Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

Not Today Satan

What is Sin?

The subject of sin can be a challenging topic to explain especially to unbelievers who view the idea of original sin as an absurdity. We can not explain our need for salvation unless we first explain sin.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Rom 5:12-13

Sin is hamartía to be without a share in, to miss the mark, to err, be mistaken, to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong. I emphasize “miss the mark” because the English word “sin” is an archery term that means “to miss the mark”.

The mark is the bullseye.

How could a loving God allow man to sin? If God is omnipotent why didn’t he just fix the problem as soon as it happened? If He is all-knowing then He knew Adam and Eve would eat the forbidden fruit. Why would He set Adam and Eve up to fail?  After all a loving father doesn’t tempt his children, he protects them. If indeed sin is the cause of all suffering then God is a sadist. Otherwise, He is not omnipotent. If He isn’t omnipotent then is he God? The Bible says sin is not imputed when there is no law. Wouldn’t a loving God simply dispense with the law?

How do you answer these?

Many simply defer to, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him… John 6:44 as a loophole for the apologetic mandate.

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 1 Pet 3:15

Still, we are commanded to explain our faith.

Consider the following analogy regarding the nature of sin. It takes 23,000 engineers to write three billion lines of computer code to run Google. In contrast, it takes 2 billion lines of code comprised of just four amino acids to run a cell weighing one billionth of a gram. There are at least 200 different types of cells in the human body. That is 400 billion lines of genetic code per person. It takes approximately thirty-seven trillion cells to make one human body. There are about 8 billion people on Earth today all with a unique genetic code (program). 37 trillion x 400 billion x 8 billion is 1.184 x 10 to the 35th power. The point here is that the numbers describing the complexity of life’s design are beyond comprehension. The hard drive (DNA) and program (Genetic Code) that form and drive life are far more complex than any computer hard drive or computer program ever created by man. And while man is still trying to mimic God’s computing system no one has pulled it off. Still, the overarching principles involved in computing remain the same for man-made computers and God’s creation. While the complexity points to intelligent design and the existence of God, it also points to the severity and nature of sin.

The analogy is that sin coming into the world can be likened to a computer virus that corrupts a computer operating system and spreads and infects every other computer operating system on the same network.  Computer viruses are like biological viruses in that they are pieces of information that left unchecked destroy the host.

For the wages of sin is death…Rom 6:23

So how do you get rid of a virus?

There are two possible solutions. You can eradicate the host(s). Or create an anti-virus program that fixes the problem and protects from further infection.

God had the same choice at the time of the fall. He could have wiped out all of creation and gone back to the proverbial drawing board. Instead, thanks to His mercy, He chose an antivirus.  

For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Consider that there can be no computer virus without a computer program. There is no biological virus without a host cell and DNA program. Similarly, there is no sin apart from the law. My analogy is not perfect but I hope most people will understand. Creation is the operating system. God’s law, is the program the enemy seeks to corrupt. Corrupt God’s law and corrupt His creation.

It’s not perfect but this is one way we might frame sin so that unbelievers understand.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Rom 5:14

The proverbial virus that corrupted God’s program came through Adam. Hence we are dead in our trespasses and sins Eph 2:1 the moment we were born.

But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. Rom 5:15

Just as a computer antivirus program cleans and repairs a computer and then protects it from further infection, so does the free gift of grace reconcile and reset all creation to its original state of perfection. When a person truly surrenders to Jesus they are “sozoed”.

Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. Mat 9:22

Well is Sṓzō – to save, deliver, protect, heal, preserve, save, do well, to be or to make whole. Sozo occurs 103 times in the New Testament.

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 5:19-21

Paul is explaining a principle that was foreshadowed in the story of Joseph.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Gen 50:20

Our omnipotent, omniscient Father

 chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 

Eph 1:4:5

As we continue to study God’s word, all He did and does remains a mystery that we see in a glass darkly. Analogy is a dark glass that reveals just enough to inspire awe that drives us to worship our omnipotent, omniscient, all-loving God. Even what the enemy intends for harm is incorporated into God’s plan and assists Him in accomplishing His will. 

…even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Eph 1:4-10

When we understand the nature of sin and the antivirus that eradicates and protects us from it, we can confidently say,

Not Today Satan. Or ever!

Maranatha

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

On Hypocrisy

Romans Chapter 2

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. Rom 2:1

Paul is addressing what modern psychology calls projection.

