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C-4. The UNITY of BELIEVERS!
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN TO BE ONE?
Psalm 133:1.
“Behold, how GOOD and PLEASANT it is for brethren to dwell together in UNITY,”
Behold, come look and see how GOOD and PLEASANT things are when brothers and sisters, families, people in general, can dwell or live together in UNITY.
In mathematics, the word “unity” means the number ONE. Unity also means singleness or the state of being one, that is to say, many parts coming together with singleness or constancy of purpose or action.
When people UNITE they combine or come together in AGREEMENT, so as to form a single UNIT with singleness of mind and purpose. Whatever is decided is taken in consideration of all who are in this particular unit.
Now, this UNIT may be comprised of as few as TWO people or as many people as the whole world.
In Genesis 11: 1-6 we read.
“And the WHOLE earth (All of mankind) was of ONE language, and of ONE speech. (They were all in agreement and spoke the same thing)
2. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. (They dwelt or lived together in unity)
3. And they said to one another (They all came to decide together), Go to, let us make brick for stone, and slime they had for mortar.
4. And they said, Go to, let us build a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we are scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.
6. And the Lord said, Behold, the people are ONE, and they have all ONE language; and this they BEGIN to do: and now NOTHING will be restrained from them, which they have IMAGINED doing.”
You see when there is UNITY, where all the people have the same goal and purpose, they can accomplish literally almost anything that they can IMAGE or think to do.
There are both POWER and STRENGTH in unity. For instance, when you take a single cord ALONE it is easily broken when placed under stress, but if you combine more cords TOGETHER in UNITY to make ONE cord of many single stands, then it is not easily broken even under great stress or tension.
Each individual single cord needs only to carry a small load. Every single cord comes TOGETHER to perform a UNITED task or goal. Even if you were to remove one strand, the cord becomes weaker than what it was previously. Likewise, the more strands that you add efficiently in the proper place, the stronger the cord becomes. I say fitted together in the proper place because if you take a cord that is braided or twisted correctly then it is strong and it is able to perform the task it was created to do. But if you SIMPLY add another cord alongside without weaving, twisting or braiding it in properly, then the cord is still more or less alone and if too much stress is placed upon it, it will break, that is to say, that Christians will fall away from the faith. This is why it is important for us to find our proper place in the body of Christ, the church, so that we will not only ADD strength to the whole cord but that the whole cord or body of Christ will also strengthen us. To say this another way, there needs to be more teaching in the church so that Christians are thoroughly rooted and grounded in the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
The word of God tells us in Ephesians 4:3-16 many things about UNITY, so please take time to look up this passage of Scripture and read it for yourself.
Summarizing it just briefly in my own words, these verses say to me that we are to ENDEAVOR to KEEP the UNITY of the Spirit in the bond of PEACE. For we are like ONE SINGLE BODY, having or sharing ONE and the SAME Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God. We are all called or drawn by God toward the SAME HOPE.
We all serve the SAME Lord Jesus Christ. There is just ONE faith, ONE baptism, and ONE GOD who is the Father of us all. God the Father is ABOVE ALL, including his Son Jesus. God is through all and in all.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ, that is to say, according to our ANOINTING. In some of us, our anointing resides in being a pastor, while in another they may be drawn to teach. Some are called to be prophets, while others feel the need to go into the entire world as a missionary and preach the gospel.
All of these different gifts are for bringing us together in PERFECT UNITY to make us more effective ministers to others. We all have our own personal testimony to share but we are not all called to the same ministry.
The ultimate goal is to bring us all in the UNITY of FAITH and of the knowledge of the Son of God, where we will be that PERFECT man, complete in Christ Jesus.
For you see, when we come together in AGREEMENT and UNITY of FAITH we will all SPEAK the SAME thing. We will no longer be tossed back and forth by every doctrine that comes along. We will NOT be DECEIVED by the craftiness of men, but we will speak the TRUTH, the WHOLE TRUTH of God's word in love where all may grow up in Christ, which is the head.
