Learning What We Have In God

What then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare His own Son,

but delivered Him up for us all,

how shall He not with Him

also freely give us all things?

Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?

It is God who justifies.

Romans 8:31 -- 33

            The opening Scriptures provide for us tremendous hope for we are told that nothing can be against us because God is for us and we have this assurance, God did not spare His own Son and delivered Him up for us all.  Also, God has freely given us all things and this free gift is His salvation that can only be found in His Son, Jesus Christ, and that salvation is full and complete, lacking nothing.  Upon our conversion and reception of Jesus Christ in our lives, we receive everything that God desires to give to His elect those things that come by means of our salvation through Jesus Christ.  This being true according to Scripture then the question is: "why should anyone attempt to get additional gifts and additional blessings?"  Did not God give us all things freely?  It is in our desire to seek out additional gifts and additional blessings, no, our desire should be to grow in our Christian life and to discover all that we already have from Him.  Understand this one fact if you can't understand anything: you are already rich in Jesus Christ and we must learn how to live our Christian life in this richness.  This means that we must understand whose we are, and who we are so that we may live our Christian life according to His Scriptures.  Take a moment and think; is there anything that you really need that you don't already have in Jesus Christ?

            Should Christian believers be looking for a "second blessing?"  Paul in writing to the Ephesians wrote: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1: 3).  Take a moment and dwell on this: how rich are Christian believers blessed, and how poor Christ came so that we could be blessed and rich in Him: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes he kept that became poor, that through His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8: 9).  Christian believers lack nothing for in Jesus Christ we are complete: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2: 9 -- 10).  Scripture then teaches us that God has freely given us all things and that we are complete in Jesus Christ, therefore, Christians are not missing a second blessing experience.  Unfortunately, so often, Christians fail to claim the riches that they already have, those riches of the grace of God.  When this occurs we fail to possess our possessions!

            Here then lies a question, a question that not only Christians ask of themselves, but also unbelievers, and the question is: "what evidence or proof of the person have that they received the Spirit?" As Peter wrote that we should be prepared to give an answer, or a defense for the reason for the hope that we have, then what evidence or proof can you provide that indicates that you have received the Holy Spirit?  You might even say, "I don't feel like anything has occurred or that the Holy Spirit actually is in me, for I can't feel anything."  So there are those who are of the Charismatic, or Pentecostal beliefs who point to speaking in tongues as evidence of the baptism of the Spirit, that one has received the Holy Spirit.  Is this true?  What do the Scriptures reveal?  First and foremost, if you have received the Holy Spirit then we have received the fruit of the Spirit and we should not expect anything less then the fruit of the Spirit being demonstrated in our life.  What is that fruit? "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5: 22 -- 23).  To answer those questions that may be asked in regards to your faith and your ability to provide evidence of your faith and that we have the Holy Spirit, then demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit!  God makes it very clear to us that this is His will: "For this is the will of God, you're sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality....  For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in the holiness.  Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7 -- 8).  Do you need evidence that you have the Holy Spirit?  The evidence is very simple.  I did not say it was easy.  The evidence is that you should live a holy life: "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: the Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2: 19).  God having freely given us all things upon our conversion and that includes the giving of Himself, the Holy Spirit, then we are sealed until the day of redemption therefore we should not grieve the Holy Spirit: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4: 30).  When we have failed and sinned, are you convicted and troubled, even miserable knowing that you were disobedient to the Lord and not doing the things that are pleasing to Him?  If so then you have the Holy Spirit for when you do those things which are against the will of God you are grieving Him, the Holy Spirit, the Godhead.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit causes us to know His indwelling and His presence. 

            We are rich in Jesus Christ for God has given us all things and that includes the Holy Spirit Who enables us to live according to his will and that will has been revealed to us in His Scripture.  The question is: "Do you live according to Scripture or will you continue to seek that which you already have?"

The simple believers every word,

            but the prudent considers

well his steps.  A wise man fears

            and departs from evil.

But a fool rages and is self-confident.

                                    Proverbs 14: 15 -- 16

The love of God is great

Richard L. Crumb

Learning To Seek The Truth

 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands

He has a recompensed me.

For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

and have not acted wickedly departed from my God.

For all His judgments were before me,

and I did not put away His statutes from me.

