I once read a caption on a Hebrew Roots site which said, “You need faith first, but you are also required to keep His instruction” (aka the Law or Torah).

Those who make an issue of keeping the Torah, actually know very little about the Torah and purpose for which it was given.

Galatians 3:24 says, The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

The whole purpose for the giving of the Torah (the Law) and its instructions was to bring us to Christ and to justification by faith. We are, therefore, to live by faith in Jesus Christ.

Yet the message of the Hebrew Roots movement is that Christ, and faith, brings you to the works of the Torah as indicated in the citation quoted above.

It is this sort of ideology of which Paul warns the Galatians against when he tells them to Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. ~ Galatians 5:1

The yoke of bondage referred to here is the works of the Law as opposed to living by faith. God did not save us to bring us under the Law of Moses. He gave the Law through Moses to point men to Christ, and once you have found Christ the Law is fulfilled by Christ living in you, as you are led into godly living and a holy character by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When the scriptures speak of the Law being our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Gal 3:24), it is referring to the knowledge of sin which comes by the Law. The Law was added because of man’s transgressions (v. 19).

These transgressions are the many sins that resulted from the transgression of Adam’s sin.

Through one man sin entered the world and death was the result of sin. In Adam (through our union with Adam) we were all sinners because, in Adam, we are all under the sentence of death. Therefore, the Law was given so that the offence might abound (Romans 5:20). The offense is sin, and the Law causes sin to abound so that it’s apparent to all.

In Galatians 3:22 Paul says, “the scripture has concluded all under sin.” This is a specific reference to the Law. It is the Law that brings to light the knowledge of sin and declares all guilty in the sight of God. Paul says something similar in Romans 3 when he says, “we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin.”

Fallen humanity was represented by the nation of Israel under the law and by Israel’s failures to obey the Law, God has declared (from a judicial standpoint) all are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. The Law (though it was given to Israel) was God’s way of declaring ALL guilty in His sight. This is why Romans 3:19 says, “we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are UNDER THE LAW: that every mouth may be stopped, and ALL THE WORLD may become guilty before God.”

Through the Law all are declared guilty in the sight of God so that all may be freely justified by faith in Jesus Christ. This is how the Law was our school master; not to show us how to live righteously but to show us how unrighteous we are so that we might rely totally on Him and His righteousness.

 

This is the time of year when some folks come out with their “anti- Christmas tree” rhetoric because they think the Bible forbids Christmas trees based on Jeremiah 10:3-5.

Well, Jeremiah 10 is not referring to Christmas trees and if this bursts the bubble of any of my anti-Christmas tree friends just know it’s gonna be OK and I am not a pagan if I have one up because I enjoy Christmas decorations.

Not everyone is in over-kill mode, some people really do enjoy Christmas with a pure heart because to the pure in heart everything is pure (Titus 1:15).

But what about Jeremiah 10:3-5, doesn’t it forbid Christmas trees? No it doesn’t.

First of all, there was no such thing as a Christmas tree in Jeremiah’s day. Secondly, it’s not the act cutting down and decorating of a tree that Jeremiah is addressing. It is the making of an actual idol (for worship) from the tree which is then decorated (after the idol has been carved) that Jeremiah is referring to. Those who cut down the trees in Jeremiah 10 first have it fashioned into an idol then decorated, but you won’t hear it this way from those who like to proof-text from Jeremiah 10.

Here are some other translations which bring clarity to the text that we are sometimes blind to when reading the (KJV).

For the practices of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, AND A CRAFTSMAN SHAPES IT WITH HIS CHISEL. They adorn it with silver and gold… (NIV).

Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and A CRAFTSMAN CARVES AN IDOL. They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of SUCH gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good” (TNLT).

For the customs and ordinances of the peoples are false, empty, and futile; it is but a tree which one cuts out of the forest [to make for himself a god], THE WORK OF THE HANDS OF THE CRAFTSMAN with the ax or other tool. They deck [THE IDOL] with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers so it will not fall apart or move around. [Their IDOLS] are like pillars of turned work [as upright and stationary and immobile as a palm tree], like scarecrows in a cucumber field; they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it possible for them to do good [and it is not in them] (THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE).

For the statutes of the peoples are vanity, For a tree from a forest hath one cut, Work of the hands OF AN ARTIFICER (a craftsman) with an axe, With silver and with gold they beautify it, With nails and with hammers they fix it, And it doth not stumble. As a palm they [are] stiff, and they speak not, They are surely borne, for they step not, Be not afraid of them, for they do no evil, Yea, also to do good is not in them (YOUNGS LITERAL TRANSLATION).

“…for the customs of the peoples are nothing. They cut down a tree in the forest; A CRAFTSMAN WORKS IT WITH HIS AXE; they deck it with silver and gold. They fix it with hammer and nails, so that it won’t move. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch, it cannot speak. It has to be carried, because it cannot walk. Do not be afraid of it —it can do nothing bad; likewise it is unable to do anything good!” (COMPLETE JEWISH BIBLE).

In Matthew 12:48-50 Jesus asks, “Who is my mother? And who are my brethren?

He then stretched his hand toward his disciples, and said, “Behold my mother and my brethren”! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

All throughout the old and new testaments we see consistently the distinction between those who are God’s people and those who aren’t is based on these truths.

On the contrary, some Christian Zionism advocates claim that ethnic Israel has a covenant with God and it is the moral and spiritual duty of Christians to support national Israel unwaveringly because they remain the people of God, regardless if they are doing right or not.

Some Christian ministers actually call unbelieving Israel our brothers and sisters even though they are not followers of Jesus and in some cases these Jews are hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christian Zionism, which is based on a “proof –text theology” advocates that there are unfulfilled promises concerning ethnic Israel and that end time Bible prophecy revolves around ethnic Israel because God has unfinished business with them and ultimately they are at the center of God’s agenda for the yet future.  This theology often views the Church as a Gentile entity and a parenthesis until God get’s back to ethnic Israel.

On the contrary, the Church is the body of Christ and the body of Christ is the temple of God consisting of Jews and Gentiles. The church is not a mere stop-gap until God gets back to dealing with Israel; rather, the church is the fulfillment of Israel’s destiny and identity in the Messiah. The mystery that was hidden in past generations was that the Gentiles would be fellow heirs with the Jews in one body of believers in the Messiah through the power of the gospel (see Ephesians 3). Therefore the church consists of believing Jews and Gentiles in one body with a covenant that God said he would make with the House of Israel and the House of Judah.

