Category: False Teaching

The Daysman #2

Monday, January 23, 2017

“For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:32,33 KJV).

What is a “daysman?” Who is it?

At the time of Job, God the Son was not known by the name “Jesus Christ.” Moreover, the Calvary’s cross was over 1,500 years away. Therefore, no one living in the days of Job knew anything about Christ’s intercession. Sinful Job said he had no “daysman” (mediator) between him and God. In today’s Scripture, he actually said God was not a man like he was. He and God really had nothing in common. God was mighty God; he was puny man. Earlier in the chapter, Job asked, “I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just [justified/declared righteous] with God? If he [man] will contend with him [God], he cannot answer him one of a thousand” (verses 1,2). Job had no daysman between he and God…. at least not that he knew of. God had only revealed so much information, and Job could do nothing more than believe what God had said to his people Israel.

Now, with a completed Bible in hand, we see the complete picture of God’s plan. Job did not know of the day when God really would become a man. He did not know that God-Man would literally function as his daysman and our daysman. We turn to 1 Timothy 2:5-6 to read: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” According to verse 7, that “due time” was Paul’s ministry. Notice how the crosswork of Christ is mentioned here—“[He] gave himself a ransom for all.” The Lord Jesus Christ functions as our mediator with respect to His sacrifice of Himself on Calvary. Job did not understand this because God had not shown it yet. Sadly, most church members, who have a completed Bible, still do not understand it either…

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is ‘gehenna?’ Is that the same as hell?”

The Daysman #1

Sunday, January 22, 2017

“For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:32,33 KJV).

What is a “daysman?” Who is it?

Seldom, if ever, is this term used today. Therefore, it is a strange word, one over which people stumble when they read today’s Scripture in the King James Bible. Friends, we need not get bent out of shape or feel intimidated. Neither should we fret that we have to learn a new word. Context clues are always there if we look for them, to help us along the way. The expression “…any daysman betwixt us” forces “daysman” to mean “something between two parties.” “That might lay his hand upon us both” again reinforces the idea that “daysman” is “something mediating between two individuals.” Moreover, you can consult a dictionary to find that “daysman” is an archaic word meaning “referee, arbitrator, adjudicator, umpire, or mediator.”

Religion stresses an idea called “the intercession of saints.” These “saints” are people in heaven who supposedly engaged in exemplary, “holy,” earthly lives. Having departed this world, they now allegedly have special influence with God. It is said that if we petition these “saints” to pray for us, God will honor their request based on their merits. By appealing to those “saints,” we supposedly get results with God we would not have received had we prayed directly to Him. This corporate “treasury of merit” not only involves Jesus’ crosswork, but also the sum of all “saints’” religious lives. It is a giant pool of divine favor from which every parishioner can draw if he or she comes by way of “the intercession of the saints!” Roman Catholicism has dozens upon dozens of “patron saints,” each specific to a profession, object, concept, injury/illness, and so on. The ostentatiously titled “Blessed Virgin Mary,” being Jesus’ mother, is said to have the greatest clout with the Lord. Religionists are urged to ask Mary for help, for, it is proclaimed, “Jesus cannot refuse His ‘Mother!’”

Let us see how Sacred Writ, in today’s Scripture, thoroughly contradicts and outright disproves the above religious rigmarole….

A New Nature, A New Day, A New Life

Friday, January 20, 2017

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).

Today, January 20, 2017, is important to my family for two reasons.

Firstly, my parents celebrate their 37th birthday in Christ! It was on this day in 1980 that they both trusted Jesus Christ and abandoned works-religion. They were rendered dead to their old nature and old life in Adam, and were given a new nature and new life in the Lord. Wow! Secondly, my family and I as Americans celebrate that the United States of America today ushers out one president, Barack Hussein Obama, and welcomes a new one, Donald John Trump. Nationally, we become dead to old procedures and politicking, and alive to new principles and policies. How exciting!

We Christians in America have long anticipated a day when we could get our country back to the things of God—a nation with more accountability and justice, more economic stability, a better educational system, amiable social relations, and so on. Granted, until Jesus Christ returns, there will be no perfection. We know that man can never solve every problem in this sin-cursed world. Still, our incoming president is currently our best option available, and the Bible would have us make the best choice possible. The United States electoral process must be upheld, and the silliness must stop: Mr. Trump won fair and square, and he will be inaugurated as per our Constitution. But, those who prefer the “old arrangement” continue to fight to try and keep it!

