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​"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope" (Romans 8:20).​


For The Creature (Creation) Was Made Subject To Vanity

We now only have a part of what The Cross of Christ has afforded. At the resurrection, the full complement of what The Cross has purchased will be available to all believers. As stated, the heading pertains to the fact that inasmuch God gave Adam dominion over all His creation, Adam's fall signaled its fall as well. As the creation "was made subject" to Adam, it was also subject to his sin, which resulted in a curse on all things. In the Greek, the word vanity  is mataois and means "idle, resultless, futile, and aimless," in other words – empty nothings. It describes something that does not measure up to that for which it is intended. Here, the creation is viewed as originally crated –  a perfect creation to glorify God. When the curse was put upon it, that purpose was interfered with and that a perishing and decaying creation cannot perfectly glorify Him. It was rendered relatively futile in that respect. As we have stated, in some mysterious way, it seems that it is not fulfilling its intended purpose. 



Not Willingly

The words of the heading mean that the creation did not sin, even as such cannot sin and, therefore, had no part in the reason for the fall. However, inasmuch as Adam had dominion over all, all fell with him, including the whole of the human family. In fact, due to the fall, which has terribly and adversely affected all of the creation, man has absolutely no idea what it originally was before the fall. Considering how beautiful that creation is presently, which speaks of the animals and plant life as well as the heavens, I wonder as to exactly how beautiful and glorious it was before the curse of sin perverted its true purpose. However, what the first Adam lost, the last Adam – The Lord Jesus Christ – has redeemed with all (at least believers and the creation) eagerly awaiting His return. As the song says, "Our Lord is coming back to earth again!"



But By Reason Of Him Who Has Subjected The Same In Hope

The heading speaks of God as the One Who passed sentence. The expositors say that Paul did not use the grammatical form, which would express the direct agency of God, but rather, that it was done "by Him Who has subjected". In other words, it was done on account of Him. The idea is that God has stated that if Adam disobeyed, judgment would come, which is exactly what happened. It could probably be said to be the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7). It was not so much that God directly did the thing (effected the destruction) but, rather, that He said that it would happen, in essence, because of certain laws, which He had already originally instituted. Consequently, it was Adam's sin and not God's will that was the direct and special cause of the subjection to vanity. The supreme will of God is thus removed "to a wider distance from corruption and vanity." The words, "in hope," state that the sentence of man, however, was not hopeless, and creation shares in his hope as in his doom. When the curse is completely removed from man, as it will be when the sons of God are revealed, it will pass from creation also, which will take place in the coming kingdom age. For this, creation sighs. Creation was made subject to vanity on the footing of this hope. The hope is latent, so to speak, in the constitution of nature as it only can be, and it comes out in its sighing in some manner to a sympathetic ear, which is exactly that of The Lord. 



Because The Creature Itself Also Shall Be Delivered

"Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). The heading presents the direction of this hope. The hope is that of the subjected (creation) not the subjector (God). Nature possesses in the feeling of her unmerited suffering a sort of presentment of her future deliverance. However, the words "shall be delivered," in this phrase, tells us what type of hope is being addressed here. The word hope, as is normally used, presently contains no certitude; however, that which The Holy Spirit used through the apostle speaks of a guaranteed positive conclusion but not exactly known when. If one is to notice, Paul did not say, "The creature itself hopes to be delivered," but, rather, "shall be delivered," which speaks of that which is certain. 



From The Bondage Of Corruption

The heading speaks of mortality, i.e., death. In the Greek, the word corruption is phthora and means "moral corruption; decay; ruin; depravity; wickedness". It also speaks of that which is "perishing and being destroyed",which is the application for creation, in this case, mostly inanimate, but can include the animate, i.e., animals, fowls, fish, etc.The idea is not that animals will live forever in that coming time but that they will function as God had originally intended, which speaks of their nature being changed to that of docility (Isaiah 11:6-9).



Into The Glorious Liberty Of The Children Of God

The heading expresses the mysterious sympathy that we have mentioned between the creation and man. When man fell, creation fell. When man shall be delivered, creation will be delivered as well, as expressed in the word ​also. "Glorious liberty" can be translated, "The liberty of the glory." It refers to the glory of verse 18. Unredeemed man will be as he was before the fall but with one great difference. Redeemed man will be glorified, which is far greater than what Adam previously had. That's the reason it is called "glorious". The idea is "...where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20).



For We Know That The Whole Creation

"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Romans 8:22). It means exactly what it says – every single thing created by God, and all things created were created by Him (John 1:3). Evolution has all kinds of hypothesis, but they do not know the first cause. In other words, how did everything begin? Some evolutionists will say, "Well, it began with a cold cloud." Another will say, "Well, it began with a hot mist." But the question is, where did that come from? Of course, the Bible gives us the beginning of all things, the first cause, "In the beginning God..." (Genesis 1:1). 



Groans And Travails In Pain Together Until Now

The heading refers to the common longing of all the elements of creation, not to its longing in common with God's children. In the Greek, the word groans is sustenazo,  and it means "to experience a common calamity", which, in this case, refers to the fall. In the Greek, the word travails is sunodino, and it means, "pangs in company with or simultaneously". However, travail is different from groans in that the travail carries with it an expectation of relief from suffering. This does not speak of the entirety of creation. It is readily understandable considering the inanimate creation as well as believers who truly know The Lord and are cognizant of the reason for man's present difficulties. However, it does not explain the unsaved of humanity, who make up the far far greater majority. One might argue that the word together does not include them, but it does. The unsaved groan but for an entirely different reason. The believer groans because he knows the cause of so much suffering (sin) and the only deliverance, which is the coming of The Lord. The unbeliever groans under the weight of rebellion against God and the misery it brings in never quite knowing the reason. The believer travails but with the expectation of deliverance, while the unbeliever does the same but deliverance from the wrong source, which, in reality, is no deliverance at all. 