Christ is the King of Israel and it’s only in Him, i.e., becoming a part of HIS BODY which is the church, that the Jew finds his true identity. If we’d think in terms of “the body of Christ” and “the temple of God” when we refer to the church, we wouldn’t see the church as Israel’s replacement but Israel’s calling and destiny in Christ.  

The hope of Israel is in the Messiah and that hope becomes a reality when the Jew believes in Jesus. In Jesus the Messiah, the Jew and Gentile have become united in one body and have become the Temple of God through His Holy Spirit.

A term that many have heard but few may have ever taken time to research is “church age.” Yet, the Bible never uses this term or concept.

Paul, who gave us the concept of the body of Christ never refers to the church within the framework of an age or dispensation which will eventually give way to another. Paul refers to the church as the body of Christ in whom God will FOREVER be glorified (Ephesians 3:21).

Yet, the belief of a church age is very prominent within Christian Zionism theology because it helps support the idea that God has unfinished business with ethnic Israel.

Christian Zionism makes no connection between Israel in the flesh under the Law and the Church in Christ Jesus under grace.

Israel was called to be the light to the nations and Israel failed in her commission because Israel, like the rest of humanity, was under the power of sin and in need of redemption. Yet, God in His faithfulness has done what Israel failed to do. God sent His Son Jesus, who is Israel’s Messiah and through Him God has provided salvation for the whole world.

Israel’s history as the people of God in the flesh came to an end in the death of the Messiah because the Law Covenant given to them through Moses, which covenant brought them under the curse, was fulfilled in the death of Jesus.

Through the cross Israel’s history continues as she is transformed from God’s people in the flesh to God’s people in the Spirit. That is why Israelites who reject Jesus are cut off from being God’s people and Israelites who believe in Jesus have life from the dead and are partakers of a New Covenant which God promised to give to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. This new Covenant is not a covenant with Israel as an ethnic people. It is with Israel as a spiritual people and believing Gentiles are grafted in with them, having their hearts and not their flesh circumcised.

God’s covenant people no longer limited to the physical borders. Abraham’s descendants are from every nation under heaven. The promise of God to Abraham was to make Him the Father of “many nations” and that promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It was to this end that Israel was called and chosen.

 

 

The finished work of Christ (the blood, the cross, and redemption) has been my life’s work as a minister of the gospel more than any other Biblical subject. This is only a guess, but I think it’s possible that I may have spent more time in this area of study than all other areas put together in more than 37 years as a Christian. I am still learning and growing, but I have learned a lot over the past nearly 32 years since I first began to study in this glorious truth.

Allow me to give you some back ground as to how I have gotten to where I am today. I was saved when I was 14 years old. I am now 50. Early on, in the beginning of my walk with the Lord, I was diagnosed as having schizophrenia. I was very fearful and tormented in my mind. The doctor who diagnosed me as schizophrenic told my parents I would never live a normal life. I was in very bad mental condition, too detailed to go into here. My mind was so tormented that it seemed as if I were hearing voices and that’s how I describes it.

These voices became very tormenting to me and not long after I was saved (about 4-5 months) I was admitted into the hospital and I went downhill from there. If you had walked into my room on one particular day (I remember vividly) you would have seen me lying on the bed with one leg in the air, while I clutched my arms together and gnawed my tongue, while straining making a grunting noise. It was bad.

I did everything “those voices” told me to do. It was total torment and bondage.

One day while I was walking in my hospital room, I heard another voice, but this one was different. It was a calming voice and a voice of hope. This voice came from the Lord, and whether or not I knew at the time that it was the Lord’s voice, I can’t say, but these words definitely got my attention. The Lord simply said to me “Don’t give up.”

After I was released from the hospital, the next 4-5 years were a constant struggle with fear, condemnation, torment, and it was during those years that I began to think I had committed the unpardonable sin. The darkness was overwhelming at times.

My senior year in high school, I begin attending a Bible Study just down the road from where I lived. It became a safe haven for me. The Bible study was held in a mobile home behind the house of the gentleman (Mr. Grimes) who led the Bible study. One day he told us that we could come to the building (the mobile home where the Bible study was held) to pray and seek God any time we wanted to. He said he would leave the building unlocked for that reason.

Not long after I graduated from high school, I had a life changing experience. I had gone to work one morning and was struggling terribly. I prayed a simple prayer and cried out to God, asking for Him to relieve me from work that day so I could go and pray. Not long thereafter, the manager came over where I and some other employees were standing. He asked, “Who wants to go home?” I gently raised my hand and he gave me the rest of the day off.

From there I went to a wooded area to pray. While I was there praying, I remembered that the place where I attended Bible study was unlocked and I could go there to pray, so I did. While I was there praying, I noticed a magazine from Kenneth Hagin’s ministry. I picked it up and began to read it. In this article, Brother Hagan addressed the lies of the devil concerning “the unpardonable sin” and how Satan uses this lie to bring people under condemnation. Towards the end of the article I remember reading a line that said something like this; “don’t let the devil bother you about this anymore”.

I knew God was speaking to me!

In this article Brother Hagan also shared truth about the blood of Jesus. That was the moment when a desire for a strong faith in the blood of Jesus was conceived in my heart and that is where my journey with regards to learning, and teaching about the blood of Christ, the cross of Christ and our redemption in Christ, actually began.

So the things I teach today about the cross are more than what I have studied. They are the result of my desperation for God. Early on Hebrews 10:19 became the lifeline that sustained me. Hebrews 10:19 says, having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.

Through that verse I latched on to the hope, that if I had faith in the blood of Jesus, nothing could separate me from the presence of God. My desire and prayer was to have strong faith in the blood of Jesus

My journey of learning about the death and resurrection of Jesus began out of real desperation because I needed hope!

Too often we refer to things like jealously and strife as a spirit, and we make references such as “the spirit of jealously” or “the spirit of strife.” Yet, the scriptures refer to these things as THE WORKS OF THE FLESH and not a spirit that we should bind or blame.

Romans 3:10-18 says the following:

10. As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

13. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15. Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16. Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17. And the way of peace have they not known:

18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

These verses are often used as a main text to support the concept of total depravity.

Total depravity is the Calvinist doctrine that human nature is thoroughly corrupt and sinful as a result of the fall of Adam. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of depraved is – very evil: having or showing an evil and immoral character. In addition, Merriam- Webster  defines depravity as a very evil quality or way of behaving: an evil or immoral act.

The question I would like to present here is this: Does the whole counsel of scripture support the belief that all humanity is totally depraved (having very evil and immoral character)?

