passed away. Her name is Norah. Norah went by the name of Ned for 18 months disguising herself as a man. Ned was assumed to be gay. She wrote a book about the experience, and later came out as a lesbian. Norah was very likable and friendly. She’s passed away – and you need to do the funeral because I called you up. So, what are you going to say?

Norah went through periods of deep depression, and died by assisted suicide when just 53 years old.

Some will say, “Well, I’m not going to judge. God is good. She’s probably in Heaven”. Why would she be in Heaven? She lived her life without Jesus, and died without Jesus. So why would she be in Heaven? If she had a death bed conversion, and gave her life to Jesus, then why continue with the assisted suicide? Norah never showed any fruit in her life for Jesus. Never prayed to Him, never loved the Christian believers (or at least, didn’t show it). So why would she be in Heaven? So how will you preach the funeral?

But what if we take the same type of person, and say it’s someone’s relative – somebody you know – in our Church. They never had any use for Jesus in this life. As Pastor do you “preach that person into Heaven”? If you say that someone who never knew or were known by Jesus are in Heaven, then can’t others who don’t know or care about Jesus be in Heaven?

If we let everyone go to Heaven because we say so (because, Heaven forbid, we hurt anyone’s feelings), then why did Jesus have to die on the Cross?

Now, let’s go back to me being the Pastor, and you being fellow priests and believers of Christ. When you walk away from Norah’s coffin, would you say “Well, she’s in a better place”? Do you not know that YOU, dear Christians, are ALL AMBASSADORS for Christ? What you say matters. If Norah’s not saved, she’s not in a better place. As Jesus said in Luke 16:22-23, “The rich man died, and was buried, and in HELL he lifted up his eyes, being in torment”. If you die without Jesus, you are not in a better place. And Jesus told us:

Matthew 7:21-23 KJV Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN. 22 MANY will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, ye that work iniquity.

The “WILL OF THE FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN” is that “You believe on Him {Jesus} Whom He hath sent” (John 6:29). Jesus said that “IN THAT DAY MANY WILL SAY” haven’t we preached? Haven’t we cast out devils? Haven’t we done wonderful things? And Jesus will say, “You didn’t do the first thing. You didn’t know Me. You didn’t REPENT and come to ME. You didn’t surrender your life to ME, as I did for you on Calvary”. If you’re not in Heaven, you’re in hell.

The Church Must Make Righteous Judgments

1 Peter 4:17 KJV For the time is come that JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

I’ve heard this lie frequently taught from both pulpit and pew. “Well, God didn’t call us to be judges”. Actually, Jesus did. Jesus said, “Do not judge by appearance, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). What is He saying? My judgment is not to be based on my opinion or what I think, but based on what God has written. Jesus tells us to judge – but to judge ourselves first. That’s what we’re told in today’s text:

JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD

Jesus told us to judge – but ourselves first.

Matthew 7:5-6 LSB You HYPOCRITE, FIRST TAKE THE LOG OUT OF YOUR OWN EYE, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. 6 DO NOT GIVE WHAT IS HOLY TO DOGS, and DO NOT THROW YOUR PEARLS BEFORE THE SWINE, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

The problem with judging is, too often we justify our poor performance by judging another. “Judgment must begin at the HOUSE OF GOD” (Hebrews 3:6 says the Christian is of the House of God).

We should examine our lives first – then challenge others around us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:17-18).

I want to say this very carefully. It is possible to go to Church (which you should), to post Bible verses online, to wear a Cross around your neck, and profess you are a Christian – and still not know Jesus. Examine yourselves. Are you bearing fruit for Jesus? If you are, then help others to do the same. Jesus expects His people to bear fruit – good fruit – if you are saved. Is there any fruit in YOUR life? This is where judgment begins, with me, with you. If you are saved, you are attached to Jesus. And you should bear fruit. Jesus said …

Matthew 7:18-20 NKJV – A GOOD TREE CANNOT BEAR BAD FRUIT, NOR CAN A BAD TREE BEAR GOOD FRUIT. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore BY THEIR FRUITS YOU WILL KNOW THEM.

Fruit has to do with your character, how you live your life. If you are in Christ, connected to Christ by salvation, your life will produce fruit that glorifies Christ. And if you are fruit bearing, you want others to be fruit bearing for Jesus. That’s love.

The Christian Judges Self, Then Practices
A Lifestyle Of Repentance

1 Peter 4:17 KJV – For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it FIRST BEGIN AT US, WHAT SHALL BE THE END OF THEM THAT OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL OF GOD?

