Hucksters

“For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:17)

The above word “peddling” in the Greek is only used one time in the Bible. Here is Strong’s definition:

2585 kapēleúō – properly, to act as an unscrupulous merchant, i.e. "a huckster" who profits by "peddling the Word of God" for personal gain. 2585 /kapēleúō ("peddler") is only used in 2 Cor 2:17 – of people "marketing the ministry" (the Word of God) for fast gain.

When I see or hear TV and Radio evangelists asking for money this is what always comes to mind. They are “peddling the word of God” for personal gain. Avoid them like the plague. If you want to help someone just look around. I am sure you have neighbors who need help from time to time. But don’t be coned by the Hucksters who “subvert whole households for the sake of dishonest gain”.

"There are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain" (Titus 1:10-11)

Lose Your Religion

"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ…that I may know Him." (Philippians 3:8, 10)

Sometimes we have to lose our religion and be willing to suffer the loss of the esteem of others in order to have the true excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus and what he has done for mankind. Religious men teach that their particular thoughts and doctrines are the truth, and one is welcomed within that religion as long as he or she accepts that teaching.

The few who are willing to abandon misleading religious doctrines will gain the knowledge of Christ Jesus. They will be... 

"...set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21)

That is how Paul came to know Christ. The esteem he had within Judaism was lost when he began to follow and teach what Christ Jesus was revealing to him. Over the last 2000 years, religious men have merged the Judaism Paul had gladly "counted loss" with the teaching of grace that Jesus gave to Paul.  The result is no gospel at all and the freedom which that truth had provided has been lost - the freedom to know Christ as the loving, merciful, and gracious Savior that he is.  The same Savior who will eventually reconcile all creation to God who will then become All in All.

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery..." (Galatians 5:1)

Fear Based Faith - The Beginning of Wisdom

Question: Do you have Faith in God without fear, or is your Faith based on the fear of God?

“God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world…We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us…There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear ” (1 John 4:9-10,14,16,18)

I have been alive for 65 years on this planet, 50 of which has been partially spent struggling with the above question.

As I watch my grandchildren grow up I realize that for the first 10 or so years there is no fear of God. Mom told me that God was good and loved me, and He loved the whole world.  That was true and good enough for me.

Then something horrible happened. I begin to listen (occasionally) to the teaching and preaching in church about the eternal destiny of unrepentant people. 

Yep, the doctrine of eternal conscious torment in hell was introduced to my young mind by those in the church that my Mom and Dad seemed to trust to know the truth. After all, they took me to church every time the doors were opened just as I would later take my children...out of fear.

My childlike faith in God without fear became a game of either ignoring the very thought of God (high school, college and military), or, when I finally got a permanent job and begin raising a family, trying to appease God for fear of what he might do to me and my family…and I called that faith, but it was just the "beginning of wisdom".

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom...but perfect love drives out fear" (Proverbs 9:10; 1 John 4:18)

One good that came out of that fear was that I begin to read the bible faithfully, all of it, from Genesis to Revelation…over and over and over (I stopped counting at 20 times). And after 25 years of struggling to please God through service in the local church I realized that much of what I had been taught about God in church was not the "wisdom" I was reading in the Bible.

My study of the Bible did not reveal eternal conscious torment for anyone, or a trinity of angry gods, or a substitutionary atonement for the repentant, or a free will to choose my eternal destiny, nor an immortality of the soul apart from the resurrection.

These were all religious doctrines made up by religious men that had become the basis of my faith…resulting in more fear of God than love for Him.

When I was able to distinguish between man-made doctrine and biblical doctrine at about 50 years old I was able to return to my childlike faith. Faith that God was good, all the time, and loves me as a Father. I was liberated from the fear of God and ushered into a true love for the God of the Bible.

My faith in God is without fear. God is my Father, He is Sovereign and Almighty, He can do whatever He wants…and He wants to save me, my family and everyone else from death by raising us, changing us into a new creation just like our Father - immortal, loving and good.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away...and I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5)

No more fear of God…for the "wisdom" of the perfect love of God will have “cast out fear”.

The Master Builder

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)

Paul wrote this 2000 years ago…..2000 years.