The question is not, “Has all humanity been effected by sin?” The question is that of total depravity. Is all (unsaved) humanity completely evil to the core? In a nutshell, total depravity is the belief that all humanity, as a result of the fall of Adam, is corrupt in their entire being and wholly incapable of doing anything truly good.

If all humanity has become totally depraved through the fall of Adam, then it would stand to reason that all of Adam’s descendants, without exception, would be totally depraved.

Does the Biblical account of all the people in the Bible support this ideology, or does the testimony of scripture refute it? I contend that the Biblical record refutes it, and I would like present the reasons why I make that claim.

Beginning in Genesis 4, the concept of totally depravity is called into question.

After Cain became angry because God had accepted Abel’s offering and had not accepted his offering, God told Cain that sin was knocking at the door and that he should not allow it to rule over him, least it become his master (see Genesis 4:6-7).

God did not deal with Cain as if he were totally depraved. On the contrary, God instructed Cain to rule over this sin that was knocking at the door. The Bible tells us that Cain murdered his brother not because he was totally depraved, but because his deeds were evil and his brother’s was righteous. 

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. (1 John 3:10-11)

If all humanity were totally depraved, then this would include Abel, yet the apostle John tells us that Abel’s works were righteous. Remember the definition of depravity is a very evil quality or way of behaving: an evil or immoral act. The Bible never describes Abel in this way. On the contrary, the Bible repeatedly describes Abel and his works as righteous.

If Cain and Abel had been totally depraved, Cain would have been unable to rule over the sin knocking at the door, and Abel would not have done that which was righteous.

In the gospels, the Lord Jesus Christ declared that Abel was righteous (Matthew 23:35) and the writer of Hebrews tells us: Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrews 11:4)

No matter how you stack it, the statement, “Abel obtained witness that he was righteous,” completely dismantles any concept of total depravity: a theology that does not take into account the testimony of scripture concerning the real people who lived for God.

If the doctrine of total depravity were true, it would be true of everyone, but what about those in scripture who sought after God?

WHAT ABOUT ENOCH?

The Bible says, Enoch walked with God (Genesis 5:24). The author of Hebrews tells us: By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.(Hebrews 11:4)

Enoch was such a man of God, who pleased God, he never died! Jude tells us that Enoch prophesied of the coming of the Lord as well (Jude 1:14).

WHAT ABOUT NOAH?

The Bible says Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9). Noah was righteous in the sight of the Lord (Genesis 7:1) and in Ezekiel, God mentions Noah along with Daniel and Job as righteous (Ezekiel 14:14, 20).

In the New Testament, the apostle Peter refers to Noah as a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5) and the writer of Hebrews testifies of Noah’s righteousness as well.

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear (the fear of the Lord), prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became the heir of the righteousness which is by faith  (Hebrews 11:7).

WHAT ABOUT ABRAHAM?

The scriptures tells us, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3, 9, 22; Galatians 3; 6; James 2:23).

Abraham had integrity of heart (Genesis 20:5-6) and a faithful heart towards God(Nehemiah 9:7, 8) and Abraham is called the friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23). Throughout scripture God is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 32:22; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 3:13; 7:32).

Jesus said Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad (John 8:56) and God’s promise to Abraham was to bless all the nations through his seed: Jesus Christ (Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:16).

Abraham is called the father of faith and the father of all who believe  (Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:7, 9, 29) and the blessing of Abraham comes on the Gentiles through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:14).

Abraham was a man of faith who obeyed and feared God (Genesis 22: 12; 26:5; Hebrews 11:8). We see also that Isaac and Jacob were men of faith who feared the Lord and obeyed him as well.

Also, the apostle Peter refers to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, as an example of holy women, who trusted God, by adorning themselves with a meek and quite spirit (1 Peter 3:4-6).

Lot, Abraham’s nephew, also was a righteous man.

In 2 Peter 2:7-10, the apostle Peter references Lot as an example of how the Lord is able to deliver the godly out of temptations. Peter calls Lot a just and righteous man whom the Lord delivered from the fitly lifestyle of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha.

We also read of others in the scriptures, who feared God, before we ever get to Moses and the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. For example the Hebrew midwives feared God and refused to obey the King of Egypt (Exodus 1:17) and because they feared the Lord, many lives of Hebrew children were spared, and God gave the midwives familes (Exodus 1:20-21).

WHAT ABOUT JOSEPH, MOSES, JOSHUA, AND CALEB?

Joseph fled from sin when he was tempted by Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:7-12) and forgave his brothers who betrayed him.

Moses is called the man of God (Deuteronomy 33:1; Psalm 90:1; 1 Chronicles 23;14) and was a very humble man (Numbers 12:3) and interceded for Israel seeking God’s forgiveness and favor (Exodus 32:11). Moses feared the Lord (Deuteronomy 9:16-29) and was faithful in God’s house (Numbers 12:7; Hebrews 3:5).

Furthermore, the author of Hebrews says, By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Through faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them. By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned (Hebrews 11:24-29).

Moses’ successor, Joshua, was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land because he was a man who sought God, feared God, and trusted God. Also the mantle which God had placed on Moses was transferred to Joshua before he led Israel into the Promised land (Deuteronomy 31:14, 23; 34:9).

During the time of Moses we read of others like Caleb, who along with Joshua were the only 2 among the 12 spies who trusted God and because of their faith they were rewarded by God. In fact God said of the following about Caleb:

But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went; and his seed shall possess it (Numbers 14:24).

WHAT ABOUT PHINEHAS AND OTHERS?

We also read of Phinehas, who was of priestly descent. He was zealous for God’s holy justice and turned God’s wrath away from the children of Israel (Numbers 25:7-13) and his zeal for God was counted as righteousness to him and to his generations (Psalm 106:30-31). God gave to him and his descendants a covenant of peace because he was jealous with zeal for the Lord.

Job also was a righteous man (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). In fact the Bible says he was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil (Job 1:1). Job was such a godly man that God even showcased him in the face of Satan (Job 1:8). Job was God’s servant, a man accepted by God (Job 42:7-8) and an example of patience (James 5:10-11) and he learned that God is merciful and compassionate.

As we venture through the scriptures we read of God’s servants such as Gideon, Deborah, Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, Hannah, Samuel, Jonathan, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nehemiah, Ezra, Esther and others who feared God, sought him, and were righteous in his sight.

When God sent Samuel to anoint David to be king over Israel, God said to Samuel: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:32).

In 2 Samuel David said, “the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me” (2 Samuel 22:21) and “the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight” (2 Samuel 22:25).

David walked with God in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart (2 Kings 3:6) and David’s heart smote him after he sinned against God (2 Samuel 24:10).

