Pentecost and Cloven Tongues
- Who among Christian denominations do not claim to know the Holy Ghost?
- And who do not profess to have received the benefit of Pentecost from the Holy Ghost as the early Disciples did?
Jun 10, 2006
| Browse in : |
All
> Topics
> Main Articles
|
- What is Pure Religion in the "literal-physical language" of man?
- How does God explain it in His "spiritual language?"
- Who can claim following Pure Religion?
WW Webster Dictionary gives the meaning of “pure” as spotless, stainless and containing nothing that does not properly belong; and free from moral fault or guilt, marked by chastity (adj. Latin purus). “Religion” means supernatural constraint, sanction, from religare meaning restrain (Latin religio, middle English religioun). God through His words in the Holy Bible defines Pure Religion as:
James 1:26-27 (KJV) “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
Denominations composing Christianity, a religion relying on the Holy Bible as spiritual authority, are one in the interpretation of Pure Religion. As defined in the verses, it means “loving and caring for the orphans and the widows who are most materially and emotionally in need.” The establishment and maintenance of the following non-profit institutions, aside from individual good works, are the results of this rendition:
Attending to the material needs, aside from emotional guidance, of the unfortunate people is the perceived fruition of Pure Religion. It is with this human understanding that “ecumenism” or the “unity” of Christian denominations is hatched under the aegis of love. In reality, however, they cannot be truly united because of variances in doctrines.
A glimpse of the deeper meaning
God is represented by His words (John 1:1) and Jesus Christ is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13 ). Simply stated, God should be the sole authority to speak for HIMSELF through His words! In plain illustration, God speaks through the microphone and the chosen servants should only act as the speaker system. Any sound coming from the speaker system that did not originate from the microphone is the nauseating hiss and hum. The topic will demonstrate how God explains His words. These are some points in the verses that God has to elucidate to clearly understand PURE RELIGION from His point of view:
What is “not keeping a tight rein on one’s tongue” from man’s point of view?
From God’s point of view on the matter?
How could one’s heart deceive him?
Who are the fatherless and who are the widows from God’s point of view?
Why only “visit” and not to give all-out support?
What is their affliction?
What is keeping oneself “unspotted from the world” from man’s point of view?
What is God’s point of view on the matter?
A. “KEEPING REIN ON ONE’S TONGUE”
Man’s perception of “keeping rein on one’s tongue” is to speak only on a subject known under appropriate circumstances. To God, speaking on something only He is the sole authority is “not keeping rein on one’s tongue.” Examples: The Scribes or Teachers of the Law during the time of Christ expounded on the words of God and people followed them. Our Lord said, “blind guides followed by the blind.”
Christ spoke in parables. Not one of the apostles opened the mouth to explain the parables. Only Christ should explain His words that are expressed in parables.
Mark 4:34 (KJV) “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”
If Peter, Paul or John explained the parables, then they would “not have kept rein on their tongue.” Examples: when Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” Did any of His apostles volunteer to explain His words? When Jesus gave the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-23), did any of the apostles explain the meaning? If they did, then they would have taken His role. Then they would have been “other Christs” that our Lord warned in Matthew 24:23. God is the author of His words and only He is the authority to explain the great message. Who among the people today “keep rein on the tongue?” The dictate of the heart, however, tempts people to take the role of Christ by explaining the words of God:
Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
God is represented by His words
God is a Spirit (John 4:24 ). Because He cannot directly relate to His chosen, He had to represent Himself through His words (John 1:1). This was revealed to Paul when he wrote:
Romans 7:14 “ For we know that the law is spiritual…”
To show the “Way” and reveal the “Life” to His words, God manifested Himself in the flesh.
1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) “ And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…”
This was prophesied and fulfilled in the person of JESUS CHRIST:
Isaiah 7:14 “…a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Accordingly, God in the person of Jesus Christ explains everything for He is the Word of God (Revelation. 19:13 ). Our Lord did this when He was with His disciples:
Mark 4:34 “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”
The parables are the spiritual components of the words, that only the Word can explain. This truth had long been revealed to the chosen in:
Psalms 78:2 “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old.”
Ezekiel 20:49 “Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?”
If Jesus Christ is a physical being called the Word of God in Revelation. 19:13 , and God is the Word in John 1:1), then we perceive the words of God as consisting of the “letter/physical” and the “spirit/spiritual.” The “letter or literal” in the words of God corresponds to Jesus, a physical being. Just as Jesus was visible, so is the “letter” understood with the LITERAL LANGUAGE of man. The “spiritual” component representing the Father has to be explained by the words, just as God is identified by divine revelation.
Truth therefore is composed of the “letter” or literal/physical” and the “spirit/spiritual” in the words. The literal-physical varies with time and culture of the people. The spiritual is immutable, representing the immutable God (Malachi 3:6). The Spirit God is Truth; as Jesus, the man, is Truth. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30 ). A guide to their “unity” is, Jesus accepted worship when only God deserves that supreme accolade or honor (Matthew. 4:10 ). There is only ONE GOD (Malachi 2:10 , Mark 12:32 , 1 Corinthians. 8:6, Ephesians. 4:6). The fact that Jesus accepted worship proves that He is truly the visible representation of God (Colossians 1:15 , 2:9, John 14:7). For details on the revelation of God of Himself and Jesus Christ, read the articles, JESUS OF THE ORIGINAL APOSTLES and THE GOD OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT.
Hebrew 10:7 “ Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,)…”
God made a Testament for the salvation of the chosen. This culminated with the shedding of blood on the cross.
1 John 3:16 “ Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”
The “letter must die”
Just as Jesus died on the cross, so should the “letter” in the word that He represents must also die with Him:
Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”
The “handwriting of ordinances” refers to the “letter of the law” which, standing alone, cannot represent the truth. This is what Jesus said regarding this:
John 5:31 “ If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.”
