The Mystery of Protestantism #7

False doctrine of "once saved, always saved"; their finish is only the start!

Fred R. Coulter—September 9, 2017

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services!

With all the trouble that's going on with the hurricanes and things that are taking place, let's come to Isaiah 41 and let's see something very important. When we're all up against such powerful things to take place—such as hurricanes and things beyond our ability to cope with—especially Americans, turn to God. The only problem is with Americans it doesn't last very long. Hopefully God will deal with a good number of people and draw them to Him.

Isaiah 41:8: "'But you, Israel, are My servant…" You put your name there; and we can also apply that to the Church, because Scriptures can have more than one inherent meaning within that particular Scripture.

"…Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, My friend" (v 8). The New Testament says that if you're Christ's then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise!

Verse 9: "Whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from its uttermost parts. And I said to you, 'You are My servant; I have chosen you, and have not cast you away.'"

God intervenes from time to time for the physical children of Israel of the modern ten tribes. Of course, that makes up America, Britain and Europe.

These next few verses are very encouraging, v 10: "Do not fear; for I am with you; be not dismayed…"

• don't get discouraged
• don't get overwhelmed

"…for I am your God. I will strengthen you…" (v 10). Our strength comes from God and His Spirit.

"…yea, [#1]I will help you… [but you have to turn to God] …yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. Behold, all those who were angered against you shall be ashamed and confounded; they shall be as nothing…." (vs 10-11).

Will God do something with North Korea concerning this? We don't know! We'll have to wait and see!

"…And those who strive against you shall perish… [eventually in the end run] …You shall seek them, and shall not find them; men warring against you shall be as nothing, and as a thing of naught, for I… [God is personally involved] …the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, '"Do not fear; [#2]I will help you'" (vs 11-13).

I'm sure there are a lot of people crying out to God! It's amazing that 90% of Americans believe in God, but how many really believe God? Do you know the difference between the two? If you believe that there is a God, that's fine! That's good! But it's better to believe Him and what He says!

Verse 14: "'Do not fear, you worm Jacob and men of Israel; [#3]I will help you,' says the LORD and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."

So, with all of these things going on, let's look at the Psalms; do a Google search through the book of psalms for help and helper.

Psalm 10:14: "You have seen it, for You behold mischief and vexation to repay it with Your hand. The poor commits himself to You; You are the Helper of the fatherless."

Sometimes this is the way you have to pray if you have a lot of problems and difficulties come upon you. I'll bet there are a lot of people in the hurricane areas that are doing this:

Psalm 12:1: "Help, O LORD, for the Godly man ceases; for the faithful disappear from among the children of men." Look how many are turning their backs on God!

Psalm 30:10: "Hear, O LORD, and be gracious unto me; LORD, be my helper.' You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have torn off my sackcloth and have clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever" (vs 10-12).

I still use a small concordance and they have a whole page of help and helper that you can come to. Psa. 56 is a good Psalm to read when you're confronted with problems or difficulties that are hard for you to handle. We're all going to have those come along; that's just the way life is, especially today.

Psalm 56:1: "Be gracious unto me, O God, for man would swallow me up; fighting all the day, he oppresses me. Those who lie in wait for me would trample me, for many are those who proudly fight against me. When I am afraid, I will trust in You" (vs 1-3).

How does God know that we believe Him and will trust Him unless we have circumstances where we need to? We're going to talk a little bit about one of the great errors of Protestantism.

Verse 4: "In God I will praise His Word; in God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" That's really a good Psalm; think about it. What can anyone do to you if you belong to God and have the Spirit of God, and He's going to resurrect you in the first resurrection? What did Jesus say about that? Don't fear the one who is able to kill the body, but fear the One Who is able to kill the body and the life! That's God!

Verse 5: "All day long they pervert my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil." This is a prophecy of what Jesus had to go through. Think about that for a minute.

Jesus—God in the flesh—understood all men, could read minds, could understand their thoughts at any time. I'm sure He didn't use that power all the time, but He could. That's what they were. Read how the scribes and Pharisees were against Him.

