
Gospel E-Word:
Religious Unbelief
Unbelief has many different forms by which it shows itself. We know that
there are some who don't even believe that there is a God. Others believe that
there is a God, but say that no one can really know for sure who He is or what
He is about; but that He is Whoever you see Him as being . Although this may appear to some to be a degree of faith, it really
is not because it leaves God as an abstract, and basically without any
real meaning. This form of unbelief is really not any more benefit to one than
atheism because there is actually no one and nothing to put any faith in,;
certainly not the true and living God. Then we venture into the realm of
religious unbelief and see that many believe that Allah is God, or Buddha,
or Hare Krishna, or whatever else men have managed to invent. This certainly
constitutes unbelief because whoever believes in these idolatries is placing
their "faith" in something that really doesn't even exist, except in the minds
of those who believe that they exist. God addressed this type of unbelief
through the prophets in statements like this: "Who hath formed a god, or molten
a graven image that is profitable for nothing?
Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let
them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they
shall be ashamed together" (Isa. 44:10,11).
Religious unbelief is truly the most
dangerous form of unbelief because it dictates a god to someone; and whatever
that god is, it is always a god that allows and promotes sin. An
extravagant example of the harm of this brand of unbelief is the present day
reality of terrorists all over the world who are committing horrifying
atrocities against their fellow man in the name of their god. Being taught the
wrong things about God paints a picture of God in the minds of those who receive
such teaching, that simply is not God. And anytime this happens, the one in that
picture is Satan, who has always had the ambition of being "like the most High;"
which ambition was his very downfall (Isa. 14:12-15). He is always
the one who gets the glory when people are believing in the wrong god. The
Apostle Paul made this clear by saying, "... the things which the Gentiles
sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God:" (I Cor. 10:20). And in
actuality, all unbelief is about the allowance and promotion of sin.
But this article is not about terrorists, or the atrocities they are
committing, because these things are not the things that are misleading God's
sheep. But rather it is about an even more deceitful form of religious
unbelief which has crippled the faith and the spiritual strength of the
saints of God. We've seen thus far, and I'm certain that we are also in
agreement, that being taught erroneously about God is a very damaging thing that
reaches far and wide. But what about being taught the wrong things about our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? I'm persuaded that anyone who is reading on this
site believes that Jesus is the Lord, and that He is the son of the living God;
and also that He died for our sins and was raised on the third day, and is now
set at the right hand of the Father. But understanding the truth about Who Jesus
really is, and what He is about, goes much further than these very basic
elements of the faith. And almost universally God's people are
not being taught the Jesus of the Bible. And this is a very grave
matter, because as you may be able to consider at this point, Satan's favorite
disguise is as "the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom (He) sent." In
other words, to whatever extent someone is believing erroneously about Jesus,
and His gospel; then to that extent they are being caused to believe that Satan
is Jesus, without realizing it of course.
There is a scripture that has always stood out to me, in regard to unbelief,
and it is found in Romans 11:20: "Well; because of unbelief
they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:"
The thing that has always stood out to me about this scripture is the nature of
the unbelief that caused the Jews to reject Jesus. The Apostle Paul described
what I'm talking about perfectly: "For I bear them record that they have a
zeal
of God, but not according to knowledge" (Rom. 10:2). The Jews were
believing in the right God, or rather they thought they were. They
didn't profess a wrong God, not in word anyway; and they certainly upheld many
of the customs that God had established under the old covenant. But they erred
by straying from the most important elements of the law, and by inserting their
own invented customs, as though they were of God (Mat. 23:23; Mat.
15:3). Jesus quoted Isaiah to them, saying "But in vain they do
worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mat. 15:9). In
other words they rejected Jesus, not because they didn't believe there
was a God, and not because they believed in the idols of the gentiles;
but because they were believing the wrong things about the right
God.
And this dear one, is the danger of believing the wrong things
about Jesus. Because it can and will cause us to not
recognize what the real Jesus is actually doing; and it will cause us to not be
able to hear His voice. In His messages to the seven leaders (angels/messengers)
of the congregations of God in Asia, in the book of Revelation; Jesus ended each message
with the same exhortation: "He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
[congregations]." The doctrines that are being taught to
God's people
today are not what the Spirit of God is saying unto the
body of Christ; and I want you to see in short order how that this leads right back to
the same roots that all unbelief and idolatry has always had in common: that
being that they all allow for sin.
The Bible plainly projects that the experience of being
baptized with the
holy Ghost, with the initial evidence of speaking with other
tongues, is what
puts any one of us into the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13).
The Bible states that we become a new creature (obviously through a new birth)
by being in Christ (II Cor. 5:17). Again according to I Cor.
12:13, we get into Christ through the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
We also are plainly told in the Scriptures that the Spirit of God is what
washes
us from our sins, sanctifies us, and justifies us in the sight of God (I Cor.
6:11; Rom. 15:16; Titus 3:5; etc.).
Without the Holy Ghost in our lives, we are told in the Bible that we're "none
of His" (Rom. 8:9). And there is no such thing in the Bible as
receiving
the Holy Ghost before or apart from being baptized with the Holy
Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues.