King Solomon was blessed by God because his father, David, walked before God in truth, and in righteousness, and was righteous in his heart (1 Kings 3:6; 1 Kings 9:4). David is also the one who said, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Paul cites this text in Romans 4 within the context of justification.

Josiah who was a descendant of David and the King of Judah, was like his father David in that had a tender heart before the Lord and he humbled himself before God when he heard the Word of the Lord (2 Kings 22:19).

We also read of Daniel who had an excellent spirit (Daniel 5;12) whom God called righteous, along with Noah and Job (Ezekiel 14;14,20).

In Nehemiah 7:2, Hananiah is mentioned as a faithful man and more God fearing than most others. 

Furthermore we read in Psalms and Proverbs about those who are righteous and those who seek God and who fear the Lord. Phinehas, mentioned previously, is spoken of in Psalms 106 as righteous.

The apostle Peter tells us that God spoke by the mouth of all his holy prophets (Acts 3:21) and makes reference to the words which was spoken by the holy prophets as they testified of the coming of the day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:2). Furthermore, the author of Hebrews expounds on the faith of some of the old testament saints calling them a great cloud of witnesses that have gone on before us (Hebrews 11-12:1).

According to the testimony of scripture, Adam’s sin did not give every human being a heart of rebellion against God, nor did it give everyone a heart to desire sin. The Psalmist said “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God” (Psalm 84:2).

NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES

When we come into the new testament we see more examples of people who served the Lord, feared Him, and sought him.

We read of Zacharias and Elisabeth, the parents of John the Baptist. The Bible says,they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (Luke 1:6).

We also read of Simeon, a just and devout man, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him (Luke 2:25).

We read of Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser. She was an elderly lady who had been a widow for a long time. The Bible says: she departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day (Luke 2;36-38).

In Matthew 13:17 Jesus said to his disciples, “many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”

In Matthew 23:35 Jesus condemned the Pharisees and scribes of all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, who was slain between the temple and the altar.

Furthermore, we read how John the Baptist, the forerunner to Jesus the Messiah, was a just and holy man (Mark 6:20) and he was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15). We also read how Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist, to fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15) and how Jesus said to the temple authorities, “John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him” (Matthew 21:32, see also Luke 7:30).

Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a just man (Matthew 1:19), and Jesus commended Nathanael for being an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile (John 1:47). We also read of Joseph of Arimathaea who was a good and just man (Luke 23:50-51).

After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, we read of men like Cornelius, a Gentile centurion from Caesarea. The Bible says he was a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always (Acts 10:1-2).

Not only did Cornelius fear God, but those of his household did as well.

When the apostle Peter was sent to testify of Jesus to Cornelius and his house, Peter said, “of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34-35).

Contrary to the doctrine of total depravity which claims that even the good things we do are tainted by sin, Cornelius’s alms giving to the poor had come up as a memorial before God. God did not view Cornelius’s giving to the poor as selfish and tainted by sin, but as righteous works instead. Yet Cornelius still needed Salvation, and because his heart was towards God, God sent Peter to him with the words of Salvation.

In Acts 13 the apostle Paul said to those to whom he was preaching, “Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fearth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent” (Acts 13:26).

In both cases: when Peter preached to Cornelius and his house, and when Paul preached in Acts 13, those who feared God had not yet been born again and because of their reverence for God, the word of salvation was sent to them.

With these examples we can see that the words in Romans 3:10-18 cannot be rightly interpreted as a sweeping condemnation that all humanity is totally depraved.

PAUL’S APPEAL TO THE SCRIPTURES

How then should we understand Romans 3:10-18?

Consider the following:

Romans 3:10-18 uses quotes from the old testament which make a distinction between the wicked and the godly. Therefore, we should not come to the conclusion that Paul is citing these scriptures to prove that everyone is only ungodly and totally depraved.

First, notice Romans 3:10-12: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

These words are taken from Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 which are almost identical Psalms. Both begin with the words, “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.”

Psalm 14:1-3 says the following: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Now notice verses 4-7 of the same Psalm: Have all THE WORKERS OF INIQUITY no knowledge? who eat up MY PEOPLE as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord. There were they in great fear: for GOD IS IN THE GENERATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS. Ye have shamed the counsel of THE POOR, because THE LORD IS HIS REFUGE. Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of HIS PEOPLE, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

In the original text from which Paul quotes, the ALL who do not seek after God is a reference to the workers of iniquity in contrast to the people of God.

It is not a reference to every person in the Psalm, nor is it a reference to every person in Romans. It is a reference to those who practice lawlessness.

Romans 3:13 is a quote from Psalm 5:9 and Psalm 140:3. In both, the context is referring to deliverance from wicked and evil people. In both Psalm 5 and 140, the Psalmist appeals to God to deliver him from those who are wicked because he is righteous.

Romans 3:14 is a quote from Psalm 10:7 which is a Psalm regarding the wicked who show contempt towards God in their pride and is in contrast to the humble and poor who trust in God.

Romans 3:15 is a quote from Proverbs 6:18. Consider the context of Proverbs 6:16-19:

These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Romans 3:16-17 appears to be commentary made by Paul regarding what has been said in verses 10-15 and not necessarily a direct quote from the old testament.

Romans 3:18 is a quote from Psalm 36:1, which is another reference to the wicked in contrast to those who trust in the Lord.

When we consider the old testament contexts from which Paul quotes in Romans 3:10-18, we cannot conclude that Paul is making a sweeping statement that every person is wicked, wretched, and evil.

CONTEXT IS THE KEY TO PROPER UNDERSTANDING

From Romans 1:18 until 3:18 Paul is not teaching that man is inherently depraved. On the contrary, Paul says, “that which may be known of God is manifest IN THEM; for God hath shewed it unto them” (1:19).

Man in his fallen condition isn’t inherently depraved, for man possess both the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:22).

In Romans 1 the issue is not that they were inherently depraved, but rather, that they chose to do the things they did, and in doing so they rejected the knowledge of God.

Because that, WHEN THEY KNEW GOD, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:21)

And even as they did not like to RETAIN GOD IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, TO DO those things which are not convenient…(Romans 1:28).

The wrath of God was revealed against them, not because of their inherit depraved nature, but because they rejected the knowledge of God and did those things that are wicked.

In Romans 2 Paul addresses the Jew. Paul does not condemn the law breaking Jew because he is inherently depraved. Paul condemns the law breaking Jew because of his deeds.

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest DOEST THE SAME THINGS. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which COMMIT SUCH THINGS (2:1-2).

