Category: False Teaching

Let Them Recover Themselves

Friday, August 2, 2024

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is great advice for ministry workers!

Recently, I had a phone conversation with a dear brother in Christ who has been following our ministry, reading our studies and watching our Bible videos, for a few years now. For some decades, he was part of a “Christian” denomination. Whatever information he was learning from them did not match what he was experiencing in his life. In other words, they had make-believe as the foundation of their Bible understanding. It was very discouraging and confusing for him.

Eventually, he left that and joined an online “Bible study group,” but they too proved to be another disappointment. These people studied books about the Bible instead of the actual Bible—and he was interested in what the Bible said as opposed to what “Doctor So-and-So” thought the Bible said. A couple of years ago, he landed on our ministry websites and subsequently came to understand and enjoy the Bible. Ever since, he has been growing in the Word rightly divided and is teaching others what he has learned. As a business owner, he has informed his employees of sound Bible doctrine. Also, he wants to reach out to certain clients who belong to a particular works-religion cult.

Some people wish to hear him, while others could not care less. I told him that we teach them to cause them to think, leaving God the Holy Spirit to take care of the rest. He should not be disheartened if people are happy in their Bible ignorance. All we can do is tell them sound Bible doctrine and let them recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil (today’s Scripture). We cannot recover them; they must recover themselves by placing their faith in the rightly divided Scriptures we give them. Brethren, let us be faithful in providing them those verses! 🙂

A Grace Study Bible

Thursday, August 1, 2024

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2 KJV).

Today, we reflect on 12 full years of the arC Ministries’ Grace Study Bible Project!

Some 100 years ago, the Scofield Study Bible was published. It was a work that popularized—not invented—dispensational Bible study. For a century, the Church the Body of Christ has used this monumental aid to edify itself. It was (and still is) useful in recovering precious Bible truths that had been lost for centuries, doctrines still pushed aside by denominational hierarchies that prefer to be the “authority” with their “tradition of men.”

Twelve years ago today, after much prayer and consideration, I began the formation of a new grace study Bible. Using the King James Bible, my goal in this project is to build on Dr. Scofield’s foundation laid long ago. We are (and will always be) indebted to that brother for his faithful service, his submission to the Holy Spirit to produce a profitable study Bible. (Incidentally, Dr. Scofield led a missionary to Christ, that missionary led a preacher to Christ, that preacher led a woman to Christ, that woman led Mom to Christ, and Mom led me to Christ.) What took Dr. Scofield decades to learn, we can acquire in a fraction of that time. Brother Scofield did not live long enough to progress any further in Bible understanding, but in the century since he has gone to heaven, a faithful remnant within the Body of Christ has expanded upon Dr. Scofield’s insightful notes. We recognize where he was wrong in certain areas, and we can improve those areas in our understanding and study.

In brief, some stats about our grace study Bible. We seem to be over 80 percent completed with it. How many more years it will take remains to be seen, but rest assured, what cannot be condensed into marginal notes or footnotes, will be, Lord willing, expanded into a full-Bible commentary book series! Stay tuned in the coming years and thank you for your prayer in this regard! 🙂

* You can read more about our Grace Study Bible Project here.

333’s 4800th – Wise Fools or Wise Fools

Sunday, July 21, 2024

“Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God…” (1 Corinthians 3:18,19a KJV).

Dear Saints and readers, only by God’s grace, we have reached devotional #4800!

In the Bible, we can be either wise fools or wise fools. For example, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,…” (Romans 1:20-22).

These wise fools are knowledgeable, intelligent, and clever in their own eyes, but they have forsaken God’s wisdom (true wisdom). To Him, they are but fools. Here is much of the world. “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:20,21).

In today’s Scripture, there are some other wise fools: “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” Any Christian who believes he can live the Christian life by using worldly wisdom (recall Romans 1:20-22) is but a fool in God’s eyes. That is most of Christendom. Yet, we can reject secular wisdom, adopt God’s wisdom, and become wise in God’s sight—though the world sees us as fools.

With each passing day of our sound Bible doctrine studies, we are moving away from wise fools (relying on our wisdom, thus wise in man’s sight but fools in God’s sight) and over to wise fools (relying on God’s wisdom, thus wise in God’s sight but fools in the world’s sight). May we seek God’s approval above all (2 Timothy 2:15)!