But this can only be done as each and every one of us joins ourselves together by doing our part. Every joint supplies strength to the WHOLE body and it increases in LOVE as each part comes together in UNITY. And husbands and wives especially should dwell together in unity.
The word of God says in Amos 3:3.
“Can TWO walk TOGETHER, EXCEPT they are AGREED?”
The answer to this is obviously NO. Walking TOGETHER in UNITY requires AGREEMENT. So in order to come together in UNITY and be as ONE, we must speak the SAME thing, we must be in AGREEMENT.
Let's see what the word of God has to say on this subject of being in AGREEMENT. We have already learned that it is PLEASANT to dwell together in unity. We have learned that there is PEACE when we are in unity. But there are also other BENEFITS of being in agreement.
Matthew 18:19-20 says.
“Again I say unto you, that if TWO of you shall AGREE on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20. For where TWO or THREE (No matter the number, but more than one) are gathered TOGETHER in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”
The New English Bible says it like this.
“Again I tell you this: If TWO of you AGREE on earth about ANY REQUEST you have to make, that request will be GRANTED by my heavenly Father....”
The Jerusalem Bible says.
“I tell you solemnly once again, if TWO of you on earth AGREE to ask ANYTHING AT ALL, it will be GRANTED to you of my Father in heaven...”
Now I ask you, is Jesus a liar? Is not the word of God the TRUTH? If you believe the part of the word of God that provides for you the forgiveness of your sins in order to obtain eternal life in the end, then you must AGREE that the WHOLE word of God is also true.
You may be saying to yourself, “Well I have come together with a brother or sister in Christ and prayed about something and I never received an answer from God. He never granted my request and I know I believed that he would.”
Now I am quite sure that you THINK you may have BELIEVED and you may have thought you were in full AGREEMENT with your brother or sister in Christ, but I assure you that it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie. Therefore since God's word is pure and is the TRUTH, then the problem lies with us not fully understanding what FAITH truly is and how to come together in AGREEMENT.
I will be the first to admit that at times it seems that anything I ask of God is granted unto me without any resistance whatsoever. And yet at other times, it seems that I have to resist the enemy almost beyond what strength I possess. It seems like we are fighting a losing battle but we know we cannot give up the fight. Then at other times, I have failed completely to receive from God that which I have sought by faith, not knowing at the time that God was trying to get me to take another step closer to him. I will explain more what I mean by this a little later, but for now, know that we are like children ever maturing in Christ Jesus.
John 5:14,15 assures us that if we ask ANYTHING according to the WILL of God that God hears us and answers our prayer exactly as we have asked.
“And this is the CONFIDENCE that we have in him, that if we ASK ANYTHING according to his WILL, he HEARS us:
15. And if we know that he HEARS us, WHATSOEVER we ask, we know that we have the PETITIONS that we DESIRED of him”
The word of God ASSURES us that God HEARS our petitions IF and ONLY IF they are ACCORDING to his WILL. So what does this mean?
Praying according to God's will first involve that we come to him on his terms and conditions. So how do we know what these terms and conditions are? We read and study his word. We then meditate or think and ponder upon what we read and studied so that they will be written upon our hearts and minds. Then when we pray, the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance certain verses to call out, speak forth or put God in remembrance.
Now at times, you may not know what God's will is concerning a particular area, so pray first that God will give you wisdom and understanding. The Holy Spirit will lead and guide you into all truth if you ask in FAITH and do not waver.
Read James 1:5-8 which tells us this.
“If ANY of you lack WISDOM let him ask of God, that gives to ALL men LIBERALLY, and upbraids not; and it SHALL be given him.
6. BUT let him ask in FAITH, nothing wavering. (Why?) For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven of the wind and tossed.