Projection is the process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person, animal, or object. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projection—attributing one’s own unacceptable urges to another.

As we discussed in What is in Man Jesus understood the nature of all mankind according to the flesh. As much as we like to talk about all human beings beings made in the image of God, that image applied universally to Adam and Eve. Everyone who came after was a corrupted mutation of that image. But to all who did receive him (Jesus) who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 Hence all believers are works in progress on our way to becoming fully conformed to the image of God. Rom 8:29

What Jesus knew is in Man is the culmination of Romans chapter one.

every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice, gossip, slanderer, insolence, arrogance and boasting; invented ways of doing evil; the lack of understanding, fidelity, love, and mercy (as in man). Not only do they continue to do these things but they approve of (and commiserate with) those who practice them. Rom 1:29-32

It is so very important to understand that our redemption by the blood of Jesus is not a license to sin. The law and the standard for holiness has not change.

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Mat 5:8

Many believers mistake Jesus’ last words “It is finished!” John 19:30 for all is accomplished. It is finished in Greek is tetelestai from teléō. Perhaps the best analogous context is a business transaction where a debt is paid in full. Jesus was the final blood sacrifice that paid for all sin. All is accomplished in Revelation 19-22. All means the restoration of All God’s creation to its original status before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Victory over sin and death is just the beginning. The indwelling of Holy Spirit is a down payment toward our full inheritance. Eph 1:14 

The main error that Paul exposes in the first three chapters of Romans is one of overvaluation of identity. The Jews saw themselves as righteous by way of their Jewish bloodline. Some gentile believers regarded their newfound born-again status, or their identity, as won and done. The fruit of this error can be seen in Martin Luther’s proclamation, “Love God, sin boldly.” Jesus died for all my sins so I don’t need to worry about sin. Right?

Wrong!

…Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Rom 2:4

The riches of His kindness made possible by the Cross, are what allow us to come boldly to the throne of grace. Heb 4:16 And to be forgiven provided we confess our sins. 1 John 1:9 Those who simply take the cross of Jesus for granted and minimize or justify instead of rectifying their sins and failures through confession and repentance are hypocrites.

The Jews thought they were righteous because they had the law. Apparently like today, many Jewish and gentile believers thought hearing the law, e.g. going to church and claiming to believe what they heard made them righteous. Paul made it clear that

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. Rom 2:13

While we are not exempt from doing what the law says, we do it His help.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 4:14-16

At the end of the day, God is most concerned with the intentions of our hearts. Those intentions are defined by our actions.

For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. Prov 24:16-18

Paul continues to reinforce the theme of projection and resulting hypocrisy throughout the chapter with a discussion of circumcision.

For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. Rom 2:25

Similar to baptism for believers,  circumcision was an outward expression of an inward commitment. While it might be tempting to focus on Paul’s seeming emphasis on distinctions between Jew and Gentile, it’s really not the point. Not at this point anyway. Once again, Paul is writing to the church in Rome. Hence he is speaking to both Jewish and Gentile believers. The message for contemporary believers remains the same. Pursue righteousness by doing what is written to the best of your ability with God’s help. Let us not redact scripture to fit the lifestyle we want to lead.  Don’t be a hypocrite.

The most sobering verse in Romans 2 is

You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Rom 2:23-24

We constantly hear people justify sin, be it theirs or the sins of others in the name of grace because they errantly believe that the law is irrelevant because Jesus fulfilled it. Hence

love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Pet 4:8

Love is the crucifixion of Jesus that resulted in our justification, not our justifications that demand tolerance for our sins. This is Paul’s point when he says ...God’s kindness is meant to lead (us) to repentance…in Rom2:4

While church leaders and especially teachers are subject stricter qualifications and standards, 1 Tim 3,  James 3 Every believer impacts someone.

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!  For temptations must come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! Mat 18:5-7

The word for sin and temptation here is skándalon– a trap. However, the trap here includes leading by wrong example. A person consumed by sexual sin and yet claims to represent the gospel of Jesus Christ  falls into the catagory of Romans 1:32.

Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

These are the ones by whom “The name of God is blasphemed (among unbelievers)” Rom 2:23-24

The very idea of covering up or making lite of our or another person’s blatant sin is neither righteous nor loving.