Not Only They, But Ourselves Also

"And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:23). One can say, as well, without The Cross, the reconciliation could never be. This means that everything looks backward to The Cross (past tense) and that everything presently looks to The Cross (present tense).


The heading picks up on believers, with Paul giving a better explanation, and for the simple reason that it is believers only, as we have stated, who know the true state of affairs.Believers know that Jesus is coming, that is, if they truly know the Bible. They also know that He is the answer to all things. Hence, all true believers say with John the Beloved, "...Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20). Man can form their united nations and their conclaves, and they can claim to solve the problems of humanity, but it is a fruitless task. The situation will not be resolved, will not be answered, will not be rectified, and will not be made right until the second coming of The Lord, when He – KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS – will rectify all things, and He most definitely shall. 



Which Have The Firstfruits Of The Spirit

The heading tells us that, even though believers presently have The Holy Spirit, still, all that He can do and all that He will do will only be carried out and brought about at the coming resurrection. In other words, we only have a small portion now of what Jesus did at The Cross of Calvary, with the full import awaiting the trump of God. The Holy Spirit is God. That means He is Almighty, meaning He can do anything. As well, He is omniscient, meaning that He knows all things – past, present, and future. He is also omnipresent, meaning everywhere. However, due to certain particulars, as we have stated, we now only have the firstfruits or the beginning of all for which Jesus paid such a price at Calvary's Cross. The word firstfruits means a portion, or one might say, a down payment. When Our Lord comes back, then The Holy Spirit will be given full latitude to do what needs to be done to bring everything into proper focus. As stated, this will not take place until the first resurrection of life. 



Even We Ourselves Groan Within Ourselves

The heading tells us, in essence, that all Jesus paid for and accomplished in the atonement at Calvary's Cross has not been realized and will not be fully realized until the resurrection of life. While in the body, believers are not yet exempt from their share in the universal groaning. In effect, believers presently have "...the earnest (or the down payment) of the Spirit..." (2 Corinthians 1:22), which means, as stated, a down payment of all that he will yet do. As well, we now only have "...the earnest of our inheritance..." (Ephesians 1:14), which speaks of only a partial payment, with the full payment, as stated, yet to come. This answers many questions, or at least it should, concerning the reason for much Christian suffering. Unfortunately, some modern bible teachers have attempted to consider all present suffering and difficulties as a lack of faith. While a lack of faith definitely does play a part in many things concerning believers, there is still no amount of faith that can bring the blessing of the coming resurrection into the present. 



Waiting For The Adoption

The heading could be translated "waiting for the fulfillment of the process, which adoption into the family of God guarantees". The idea is that, even though we, as believers, have already been adopted into the family of God, which means that God is our heavenly Father and Jesus is our elder Brother, we still do not even remotely have all that this adoption process guarantees. It is coming and will take place at the resurrection of life. 



To Wit, The Redemption Of Our Body

This tells us that our physical body has not yet been redeemed. The link which unites the believer with the suffering of creation is his body. Because of sin, it is subjected to pain, decay, and ultimately to death, and we speak of original sin. This connection with the creation brings a heart that is indwelt by the love of Christ into conscious suffering. It is the suffering of sympathy. The sense of the pain and evil that encompass the creation oppresses the believer. The more conscious we are of the indwelling warmth, liberty, and power of the divine nature, which is love, the more we are sensible of the weight and of the misery introduced into the creation by sin. In other words, we know that sin is the cause of all the problems. We also know that The Cross of Christ is the only answer for sin. We grieve when we see the modern church ignore The Cross, consequently, adopting fads which not only carry forth no positive result but also leads one astray. The believer is united to the creation by his physical body and to heaven by The Holy Spirit. And the sympathy that we feel for the suffering creation is a divine sympathy. As believers, we know that these things are not right. In other words, hurricanes are not the will of God. Famines and earthquakes are not the will of God. All of this is because of the fall. As believers, we know what it would be and what it will be when Jesus comes back, but, for now, we suffer with the creation. Because of man's sin, God subjected the creation to death, even as verse 20 proclaims, but He did so in hope. We look forward to its recovery when man shall finally be redeemed, and then all for which Jesus paid such a price will be ours in totality. 


_______________________________________________________________Part 2_______________________________________________________________


Is Healing In The Atonement?

The answer to the question is most definitely yes! Every single thing that man has lost because of the fall was addressed in the atonement, i.e., The Cross of Calvary. Admittedly, we do not have all of this yet, actually having only a down payment, but everything, and I mean everything, was most definitely in the atonement. The word atonement means "a making at one" and points to a process of bringing those who are estranged into a unity. Its use in theology is to denote the work of Christ in dealing with the problem posed by the sin of man and in bringing sinners into right relationship with God, which was done at Calvary's Cross. In this, Jesus dealt with the sin question and all of its effects. That means that the terrible sin debt was paid – it was no longer held against man, at least for those who believe in Christ and what Christ did for us at The Cross (John 3:16). In dealing with the sin question, which Jesus did in totality by offering up His pure, spotless, sinless body as a sin offering at Calvary, He settled the sin question and its effects once and for all (Isaiah 53). The effects speak of sickness, poverty, ignorance, and slavery. So, that means that healing is definitely in the atonement, as well as prosperity, etc. 