Verse 6: "They stir up strife; they hide themselves; they watch my steps as they wait for my soul. Because of iniquity cast them out. In Your anger cast down the people, O God. You number my wanderings, O put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will be turned back. This I know because God is for me" (vs 6-9).

Now, a little something here that's important. For God to be for you, you have to be on His side. There are times when God will help, even though you're not on His side, because like with the circumstances we're seeing today with the people in American and the hurricanes and things, there are a lot of people saying, 'I'm praying for you. I'm praying to God.'

Isn't it interesting that with this, there's not a lot of killing and stealing—not a lot of crime going on—even though the opportunity is there. I'm sure God will notice that.

Verse 10: "In God—I will praise His Word; in the LORD—I will praise His Word. In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Your vows are upon me, O God; I will give thank offerings to You, for You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living?" (vs 10-13).

That shows the whole process of how we go through these things.

(break)

I was watching Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) so that I can know what the Protestants do and say. How is it that they can read so much of the Bible but be so wrong! This man was a good speaker and was very convincing. He talked about the sacrifice of Christ and what Christ had done and what He went through. We are to believe in Him, repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior.

All of that is true! Then he said that 'if you pray this prayer right now: Lord, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe He died for my sins; I repent of my sins…'—there are a few other words that are added to it—'then you are changed; you are now a new person.' Then he also said something else and talked about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and what He said on the cross; and most Protestants believe this.

John 19:30 is why Protestants believe that if you do just what I said that you are saved, and once saved, always saved.

John 19:30: "And so, when Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, 'It is finished.'…. [So, they tell the new believe that everything is all done, there's nothing you really have to do.] …And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit." Is that true?

Let's look at something else, v 28: "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had now been finished…" Everything on this day of crucifixion was all planned out, prophesied in the Old Testament, talked about by Jesus, and Jesus knew that it was finished.

"…so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst.'" (v 28). Then they gave Him the vinegar and He bowed His head and said, "…'It's finished.'…." Did that really finish it? Let's do an analogy. Is this a start, or is this the finishing?

John 17:1: "Jesus spoke these words, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your own Son, so that Your Son may also glorify You; since You have given Him authority over all flesh, in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. For this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God…'" (vs 1-3).

Why did Jesus say that? Jesus was God in the flesh! But having human nature, was He really God? Completely as the Father? No! He had to divest Himself to become a human being. This is a true statement. That's why if you compare that with Matt. 19, the rich man came to Jesus and said, 'Good Master, what should I do to inherit eternal life?' Why do you call Me good? There is only one good and that is God!

Remember, this is Jesus' final prayer, v 4: "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You gave Me to do"—so He got up from his prayer and left and wasn't crucified; if finishing means ending the whole mission of Christ!.

This applies to his ministry. You read in Mark: The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What did Jesus say of Himself concerning beginning. He says that He's the ending; He's the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega. So, if the Gospel had a beginning, this prayer is the finishing of His preaching the Gospel. So, He finished that.

The Greek word for finish is 'teleo' or 'telio'—to perfect. They're all closely related and also 'telos'—the Greek stem 'tel.'

John 4:32: "And He said to them, 'I have meat to eat that you are not aware of.'" What is that? That's the work ahead! The "meat"—the food—was the spiritual power coming from God. Don't we have a song that says, 'O taste and see that the Lord is good'? How are you going to taste the Lord? It's symbolic! Here this is a very driving force here in this case of what He needed to do.

Verse 33: "Then the disciples said to one another, 'Did anyone bring Him something to eat?' Jesus said to them, 'My meat is to do the will of Him Who sent Me… [that's the Father] …and to finish His work'" (vs 33-34).

What did Jesus tell John? Lift up your eyes and look, there's still a lot of work to do! (v 35). At this point He was just beginning His ministry. Remember, 'telio' is to perfect.

John 17:21: "That they all may be one, even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, in order that the world may believe that You did send Me. And I have given them the glory that You gave to Me, in order that they may be one, in the same way that We are one" (vs 21-22). Here's quite a prophetic statement!

