Category: Satan and Policy of Evil

Believing Unbelievers #3

Friday, March 25, 2022

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25 KJV).

Is it possible to be a believing unbeliever? According to today’s Scripture, YES!

Those present in Jerusalem in John chapter 2 were indeed religious, for they had come to celebrate Passover according to the Law of Moses. Furthermore, when they witnessed Jesus’ miracles, the Bible informs us “many believed in his name.” Their piety and “faith” make them appear to be genuine believers. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit’s commentary provided in the rest of the passage indicates something else entirely.

“But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” The Greek word translated “commit”—“episteuo”—was rendered “believed” in the previous verse. Although they believed in Him, He did not believe in them. The reason is provided in the fact the Lord Jesus Christ was and is an omniscient Being. He knows what people are like; no one has to lecture Him on the human condition. After all, He Himself wrote the following verses: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:9,10). You can also read His unappealing assessment of us in Matthew 15:10-20 and Mark 7:14-23!

Human nature is sinful, for it constantly tries to replace God’s life with something else (human “good” and/or human evil). Also, emotions and “thrills and chills” (an insatiable quest for entertainment) corrupt man’s internal makeup. We like to be amused—and that was precisely the problem with the spectators in today’s Scripture. They were not people of faith in the heart, but curiosity seekers looking for a “good time.” Even now, 20 centuries later, it is a recurring difficulty in religious circles….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is a ‘casement?’”

Believing Unbelievers #2

Thursday, March 24, 2022

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25 KJV).

Is it possible to be a believing unbeliever? According to today’s Scripture, YES!

Remember, the nation Israel is God’s “sign” people (Psalm 74:9), for “the Jews require a sign” (1 Corinthians 1:22) and, as Jesus told His Jewish audience, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe” (John 4:48). Consequently, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23; cf. Matthew 9:35). “And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,…” (Luke 8:1).

The Lord performed miracles to demonstrate or validate the Gospel of the Kingdom He was proclaiming. In His kingdom, blessings from God will preclude sickness and eliminate bondage to Satan. He also endowed His Apostles with this supernatural power: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen” (Mark 16:17-20; cf. Matthew 10:1-8).

When Christ executed miracles, it was not simply to give people carefree, problem-free lives. These miraculous demonstrations were proof His message was worthy of His audience’s trust. Yet, if they did not have a positive attitude toward these supernatural events, they would overlook the meaning and thus fail to genuinely believe the message conveyed thereby….

Believing Unbelievers #1

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:23-25 KJV).

Is it possible to be a believing unbeliever? According to today’s Scripture, YES!

While Christianity is frequently assumed to be in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Bible believer understands Judaism is still operating during Christ’s earthly ministry. Read verse 13: “And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,….” Why did the Lord visit Jerusalem for Passover? Of course, Galatians 4:4: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,….” The Law of Moses was in force while Jesus walked in the land of Palestine.

As a good, Law-keeping Jew, the Lord Jesus obeyed God’s words spoken through Moses. “Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread [Passover]: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty: ) And the feast of harvest [Pentecost], the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering [Tabernacles], which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the LORD God” (Exodus 23:14-17). “Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose [Jerusalem!]; in the feast of unleavened bread [Passover], and in the feast of weeks [Pentecost], and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:…” (Deuteronomy 16:16).

While Christ is celebrating Passover in Jerusalem, with all those foreign Jews visiting that city, He performs miracles. The crowd’s response is worthy of our reflection….

We Are Just Men #5

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another” (1 Corinthians 4:6 KJV).

If there is one thing that does not belong in the Christian’s life, it is that ugly sin of pride. Egos are at stake—and may we be willing to lose them!

The Lord, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, will judge or evaluate men’s ministries, meaning they themselves are not important or above suspicion (verses 1-5). Speaking on behalf of Apollos, Paul reminded the Corinthians how they (Paul and Apollos) viewed grace ministry. It was not about “I prefer Paul,” it was not about “I like Apollos,” it was not about “I fancy Cephas [Peter],” and it was not about “I choose Jesus’ earthly ministry.” These believers at Corinth were “puffed up for one against another” (today’s Scripture). Instead of following God’s pattern for this the Dispensation of Grace, and doing it humbly (!), they were proudly exalting mere men (Paul, Apollos, Cephas/Peter) and seeing them and their adherents as competitors or enemies.