The “letter” has “to die” as Jesus died in order to “rise again” taking the spiritual nature.
Romans 7:6 “ But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”
Jesus requires another witness to prove Him to be Truth. Aside from Him is the Father Who should testify to the Truth.
John 5:31 “ If I (Jesus = literal word) bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he (Father = spiritual word) witnesseth of me is true.”
Very clearly therefore, Truth in the words of God requires the LITERAL WORD representing Jesus, and the SPIRITUAL WORD representing the Father. Correspondingly, simply knowing the PHYSICAL JESUS is not enough to clearly recognize Him, for it needs the identity of the Father as well.
John 8:19 “ …Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.
Here is the rebuke for not recognizing God by simply looking at the PHYSICAL JESUS, in spite of what is written about Him “Emmanuel” or “God with us”:
John 8:54 “ Jesus answered… it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him…”
Seeing Christ without His clear identification follows the non-recognition of the Father. Correspondingly, since Jesus represents the “letter” in the word, simply understanding the literal meaning does not necessarily follow the clear comprehension of the great spiritual message that the Father represents. That is how our Lord exposed the religious people in His time. He called them, “Blind guides leading the blind.” Today, who can claim clear recognition of God if Jesus is truly identified?
Recognizing the physical Christ therefore is not enough. We have also to identify the spiritual Christ. These two are one and constitute the Truth. The “Spirit God, the Father,” and “Emmanuel, God with us, the Son,” are the TWO WITNESSES to the Truth. A guide to the truth was revealed in the Old Testament:
Deuteronomy 19:15 “ One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”
Since God is the Word (John 1:1) and Jesus Christ is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13 ), the TWO WITNESSES therefore are the LITERAL and the SPIRITUAL word. Without “Emmanuel” God could not have been seen (John 14:7), is equivalent to, without the “literal word” God could not have communicated with His chosen. Just as the “Spirit God” and “Emmanuel” are one (John 10:30), so also the “spiritual word” cannot be separated from the “literal word” that establishes the truth. The “third witness” refers to the Holy Spirit that gives “life” to the words.
John 6:63 “ It is the spirit that quickeneth…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
Here we can see the Spirit God uttering the Word that represents Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit giving “life” to the words. The “literal word” is “quickened” or given life by the Holy Spirit’s revelation through the very words:
1 Corinthians 2:12-13 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
Here is God’s way to read the Holy Bible. It is not verse-by-verse, or chapter-by-chapter, or book-by-book, as to simply get the context of the story. It must be:
Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
B.“VISIT THE FATHERLESS AND WIDOWS IN THEIR AFFLICTION.”
If to the Natural Man the “fatherless” are the orphans whose physical fathers had died, Jesus revealed the spiritual father in the following:
JOHN 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil…he…abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar…”
The “fatherless” therefore refer to people who found the TRUTH that now Satan, “the father”, had died in their life. These are the “spiritual orphans” who need to be “visited” and to be taken to the “household of the Lord (Ephesians 2:19).” They are to be fed with the Living Bread or the pure word of God.
JEREMIAH 15:16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name…”
God tells us “to visit” them only. This presupposes that it is God Who will take care and feed them with His spiritual words. The truth about “God speaking over the microphone and the believers acting only as the speaker system” will apply here. God is the actual giver, and the chosen are only the messengers.
The “widows” in the LANGUAGE OF MAN are women whose husbands had died. In the SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE OF GOD, the husband refers to SATAN. This is deduced from the following where God is supposed to be the spiritual “husband.”
ISAIAH 54:5 “ For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name…”
JEREMIAH 3:14 “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family…”
The “seeds” of God are the truth in His words (Luke 8:11). The “seeds” of Satan are the deceptions in the words of God. Satan showed that he could cite Bible verses (Matthew 4:6). During the time of our Lord, the spiritual “wife” of God were the Disciples who only received His “seeds”. The Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious sects at that time, who followed the Teachers of the Law could not have been the “wife” of God for they had been receiving “seeds” that were not of God. This is gleaned from the warning of our Lord:
MATTHEW 16:6 “Then Jesus said unto them (Disciples), Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
MATTHEW 16:12 “Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”
Doctrines contradictory to what is written in the Holy Bible although supported by Bible verses could not have come from God. These are the “leaven of bread” spoken of by our Lord.
The “widows” are physical male and female (Galatians 3:28), who had been receiving “strange seeds” or “leaven” in the word. These are the condemned human precepts and religious traditions (Colossians 2:8). Cessation from receiving these strange seeds makes them “spiritual widows” of the enemy of God. Satan now had “died” in their life. Like the “fatherless”, they need to be “visited,” taken to “the household of God,” and be fed with the Living Bread or the pure word of God.
To be noted is, the “widows are only to be visited.” It seems the role of the believer is relegated to a simple accessory. Let us remember the believer acts as a simple “speaker system” only. It is God Who “speaks over the microphone.” It is God Who explains His words and it is He Who can make them understand the message. It is God Who actually takes care and feeds them spiritually.
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works…”
The “affliction of the widows and fatherless” is their spiritual isolation and persecution by the “sons and wives of Satan.” Jesus Christ warned His disciples, a type of the “fatherless and widows”:
JOHN 16:2 “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
“Whosoever killeth you” does not necessarily mean physical death, but “murder in spirit.”
1 John 3:15 “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him .”
C. “KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD”
In the LANGUAGE OF MAN, “world” refers to worldliness and the sin of the flesh taken literally in the following and in the Ten Commandments:
Gal. 5:19 “ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Christ will explain whether the literal obedience is all to the commandments.