Verse 23: "I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected…"—same stem as finished. So, when the Protestants do this little prayer and say it's all finished and there's nothing more to do, they lie!

Let's look at it in a couple of ways; "…be perfected into one…" (v 23). You can take this and add a whole lo of other Scriptures about what it means to be perfected.

When we go through life in the flesh, and everything we go through, that's part of being perfected. Just like little children when they start walking; they take two steps and you pick them off the floor and say that it's all done and you can sit in a chair the rest of your life. There's nothing more to do, you've taken two steps and it's all done.

Let's draw another analogy. You were looking for a brand new house and here comes the salesman, the realtor, and says he's got the perfect one for you. He describes it for you, and he says, 'I'm going to take you out and show you your new house.' You get in the car and you drive out there, and he takes you to a place and here's a big slab on the ground. You look at that and ask, 'What is this?' That's your new house. 'Where's the house?' It's finished! 'Are you nuts?'

The great deception of Protestantism is that's just bringing them to the start, not the finish. Remember the proverb about counting the cost (Luke 14); how you have to dedicate yourself to God above everybody else, even above father, mother, brother, sister, and you have to love God more than anything else. Yes, and your own life also! True! Then He gave another analogy with that and said, 'What if a man builds a house and doesn't sit down and count the cost whether he has sufficient to finish it or not? If he doesn't, all that behold him will mock him because he couldn't finish his house. That's Jesus talking about:

• repentance
• baptism
• counting the cost
• growing in grace and knowledge
• overcoming human nature
• overcoming Satan the devil

All of those are compacted into that one statement. Here's how Paul looked at it. Paul and Apollos worked together and Paul said, 'Don't count us as anything, we're just doing the work of God.

1-Corinthians 3:9: "For we are God's fellow workers; and you are God's husbandry, even God's building." We will see that God is building something in us.

Verse 10: "As a wise architect, according to the grace of God that was given to me, I have laid the foundation… [we just talked about a foundation for a new house] …and another is building upon it…."

Apollos teaches and that helps build. What is it that all ministers are to do with the brethren? through God's Spirit? through God's Word? To perfect the building!

Notice that we have our part in it, "…But let each one take heed how he builds upon it. For no one is able to lay any other foundation besides that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ" (vs 10-11).

That little statement that the Protestants have is the foundation. Granted, repentance has to be a whole lot more than they say, but we will say that it was sincere. Then they tell them that it's finished and all done. They don't read this!

Just like if that house with just the foundation, what if you were so excited about it, that you signed a contract to buy it and you didn't read all the fine print: that it has yet to be built, and if you sign this contract they're not going to build it. You see the foundation and ask, 'Where's the house?' Read the contract! We don't have to build it! 'Give me my money back.' No! You agreed to it!

A fraud! That is the mystery of Protestantism!

Verse 12: "Now, if anyone builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or stubble." An analogy of the kind of works that we are to have: gold is the best, silver is next and precious stone. Wood, hay and stubble is going to be burned up!

The work of each one; work is another fraud of Protestantism: you're saved by faith only through grace; no works!

• Have they never read Rev. 2 & 3 where Jesus says to all the churches, 'I know your works'?
• Have they never read what James wrote? 'Faith without works is dead!'

Works perfect—or complete—faith! That's how it works.

Verse 13: "…and the fire shall prove what kind of work each one's is." Fire is the trials that we go through. We also have other trials.

If you build it on the Rock, which is the foundation of Christ, you build your house on a Rock (Matt. 7). You complete it. The wind blows, the rain comes, the waters flood and the house stands, because it's on the Rock of Christ.

But in Florida, I wonder if the highest point is 50-feet above sea level, I don't know. They build them right on the sand. There it is and you take no precautions. A hurricane comes and the wind and rain, and the water beats against the house and it falls.

What does that also tell you? A fake conversion!Not once saved always saved and you build it wherever it's most convenient.