The Will Of God

That means it is the will of God and always the will of God to save from all sin, heal from all sickness, redeem from all poverty, deliver from all bondage, and spiritually educate from all ignorance. Yet, we know that, despite this great thing which Jesus did at Calvary, at times, Christians still sin, the sick are not always healed, prosperity is not in the offing for all, and some spiritual bondages are not broken, at least not quickly. The question becomes, why? The answer is obvious. Even as Paul has so plainly said, believers presently have only the firstfruits of The Spirit, which means all that Jesus did at Calvary has not yet come to the believer and, in fact, will not come in totality until the coming resurrection. However, that does not mean that believers should live in a type of spiritual apathy andsaying, "Whatever will be will be." Many things can now be changed and are, in fact, changed constantly by believers believing in God and having faith in Who He is and what He can do. So, the believer is to believe God for whatever is needed, irrespective that we now only have the firstfruits. Yet, at the same time, preachers should not claim that the failure of many of these things can be explained by a lack of faith. That, as should be plainly obvious, is unscriptural. In other words, all the people I pray for are not healed, but I still believe that God heals. To be frank, any and every believer in the world, and I mean those truly dedicated to The Lord, if they do certain things, they can have their lives improved and drastically so. What are those things?

  • In the first place, every believer should place his faith completely and totally in Christ and what Christ has done at The Cross, understanding that The Cross of Christ is the means for all things that we receive from God. This is imperative. Our faith must not be in ourselves, must not be in other people but, rather, in Christ and what He did at The Cross, and it must be maintained accordingly. 
  • Second, the believer should have a protracted prayer life. In other words, every single day, seven days a week, we should get alone with The Lord, even if it's only 15 or 20 minutes and thank Him for all the things that He has done and then tell Him what we would like to have, of course, if it's in His will. One would be surprised as to how quickly He will answer such a prayer. 
  • We must then exercise faith in what we have asked Him to do, thereby believing that He is able and that He wants to help us. Again, we must continue with our faith in Christ and The Cross.
  • If a believer will do this, without fail, he will see his life change for the better in every direction. It may take a while for it to come to pass, but it will come to pass, and I speak of those things for which He has importuned The Lord. 



The Modern Faith Message

The following material has been previously printed in one of our commentaries, but, due to the manner in which commentaries are normally studied and the significance of this subject, I feel it proper to reprint this article at this time. As well, there is some repetition in the material but which we think is necessary in order to properly develop the correct emphasis. As well, some of the following material was authored by someone else, and I have no way of ascertaining the identification. I feel like there are many elements in the modern faith teaching which are positive. Much of it is wholesome, edifying, and needful. Emphasizing faith certainly  does tend to elevate victorious Christian living, and this is definitely essential within the body of Christ. If the "faith teaching" stopped there, it would be of untold value to the work of God – but, regrettably, much of it does not stop there. Sad to say, because of error, many individuals participating in this teaching have not been led to victory but, rather, defeat and complete defeat at that. In fact, many have quit living for God, and many have died all because of this false teaching. To the unlearned – those unfamiliar with The Word of God – it sounds logical, scriptural, and inviting. This, of course, is why it ensnares so many people. Much error rides into the church on the back of truth. The following lists some of the errors that I believe permeate the modern faith teaching:

  • Bibliolotry. What we mean by bibliolotry is that words of scripture seem to be deified – apart from the Living God – and collected into various "laws", which activate the forces of good and evil. Anyone who questions the specific interpretations is immediately branded as "denying the word of God and its power."  One could say that the sin of bibliolotry is committed. This occurs when one makes and idol of the Bible or has excessive reverence for the letter of the Bible, in this case claiming that repeating certain passages over and over bring certain forces into play, etc. As such, the Bible itself, apart from Christ, we may quickly add, is looked on as the source. This is idolatry just as surely as is the bowing down to heathenistic idols. However, it is very very subtle and, therefore, far more dangerous because of its religious context. 
  • Knowledge. Knowledge is said to be the way to achieve a divine place in creation. Attainment of "a new-creature status for the believer"makes them part of the superior, elite, or master race, they teach. This fits right in with the political message in the Christianizing of the culture and ultimately leading the world into the millennium. Just as with the ancient error of old called Gnosticism, a superior knowledge is claimed. Consequently, whether the advocates realize it or not, knowledge becomes the way to salvation instead of Christ.
  • Confession. The confession principle is strictly adhered to, which teaches that the use of scriptural formulas to "confess" results releases the forces of good on one's behalf, they say. Again, whether they realize it or not, the advocates of the confession principle are taking control out of the hands of The Lord and placing it into their own hands. In other words, they automatically conclude that they know the will of God in any and all circumstances, which, of course is ludicrous. The conclusion of that is to ultimately use the Word of God against God, which is against His will and which, of course, The Lord will never allow to be done. For instance, when the three Hebrew children were facing the fiery furnace, they exclaimed that The Lord was able to deliver them. However, they went on to say, "But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:17-18). "But if not" would have been considered a bad confession by the so-called faith people, but God did not call it such. 
  • Law. They teach that all sin is a consequence of the law, which disappeared with the New Covenant and that confession of sin becomes a false perception because behavior is made right (they say) by confessing "who one is in Christ Jesus". Repentance then plays no part in our present-day experiences, in their thinking, because it relates to sin – which ended with the law. As a result of this teaching, any preaching that convicts of sin is called condemnation and rejected out of hand. Actually, they little believe in Holy Spirit conviction, claiming that it represents a throwback to condemnation, which ended with the abolishment of the law (the law of Moses). Any confession of sin is pretty much denied because it is a "wrong confession" of who one is in Christ. As a result, one of the great office works of The Holy Spirit – His convicting of sin and of righteousness and of judgement – is denied or erroneously interpreted (John 16:8-11). 
  • Confession of sin. For instance, they claim that John 16:8-11 pertains only to the world and not to the believer. However the word world simply means that it applies not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles, in other words, to all people. John also said "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). Basically, this teaching claims that sin, conviction of The Holy Spirit, repentance, etc., belong to the Old Covenant (law) and have no validity under the New Covenant. Therefore, they have an erroneous conception of what sin is and its cure, which is Christ and The Cross. They actually teach that when a Christian sins, he should not acknowledge it, should not mention it, and, above all, should not confess it to The Lord but, rather, confess that he is the righteousness of God and so forth. They claim that the first chapter of 1 John is written only to the unsaved and not to believers. The reason? This particular chapter completely obliterates their thinking and their belief system. John plainly said, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). There is no way that one can properly exegete this particular Scripture or any part of the first chapter of 1 John and come to the conclusion that it is for unbelievers only and not Christians. Such thinking is ridiculous. 