Luke 18:18 “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19And Jesus said unto him… Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. 21And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.”
The Ruler must have physically avoided sins when he told our Lord: “ all these have I kept from my youth up ( Luke 18:21 ). “ Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me (Luke 18:22 ).”
Luke 18: 23 “And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God ! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God .”
If “rich” means literal-physical, Joseph of Arimathea a rich man in the New Testament; and Abraham, Jacob, David and Solomon, all rich men in the Old Testament, could not have attained eternal life. Therefore, who are the “rich” and the “poor” that our Lord is referring to? Here are the “poor”:
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The “poor” are the humble in human spirit like “little children.” (Matthew 18:3). They are not physical little children for the apostles were adults when our Lord called them as such. The apostles must have acted innocently in the eyes of our Lord; ignorant in their own eyes, not philosophical, and devoid of the rationality of an adult.
John 13:33 “ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews…”
God therefore is speaking His SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE for this is physically impossible:
Matthew 11:25 “ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
2 Timothy 3:15 “ And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation…”
If spiritual “little children” or the “poor in spirit” are given spiritual wisdom, then the “spiritually rich” must be the opposite. They are not given spiritual knowledge and therefore spiritually blind. Truly so, how could the spiritually blind “see” the Way and follow the Truth? No wonder, Christ said, “ it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God .”
The Natural Man sees “possession” as referring to material wealth, land, houses, etc. To God these are the spiritual possessions to be “sold”: “house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2) and “land of darkness” (Job 10:21). Continuous possession of these could not have opened the eyes of the spiritually blind. These “possession” should be sold in order to receive proceeds of TRUTH. It is truth that should be shared to the “poor in spirit.” Now God made it clear who the “fatherless” and the “widows” are.
Our Lord gave another reference to spiritual possession:
Matthew 6: 21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Spiritual “possession” therefore is what is ensconced in the heart. In the heart of the religious people, the Scribes and Pharisees, during our Lord’s time was their zealousness to follow the “letter of the law.” Our Lord called them hypocrites. The truth is:
2 Corinthians 3:6”Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament ; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth , but the spirit giveth life.”
Zealousness to the “letter of the law” makes a person self-righteous and proud. That is what the Rich Ruler bragged about before our Lord. “The letter” cleanses the “outside of the cup” only and this is limited to MORALITY (Matthew 23:26 ). Christ preached cleansing first the “inside of the cup.” This is SPIRITUALITY and it refers to the spiritual message of the word. This truth is the basis of the following:
Galatians 3:10 “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”
Perhaps the Natural Man (1 Corinthians 2:14) would ask, “How could a person be cursed under the law when God gave the law precisely to be followed?” Unknown to many however, God gave His words for Him to explain for He is speaking spiritual things. Man’s understanding is limited to the literal-physical meaning. Thus the impossibility of following the law with man’s understanding:
James 2: 10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
With man’s limited perception, God knows nobody can follow the whole law. He wants the chosen to trust Him as “little children,” so He could have a “free hand” shaping their spiritual life. However, many people, like the Scribes and Pharisees, want to act like “adults.” Therefore, the curse! Hence, came this sweeping statement from our Lord:
Matthew 18:3 “ And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
It is only to the SPIRITUAL, not physical, babes that knowledge and wisdom is endowed. Christ’s disciples were “converted and became as little children”:
John 13:33 “ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said…”
To them therefore was endowed the wisdom not otherwise given to the Teachers of the Law who were known as the wise and prudent:
Matthew 11:25 “ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”
It is to the spiritual suckling that doctrines are taught and learned:
Isaiah 28:9 (KJV) “ Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.”
2 Timothy 3:15 “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation…”
Is this possible to the literal-physical babies?
Psalms 8:2 “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”
God’s chosen were all “converted and became as little children” that they were blessed with a clear understanding His words. They are given the gift of faith, which alone justifies man before God. They know, with man’s personal capability, that they will forever be short of God’s standard of righteousness:
Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
The “law” refers to the literal-physical understanding of man that limits him to the simple “cleanliness on the outside” or morality. God’s word goes beyond “cleanliness on the outside” or far above morality. The spiritual aspect delves on the “cleanliness in the inside.” This is SPIRITUALITY that our Lord kept on pounding to the Teachers of the Law, but they did not understand Him. God revealed that the “law” justifies no man. Only faith, a gift from God, can shape man into the image of the model, the man-Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:11 “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
“Works” are not the simple noble deeds or charity that man can boast about. Rather, they are the fruits of faith after having known the spiritual word. It is the spiritual “walk” after having found the “Way”, for this is what leads to eternal life.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
THE WHOLE LAW SUMMARIZED
There is one Scribe who preferred to ask our Lord on a subject people expected him to know. This Teacher of the Law must have been “converted into a little child” as the disciples were.
Mark 12:28 “And one of the scribes came, and…asked him , Which is the first commandment of all ?”
Mark 12:29 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
In the ordinary human perception, our Lord’s answer is not even responsive to the question for how could “The Lord our God is one Lord” be a commandment. This is one proof that our Lord is speaking “spiritual things” or parables (Psalms 78:2). Relating this to what transpired in the life of our Lord, He saw how the Teachers of the Law supposed to lead people to eternal life did NOT KNOW GOD.
John 8:54-55 “Jesus answered …it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him…”
They professed to worship one God, the God of Abraham and Moses, but this is not enough.
James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe…”
Now the “first of all the commandments” cited by our Lord could be appreciated because KNOWING OR RECOGNIZING GOD really must come first before LOVING HIM. Then our Lord began enumerating the Two Great Commandments:
Mark 12:30-31 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God … this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:32 -33 “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God ; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart…and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Mark 12:34 “And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God…”
The Scribe showed how humble he was to ask our Lord on a subject people expected him to know. He saw his real role: a simple “speaker system emitting only the sound coming from the Speaker over the microphone.”