Onward we go to #4900! 🙂

Please remember that all studies have been archived here.

Liberated to Serve

Thursday, July 4, 2024 🇺🇸

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13 KJV).

Today, as we in the United States celebrate the 248th anniversary of our nation’s independence, we invite our Christian brethren worldwide to rejoice with us concerning our freedom in Jesus Christ.

When we proclaim Romans 6:14—“Ye are not under the law, but under grace”—people tend to assume “loose living.” Does “grace living” really mean we can now live any way we want? Lest anyone be misled in that regard, God the Holy Spirit moved the Apostle Paul to write in the next verse, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid [May God never let that happen!]” (Romans 6:15). Grace living is not Law-keeping, but it certainly is not Law-breaking either.

God still cares how we live, albeit He is not operating the “weak and beggarly” system of “bondage” (Law) that He once did with Israel (Galatians 4:9). God proved to the entire world that since Israel could not keep His commandments perfectly, no other sons of Adam (the Gentiles) could either: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them [Israel] who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world [Gentiles] may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19).

We sinners cannot keep the Law. However, God in His grace provided us a way to escape that condemnation by sending Jesus Christ to offer Himself on Calvary’s cruel cross to pay for our sins. By simple faith in Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as the fully-satisfying payment for our sins, we can now be “made the righteousness of God in [Christ]” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We can be delivered from the penalty of sin (hell and the lake of fire) and the power of sin (flesh-walking).

Why are we Christians free? To selfishly live any way we want? NO! Today’s Scripture says we are liberated to now serve others, especially our Christian brethren, just as Jesus Christ selflessly served His Father and selflessly died on our behalf. That is grace living!!!!

Please see our 2011 Fourth of July Bible study “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land,” which can be watched here or read here.

The Roller-Coaster of Life #8

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV).

In this roller coaster called “life,” who is truly “faithful?”

When the disciples learned how they would desert Jesus, they disputed it and called Him a liar! “And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all” (Mark 14:27-31). Of course, it came to pass exactly as Christ foretold: “And they all forsook him, and fled” (verse 50), including boastful Peter denying Him three times (verses 66-72)!

It contradicts humanism (“man is his final authority!”), is at variance with “feel-good” Christendom, and offends our ego. Yet, the fact remains that, because of sin, none (!) of us are faithful. Saul of Tarsus, who later became the Apostle Paul, was raised in Judaism (works-religion). Such “Judaizers” or denominationalists constantly promoted “the goodness of men” amongst his grace believers. Now, as a Christian, he composed these words: “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:…” (Philippians 3:3,4). Indeed, Saul had “trusted in the flesh”—his religious performance—yet that was “but dung” (verses 5-8). “And be found in him [Christ], not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:…” (verse 9).

Never forget: Father God does not trust us, but He does trust Christ in us, so we may we trust Christ in us too! 🙂

The Roller-Coaster of Life #7

Monday, July 1, 2024

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV).

In this roller coaster called “life,” who is truly “faithful?”

Chapter 10: “[1] Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; [2] And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; [3] And did all eat the same spiritual meat; [4] And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. [5] But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

“[6] Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. [7] Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. [8] Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. [9] Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. [10] Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

“[11] Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. [12] Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. [13] There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

As ancient Israel forsook Moses (God’s spokesman to them), so the Corinthians had abandoned Paul (God’s spokesman to them). Yet, again, “God is faithful” (verse 13), offering the Corinthians the spiritual power to overcome their apostasy and return to His words of grace to them by faith (Romans through Philemon). Even now, this holds true of us.

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

The Roller-Coaster of Life #6

Sunday, June 30, 2024

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV).

In this roller coaster called “life,” who is truly “faithful?”

A bygone preacher once observed: “the flesh wants to do something, be something, live something.” This claim can be easily proven by visiting a denominational church—or anywhere else the Message of God’s Grace is absent. In fact, the works of the flesh can be (and have been) frequently passed off as (supposedly) “the works of the Spirit of God.” Only a mature, discerning spiritual eye can differentiate them.

Man has to come to a very uncomfortable, unflattering conclusion: his works, no matter their quantity, are not perfect righteousness or sinlessness. In no way can he save (deliver) or reform (change) himself. Those who cannot (or will not) admit that then intensely refute the idea of “once saved, always saved.” To them, you can and should trust Christ as your personal Saviour, but then, say they, you must continue in holy living to maintain that salvation or you will lose it. This is extremely convoluted, for it assumes our works play some role in perpetuating a relationship with God that we could never (and will never) obtain by our works anyway!