But then here is where projection can make a proverbial twist. Sometimes people errantly give what appears to be grace. We may assume their intentions are pure.  They simply misunderstand the nature and purpose of grace. “They‘re just nice,” we say. When in fact they are reticent to call out and expose worthless deeds of darkness Eph 5:11 because they are guilty of the same sins. …You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? Rom 2:21 A contemporary twist is; if I commit adultery; do I excuse adultery because I am guilty of the same thing? In covering up the sin of another with what I term love and grace; do I hope the same sins will be covered up for me?

There is no end to how those with one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom will twist God’s word to justify their behavior and the behavior of those whom they are afraid to confront. If this is how a church body or a body within a body operates the end result will at best always be but a variation of what happened at IHOPKC and multiple other ministries over the last twenty years. In the end God is blasphemed and people reject Him because of our failures.

At the end of the day, the overarching theme in Romans 2 is simple.  Right is right. Wrong is wrong. If we know what is right because we got it from scripture then we’d better be doing it. People are watching and looking to justify their unbelief by our actions. When we fail as we all do at times, then we’d best be ready to immediately confess and repent. Anything else makes us hypocrites. This is one reason why Paul said, leaders must be above reproach. 1 Tim 3 And James said, not many of you should become teachers, James 3:1

Woe to the hypocrites. Mat 23

If you are reading this and asking “Where is the love?”, consider the possibility that you have a deficient understanding of love. Why is Paul so hard? Because

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Prov 9:10

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Ecc 12:13-14

The love of God can not be understood apart from the fear of God, His goodness apart from His severity.

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. Rom 11:22

So often any mention of the fear of God, His law, and the pursuit of holiness is dismissed as “religious”. Within the charasmatic stream, the word religion has become a pejorative. The implication is that Jesus was only hard on the religious people. We are “Spirit Filled”. For the record “religion” is from the Latin  Relegere to reread and Religare to bind fast, an obligation, a bond between man and God. In a nutshell, being religious means are who we say we are, and we do what we are supposed to do regardless of who we are with. Being Spirit filled means we have the power to walk in integrity. Integrity is a fruit of being unspotted from the world. James 1:27 Among other things, our religion should produce integrity.

Integrity is the antithesis of Hypocrisy.

Maranatha!

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study

Imprisoned Spirits

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 1 Pet 3:18-20

I don’t know about you but I am prone to mistake emphasis for redundancy especially when it comes to scripture. I find I need to discipline my impertinence toward God’s word lest I become distracted from the depth of simplicity in pursuit of glorified entertainment.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit… Is the first part of the gospel message which is the gospel of salvation.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, (vinegar and mixed with gall) put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:28-30

…They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink. Psalm 69:19-21

Whether they offered this to Jesus to dull the pain of His suffering on the cross or to prolong His death remains a topic of debate. That hyssop dipped into a bitter wine that now represents suffering and His redemptive blood brushed His lips as hyssop dipped in blood struck the lintel and the two doorposts before the first Passover Exodus 12:22 seems more significant in that it points to the scripture that Jesus fulfilled.

Tetelestai!

“It is finished!” – Tetelestai was a contemporary commercial term that meant

“Paid in Full”.

Peter goes on to say the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison…

This scripture is the source of the belief that Jesus descended into Hell well He gave up His spirit and was in the tomb for three days. The argument is reasonable enough and it may be the case. The only problem with this is that Peter does not clearly say either way. What he tells us is that there are spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. He is making a direct reference to the days of Noah.

Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Gen 6:1-8

The book of Jude adds further clarification regarding the identities and the sin of these imprisoned spirits such that we know they are the Sons of God, fallen angels, who came into the daughters of men to produce Nephilim the giant mighty men of renown.

And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude 1:6-7

There are myriad believers today chasing after signs and wonders, others are after Nephilim and Bigfoot whom they are convinced are secretly running the world today. As for me, I’m not saying they are or aren’t. I don’t really care. The Bible already tells me that satan is the God of this age. 2 Cor 4:4. I remain convinced that Jesus was rebuking the idolatrous craving for entertainment and stimulation because it leads down paths of deception that at best only invalidates our witness of the true light of the world.

People mistaking lights from a distant concert light show for angels.

When I read Peter’s accounting of the fallen angels I hear Jesus in Mathew 24:37. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. The question at hand is not who are the spirits in prison? Or where is the prison located? It’s not whether Jesus preached to save them or if He went to proclaim His victory over them. The question for us is;

what caused them to be imprisoned?

