Category: spiritual immaturity

Signs of Shallowness #8

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV).

Behold the signs of shallowness!

The writer of the Book of Hebrews could have written more about Jesus Christ, but national Israel was unable to handle it. So, it was necessary to start with the basics (higher doctrine would be presented later). Hebrews itself is the most fundamental treatise—a “beginner’s guide”—to the work of Christ with respect to Israel. Like Romans does for us the Church the Body of Christ, Hebrews underscores Calvary’s crosswork for Israel. As we do not stop in our edification in Romans, so Israel does not stay in Hebrews-level doctrine. They are to further mature, grasping the Books of James through Revelation.

Building on today’s Scripture (the close of chapter 5), the Holy Spirit began chapter 6: “[1] Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, [2] Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. [3] And this will we do, if God permit.” The “perfection” here is not sinlessness but spiritual maturity. God gave the Bible to Israel to grow her spiritually, and to mature us the Body of Christ spiritually.

Indeed, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That [purpose/intent] the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17). We know exactly what God is doing, and we need not be shallow in our understanding….

Signs of Shallowness #7

Monday, November 18, 2019

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV).

Behold the signs of shallowness!

Obviously, babies cannot recognize their limited condition. They are unable to understand they should eventually mature to become adults who can take care of themselves. Unfortunately, here are most professing Christians. They do not realize it, but vain religious tradition has caused their Christian lives to be dead! Only when someone shows them sound Bible doctrine do they really get a chance to see where they are. It is further tragic—and it happens more often than not—that they obstinately refuse to escape that nursery. Surely, it is easier to depend on others (preachers) than stand and fight the good fight of faith yourself (1 Timothy 6:12)!

Grow up, Christian friend, grow up! Dispensational Bible study will free you from perpetual spiritual childishness. You can be founded and stabilized in God’s Word if you so desire (Romans 16:25,26). Paul’s Gospel—Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day—is the first step in edification. We see those details in Romans through Galatians. The second step to spiritual growth is “the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery”—laid out in Ephesians through Colossians. Finally, God will use “the scriptures of the prophets” (all the Bible in light of Pauline doctrine) to mature us (Thessalonians).

If we ignore the Apostle Paul’s special ministry and message—like most of the Body of Christ has done for 20 centuries—we do not have a hope or prayer in the world of ever avoiding Satan’s lies. It is that serious….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why did God place a curse on creation?”

Signs of Shallowness #6

Sunday, November 17, 2019

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV).

Behold the signs of shallowness!

It was no accident the Holy Spirit moved the writer of the Book of Hebrews to employ the expression “dull of hearing” in today’s Scripture. This condition applies to Israel not only during the early to mid-Acts period, but also in Christ’s earthly ministry (Matthew 13:15) and the late Acts period (Acts 28:27). They are lazy (Greek translated “slothful” in Hebrews 6:12) when it comes to hearing the Word of God. This infirmity goes all the way back to Isaiah 6:9-10, some 700 years earlier, when Israel was not responding positively to God’s message to them. Again, the Jews had prolonged exposure to God’s words but refused to believe them, thus resulting in persistent spiritual immaturity.

Here we are, friends, almost 20 centuries since God gave mankind a completed Bible. We have yet to master it because the Church the Body of Christ has spent 99.9 percent of that time dillydallying with denominations, speculations, and hallucinations. It is a tragic commentary, but the average local church building is nothing but a nursery where spiritual children play with spiritual toys (rituals, ceremonies, singing, dancing, hand raising). Therein is an offensive, pervasive odor—people unable to control themselves (like babies with soiled diapers). They cannot function independently, requiring constant service from the preachers (who themselves likewise need tending to). Unable to make Christian decisions, they languish in worldly thoughts and deeds. Like Israel of bygone days, they too are “dull” of hearing the things of God. Spiritual truth has fallen on willfully deaf ears!

Brethren, it is high time for us to leave the spiritual nursery and grow up….

Signs of Shallowness #5

Saturday, November 16, 2019

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV).

Behold the signs of shallowness!

First Corinthians chapter 3: “[1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. [2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. [3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” For nearly two years, the Corinthians heard the sound Bible doctrine they needed to grow (Acts chapter 18). Yet, they had not accessed it by faith. As Israel’s history demonstrates, possessing God’s Word will profit us nothing unless we trust it (Hebrews 4:2).