7. For let NOT that man think that he shall receive ANYTHING of the Lord.
8. A DOUBLE MINDED man is UNSTABLE in all his ways.”
There are many ways one can waver and if you desire to know more on this subject of prayer, faith, wavering in faith, and hindrances to prayer, then please read the study called “WHAT IS GOD'S WILL?”, and the other related studies along with the studies I have on prayer. For now, let us continue with the study on the subject of UNITY.
One area of unity most everyone is familiar with is the area of being UNITED as man and wife.
Matthew 19:3-9 tells us this about the marriage between a man and a woman.
“The Pharisees also came unto him (Jesus) tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away (Divorce) his wife for every cause?
4. And he answered and said unto them. Have you not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them MALE and FEMALE?
5. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall CLEAVE to his wife: and they TWAIN (That is they being TWO) shall be ONE flesh?
6. Wherefore they are NO MORE train (Or TWO) but ONE flesh. What therefore God has JOINED together, let NO man put asunder.
7. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
8. He says unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: BUT from the beginning, it was not so.
9. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commits adultery: and whoso marries her which is put away does commit adultery.”
We see from this verse that God takes UNITY seriously. God desires man and woman to come together as man and wife and CLEAVE to one another. So what does this mean? Well, let us look it up and see. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word “cleave” as to adhere, to cling to, or stick fast. It also means to be FAITHFUL. And in the Greek, this word means to be UNITED to or JOINED together.
The word of God says that they who were once TWO separate individuals who will come together to be UNITED as ONE flesh. Notice that it is God who does the UNITING. It is God who gives the increase, more on this later. Also, notice that it says one FLESH. Now, this does not mean that they literally become one FLESH, but that they are in UNITY as being ONE in agreement. One may go on to say that when they conceive a child then that part of each person unites and becomes ONE flesh. This is certainly true, but this is not all that this passage of Scripture is referring to. God gives us the DESIRE of our hearts has two meanings. One meaning is that the desire we have in our hearts was given TO us by God. And the other meaning is that the desire given to us to desire, he will also bring it to pass. So God created male and female to be joined together in marriage.
God desires those of us who are married or those who will be married someday to CLEAVE together as ONE, with UNITY and purpose. The husband is not to RULE over his wife, but rather to LEAD, guide and protect her. And at the same time, the wife is to respect her husband as the leader of the home.
Understanding this basic form of UNITY of man and wife will be the launch pad, so to speak, for the church BODY to become ONE as it was designed to be in the beginning. God does NOT desire DIVISION. It is Satan who wants to DIVIDE and conquer God's people. And sometimes he starts with the husband and wife to create division in the home first. I cannot stress enough for husband and wife to endeavor to always be in UNITY with each other. Particularly on spiritual matters. But God also wants the whole body of Christ to be in UNITY.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:10-15 which says.
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you ALL SPEAK the SAME THING and that there be NO DIVISIONS among you: but that you be perfectly JOINED together in the SAME MIND and in the SAME JUDGMENT.
11. For it has been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are CONTENTIONS among you.
12. Now, this I say, that every one of you says, I am of Paul, and I am of Apollos, and I am of Cephas; and I am of Christ.
13. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14. I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius.
15. Lest any man should say that I had baptized in my own name.”
You see my brothers and sisters in Christ, God never meant for there to be any divisions among the church, the BODY of Christ. The body is ONE body. The Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is ONE church. There are many members in the body, but the body is ONE and the same body. Likewise, there are many UNITS or many different cells of believers, but we are ALL ONE and the same church, and we should ALL be SPEAKING THE SAME THINGS!
So why then are there so many different denominations among the body of Christ all teaching different doctrines, when the word of God CLEARLY teaches us to speak the SAME thing? Well, the one thing that comes to my mind is that the enemy knows the POWER of UNITY and does not want the church to come into the unity of faith.
The enemy knows that a house DIVIDED will not stand. This is why he has brought DECEPTION to every area that he could to keep strife, contention, bitterness, pride, and division among the BODY of Christ.