I see two things. The first is that the Sons of God hybridized God’s creation by causing the daughters of men to give birth to Nephilim. This sin is currently represented in the LGBTQ+ and Transhumanism movements. The second is sexual sin. Jude specified the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah that includes but is not limited to LGBTQ+ but includes any sex outside the sanctity of marriage as established by God. If this does not seem relevant to you personally then consider this. We are immersed in a society that is repeatedly told by believers how much God loves them and desires to bless them. It is increasingly rare that this message is accompanied by the warning that unless they repent and surrender their lives to Jesus they will eventually find themselves imprisoned with the spirits who are already there.

Maranatha!

Brian and Cathy Gray Bible study, Devotional

The Paradox of “I”

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:1-2

Beloved is agapētós: esteemed, favorite, worthy of love. It is the same word the Father spoke immediately following Jesus’ baptism.

“And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved (agapētós) Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Mat 3:17

God’s love in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…” is agapáō love in a social or moral sense, to be fond of, to love dearly.

The difference is subtle but profound. Agapáō in John 3:16 is the love with which He loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses…by nature children of wrath. Eph 2:1-3. This is a statement of God’s character. He loved us because of who He is despite who we were. In contrast, Agapētós in Eph 5:1 is a statement about us. As believers made alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Eph 2:5-6 we are now esteemed as His favorites, worthy of His love.

The reason for the change in our status remains the same. For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2:8-9 Nevertheless we have been promoted to the rank of favored children with Jesus and seated with Him as if we’d been there the entire time.

Let that sink in…

When viewed correctly this revelation should provoke both

Gratitude and Fear.

Historically, believers embrace one or the other. We are consumed with Rom 7:15-25 “Oh what a wretched man I am! Who will save me from this body of death?” Or we redact Romans 7 completely in lieu of Romans 8.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:1-2

Mind you this is Paul the Apostle speaking about himself. He went a step further in 1 Cor 4:13 when he described himself as the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. He said this in the context of addressing what I call “celebrityism” beginning in chapter three.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 1 Cor 3:7

“Celebrityism” is born of the “self” that Jesus requires us to deny. Mat 16:24 “I” becomes doctrine such that “My identity” supersedes His wherever “self” is not slain. It is so subtle, so seemingly normal that most do not give it a second thought. The doctrine of “I” is most clearly seen in an obsession with “My Ministry”, “My Calling”, “My gift”, “My significance” etc.

I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? 1Cor 4:6-7

“Celebrityism” begins with a sincere desire to be used by God and becomes idolatry when we idolize those we wish we could be in the world. “Celebrityism” is pride unwittingly instilled by culture. It is carnal- a work of the flesh. 1 Cor 3:1-4 It is a desire to be something or someone in the world in Jesus’ name. It is a fruit of immaturity, comparison, performance, and a perverted understanding of what it means to be

beloved children.

Many believers wrestle with the paradox of identity IN Him. Either we are so consumed with beholding our reflection in His eyes as we imagine it that we can not even see Him. Or we are so consumed with guilt, shame, and condemnation that we can not see Him. Either way, the enemy doesn’t care if we are consumed with narcissism or self-hatred. He only needs us to be focused on the unholy trinity of

Me, Myself and I

It’s been the same game since the fall when Adam and Eve’s attention went from perfect fellowship with God to an obsession with self when their eyes went from Him to themselves and they realized they were naked. Gen 3 The enemy doesn’t need us to choose sin. He just needs us to be focused on sin. He is perfectly happy to have me indulging with impunity or shamefully struggling in the flesh to avoid it. If only we would realize that all of us are born addicted to self, that

Selfishness and self-centeredness are the root of all our troubles.

We’d understand our identity as beloved children and be free.

That identity is a dead child of wrath revived, redeemed, and now beloved because of who God is, not because of who I am. He does not need me. He wants me. His plans are not contingent upon anything I do or fail to do. My participation is an undeserved privilege granted to me as a beloved son. If I rule and reign with Him it is only because my life is in Him. Today, I do not regret the past or wish to shut the door on it because it is covered by the blood of Jesus. Hence, my brokenness has become my blessing, my rap sheet my resume. I don’t need to affirm my or your identity in Him because the “I” is dead or still needs to be slain.

i die daily.

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Col 3:3

You are a beloved child.

Embrace the paradox

Maranatha