Throughout the New Testament we are
exhorted to apprehend something that is called 'The Faith.' We are
encouraged to first attain it, then contend or fight to keep it. We are
then warned to examine or test ourselves, to see if we are still 'in'
it. But what is this thing called 'The Faith'?
First,
we must understand that 'The Faith' speaks not of a general quality of
faith and trust that we are to have, of which faith we are all given a
certain measure. Instead, this phrase speaks of a particular system of
Truth that is described throughout Scripture. One is either 'in' or
'out' of this system of Truth — for there is no
middle ground. Thus the phrase "in 'the' faith" is used in 2Corinthians
13:5 to describe its nature. But what is
'The Faith?'What is The Faith?
The phrase
'the faith'
appears in 42 verses of Scripture, giving us a clue as to what
'The
Faith' is. Since the number 42 speaks of Yahushua appearing in us, we
see this phrase must relate to this subject of 'Messiah-in-you.' The
test of being 'in' The Faith can be seen in the following passage:
Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye
not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be
reprobates? (2Corinthians 13:5)According to the
above passage, if we know for ourselves that Yahushua is in us, then we
can see that we are 'in' The Faith. This understanding of 'The Faith'
is necessary as we look at other Scriptures to determine their meaning.
Look at the following passages:
And the father of
circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also
walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had
being yet uncircumcised. (Romans 4:12)
Therefore it
is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be
sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that
also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
(Romans 4:16)
I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Here
is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments
of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14:12)When
we see the term, "the faith of Yahushua," our first thoughts are that it
always means faith 'in' Yahushua. But what does the term, "the faith of
Abraham" mean? This term does not mean faith 'in' Abraham, but
describes a system of faith, of hearing and walking in obedience to
Yahuweh, and to the Truth of His Word. The term 'the faith' of Abraham
can then be seen as the system of walking in the Word, as Abraham did;
and 'the faith' of Yahushua is the life of walking in the Word as
Yahushua did, and whose life is our pattern, and our
example.
When we are first
Born-Again, we are 'in the faith' as a newborn Babe, as we obey the
Truth given to us. However, as we grow and mature, we begin to hear
teachings from many that will shape our lives as Believers, and some
that will actually turn us away from the Truth:
Not
giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from
the truth. (Titus 1:14)Some false notions come in
the form of Jewish fables; others come in the form of Doctrines and
Commandments of Men. Many young Believers may not know Scriptures well,
but believe everything that is taught them, without checking against
Scriptures. These Commandments of Men can turn us away from the Truth.
Many
teachings turn out to be a mixture of Truth sprinkled with the
Commandments of Men, and are not easily discerned. So many young
Believers are led away from Truth, into a form of captivity, where they
are still Yahuweh's people, but are in disobedience, so they are not
aware of this captivity.
Samson, who was counted
among Yahuweh's people, had his eyes put out, and was put in captivity.
Believers today, like Samson, have had their spiritual eyes put out
when they are led into captivity for disobedience. Only repentance can
restore the eyesight.
This understanding is vital
when we are confronted with passages that have been twisted by modern
theologians to say something that the Scriptures do not say. The enemy
is constantly at work, 'twisting' the Scriptures. So our first line of
defense is to know the Scriptures, by studying Yahuweh's Words, by
reading them for ourselves.
When we encounter any
idea that goes against what we already know, there is a sense of
'contending,' as the 'waving of a red flag.' An uneasiness will stir
within us.
But this same uneasiness happens to us,
when we encounter the Truth of Yahuweh's Word — if what we
hold is a mixture of Truth and error. We do not want to oppose Yahuweh,
but to grow. So how do we overcome this uneasiness, this sense of
opposition?
It is human nature to avoid
confrontation, so many will try to avoid the uneasiness, and
confrontation, and will not contend for the Truth. As a result there
are multitudes of Born-Again Believers who will reject the precious
Truths of Scripture, because the Truths of Scripture are not in
agreement with what they have been taught.