Now as I have stated in the introduction to “A MATTER OF TRUTH” that I believe that God is not the author of confusion and that he desires us all to come into the UNITY of faith. I further stated that the only way I know for this to take place is that for each and every one of us to re-examine our beliefs closely in the light of the WHOLE word of God, by laying aside every preconceived idea that we have been previously taught, and using the Bible ALONE as being our SOLE foundation to base our faith upon.
Many of the things that we have been taught are in error. They simply DO NOT line up with the WHOLE word of God. Yes, there may be a Scripture or two that SEEMS to support what we have been taught through the years. There may even be MANY verses being used to teach a church doctrine but there are also many other Scriptures that CONTRADICT many of the so-called DOCTRINES of the church. This is why it is so vitally important that each and every believer read the word of God for THEMSELVES to find out if what they are being taught is the truth. It is NOT the verses that are contradicting each other but rather it is the INTERPRETATION of the verses in question that causes the divisions in the church.
Now if you are reading a study by someone else, including the study you are reading now and any other study I have written, then I encourage you to look up all the Bible references and read the CONTEXT from where the verse or verses were taken to see if what the writer is telling you lines up with or agrees with the word of God. Then I encourage you to hear the WHOLE MATTER before you draw any conclusions. You see there is only ONE TRUTH, which is the word of God.
Therefore if what you believe CONTRADICTS what another believer says or teaches and they give scriptural support for why they believe the way they do, then you must TRULY CONSIDER what THEY are teaching and COMPARE the Scriptures that support the way you were taught with their Scriptures to arrive at the TRUTH. Either you are right or they are right or you are both wrong or you are both partly right. There are no other choices because there is only ONE TRUTH.
When I first became a believer, I had a very strong hunger for the word of God. I remember once going to the bookstore looking for a book about the second coming of Jesus because I had never really heard anything about this before. I may have been taught that Jesus was coming back again, but it was not made apparent to me that it could be any day or even in my lifetime. To me, the coming of Jesus was eons in the future and had no relevance in my life. But when I heard a sermon on this subject right after I started to go to church again but in a different church denomination, I became intrigued.
After arriving at the bookstore I found that there were quite a lot of books written on the subject of the second coming of Jesus and the great tribulation period. One book stood out to me above all the rest as I scanned the titles, so I took it off the shelf and read the description on the back. The title read something like “The Church Will Go Through The Great Tribulation”. I held the book in my hand as I read the other titles. After I few moments I realized that there was not one other book that said the same thing. In fact, they ALL said that the church would NOT go through the great tribulation period which was the exact opposite of what the title of the book in my hand said.
So being a young brand new Christian, I came to the conclusion that the MANY must be RIGHT and the ONE lone book must be WRONG. I then purchased one or two of the books that taught the pre-tribulation view of the rapture. And through the years I bought many more books that taught the same “DOCTRINE” of the pre-tribulation view. All the churches I attended through the years taught this SAME viewpoint, so for many years, this is what I came to believe was the truth of God's word.
BUT one day the Holy Spirit brought to my attention certain verses that seemed to CONTRADICT this teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. I dismissed it at first because I was still relatively a new Christian and I was just learning to recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit. And the more and more I read the word of God for myself it became crystal clear to me that the DOCTRINE that I had been taught about the pre-tribulation view was NOT the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God. So in the case or instance concerning church doctrine the majority rules theory was not the case.
Even before I was saved and trying to figure out what church was the true church I asked God, who is now my heavenly Father, to show me the TRUTH and to give me wisdom and understanding. And the Holy Spirit has led me into all truth since that very day I asked. The first thing God showed me was it was not his will for there to be division. Then one of the first church doctrines God showed me was in ERROR was in this area that I asked to understand about the rapture of the church. If you would like to have a deeper understanding of the WHOLE word of God on this subject of the second coming of Jesus, the rapture of the church and the great tribulation, then please read the following studies:
“THE GREAT TRIBULATION”, “THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS” and the study entitled “RAPTURE: ONE TAKEN AND ONE LEFT”. I have many studies on this subject. It is not a matter of salvation necessarily but I believe it is always BEST to know the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God concerning every church doctrine.