Psalm 18:20 -- 22

            Is this not something we desire: righteousness and cleanness of hands, and the keeping of the ways of the LORD, and not departing from God and acting wickedly?  Is it not true that as authentic Christians we want His statutes to lead and guide our life?  This is why we are taking time to follow His command to test all things and hold fast to that which is good and not allow for things to be said or done that are not in accordance with the will of God.  The will of God outlined completely for our lives in His word.  Isaiah aptly points out this very major fact: "You are My witnesses," says the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me. "And understand that I am He.  Before Me there was no God form, nor shall there be after Me.  I, even I, and the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior, I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign God among you; therefore you are My witnesses," says the LORD, "that I am God" (Isaiah 43:10 -- 12).  We are the witnesses and ambassadors for God, the only God of the universe and is the ruler of this universe and all other gods are man-made to fit a person(s) ideology or theology.  God chose His children: it is not the other way around that we chose Him, even though with the faith given to us we must make a decision to convert to Him, deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow Him and this we can do because God chose His children.  As a child of God then we want to depart from any form of wickedness and keep all his judgments in statutes before us.  It often means that we must make some very difficult and tough decisions even those decisions that may make others infuriated, or even just simply mad because we are not doing what we had been doing previously and this change came because of the Word of God and our study of it.  This we are doing and I pray and hope with all my heart that you will look into His word and carefully examine your beliefs and what He has revealed. A Bible-believing Christian must settle the fact that the final authority for God's creation is what God Himself says in His Word. 

            If there was one disagreement or contentions among Christians, it is this: speaking in tongues.  If there is one earmark among the charismatic and Pentecostal groups it is "speaking in tongues."  The question is: does God have to speak in "tongues" or, in such language that is not understandable?  Those Christians who believe in the gift of speaking in "tongues," refer back to the day of Pentecost when some 120 men were in the upper room where the Holy Spirit came upon them and the beginning of the new covenant and the church began and say that what occurred there is what is occurring in our day.  Is this true?  We will look at Scripture and find out what Scripture actually reveals.  Those who believe in the "charisma," the Greek word for gifts, believe that both the miraculous gifts are important for Christians today and the gift of "speaking in tongues" is considered to be the most important gift and people are taught that Christians are to exercise this gift.

            Sometimes the Greek word used for tongues, "γλώσσα" is used for the physical tongue, or metaphorically as in acts chapter 2:3 where the plural is speaking of tongues as of fire and we know that the flames of fire are often called tongues of fire. In Acts 2:4, tongues, or languages is spoken of in this verse.  The Holy Spirit filled them, and they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave.  Therefore, the question is, was it some sort of unintelligible angelic sound or language that these men uttered who had been given this ability, and it seemed as though not all had that ability for only the Holy Spirit gave to them to whomever He chose to give.  Now, the use of this Greek word, "γλώσσα" always refers in the Bible to a language, and for our reference we have good examples in, Acts 2:11 and Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15.  In Revelation 9:11.  God works miracles and this He did on this day by giving them the ability to preach the gospel in a language to those who had come from various countries and spoke another language, to speak in a language that they had not learned.  We find that many of the Jews, some 16 other areas of the world, had come to Jerusalem for the Passover and Pentecost now could hear the gospel in their own language and many, some 3000 people were saved and this was the beginning of the great church of God there in Jerusalem.  The Bible is clear that those men heard the gospel in their own dialect, "διλέκτω"  "But having arisen the ruler of this, came together the multitude and work unfounded, because each one heard in his own language speaking them.  And all were amazed and wondered saying to one another, behold, are not all those which speak Galileans?  And how here we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born" (Acts 2: 8)?  This ability to speak in a dialect, or language that they had not learned was a temporary sign: "For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;" "in the law it is written: "With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; and yet, for all that, they will not hear Me," says the Lord.  Therefore times are for a sign, not to those who believe but true unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe" (1 Corinthians 1: 22; 14: 21 -- 22).  The New Testament had yet to be written therefore it was necessary to have this ability to speak the gospel in languages that people could understand, both languages in their tongues.  We must remember that this gift was a gift from God to meet His economy and dispensation.

            There is much more to discuss about this very important doctrine in regards to the speaking in tongues and I will continue this in tomorrow's blog.