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2). Like the Corinthians, these new believers in Christ drink from the spiritual baby bottle. Again, as in the physical world, this is normal. The problem is when people stay with the baby bottle (see today’s Scripture). Just as the nation Israel wasted 16 centuries with spiritual nonsense when they could have learned the pure Word of God, so the Church the Body of Christ has squandered 20 centuries with spiritual nonsense when we could have learned the pure Word of God.

Today, we have a completed Bible, and are still overwhelmingly ignorant of it. It is as if God never revealed anything at all! We have the principles of grace, how the grace edification process works, but we have yet to grow. Let us see how to grow in grace….

Signs of Shallowness #4

Friday, November 15, 2019

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV).

Behold the signs of shallowness!

We can understand why atheists, agnostics, and other skeptics are spiritually immature. Unless they seek to “disprove” it, they actually do not read the Bible. They often do not attend church, and are less likely to be exposed to “Christian” teaching. We do not expect them to be skilled in the Scriptures. Yet, here is a real dilemma, something even they find unbelievable. Actually, for this reason, people despise the Bible and have no time for Christians. What is this problem?

How is it that individuals who attend church regularly still wind up clueless about the Scriptures? How can preachers who have been in ministry for 30 or 40 years, look like fools when Bible critics tear them apart for their ignorance? How is it that people who claim to “believe the Bible” often live worse than those who never frequent church or believe in any “god?” They are not using God’s Word, God’s way.

God has designed His Word to spiritually mature His people: there is a “Divine design for the edification of the believer” in Israel’s program as well as for our current program. Romans chapter 16: “[25] Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, [26] But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:….” Here is how we grow from “babes” to people of “full age….”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What happens after death?”

Signs of Shallowness #3

Thursday, November 14, 2019

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV).

Behold the signs of shallowness!

Ancient Israel is an excellent case study in spiritual immaturity. JEHOVAH God furnished the Jews with His words, that they might grow to spiritual adulthood. For 16 centuries, they possessed the Holy Bible (Old Testament). The Holy Spirit assesses the nation in today’s Scripture: Israel is still (!!!) a spiritual baby! Not only unable to teach the Gentiles the Word of God, the Jews themselves must first be taught Bible basics!! What happened?!

Frankly, there is no substitute for sound Bible doctrine—“sound” as in “healthy,” “whole,” or nourishing (see 1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9,13; Titus 2:1,2; 3 John 2; cf. Luke 5:31; Luke 7:10). Not retaining the Divine revelation given her, Israel had played around with religious tradition (rabbinical speculations). After consuming that massive amount of “spiritual junk food,” Israel was now spiritually emaciated (sick, thin, and frail/weak). Languishing in this extremely dangerous spiritual condition, Israel demanded her Messiah be killed (God, writing the Book of Hebrews, is looking back on Calvary).

Today, dear friends, listen to professing Christians as they share their own spiritual journeys. These poor souls, “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14), are exact copies of ancient Israel. Deceived by denominational systems, they have trodden so many loops, U-turns, excursions, detours. After attending church services for decades (!), they still have no idea what the Bible really teaches. No wonder they are too ignorant to teach Scripture to others. As tragic as it sounds, “Christians” are often the least likely (!!) to have stable Christian beliefs….

Signs of Shallowness #2

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV).

Behold the signs of shallowness!

“Tell people about Jesus.” “A.S.A.P.: always say a prayer.” “Praise God.” “Thank Jesus.” “Let God’s love be inside us.” “Jesus, I surrender to you.” Local churches featured these messages on their signs. Dear friends, do you not see how shallow they are? There is no spiritual steak here, something of sustenance—just spiritual milk and childishness. No wonder the professing church is so doctrinally weak! We abound with spiritual children in the church because spiritual children lead it! Have these ministers not taught their people enough Scripture to post powerful, thoughtful Bible messages?

For over 18 months, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul directly taught the Corinthians (Acts 18:1-18). Later, Paul wrote to these new saints (1 Corinthians chapter 3): “[1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. [2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. [3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”

It is certainly not a sin to be immature. Development is a process—whether spiritual or physical. We begin in our mother’s womb as a fertilized egg, but we do not remain like that indefinitely. Eventually, we are delivered at birth, passing from infancy to toddlerhood, then to childhood, next to adolescence, and finally to adulthood. How preposterous is the notion that one never leaves mother’s womb! Apply this simple illustration to the spiritual realm….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What are ‘evil communications’ in 1 Corinthians 15:33?”

Signs of Shallowness #1

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14 KJV).