The point I am trying to make here is that just because the MAJORITY of Christians believe and teach a certain doctrine does not necessarily make it the truth. You see if I had just LISTENED to the Holy Spirit at the very beginning I would have chosen the very first book that stood out above all the rest that day many years ago in the bookstore. And I would not have been deceived into believing the FALSE doctrine of the pre-tribulation point of view. But because I knew that the MAJORITY of Christians in the church denomination I was attending believe this way, I just assumed they were correct. And thus I also came to believe it also, because I did not go to the word of God for myself and check to see if what I was being taught was the TRUTH, the WHOLE TRUTH, and NOTHING but the TRUTH.
I can not stress enough on this area of studying God's word for yourself to PROVE to yourself what is that perfect will of God. This is the ONLY way that we as believers will come to the UNITY of faith and ALL SPEAK the SAME THING. It is alright “agree to disagree” for a period of time so that the one you do not agree with on a certain area can come to the knowledge of the TRUTH and come into UNITY of faith where you believe the SAME thing and therefore teach or SPEAK the SAME thing from here on out.
God desires us all to be in AGREEMENT and to speak and teach the SAME thing. This UNITY begins in the family and then spreads to the entire body of Christ, the church, as families come together and share their faith one with another. Then as more and more resolve their differences the UNITY becomes stronger and the Gospel of our Lord is spread more EFFICIENTLY and more effectively.
Now let's take a closer look at the word ONE. Obviously, as we have already seen that man and wife do NOT become ONE person, but rather the phrase “become ONE” means that they AGREE as one.
In the Greek, this word is “heis” or a variation of this Greek word and it means one, single, or AGREE as ONE. This word that is mostly translated as ONE is used in many references to try and prove that Jesus is God Almighty and ONE with his Father, as in, being one and the self-same being or one and the self-same God. Now I am not going to cover all of these Scriptures here, because I have already done so in several other studies combined together. I will list them in a moment.
You may be one, who just like me, was taught all your life that Jesus is God, where Jesus is FULLY God and yet FULLY man at the SAME time, and that Almighty God, the Father and his Son, Jesus, are EQUAL in every way where neither is less than or greater than the other. Well, we were taught INCORRECTLY. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the SON of God and the Son of MAN, but nowhere does any verse directly say that Jesus IS Almighty God himself. Please read the following studies that take the WHOLE word of God into consideration and NOT just a few isolated verses of Scripture out of context to TRY and prove that Jesus was 100% God and 100% man at the same time while he was on the earth, where neither is greater than or less than the other as the DOCTRINE of the Trinity FALSELY states.
“THERE IS BUT ONE GOD”, “OUR GOD IS ONE!”, “JESUS THE SON OF MAN”, “JESUS THE CHRIST”, “JESUS OUR FELLOW SERVANT”, “THE DEITY OF JESUS AND THE TRINITY”, and “DID JESUS CREATE ALL THINGS?” for a deeper understanding of what the Bible actually teaches.
But for now let us look at the word ONE in 1 John 5:7,8 which says.
“For there are THREE that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these THREE are ONE.
8. And there are THREE that bear witness in the earth, the SPIRIT, and the WATER, and the BLOOD: and these THREE AGREE as ONE.”
Now in BOTH of these verses, the SAME Greek word “heis” or "hen" is used, but in the first verse it is translated as “are ONE” and in the next verse that follows the same Greek word is translated as AGREE as ONE. We know without a doubt that the spirit, water, and blood are not one and the same SUBSTANCE. And many of us, through the same type of logic, find it very difficult to believe what we were TAUGHT about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as being one and the same being or substance, particularly when we read the verse of where Jesus is praying to the Father as well as other verses like them. They seem confusing and seem to contradict what we were TAUGHT about Jesus being God, FULLY God and fully man at the SAME time.