What
should we do when we encounter ideas that are against what we hold
true? If we desire to grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of Yahushua,
there is only one thing to do when we are in disagreement. Notice the
following Scripture passage:
Beloved, when I gave
all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful
for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude
1:3) Jude tells us that we are to contend,
to fight, to struggle to remain in 'The Faith' as it was originally
given to the people of Yahuweh. Some have thought this means physical
fighting. However, the wording and context of Jude's epistle tells us
exactly what this contending is — a struggle of Truth against
Doctrinal error, centered around Leaders who have altered the Biblical
subject of 'Grace.' Let's look at how we are to contend.
How Do We Contend
for The Faith?
When we are confronted with notions or ideas
that may be in error, we are called to contend, or fight to maintain
the Truth of The Faith. How do we do this? First, let's see a
continuation of the passage regarding contending for The Faith:
For
there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our
God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord
Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4)Here we see confirmed, the
reason we must contend. Jude tells us that men had crept in, and had
created 'Doctrines of Men' regarding the Biblical Truths of 'Grace.'
These Doctrines and Commandments of Men are destructive. As Jude
indicates, when these Leaders wrest or twist the Scriptures, and mix
them with Doctrines of Men, they cause the denying of Yahushua in the
daily lives of the Believers that hear their teaching. But now lets
look at the remedy:
I will therefore put you in
remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved
the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that
believed not. (Jude 1:5)Here we see the call to
remember the Scriptures. It is apparent from this passage that these
Leaders were not currently teaching Truths of Torah, because Jude tells
the Believers they 'once knew' these things, but had forgotten them,
and needed to be reminded of these Torah Truths.
When
we are studying the Scriptures, reading it for ourselves, then the
remedy against the 'Doctrines of Men' is in our weaponry. The Holy
Spirit, who guides us into all Truth, will bring to our remembrance the
things that are truly of Yahuweh's Word, and "shall show it unto you"
(John 16:15; 1John 2:26-27). This is an important part of our
'contending for the faith' — to know, and remember all the
Scriptures, and to learn the consequences of abandoning the
Commandments of Yahuweh.
So the remedy is to look at
any idea or notion that is taught, against all of Scripture. As we saw
in
What You Believe: True or False? The Simple
Biblical Test, if we see
or hear something that is a contradiction of the Scriptures, then we
know the idea or notion is not true.
Notice also
what Yahushua tells us:
Then he said unto them, O
fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
(Luke 24:25)Here we are told that we are slow of
heart ('fools') when we do not believe (become "Do-ers" of) all that
the Prophets have spoken. After looking at the life of Yahushua as our
example, the words of the Prophets is one of the next tests we may use.
If our notion or idea is not in agreement with all that Yahushua did, or
if it does not agree with 'all that the Prophets have spoken,' then it
is a false notion.
If we would contend for the
faith, then we must search the Scriptures, and cry out to Yahuweh to
show us the truth of a matter. We must find either agreement or
disagreement of Scripture against an idea or notion, in order to
determine its Scriptural validity.
Contending for
the Faith: An Example
As an example of contending
for The Faith, let's look at a common example most have heard today.
Many theological cemeteries (full of dead-men's bones) put forth many
twisted notions about the meaning of the apostle Paul' words. For
example, notice Romans 14:1-2:
Him that is weak in
the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one
believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth
herbs. (Romans 14:1-2)Some would claim that Paul is
saying in Romans 14:1-2, that there are some who are weak in 'The
Faith' because they choose not to eat the items forbidden to Yahuweh's
people as listed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Using this false
reasoning, they then put forth the notion that 'Grace' has removed the
prohibition against eating these unclean things.
So
how do we test this notion? If in all of Scripture there is found
disagreement with the notion, or if the idea does not agree with all
that the Prophets have spoken, or if there are not found two or three
witnesses to establish the idea as true, then the notion is a false
notion. Let's notice what Scripture says:
And all that have not
fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the
waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be
an abomination unto you: 11 They shall be even an
abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall
have their carcases in abomination. (Leviticus 11:10-11)
Thou
shalt not eat any abominable thing. (Deuteronomy 14:3)These
chapters in Leviticus and Deuteronomy tell us in great detail "these
are abomination to you" and "you shall not eat abominable things." So
immediately there is direct disagreement of these Scriptures, for
nowhere is it written that these Scriptures have been 'taken away' or
'abolished.' We conclude in this case Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 are not in
agreement with this notion, so it is a false notion.