In the way of righteousness

            is life,

and in his pathway there

is no death.

            Proverbs 12: 28

Do not strive for temporal things

Richard L. Crumb

Learning How Rich We Really Are In Jesus Christ.

Therefore thus says the LORD:

"If you return, then I will bring you back;

you shall stand before Me;

if you take out the precious from the vile,

you shall be as My mouth,

let them return to you, but you

must not return to them.

Jeremiah 15: 19

            Jehovah God through the mouth of Jeremiah gave that admonition to the Israelites and it's first application is to the Israelites.  The second application, or principle, is for all Christian believers.  Often, Christians pursue those things that are not Scriptural, or the will of God, and they need to return to God and never return to that which is not according to the will of God.  God is love!  God is just!  We must understand that those things that are the nature of God apply equally; therefore, we do not just lean upon the fact that God is love.  God is just and demands that justice be satisfied.  Sin required justice and this God did by coming in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, Son of Man, and Son of God, the Only Begotten Son of God who willingly paid the debt owed to Himself by dying upon the cross.  If we have wandered, and followed, after doctrines that are not Scriptural, even though many have tried to place the force of Scripture upon doctrines, we need to return to true doctrine.  How can we do this?  Just as what we are doing and that is to examine doctrines to see whether or not they are scriptural and as Authentic Christians who desire in every way to please God we will shun those things that are displeasing to Him and grab hold of those things which He will accept.  So we will continue!

            When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior did you receive a full and complete salvation: or, are you missing certain things?  What does Scripture actually teach us?  Does it teach us that our salvation is full and complete when we receive Jesus Christ by faith?  John the apostle in his Gospel of John wrote: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1: 12).  What does it mean to have become a child of God?  What things were in included in the "package" of salvation when one believes?  Let us look at Scripture and see if Scripture tells us those things: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1: 7).  With him that "package" then forgiveness is part of that "package."  We have been working through Corinthians and especially in the last blogs Chapter 12 so we will look there to see it as Paul tells us about any other things that were in included in the "package" of salvation: "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ" (1 Corinthians 12: 12).  Membership is into the body of Christ and is one of those things that are included in the "package" of salvation.  As John pointed out in the above verse, (John 1:12), entrance into the family of God is also that which is included in the "package" of salvation.  Included in this "package" of salvation is something that I am sure we all could use: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).  One thing that is included in this "package" of salvation is so important that we cannot overlook it: "And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life"(1 John 5: 11 -- 12).  A question that now needs to be answered is whether or not the Holy Spirit is included in our "package" of salvation especially in the initial part of our salvation where we have converted to Jesus Christ?  Or are we to receive the Holy Spirit, something that is yet to be realized, something that is to come at a later time?  Paul answers that question for us what he wrote to the Romans: "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5).  Paul was not speaking in regards to the Holy Spirit being given at a later time after conversion, no, he was telling us that the Holy Spirit was given to all Christian believers upon their conversion.  One of the terms that is associated with some Christian churches is the term: FULL GOSPEL.  What does this term mean?  The implication is that some have and others do not a full Gospel.  Included in this would also be that the simple preaching of Jesus Christ who died upon the cross is not enough, therefore simple salvation in Christ is not enough for there is more that you would need, and that need is to have the "Pentecostal" experience especially that of speaking in tongues.  Is this what Scripture teaches: "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2: 2)?  The error that is presented is simply this a deficiency in the understanding of what Scripture is actually teaches for if we followed their way of thinking or doctrine then you would have to believe that you can be saved and not have the Holy Spirit.  Furthermore it is often stated that you can be saved but you still need to have the baptism of the Spirit.  This implication is simply saying that you can be saved but you still do not have certain gifts that you need

            Scripture teaches that is: salvation is to be found in Jesus Christ and that salvation is full and complete, lacking nothing.  When you receive Jesus Christ you receive everything that comes with that decision and conversion to Jesus Christ: "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32)?  True and authentic Christianity is a life that is not seeking or trying to get additional gifts and additional blessings for our life, our Christian life, is to grow in Jesus Christ and to discover all that we already have in Him.  We are to learn how rich we really are in Jesus Christ.

