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THE FAITH OF JESUS vs THE FAITH OF BABYLON
So many of God's professed people have such a narrow view of the
faith of Jesus. So few really understand what it means for our lives now.
If Jesus came to redeem us from our past committed sins only, without giving us complete victory over our sinful nature and any future sin, then what has actually been achieved? Think about it. What has the gospel of Christ really achieved if it can only forgive committed sins and goes no further? If the gospel of Christ doesn't bring the power to give us complete victory over our sinful nature, to STOP us sinning, then we simply REMAIN SINNERS! And thus what has actually been achieved? If that is all the gospel achieves, and there is no real power to transform our lives to become doers and keepers of God's law, through faith, and we just continue to sin, then we REMAIN SINNERS. Thus, what was the point of Jesus making the sacrifice He did? God could have simply wiped out our sins and done away with His law.
"In delivering us from sin, it is not enough that we shall be saved from the sins that we have actually committed: we must be saved FROM committing other sins. And that this may be so, there must be met and subdued this hereditary liability to sin; we must become possessed of power to keep us from sinning - a power to conquer this liability, this hereditary tendency that is in us, to sin." (A.T.Jones, The Consecrated Way to Christian Perfection, 1905, p.41)
I agree with this statement from A.T.Jones for the reasons already stated above. But one of the problems with the various churches today is their view of Jesus in the flesh. Roman Catholicism says that Mary was sinless and therefore Jesus was born into perfect flesh, without any taint of sin. Even many Protestant churches teach the same theory, but in a different way. They simply say that Jesus took on the sinless nature of Adam, before he sinned. And thus through this theory of Jesus being born in perfect flesh, the way is paved for the belief that no one can overcome sin in this fallen flesh, because even Jesus didn't partake of it. But the word of God proves this to be an utter falsehood:
Hebrews 2:14-18 ...'Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, HE ALSO HIMSELF LIKEWISE TOOK PART OF THE SAME; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but HE TOOK ON HIM THE SEED OF ABRAHAM. Wherefore IN ALL THINGS it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that HE HIMSELF HATH SUFFERED BEING TEMPTED, he is able to succour them that are tempted.'
This is so important to understand. The word of God above clearly tells us that Jesus did NOT come in perfect flesh. He took on the 'seed of Abraham,' partaking of the SAME as the 'children.' What flesh does the children of Abraham have? FALLEN flesh. Jesus partook of the same, 'in ALL THINGS being made like unto his brethren.' All things include the fallen flesh that CAN be tempted, which is why Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Satan knew what kind of flesh Jesus came in - flesh that can be tempted into sin. And Jesus didn't just come in flesh that had only just began to sin, way back with Adam. Jesus came in flesh that had 4000 YEARS of sin and degredation! JESUS REACHED AS LOW AS HE COULD GO IN HUMAN FLESH. WHAT A SAVIOUR! In this, God has demonstrated to all people forever, that there is no soul in this world so under the rule of fallen flesh that cannot be saved through the faith of Jesus Christ. Praise be to Jehovah!
When we understand this, it helps us to know that sin HAS in Christ, and CAN in us, be conquered IN this fallen flesh, which is a vital truth to understand regarding the faith of Jesus, which we are to have.
This leads us to the 14th chapter of Revelation. Now many professed Christians today believe that after chapter 3, the rest of Revelation is for the Jews only. So therefore they ignore the important instructions which are for all people, especially the three angels messages of Revelation 14. And when we look at the details of Revelation 14, we can see that it is for the whole world, not just natural born Jews. Revelation 14 follows Revelation 13 and is vital information in response to what happens in Revelation 13 - the deception from the second beast nation (America) to cause who? The natural born Jews? No. The 'WHOLE world' to worship the first beast (Papal Rome) and receive its mark. And so naturally, you would think the RESPONSE to this deception and crisis in Revelation 14, would also be for the whole world. Well, is it? Let's see:
Revelation 14:6-7 ...'And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to EVERY NATION, AND KINDRED, AND TONGUE, AND PEOPLE, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.'
So the three angel's messages are for who? Natural born Jews? No, the WHOLE world, because the mark of the beast deception includes ALL people in ALL the world, as Revelation 13 states.