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS… (2:5-6)

Paul chides the hardhearted Jew, not over his inherit depravity, but because of his deeds which are in transgression of the Law. Paul doesn’t use the word nature to describe man’s sin in the book of Romans. On the contrary, Paul uses the word nature in reference to the knowledge of good and evil with regards to man’s conscience.

For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, DO BY NATURE the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, THEIR CONSCIENCE ALSO BEARING THEM WITNESS, and their thoughts the mean while ACCUSING or else EXCUSING one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel…(Romans 2:12-16)

When we come to Romans 3, we must continue within this contextual flow of thought when reading verses 10-18, which is not a reference to inherit depravity, but condemnation on those who do such things.

Every description in 3:10-18 has to do with deeds, not nature. It has to do with God’s wrath and judgment against those who do such things.

In 3:22 Paul begins to expound on the righteousness of God and his grace towards all sinners. The contrast has to do with law and grace. The Law finds all men guilty in the sight of God, because the Law exposes man’s sinful deeds.

In chapter 4 Paul appeals to Abraham’s faith to show how Abraham was justified in the sight of God. This is in stark contrast to those referenced in 1:18-3:18. When reading Romans 4 in its entirety, one cannot come to the conclusion that 3:10-18 can be rightly applied to Abraham.

Again, man possess both the knowledge of good and evil, not simply the knowledge of evil. Man does evil because he choose to do evil. We see all throughout the old testament that unregenerate man has desires for both good and evil.

We read in Psalms where the Psalmist says, “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” In contrast, the Psalmist says of the wicked man, “For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire…”

In Romans 7,` Paul addresses this struggle between the desire to do good and the lust for evil. Paul is not speaking from the vantage point of being in Christ. Paul is instead, speaking from the vantage point of one who is unregenerate and under the Law.

Paul expounds on how the Law awakened sinful desires resulting in this inward struggle. The desire to do good was present along with the lust to do evil. The dilemma Paul addresses is the inability to overcome sin in his carnal state – “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

This was the result of being carnal (subject to death and futility) -sold under sin.

Man is a sinner because he sins, not because he is inherently depraved. Yet because of the weakness of his carnal nature, man cannot overcome sin. Only in Jesus Christ can man be freed from sin’s power which wars against his soul. Romans 6 expounds on this.

MAN’S CONDITION IN ADAM

Before Adam sinned, he and his wife Eve, were “naked and not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25).

The word naked in Genesis 2:25 comes from the Hebrew word arown, which carries the thought of being partially covered. Though Adam and his wife were physically naked, they were covered with something.

After Adam sinned, the Bible reveals they were “naked and afraid” (Genesis 3:7-10). The word naked in Genesis 3:7 comes from the Hebrew word eyrom, meaning completely naked.

Adam and his wife Eve became void of something (the most likely answer is the glory of God) which covered them prior to sinning, and therefore thy sewed fig leaves together in an effort to cover their nakedness.

They had become carnal mortal beings and subject to death rather than immortal. They were now under the power of the flesh without the presence of the glory of God. Mortality was now at work in humanity.

In Romans 7, the apostle Paul referring to the effect which the Law has on those who are in the flesh, says “we know that the law is spiritual: but I AM CARNAL, sold under sin.

In Adam, humanity is under the power of sin because he is carnal or fleshly.

We can see from the old testament that there were many people in this fallen state of spiritual death, who walked with God, pleased God, desired God, desired to do good in the eyes of God, and who also did good and righteous things in the eyes of God. Many of them are referred to in the new testament as examples for us to follow.

Therefore any concept which perpetrates the idea that man inherited a spiritual nature that drove him to only desire to do evil and that those with this nature have nothing in them that desires to do right, is a wrong concept and ought to be refuted.

In Genesis 3:22-24, God himself states that fallen man is not only capable of evil but is ALSO capable of good.

And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, TO KNOW GOOD AND EVIL: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:” Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Notice that God does not refer to man in his fallen state as completely evil, butknowledgeable of both good and evil.

God created man in his own image and in Adam that image was marred by Adam’s disobedience. In Christ it is redeemed, for Christ is the image of the invisible God and all who trust in him will be changed into that same image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The Bible teaches that it was death which came on all men through Adam’s disobedience. Death and spiritual darkness go hand in hand in scripture. Adam’s sin was catastrophic for all humanity because it caused humanity to be under the curse of death, darkness, and futility. Since humanity is in a fallen state, we ALL sin. It is impossible for anyone to live without sinning in their fallen humanity.

This does not mean that Adam’s personal act of disobedience was  judicially imputed to each of us as our own personal sin. The Bible never says that Adam’s personal act of disobedience was imputed to all humanity. In Romans 5 Paul clearly says that sin was not imputed from Adam to Moses, nevertheless death reigned over all.

HOW IS SIN IMPUTED ?

Sin is imputed by the Law, as the apostle Paul argues in the book of Romans. God gave the Law to Israel to impute sin. Through his covenant with Israel, God deliberately gave the Torah to be the means of concentrating the sins of humanity so that he might bring an end to sin’s power through the cross. The Law, as the Light of God, reveals what sin is and its effects on us all.

In Adam all are sinners, not guilty of Adam’s transgression, but guilty of each of our own transgressions. The Law reveals each of our sins. The Law does not reveal that we are all guilty of Adam’s personal act of disobedience.

When those who die without Christ stand before God in the Day of Judgment, God is not going to judge them according to what Adam did. God is going to judge them according to what they did. Every man will give an account for his own sins.

It is the Law which imputes sin because the Law brings to light man’s frailty, man’s carnal desires, and man’s evil deeds which result from the death which came on all through our union with Adam.

Consider the following outline from Romans 5:12 – 21:

Romans 5:12, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so DEATH PASSED UPON ALL MEN, for that all have sinned…

• Notice that it was death that passed or came upon all, not Adam’s personal disobedience.

• The words “for that all have sinned” at the end of verse 12, is literally, “in whom all have sinned.” In Adam (that is, in our fleshly carnal humanity) we have all sinned.

• It is because of our union with Adam “in death” as fallen humanity, that we have all become sinners.

Romans 5:13-14, (For until the law sin was in the world: but SIN IS NOT IMPUTED when there is no law. Nevertheless DEATH REIGNED FROM ADAM TO MOSES, even over them THAT HAD NOT SINNED after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

• Notice, it was death that reigned over all, not Adam’s act of disobedience being imputed.

Romans 5:15, But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one MANY BE DEAD, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

• Through Adam’s offence many are dead.

• Again, it is death that came on all through Adam. This is what Paul is addressing in Romans 5, not Adam’s personal act of disobedience being imputed as our personal sin.