In other words, when some of us read verses in the Bible, where some verses stand out to us, and we can clearly see that they CONTRADICT what many of us were TAUGHT by the DOCTRINE of the trinity. That states that God the Father, his Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit are EQUAL in every way where NONE is less than or greater than the other. Particularly when we see verses like where Jesus himself says, “the Father is GREATER than I” which does not need any INTERPRETATION to understand that Jesus is SUBJECT to the Father. Then there are other verses where Almighty God the Father KNOWS the day and the hour, but Jesus, at the same time his Son, who is supposed to be EQUAL with the Father in EVERY way, does NOT KNOW the day or the hour. Please see the study called “37 FACTS TO PONDER ABOUT JESUS BEING GOD!” which brings out no less than 37 different verses of Scripture that DIRECTLY CONTRADICT the DOCTRINE of the Trinity.
So then, when we ask why this is, we are simply told by those who teach the doctrine of the Trinity, it is a MYSTERY, and that God's ways are not our way, and that God's ways are past finding out. We are told that the secret things belong unto God, and that it is not meant for us to understand everything, but that we have to accept some things by faith. Now all of these so-called “answers” are backed by Scriptures BUT they have all been taken out of CONTEXT and used to teach something that is NOT the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. The fact is that those who SAY that God does not want us to come to the knowledge of the truth or that we cannot understand God’s word without knowing Greek or Hebrew is an outright lie of the devil.
Please read 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 for yourself, but for now, I will only quote verses 12-14 which says.
“Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit of God; (WHY?) that we may KNOW the things that are freely given to us of God.
13. Which things we also speak, not in the words which MAN'S wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; COMPARING spiritual things with spiritual.
14. But the NATURAL man receives not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned.”
When one begins to COMPARE Scripture with Scripture and takes into consideration the WHOLE word of God, then it becomes obvious that many of the things that we were TAUGHT all our lives are simply NOT what the WHOLE word of God teaches. The reason why there are so many DIVISIONS among the church is that few Christians have taken the time to search the word of TRUTH for themselves to see if what they are being TAUGHT is, in fact, the TRUTH of God's word.
Some may argue, “So does it really matter what we believe, as long as we agree on the point that Jesus died for our sins?” To me the TRUTH MATTERS. Why else would the word of God teach us so much about so many different things? Why write the Bible at all? Why not just send us a note, saying, if you believe in Jesus and you will be saved. Why do any of the things we are taught in Christianity matter if the TRUTH does not matter? Why say be baptized if it does not matter. Why obey the commandments of God if it does not matter. You may not be aware but there are some Christians who teach that it does not matter if a Christian sins or even lives in sin because they cannot lose their salvation no matter what they do or do not do.
No, the TRUTH does MATTER and that is the reason I have this website to share the TRUTH of the WHOLE MATTER, the WHOLE word of God, which the Holy Spirit has revealed to me. The word of God WARNS us that if we die while living in sin we will not receive eternal life in the world to come. So please read the study “IS ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL?”. There is no doubt in my mind that we MUST obey the MORAL commandments of God if we want to receive eternal life in the world to come. But then, there are other Christians who have gone to the other extreme who dogmatically demand that we must keep the Law of Moses written in the Torah or the Old Testament under the old covenant. Both extremes are false teachings and to come to the knowledge of the TRUTH, we must keep ALL the verses in view. In other words, if even one verse contradicts what we have come to believe then what we have come to believe is NOT what the WHOLE word of God teaches.
Now, if you saw and knew how many people turn AWAY from serving God JUST because of the DOCTRINE of the Trinity that is FORCED down their throat, so to speak, bringing FEAR to them by THREATENING them that IF they do NOT believe that God is a TRINITY and the Jesus IS FULLY God in every way, then they will be LOST for all eternity then you would see that the truth matters. If you knew HOW MANY will NOT even give God a chance, BECAUSE of this DOCTRINE of the TRINITY, then you would be more COMPASSIONATE yourself and take a CLOSER look at this FALSE teaching in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of God for YOURSELF, in an HONEST effort, to know the TRUTH, the WHOLE TRUTH, and NOTHING but the TRUTH.