How many of the counterparts of the Scribe today ask our Lord to explain what He said? On this matter of the Two Great Commandments, perhaps everybody is presumed to be an authority for it looks so simple to understand. However, who can explain God’s words but Him alone! Did Peter, John, and the other apostles take the authority to elucidate? No one among them!
Mark 4:34 “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”
God/Jesus Christ is/are speaking in parables (Ezekiel 20:49 , Psalms 78:2). The Two Great Commandments must have been expressed in a parable.
GOD IS LOVE
Since “there is none other commandments greater than these,” and the ultimate objective is spiritual perfection and salvation, therefore Pure Religion must have been founded on these Two Great Commandments. “God is love” and the Commandments are instituted on the basis “love.” Therefore, Pure Religion must be “all-in-all” for God.
1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love .”
1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
TO KNOW GOD IS THE FIRST “COMMANDMENT”
Pure Religion exemplifies one’s perfect relationship with God. Taking the cue from the answer of our Lord to the Scribe, the starting point of love is a “call”: “ Hear, O Israel.” Israel is the name given to Jacob, a descendant of Abraham, and a chosen of God. Christ could not have referred to Jacob or to his offspring alone, for the chosen embraces the following:
Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
“Hear, O Israel,” therefore, is a call to all people belonging to Christ to listen to His voice: “the first of all the commandments is…”
Mark 12:29 (KJV) “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
Mark 12:29 (NIV ) “ The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel , the Lord our God, the Lord is one .
To man’s understanding, this is not even a command but a simple statement of fact. However, TO KNOW the “One Lord and one God” becomes a command in the light of the following. To simply believe in one God is not enough.
James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe…”
Jesus Christ voiced the same urgent call of God in the Old Testament; but many of His people ignored Him:
Jeremiah 4:22 “For my people are foolish, they have not known me; they …have none understanding…”
Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me…”
Because many people did not “offer their whole heart” to God, they were not given the “heart to know Him.”
Jeremiah 24:7 (KJV) “And I will give them an heart to know me…for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Perhaps people have different perceptions of the meaning of TO KNOW GOD; among them are the following:
“KNOWING GOD” must be seen in the light of the spiritual foundation, the prophets and apostles, and Jesus Christ the chief corner stone:
Ephesians 2:20 “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”
How did the prophets and apostles KNOW the “One Lord and one God?” Was it one of the aforementioned criteria? Was it simple relationship? Or, was it just an honest perception of righteousness? Or, was it only a sincere declaration of belief in one God? Let God answer the questions through His words. None of the prophets recognized God without being “given a heart to know Him”, and only after having offered their “whole heart” to the Lord.
Peter demonstrated “giving one’s whole heart” when he recognized the CHRIST. Our Lord put it in a different perspective, saying, “flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but by the revelation of the Father.”
Matthew 16:16 (KJV) “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Matthew 16:17 (KJV) “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
How easy for anyone to declare “Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God.” If this came only from “flesh and blood”, or one’s personal competence, then the truth of what our Lord said would not be realized:
John 14:7 “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”
John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”
Would many people still say, “God/Father (1 Corinthians 8:6a) is a mystery incapable of clear identification with man’s finite mind” if the recognition of Jesus came from the revelation of the Father, which is the result of “returning with one’s whole heart to God?” Where now is the vaunted claim that Jesus Christ can be identified and recognized by the intellectual capability of men? How easy for many people to speak of the “historical-physical” Jesus! But are they not at a loss as to the clear relationship between Jesus and the Father?
John 8:19 (KJV) “…Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”
Who is the “One Lord and one God” of the prophets? Who is the “One Lord and one God” of the apostles? What is His name? Who is the “One Lord and one God” of real Christianity today? Where now is the “call” of Jesus that is the starting point of PURE RELIGION: “Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
Can there be true “love of God” without His clear identity? Which comes first, TO KNOW or TO LOVE? Can there be true “love of neighbor” before having first loved God that our Lord listed as the 2 nd commandment? Where now is the generally accepted definition of PURE RELIGION from the “wise and the prudent?”
“ONE LORD AND ONE GOD” AND THE “TESTAMENT”
First, God teaches us how to read the Sacred Scriptures. It is different from man’s CONTEXTUAL understanding.
Isaiah 28:10 (KJV) “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”
God says in His words that He is only ONE.
Isaiah 43:10 “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD…that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.”
1 Corinthians 8:6 “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom…”
God says in His words that He is the SOLE creator:
Isaiah 44:24 “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer…I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”
Malachi 2:10 “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?…”
Is there another Creator aside from God in the following?
Colossians 1:15-16 “Who is the image of the invisible God…For by him were all things created…”
Ephesians 3:9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”
God says in His words that there is no Savior beside Him:
Isaiah 43:11 “ I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
Who is the SAVIOR or MESSIAH or the CHRIST that Peter saw in Matthew 16:16?
Matthew 16:16 “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ…”
Indeed, it requires divine revelation for Peter to declare Jesus is the Christ or Savior; when the FATHER claims to be the ONLY Savior and no other beside Him! This truth can be traced from the following:
It is written God made several covenants or testaments with His chosen people. These, however, can be lumped into the promise of salvation that God wanted His people to know. God made the following promise to Abram, before he was named Abraham:
Geneses 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”
To take the word of God literally, this promise or will or covenant or testament was made only to Abraham and his physical offspring, the Israelites, and later known as the Jews. Literally, this will exclude other nationalities. However, God is speaking in parables. In the SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE OF GOD, the offspring of Abraham are the following:
Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Many Jews will be surprised to find that, if they do not belong to Christ, they are not even considered spiritual children of Abraham in the eyes of God. This truth reveals God’s love that is available to all people. Many people will be surprised that this covenant or promise or testament or will requires the death of the maker:
Hebrew 9:16 “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”
This is something that the Natural Man cannot accept. For how can the Spirit God fulfill His testament with His death! A spirit cannot die. However, God will show that man’s mind is too little to comprehend great spiritual things. Example, how many people will accept the following?