Romans 5:16, And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for THE JUDGMENT was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

• The judgment referred to here is death. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)

• Paul says THE JUDGMENT for sin is DEATH and that is what has come upon all.

• Remember verse 14, “Nevertheless DEATH REIGNED FROM ADAM TO MOSES, even over them THAT HAD NOT SINNED after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.”

• Through Adam’s disobedience the judgment, which is death, came on all and reigned over all.

Romans 5:17, For if by one man’s offence DEATH REIGNED BY ONE; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one JUDGMENT CAME ON ALL MEN TO CONDEMNATION; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men UNTO THE JUSTIFICATION OF LIFE.

• Notice that it is death that reigns over fallen humanity via Adam’s transgression.

• The judgment is death, “In the day you eat thereof you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17)

Romans 5:19-21, For as by one man’s disobedience MANY WERE MADE SINNERS, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, THAT THE OFFENSE MIGHT ABOUND. But where SIN ABOUNDED, grace did much more abound: That as SIN HATH REIGNED UNTO DEATH, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord

• Sin reigning UNTO death is better translated as “sin reigning IN death.”

• In Adam (in the death that came through Adam) we have all becomes sinners, i.e., many were made sinners. The Law entered that the offence might abound – that the effects of Adam’s transgression might be amplified. That is why the Law is called the ministration of death (2 Corinthians 3:7).  In Romans, Paul refers to the Law as “the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1).

The judgment or condemnation for Adam’s sin was death. Through Adam, sin entered into the world and DEATH spread to all men. Because of death at work in us all, we all sin. This is why the resurrection is so important for us. If Christ had not risen from the dead, our faith would be in vain and we would all still be in our sins as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15.

In Christ we have received the first-fruit of the Spirit; therefore, resurrection life is already at work in us giving us power over sin. Yet we wait for the promised hope of resurrection when our mortal bodies will be changed and death will be completely swallowed up in victory.

Through the blood of Jesus, our sins are remitted (forgiven, cancelled, and taken away) and through the resurrection of Jesus the sentence of death we inherited in Adam has been overturned.

I have been concerned about the over emphasis of prophecy by some. I shouldn’t be surprised because I have come to learn that overemphasis of particular truths or views come in cycles and they do eventually run their course. Currently prophecy is one of those subjects. We definitely need some good sound teaching in this area.

First let me say that within the church, prophecy is a part of what we do. It’s not all of what we do, neither does it occupy the majority of what we do but it does have a place within the overall operation of God within his Church.

Now, let me say very precisely, I am not against prophecy. I have both prophesied and been prophesied to. Prophecy has been very encouraging to me especially at certain points in my life and really that is the purpose for the simple gift of prophecy within the Church.

Biblical prophecy in its simplest form is speaking to men to edification, exhortation, and comfort. Of course prophecy can also be coupled with the other gifts as is the case with those who are truly called to the office of the prophet. A prophet may have a word of wisdom which is to be spoken under the inspiration of the gift prophecy.

The gifts of the Spirit will oftentimes overlap. A believer may experience the gift of faith by which he will minister in the gifts of healing or the working of miracles.

Once while I was teaching a simple Bible class, I suddenly was empowered with boldness and spoke under such inspiration that one of the people present (later reported) how they had experienced healing. My speaking under the anointing that evening inspired their faith to act on what they had heard and God was glorified. This happened unbeknownst to me and was the result of my teaching the Word of God under the anointing.

Preaching or teaching under the anointing can often be coupled with the gifts to bring about the desired result of the Lord to answer the prayers of his people. Many times minister’s who are prayerfully prepared will speak by the gift of prophecy within the context of their preaching or teaching and sometimes they may not even know it until they hear reports of what God has done within the hearts of the hearer.

God did not put prophecy in the church to take the place of the preaching and teaching of his holy written word. There is far more in the New Testament about preaching and teaching the scriptures than there is about prophecy. Let me say it this way, the scriptures should be our main diet and the gifts a supplement to our diet. The gifts are very important but we must put God’s holy written word first.

This doesn’t mean we can’t have special meetings to teach on the subject of prophecy or the gifts of the Spirit so that folks can understand them from a scriptural standpoint. We should do this as with other Biblical subjects but the operation of the gifts of the Spirit are as the Spirit wills and not as we will.

It is my conviction that one thing which fuels much of the desire that folks have for prophesy is an intense desire to hear God’s voice. There is a subtle pitfall that needs to be avoided here. That pitfall is elevating personal prophecy above the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. Those who elevate prophecy out of proportion tend to value the words of a prophecy as infallible as the word of God. Yet prophesy should always be judged by the written Word of God.

The function of the simple gift of prophecy within the body of Christ is not for doctrinal purposes. The Scriptures are the rule for our doctrine.

The simple gift of prophecy is given for edification, exhortation, and comfort. One does not have to be a prophet to have the gift of prophecy. For example, Acts 21:9 tells us that Philip the evangelist had four daughters, who were virgins, which did prophesy. Acts 19 tells us that Paul laid his hands on certain disciples and the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Yet, in the ministry of a prophet, the gift of prophecy is often coupled with other gifts such as the gift of the Word of Wisdom and/or the Word of Knowledge. For instance, in Acts 11 Agabus the prophet warned the church about a famine that was coming and in Acts 21 he confirmed that Paul was going to be bond in Jerusalem.

In neither incident did Agabus offer detailed guidance or doctrine because prophets were not set in the church to guide us or to to be our rule to live by. The Holy Spirit is our guide and the Word of God is our rule for living. Yet, Agabus did reveal certain facts that were known to God that one would not know simply from reading and/or studying scripture. The revelation of the coming famine allowed the church to prepare for it and the revelation of Paul being bond in Jerusalem was confirmation concerning the will of God.

Back in 2004 my wife Angie and I faced a serious challenge after Angie became pregnant with our son. I will not go into all the details but I would like to high-light the role that the gifts of the Holy Spirit had during this very difficult time.

A few weeks into the pregnancy, Angie began to have some difficulties that were very concerning and very scary to say the least. During this time our faith was challenged and I did everything I could to keep hope and faith alive in my heart as well as my wife’s.

I stood in the gap for my unborn son who could not pray for himself and reminded God of the covenant David (my son) had with Him in Jesus Christ even though he was yet unborn. I did everything I knew to do to strengthen my faith as well as my wife’s faith. We drew strength from various sources such as Kenneth Hagin’s message El Shaddai which was very encouraging.