Thus says the LORD of hosts:

"Do not listen to the words of the prophets

            who prophesy to you.  They make you worthless;

they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the

            mouth of the LORD."

                        Jeremiah 23:16

God gives us peace

Richard L. Crumb

Leaning How To Live In The NOW!

The heart is deceitful above all things,

and desperately wicked;

who can know it?

I, the LORD, search the heart,

I test the mind,

even to give every man

according to his ways,

according to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 17:9 -- 10

            Before I began this blog, I recall in bringing to mind yesterday a day in which we give special recollection, remembrance, and honor to those men and women who have served in the armed forces in the past, present, and will in the future to protect our country and our way of life that it has its foundation in the most wonderful document, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights: MEMORIAL DAY!  I hope you had a wonderful and great day and time to remember what that day is all about.

            A person’s search for the truth and/or the right way to worship God has far too often leads a person into error and history testifies to this very fact.  The Montanist and early Christian movement of the late second century were known by its adherents as the New Prophecy.  Montanism spread rapidly to other regions within the Roman Empire at a time before Christianity was either tolerated or had become legal in a persisted even into the sixth century.   Montanism became labeled as a heresy even though they held similar views about the basic tenets of Christian doctrine of those within the wider Christian Church.  It was a prophetic movement that called for a reliance on the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit and held to a more conservative personal ethic.  Some have paralleled Montanism with the modern-day movements such as Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and the New Apostolic Reformation.[1] As usual with each generation, there is a decline in some cases or an incline in other cases.  Whereby culture often allows those things that were not allowed before and often called them normal: example: in the 1950s a song came out called; "yellow polka dot bikini," in bikinis in those days covered much of a person's body, but as can be seen in today's bikini there is nothing much there to call material and covers virtually nothing.  I point this out only to show that if a person does not hold to the truth or orthodoxy then there will become allowances or beliefs that may not be good or true.  For instance there is such an emphasis today on the emotions, experiences, and dreams and they are quoted to give justification for certain non-- biblical actions or beliefs.  In other words, people began to rely upon those things and speak of those things coming from the heart.  The opening Scripture makes it clear that the heart is not to be trusted, for it is "desperately wicked" and the only thing that makes it even possible to be used is if the heart is filled with the Holy Spirit and there is a change in the life.  So often the Holy Spirit is said to give "private interpretation" in other words a new revelation, as though there is a plan B., in other words God is speaking to a person within their mind or heart and now they have a special revelation.  The apostle Peter makes this one thing very clear: "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns in the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19 -- 21).   Far too many people who hold to this special revelation of the Holy Spirit as though this is something new and what God is doing are saying things and doing things, even if they disagree with the plain teaching of the Bible.  Emotions are not always correct nor are they always true, or as Jeremiah said the "heart cannot be trusted." the Holy Spirit has always been at work in this world, its influence in power were at work before Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit was not here permanently in this world until Jesus Christ ascended into heaven the Holy Spirit came into this world, permanently. The Holy Spirit has been in this world ever since that event, the ascension of Jesus into heaven.  The revelation that we need to experience is to receive this fact; while Holy Spirit is already here and the reception of the Holy Spirit is the maintained attitude of a believer and, what is this attitude that a believer must maintain? That when we receive the Holy Spirit and is given to a believer upon their belief they receive the quickening life from the ascended Jesus Christ.  It is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit that changes men, but the power of the ascended Jesus Christ coming into the lives of men by their receiving the Holy Spirit and that is what changes them.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit, and we must remember that the word baptism means to be immersed, this can be used metaphorically, or actually, is not an experience apart from Jesus Christ: it is the evidence of the ascended Jesus Christ. When the Holy Spirit comes upon a person upon their conversion things change, and you begin to think differently, you begin to think not of time or eternity, we begin to live in the NOW!  The receiving of the Holy Spirit is very simple, it is life eternal and that is because we come to know Jesus Christ.  The question then is: Are you looking for in the emotional experience, or are you looking for the Savior Jesus Christ.

Return, return, O Shulamite;

            return, return, that we may

look upon you!

                        Song of Solomon 6:13

Allow the word of God to lead you

Richard L. Crumb

---

[1] Robeck, Cecil M, Jr (2010), "Montanism and Present Day ‘Prophets’", Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 32: 413.