So the first, second and third angel's messages are for the WHOLE world. The third angel's message warns against worshipping the beast and its image and receiving its mark. This is a warning for ALL, not just natural born Jews. And look at what is part of the third angel's message:
Revelation 14:12 ...'Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.'
Who are the saints of God? Paul, in writing to the Romans said ... 'To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints' (Romans 1:7). And who was Paul writing to? ... 'For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles' (Romans 11:13). Paul also said ... 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus' (Galatians 3:28). So who are the 'saints' in Revelation 14:12? Clearly, they are NOT just natural born Jews, they are ALL believers in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile believers, God's true end time church. They are ANYONE, Jew or Gentile, who is 'in Christ Jesus' and have the 'faith of Jesus.' So just as the mark of the beast deception includes ALL people, so too is the answer to the mark of the beast deception for ALL people - 'keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus' (Revelation 14:12).
Do you see what is the result of having the faith of Jesus? The result will be 'keeping the commandments of God.' What commandments? Clearly, the ten commandments, God's moral law - in spirit, in our minds, and not just the letter. This is the faith of Jesus, as Christ said Himself ... 'I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love' (John 15:10). So too will the followers of Jesus, 'the saints,' who have the 'faith of Jesus,' keep the commandments of God as Revelation 14:12 confirms. Whereas the 'faith of Babylon' - the faith of the Roman Catholic Church and all other fallen churches, whether they be Protestant, Evangelical, or Orthodox, says ... 'no, you DON'T need to keep the commandments of God - instead, keep OUR commandments and traditions, like Sunday sabbath and the trinity god.'
And this is what the mark of the beast deception will be all about - the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus vs the commandments of men and traditions of men!
Most churches in this world today seek to separate the commandments of God from the faith of Jesus Christ. But they cannot be separated for a moment. While the commandments of God cannot be kept acceptably to God except by faith in and of Christ, faith in Jesus amounts to NOTHING and is DEAD, unless it produces good works, which God stated through the apostle James, and that includes keeping the commandments of God, as Revelation 14:12 clearly says the end time saints (church) of God do.
Most Christians stumble in regard to the commandments of God due to certain quotes from the apostle Paul. He says 'by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight' (Romans 3:20). He also says that 'the righteousness of God without the law is manifested' (Romans 3:21). Also, 'ye are not under the law, but under grace' (Romans 6:14). If you take these scriptures on their own, then yes, it would appear that we need not concern ourselves with the commandments of God. But if you read them in context and what Paul says elsewhere, then we can see the truth of the matter.
Why does Paul say 'by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight' and that 'the righteousness of God without the law is manifested'? We are told that 'all have sinned' (Romans 3:23). We have all broken the commandments of God. This is why no one can attain righteousness on our own simply by the law. The law is like a mirror, which points out our defects and sin. Just as cleaning your face needs to come from another source - water, so do does our cleansing of sin need to come from another source - Jesus Christ the righteous. But do you do away with a mirror because it cannot clean your face? Of course not, and neither is Paul telling us to do away with the commandments of God.
Listen carefully! How do you KNOW that your face is now clean from washing it in water? THE MIRROR! Now look at what Paul said:
Romans 3:20-21 ...'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. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, BEING WITNESSED BY THE LAW and the prophets.'
Do you see? Just as you CANNOT use the mirror to clean your face, yet your clean face is 'witnessed' by the mirror, so too, even though the law itself cannot make you righteous, your being made righteous through Christ is 'WITNESSED by THE LAW.' In other words, when we are converted by the gospel and Jesus cleans our sin by faith, our lives will now conform to the commandments of God and the law WITNESSES that we have been MADE righteous in Christ, by living according to the commandments of God.
If people would just read the context, they would not stumble so much at the writings of the apostle Paul. The same is true regarding the quote 'ye are not under the law, but under grace.' So many people take this one line on its own and ignore the context. So let us look at the context:
Romans 6:12-16 ...'Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. WHAT THEN? SHALL WE SIN, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE? GOD FORBID. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?'
