Why There Is Division? Foundational Problems
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Failure To Understand The Will Of God, And What He is actually Doing Today
Today, many do not understand how to “study” the Word of God, they do not see that even though God does not “change (Mal.3:6),” His dealings with man has changed. And God has written unto man His will at different times throughout time. And we must know where and when God dispensed different commands, and His Grace and Mercy unto man in His Word. By “rightly dividing the word of truth,” we will understand that all of God’s Word is “truth,” but we must understand, and appreciate ‘to whom’ God is now being Gracious by His Word. And in the verses above, Hymenaeus and Philetus were preaching from the Word of truth, but “erred” because they taught contrary to what God was doing at that time. The church assumes God is working in a way that we can see, and his workings are shown among us, and his love is shown in our physical circumstances, (even though many will say they don’t believe this way) and His power, His word, and love is made manifest ‘for’ our “outward man” (flesh) to benefit, or to be “blessed” with. mankind assumes that God’s thinking, the way that God loves, and God’s will is in line with what we love, how we think, and what we want to make our life more ‘goodly’ in our sight.
Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Gal 4:10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Viewing God’s Word With A “Carnal” Preconceived Thinking About What God Is Actually Saying In His Word
Oftentimes, many read God’s Word with a ‘carnal preconceived’ understanding, and this comes from the lusts of their flesh, and their carnal mind. When they read about what we have in Christ, they assume that they will physically see, and their flesh will physically benefit from God’s Grace. One of the main reasons why the Church is not of the same mind is that of their carnal discerning of God’s word of Truth. And when they look at God’s word of truth, they place an “carnal” application upon His word, when they see words like “grace,” “love,” “life,” and many other words; they assume the things that are written are written for our “outward man” to benefit from, but this is not the case, God’s word works ‘through,’ and ‘for’ our “inward man” only, we must have the desire to be educated, and to live unto Him by His will, not our will. The bottom line is that man places the emphasis upon his flesh, when it comes to what God is actually doing today.
Failure To Understand The Dispensation Of Gentile Grace That We Live In Today
Rom 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Rom 11:12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
Rom 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
When the “middle wall of partition” was to be broken down between both Jew and Gentile according to scripture, it was to be by Israel’s rise, and Israel’s kingdom being established, but this was not the case, the middle wall of partition was broken down, through their fall, and Israel’s kingdom promise was temporarily set aside, and then Paul was saved, and sent to the unsaved Jew first, and then to the unsaved Gentile, and he would establish those justified saints in the doctrine of sanctification, he was not offering the earthly kingdom that pertains to Israel at no time in his ministry. The “Little Flock,” (the justified Israelites in Christ) would live their lives unto Him by the Spirit of truth; which is the word of God, knowing, and understanding God’s dispensational change.
Understanding And Appreciating That Context Trumps Our Thinking
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Many feel that God’s word needs our deciphering of His word of truth; or that His word is written in code, and only the ‘wise mind’ can ‘break down’ what God is ‘really saying.’ Many feel that God’s word needs our poor understanding of the Greek, and Hebrew text, or that they could possibly translate the text better than the king James translators, even though they themselves do not have a proper grasp on the older modern English in which it was written. And the way to “discern” the word of “truth” unto us today, is to compare “Spiritual things with Spiritual,” and we must read the context of the word of God first, instead of seeing a word, and assuming what God is teaching unto us.
The Wisdom Of Men And His Vain Pride
1Co 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
Man has a desire to be “wise,” and to teach his wisdom unto others, he desires vain glory. He will ignore the truth, because his flesh “lusts” after the praise of men, he desires to be celebrated, and to teach his wisdom unto others. The ‘wise of this world’ does not like to be wrong, his ‘faith’ is centered around a ‘preconceived’ system of thinking concerning God’s Word. But his wisdom is not after God’s wisdom, he cannot discern it, but it is after his flesh and Satan:
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Man Confuses Sanctification Verses With Justification Verses
1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Php 1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
Php 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
Man will see a verse, and already have in his mind a preconceived thought process about what God’s word is saying and assume that the verses he reads is talking about justification unto eternal life, or our heavenly vocation. Also, man reads God’s word based upon his own thinking, and understanding of what ‘he thinks’ God’s word is actually saying. For instance, verses that are referring to sanctification unto holiness, are understood by men as how the unsaved are saved from the debt and penalty of sin against them. And as we can see in the verses above, the words “save,” and “salvation” is used, but are referring to salvation from the “wiles of the devil,” and the “fiery darts of the wicked.”
Man Desires To Follow The Traditions Of Man Rather Than God’s Word Of Truth In How To Worship God
Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Col 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Man desires to “heap to themselves teachers,” he goes after what sounds ‘right’ to his ears, and man has more of a desire to attend a Church for personal reasons, rather than to be educated unto the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” by His Word alone. He follows what is popular, and the teaching that caters to the lusts of his flesh (the doctrine of healings, prosperity, and Godly intervention). Man desires to follow his heart and what it loves about this world, and would rather follow what this world says is godly, and how to worship God. Man knows that God’s word says that there should NOT be divisions among us, and that there is only ONE way to believe on Him, and only ONE way to serve Him, but we follow what this world says, and that God sees that there is nothing wrong if everyone has different ‘faiths,’ and ‘beliefs.’ Today, many in Christ serve Him, and live their sanctified lives just like the denominations of this world live their lives unto Him, we have to ask ourselves; ‘where did we learn HOW, and WHEN to serve Him?’ The things that we do; did we read this in His Word alone? Or do we do as today’s Church instruct the members of the Body of Christ, and how the rest of the world follows after the traditions of men and not after the Word of truth?
He Has A “Carnal Mind,” He Sees Everything Around Him Today, And Assumes That God ‘Fits In’ To What The “Fashion of this World” Is Doing At That Time
2Co 10:2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2Co 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
2Co 10:7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.
Throughout time, man has “changed the truth of God into a lie,” and man’s ‘good’ is not the ‘Godly good’ of our Father. Man assumes that God loves our accomplishments, our goals, our favorite teams, and that He endeavors to make sure that we have a prosperous ‘blessed day.’ Man will thank God when they achieve their goals, thank God when their team wins, and assume that God is blessing their land and country. And whatever this world embraces as ‘the good’ today, the assumption is that God ‘gets us,’ meaning that He ‘understands us,’ and conforms His love around our way of life.
Man Is “High minded,” And He Assumes That God’s Plan Centers Around The Saint’s Goals
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Today, many people begin, and end their day with the assumption that God is physically guiding their paths throughout the day. They look forward to see what ‘God has planned for them’ that day, but this is not how God works in the life of the Saints. We are to walk with the Spiritual mind by His word daily. But many feel that God has a plan for one Saint, and has another plan for another, but as we can see, God has “dealt to every man the measure of faith.” God would not have us to prefer one person over another, and this is not how He deals with mankind either. And many today feel they are the ‘blessed’ of God, and this is based upon the carnal things they possess of this world, this is how they think the Love of God is shown unto man.
Rod Jones
SUPPLY OF GRACE 
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