In the book of Hebrews there's another one that's very interesting. This also will do away with another false doctrine of the Protestants: once saved you cannot sin! It doesn't matter what you do, you cannot sin. They even say that you have to do good things, but you don't have to have a code of law written down, which means that if you think it's good, it's good. That part where they say that you cannot sin is one of the worst translations in the New Testament (1-John 3).

Hebrews 12:1: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great throng of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight… [that's a problem] …and the sin…"

I thought they couldn't sin. Well, if you've gone over the one we did Rom. 7—Overview of Romans 1-6 & Meanings of "Law" in Romans 7-8—the law of sin and death within us, and the sins we fight now are within. You have ceased doing the sins out here that are sins by actions—maybe not entirely—but the sin:

"…that so easily entraps us… [Who wrote this? Paul!] …and let us run the race set before us with endurance" (v 1).

What happens is that if you say this nice little prayer and now you're saved—once saved always saved—it's like running a race; you get down and get on your mark, get set and go. BAM! You take one step and BOOM! There's a wall right in front of you, and everybody else is running down the track. You ask the one who shot the pistol off for you to go, 'What happened?' Don't worry, you finished the race!

You have to be alert to Protestantism because it's so emotional. They talk so much about the love of God to us. If you watch the Trinity Broadcast Network or any of them—even Charles Stanley, he's one of the best—you're going to see that they talk about Christian living and how much God loves them, but they rarely talk about how you love God back! For years I never watched them. But if I'm going to talk about the mystery of Protestantism I better find out what they're doing. Even Patton said, 'Rommel, I read your book.'

"…race set before us with endurance… [we have to be faithful to the end] …having our minds fixed on Jesus, the Beginner and Finisher of our faith…" (vs 1-2).

The beginning of your faith is all that Protestantism brings to people. You have to have Christ to finish it!

"…Who for the joy that lay ahead of Him endured the cross, although He despised the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Now meditate deeply on Him Who endured such great hostility of sinners against Himself so that you do not become weary…" (vs 2-3).

• of doing well
• in overcoming
• in fighting human nature
• in circumstances around you

"…and faint in your minds" (v 3). Why did Jesus say that 'few will be saved'?

Verse 4: "You have not yet resisted to the point of losing blood in your struggle against sin."

(go to the next track)

Let's see something else that's very important as it relates to being perfect or being perfected.

Matthew 5:48: "Therefore, you shall be perfect, even as your Father Who is in heaven is perfect." Same root 'tel.'

Talking about Christ; Hebrews 5:7: "Who, in the days of His flesh, offered up both prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was able to save Him from death…"

Even Jesus didn't have it easy; He had it very hard and difficult. This tells us that if Christ were not perfect in what He did, living in the flesh He would have died for His own sins. I'm going to watch TBN and see if any of those ministers read these verses.

"…and was heard because He feared God. Although He was a Son, yet, He learned obedience…" (v 8). Isn't that interesting? Protestants say that you don't have to obey the Law!

"…from the things that He suffered; and having been perfected…" (vs 8-9). Stop and think about that! Is God perfect? Yes! God is perfect! Christ was God in the flesh, manifested in the flesh. What did He have to do to become a human being?

Verse 9: "And having been perfected…" What did we read in John 17? We are to be perfected in Christ and the Father!

"…He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him" (v 9). That's a nasty word that I don't think the Protestants like to read.

The book of Ephesians is that goal for us what we are to be perfected to come to. Eph. 2 is very important, because it starts where almost all Protestant sermons begin. That is that you are dealing with people who are new, who have not been converted, even according to their own.

Ephesians 2:1: "Now, you were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air…" (vs 1-2). Satan the devil is deceiving the whole world. You can bring a lot of verses about Satan in here.

"…the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience" (v 2). I think we underestimate the power and persuasion of Satan the devil. He gets you to sin by believing that you are doing good, and that you're going to get a benefit from doing it and he approves it. Does that sound like Gen. 3, that 'you will be like God to decide good and evil for yourself? Aren't you intelligent? Look at you, your wife is so beautiful and you're so strong and handsome. Just think of what you can do.'