​The Sin Nature

The Word of Faithpeople, which I do not believe is faith at all, at least that God will accept, basically deny human nature, claiming that the Christian is either divine or satanic, which is dualism. In other words, they deny the sin nature, which goes along with their erroneous understanding of New Creationism. Consequently, the struggle between the flesh and the spirit, which characterizes the life of every Christian, is pretty much denied as well. They claim how can there be a struggle if one is a new creation? In answer to that theory, John the Beloved wrote, "If we say that we have no sin (sin nature), we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). 



Scientism

Much modern faith teachingespouses a form of scientism, teaching that laws and formulas can control circumstances around us. This harks back to point one – deification of Scripture – and points to the superior knowledge. Everything is then judged on the so called amount of faith that one has. When a person fails, as he always does, he is instantly labeled as not having faith as he should have had. Consequently, he is written off with the wave of a hand as being insignificant. When one of their gurus suffers defeat as it regards sickness or whatever, they simply try to ignore it as though it never happened. To be frank, that's all they can do because fail they will. 



The Cross

The Word of Faith people deny The Cross of Christ, claiming that it is the biggest defeat in human history and that it is "past miseries". This means that The Cross of Christ is not looked at in any way as a source of victory, being replaced by "proper confession". In their idea, The Cross plays no part in anything that pertains to The Lord. The victory, they claim, is attained by the resurrection. Consequently, any and all songs about the blood of Christ or The Cross are labeled as elementary and have little place in New Creationism. They show a lack of knowledge of the atonement of Christ and what was accomplished, both at Calvary as the source and key to all present victory. In effect, this is the most dangerous part of their teaching because anything that demeans Calvary in any way or relegates it to a secondary position is tantamount to spiritual suicide. While it is certainly true that Calvary would have been of no effect without the resurrection, it was not the resurrection but Calvary that redeemed man from sin and all of its consequences. The Cross of Christ did not depend upon the resurrection. Rather, the resurrection depended upon The Cross. If Jesus did all that He set out to do at The Cross, which was to atone for all sin, then the resurrection was guaranteed. If He had failed to atone for even one sin, He could not have been raised from the dead. 



The Apostle Paul

This is the reason that Paul said, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). Paul, who is, no doubt, the greatest Bible scholar of his day, made this statement for purpose and reason:

  • That which Paul said about Calvary was what The Holy Spirit demanded.
  • By experience, Paul knew that Jesus satisfied the sin debt at Calvary and there broke the power of the dominion of sin in the heart and life of the believer.

The only thing that stands between man and eternal hell is The Cross of Christ. When the church goes beyond Calvary, this is when the church loses its way. In fact, every single thing comes through Calvary: salvation, the baptism with The Holy Spirit, divine healing, miracles, overcoming victory, answered prayer, prosperity, communion with The Lord, eternal life, etc. Whether the present-day faith teachers realize it or not, their interpretation of the atonement is not consistent at all with the tenor of teaching throughout the Word of God. This lies at the very heart of its teaching, and it strikes at the very core of Christian belief. If one gets everything right except The Cross, then everything is wrong. 



​Scripture

One of the basic teachings of this element is that all Scripture is not the same. In other words, some Scriptures pertain particularly (they say) to those who are still in the realm of the senses (flesh) – those who are sadly unenlightened. Some even go so far as to say that the Apostle Paul demonstrated a great lack of enlightenment in many of his experiences, and 1 Corinthians 4 is considered an example of this. Actually, they say the same thing concerning all of the apostles in the days of the early church. In other words, these teachers say that if the apostles of old had the knowledge that the modern faith teachers possess today, they would not have been required to suffer many – if any – of the difficulties that they experienced. In practice, only certain Scriptures are used by the faith teachers to support their contentions. Their basic difficulty with the Word of God is that they separate The Word from the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In short, they have replaced God with their chosen Scriptures, rationalizing that this will justify their actions. Consequently, certain words of Scripture are deified – apart from The Living God – and exalted into various laws that bring the forces of good and evil into action. They call themselves, for the most part, "Word" people, constantly quoting particular Scriptures and, thereby, convincing the public that they are very Scriptural and Spiritual, thus making their contentions trustworthy. In truth, they actually deny parts of the Bible as revelation not illuminated with the higher knowledge. 



The Old Testament

Even though they call themselves "Word" people, they rely on only a few selected Scriptural texts, actually taking them out of Scriptural context. Consequently, they have very little respect for the Old Testament, seemingly suggesting that since Old Testament personalities did not have the written word (or at least very much of it), they did not know very much. As a result, "Word" people only use isolated texts from the Old Testament and their teaching. They seem to completely ignore the fact that the entire framework of New Testament context (thought) is derived from Old Testament revelation. Actually, one cannot arrive at a proper understanding of the New Testament unless he has a proper understanding of the Old Testament. As someone has well said, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed while the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. Years ago, I heard a preacher make the statement that some individuals worship the Bible apart from God Who inspired it. At first, his statement puzzled me, but after some thought, I feel that I understand what he was saying. 