Contrary to some of the popular
teachings, there is nothing cancelled under the New Testament except
our debt of sin, and nothing done away with or nullified, except the
dogma, or decrees of men. Every New Covenant issue regards something
that is either fulfilled, or expanded in scope, or transferred in
location. So we see this idea claiming that one is 'weak in The Faith'
because he does not eat the 'abominations' of Scripture is a false
notion, a "Doctrine of Men" we have encountered.
We
are not to add to what Yahushua, or Paul, or the others actually say.
Much of Paul's writings, like those of Peter, James, John, and Yahushua,
may be hard to understand, according to 2Peter 3:16. Nevertheless, we
do not have liberty to make these Scriptures into a teaching that
opposes the entire 'written' Word of Yahuweh. What Paul actually says is
what we must go on. It appears that what Paul is saying in Romans 14:2
is that the one who is 'weak' is what we call a 'vegetarian.' And in
verses 3 and 4 Paul tells us that even though these vegetarians are
weak, we are not to judge them.
"But what
about...," as many rightly protest. Very quickly we realise all of
these twisted Scriptures are interlocked with other twisted Scriptures,
to appear credible. Following our above example, let's notice that men
have connected the twisted meaning of Romans 14, to the twisted meaning
of what Yahushua said in Mark 7:19. Notice the following:
Because
it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into
the draught, purging all meats? (Mark 7:19)Many
claim that Yahushua's statement in Mark 7:19 somehow abolishes the
prohibition of eating abominations. But when one reads the verses in
Mark chapter 7 in context, the true and clear meaning of this entire
message comes out in verse 2:
And when they saw
some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with
unwashen, hands, they found fault. (Mark 7:2)Here
we see the question is whether a violation of a Talmud ritual of
washing hands, and then eating food with these unwashed hands, would
somehow defile the eater. Yahushua gives the answer in the ensuing
verses, with the conclusion in verse 19. There is no substitute for
reading the Scriptures for ourselves!
Let's notice
another example within these same passages of Romans 14.
Contending for the Faith: Another
Example
Another notion put forth about the words of Paul in Romans 14 is seen below:
One man
esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let
every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the
day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to
the Lord he doth not regard it. (Romans 14:5-6a)Many
claim that in the above passage, the apostle Paul says that the keeping
of the Sabbath Day is no longer valid for Believers, and that one may
regard or disregard the Sabbath Day, as one sees fit. In a slightly
different line of reasoning, others claim that keeping any one out of
seven days is acceptable to Yahuweh. To test these notions,
let's see what the words of the Prophets have to say about this:
Blessed
is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it;
that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from
doing any evil. (Isaiah 56:2)
And hallow my
sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know
that I am the LORD your God. (Ezekiel 20:20)
But the
seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do
any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy
maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
(Exodus 20:10) Oops!
These passages in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Leviticus 23, and many others, tell
us we are to hallow ["set apart as special"] Yahuweh's Sabbaths, and
that these Sabbaths are all on appointed, specific days, and not open
for our choosing. Looks as if these notions of regarding any day as the
Sabbath day, or even any one day out of seven days, are not in
agreement with Scripture here either.
So we must
conclude that the days to which Paul refers are not days commanded by
Yahuweh, but days not specifically commanded in Scripture, such as the
multitude of religious feast days and fasting-days that are prescribed
by the Traditions of Men. We also know the apostle Paul would never
write anything in his epistles that is contrary to the written Word of
Torah!
Why Must We Contend?
We have seen examples of contending for The Faith. But why must we fight to maintain our Faith?
Many
do not see the adversary's hidden work going on, so there is a
continual struggle, a battle in which we must contend, and fight to
maintain
The Faith as it was once given to the saints. Here is what is happening.