Think about the things in the world and how many things that people start to do that sounds good, looks good and they're persuaded to it, but it ends in disaster! We've all done it!

I was shown some things that the rich people spend money on. Example: I didn't realize that in Orlando, Florida, where they have the big Walt Disney World and just down the street from that they have Universal Studios.

• Isn't entertainment a good thing?
• Isn't it nice to be entertained?
• Isn't it nice to laugh?

• You wouldn't want to be a 'worry wart' all your life!
• You never want to be a scrooge!
• Cartoons are fun!

Remember how Walt Disney started out: Mickey Mouse; that's funny. Then what is the process that Satan has used from that time to this? Incrementalism! A little leaven leaves the whole lump! Now Universal Studios has a Harry Potter center. They are even considering certain parts of the Harry Potter books for 'scripture.'

• See where it starts?
• Look where it ends!

It all looks so good! I remember the humor, fun, children, comedy against robbers; sometimes against cops. Remember the movie Puff the Magic Dragon?

• good way to break kids in on drugs
• good way to break them in on following Satan

Puff did good things; he helped children. They even rode him around and he got rid of the 'bad guys.' That's all part of Satan. We need to realized that he presents things and brings things that may be even beneficial and good as a start! Look what it is now, both Universal Studios and Walt Disney are all wrapped up in satanism and wars in outer space.

I remember when we first went to see Star Wars. Took the whole family to see it. We're going home in the car and everybody's all hyped up about Star Wars and everything. I sat there and said, 'That's nothing but a bunch of satanism.' Awe, Dad! Well, isn't it? Yes! Even Darth Vader gets saved! Sound like a false doctrine you've heard?

"…the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience; among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world" (vs 2-3).

Because everything that appears good is not good, it leads you into sin. If you don't believe that, watch two programs: I Almost God Away with It and Forensic Files. Analyze the things that bring this about:

• lying
• cheating
• stealing
• adultery
• idolatry

None of them are keeping the first four commandments:

• have the true God
• have no idols
• don't take God's name in vain
• remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy

Probably most of them broke the fifth commandment: dishonoring father and mother. Now we have a criminal society that you have to have a policeman on every corner to tell people what to do, because you never educate them enough to think right and wrong, good and evil, and to know and understand what to do.

Big corporations today are having to take the people who just graduated from college and bring them in and give them basic classes on how to think! This is the world, no wonder we have Protestantism like it is; no work involved.

Verse 4: "But God, Who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses…" (vs 4-5). When did you first cry out to God? When you were deep in sin!

"…has made us alive together with Christ. (For you have been saved by grace.)" (v 5). The Protestants don't even understand grace. Grace is the whole relationship between you and God.

God has given you permission to pray directly to Him. God has given you His Holy Spirit by grace. God has a great and fantastic plan for everyone whom He is calling so that we likewise can be perfected, as Jesus said, and enter into the Kingdom of God and live as sons and daughters of God forever!

Solomon said, 'Even if you live a thousand years twice told, you have everything you want and then you die, compared to eternity what's that?' Vanity! You've accomplished nothing! So, grace and the forgiveness is the start, and then the grace grows—we're to grow in grace and knowledge—and you develop a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. You change, grow and overcome (Heb. 12).

Verse 6: "And He has raised us up together…" He hadn't yet done this, but this is what is called prophetic perfect. IFwe are faithful, love God and overcome then this will happen.

"…and has caused us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages that are coming… [that's when that will take place; we go over that during the Feast of Tabernacles] …He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith…" (vs 6-8). That one they quote!

"…and this especially is not of your own selves; it is the gift of God, not of works…" (vs 8-9). They quote that a lot; 'if you try to keep the commandments, you're trying to earn your own salvation.' No you're not! You're keeping commandments so you won't sin!

Nothing, nothing, nothing can bring you justification and bring you eternal life except through the grace of God. But we have to keep the commandments of God through grace spiritually speaking!