Out Of Context

Basically, he was suggesting that certain Scriptures, such as Mark 11:24 or John 15:7, etc., are taken out of context, used in some manner as a type of magic talisman (a good luck piece). In other words, he was saying that particular Scriptures are taken completely out of context and used to deal with situations, even though they have almost nothing to do with the present difficulty at hand. These Scriptures are quoted over and over again, with the individual using them as a sort of club to force God or circumstances to line up with the person's reasoning. Also, many of them insist that Scriptures that do not line up with their way of teaching are just simply not relevant today. Again, we have emphasize their contention that if individuals such as the Apostle Paul had possessed their Scriptural knowledge, he would not have had to suffer persecution and trials. What a crock! They go on to tout their experience in The Word, meaning that they are more "developed" than the apostles or prophets of old. In truth, most of these teachers know very little about exegesis (interpretation) of Scripture – all while proclaiming themselves to be "Word" people. 



Superiority

As well, there is an air of superiority about these teachers, their teaching, and their followers. They are the "new creation" people. They have "the knowledge". Of course, even with a superficial investigation, this is absolutely opposed to the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Humility was the Master's great hallmark. One of His last acts on earth was washing the disciples' feet. Superiority and lack of humility are always of Satan; these never come from God. They reveal the worldling, the ego of man – believers in the so-called "master race". They teach that one will continue to be part of the "master race" unless one slips into using information from the "sense world". As a member of this superior mold (or master race), one is made to feel that he is entitled to all types of riches and rewards; hence, the hundredfold return gospel. These teachers do not seem to realize that to demand a hundredfold return from God on our investment is to again turn the temple of God into a den of thieves, which is pretty well what it has become, at least in many circles. 



The Greed Message

The so-called hundred fold return gospel intertwined with the master-race theory has little or nothing to do with the love of God. It has little or nothing to do with the desire to promote God's cause or to give to Him simply because we love Him. At best, it is an investment or, better yet, a gamble. At worst, it is a deception perpetuated by Satan. At its core, it is a little better than the Las Vegas practice of enticing people into gambling casinos with the selfish lure of something for nothing. Actually, I personally feel that the same evil spirit that promotes casino gambling or any type of gambling is the same spirit that characterizes the "greed gospel". This is the greed message so prevalent today. These teachers hold the thought before their followers that their faith (or knowledge) will deliver anything they desire. Consequently, they must drive the largest cars, live in the finest houses, wear the best clothes the best jewelry, and so forth. There is an image they must maintain. It is somehow supposed to demonstrate their faith. They are, in effect, role models for their followers. As a result of this practice, the followers tend to look to the make of the car, style of clothes, etc., as the mark of an individual's faith. Some years ago, I heard one of their preachers preach on the subject of "K-Mart Faith". His conclusion was that any Christian who shopped at such a place evidently had little faith. To be frank, I did not hear the entire message because such drivel is so insulting to even elementary Scriptural intelligence that one can only stand so much. 



Co-Divinity

This teaching claims that man is basically victorious through his knowledge rather than through Christ. It elevates man beyond his basic position as merely mortal. In essence, he becomes co-divinity with the creator or, in other words, a "little Jesus". This satisfies two perverted needs in fallen mankind:

  1. The need to be man's own god in control of life
  2. The need to glorify oneself beyond one's proper place in creation, which is what caused the fall in the Garden of Eden to begin with


These teachers frequently use words like "dummies" or "idiots" to characterize those who do not believe in their particular way. This, of course, is a demonstration of one of man's basic problems today: ego. Man wants to play God. In actuality, he wants to be God. This is (and always was) Satan's problem, too, and he has inoculated mankind with his desire for God-man equality. Satan tempted Christ to misuse the knowledge and power of God when he suggested that Jesus create bread out of stones. The Lord gave Satan the correct reply, but this same desire – to misuse knowledge – is prevalent today. They suggest, as stated, that there was a basic lack of knowledge of the laws of healing and salvation until Paul's time. Consequently, Old Testament saints (according to these teachers) underwent many unnecessary difficulties because of this lack of knowledge. Of course, this is absurd, but this is their excuse for any Scripture which conflicts with their misguided teaching. Actually, there is a tendency to emphasis knowledge rather than salvation. It is as though one becomes saved, then becomes more saved as his knowledge increases. It comes very close to ignoring the blood atonement of Jesus Christ, and actually does in some cases. In fact, one of their leading gurus plainly stated in one of his written messages, "The blood of Jesus does not atone." Pure and simple, that is blasphemy. 



The Will Of God And The Word Of God

In their deification of superior knowledge, they seem to have lost the realization that true Christian belief is that the will of the Father and the words of the Bible are in perfect conformity; they give life to us as we move in the knowledge of God according to the leading of The Holy Spirit, not in the bondage of a written formula that is separated and apart from our Living Savior. When God's written Word is apart from His Person, a Scriptural code of law is developed. As with any code of law, legalism must develop – and with it, the resultant condemnation whenever the believer fails to keep one or several of the laws. If one would notice, faith teachers are often heard saying, "It was your faith that failed. God can never fail." Consequently, the believer becomes the one following the formula of faith to its maximum and taking the blame for any ensuing failure. According to them, the "faith law" or "formula" always works. The only possibility of failure, therefore, lies in our faith as revealed in our confession of the words or formulas. Of course, God never fails, and His Word never fails either; however, we must go back to the thought that we are living in a fallen world. We only have the firstfruits of The Spirit now but with the totality coming at the first resurrection of life. Consequently, we do not have everything now and will not have everything until the trump sounds. 