You see, for some, not knowing that they are going to go through the entire period of great tribulation may be the breaking point of their faith. When they find themselves in the middle of the great tribulation being TAUGHT that they would NOT have to endure this time of great tribulation, but would rather ESCAPE this time by way of the PRE-tribulation RAPTURE. They may begin to think within themselves that they were LIED to by the church because they were falsely taught that they would escape the great tribulation period that they now find themselves to be in the middle. And then finding themselves surrounded by the confusion they may throw in the towel, so to speak, and give up walking with Jesus. They may conclude or reason in themselves, If I was LIED to about this, then perhaps none of what I have been TAUGHT is the truth.
Do you think that it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to have been TAUGHT something that is FALSE? Do you think yourself ABOVE ever being DECEIVED by FALSE teaching? Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE without ANY DOUBT that EVERYTHING that you have been TAUGHT is the ABSOLUTE TRUTH? Do you NOW see how the TRUTH MATTERS? It is better to find out now before it is too late. I mean it is better to know now about the false teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture so that you can calmly process everything and search the word for yourself, rather than suddenly finding that you were taught a lie and have to make a decision on the spot.
God desires us ALL to speak the SAME thing. Again the only way to do this is for us to LAY ASIDE what we have been taught and to search the word of God for ourselves. Every study that I have done, I have THOROUGHLY searched the WHOLE word of God, taking into consideration ALL of the arguments from BOTH sides of each and every CONTROVERSIAL doctrine or teaching that I have come across, because the TRUTH MATTERS. We may not fully understand the whole reason why, but merely for the sake of UNITY, we all should speak the SAME THING.
The reason why I am so adamant about the TRUTH that Jesus was 100% MAN, 100% flesh and blood, the SAME as you and I, is to give us the strength to overcome sin in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had to do. Some Christians have no idea that Jesus could do NOTHING of himself and that it was the Eternal Spirit DWELLING IN him who did the works men saw Jesus do. They do not understand that Jesus overcame sin THROUGH the eternal Spirit. So Christians make excuses about their sinning and say that ONLY Jesus can live without sin. Please read the study entitled “HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE FREE FROM SIN” for a deeper understanding of my heart on this matter.
Jesus was not ONE with the Father as being ONE and the SAME with Almighty God as many of us have been taught, but rather Jesus AGREED as ONE with his Father.
Most of us have heard preachers and teachers of God's word quote John 10:30 where Jesus is speaking and says.
“I and my Father are ONE.”
Then they go on to teach that the BIBLE says that Jesus is God. Does not this verse say that Jesus and the Father are ONE? Then they TELL you what this verse means. That is to say, they give you THEIR INTERPRETATION of this verse according to what their church denomination dogmatically teaches that is mean.
Well, obviously this verse does SEEM to IMPLY that Jesus is ONE with the Father IF you do not take in CONSIDERATION the REST of the word of God. First of all the word translated here as ONE is the same Greek word “heis” or “hen” that may ALSO be translated as AGREE as ONE. So this verse could read equally true as “I and my Father AGREE as ONE.”
Not convinced? Then please continue reading if you indeed desire to know the TRUTH.
Take a close look at the SAME writer a few chapters later in John 17: 20-22 which reads.
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them ALSO which shall BELIEVE on me through their word;
21. That they ALL (Every believer) may be ONE; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they ALSO may be ONE in us: (Why?) that the WORLD may believe that you have sent me.