Similarly, the old sin nature in Adam constantly pops up in the life of a Christian. It seeks dominion over the Christian’s life, sins thereby produced. However, God the Holy Spirit should be the Governor of the Christian. We are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10). The old administration of sin and death is gone; we need not live in the graveyard, defeated and miserable! Saints, Romans chapter 6 says we are alive in Christ! We are “new creatures in Christ” (today’s Scripture)—now, we need to act like who we are!

Our United States of America is a new nation—let us act like the new country we are too! 🙂

Bible Q&A #340: “Did little boy Jesus know He was going to die on Calvary?”

Household Rules #12

Monday, January 16, 2017

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God” (Colossians 1:25 KJV).

And, just what is this “dispensation of God which is given to [Paul] for [us]?”

To repeat, some people hate dispensational Bible study. Modern English Bible “scholars” eliminate “dispensation,” therefore hiding the system’s biblical foundation. If they omit the term from Scripture, then they quite easily argue dispensationalism is false. However, while refusing to admit it, even they understand some dispensational boundaries. They know a dispensational boundary exists between an animal-sacrificing Old Testament Jew and us today. They understand animal sacrifices were God’s directions to Israel under the Law, not directions to us under Grace. They know God’s directions to Noah to build an Ark are Scripture, but not to us. Yet, they claim and follow other verses not to or about us. How silly!

Certain “church people” loathe dispensational Bible study—especially Pauline dispensationalism—because it prevents them from ripping out of context verses from Jesus’ earthly ministry and early Acts. They enjoy claiming the gifts of healing and tongues; they like the Beatitudes, Sermon on the Mount, and so-called “Lord’s Prayer;” they harp on Christ’s parables; they revel in water baptism, Sabbath-day keeping, and confession of sins. If they were to recognize dispensationalism as true, and apply it consistently in Scripture, then they would see only Paul’s doctrine as applicable to us (today’s Scripture; cf. Ephesians 3:2).

They dislike Paul since he was not sent to water baptize (1 Corinthians 1:17); did not have the gifts of healing and tongues his entire ministry (1 Corinthians 13:8-13; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20); did not quote the “Lord’s Prayer,” Sermon on the Mount, or Beatitudes; did not emphasize confession of sins; directly opposed forced giving/tithing (2 Corinthians 9:6,7); and outright condemned Sabbath-day keeping (Galatians 4:9-11; Colossians 2:16). Paul emphasized grace rather than works. Thus, some groups have removed Paul’s “nuisance” epistles entirely from their Bible!

Dispensational Bible study—specifically, Pauline dispensationalism—threatens church traditions (works-religion). They must ignore dispensational boundaries in order to keep people working and striving in church programs and denominations. In doing so, they underscore Law, thus refuting the Gospel of Grace and hindering victorious Christian living….

Household Rules #11

Sunday, January 15, 2017

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God” (Colossians 1:25 KJV).

And, just what is this “dispensation of God which is given to [Paul] for [us]?”

The Mosaic Law was not given forever; that dispensation was not meant to operate into eternity future. It was only given to Israel temporarily—namely, to prove to her that God would make her His people. The Jews could never do enough to please God: their religious efforts were utterly futile. Their nation would only exist because of God’s work. Although the Law was given to Israel, it showed all nations to be “guilty before God” (Romans 3:19). “Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (verse 20). Chapter 3 proceeds to explain how there came a dispensational change—Law to Grace. With that new dispensation came a new Gospel!

Another one of the major “household rules” in effect today is we are under grace, not law (Romans 6:14,15)—that goes for initial justification before God, a right standing before Him to go to heaven, as well as for daily Christian living, practical sanctification. Our performance will never measure up to God’s perfect standards. However, Jesus Christ’s performance at Calvary does please God. The Gospel of the Grace of God, Paul’s Gospel, is most clearly and succinctly defined in 1 Corinthians chapter 15: “[1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you…. [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

We have a sin problem, friends, and commandments cannot help us. Thus, Jesus Christ died for our sins, shed His blood to pay for those sins, that by simple faith in Him and Him alone, we can join the Church the Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:1-22), the Holy Spirit can baptize us into Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), all because of what Christ did, not because of our religious works….