1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness : God was manifest in the flesh…” (Who is this GOD in 1 Corinthians 8:6a and Isaiah 43:10? Is He not the Father?)
1 John 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his lifefor us…” (How many GOD are there in Isaiah 43:10 and 1 Corinthians 8:6a? Is He not only one? Who laid down His life for us? Is He not Jesus Christ?)
There is only ONE GOD and this is the Father. The Father made a testament of salvation and He had to manifest Himself in the flesh to be able to fulfill it, now known as Jesus Christ, the Son, the LORD:
1 Corinthians 8:6 “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…and one Lord Jesus Christ , by whom are all things…”
This was revealed both in the Old and New Testament:
Deut. 6:4 “Hear, O Israel : The LORD our God is one LORD:”
Mark 12:29 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
Is it sufficient to simply believe in ONE GOD without clearly identifying Him?
James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe…” .
This was revealed to Thomas, Philip, and Peter when they recognized Jesus:
John 14:7 “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”
Peter said, “You are the Christ,” as if saying, “You are the Savior.” Only God is the Savior in Isaiah 43:11. There is only One God and that is the Father! Some references in the Old and New Testament pertaining to this great truth:
THE FATHER SPEAKING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Isaiah 46:4 “And even to your old age I am he…”
Isaiah 52:6 “Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”
THE SON SPEAKING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
John 8:28 “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he…”
John 13:19 “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.”
It is very clear why the Father and the Son “are” alluded to as the Creator for “both” referred to “each other:” The Father speaking, “ I am He,” and Jesus Christ telling His disciples, “ I am He.” Is it impossible for God to change His manifestation in order to fulfill His plan of salvation?
The Creator referring to the Father
Nehemia 9:6 “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things…”
Isaiah 44:24 “… I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”
The Creator referring to the Son
John 1:3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Col 1:15 “Who is the image of the invisible God… For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth…”
The Name of the Creator is revealed!
Malachi 2:10 “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?…”
Ephesians 3:9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”
THE SAVIOR
Was not the Father speaking in the following?
Isaiah 43:11 (KJV) “ I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”
Does not the Angel refer to the Son in the following?
Luke 2:11 (KJV) “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
THE FIRST AND THE LAST
Was not the Father speaking in the Old Testament in the following?
Isaiah 44:6 (KJV) “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel … I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”
Does not the Angel refer to the Son Jesus Christ in the following?
Revelation 1:7-8 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him… I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
THE INHERITANCE
In the Testament, God promised Himself to be the inheritance of the priests. The priests are the real believers (Revelation 1:6).
Numbers 18:20 “And the LORD spake unto Aaron… I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel .”
Ezekiel 44:28 (KJV) “And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance…I am their possession.”
Who would like to receive the frightening God (Exodus 20:18 -19)?! However, God always makes it easy to the beneficiaries by taking the characteristics of a dove. Truly so, they received the Holy Spirit as inheritance!
John 7:39 (KJV) “(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
Acts 2:1-4 (KJV) “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…”
Physically, this was fulfilled earlier when “God in the flesh” was seen with His chosen people:
Matthew 1:23 (KJV) “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Emmanuel, “God with us,” was literally fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the man; and spiritually, in the Holy Spirit. “There is only one God, the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6a).”
1 Corinthians 3:16 (KJV) “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
Because God is speaking His SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE, true recognition of JESUS does not come from “flesh and blood” but by the revelation of God. Peter realized this:
Mathew 16:16 (KJV) “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
How many people now can claim having recognized Jesus “not with flesh and blood but by the revelation of the Father?” Then this truth is proven. To the Disciples who recognized Jesus “not with flesh and blood,” a great blessing:
John 14:7 (KJV) “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”
To the religious people who only saw Jesus and did not recognize Him by divine revelation, a rebuke:
John 8:19 (KJV) “Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”
THE NAME OF GOD
God had not yet revealed His name in the Old Testament. How many people know this? The different “names” given like: Jehovah, Yahweh, I am that I am, El Shadai, Lily of the Valley, Rose of Sharon, Jealous, Lord, Lord of hosts, etc. are only titles to describe Him. God Himself said:
Isaiah 52:6 (KJV) “Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”
The name of God is one.
Zecharia 14:9 (KJV) “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”
This was revealed to the disciples when Jesus told them to baptize the believers in the NAME of the Father, in the NAME of the Son, and in the NAME of the Holy Spirit:
Matthew 28:19 (KJV) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
The apostles did not baptize till they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost Who would endow them with spiritual wisdom. Peter executed, and did not simply repeat, the command; so did Philip and Paul baptize in the same name (Acts 10:48 ).
Acts 2:38 (KJV) “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christfor the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 8:12 “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God , and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Acts 19:5 “ 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Truly so, the fullness of God will be seen in the physical body of Jesus Christ:
Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Colossians 2:9 (KJV) “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
In the SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE of God, this is expressed as “right hand” that means POWER OF GOD:
Exodus 15:6 (KJV) “Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.”
Luke 22:69 (KJV) “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.”