Word Study: The words translated “THAT OBEY NOT” is the Greek apeitheō, which means “those who refuse to be persuaded, who withhold belief”. What happens to those who refuse to hear the Gospel of Christ? The Bible is very clear:

John 3:36 KJV – He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that BELIEVETH NOT [apeitheō] the Son shall not see life; but THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDETH ON HIM.

What happens to those who reject the Gospel? “THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDETH ON HIM”. There’s no second chance beyond this life. There are some who refuse Christ, refuse to repent and give their lives to Him. The Apostle said:

Romans 2:8-9 KJV – But unto them that are contentious, and DO NOT OBEY [apeitheō] the truth, but OBEY [peithō] unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

Saving faith is always shown in what you DO. If you DO evil, you are most likely an unbeliever. If you DO right, you most likely are a believer. The Christian can drift into the works of the flesh, but this is not the normal state of the believer. If you are saved by grace, it will show in your character and in how you treat others. Your life will be fruitful – not with darkness, but with light giving properties. The Bible says:

Galatians 5:22-25 NKJV – But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF CONTROL. Against such there is no law. 24 And THOSE WHO ARE CHRIST’S HAVE CRUCIFIED THE FLESH with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

What does Paul mean by “THOSE WHO ARE CHRIST’S HAVE CRUCIFIED THE FLESH”? He’s talking about REPENTANCE. The Christian is not sinless, but we live a lifestyle of REPENTANCE. We REPENT when we are saved, and REPENT daily.

Illustrate Saul vs David: Someone who will not repent of sin, who can do evil and make excuses for it, that person is NOT saved. Compare the first two Kings of Israel. King Saul never REPENTED when he sinned. Saul disobeyed the Word of God, and performed an unlawful sacrifice (1 Samuel 13). When ordered by God to do something, he ignored the orders, and justified what he did before God (1 Samuel 15). Saul tried to murder David (1 Samuel 18-19) because he was jealous of him. And he turned to witchcraft (1 Samuel 28) when God forbade such things. Each time Saul was caught he made excuses, but never repented to God.

“I sinned because I feared the people” (1 Samuel 15:24)
“I sinned. Help me cover it up” (1 Samuel 15:30)

Saul repeatedly rejected the commandment of God, so God removed him from the throne. He wanted to run the Kingdom of Israel – but he wanted nothing to do with King Jesus. He hid his sins. Compare that to King David. Whereas Saul blamed others, David blamed himself.

2 Samuel 12:13 … I have sinned against the Lord

David repented every time he sinned. He took accountability for what he did. David even wrote Psalm 51, exposing his sin to all of Israel. David prayed:

Psalm 51:2-4, 7, 9-11 LSB – Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I KNOW MY TRANSGRESSIONS, And MY SIN IS EVER BEFORE ME. 4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And pure when You judge. … 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. … 9 Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. 10 CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD, And RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

David didn’t want to hide his sin. He crucified himself, laying his life down before God. David feared losing God’s presence, not God’s blessing. He asked God to restore him – and then tried to follow God as his Savior bid.

The Church Must Not Be Like The World
Because Jesus Is Not Like The World

1 Peter 4:18 KJV – And if the righteous SCARCELY be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Word Study: When I asked God what to preach this Sunday morning, this verse kept running through my mind. What in the world does this mean? The word rendered “SCARCELY” is the Greek molis, which means “with great difficulty, with much work”. Peter is quoting the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible which reads exactly the same (Proverbs 11:31). The full quote is:

Proverbs 11:30-31 BES – Out of the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life; but the souls of transgressors are cut off before their time. 31 If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

God is NOT saying:

Maybe the righteous will get to Heaven, or,
Salvation is easily lost, or,
God is very reluctant to save.

What God is saying is that salvation is not a path that many people really want to go. Noah preached the Grace of God for 120 years, and only 8 souls got on the Ark! Most people would rather take the W I D E path than the narrow road of salvation. Once more in Matthew we read:

Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV – ENTER BY THE NARROW GATE; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because NARROW IS THE GATE, AND DIFFICULT THE WAY THAT LEADS TO LIFE, and there are FEW WHO FIND IT.

The hardest substance known to man is the human heart. Consider the case of the woman who strangled her three children. Only one juror went against the tide, calling her “guilty” – when she confessed to the murders.