Laws

In view of this, they say we should lean on our knowledge, which will then control all circumstances around us. These laws or formulas, by their actions, are impersonal and divorced from any relationship except that of their mechanical performance. In fact, they say that these laws and formulas will work for the unsaved just as they will work for believers. How ridiculous! By and large and as stated, this knowledge removes the control from God and His will to an exercise of our will using the formula (or law). The line between God and man blurs, and man suddenly seems to become a law unto himself. Of course, this totally ignores the fact that Jesus, although He was the very Son of God, totally submitted Himself to the will of the Father. It would seem prudent for us to do likewise. 



Knowledge Salvation

This "knowledge salvation" imposes a great burden on the believer. He must not, under any circumstances, "lose his confession." If he does, all the results of the forces put into motion with the confession will be lost. One of their teachers said, "Action on the written Word of God brings God onto the scene." It would seem from this teaching that God is automatically stirred into action by repetition of certain words of Scripture. Consequently, the believer acts solely upon the substance of his own faith world – guided by specific laws, confessions, and formulas. 


_______________________________________________________________Part 3_______________________________________________________________

The Law Of Confession

Following hard on the heels of "knowledge" is "confession". Confession constitutes a major element in this so-called faith ministry. Scriptural formulas, confessing results into existence, thereby releasing benevolent forces on our behalf, constitute a major force in this so-called gospel. Their "law of confession" is routine quoting of certain scriptures and quoting them over and over. The Word of God is seen as a self-energizing entity – a deity within itself. Specific scriptures are utilized out of context most of the time, completely ignoring the related scriptures addressing the same principles, which, of course, is a violation of proper scriptural interpretation. By using these isolated scriptures, God is supposedly obligated to perform certain actions. The verbalized confession becomes the total force. Of course, within this system, the burden on the individual becomes almost too great to bear. Above all, he must not lose his confession; he must not weaken his confession; he must not err in his confession. No matter what happens, he is compelled to ignore reality and to maintain his confession. As a result, sick people are prayed for and automatically declared healed. Why? Once the confession has been made and because certain specific passages of Scripture have been applied to their sickness, it is impossible for them not to be healed. In their thinking, The Word of God – which, again, has become a deity within itself – has been imprisoned within their laws, and the individual has to be healed. In these matters, the will of God as well as all related circumstances are totally ignored. The unfortunate individuals who find themselves under these teachers are, at times, instructed not to see a doctor since this would counteract their positive confession with the consequent loss of their healing. The sad fact is that some have actually died by observing this dangerous and hurtful teaching. 


As stated, The Word of God is basically removed from the person of The Lord Jesus Christ. Individuals are told that they can do anything that Jesus did – if they have the right type of knowledge, believe correctly, and have the right confession, they can have anything they confess. They are told that the believer, infused with a new kind of nature (the new knowledge), can speak (even as God spoke) worlds into existence. This type of teaching is often termed "the God-kind of faith". Too often this teaching denies the effect of sickness, death, trials, and problems in their lives when these problems are present. They seem to feel that they have the power to release "forces of good" as a consequence of their knowledge and confession. As such, they have little compassion on those who are sick or who suffer from trials or difficulties. They simply state with a cold, scientific logic, "You are suffering because you have refused to know your place in Christ," (superior knowledge). They also say that if you pray according to God's written Word and follow His instructions, you will always get results. If you miss it (they say), it is your faith that failed, not God. They imply somewhat that prayer in the sense of need is the enemy of confession. They say that such prayer asks for help without denying that the circumstances exist; in other words, it is the opposite of confession. They suggest that, rather than praying, we confess the answer because in confessing the answer, we repeat the magic formula causing the negative factors to disappear. 



Prayer

They further imply that prayer (asking God for help) is a sign of weakness and dependence, so we should religiously avoid this type of praying. Instead, they say we should confess our position in Christ because confession has the ready answer, and all we have to do is begin confessing. In view of this, we are instructed not to pray as one normally would, since prayer, as indulged by most Christians, is really an enemy of faith, they say. Prayer is talked about, but, in reality, there is very little prayer in these circles with what they refer to as prayer – little more than words twisted to conform to the principle of confession. Once again, the veil of condemnation falls heavily on the shoulders of the believer who is trapped in these false directions. He is told that he can govern the circumstances around himself using only the written Word of God. He can use this as a club to force God into a particular position or at least as a magic talisman that will banish all problems. 



​Responsibility

Trusting believers are further told that results probably will not happen overnight just because we "confess" certain things once or twice. In other words, we must keep saying them over and over again and keep believing them. Once again, the responsibility of the results falls entirely on the individual. Consequently, the individual is the one who is glorified if and when results occur. The Name of God and His Word are spoken of constantly and are "used" continuously. In actuality, it is the individual who is glorified, and God receives very little of the praise. They even tell us that these are the same principles "used" by Jesus. The believer, as stated, is discouraged from the usual manner of praying since this would require him to repeat the problem aloud for all to hear. This amounts to an acknowledgement of the problem, which is a bad confession, they say. Some insist that praying for help implies that God has left something undone, that redemption is incomplete. Within this teaching, nothing is considered incomplete. 



Repentance And Forgiveness

We are even told, at least by some of these teachers, that the prayer of repentance and forgiveness is not for the modern day saint and that no Christian should ever confess sin as one generally does. Some teach that a confession of sin should be replaced by a confession of who the believer is – a new creation in Christ. This is somehow supposed to replace a slip into sin consciousness. If one would notice, these preachers or teachers seldom preach against any kind of sin. There is little said about it because (they say) it will cause people to have a sin consciousness. So, the way not to sin is to simply ignore it, they say. As stated, and because it is so very important, we repeat it: they really do not believe in Holy Spirit conviction, either.They suggests that conviction is really condemnation, which completely ignores John 16:7-11. 