"…so that no one may boast…. [remember Job, the most righteous man, physically, on the earth—Daniel, Job and Noah] …For we are His workmanship, being created in Christ Jesus unto the good works…" (vs 9-10)—that we are to do:

• love
• faith
• peace
• hope
• commandment-keeping
• Sabbath-keeping

All of those are good works. Are they evil works? No! Why then do the Protestants hate it?

Verse 10: "For we are His workmanship… [Who's workmanship? God's!] …being created in Christ Jesus unto the good works that God ordained beforehand in order that we might walk in them."

Works are necessary, and these are all the good works of God! It's not something that you can do yourself; it must be with God's Spirit in you. Otherwise it isn't good.

Eph. 4:11 is always read to bring authority over the brethren and smash them down, but it doesn't mean that. We are to teach and teach. That's what Jesus is called: Teacher—'didaskalos.'

Ephesians 4:12: "For the perfecting of the saints…" If it's done immediately when you accept Jesus, what perfection is there yet to do?

If it's finished, it's finished! But that is not the finished work of God. He had many things to do to finish. What He's doing now is working with us to develop the character of God, the love of God and the things that we have in our lives to change, to grow, to overcome. That's a lifelong battle! That's why, even though we're still converted, we have the law of sin and death within us, but we have been delivered from it to the extent that:

• with God's Spirit we can overcome it
• with God's Spirit we can put it aside
• with prayer and yielding to God and building the character of God within us we are being perfected

The workmanship of God! If God's Spirit is working in your mind—leading, guiding, molding and helping you—and you have to make the choices, Whose work is that? That's the workmanship of God!

"…for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ; until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect… ['telio'] …man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we no longer be children… [we are to grow up and be mature Christians] …tossed and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men in cunning craftiness, with a view to the systematizing of the error" (vs 12-14).

That's interesting! They were already working on a false Christianity during the time of the apostles. As a matter of fact, that majority of it came out of Alexandria, Egypt.

Note sermon series: Scripturalism vs Judaism. You need to get it and read the book Code of Jewish Law by Ganzfried and Goldman. There were renegade Jewish priests who were exiled by the Maccabees out of the Holy Land to Egypt, and the king of Egypt gave one of the renegade priests a temple in Leontopolis. There he had a religious service that had incense and wine and bread.

You watch a High Mass that the Catholics do and that's where that came from. They were already trying to do these things.

Verse 15: but holding the Truth in love, may in all things grow up into Him Who is the Head, even Christ." We're to become spiritually mature. Then Paul tells you how to do it.

Let's see what Jesus had to do to become human. We have that in the book: From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? In that book we send out a CD with the reading of the whole book, and also all of the sermons from churchathome.org on DVD all at no cost. That's what tithes and offerings are to be used for; to serve the brethren and to preach the Gospel.

Here's what Christ had to do, so don't get yourself into a little pity-party about how hard it is on you and what you have to give up. What did Jesus have to give up:

Philippians 2:5: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God" (vs 5-6). We know through the things that He was and is God.

Verse 7: "But emptied Himself…" That means everything that He was as God, His glory and power, and become a pinpoint of life and be impregnated into the womb of the virgin Mary, and be born as a baby. He also received human nature from His mother. There was no immaculate conception of Mary. That would have been before Christ. That doctrine was so controversial that it took 1800 years for the Catholics to declare that it was a doctrine of the Catholic Church. Nothing like settling the issue right away.

"…and was made in the likeness of men, and took the form of a servant" (v 7)—'doulous' meaning slave.

So, all of those people out there who say that we're descendants of slaves and you owe us this, that and the other, you don't know your history; all people have been slaves. Even here in America there were black slave-masters who had white slaves! Never heard that before, either—have you? There are slaves right now in Muslim lands. There are slaves right now, though they may be paid, working in China in factories. There are slaves in North Korea.