Yet as I previously stated, God's people are universally taught
contrary to these plain Bible truths. People are being made to believe that they
are born again when they "get saved," or "accept the Lord as their personal
savior." These things have a great religious sound to them, but the problem with
them is that there is absolutely NOTHING in the Bible to support
these doctrines. There is not one single instance in the Scriptures of ANYONE
EVER "getting saved" or "accepting the Lord." It just did not happen. And on
top of these unscriptural "new birth" inventions, the people of the
Lord have also been
taught that they receive Salvation when they "get saved,"
or "accept the Lord." The holy Ghost baptism is taught as a secondary
experience for those who already have Salvation. And yet the Bible
clearly teaches that salvation is the end reward for a life lived
in true holiness till the end; and that for someone who has
truly been born again the Bible way, meaning the holy Ghost baptism (I Pet.
1:7-9; Heb. 12:14,15; Mat. 24:12,13; etc., etc.). So
hopefully you can see the dilemma involved with accepting these and other wrong
doctrines as though they are from God. If we are made to believe that we are
born again before we have the experience that actually takes our sins away and
gives us new life in Christ, then we have been deceived into staying in sin
while professing righteousness through Christ. In other words we have not
been caused to believe in the Jesus of the Bible, because the Jesus of the Bible
is the Jesus who baptizes with the holy Ghost to take our sins away, and to make
us a member of His only Congregation (I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:4). So we see that
the result of this error is that we keep our sins, while believing that they
have been taken away. Who do you suppose is behind that cunning
craftiness?
And the same thing runs true for Salvation. If we are made to believe that we
have received Salvation, through a non-existent man-made "new birth" doctrine,
before we have even truly been born again; then we are believing that
we're saved without even actually being in the body of Christ, or forgiven of
our sins. And this man-made "Salvation" doctrine, which really is the age old
trick of the Devil known as "eternal security," or "once saved always saved;"
certainly robs us of the fear of the Lord that we must have in order to continue
to strive after pureness of heart; without which we will NOT be in the
first resurrection, or the rapture of the bride of Christ (I Jn. 3:2,3; Rev.
20:6). And we certainly cannot purify ourselves "even as He is pure," if we
haven't even received "power from on high," with which to do so. And even when
people do receive the baptism of the Spirit after having already embraced
the man-made "new birth" and "salvation" doctrines, their spiritual strength is
sapped by having the mindset that they are automatically "locked in" to
salvation. Believing that one is already saved, and that they don't have to be
pure in heart in order to inherit eternal life, will not compel anyone to "work
out (their) own salvation with fear and trembling;" and it will not motivate
anyone to "strive to enter in at the strait gate," because these flesh pleasing
teachings do not keep anyone mindful of the scriptural reality that "many...
shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able" (Lk. 13:24). Again, the
end result is a doctrine that promotes and allows for sin. And this is the
highest form of religious unbelief, and the most deadly, because this is the
kind of unbelief that has by subtle and deceitful means, turned God's sheep away
from hearing the voice of their Shepherd.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans gave
this admonition to the Jews among the assembly of God's people, who were trusting in circumcision, or
in being Jews, for their salvation: " For circumcision verily profiteth, if
thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision
is made uncircumcision"(Rom. 2:25). Circumcision, for the Jews, was
supposed to be a sign that they were keepers of the commandments of God, like
Abraham (Rom. 4:11). But as he said, if they did not keep the
commandments of God, then their circumcision was of no profit, and actually was
the same as uncircumcision. And the equivalent of this today could be said
thusly: "If your faith in Christ is not based on the truth about
Christ, then your faith is made
unbelief because it is based on some other Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible."
And believing in the wrong Jesus also causes God's people to not believe
the truth if they hear it, because they already think that something contrary
to the truth is the truth. Like God's people
of old (Israel), the body of Christ has been taught into having "a zeal of God, but not
according to knowledge" (Rom. 10:2). And like God's people of old, this has
resulted in God's people today "being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about
to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). The Congregation of the Lord, my friend, has been connived
by that master of illusion, into embracing "another Jesus," and accepting
"another gospel," and receiving "another spirit;" even as the Apostle Paul
warned
would happen (II Cor. 11:4). God's people have been persuaded, by erroneous
doctrines cleverly put together by that spirit of antichrist, to believe that
Satan's ministers are actually God's ministers, and that Satan is actually Jesus
(II Cor. 11:14,15). And the end result, as it always is with any unbelief, is
the allowance of sin, and the destruction of souls.
Friend, your soul is far too precious to take
chances with. Please read this article again, study the references, and seek the
Lord with honest and contrite urgency, as to the truth of these matters. I have
dealt with only two major points where faith in Jesus has been turned into
unbelief, concerning the doctrine and reality of Christ. There are many
other very serious points where the same thing is true, but time and space will
not allow for those at this time. Bookmark this site, and come back later. I'm
sure you will find more information regarding these matters at that time. Trust
in God's Spirit to "guide you into all truth," and may the Lord deal with you in
extraordinary grace. Amen.
Bro.Lary@gmail.com
Daniel~
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