Parasitical 

Consequently, they pay lip service to getting people saved but devote little energy to that effort. Their brief mechanical altar calls, if they give any at all, are little more than passing efforts. Their entire movement depends on someone else winning souls to God. Only then do they come on the scene to elevate these to new levels of knowledge. As such, their teaching must be viewed as parasitical. In other words, if there were not true preachers of the Gospel bringing people to Christ, the so-called modern faith teaching would ultimately disappear, simply because they bring precious few to Christ themselves. In fact, it was the same identical way with the apostle Paul. The Judaizers, who did not win any souls to Christ and, in fact, could not win any souls to Christ, had to feed off of those whom Paul had won to the The Lord, so the problem continues. As a result, these so-called faith teachers have very little regard for world evangelism, at least as we think of such, except in limited settings. This is not surprising in that their teaching of higher knowledge does not readily appeal to people in many parts of the world. They do, however, mention "thousands saved". This fits in with their confession concept. Even though there are very few, if any, outward results, they tend to confess great results,pulling it out of thin air. In other words, there have been precious few salvations, if any. They also imply that the believer no longer really needs God's grace but is himself invested with the ability to do what is necessary in life. Hence, one hears a great deal about the ability of God in the believer. In other words, the believer becomes something of a free agent or a franchisee doing all sorts of great things. ​



​Presumption

When this is carried through its conclusion, it completely ignores the will of God, falling into the error of presumption and leaving the believer out of God's will, exercising, instead, his own judgment and will, which is the ultimate sin. He will then commit Satan's sin of using God's Word against His (God's) purposes. Individuals are told to confess anything into existence – from Cadillacs to resurrection – completely ignoring the will of God in the matter. They say this is right in their new knowledge in Christ Jesus. As we have previously stated, they basically deny the sin nature and teach that one cannot have a human nature and a godly nature at the same time. One is either totally divine or totally satanic, never just human. We are told that man is either operating totally in the flesh realm (the world of the senses) or in the spiritual realm. Therefore, they would convince us that sickness is purely spiritual in origin and must be healed on that level alone instead of the physical level as well. Consequently, they sometimes say that sickness is aligned with the sinful state of the ill person. It is always a spiritual problem (they say). 



Philosophy

In view of all this, those adhering to this philosophy – and it is a philosophy; it is not the Gospel – do not feel that Christians truly undergo trials or testings. If an individual appears to undergo such, then that person is operating, they say, in the realm of the senses or in the flesh realm – the world of carnality or of Satan. I don't know in what state they would have placed the apostle Paul, unless they claim, as some actually have, that if Paul had had their type of faith, he would not have had so many problems and difficulties. They equate any individual living completely free from all difficulties or problems as operating in the world of the divine, which is God. It is always one or the other. In their thinking, the individual is never just "human". Consequently, they would seldom say that they are tired or discouraged, etc. Converts are told never to confess any type of sickness. If they have a cold, they are just to say (by faith) that they do not have a cold because confessing something of this nature would indicate humanity. As they tell it, they do not operate in the realm of the senses; they operate on a higher plane. Anyone who prays, admitting total dependency on God, is filled with flaws and inconsistencies. To pray for God's help would be considered foolish by these people. They simply do not have flaws or inconsistencies. They have already arrived at a state of co-divinity with God. 



Pride

​These teachers seem blind to man's basic human nature and, thereby, appeal to man's pride. They do not seem to realize or will not admit that we are actually poor, undeserving creatures desperately in need of God's help, and, due to the fall, we were born spiritually incomplete and inadequate, in need of a Redeemer. They do not seem to know or realize that only Jesus Christ is acceptable to God as our Savior and Redeemer and that our relationship to God is according to our relationship with Christ, not some type of superior knowledge. They also tend to forget that, when we are saved (born again), our humanity does not cease. They ignore the fact that we still possess the flaws and inconsistencies of humans and thereby continue to fall short of the glory of God, and only God's grace and mercy – through Jesus Christ and His Cross – allow us to enter into the presence of God. They lose sight of the fact that, within ourselves, we are unworthy and, therefore, totally dependent upon The Lord for His mercy and grace. 



An Improper Knowledge Of The Cross Of Christ

This teaching, as stated, has an incomplete or faulty knowledge of The Cross of Christ. When one has a faulty knowledge of The Cross, basically, their knowledge is faulty for the balance of the effort as well. They basically teach that Jesus Christ became a partaker of the satanic nature on The Cross. In other words, they suggest that He became identified with Satan. They claim He could not have died physically without first dying spiritually. They seem to say, concerning the mortality of the body of Christ, that His death on The Cross was proof that He had ceased being the Son of God. They have a complete misconception of the incarnation of Christ as the perfect sacrifice – a sin offering. Whether they realize it or not, they are teaching that Jesus was both divine and satanic but not at the same time. In their view, He was divine while in His earthly ministry but became sinful while on The Cross as He took our sins upon Himself. One must understand that it is not possible to be a sinner unless one sins, so they are somehow saying that Jesus sinned. They cannot have it any other way. A logical extension of their philosophy is that, when Jesus took our sins upon Himself on The Cross, He became personally in need of redemption because of those sins. In short, because of this, they say that He died spiritually, went to hell (and we speak of the burning side of hell) as any sinner goes to hell upon the time of death, and, as a result, had to be born again exactly as we have to be born again. They flaunt the scripture which says that He was the firstborn of many brethren, and they distort this to suggest that He was born again (in the sense of a spiritual birth). They seem to ignore the fact that Him being the firstborn of many brethren refers to Christ as the author of the great salvation plan (Romans 8:29). 