As opposed to being so shallow-minded and spiritually juvenile, the Corinthians were (and we are!) to meekly adopt this principle: “Wherefore I beseech [beg, ask] you, be ye followers of me [Paul]…. Be ye followers of me [Paul], even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 11:1). The operative words are “even as I also am of Christ.” It was Jesus Christ preached according to the mystery who ultimately mattered (1 Corinthians 3:10,11; cf. Romans 16:25,26)! God’s spokesman to them was not the Apostle Peter, and not Jesus during His earthly ministry. While Apollos was a ministry coworker of the Apostle Paul, the Lord Jesus Christ had revealed the doctrine first and foremost to and through Paul (Galatians 1:11,12; Ephesians 3:1-3; Colossians 1:23-26). Apollos had learned grace doctrines from Paul’s friends, Aquila and Priscilla, whom Paul himself had first taught (Acts 18:1-3,24-28). We magnify Paul’s “office” or ministry, not Paul the man (Romans 11:13)!

Dear saints, remember: “That ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written.”

We Are Just Men #4

Monday, March 21, 2022

“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another” (1 Corinthians 4:6 KJV).

If there is one thing that does not belong in the Christian’s life, it is that ugly sin of pride. Egos are at stake—and may we be willing to lose them!

The Holy Spirit through Paul corrected the dear saints at Corinth in chapter 3: “[4] For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal [fleshly, worldly]? [5] Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? [6] I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. [7] So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” Who ultimately mattered was not Paul or Apollos (for they were just men); God was most important, for it was His words that Paul and Apollos preached and taught in Corinth.

Now, chapter 4, the context of today’s Scripture: “[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.” Concerning ministry, Paul neither evaluated himself nor depended on other people to properly assess him. He knew the Lord would do this one day—and for all saints (Apollos, the Corinthians, et cetera). Let us not think of men above that which is written….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is the ‘train’ in 1 Kings 10:2?”

We Are Just Men #3

Sunday, March 20, 2022

“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another” (1 Corinthians 4:6 KJV).

If there is one thing that does not belong in the Christian’s life, it is that ugly sin of pride. Egos are at stake—and may we be willing to lose them!

Corinth was just a two-day journey from Athens, the intellectual capital of the then-known world. Therefore, not surprisingly, Greek philosophy had infiltrated Corinth both before and after the Apostle Paul’s arrival. Human viewpoint, man’s wisdom, was a lingering problem that arrested the spiritual development of these Corinthian saints. The Holy Spirit issued frequent warnings about this in the opening three chapters of 1 Corinthians (but note particularly chapter 1, verse 17, all the way to the end of chapter 2). Philosophy—founded on heathen (natural-man, non-Christian) speculations—is definitely not the means whereby we obtain spiritual insight into God’s will and work. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, anything and everything in our soul incompatible with Pauline (sound) Bible doctrine will be considered “wood, hay, stubble” (worthless) and thus will be burned up (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-23)—a loss of Christian reward.

Although the Corinthian believers in Christ had access to the Word of God’s Grace, they were not using the indwelling Holy Spirit to properly interpret that material. God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom are two different languages, hopelessly unharmonious, the spirit of man being wholly incapable of discerning the words of the Spirit of God. “Educated” Apollos himself had to learn this in Acts 18:24-28, after being long-time behind concerning Divine revelation. Once converted to dispensational truth, he eventually became a valuable coworker of Paul in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 1:12; 1 Corinthians 3:4-6,22; 1 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Corinthians 16:12). Alas, the Corinthians began gravitating toward Apollos the man, Paul the man, Peter (Cephas) the man, and Christ’s earthly ministry (see 1 Corinthians 1:12-16). These denominations sprung up because, as the natural or lost man operates, people were being followed instead of doctrine….

We Are Just Men #2

Saturday, March 19, 2022

“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another” (1 Corinthians 4:6 KJV).

If there is one thing that does not belong in the Christian’s life, it is that ugly sin of pride. Egos are at stake—and may we be willing to lose them!

Arrogance is a mark of immaturity. We have not yet learned enough, we have not grown up, to know and appreciate the full extent of our weaknesses and limitations. The result is a distorted view of reality. We have an inaccurate opinion of ourselves. Also, we lack a clear picture of those around us, individuals just as human as we are. The Corinthian assembly of saints had sufficient exposure to the truth of God’s Word to form adult spiritual thoughts and make wise spiritual decisions. For at least 18 months, the Apostle Paul himself lived in Corinth, won them to Christ, and taught them sound Bible doctrine (Acts 18:11). Later, Apollos, a convert of Paul’s converts Aquila and Priscilla, taught in Corinth too (Acts 19:1). Alas, Corinth was a center of such pride.