Learning To Live By The Guidance Of The Holy Spirit

Oh, continue Your lovingkindness

to those who know You, and Your

righteousness to the upright in heart.

Let not the foot of pride come against me,

and let not thy hand of the wicked

drive me a way.

There the workers of iniquity have fallen,

they have been cast down and are not able to rise.

Psalm 36: 10 -- 12

            When anyone decides to speak, regarding those things held as "sacred cows," there are those who will either oppose that person, openly, quietly or silently walk away from the discussion.  My prayer is that this is not the case with you, rather that you will critically take to serious that what is being taught is Scripturally correct.  We must give our principal attention first, and foremost to the dignity of our creation and to the excellence of our Reformation.  If we hold fast to the dignity of our creation, we are led to fear sin; and by the means of the excellence of our redemption then we come to be grateful for redeeming grace.  If we hold fast to those things that we hold dear, those "sacred cows," those things that may be shown through our study to be Scripturally incorrect but we hold to them by arrogance then we must repent and rise by obedience.  If then, converted, by the healing grace of our Redeemer then it becomes necessary to be cured, by humility those things that have been corrupted by pride.  One such way that we should do these things is not to hunt for the praises of men but have real zeal for eternal life.  Let this be known that as soldiers of the Christian life and we are about to receive temporal benefices from others then we are bound to those others and we will fight to keep that faith with those who have given us some temporal benefit.  How much more are we to fight for the eternal King and to receive eternal reward, to be bound by heavenly oaths, and publicly profess faith through which we are going to please Him!  Therefore, His word ought to be preserved in the heart, and expressed on the lips, for faith is the foundation of all good things, the beginning of our salvation.  If we do not walk by faith, then we will not reach the place where we can see the truth and we will walk in untruth.  Do you believe in God?  Good!  Even Satan believes God!  Or, do you believe God?  Do you believe that He is truthful?  Even the demons believe that: "You believe that there is one God.  You do well.  Even the demons believe-and tremble" (James 2:19). The demons and Satan himself believe that there is a God, they believe in God but they do not believe in God because of being moved by believing and enter into His will.  Therefore, the spirit of fear is of no value to them, or to us, if there is not in them or us the spirit of love.  And, in the next chapter, 13, Paul will speak of such things.  If we have received the Spirit of God, then He will press through, and we must decide then, where does God come in, in this relationship?  We must make Him our first consideration.  Whenever we put other things first, there is confusion.  When we have not put God first in our lives, that which means nothing more than God having the right in everything we do or say in this life and we allow the cares of this world to subvert this relationship then we have allowed those things to choke out the word of God.  Jesus never said the Devil would choke out the word of God, no, He has told us that it is the cares of this world, it is those things that are making a person to be a cultural Christian.  We must never trust were we cannot see, and we cannot see unless we are studying, and reading God's Word.  To not do this is where infidelity begins.  The only cure for infidelity is obedience to the Spirit.  Here is a great word for us from Jesus; abandonment: "Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body what you shall put on" (Matthew 6:25; KJV).  And the Spirit of God has been given immediately to all believers upon their profession and conversion to our Savior Jesus Christ.  There is no second indwelling of the Holy Spirit!  Don't look for a second indwelling of the Holy Spirit!  Look to God and be obedient to His word and that Word tells us that we are to get up every morning and go about our daily life living by His commands and principles and never has He told us to do anything other than that.  If we are doing that then we are the ambassadors and witnesses of our Savior Jesus Christ.  What is more important than being a witness for our Savior Jesus Christ?  Is it speaking in some sort of unknown language?  Is it having some sort of ability that heals?  Is it to have some sort of ability to prophesy?  Did not the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to say that God will give to whomever, and whenever, He desires to give a gift(s).  Why are you seeking for that which God will give whether you seek it or not?  Is this nothing more than adding to that which is already confusion amongst Christians and especially amongst those who are not Christians?  How is this adding to the kingdom of God?  We must firmly pertain to the rule of true faith and that must be faithfully believe, strongly held, truly, patiently defended, and if we know anyone to lay down as Christian teaching what is contrary, we should avoid him like a plague and cast him out as a heretic.  Let us walk, however, in that which we have received, and in that  let us formerly persevere.  Teach this to your children whom you have gotten from your flesh.  Teach this to those whom you have admitted to your protection, so that through your instruction they may avoid every error, they may be complete in all virtue and those things which are fitting.  All this we can do by the aid of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and is glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit who lives with us undying throughout all ages: for ever.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

            wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me hear joy and gladness,

            that the bones You have broken may rejoice.