People are predisposed to want the darkness. They would rather roll in sin than follow Jesus. Those who are righteous – saved by Grace – are fewer than we’ll ever know until we get to Heaven. The path of salvation is narrow – not worldly. The Apostle wrote:

1 John 2:15-17 LSB – DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD nor the things in the world. IF ANYONE LOVES THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts, but THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD ABIDES FOREVER.

There are a large number of those who profess to be “Christian”, who have a Sunday only faith. They are like the Pharisees, whom Jesus said:

Mark 7:6 LSB – Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

Those with a Sunday only faith are fooling themselves. There is no salvation in a Sunday only faith. Salvation is difficult. Salvation puts you at odds with your old friends, with your employer, with the sin loving lost world. The Apostle writes:

1 Peter 4:14-16 KJV – If ye be REPROACHED FOR THE NAME OF CHRIST, HAPPY ARE YE; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet IF ANY MAN SUFFER AS A CHRISTIAN, LET HIM NOT BE ASHAMED; but let him GLORIFY GOD ON THIS BEHALF.

Light will always be at war with darkness. If you are living for Jesus, expect the same trials, persecution, and refining fire that Jesus went through. The world, the flesh, and the devil will fight against the Christ follower. But if you are genuinely saved, you will overcome, for God dwells in you.

1 John 4:4 KJV – Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU, than HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD.

If you are genuinely saved, God the Holy Spirit lives inside you. He will take you through the trials of life. But if you are not saved, if the Spirit of God is not in you – your walk with God will not last. One of those who Paul trusted and served on the mission field with was called Demas. His name is mentioned three places in the Scripture. In Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 24. But the saddest mention is when Paul wrote Timothy, saying …

2 Timothy 4:9-10 NKJV – Be diligent to come to me quickly; 10 for DEMAS HAS FORSAKEN ME, HAVING LOVED THIS PRESENT WORLD, and has departed for Thessalonica …

As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). You either serve the world and yourself, or you serve God in Christ. Demas, along with Judas Iscariot, and others through the years have started strong, but never finished. Why? Because like the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22) who wanted to inherit eternal life, many choose the things of this world over Jesus.

No genuine Christian would long do that. If a believer walked away from the Lord, they would soon feel the discipline of God’s hand:

Proverbs 3:12 KJV – For whom the LORD loveth HE CORRECTETH; even as a Father the son in whom he delighteth.

Paul quotes this in Hebrews 12:6 to show the believer that, once you enter the family of God, God as your Father will punish you if you get too far afield. If you can sin without guilt and without punishment, then, dear one, you ain’t saved!

The Christian Loves Jesus, Loves Others,
And Loves The Word of God

1 Peter 4:19 KJV – Wherefore let them that SUFFER ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD commit the keeping of their souls to Him IN WELL DOING, as unto a faithful Creator.

There are a number of people who come and give their lives to Jesus because of suffering – and then walk away when they find out something.

Christians suffer.
The Way of Truth leads to suffering.

How many people came to Jesus while He walked this earth, and how many did He heal? He healed all of them. But how many of these people followed Jesus afterward? How many sat at His feet? How many wanted to be near Him? When the Pharisees stirred up the people against Him, how many of these whom Jesus healed stood up for Him, prayed for Him, loved Him as He died on that Cross? None that we can tell. Jesus died alone, except for one thief who believed on Him, and the Apostle John and Mary His mother.

Christianity is not about avoiding suffering, or alleviating suffering. It is about loving Jesus, and loving God’s Word.

When Jesus was hungry, rather than satisfy His hunger He told Satan:

Matthew 4:4 NKJV – … Man shall not live by bread alone, but BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.

The Christian should love God’s Word. If you are born again by faith in Christ, then you should desire God’s Word more than a belly full of food. The Scripture says:

1 Peter 2:2-3 KJV – As newborn babes, DESIRE THE SINCERE MILK OF THE WORD, that YE MAY GROW THEREBY: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Christians should love Jesus. They should love the Word of God more than running from discomfort. And Christians should love people.

Several years ago there was a couple who came to a Church I pastored named Robert and Kathi. They were a handful. As a Church we bailed them out several times financially, because Kathi would go on buying sprees and spend all of Robert’s salary. They were professing believers, but Robert rarely came to Church.

He didn’t like to be around people.
Claimed he was xenophobic.

Beloved, if you don’t love people, you’re probably not saved. Jesus said “By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). It’s not a chore to come to Church. It’s an act of love. Are you saved? Are you ready to meet Jesus if He calls you home? Don’t harden you heart. Heed Him – and love Him – and let Him save you.

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