Household Rules #10

Saturday, January 14, 2017

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God” (Colossians 1:25 KJV).

And, just what is this “dispensation of God which is given to [Paul] for [us]?”

A prevalent myth in Christendom is that there is only one Gospel in the Bible. No, there is only one Gospel today; there are many Gospels in Scripture. The common belief of “one-Gospel-in-Scripture” shows us just how ignorant “churchianity” really is concerning Scripture. They do not understand dispensational boundaries, so they smooth over (retranslate/question/deny) contradictory verses. They try to harmonize Paul with Jesus, James, and other Bible characters.

In the words of the Apostle Peter, “[15] And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; [16] As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest [twist, distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16). Haters of dispensational Bible study existed 2000 years ago!

Just as “the Dispensation of the Grace of God” is committed to the Apostle Paul’s trust (Ephesians 3:2), “the Gospel of the Grace of God” is another one of God’s current “household rules.” Paul said in Acts 20:24: “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” On three occasions, Paul called it “my gospel” (Romans 2:16; Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 2:8). Why would he say “my gospel” if everyone in Scripture also preached it?! Furthermore, he said he went to Apostles James, Peter, and John in Jerusalem to “communicate unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles” (Galatians 2:2). Surely, Paul and the 12 Apostles were preaching separate Gospels, for they were ministering to two separate groups. It is this, Paul’s Gospel, the Gospel of the Grace of God, whereby God forms the Church the Body of Christ….

Household Rules #6

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God” (Colossians 1:25 KJV).

And, just what is this “dispensation of God which is given to [Paul] for [us]?”

Second Timothy 2:15 is the only verse in a King James Bible that tells us to “study” Scripture. (And you need a King James Bible to have that word “study!”) Not only so, 2 Timothy 2:15 also tells us how to study Scripture. We let the verse speak for itself: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Please draw your attention to the phrase, “rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Immediately after the exhortation to “study… rightly dividing the word of truth,” a warning appears in verse 16: “But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” What are these “profane and vain babblings”—these evil, empty, nonsensical words—that we should avoid? Verses 17 and 18 do not leave us to wonder: “[17] And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; [18] Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.”

Since they did not “rightly divide the word of truth,” Hymenaeus and Philetus were guilty of a grave error. They said the “the resurrection is past already.” By doing this, they overthrew the faith of some Christians. The words “past already” in verse 18 convey the idea of a timeline or schedule. These hereticks claimed the Rapture (resurrection of Christians in the Church the Body of Christ) had already occurred. Their audience was forced to conclude that, with the Rapture passed, they were living in Israel’s prophetic program (the wrath of God, commonly called “the seven-year Tribulation”).

It was a most serious error. Hymenaeus and Philetus were not dividing the household rules God had given the Body of Christ through Paul, from the household rules God had given the nation Israel through her apostles and prophets. As professing “Christianity” shows us today, such a blurring or removal of dispensational boundaries still makes the Bible confusing and burdensome.

They had better heed today’s Scripture….

A Life That Will Please

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone can live a life pleasing in God’s sight!

Everyone does “good” deeds. Yet, doing “good” is not necessarily good. For instance, people often do “good” just to receive praise/reward, make up for their wrongs, feel good, et cetera. Furthermore, despite our “good” deeds, we have plenty more bad ones! Pride, lying, evil thoughts, being a false witness, and being contentious are some of the things the LORD hates (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Mankind cannot even keep 10 simple rules from God. However, religion continues to urge us to keep seven sacraments, utter various prayers, give assorted offerings and “tithes,” attend numerous feasts and festivals, and perform sundry other tasks to “hopefully” please God and avoid hellfire. Whether we attempt to keep a church’s laws, our laws, or God’s laws, our flesh is far too weak to ever measure up. Just look at what God’s religion did to Israel—how much worse some man-made religion does to us!

As Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul was a Pharisee, a religious leader of Israel. He was a nitpicker concerning Law-keeping, and yet, after his soul salvation, he admitted that all of his religion was “but dung” compared to Jesus Christ’s righteousness (Philippians 3:3-11). Even for the Christian, to live a perfect life is impossible (read of Paul’s miserable existence in Romans chapter 7). Paul had to forsake his vain religion and learn today’s Scripture: the Christian life is NOT the performance of the Christian, but the Lord Jesus Christ living and working in the Christian, as the Christian walks in an intelligent understanding of God’s Word to him or her!

