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CHAPTER SIX - PART ONETHEY SEPARATE THEMSELVES, HAVING NOT THE SPIRIT"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. For there are certain men crept in unawares... Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil...durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally... Beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time... These be they who separate themselves... having not the Spirit." Jude 3-4,9-10,17-19. One of The most glorious, and coveted promises God ever made to mankind is the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the Bible says- "...I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" -John 16:7. "...The prophets have inquired and searched diligently...what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into" -l Peter 1:10-12. "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ...written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of living stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart... But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones was glorious... which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the Spirit he rather glorious?" -2 Corinthians 3:3-8. I witnessed to a certain individual I worked with. I showed him from the scriptures how the gift, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, was for all, as many as the Lord shall call. And yet he remained adamant that he had received the Holy Ghost the moment he believed. I asked him to give me scripture that stated that reasoning. He could not. Rather than give me scripture to defend his beliefs he referred me to a book that he had read. He said that after reading this book he was convinced that he had received the Holy Ghost at the moment he accepted Christ as his personal saviour. Was this book the Bible? No. It was a book written by a man about the Bible. I became so curious as to what this book might of said, that I bought a copy. I just couldn't understand how someone could be so thoroughly discouraged from receiving that glorious experience from God. We will call this author "Mr. B". Although he is very popular, who he is isn't nearly as significant to us as the doctrine his words support. We will take a close look at some of his expressed ideas, and then we will look at how his words line up to certain expressed scriptures. It is necessary that we give specific quotes so that our students can learn to recognize just how subtily the Bible can be distorted. The reason we have chosen this particular author is because his writings typify a very prevalent attitude. QUOTE # 6.1 -
" If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?...If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" -Luke 11:9-13. "...He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also...And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do...If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do...If ye love me, keep my commandments. and I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter... Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him..." -John 14:12-17. "But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive..." -John 7:39. "...Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?..." -Romans 10:13-14. "...But wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of me, For... ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" -Acts 1:4-5. "...To the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful... We...first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession..." -Ephesians 1:1,12-14. "...The Holy Ghost... God hath given to them that obey Him... -Acts 5:32. "...Unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans...thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire (...He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire...Matt.3:11), that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment (...Arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Rev.19:8, ..The Spirit is life because of righteousness... Rom.8:10), that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear... I stand at the door and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him (I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you... the Comforter...is the Holy Ghost...in my name...John 14:18,26), and will sup with him, and he with me" -Revelation 3:14-20. "...The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence (To force, to crowd oneself into, to be seized- Strong's Concordance), and the violent take it by force" -Matt. 11:12. And- "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it" -Luke 16:16. "...Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." Matt. 6:33. ("For the kingdom of God is...righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" -Romans 14:17. "Strive to enter in (the kingdom of God) at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able" -Luke 13:24 "Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest (With stammering lips and another tongue...He said, this is the rest...Is.28:11-12), lest any man fall...of unbelief... For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling (...seek the Lord...feel after Him, and find Him...Acts 17:27)... Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" -Heb. 4:11-16. "...Unto the church of the Thessalonians...knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance..." -1 Thess. 1:1,4-5. "...Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them... When they believed... concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized... Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet He was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost" -Acts 8:5-17. End of Chapter Six, Part One. To Be Continued in Part Two. Bibliography for The Commandments of God, and the Traditions of Men Bible Study Tom Raddatz
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