Gnosticism

Irenaeus, the ancient teacher who so strongly refuted Gnosticism (superior knowledge), which is so similar in many respects to the modern faith teaching said, "No creed is so blasphemous as theirs..., cutting off and dividing Jesus from Christ, Christ from Savior, Savior from Word, and Word from only begotten." Modern faith teachers, which is actually not faith at all, at least that which God will recognize, claim that Jesus took on our satanic flesh on The Cross and then died. They use the Scriptural reference of 2 Corinthians 5:21, completely pulling it out of context. They imply that The Cross is the place of the spiritual death of Jesus in addition to His physical death. In truth, this borders on blasphemy. It would seem that the power and forgiveness provided in the atonement of The Lord Jesus Christ is lost to them, rejecting, as they do, their need for anything beyond knowledge. One has the feeling that they come close to repudiating Calvary, consequently making light of such songs as "The Old Rugged Cross", etc. This type of song is looked at by them with distain. They protest that they do not want to identify with the death of The Lord Jesus Christ, only His resurrection. One cannot help but conclude that they do not feel they have to go through repentance and The Cross. As stated, it is ignored and treated as "past miseries". Whether they realize it or not, such teaching also denies their salvation. The truth is, as the apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:14 "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Perhaps this error is merely scriptural ignorance. However, the fact that one is not aware of error does not make the error any less destructive. 



A Great Lure

Tragically, this teaching, because of its promise of worldly riches, holds out an exciting lure and attracts many followers. It attracts because most Christians, sad to say, do not have the firm foundation they should have in the Word of God. Consequently, they are easy prey for this type of teaching. As stated, it has a powerful attraction. The promise of instant riches appeals to the selfishness and greed in most people's hearts – even Christians. However, the only one getting rich is the preacher or teacher. Because this teaching is covered with Scripture, although twisted and taken out of context, it has the inherent blessing of The Word of God, or so many would think. With these twin appeals – money and self-gratification –  it exerts great allure. Individuals are promised health and wealth, and this is a heady gospel. Miracles and healings are spoken of constantly, when, in reality, there are few, if any, miracles and precious few healings, if any. Trusting followers are led to believe that God is continuously speaking to these teachers. While it is certainly true the God definitely does speak to His people, still, the regularity and instant communication claimed by these individuals places the teacher or preacher in some type of spiritual atmosphere far above the lowly crowd. ​



Faith?

As such, stupendous statements and claims are made – statements and claims having no documentation in fact. By "faith", great numbers are announced as being saved. Miracles are tossed about as common occurrences but with little basic substance or fact backing them up. Carelessness with facts become rampant – all under the guise of "faith". The followers, often knowing little of the Word of God, are lulled into deception by eagerly accepting what really does not exist. It sounds so scriptural to the unknowing ear and eye. It sounds so plausible. It appears to be the dream of man, the answer to the cry of those desiring victory within their lives. There is some truth, as we stated earlier, in what they teach, as there is some truth in all error. This, of course, is what makes error so much more difficult to recognize. Error surrounded by truth finds it easy to entrap the unwary in its reaches. Jesus told us we must judge a tree by the fruit it bears (Mathew 12:33; Luke 6:43). For a moment, let us look at the "fruit" of the "faith ministry". 



Fruit

First of all, as previously stated, very little priority is placed on winning souls to Christ. Principle emphasis is placed on money, healings, miracles, faith, knowledge, etc. Very little concern is demonstrated for the very core of true Christian faith – the salvations of the lost. Second, the taking of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world is little heeded. Consequently, areas of the world that cannot give a monetary return are, for the most part, ignored.  This within itself is a complete denial of the Great Commission and actually denies the last words left by Christ before His ascension (Mark 16:15-20). And finally, this teaching will not lead to victory in the hearts and lives of any individuals because it is not scriptural. Any teaching that ignores The Cross, denies The Cross, or understates The Cross is false. It is just that simple – it is false. In all cases, if followed to its conclusion, it will lead, instead, to future difficulties. People are promised all sorts of physical and material rewards, but very few of these promises ever materialize. Of course, those who do not see these promises come to pass are labeled as not having enough faith. Consequently, the believer is led to expect many things that God has never promised. Then, when the expected results fail to materialize, the individual ends up disappointed at the least and imbittered at the worst. 



​It Just Doesn't Work

When real tragedy befalls, as it does in many lives, and this teaching of laws and formulas is applied, to the believer's dismay, it just doesn't work. The believers have been promised that these are God's laws, while, in actuality, they are nothing more than man's laws. It is in this way that many, due to this teaching, have abandoned their walk with God and become imbittered. They end up denying God, His work, His church, and everything that real salvation comprises – all because they believed with their hearts a premise built on a foundation of sand. The spiritual shores are littered with the wrecks of these hapless individuals. They placed their all in a false doctrine, but, instead of gaining all, they lost all. Sadly, these victims are ignored. There is no compassion for "faith dropouts". They are dismissed with a flippant, "They missed it," and brushed aside like so much debris because there is always a fresh crop of gullible believers to take their place. In closing, I must echo the words of Christ, "...Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour" (John 12:24-26).


Will you come, will you come,

With your poor, broken heart

Burdened and sin oppressed?

Lay it down at the feet of your Savior and Lord.

Jesus will give you rest.


Will you come, will you come?

There is mercy for you,

​Balm for your aching breast;

Only come as you are and believe on His Name.

​Jesus will give you rest.


​Will you come, will you come?

You have nothing to pay.

Jesus, Who loves you best,

By His death on The Cross purchased life for your soul.

Jesus will give you rest.


Will you come, will you come?

He pleads with you now.

Fly to His loving breast;

And whatever your sin or your sorrow may be,

​Jesus will give you rest.