Spirit and Truth

The Worship of God In Spirit and In Truth

I. Jesus Fulfilled The Law: [Mat. 5:17 - Romans 3:31]

a.) The Law Led the Way to Christ: Galatians 3:23-27

b.) The Worship and Service of God Under the Old Covenant Was All Carnal, Ceremonial, and Symbolic: Heb. 9:8-10 - Heb. 10:1

c.) There is No More Ceremonial, or Symbolic Ordinances of Worship or Service Under the New Covenant: John 4:19-24 - Philip. 3:3 - Gal. 3:3

II. Partition (Ceremonial Law) Between Jew and Gentile is Broken Down - There is Now One Body In Christ: [Eph. 2:11-16 - Gal. 3:27,28 - I Cor. 12:13]

a.) Ceremonial Law [Works of The Law] Done Away With In Christ, and Fulfilled In Us Through Christ; Therefore We are Complete In Christ (The Spirit): II Cor. 3:17 - Col. 2:6,10-12,16,17 - Rom. 8:4 - Rom. 10:4 - Heb. 8:13

b.) The Spiritual, or New Testament Jew: Philip. 3:3 - Romans 2:28

III. The Only New Testament Communion:

a.) Eating Christ's Body, and Drinking His Blood is Spiritual and Literal; Not Carnal, Ceremonial, and Symbolic:

1.) John 6:35,53-63 (Eat Body/Bread, Drink Blood - Spiritual)

2.) Mat. 26:17-20 - Lev. 23:4-6 (The Last Supper Was Actually The Passover, a Ceremonial Ordinance of The Law)

3.) Mat. 26:26-29 (Do This in The Fulfilled Manner/In Kingdom of God) - Rom. 14:17 (Kingdom of God is The Spirit) - Lk. 22:14-18 (To Be Kept in the Fulfilled Manner)

4.) I Cor. 10:15-17 - I Cor. 6:17 (Our Spirits, Joined to His Spirit, are The Bread/Body, and Blood, In Christ) - I Cor. 5:6-8 (We Eat and Drink of Christ From One Another Literally, Through the Spirit; through Godly Sincerity, or Honesty, and Truth; Not Physical Bread or Wine, Which is Ceremonial and Symbolic)

5.) John 7:37-39 (Drink His Spiritual Blood, or Life, Which is The Spirit - Lev. 17:14 & Rom. 8:2,10) - I Cor. 12:13 (We Drink of the Spiritual Blood, or Life of Christ By Means of the Spirit Baptism, and Continuance Therein)

6.) Rev. 3:20 - II Cor. 13:14 (The True Communion is Spiritual, Partaken of in The Inner Man, and is For The Inner Man)

IV. The Only New Testament Baptism:

a.) Water Baptism Began With John, and Was a Ceremonial, Symbolic Ordinance of The Law, Because It Was Given by God During the Time of The Old Covenant Dispensation: Luke 16:16 - Heb. 8:4 - Mat. 3:13-15 - Mat. 5:17

b.) John Baptized in Water, But Only to Introduce Jesus, and His Greater Baptism: Mk. 1:6-8 - Acts 1:4,5

c.) The Spirit Baptism Has Fulfilled Water Baptism, Even as Jesus Has Fulfilled The Law: Eph. 4:5 - I Pet. 3:21

1.) Col. 2:12 - I Pet. 3:18 (New Testament Baptism Administered by The Same Power that Raised Jesus From The Dead - The Holy Ghost)

2.) Mk. 16:16 - Titus 3:5 [Spiritual Washing/Baptism] - I Pet. 3:21 [The Baptism Which Came as a Result of The Resurrection of Christ] (The New Testament Spirit Baptism is what Saves Us From Our Sins)

d.) The Understanding of the Fulfillment of The Law, and The New Testament Spiritual Worship of God, was Given To Paul for The Gentiles, Who Had Never Been Under The Law as The Jews Were (Gal. 2:7-9 - Acts 15:1-21). It is Evidenced in The Scriptures That Paul Did Not Have Everything Revealed to Him Overnight, Because We Know that He Baptized in Water Earlier in His Ministry, But Ceased to Do So Eventually:

1.) I Cor. 1:17 (He Confessed to The Corinthians that Christ had Not Sent Him to Baptize, Which Obviously Means that He Would Not Have Baptized Earlier, had He Been Aware of This Fact at That Time)

2.) Eph. 4:5 (He Clearly Stipulated to The Ephesians that There is Only One Baptism, Which Means This Statement Was Made After He Had Ceased From Practicing Water Baptism; Because It Is Evident That He Was Speaking Here of The Fulfilling Spirit Baptism Administered by Jesus, and Not Water Baptism, Which Only Led Up To, and Symbolized Jesus' Baptism)

V. The Spirit of Praise And Rejoicing Has Replaced The Carnal Offerings of The Old Covenant:

a.) This Was Prophesied of During The Old Covenant Dispensation: Psalms 141:2

b.) Outward Praise of God is a Commandment Now: Heb. 13:15 - Philip. 4:4

VI. Worshipping God In Truth: [Jn. 4:19-24]

a.) Worshipping God in Truth is To Worship Without Sin in Your Life, Meaning In Holiness; and The Flip Side of Worshipping God in Truth is to Worship God in Pretence, or In Vain: Psm. 33:1 - Prov. 15:8

1.) Gen. 4:3-7 (It Was This Way Before The Old Covenant)

2.) Isa. 1:10-17 - Jer. 7:8-11 (It Was This Way During The Old Covenant)

3.) Mat. 15:7-9 ( It Was This Way When Jesus Was Here)

4.) I Cor. 5:1-8 - James 3:14 (It Certainly is The Same Under The New Covenant)

VII. The Danger of Falling From Grace:

a.) Circumcision Was The Troubling Issue to The Body of Christ in Paul's Day, but Now Carnal So Called Communion Services, and Water Baptism are The Main Issues of This Type that Hinder God's People. It is Evident in Paul's Writings that Keeping the Ceremonial Ordinances [Works] of The Law, and Being Made to Feel That These Things are Necessary In Order For Us To Be in Right Standing With God; Actually Jeopardizes Our Standing With God. Also If You Substitute "Water Baptism" and "Carnal Communion Services" for "Circumcision, New Moon, etc.," You Can Better Understand The Following Scriptures, as They Apply Today: Gal. 5:2-4 - Col. 2:16,17 - Gal. 2:16,17 - Rom. 11:6

VIII. Summary:

We are complete in Christ, meaning that we are the walking fulfillment of the law, as long as we walk in the Spirit and obey God's will in holiness (I Cor. 12:13 - Rom. 8:4,13,14). This certainly includes not being a partaker of, or having respect unto the ceremonial ordinances (works) of the law. Paul stated this in Philippians 3:3, saying that we are to "have no confidence in the flesh." He was speaking here of the ceremonial ordinances of the law that pertained to the flesh (the outer man). The reason for this is evidenced in Gal. 5:4 where we are informed that doing so nullifies the work of Christ in us. We also dishonor what Jesus has done for us by respecting these ordinances, because He suffered, died and rose again that we might have the fulfillment of these ceremonies; which ceremonies never did anything for the souls of the partakers thereof to begin with (Gal. 2:16,21 - Gal. 3:21 - Heb. 10:1-4).

The respect and keeping of these ordinances (water baptism and carnal communion services, as well as any other ceremonial ordinances, such as foot washings, etc.) actually quenches the move of the Spirit of God in the body of Christ, and contributes to God's people moving in the opposite direction of the leading of the Spirit, and into carnal mindedness and sin (Gal. 3:24,25 - Gal. 5:7-9,14-18). And that certainly is a serious problem, because the Spirit of God is our only means by which we can be led unto Eternal Life (Jn. 16:13 - Rom. 8:14, etc.). So it becomes evident that we would do much better for ourselves in every conceivable way, if we would let these dead works go, and put all of our labor, respect, and focus on the Spirit of God, which is the only place Jesus can be found (II Cor. 3:17 - John. 14:15-19,26). This is the only kind of worship that God accepts (Jn. 4:19-24) Amen.