One Wednesday evening after teaching a Bible Study, I came home and took my wife to the emergency room because the problems were persisting. When the doctors examined things they found a dark mass of something that was endangering the life of our unborn child and we actually saw it because they showed it to us. They sent us home with the diagnosis of a threatened miscarriage.

I believe it was the following Saturday, Angie was again having some difficulty and it was very scary. We decided to go the prayer cottage on the grounds of the church we attended at the time so that we could pray. As we prayed, I prayed in tongues. The scripture says, “if I pray in an unknown tongue my spirit prays,” and as I prayed in tongues I began to have joy inside of me. I began to laugh because I had a note of victory in my spirit.

I don’t think this helped my wife (in the moment) because she was actually doing the hard physical work of carrying our child and that is tough enough in itself. Yet, my spirit was edified in the Lord through the gift of tongues and I had a witness of victory from praying in the Spirit.

On Sunday morning, my wife woke me up very early. I think it was somewhere between 4:00 and 4:30 am. She had just passed a huge blood clot and feared she had lost our child; she was frantic and understandably so. It was a very dark moment to say the least.

As I was being awakened by Angie, and before my natural mind knew what had just happened, I spoke by the Holy Ghost and these words came out of my mouth, “Who ever heard of an axe- head swimming?”

Angie testifies that she thought I was losing my mind, yet out of my spirit I was speaking through the gift of prophecy. I wasn’t yet fully awake but the gift of prophecy was in manifestation speaking about the hand of God on my child. Axe-heads don’t swim or float, but the one in 2 Kings 6:1-7 did!

Later that morning, Angie spoke with a nurse and described what had happened with the blood clot. That conversation did nothing but confirm the worst of her fears. After their conversation, I took the phone and went to a back room in our home and asked the nurse to shoot straight with me. She bluntly said, “It sounds like a miscarriage.”

It was Sunday, it was Angie’s birthday, and we had to wait till Monday afternoon to see the doctor. It was a long and dark day because all evidence pointed to the fact that we had lost our child in a miscarriage. At one point as I was trying to encourage or console my wife, she looked at me in deep sorrow and said, “You don’t understand, I lost my child!”

That day I stood as strongly as I could, though I struggled with doubt and fear. I continued to cry out for God to keep and protect my son and to raise my son from the dead if need be. I did not simply want a child, I wanted THIS child.

When we visited the doctor on Monday afternoon, the joy of the Lord filled our hearts as the ultrasound/sonogram revealed the beating heart of our little David and that ugly dark mass which was called “the threatened miscarriage ” was gone!

The axe-head did swim, just as the Lord has said he would!

I thank God for the gift of the Holy Ghost and the gifts of the Spirit that the Holy Ghost gives to us. Many times throughout my marriage, the gift of prophecy has helped Angie and I through times when we needed help and encouragement.

The gifts of the Spirit have not ceased. We need them. If it had not been for the simple gift of tongues I don’t think I would have stood in faith as well as I did because praying in other tongues edifies us and builds us up on our most holy faith.

Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands (Ephesians 2:11).

• You were called the uncircumcision by the Jews who are called the circumcision in the flesh.

In Philippians 3 the apostle Paul says, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

• The concision is a reference to those who boast in physical circumcision in the flesh. However, according to the apostle Paul, those who are in Christ are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. In this we can see the contrast between circumcision in the flesh and circumcision in the spirit.

• Paul goes on in the following verses (4-14) to disqualify any right he had as a circumcised Jew to boast in his flesh so that his boasting may be found only in Christ Jesus.

In Colossians 2, Paul tells the believers at Colosse that they were “circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”

• In Ephesians 2, Paul speaks of “the circumcision” a reference to Jews in the flesh, as the circumcision in the flesh made by hands.

• The physical circumcision of the ethnic Jew was in the flesh and made with human hands. True circumcision comes through faith in Jesus Christ and is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. This is “the circumcision” we receive through faith in Christ as mentioned above.

In Romans 2, Paul says to the ethnic Jew, “For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision” (Romans 2:25).

• Jews in the flesh, who do not follow the law of God which would lead them to Christ, are uncircumcised in the eyes of God.

Paul continues in Romans 2 saying, “Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the Law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?” (Romans 2:26).

• Again, the uncircumcision is a reference to the Gentiles who were outside the covenants given to Israel.

• The righteousness of the Law does not refer to the “works of the Law” but faith as Paul details throughout Romans.

• Those who obey God though faith are the true circumcision regardless if they are Jews (circumcised in the flesh) or Gentiles (uncircumcised in the flesh).

Paul continues, “And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?” (Romans 2:27).

• The true circumcision of the heart is set over against the outward circumcision of the flesh. Heart circumcision knows no ethnicity.

Finally, Paul says, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Romans 2:28-29).

• The true Jew in the eyes of God is the one who has the circumcised heart. It has nothing to do with ethnicity.

Jesus always attributed the things he suffered in his death to the hands of sinful men. Not even once did he ever attribute it to the justice of God.

Likewise, You will not find a single instance in the book of Acts where the apostles ever interpret the death of Jesus as condemnation levied against Jesus from God. The apostles always hold the people responsible.

Stephen, who was not an apostle, also testified of the death and resurrection of Jesus while on trial before the Sanhedrin.

(2). Psalm 22 clearly shows that verse one (quoted in Matthew 27:1) was a perception not the reality. God did had not abandon Jesus according to the whole of Psalm 22. Verse 24 says, “For He (God) hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath He hid His face from Him; but when He cried unto Him, He heard.”

(3). Romans 3:25 is in the context of justification by faith through the grace of God, not the wrath of God. The Greek word halisterion (translated propitiation in the KJV) is employed by the Septuagint to describe the Mercy Seat in the Old Testament. That which was foreshadowed by the mercy seat flows with the context of Romans 3. God has set forth Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement because of His mercy (not wrath) so that by grace He might justify all who believe in Jesus.

(4). 2 Corinthians 5:21 speaks of Christ our sin offering, not our literal sin or our sinfulness. Throughout the Old Testament the words sin and sin offering are translated from the same Hebrew word chattath. Chattath is translated as sin offering 118 times, and translated as sin 168 times.

In Hebrews 10:6, the writer of Hebrews speaks of sacrifices for sin. The words “sacrifices for” are added by the translators of the KJV for clarity. Literally, Hebrews 10:6 says: “In burnt offerings and sin thou hast had no pleasure”. However, we know that the author is not referring to sin, but to the sin offerings instead. We know this because of the context, and we know this because Hebrews 10:6 is a quote from Psalm 40:6 which says, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required”.