For example, look at these “babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) “puffed up” in today’s Scripture. Or, how they were “puffed up,” daring Paul to come back and straighten them out (1 Corinthians 4:18,19)! Furthermore, they were “puffed up” in connection to a fornicating brother they refused to reform (1 Corinthians 5:2). Of course, “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” (verse 1 of chapter 8). Finally, there was the admonition in chapter 13, verse 4, of how charity “is not puffed up;” these saints were using their spiritual gifts for the benefit of self, self, self instead of assembly, assembly, assembly. Imagine a set of bellows stirring up a fire, or a pump inflating a tire. They are swollen or bloated—unsightly in the Lord’s eyes! Consequently, the Holy Spirit through Paul intervenes, penning today’s Scripture and its context. These confused saints need godly examples of how to look at people, including genuine Christian leaders….

We Are Just Men #1

Friday, March 18, 2022

“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another” (1 Corinthians 4:6 KJV).

If there is one thing that does not belong in the Christian’s life, it is that ugly sin of pride. Egos are at stake—and may we be willing to lose them!

Once, I spoke with an immature friend and brother in Christ who followed our ministry. When I related to him a certain problem in my life, he told me he was quite surprised to learn I even had challenges. Imagine! He did not believe I (of all people!) had problems. I quickly reassured him that I did indeed have troubles—and I would have to apply pertinent Bible verses to deal with them.

Never do we want to place anyone—especially religious leaders—“on a pedestal.” They might be knowledgeable in the Scriptures, they may have graduated Bible college or seminary (Bible cemetery!), and they might have even led us to the Lord Jesus Christ, but they are still just people who have the same sin nature we all do. They eat, sleep, and go to the restroom like everyone else! We should not “roll out the red carpet” and fall prostrate on the floor when they enter the room. We should not drool with open mouths or stare at them with our eyes as large as saucers. We should not manufacture statues of them to $ell to the gullible “Christian” public. We should not seek their autographs. They are just men!

Personality cults have always been especially injurious throughout church history. Leaders have been portrayed in such a way so their followers believe they are above all suspicion of wrongdoing. Consequently, emotions cloud the issue, and people begin defending erring individuals instead of sound doctrine. For example, when a pastor or teacher is justly denounced for his false teaching or misconduct, his congregants cry out, “How dare you attack him and his ministry!” In their eyes, that man is immune from mistakes. They have not learned the lesson of today’s Scripture….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Did God give the stars for nations to worship?”

The Burning Fiery Furnace #10

Saturday, March 12, 2022

“Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:4-6 KJV).

Is today’s Scripture “dead history?” Or, could there be any relevance to something in “the ages to come?”

Dear friends, the evil world system of which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was a part some six centuries before Christ, is the evil world system present with us at this very moment, and is the same evil world system from which the Antichrist will arise when the prophetic program resumes. As Israel’s believing remnant in history chose to separate from it—at whatever cost—so Israel’s believing remnant in the future will decide to keep away from it—at whatever cost. With them before us and after us, we are in the middle on the Bible timeline.

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul exhorts us to also isolate ourselves from false religion: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Of course, if we must face capital punishment for the LORD’S sake as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did long ago, so be it! “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Something in Which to Glory!

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

“As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:12-14 KJV).

In what shall we glory? About what shall we boast? In what shall we find value?

Religion produces people who enjoy bragging all about their “dedication to God.” “Look what I did—the ceremonies in which I have participated, the many prayers I faithfully recited daily, how much I put in the collection plate, see how many pleasures I gave up to please God! Come, see how much I love Him!” Dear friends, the Apostle Paul found great value in something—but that something was not what he did. All that human flesh can accomplish pales in comparison to the work in today’s Scripture.

As Lent begins, the time when religionists temporarily (a mere 40 days) relinquish some pleasant food or activity, let us remember that our performance is often non-performance. Once we place ourselves on that treadmill of “do, do, do,” we are guaranteed to fail at some point. Human flesh is simply too weak to maintain 100 percent—that is sin! Even concerning one rule, we cannot keep it perfectly. We mess up eventually.

If ever we believe that our puny works are worth bragging about, let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul in today’s Scripture. While some boast in their religiosity (in the passage, the Judaizers applauding their rite of physical circumcision), and such denominationalists today urge us to obey their church’s instructions so they too may boast in our ability, let us eschew such foolishness. Being imperfect, all their works do not measure up to Christ’s finished crosswork. At Calvary, we find the only sacrifice that will ever please the God of the Bible. If we must boast, let us brag that He did what we could never, ever do!

See our archived Bible Q&A: “Should Christians observe Lent?”