If we trust a Saviour who will save—the Lord Jesus Christ—and trust a Book that will teach—the King James Bible—we can redeem the year for the great God and our Saviour, “who loved [us], and gave himself for [us]!” 🙂

A Book That Will Teach

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone we can trust to teach us God’s truth!

Once, I heard a minister give his self-proclaimed “prophetic” message about top headlines that would appear in the coming year. While he reassured his audience that he received this information directly from “the Lord” (?), he gave a disclaimer: “I do not know, but at the end of this year, we will see if what I say came to pass.” Unlike the inner impressions and hunches of this “Christian” preacher, the Holy Bible is infallible, and we can trust its information completely.

Long, long ago, God Almighty wrote a Book, and He preserved it through history through a multiplicity of manuscript copies, so that it could eventually be translated into English, so we could read it even today! (Of course, Satan, the master counterfeiter that he is, most certainly had his own manuscripts—they still circulate today as corrupt Bible translations.) God promised to preserve His words forever (Psalm 12:6,7; Isaiah 30:8; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25). Consequently, every person will stand before Him one day to give account as to what he or she did with that Bible. Did we reject it in favor of counterfeits? Did we re-translate it to fit our denominational beliefs? Did we apply it to life by faith? Did we even read it at all?

As English-speaking people, we understand—or, at least, we should understand—that we can trust the 400-year-old King James Bible. Sadly, even in many church circles, we are often cautioned not to trust God’s preserved Word. Unfortunately, footnotes, study notes, and seminarians usually attempt to claim that authority by offering “better” readings or “better” manuscripts. Beloved, we can do without unbelieving textual critics and their “scholarship.” God does not need lost people to explain His Word to His children; He never did and He never will (1 Corinthians 2:14). Never forget that!

The Holy Spirit will teach us the King James Bible if we “read” (Ephesians 3:4), “study” (2 Timothy 2:15), and “consider” it (2 Timothy 2:7)!

A Saviour Who Will Save

Monday, January 2, 2017

“…Jesus Christ of Nazareth… Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:10,12 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone can save man from the everlasting hellfire he deserves!

A frequent objection made against Christianity is that every religion has “good” members, and to ignore them and limit heaven to a few Christians is unfair. This is a defected notion. How does one arrive at a definite conclusion when there is no one standard to gauge everyone’s “goodness?” They are “good” according to whom, according to what standard? Remember, relative morality actually does not help the sinner—he may be a “better” sinner than another, but he is also a “worse” sinner than yet another, and whether “better” or “worse,” he is still a sinner!

The God of the Bible has a simple method for determining righteousness. Today, He sees two types of people—saints and lost people. While both groups were born in sins (Ephesians 2:1-3), “shapen in iniquity [in the womb]” (Psalm 51:5), and “condemned already” (John 3:18), only the saints have come to realize their lost state. Job asked in Job 9:2, “How should a man be just [righteous, acceptable] with God?” Saints have come to the acknowledgement that they needed God’s righteousness, that they had a massive sin debt that they could never satisfy, that their “righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), that they could never possibly make themselves right before a holy God (He is the standard; Romans 3:23). The lost people, however, do not realize they are lost, for they believe their religious works “score points” with God and make up for their sinful deeds (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). They ignore the finished crosswork of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for their sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).

Saints have come by faith to Jesus Christ, whose name literally means, “Anointed Saviour” (cf. Psalm 2:2; Matthew 1:21). As the writer of the book of Hebrews said, “[Jesus] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him” (7:25). Literally, no world religion has such a “Saviour” as Jesus Christ!

NOTE: Friends and readers, remember this ministry’s financial needs throughout 2017. Let me stress to you that this ministry has grown significantly, so we do need faithful (monthly) funding to continue serving you this year. Whatever you can give is greatly appreciated! You can donate electronically (and securely) to us by visiting https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux. Contact me at arcministries@gmail.com if you want to give by personal check via “snail mail.” Also, please remember our 60 Bible Q&A booklets for sale at https://arcgraceministries.org/in-print/booklets-bible-q-a/. 🙂