The Corinthians actually started off right: “And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized” (Acts 18:8). In that brief moment of clarity, they recognized their Greek philosophy was void of any eternal value. It could not give them a right standing before the one true God any more than the Law of Moses could justify Israel! There was no doubt whatsoever they became members of the Church the Body of Christ right here, believing in their heart how Christ died for their sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Alas, Satan’s evil world system (false teachers) later drew them away from that simple truth, which generated the innumerable problems/sins in the Corinthian assembly Paul is now addressing in 1 Corinthians.

In today’s Scripture, he thus did not emphasize their faithfulness (for, they were unfaithful!) but rather God’s faithfulness….

The Roller-Coaster of Life #5

Saturday, June 29, 2024

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV).

In this roller coaster called “life,” who is truly “faithful?”

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6). “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1,2).

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:1-7).

Once, I gave a Christian some Bible verses to navigate his perplexing (!) struggles. His answer to those Scriptures was, “But my human mind cannot fathom that.” My swift answer was, “We are not using the human mind but God’s mind.” See, he inadvertently declared his fundamental problem by echoing the Corinthians (or the ancient Greek philosophers, lovers of human wisdom). His primary difficulty was unbelief… and, yet, he was a member of the Body of Christ. The roller-coaster of life had driven him to trust in his own resources, his own intellect, instead of the renewed mind the Holy Spirit offers us….

The Roller-Coaster of Life #4

Friday, June 28, 2024

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV).

In this roller coaster called “life,” who is truly “faithful?”

Addressing the heathen Gentiles in central Turkey, Paul referred to how they worshipped “vanities” (worthless idols) because the God of Israel had “in times past suffered [permitted, allowed] all nations to walk in their own ways” (Acts 14:11-17). In Athens, the intellectual capital of the Roman Empire, Paul pointed out their pagan idolatry was “ignorance” (Acts 17:16,22-31). This was the spiritual darkness and blindness to which God had handed over the nations back at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9.

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things” (Romans 1:20-23). Here was the origin of Greek philosophy—systems of thought founded on Satan worship.

Doubtless, the Corinthians were not faithful, reliable, dependable, trustworthy. God could not—and did not—expect them to live the Christian life. He knows the flesh is weak, though it certainly exerts great effort to try to manage or overcome sin. The secular pressure from nearby Athens was so tempting. Supposedly, every “wise” man in Corinth boasted he had the solutions to the world’s problems. Of course, this was human wisdom, not the wisdom of the God of the Bible. Yet, the Corinthian Christians had even adopted these faulty ideas, discarding the Holy Scriptures in favor of something “more rational” (appealing to the intellect). As long as it was the resources they had in and of themselves, they were totally void of God’s power and life—and, hence, their Christian life was not functioning properly.

The Corinthians were building their Christian life on a foundation of shifting sand….

The Roller-Coaster of Life #3

Thursday, June 27, 2024

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV).

In this roller coaster called “life,” who is truly “faithful?”

Paul expressed gratitude to God for giving the Corinthians grace (unmerited favor through Calvary’s finished crosswork). We read chapter 1, the context of today’s Scripture: “[4] I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; [5] That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; [6] Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: [7] So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: [8] Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Father God had already furnished them in Christ with everything they needed for victorious Christian living, but they had not made any use of those resources by faith. Like millions of Christians and hundreds of millions of church members now, they were depending on philosophy—love of human wisdom—to guide their thoughts and lives. God’s wisdom, however, was uninteresting to them. What an understatement it is to say there was spiritual catastrophe in Corinth!

Still, as awful as spiritual conditions were in Corinth, the promise of verse 8 held true—and, while it may be difficult to believe, was permanent. Father God would “confirm [them] unto the end,” keep them safe and secure, strengthening and pronouncing them “blameless” in Christ because they would always have God’s righteousness in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). It was what God did that ultimately mattered—as opposed to what they did or were doing (thinking and acting like complete spiritual fools, frankly!).

Crosswinds (blowing from left and right) and headwinds (pushing from the front) were driving the Corinthians off course doctrinally. False teachers were swaying them in every which way but the right one, which rendered them “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). They were letting their situations and circumstances cause them to lose sight of their life and victory in Christ….















































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