HideHyde Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

                                                Psalm 51: 7 -- 9

You are washed and whiter than snow

Richard L. Crumb

Learning About The Indwelling Of The Holy Spirit

But seek first the kingdom of God

and His righteousness...

Matthew 6: 33a

...  that they all may be one,

as You, Father, are in Me,

and I in You; that they also

may be one in Us, that

the world may believe that You

sent Me.

John 17:21

            It is the responsibility of an authentic Christian to first seek of the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  We seek this righteousness of God so that we can be one with the Father and the Son.  By our becoming one with God and Jesus Christ and having His righteousness, the world is without excuse to say that they do not know of God.  We are the witnesses of God to this world and we are to bring the Gospel to this world so that those who have been given the free gift of faith will decide to seek His righteousness and convert themselves to Jesus Christ who saves.  This is what is being done in these blogs that are examining those things that Paul wrote about to the Corinthian that they were misusing and making a priority in their religiosity rather than their converting to Jesus Christ.  We must look at the various doctrinal and theological positions of any church or any denomination to see whether or not what is being taught or preached and understood to be the truth is really the truth of God.  Is this not what we desire?  Is it not that we do not want to be misled when and led off into some false teaching?  So then, we will examine the various doctrinal positions in the light of Scripture and then after having come to scriptural knowledge we can decide the facts.

            Over the many years of meeting and talking with various Christians, some have asked me this question: Have you received the Holy Spirit?  What is really being said behind this question is, whether or not I had received the baptism of the Spirit which is part and parcel of the doctrinal position and experience of Charismatics, and Pentecostals.  This brings up the question: "have I, so when did I receive the Holy Spirit?"  What is the Bible's answer?  Let's look back in first Corinthians, chapter 6: 19 -- 20: "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?  For you were bought at a price; thereby more of my God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's").  Paul makes it very clear that they had received the Holy Spirit and even makes clear that Christians to have reverted to carnality also had the Holy Spirit: "And I, brother and, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.  I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for on till now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal.  For where there are in the, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men" (1 Corinthians 3: 1 -- 3)?  Speaking to the Corinthians Paul made it clear that they were the temple of God and had the Holy Spirit in them even though they were living a life of carnality.  Well then, this being so, how could the Holy Spirit have been in them if they had not received Him?  When did they receive him?  The moment they were saved the Holy Spirit came to live in them as He does for all authentic Christians: "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" (John numeral 7:38 -- 39).  Obviously, you receive the Holy Spirit the moment you were saved and it is those that is clearly outlined for us that are believers and when they have placed their faith and belief in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit comes upon them, therefore, if you have believed upon the Savior Jesus Christ then you have received the Holy Spirit.  It is when you believed and not in some other time.  The question is not whether or not you have received the Holy Spirit; it is whether or not you have received the Lord Jesus Christ: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believed in His name" (John 1: 12).  This then, leads us to another question: "How do I know that the Holy Spirit dwells within me?"  For the Corinthian Christians and for those who are of the persuasion of Pentecostalism or being a Charismatic they give this answer: "'How do I know that the Holy Spirit dwells within me?' Charismatic Renewal offers an answer to this question--the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a powerful experience that convinces the recipient that God is real" (Richard Quebedeaux, The New Charismatics, original edition, page 2l itlaics mine).  And here is where many Christians fall into error because they put more faith in their experience and by that experience they have come to believe that what they are doing or saying is true. The fact of the Spirit's reception and indwelling presence is not based on some subjective and questionable experience. It is based upon the plain statements of the Word of God.  Let us look at Scripture: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.  And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8: 9 – 11).  Therefore, if you are a saved person, then you have the Holy Spirit.  How do you know?  You know because God says that it is so: "That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us" (2 Timothy 1: 14).  Every child of God who has been bought by the blood of Jesus of Jesus Christ is a Christian and is in Welt by the Holy Spirit, therefore, there is no person who is justified by faith who has not received the Spirit.