The Natural Man’s perception of “spiritual things” is not enough to clearly recognize God. That is why Jesus Christ said, “except ye be converted into a little child,” and “flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto you,” for spiritual things are discerned by divine revelation. How could the “One Lord and one God” be perceived if one tries to understand “spiritual things” with the intelligence of an “adult” using the intellect, instead of an innocent and inculpable “babe?” How could one recognize God “with flesh and blood” with the following “plural” references to Him?
Genesis 1:26 (KJV) “And God said, Let us makeman in our image, after our likeness…”
Genesis 11:7 (KJV) “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.”
John 14:23 (KJV) “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me…and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
John 14:26 (KJV) “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things…”
Matthew 3:16-17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
John 20:17 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”
Exodus 15:6 (KJV) “Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.”
Luke 22:69 (KJV) “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.”
Thus, in the visible person of JESUS CHRIST will God be seen by His chosen few.
Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Colossians 2:9 (KJV) “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
John 14:7 (KJV) “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
This is the True God, the “ One Lord and one God”, that has to be clearly recognized before LOVE of Him can be made. TO KNOW should precede TO LOVE. That is what Jesus told the inquiring Scribe:
Mark 12:28 (KJV) “And one of the scribes came, and …asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?”
Mark 12:29 (KJV) “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”
LOVE OF GOD
In many words, Christ emphasized LOVING God through His words for He is represented thereto. True LOVE OF THE WORD will nullify simple emotional sentiment one expresses on God. Examples:
Luke 23:26-28(KJV) “…and on him they laid the cross…And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.”
This is the kind of LOVE that our Lord expected from the chosen.
John 14:23 (KJV) “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words…”
Matthew 16:2 “… Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must …suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”
Matthew 16:22-23 “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”
The kind of LOVE our Lord expected from His disciples is to accept that He had to die on the cross in order to fulfill the Testament of the Father. Then the promised Holy Spirit will be made available to them. Thanking Him for this is the recompense that Peter, instead, should have expressed to our Lord. Love of God is expressed with love for His words. Could there be true love for rejection of the truth? Examples:
1. Is it TRUTH to read the Holy Bible that is contrary to what is written? Nothing is written about the CONTEXTUAL understanding of the message for this is but the fruit of human wisdom. Rather,
Isaiah 28:10 (KJV) “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”
2. Is it TRUTH to call a person “father” on earth in spiritual matters?
Matthew 23:9 (KJV) “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.”
3. Is it TRUTH to call a person “rabbi” or teacher or master or head or leader or pastor or shepherd in spiritual matters?
Matthew 23:8 (KJV) “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.”
4. Is it TRUTH to take the authority of appointing apostles, pastors, and teachers in the “physical absence” of our Lord?
Ephesians 4:11 (KJV) “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”
Galatians 1:1 (KJV) “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ…” (Christ appointed Paul an apostle in His physical absence. Can He not do the same today? Why do religious leaders take this role and authority?)
5. Is it TRUTH for religious leaders to explain prophecies? Is not only God the sole authority to explain His words?
2 Peter 1:20 (KJV) “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
6. Is it TRUTH to take the authority to TEACH when only God is the Teacher? Let us be reminded of the analogous “God speaking over the microphone and the servants acting only as the speaker system.”
James 1:5-8 (KJV) “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
1 John 2:27 (KJV) “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth…”
7. Is it TRUTH to train pastors and preachers in the Seminaries and Bible Schools ? Did the Apostles adopt the practice? Paul became an apostle after Jesus physically ascended into heaven. The SPIRITUAL Christ, the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17 ), appointed and taught him (Galatians 1:11 -12). Are modern apostles similarly and equally appointed and taught? (The modern practice, different from what the apostles did, caused the division of Christianity, because denominations have their respective training schools.)
8. Is it TRUTH to follow the Law on Tithes differently from that of our Lord and His apostles? Our Lord and the apostles followed it SPIRITUALLY and not literally-physically. For details read the article on TITHES AND OFFERING and TEMPLE MERCHANTS .
Matthew 5:17 (KJV) “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
9. Is it TRUTH to reject the Way shown by Jesus earning His living as a carpenter? Paul followed the Way as a tent maker.
John 14:6 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way…”
Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary…”
1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV) “Paul speaking, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
Acts 18:3 “And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them…for by their occupation they were tentmakers.”
Acts 20:33 (KJV) “I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.”
10. Christ and His disciples built spiritual temples -- the real believers. Is it TRUTH to build chapels, churches, and cathedrals where some people in these physical structures are looked up above the rest, and addressed such honorific titles that solely belong to God?
Luke 22:25-26 “And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger…”
James 2:9 (KJV) “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”
Psalms 111:9 (KJV) “He sent redemption unto his people… holy and reverend is his name.”
Jesus Christ said, “I am the Truth.” Anything, therefore, that is not of the truth is not of God. Jesus spoke of love of God in:
John 14:23 (KJV) “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words…”
John 8:42 (KJV) “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me…”
How many people see that LOVE OF GOD is actually LOVE for His words for He is being represented thereto? Can one love before knowing the subject?
Jeremiah 4:22 (KJV) “For my people are foolish, they have not known me… and they have none understanding…”
Hosea 4:6 (KJV) “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me…”
Those are some of the “negative love” that many people seems not to see. Now here are some examples of “positive love” that many people missed:
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT:
EXODUS 20:1-3 "And God spake…I am the LORD thy God… Thou shalt have no other gods before me ."
Here, God introduces Himself to His chosen. People reading this are probably surprised why this is inscribed as the First Commandment. Christ expounded on this principle by listing TO KNOW OR RECOGNIZE the “One Lord and one God” as the “First Commandment of all.”