Behold the signs of shallowness!

The writer of the Book of Hebrews—not the Apostle Paul!—understood the nation Israel’s dire spiritual state. For 15 centuries, they had possessed the Word of God (Romans 3:1,2). Eventually, they should have spiritually matured in it, able to take those words of God out to the world (Gentiles/nations). Alas, Israel had spent most of those centuries depending on the traditions and opinions of men. She allowed Satan’s evil world system to “convert” her: they held rabbinical traditions in high esteem, they loved their idols of wood and stone, and they were so comfortable in self-righteousness.

The Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures were overwhelmingly shunned; therefore, Israel was unable to identify her Messiah (Jesus) when He ultimately presented Himself to them! When God the Holy Spirit penned the Book of Hebrews, Jesus Christ has already come and gone. He had been born in Bethlehem Judaea, He had lived for 30 years among His Jewish brethren, He had preached and performed miracles for His last three years—and His own nation demanded He die on a cruel cross!

Even now, as the Holy Spirit writes during the Acts period, Israel is nationally floundering in spiritual ignorance and impotence. They are still refusing to listen to the preaching of the Apostle Peter and the other 11 Apostles serving with him; in fact, they are persecuting and killing Christ’s messengers. Not only so, they are opposing the Apostle Paul. Israel is spiritually crippled, childish in the Scriptures. Let us not look down upon them, for that describes many professing Christians today….

Teamwork!

Sunday, November 10, 2019

“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:20,21 KJV).

It is a group effort—guarding the principles of grace given us.

Recently, I attended another one of my niece’s softball tournaments. Those young women have greatly matured in the last two years. By trial and error, training and careful thought, they have learned exactly what it takes to be victorious. It does not come easy, as “teamwork” really is about cooperating with others instead of operating alone. There are great frustrations. Situations look grim, maybe hopeless. In the midst of it all is the foreboding feeling of wanting to give up. Much effort is required to achieve anything important. The Christian ministry is quite similar.

Brethren, we have the Bible—God’s “playbook” that also lays out how our Adversary (Satan) works as the opposing team. The Holy Spirit has already outlined therein what Father God is doing today as well as what the Devil is doing to contest it. Grace has given us the privilege of serving with other Christians to gain the advantage with sound Bible doctrine.

If we want to “train up” in the world’s way, learning how lost people think and applying that to life, we most certainly can do it. While not what God originally wanted for us, He is more than willing to give us over to “do our own thing.” We will “swing the bat at nothing”—too high, too low, too fast, too slow (struggling and imprecise). If we do manage to run toward a base, again, we run too slow or too fast—not reaching the base, or passing it and being tagged out. Tripping, we fall, unable to achieve that higher level of maturity and work.

We can do the work of the ministry, and see God’s words and will be conveyed to the masses. Or, we can fall victim to infighting and self-defeat. Unless we give careful thought to what we are doing—what Father God is doing—we will be weak and incompetent. Far better we remain in the “dugout” than go out “on the field” inexperienced and stumbling; more harm than good will result with recklessness!

Weirdoes #7

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Brethren, we may be unfairly judged of other Christians and/or the world, but the final verdict will come of the Lord.

Read today’s Scripture in context: “[1] Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. [2] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. [3] But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. [4] For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. [5] Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

The Corinthians were the fleshliest (worldliest) Christians in all of Scripture. Their assembly epitomizes most of the Church the Body of Christ today. Considering their doctrinal confusion and spiritual immaturity, who were they to judge whether or not Paul was an apostle and servant of Jesus Christ? They themselves could not discern truth from error, but, having such a high opinion of themselves, they believed they could accurately assess doctrine! Paul answered them (today’s Scripture), “I could not care less about what you carnal Christians think of me! It makes no difference to me whether or not you approve of me! Who cares if your Greek philosophy disagrees! I will let the Lord evaluate my Christian service at the Judgment Seat of Christ!” (See 1 Corinthians 3:9-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9,10; and Colossians 3:23-25).

We thus answer the denominationalists who question whether or not we Bible-believing, Pauline dispensationalists are really Christians believing and teaching true Christian doctrine. Since they are deceived and stumbling in the confusion of their vain speculations and traditions of men, they are certainly in no position to identify Christian beliefs!

Bible Q&As #663, #664, and #665: “Does Matthew 1:8-9 contain errors?,” “Does Matthew 1:11 contain errors?,” and “Does Matthew 1:12 contain an error?”