Here in America, all of our slaves are mostly mechanical. Your car is your slave; you go where you want to go. If you didn't have that, a hundred years ago you would have a horse. If you didn't like a horse, and you were smart, you got a horse and carriage. If you were rich you could box it in so you wouldn't have to have the flies, manure and dust get on you when you went to travel. You talk about being spoiled today! Think about it! Think what Christ gave up:

• the throne of God
• the glory of God
• the power of God
• pure love
• no sin

And He took within Him the law of sin and death and never sin. That's how He was perfected. Rom. 8 is what we need for encouragement as far as our overcoming sin is concerned.

Romans 8:1: "Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who are not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." That means being led by the Spirit of God, thinking on the Word of God—using that as a way that you think to run your life.

Verse 2: "Because the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has delivered me from the law of sin and death." The Spirit of God within you gives you the power to overcome sin. You can't do it in the world.

Alcoholics quite drinking, but they go to AA and they load up on candy. They're alcoholics to candy. You need the Spirit of God to do it.

Verse 3: "For what was impossible for the Law… [God's Law] …to do…"

As we're seeing today is that the law (any law) can't make you do anything. You must see the law and agree to obey it. If you don't believe me, the next time there's a policeman on the corner and there's a stop sign on the corner and he's sitting on his motorcycle waiting, you just drive right through the stop sign. He pulls you over and says, 'Didn't you see the stop sign?' Yeah, I saw the sign! 'Why didn't you stop?' I was waiting for the sign to make me stop!

Likewise, you know about the Sabbath, why don't you keep it? I was waiting for God to make me keep the Sabbath! You have to choose. We are delivered from it by using the power of God.

Verse 3: "For what was impossible for the Law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God having sent His own Son in the likeness… [the sameness: 'homoiomati'] …of sinful flesh…"

If it was impossible for Jesus sin, how could He be made in the likeness of sinful flesh? That's another contradiction with Protestantism.

"…and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (v 3). Whose flesh was sin condemned in? Christ's! that's why when we read Heb. 5 He was perfected! Perfected in the flesh because He could have sinned had He chosen to sin, because He had the law of sin and death within Him. It wasn't like as you see a 90% naked man on a cross with nails driven through his hands and feet and little bit of blood dripping out of his side. That's another one of the Protestant and Catholic sins.

Col. 3 talks about overcoming sin. The whole chapter is talking about the workmanship of God, and these are the good works that we are to follow. Isn't it a good work to overcome sin and using the Spirit of God to do so? Ayes, indeed! Then it shows all the things that we need to get rid of:

• lying
• cheating
• stealing
• malice

Colossians 3:12: "Put on then, as the elect of God, Holy and beloved, deep inner affections, kindness, humility, meekness and long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another… [those are good works] …if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so also you should forgive. And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection" (vs 12-14).

That's what God wants to do. He is working with us so that we become a perfect product. Coming from sinful human nature to becoming the sons and daughters of God is a marvelous and fantastic thing.

The Protestants are deluded into thinking that if you just have this simple formula, everything is done. NO! You have just begun! Not done, but begun; it's different! That tells you that their finished product is only the first step!

Scriptural References:

• Isaiah 41:8-14
• Psalm 10:14
• Psalm 12:1
• Psalm 30:10-12
• Psalm 56:1-13
• John 19:30, 28
• John 17:1-4
• John 4:32-34
• John 17:21-23
• 1 Corinthians 3:9-13
• Hebrews 12:1-4
• Matthew 5:48
• Hebrews 5:7-9
• Ephesians 2:1-10
• Ephesians 4:12-15
• Philippians 2:5-7
• Romans 8:1-3
• Colossians 3:12-14

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Matthew 19
• John 4:35
• Luke 14
• Revelation 2; 3
• Matthew 7
• 1 John 3
• Romans 7
• Genesis 3
• Ephesians 4:11

Also referenced:

Sermon Series: Scripturalism vs Judaism

Sermons:

• Overview of Romans 1-6
• Meanings of "Law" in Romans 7-8

Books:

• Code of Jewish Law by Ganzfried and Goldman
• From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? by Fred R. Coulter

FRC: bo

Transcribed: 9/17/17

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