            Praise God!  We do not have to wait for any second indwelling of the Holy Spirit for He has given to us the moment our faith is activated by means of the Word of God being preached to us, the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, let us seek after His righteousness, His kingdom, and live as Jesus prayed, that we would be one with Him and the Father.

The wisdom of the prudent is

            to understand his way,

but the folly of fools is deceit...

            A true witness delivers souls,

but a deceitful witness speaks lies.

                        Proverbs 14: 8; 25

Seek only God and His Son

Richard L. Crumb

Learning How To Judge

Knowing this first,

that no prophecy of Scripture

is of any private interpretation,

for prophecy never came

by the will of man,

but holy men of God

spoke as they were moved

by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1: 20 -- 21

            In the last blog I began by speaking in regard to what is the beginning, that is "what is truth" and the only way we can answer this question is to understand where the final authority is for if we do not then each one decide for themselves what it is to be.  Scripture is the final authority therefore it is important and prudent of us to read translations of the manuscripts we have that are based upon the majority of the extent manuscripts we have and not include interpretations or other manuscripts that are not clearly authoritative.  For instance in the above Scripture Peter states that "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."  This translation of the Greek Scriptures is found in such works as the New King James and the Authorized King James Version but it's not found in such versions as the New International Version.  The NIV the manuscripts they chose to use simply says: "but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."  Now this may be seemingly to point to something of small consequence, but is it, where the men that were moved by the Holy Spirit holy or just men?  Well then, what is the answer?  The answer lies in the fact that the, number of manuscripts that are available that state that men were holy and not just men are numerous.  At the very least it makes us wonder why the translators chose not to state this when there are many, many, manuscripts that contradict what they wrote.  I say this because it is important to understand that the Bible we use, that which is the final authority, must be the Bible that is correctly translated from the original Greek manuscripts that we have and this must be done through textual criticism that is finding the truth rather than just interpolating a person's theology, ideology, or philosophy.  By using the wrong manuscripts  we will come to the wrong conclusions and begin to do things and believe things that the original writers never intended.  As Peter so stated: “that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation.”  Our authority must not be a type of authority that ebb’s and flows, or one that is based upon the emotions, experiences, and dreams so as to give some justification for certain non-biblical actions or beliefs.  To give some validity to search in the emotions, and experiences and dreams the Holy Spirit is invoked or given credit for such feelings or ideas.  Often, when confronted by the plain teaching of the Bible they disagree, and often they will say such as "God told me," or "God spoke to me," etc. Well, if God speaks to a person then what a person says that he has heard from God must be in line with the authority of Scripture for if this was not done, or this was not true, then the Bible would not be finished.  The clear warning given to Christians in John's Revelation: "For I testify to everyone who hears the word of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18 -- 19).  From all argue that this is only written for the book of Revelation and that is true but there is a principle here that we must follow and that principle is we are not to add or subtract from the writings that are inspired by God.  Even when God spoke to the prophets of old, God spoke through them those things that He wanted to have said and recorded as his Word.  God gave us the metric to judge whether or not the word.  That a man whether he calls himself a prophet or not is actually speaking by the Holy Spirit who is inspiring him to speak or write and this metric is and was, what they said or prophesied had to come true 100% of the time or what they said was false: "But the profit who presumes to speak a word in my That name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.  And if you say in your heart," How shall I know the word which the LORD has not spoken?"  "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him" (Deuteronomy 18: 20 -- 22).  We have been given the metric or rubric that we need to be able to judge what is being spoken or done and this has been given to us by the authority of the Word of God.  We can examine, and we have been commanded to do so, so that we can test and prove what is being said or done so that the church of God is kept pure according to Scripture and not by some man's interpretation or belief.  The Corinthian church had overstepped the authority of the Word of God that had been preached to them by Paul and by other letters that were written.  Other men of God were inspired by God to write, those letters were copied and sent to other churches to be read as well so that they had no excuse making cause for Paul to reprimand them and to show them a better way, the way that they should actually be seeking and following and doing.  Those letters are available to us today, therefore, we have no excuse, but we can change and turn our life over to the faithful and authoritative word of God.

The law of the LORD is perfect,

            converting the soul;

the testimony of  LORD is sure,

            making wise the simple.