MARK 12:29 (KJV) "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:"
MARK 12:29 (NIV) “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel , the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
“I am the Lord thy God” and “The Lord our God is one Lord” are actually an introduction of God of Himself! In the mind of a Natural Man, this could not be a commandment. It is simply a statement of fact. Our Lord, however, is speaking “spiritual things.”
How many people “obey” the First/Most Important Commandment? Stated in another way, how many people have clearly identified and truly recognized the “One Lord and one God?” This is a PREREQUISITE to the other commandments, both in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and in THE TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS. The religious leaders were dumbfounded to hear Jesus Christ tell them, “You do not know God!”
JOHN 8:54-55 "Jesus answered...it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him…” ”
The Jews ridiculed Jesus. He however proved their spiritual blindness by saying:
JOHN 8:19 "...Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."
The Jews hated our Lord as a consequence. Today, Christendom to whom the Word of God is likewise entrusted also professes to worship the God in the Bible. While everybody purports to know Jesus Christ and confess to be the Savior, many find themselves at a loss when asked to pinpoint the one true God! Everybody reads the following truth about God:
MALACHI 2:10 “ Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?…”
DEUTERONOMY 32:39 "See now that I, evenI, am he, and there is no god with me...”
ISAIAH 43:10 "...saith the LORD...that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."
1 CORINTHIANS 8:6 "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things...and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things...”
2 CORINTHIANS 3:17 "Now the Lord is that Spirit...”
1 JOHN 5:7 (KJV) "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
1 JOHN 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God...”
ISAIAH 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God , The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
How clear is so-called Christians’ recognition of the real identity of the “One Lord and one God?” The following doctrines find their respective contradiction to what is written:
1. Believing that “the Father is the only God and Jesus Christ is only a man and never a God.” This following is the doctrine’s contradiction to what is written:
a. Why did Jesus accept worship (Matthew 14:33, Luke 24:52) when He emphatically stated that only God should be worshipped (Matthew 4:10), if He is not God?
b. Why did the Father, the only God, state that He is the only Savior in Isaiah 43:11, when Jesus is the Savior in Matthew 1:21.
c. What does John mean in 1 JOHN 5:20? Isaiah 9:6? Plus many more.
2. Believing that “Jesus, the Son, is only a minor God and the Holy Spirit is only a force of God.”
a. How many God/s are there? One or two?
b. Can we find God saying, “There is a God or god with Him?” "Thus saith the LORD...I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah 4:6) Where is the truth in Deuteronomy 32:39?
3. Believing that “Jesus is only a third person of the Trinity. Each person is God, thus, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is also God, but one person is not the other two persons.”
a. Is God clearly identified in this doctrine? Can anyone clearly identify the “One Lord and one God” following this belief?
b. This doctrine teaches that God is a mystery, incapable of full and clear recognition. Does not this belief contradict what is written in the Old Testament?
JEREMIAH 31:34 "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD...”
c. Does not this doctrine contradict what is written in the New Testament?
HEBREW 8:11"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest."
d. Is this doctrine not subject to the rebuke of our Lord in John 8:19; 8:54-55?
While the Jews professed to know God but did not recognize Jesus Christ, and according to our Lord, they did not know the Father; Christendom today professes to know Jesus Christ, but still in the dark as to Who the “One Lord and one God” is! Can we see the similarity? Does it make any difference?
Regarding “obedience” to the First/Most Important Commandment, did the Jews get a passing mark? How many people today believing in the Bible pass the same test? “Obedience” to the First/Most Important Commandment is a PREREQUISITE to the rest of the commandments; that is what Jesus told the inquiring Scribe! Revelation of the identity of God is found in another article entitled “Who Am I That Doth Speak?”
Jesus Christ proved that the Jews were “disobedient” to the First/Most Important Commandment. They were ignorant as not to recognize their God and spiritually blind as “not to see” Him. The false God is always waiting to be worshipped! Has this truth passed away in our time?
PROVERBS 14:12 (KJV) “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
PROVERBS 21:16"The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead."
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
EXODUS 20:4-5 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing...Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God...”
Bible-readers find the people of the Old Testament guilty of idolatry by worshipping the different gods of the heathens:
BAAL, the god of the Canaanites and the Phoenicians, championed by Jezebel the wife of king Ahab.
ASHTORETH, the goddess of the Canaanites, later known as Ashtaroth, Venus, Diana, the goddess of beauty.
DAGON, the god of the Philistines, with head and hands of a man and the body of a fish.
APIS, the god of the Egyptians with head and hands of a man and the body of a lion.
The Jews, under the leadership of the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, could not imagine themselves guilty of idolatrous worship to these gods and goddesses. Yet Jesus Christ kept on rebuking them for the sin of idolatry. How many people see this truth today?
Many people see it to be wrong to make and to bow down before or venerate graven images. Because of spiritual blindness, the literal simple understanding of the commandment is even negated with the use of philosophy. Thus, the practice of some religious sects allowing the veneration of statues and pictures supposedly those of God and the saints.
The Jews and their religious leaders thought that they had already complied with the Second Commandment when they did not make, nor bowed and served graven images. Who would say that the Jews were wrong? So are the people today who had gotten rid of their graven images and other idols. One characteristic to describe God is jealous. In fact, He adopted that title which the Scribes and Pharisees miserably missed:
EXODUS 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"
Can God share the honor and glory that solely belong to Him? That is where we find Jesus Christ rebuking the Jews and their religious leaders for the use of the titles: Father, Rabbi or Teacher or leader. Only God deserves these epithets! Did the religious leaders know that they were defying the 2nd Commandment? Do religious leaders today know that they are defying the 2 nd Commandment? They even go beyond calling themselves Holy and Reverend, when these titles solely belong to God:
PSALMS 111:9 "He sent redemption unto his people… holy and reverend is his name."