The same Greek word (hamartia) used in Hebrews 10:6 which references the sin offering, is used in 2 Corinthians 5:21 for sin, and therefore should be understood as “sin offering”.

The sin offerings, which were holy offerings, were offered to make atonement or reconciliation. Reconciliation is the surrounding context of 2 Corinthians 5:21. The transference of personal acts of sin or of a sin nature is nowhere found in the context, nor was this the case under the Law when sin offerings were offered. The sin offerings had to be holy and unblemished and were offered on behalf of the sins of the people to reconcile the people to God.

God made him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be made the sin offering for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

(5). 1 Peter 2:24 is written in the context of Jesus suffering wrongfully (v.19-25). He is the shepherd of our souls and we are to follow His example when we suffer unjustly. Peter tells us that when Jesus suffered wrongfully, He committed himself to THE ONE WHO  JUDGES RIGHTEOUSLY.  Jesus bore our sins, not as one (who by transference) became guilty with our sins, but rather by laying down His pure and holy life for us, he made atonement through the shedding of His precious blood so that we could be cleansed from our sins. Had Jesus had our personal acts of sins and/or guilt transferred to him, he would not have remained pure. The scripture says we were redeemed by the precious Blood of Jesus as of a lamb WITHOUT BLEMISH AND WITHOUT SPOT.

(6). Galatians 3:13 is written within the context of the curse of the Law imposed on all who are under the Law. The only deliverance from the curse of the law is through the Messiah. Jesus was made a curse in that He was CRUCIFIED, or HANGED on a tree, being openly humiliated and put to shame by those who hated him. However, God raised him from the dead and declared by his resurrection, “this is My Son!”

Jesus endured the hostility of sinful men and was vindicated by God in the resurrection. Hebrews 12:2-3 says, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, DESPISING THE SHAME, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that ENDURED SUCH CONTRADICTIONS OF SINNERS AGAINST HIMSELF, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

• The Amplified Bible says, “Just consider and meditate on Him who endured from sinners such bitter hostility against Himself [consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you will not grow weary and lose heart… (Hebrews 12:30).
• Like 1 Peter 2:19-25, Hebrews 12:1-4 exhorts us to follow Jesus, who endured the cross, as our example of perseverance. He suffered cruelty from sinful men, not from God. Yet it was the will of God for Jesus to suffer so that, through Him, God might save all, who believe though Him.
• The sufferings of Christ according to the will of God as expressed in the scriptures should be understood in the same way in which we understand others who, according to the will of God, suffered to glorify God. For example, both Job and Paul suffered for the glory of God, but it was not God opposing and afflicting them. Yet in their sufferings they were completely in the will of God. In much the same way it is important to understand that Christ suffered at the hands of men according to the will of God.
• Under the Law, it was the corpses of those who had already been executed for such offenses as blasphemy which were hanged on a tree. In Galatians 3:1, the apostle Paul says, “Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross.” The crucified Christ is the emblem of redemption, and through the broken body of the crucified Messiah, we are free from the curse of the Law. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we are sanctified through the OFFERING of the BODY OF JESUS CHRIST once and for all. Christ gave to God a holy and sinless life to redeem us with his precious blood and through his slain body we are redeemed from the curse of the Law so that righteousness might come to all who trust in him.

Those who teach the theory of PSA create a narrative which is contrary to the narrative revealed in the four gospels and the book of Acts.

When we have as our foundation, the teachings of Jesus and the gospel preached by the apostles in the book of Acts, we will more accurately interpret the death of Christ in view of the whole counsel of scripture. For example, if we would ask the questions, “Does God condemning Jesus prove He is the Son of God, or does God vindicating Him prove He is the Son of God?” What what be the proper response to these questions?

If Jesus had died as a condemned substitute under the justice of God, how would that work with believing He is the Son of God? Those who crucified Jesus condemned Him of blasphemy, for claiming to be the Messiah, the Son of God. If Jesus had been condemned by God, God would have been siding with the people who condemned Him. Yet the scripture says that those who put Jesus to death were gathered against the Lord (God) and against His Christ (Acts 4:26). Those who condemned Jesus were opposing God!

Though He was unjustly condemned, He was vindicated when God raised Him from the dead. He is who He claimed to be, and when we believe and declare that Jesus is the Son of God we agree with the testimony of God who raised Him from the dead. This is revealed in the narrative and comes through clearly within the continuity of the scriptures.

Jesus was delivered over to death according to the will of God for the purpose of laying down His own life for our redemption through the shedding of his Blood.

This can be clearly understood when we will consider others who, according to the will of God, laid down their lives to serve the purposes of God. Stephen, for instance, laid down His life for the glory of God. Stephen was not condemned by God, but rather was a chosen vessel who suffered martyrdom for the gospel and the glory of Christ.

In the gospels, Jesus likened His own death to those who had died before Him for the glory of God. For example in Matthew 17:12-13 Jesus says the following.

But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. LIKEWISE shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Notice that Jesus likens His death to that of John the Baptist. John was not condemned by God, but was a martyr who died for the glory of God. Jesus says, “LIKEWISE shall also the Son of man SUFFER OF THEM.”

We see the same line of thinking In Matthew 21:33-43 in the parable concerning the Husbandmen of the vineyard who rejected the Son of the the Lord of the vineyard. The Lord of the vineyard first sent many different servants and they were mistreated and killed by the wicked Husbandmen of the vineyard. In Verses 34- 39 we read the following. 

And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

As we can see in this parable, the Lord of the vineyard was not the one condemning His Son. Instead, it was the Husbandmen who mistreated and killed the Son. They did to the Son as they had done to the other servants who were sent before Him. This is the narrative according to Jesus and His apostles concerning the nature of Christ’s sufferings. He died at the hands of sinful men who unjustly condemned Him. He was condemned by men, not condemned by God. 

As we continue reading this parable, Jesus says the following.

When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? (Matthew 21:40-42).

The significance of Jesus as the Stone which THE BUILDERS REJECTED and the ONE GOD ACCEPTED is abundantly clear throughout the Gospels and the Book of Acts.

Jesus, in accordance with the will of God, laid down His life, dying unjustly at the hands of sinful men, to redeem us with his precious Blood. In His resurrection, God overturned the verdict of sinful men who oppose God by raising his Son from the dead.

In 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul tells us that through the cross, God has made foolish the wisdom of this world.

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.  As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is THE POWER  of God and THE WISDOM of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

Christ crucified, is both the power of God (through His shed blood for our redemption) and the wisdom of God, who in the resurrection, overturned verdict of sinful men and has brought to nothing the counsel of the princes of this world who unjustly condemned His Son.