22. And the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be ONE, EVEN as WE ARE ONE.”
This is referring to being made ONE with God Almighty, the Father and his Son Jesus, right now here on the earth and not someday in heaven. The word ONE here is again the same Greek word “heis” that is also translated as AGREE AS ONE. So either we are ONE and the SAME as God Almighty or we have been taught INCORRECTLY that Jesus is God Almighty on the basis that a few Scriptures have been taken out of CONTEXT or have been MISINTERPRETED. This is not the only Scripture that has been misrepresented to say that Jesus is God. Please read the study entitled “THERE IS BUT ONE GOD” first, then read the other studies I listed above to come to the knowledge of the TRUTH on this subject.
Proverbs 18:12,13 says.
“Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.
13. He that ANSWERS a matter BEFORE he hears it, (The WHOLE MATTER) it is folly and shame unto him.”
Sometimes we have to swallow our pride by admitting to ourselves that just maybe, even though we THINK and BELIEVE we were TAUGHT the truth, it could be possible that we were taught incorrectly. Sometimes we FOCUS only on the ONE side that we do not TRULY consider what the other side in teaching. So you have a CHOICE, you can remain prideful and haughty and continue teaching FALSE DOCTRINE and receive the reward of that false teaching, or you can HUMBLE yourself and CONSIDER the WHOLE MATTER before you answer or judge a matter as being the truth or error.
Nonetheless, God desires us ALL to SPEAK the SAME thing. Now I do not know about you, but as for me and my house we are going to SPEAK and TEACH what the WHOLE word of God teaches and not the doctrines and TRADITIONS of man, who just merely REPEAT what they have been taught by others, who have just REPEATED what they were taught, and so forth and so on, without anyone ever TRULY going to the word of God to find out what the Bible actually does teach. Yes, they studied every detail of the ONE SIDE but that is NOT testing everything to truly consider the WHOLE word of God. If we are ever going to come into the UNITY of FAITH, then we must all become like the men of Berea spoken of in the book of Acts and search the word daily to see if what we are being taught is the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God.
Do you even know what the other side teaches? I mean have you TRULY tried to UNDERSTAND WHY the other side teaches what they teach?
Then how do you KNOW that what you believe is the truth of the WHOLE word of God? WHY does your spouse or brother or sister in the Lord not believe the exact same things that you believe? Often times you will find that BOTH sides are partly correct and that the truth is in the MIDDLE. May I suggest reading the study “HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE?” which gives ways to learn the true meaning of the verses in question.
Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
Once Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even atheists understand the REASON that Yahweh CREATED the Son of MAN, Jesus, was to have DOMINION over the work of Yahweh’s hands.
And after you understand that the REASON that Yahweh did that is to STILL His ENEMIES, Satan and the fallen angels.
Then you can understand that God made His human Son to become “a” Lord, “a” King, and “a” God, under and subject to his God and Father in order to JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels.
For a deeper understanding of this WAR that Lucifer and one third of the angels waged against the throne of Almighty God, please read the studies under the subject category called ** Q-0 Why Are We Here? Is God at WAR? **.
More studies are coming in this SHORTER Biblical Unitarian view of who Jesus is according to the WHOLE word of God.
If you have a PARTICULAR verse of Scripture that you would like to know the sound Biblical Unitarian meaning, then please email me at MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail.com and let me know.
For further and more in-depth studies on this subject of Jesus being created to STILL the enemies of Yahweh, please read the studies called D-25. A NEW LOOK at JOHN 1:1, In the BEGINNING!
And also read the study called D-28. The PRE-ADAMIC LUCIFERIAN FLOOD!
At the top of my homepage, there are subjects or categories which contain compiled lists of ** ALL Studies! ** I have written on that particular subject. So, if a link within a study is broken, then click on ** ALL Studies! ** to find the suggested study.
Or you can scroll down to the MORE dropdown menu list to find those studies as well.
Thanks again for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
And again, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading ** D-0 The BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of Jesus! **
And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading ** C-0 The TRUE FOUNDATION of the Church! **
This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century.
So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
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Always be faithful to share, to preach, and to teach the whole gospel of Jesus Christ!
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