Literal understanding of the word of God is limited to physical idolatry of statues and images. The spiritual word goes beyond that. It deprives God of the esteem due Him, which is now erroneously directed to fellowmen. In this case, people are the object of idolatry. Jesus Christ condemned this practice as found in:
REVELATION 2:6 "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate."
(The word NICOLAITANS comes from the ME., Ofr. NICOLAS; L. NICOLAUS; Gr. NIKOLAOS <nike, victory + laos, the people. Thus, victory over the people.) Unwittingly, man enjoys “victory” over his fellowmen in religious matters. With the kind of organizational set-up in religious sects, the leaders cannot help but occupy a position of esteem over the people, or laity. The practice sets a favorable atmosphere for idolizing the leaders of the organization, which the subjects equally enjoy. Unwittingly, both the subject and the object become victims of the sin of idolatry. Christ condemns the “deeds of the Nicolaitans” as Lucifer is condemned, the first to rob God of the honor and glory exclusively belonging to Him. Peter warns of the malpractice, which in essence is Nicolaitanism .
1 PETER 5:3 "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."
Paul, the apostle appointed by Christ in His physical absence, like Peter warned the believers of this practice:
1 CORINTHIANS 3:21 "Therefore let no man glory in men...”
Do not religious leaders today want to be looked up and exalted in various ways? How relevant is the thing that our Lord saw in the Scribes and Pharisees during His time!
MATTHEW 23:5-6 "But all their works they do for to be seen of men...”
It is the laity or members of religious sects who can attest to this fact. Do not religious leaders distinguish themselves by the dress, cross, crucifix, and other insignia they wear? Are they not being honored in social gatherings? Do they “see” their awkward position in the eyes of God?
JOHN 9:39-41 "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth."
Obedience to the 2nd Commandment, solely based on conscience, is limited to physical idolatry involving statues, images, and pictures. SPIRITUAL CONVICTION, after having the “mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16),” is far beyond CONSCIENCE. It delves into the innermost being of man as revealed by the Spirit.
Our Lord rebuked the religious leaders for spiritual blindness. They thought they were leading the people to God they themselves did not recognize. They preached the word of God they themselves did “not understand” in the view of our Lord. God speaks His SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE. They were limited only to the LITERAL LANGUAGE of the Natural Man. How relevant is the rebuke of our Lord to the religious leaders:
<em>JOHN 5:44 "How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?"
MATTHEW 23:24 "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."
MATTHEW 23:15 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte...”
MATTHEW 23:28 "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
EXODUS 20:7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
How did the Jews who follow the law to the “letter” apply this commandment? To them, the name of God is any of the following: “I am that I am,” “Jealous,” “Jehovah,” “Yahweh,” “Rose of Sharon,” “Lily of the Valley,” “El Shaddai” and “Lord.” Today, Christendom that similarly comprehends the word of God has Jesus Christ as an added name of the Lord. Following the 3 rd Commandment therefore is simply not to make fun with any of the names mentioned. If God referred only to His literal name, then it would contradict:
MICAH 4:5 "For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever ."
How could the chosen “walk in the name of the Lord” if the commandment is taken literally? It is clear that God is referring to His spiritual name. Who can discern that the spiritual “name of the Lord” is the Word of God?
REVELATION 19:13 "And he (Jesus Christ) was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."
Spiritually, “to walk in His name” is to live by the word of God. This is “walking by the Truth.” Did not Jesus say, “I am the way and the truth?” God is speaking His spiritual language. “Taking the name of the Lord in vain,” is not simply making fun of or being disrespectful to His physical name, but also of His spiritual name. “Taking the name of the Lord in vain” is to reject or renounce the truth in the word. Relate this Commandment of God now to the warning of Jesus Christ in:
MATTHEW 7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father…Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Where lies the power of the NAME of the Lord? Is it in the physical name JESUS CHRIST? He warned the people regarding the use of His name:
MATTHEW 24:5 "For many shall come in my name...and shall deceive many."
The power is in His spiritual name (Revelation 19:13)which is His words:
JEREMIAH 23:29 "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"
HEBREW 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
EPHESIANS 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"
Who are worthy of eternal life? Are they not the people who “doeth the will of the Father?” How could one do the “will of the Father” without understanding His words? If the spiritual name of God is HIS WORDS, what is “taking that name of the Lord in vain?”
Perhaps, many people will profess following the 3rd Commandment because they respect, lift up, and praise the literal name. That is in the perception of the Natural Man. Why will Jesus tell many people, “I never knew you?” Do many people truly “recognize” Him and the Father? What kind of “wonderful works” will these people profess to have done? Why are they being accused of “workers of iniquity?”
EXODUS 20:7 “...the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
LEVITICUS 24:16 "And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him..."
“Taking the name of the Lord in vain” is professing to follow His words, but rejecting and blaspheming the truth. "But thou, O Lord, art a God of...truth." PSALMS 86:15
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
EXODUS 20:8-11 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy… wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."
God knows the heart of man that he would try to understand His words, follow some to the “letter,” and then brag about obeying the law and claim love of God. That is what our Lord found in the Jews, especially the religious leaders. Paul, formerly a Pharisee, after recognizing God, received this revelation about the “letter of the law:”
ROMANS 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
Using human understanding, the religious leaders kept Sabbath literally by not physically working on that day. They saw themselves more righteous than Jesus Who, in their view, did not keep it holy. That is one cause of His death on the cross.
JOHN 9:16 "Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day...”
The literal Sabbath was for resting the BODY. Jesus, however, indicated that it was the SOUL that is preferred (Matthew 10:28). He confirmed His statement in JOH