                                    Psalm 19: 7

God is your strength, lean on Him

Richard L. Crumb

Learning How To Be A Courageous Christian

But what I do, I will also continue to do,

that I may cut off the opportunity

from those who desire an opportunity

to be regarded just as we are

in the things of which they boast.

For such are false apostles,

deceitful workers,

transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

And no wonder!  For Satan himself

transforms himself into an angel of light.

Therefore it is of no great thing if his ministers

transform themselves into ministers of righteousness,

whose end will be according to their works.

2 Corinthians 11:12 -- 15

            As Authentic Christians who desire with all their hearts and have their complete devotion to our Savior Jesus Christ will have a desire to know what is the truth and what is false teaching.  This is not a one time exercise!  There are those who wish to have the opportunity to be leaders in the church and to teach that which is false and in many cases can find a way to make money, have a job, and/or to receive some form of adoration.  They sound good!  They sound like they have the truth and they use Scripture!  Paul informs us that they want to be regarded as authentic Christian but they are nothing more than false apostles, and deceitful workers who attempt to transform themselves into the apostles of Jesus Christ.  All this is because Satan is behind all this effort, and who transforms himself into an angel of light.  Therefore, do not be surprised that Satan's ministers are tempting in every way to transform themselves into the ministers of righteousness.  We can know them by their works, and by what they teach as whether or not it is truly Scriptural teaching.  Our responsibility to ensure that our congregations kept pure and are being taught the truth of Scripture.  We do this by studying God's Word and read other men writings who wrote throughout history and see, whether or not they too are teaching from God's Word.  It is sometimes by writing and of those early church teachers that are teaching false teaching that infects the church.  Such men as Pelagius, Arius, and others who have brought in to the teaching of the Church those things that are either from false religions or from their own false theology.  It is very important to study and not just mention the dangerous teachings that were plaguing the Corinthian church and those similar teachings that we find within the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement especially so since it has become so prevalent in many of today's churches and have brought much contention.  Therefore, we want to look at the doctrines they teach and see if there are any doctrinal problems within this movement making them dangerous.

            Where to begin?  The beginning is: "what is truth?"  What is the final authority?  In this postmodernism, a pluralistic society, that which is being taught to our children is that each of us can decide what our truth is and we are not to question the truth of others.  This is not so for Bible believing Christians, for as authentic biblical Christians you must settle the fact that the final authority for God's creation is what God himself says in His Word: "But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’" (Matthew 4:4).  As true authentic Christians we must listen to what God has inspired men to write so that His children are living accordingly to His will: "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him-- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).  Jesus inHis prayer just before His crucifixion stated: "Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth" (John 17: 17).  The beginning is to come to know the truth and to understand that the truth has its authority and truth by the word of God.  Therefore, we go to the Word of God to find the truth and to establish our authority for the truth found in His Word.  We are not looking for some "sloppy agape" we are not going to "run away" from the truth; rather were going to be courageous and firm so what we know and teach is truly that which the Bible teaches even if it steps on the toes of family or friends.  We do not do this in anger, no we do this in love and in the next chapter that we will teach on, 1 Corinthians 13, we will find it love as that which we should be seeking.

            As I stated in the last blog, we will base our conclusions, not on subjective experiences, but upon God's objective truth.  We will go the truth because God said so, and this is our guide regardless of our personal experiences.  Therefore, turn off the TV, set aside some time, so that you can test all things by the Word of God.  So that you will know whether or not you agree with what God has said or whether or not what you may believe contradicts what God has said and may even by what God said contradict any experience you may have had, or felt, or by things that other people have told you about.  The question is: "Will you accept the challenge to study God's Word so that you know the truth by what God has said, or we'll you just simply continue in some sort of oblivion so that you are not challenge?"  What is most important to you: "Your emotional responses or the truth of God's Word?"  Stay with the study as we look at the various doctrines because by doing so we will come to understand the truth about our doctrines and what doctrines are actually scriptural.  Then we can make a choice!

Less vividly is the mind stirred

            by what defines entrance through

the ears then what is bought before

            trusty eyes.

                        Horace, Ars Poetica, Lines 180 -- 181

Our belief influences our behavior

Richard L. Crumb