What would happen if we simply looked to the commandments of God for righteousness? Well, what would happen if you just looked at the dirt on your face in the mirror and you believed the mirror could clean you? You would REMAIN filthy. The same with being 'under the law.' It means to REMAIN under the condemnation of the law. The mirror 'condemns' your face as dirty. But if you didn't turn to the water to clean you, then you would remain 'under the comdemnation' of the mirror. Same with the law of God. Look at what Paul is dealing with above in Romans 6 - SIN, and being under the dominion of sin. If we seek to cleanse ourselves simply through our own law keeping, we will REMAIN under the dominion of sin, because the law in of itself has no provision to cleanse us from sin. Thus, we MUST turn to the 'water' - to Jesus Christ to cleanse us from sin. THEN what? Look at what Paul says - WHAT THEN? SHALL WE SIN, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE? GOD FORBID!
Look at what the apostle John, DECADES after Christ, said is the definition of sin - 'Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law' (1 John 3:4)
So put that with what Paul said ... 'Shall we [trangress the law] because we are under grace? God forbid!
Romans 3:31 ...'Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.'
Do you see? Do we make void the mirror because we use something else to clean our face? Of course not. We establish the mirror, because it WITNESSES that our face is now clean. So too do we ESTABLISH THE LAW because as Paul also said, the law 'witnesses' to the fact that we are now in Christ. The law 'witnesses' to the fact that we are now being made righteous through Christ, because through faith, we are now KEEPING the commandments of God. Our lives become 'clean' and the commandments of God witnesses to that fact. We are not being saved BY the law. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. But Christ will bring our lives into conformity to God's commandments. This is the righteousness of Christ which He will work out in us, so that we become 'obedient unto righteousness,' rather than remain 'sinners unto death.'
Romans 8:3-4 ...'For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: THAT THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW MIGHT BE FULFILLED IN US, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.'
Wow! Paul confirms clearly here what happens under grace and through the faith of Jesus. Through Christ, the law is NOT made void or changed or done away with. Instead it is FULFILLED, LIVED OUT in our lives. Not just the letter, but the righteousness of the law in our hearts and minds. The commandments were 'ordained unto life' (Romans 7:10). But they could not GIVE life because all have sinned against it. But praise God that there was one who 'did no sin' - Jesus Christ the Son of God, and through faith in Him, we are made the righteousness of God in Him' (2 Cor.5:21). MADE the righteousness of God in Him. Not just 'declared' the righteousness of God. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled (lived out) in us and the law of God WITNESSES that we are now made the righteousness of Christ due to the fact that we are brought into obedience to God's commandments. Which Revelation 14:12 confirms.
Matthew 5:17-18 ...'Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.'
Romans 8:3-4 ...'For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.'
Do you see? Jesus didn't come to abolish the commandments of God. He came to 'fulfil' them, or in other words, to ESTABLISH them and PERFECTLY LIVE THEM out in His life, in this sinful flesh. Jesus did what we could not do ourselves. And He did this so that what could be accomplished, according to Paul in Romans 8? That the commandments of God could be 'fulfilled' in our lives. Thus we would 'ESTABLISH the law' - live it out in our lives perfectly just as Jesus did. THIS is the faith of Jesus.
Revelation 14:12 ...'Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.'
In Romans 7:14 Paul says that 'we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.' And in Romans 8:7-8 he says 'the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. SO THEN they that are in the flesh cannot please God.' Do you see what Paul is saying? He is confirming that if we remain with our carnal mind, we cannot please God BECAUSE we cannot keep God's commandments. The apostle John said in 1 John 5:3 that 'this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.' But the carnal mind cannot do this, and therefore the carnal mind cannot please God. Which is why we must be 'BORN AGAIN.' We must be born IN THE SPIRIT, laying off the carnal mind and 'putting on the mind of Christ' (Romans 13:14). Receiving His life and His faith, so that we CAN please God and KEEP His commandments.
It is by birth that we are the children of the first Adam. So then it must be by a RE-BIRTH that we become children of the second Adam - Jesus Christ. This re-birth is a spiritual re-birth, a heavenly, as or Lord Jesus is from heaven. And thus as we become His spiritual children, no longer living by the carnal mind, but by the Spirit of the living God dwelling in us, we then CAN be subject to the law of God, because the carnal mind is destroyed and we then walk in the Spirit, just as the law is spiritual.
Romans 13:14 ...'But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.'
Ephesians 4:17,22-24 ...'This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind ... That ye PUT OFF concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye PUT ON the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.'