Paul was chosen to lay the foundational message, not Peter, James or John.  

Of course the word “foundation” is a metaphor for the message about “Jesus Christ”. A good news message regarding the salvation of the world. It was pretty simple then, before the religious institutions of men began to “build” on that foundation. 2000 years later it is almost impossible to see the foundation because of the wood, hay and staw built upon it by religious men. 

Here is what I believe to be the foundation and the "trustworthy" message.

“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

“It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men…Prescribe and teach these things.” (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.” (Titus 2:11-15)

The above is the gold, silver and precious stones that is built upon the foundation, Jesus Christ. Anything else taught by religious men to the contrary is simply wood, hay and straw which will be graciously burnt up when the message to mankind from God has become reality...for all.

“Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

What We Are To Confess

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

The “confession” above is not the confession of sin which Christianity likes to talk about. The Greek word means “to agree”, and in this context we are to agree with God that in spite of our sin, we have a great High Priest who loves us and is going to save us from our sin. God made us to be sinners, and we all fulfill our destiny to sin. Yet God has promised to justify and save sinners and give them eternal life.

“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested…even the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all those who believe…for all (who) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (are) being justified as a gift by his grace…for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord...through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23-24; 6:23; 5:2)

That is what we should be confessing…the grace and mercy of God for sinners...the grace and mercy in which we now stand in the assurance of obtaining the glory of God, that we sinners "fall short of", at our resurrection. 

Jesus Christ is our great high priest and understands that in our current state we have such “weaknesses” that when we are “tempted” we sin. Jesus was able to endure the temptation without sin only because he is the "only begotten Son" of God. We will not be “begotten” as a true sinless son of God until we are made a new creation at our resurrection.

We sinners can "come boldly to the throne of grace" each day knowing that we will find, not eternal judgment, but "mercy". Mankind needs to know this in order to overcome the guilt that is laid on us by religious institutions.

If you walk out of a church feeling guilty…NEVER GO BACK. Guilt is not of God, only sinful men use guilt to control others. God uses love to motivate and change us.

“God demonstrates His love to us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us....For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (Romans 5:John 3:16-17)

All Things New

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

How does one get “in Christ”? And what happens when it happens?

Let’s take the second question first. 

What happens when one becomes “in Christ”?

1. He is then a new creation.

2. Old things have then passed away.

3. All things have then become new.

My problem with the teaching of mainstream Christianity is its failure to understand that even they, as now constituted, are sinners. And by sinners I am referring to the biblical definition of sin which is “coming short of the glory of God”.

None of us, no matter how many times we repent, walk the aisle, pray the sinner’s prayer, are baptized, or how much we tithe and bless others, are right now a “new creation”. “Old things” have NOT "passed away". “All things” have NOT "become new". 

We have them now only by FAITH – believing that God will do in the future what He has said in the past.

Yet Christianity seems to teach that when one joins the particular church of their choice they are saved and are then a new creation, that old things have passed away and that all things have become new. No they haven’t…if we are honest. 

And when people are told they are a "new creation" and then reality sets in and they "fall short", it leads to depression, not peace, sadness, not joy, hopelessness, not hope. And too often they are told they never were really saved in the first place...

"Sorry comforters are you all.  Is there no limit to windy words?" (Job 16:2-3)

No amount of pious rhetoric, comforting words or good deeds will prevent mankind , including those of us who call ourselves Christians, from receiving the “wages for sin”, which is death because we have ALL “fallen short of the glory of God”.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God…the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 3:23;6:23)

We have the promise of newness of life which we may appropriate in faith to give us peace and joy in the hope of our salvation. The bible clearly teaches that mankind will become "a new creation", "old things will pass away", and "all things will become new".  And that will occur, not at some ceremonial baptism or bar mitzvah, but when Christ Jesus literally returns to raise the dead.

So now back to the first question above. How does one get “in Christ”?

When we are raised from the dead and “made alive” at the resurrection! 

I urge you to read and study 1 Corinthians 15 until you understand completely what it says about our future hope. And remember…

“…if we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive…sown a perishable body, raised an imperishable body; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body….Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (1 Corinthians 15:19-22; Revelation 21:1-5)