Satan
knows he can easily deceive the masses, by using false teachers to
twist the Scriptures. Satan
desires to lead the Believers astray from 'The Faith,' so that they
might not inherit all things (Rev 21:7); that is, he knows they would
receive a reduced inheritance in the Kingdom. Satan knows that he could
accomplish this if only he could somehow remove the authority of
Scripture from the minds of the Believers.
How would satan accomplish this? What would he do to make this happen?
He would begin his 2,000-year program
by using an army of corrupt Bible Translators, who would produce
corrupted Bible manuscripts, which would later become the basis for all
the modern, but corrupted translations. These new versions would omit
words, sentences, and entire verses, regarding issues of the person and
deity of Yahushua, the redemption by His Blood, and issues of His
Kingdom, of Biblical Grace, and of the Hebrew roots of The Faith.
He
would then use many corrupt theological cemeteries and Bible Schools to
promote these modern but corrupt Bible translations. The so-called
scholars at these institutions would devise many man-made Doctrines by
twisting the words of Paul. They would then indoctrinate many
unsuspecting young people with these poisonous Doctrines. From among
these graduates would emerge a few influential but false Pastors,
Teachers, and other spiritual Leaders, whose teaching would effectively
nullify the authority of 'all that the Prophets have spoken.'
As of the year 2008, all these things have been accomplished.
Doctrines of Devils
What
Doctrinal changes have been made since
The Faith was first delivered?
Over the 2,000-year
time span, satan's influence over these men would cause many small
changes to be made, with one goal in mind. They would first separate
the Scriptures in the people's thinking. They would rename the two
sections 'New Testament' and 'Old Testament.' Then, they would need
only to twist Paul's writings to make it appear that the 'old' has
already disappeared. As a result, they could claim the 'Old Testament'
is no longer valid!
This notion alone would easily
nullify 'all that the Prophets have spoken,' unless a few people would
slip through the System, and would read the words of Paul for
themselves. Perhaps some might even read those pesky Words of Yahushua
in Luke 24:25, or begin to seek Wisdom by reading the Proverbs.
But
there is much work to be done in twisting Paul's words. How would they
pull this off?
The theological cemeteries have
attempted to counter 'all that the Prophets have spoken' by re-defining
certain Biblical words, and by inventing new words and terms. Thus they
have used these re-defined and man-made words, terms and phrases to
wage war against the foundation of Scripture.
Today
there are many well-meaning Pastors, Teachers, and other spiritual
Leaders who have graduated from these corrupt schools, who attempt to
teach Scripture using these re-defined words and non-Biblical terms.
These man-made words should be a red-flag, warning us of deception, and
of a deceiver.
These re-defined and man-made
words, terms and phrases include such non-Biblical phrases as
'ceremonial laws,' 'Age of Grace,' 'Age of Law,' 'Dispensation of
Grace, 'unmerited favour,' 'missing the mark' and many others. Have we
noticed how many of these false notions center around the same issue of
'Grace?' Jude has already warned us!
Remember Jude's Warning
Let us be reminded of Jude's warning:
"...
certain men crept in unawares ... turning ... grace ... into
lasciviousness and denying ... our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4)As
a result of men who have crept in unawares, there is much teaching today of
non-Biblical
Grace. Some who embrace this error may choose to ignore
the words of the Prophets, and that is their prerogative. Yahushua said
those who do so, are
'slow of heart,' and are among the 'foolish.' When
the Bridegroom returns, some Believers will be among the wise, and some
among the foolish.
Everyone must choose for themselves.
Conclusion
There
is much over which we must contend for The Faith. Notice however, that
both examples in the above passages of Romans 14 have one common
feature. At
the conclusion of each idea presented in Romans 14:4 and 14:10, we see
that Yahuweh's people are told not to judge others regarding these
matters. Thus we are cautioned against judging others who may not be
walking in the truths of Scripture.
We are not
called to judge others, but we are called to examine ourselves, to test
ourselves, to see whether we are still in 'The
Faith.'