What many professed Christians today do not realise is that under the new covenant, Christ ministers the SAME commandments as was ministered under the old covenant. But instead of the commandments of God being simply written on stone and being ministered by fallen, sinful men, the commandments of God are written upon our hearts, and are ministered by our PERFECT Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 31:31,33 ...'Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah ... But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put MY LAW in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.'
2 Corinthians 3:3 ...'Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; NOT IN TABLES OF STONE, but in fleshy tables of the heart.'
God never said He would do away with or change His commandments under the new covenant. But rather, He promised to transfer them from the tables of stone to the tables of our hearts and minds, SO THAT we would keep His commandments, ministered to us by the Spirit of Christ. Please understand this - under the old covenant, you had the moral law of God summed up in the ten commandments, written on the stone tablets, and you had the cermonial, sacrificial laws (pointing to what Christ was to do), which was the REMEDY for sin against God's moral law, the ten commandments. Under the new covenant we have the SAME COMMANDMENTS, God's ten commandments, now written upon our hearts, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which is the REMEDY for sin against God's commandments. It was the REMEDY for sin that changed, not God's commandments. I pray you can see this.
Thus God's true end time church will be those who 'KEEP the commandments of God AND the faith OF Jesus' (Rev.14:12), including the 1st commandment to worship the one true God, not the false trinity god, and the 4th commandment concerning God's holy 7th day Sabbath, not Sunday. Anyone who rejects this truth will end up receiving the mark of the beast.
Let me confirm a deceptive teaching coming from the fallen churches. They say we can ignore the letter of the law and yet keep the righteousness of the law. Is this possible? No, and I will show you why. To keep the 6th commandment, for example, (do not kill) in righteousness, in our hearts, is to not even think hatred towards anyone, as Jesus confirmed. This is fulfilling the righteousness of the law. But what many don't realise is that the letter of the law is INCLUDED in keeping the righteousness of the law. Let me confirm that. The letter of the law says 'do not kill.' Can I now, under the righeousness of the law not think any hatred towards anyone in my mind, but yet I can actually, physically kill someone? Of course not! To keep the righteousness of the law INCLUDES keeping the letter of the law. This applies to the Sabbath commandment. You CANNOT say you are keeping the righteousness of the Sabbath commandment and at the same time ignore the letter of the 4th commandment to keep the 7th day as God's holy day. By doing that you are not keeping the law at all, in righteousness or in letter.
'Oh but Paul said the letter of the law killeth.' So we don't keep the letter of the law!'
This is such a twisting of scripture and causes utter confusion. As shown above, we DO also keep the letter of the 6th commandment, under the new covenant, in the righteousness of the law right? Or do you really think you can now physically kill someone, but you can't think any hatred in your mind? That is such confusion! So what did Paul mean? Remember, he was a Pharisee, and he is speaking against the ways of the Pharisees. What did they believe? That their salvation was solely based upon their OWN law keeping, and they only, ONLY looked at the letter of the law - for example; they didn't physically kill people themselves, but they schemed in their minds to kill Jesus and they thought hatred towards people. So the letter of the law killed the Pharisees, because it exposed what was in their hearts and condemned them. But if they had the law of God in their hearts and kept it in righteousness, they would have KEPT THE LETTER of the law also. I pray you see this.
It is simply the deceptive teachings of men ('faith of Babylon') that says you can ignore the letter of the Sabbath commandment and yet keep it in righteousness. This is NOT the faith of Jesus.
Let me finish on an important point. God's true people who accept this truth regarding the faith of Jesus and the commandments of God, are RESTING and TRUSTING in the Word of God and His salvation. Whereas the rest of professed Christianity in this world are trying to be saved by THEIR OWN WORKS. How? Because by trying to be saved any other way than God has laid out is trying to be saved by your own works. To keep the 7th day Sabbath is part of resting and trusting in God's salvation. To change what God has sanctified for us, is salvation by works. And this will save no one. I pray you can see this important truth and will be changed by it, through the faith of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 51:7 ...'Hearken unto me, ye that KNOW RIGHTEOUSNESS, the people in whose heart is MY LAW.'
GOD'S FINAL WARNING TO ACCEPT HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND KEEP HIS LAW