Welcome back to part 5 of our series on How To Not Be Taken Captive, as we continue exploring dangerous captivating religious ideas. We began, This series by looking at the list of items in Colossians 2:8 of things to be wary of, things that can captivate us, and we saw the general commonality of “man-made ideas, and philosophies” — things that sound right and righteous, but lead to destruction.
Then, we began to examine what some of these man-made religious ideas are, and how when held up to the light of the finished work of Jesus Christ, these man-made ideas fall apart. Many of these ideas are very common in Christianity today, even preached from the pulpits, as many Christians just nod, and smile, and shout “Amen” to these false ideas, without giving them a second (or even first!) Thought. But as the scriptures say, there is a way that seems right but leads to death in Proverbs 14:12, so we need to be discerning about what we agree to
A baby will put anything into it’s mouth, even poison…but we should carefully see if these common ideas align with the truth of Jesus and His gospel, or not…
So join me today, as we continue exploring these commonly heard ideas, and see how to not be taken captive.
Idea: If God Wants Something to Happen, It Will.
Our first idea today, can take many forms. Generally it is the “passive” position of God’s will always happens, regardless of what we do, so there’s no point in doing anything.
I’ve spoken with Christians who say things like, the world will always get worse because it’s under God’s judgment, so there’s no point in standing up for good morals, for example.
On a personal level, these people say things like “If God wants me to be healed, I’ll be healed, there’s no point in me resisting.” And so they always take an ultra-passive, bystander approach to everything. Relegating all life events to God’s sovereignty, with no personal responsibility.
This idea is popular, I think, because it eliminates the need for people to stand their ground, under a cloak of religious piousness.
The first part of this idea that we must analyze is: What is God’s will? Even if we were to simply abdicate all responsibility to the will of God, how do we know what His will is. Many people believe God’s will is to destroy… to bring judgment on a sinful world. Yet, Jesus, as the perfect revealed will of God, presents a somewhat different perspective.
In Luke 9:54-55, the disciples ask Jesus if He wants them to call down fire from heaven to judge the city that did not receive Him. Proponents of a judgmental God will say yes, absolutely, burn the sin away! And again, that sounds righteous in a particular way, but surprisingly, Jesus corrects the disciples in verse 55, and says something very interesting: you do not know what spirit you are of. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy lives, but to save them.
This statement is a crucial key to understanding the will of God. 2nd Peter 3:9 says that God wishes that none perish, but that all would come to repentance. And this statement, crushes the idea that whatever God wants to happen, comes to pass automatically, because it’s an obvious fact that not everyone comes to repentance— not all people are saved, and many people perish each day.
Furthermore, Ephesians chapter 6, make it clear that one of the pieces of God’s armor which Hw gives to us, is the shield of faith, along with the sword of the Spirit. These two items in particular, imply some level of active engagement on our part. There are spiritual attacks we are supposed to resist, and spiritual enemies we are supposed to battle. Not everything is meant to be accepted with arms open and eyes closed, and saying “Oh well, it’s all God’s will” — because quite simply, it’s not all His will. Christians are “the body of Christ” on this earth… and we are expected to move appropriately.
Idea: The Old Covenant Applies to Christians Today
If you’ve been a long-time viewer of the channel, you know that I often try to draw clear distinctions between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant (the word “testament” in most English translations of scripture, is just another word for “Covenant”)
The importance of rightly dividing the scripture is a skill that the majority of Christians are sadly lacking today. The topic isn’t really mentioned from modern church podiums, and so that responsibility mostly falls on the pastors and teachers today.
What is a covenant? We use this term in Christianity, but what does a covenant mean in scripture? 1st Kings 8:23 says that There is none like the Lord who keeps His covenant and shows steadfast love with those who are His.
So the fact that God is covenant-keeping, is a key factor in understanding how He operates in relationship to us.
Now, a covenant is a legal, binding agreement between two parties, but a biblical covenant actually shares some similarities with a marriage, often binding the two parties together for life, and there’s usually a celebration feast, and elaborate ritual to confirm the enacting of the covenant.
Another element of covenants, especially biblical covenants is that there are serious (even fatal) consequences should one party break the covenant promises. Therefore it is both a wonderful assurance that God keeps His covenant promises, and a sobering reminder of how serious covenant is. And this brings us to the crux of the captivating idea of applying the old covenant, meant for a specific group at a particular time, to a completely different group in a different time.
Many Christians have a strange kind of fascination for the Old Covenant, especially the Law of Moses contained therein— those I’ve talked with, often feel as if the Old Covenant somehow makes them a “better Christian” or closer to God. And while I can’t speak directly regarding the veracity of their feelings, I can speak to the dangers of misapplying and misappropriating covenants, since the scriptures are clear on this point.
The book of Hebrews gives a thorough dissertation on how Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has satisfied and therefore fulfilled all of the requirements of the Old Covenant, and additionally accomplished God’s goal of redeeming mankind back to the state of grace through the New Covenant. This is not a merely superficial or light matter, but a crucial point for believers to understand, as it fundamentally defines our relationship with Him.
Hebrews chapter 12:18-24, specifically states the following:
“ 18For you are not come to the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor to blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But you are come to mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things that that of Abel.”
Hebrews 12:18-24
These verses make a clear distinction between the Old and New Covenants, and states specifically where God is and the church is today… It’s not Mount Sinai, not the Law of Moses— but rather, you have come to Mount Zion, the New Covenant of Grace through Jesus Christ, your ultimate mediator.
There are many more verses of scripture that support this fact, and I’ve covered most of them in other videos and articles, but I chose these in Hebrews 12 specifically because they lay both covenants out in the open, and state beyond doubt which one God is directing us to come to today.
The danger of trying to mixup or mash-up two completely different covenants into a strange spiritual Frankenstein, is that it denies the reality of what Christ accomplished through His death and resurrection on the cross, and instead reverts to what the scripture calls “weak and destitute elements that cannot save” (Galatians 4:9, Romans 8:3, Hebrews 10:1)
So rather than trying to piece-together a man-made covenant of your own design, which has no power or divine agreement. I encourage you to listen to God’s own words, and fully embrace the sacrifice of Christ and the Covenant of Grace which Jesus purchased with His own blood.
In the Next Part…
Join me again next week as we continue looking at common captivating ideas in modern Christianity, and how the truth of Jesus sets us free.
Be blessed.
One response
Excellent James.