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#5—Adversity Must Produce Apostasy
Fred R. Coulter
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When I'm done with this series, I'm going to give a series on Israel and Judah, and Judah after the coming of Christ. I think we will see embodied in Judaism is at least six of these most believable lies is a basic heart and core teaching of Judaism—which really came as a surprise to me in just analyzing it.
pp 57-58—Satan's Ten Most Believable Lies:
Satan's fifth doctrine is stated in the devil's continuing speech before God as he contemptuously discusses the situation of Job, that righteous servant of God….
We went through that in part four and how that God has blessed them; 'put forth Your hand and touch all that he has and he will curse You to Your face.'
…In other words, no man will face human adversity without crumbling into bitterness and cursing his God.
A lot of people have accepted that lie. A lot of people believe it. If you listen to some of these talk shows, you will see how absolutely bitter people are because of things that have taken place.
What an insult to humanity! Here, our enemy goes a step beyond his fourth doctrine, that no one will serve God except for human rewards. He is now insisting that no one will stay true to his presumed allegiance to a heavenly Father if he must face adverse and distressing circumstances as he lives his life. The absence of gain is one thing; real loss is quite another.
For example: You could lose—as it was with Job—everything that you have. We're going to see here in #6 how God let Satan touch Job, and afflict him with all this sickness and it goes from bad to worse. What does Job's wife say? Curse God and die![transcriber's correction-Job 2:9] Unfortunately, it was his wife; it could have been someone else. That's not to denigrate women and say that women are of that posture more than men, because that is not true. Who were the women who saw the adversity of the crucifixion: Mary Magdalene, Salome and Mary the mother of Jesus—right? They stayed there until the end. All of the apostles left except John; everyone else was gone. So, they fled when there was adversity!
This implies that a man show is overtaken by intolerable reverses and divested of his human resources will forsake the Lord.
You hear people argue this when they find out you don't eat pork. 'Ha! Ha! I've got you now.' What if you were on an island and there was nothing to eat but a pig or a turtle, and if you didn't eat it you would starve to death. What would you do? Would you eat it? and say that God will understand?
If you had faith in God and trusted, you have faith for what you don't have. You don't need any faith to sit in this building. You are here; you have it. But you need faith for what you do not have! The faithful answer would be: 'I would pray and ask God to send me the things to eat that He would want me to eat, because He has commanded me to eat clean foods.' That blows their minds!
He will blame God for his problems. The satanic assertion is that no one will believe in the goodness and love of God no matter what happens to him. God must always prove His love with sunshine and flowers.
Ah-la, Robert Shuller and the Crystal Cathedral!
He must embody it in material substance for it to be real. He must never allow a person to suffer who serves Him, for suffering will produce infidelity.
We're going to see what the Bible has to say about that, and some of the lives of some of the people in the Bible.
The subtle suggestion is, therefore, that the love of God, His grace, and mercy are not real attributes of His being but are only God's patronizing activities.
'There, there, little one….'
They are real only when visible and when producing pleasing and benign circumstances. There is no person, Satan insists, who will remain confident in the love of God because it is an intrinsic part of the nature of God. Rather, he will believe only when that love produces profitable things for him.
That's why to stand up to evil and to get away from evil—as we have had to do a couple of times—doesn't make sense to some people. I had one person write me and tell me, 'Look at all that you're giving up in the Worldwide Church of God.' I said, 'What I'm giving up is not the question. That is NOT the question!' Those who serve Satan are well blessed for serving him; their day is coming!
The evil [devil] insists that the evidence of the love of God is sight, not faith.
Romans 1:16—this is how we are to live, this is what Paul said: "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes—both to the Jew first, and to the Greek. For therein the righteousness of God is revealed from faith unto faith, according as it is written: 'The just shall live by faith'" (vs 16-17).
In other words, unless you believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ you are never going to understand faith, because you have to live by that faith. Faith then becomes a way of life! We are striving for that which is not seen. You're striving for that which you do not have. You don't have to pray for something you have.
Faith has to be exercised now and faith is something you always have to exercise if you're going to be a Christian, regardless of your circumstances, because the blessings that God is going to give you are not necessarily in this world.
Romans 8:23: "And not only that, but even we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, also groan within ourselves, awaiting the sonship—the redemption of our bodies. For by hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is not hope…" (vs 23-24). You can't see that! You can't see what you're going to be like in the resurrection. You can't contemplate the resurrection and living in eternity and why God has to appear to us the way He does, rather than appearing as He is.
"…for why would anyone still be hoping for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we ourselves wait for it with patience" (vs 24-25).
- that is endurance
- that is faith
- that is living by faith
p 58—…The Bible declares that Faith is itself the substance of things hoped for…
It is the substance! It's something you have—totally! You can believe it regardless of the circumstances. That's why it's so important that with a relationship with God we are not in the Church to save ourselves from the Tribulation. That may be a byproduct. We are not in the Church so that we can be blessed because of tithing. We are not in the Church because it's a convenient religion.
- We are in the Church because we love God! regardless of anything else—period!
- We worship and serve God because He is Holy, righteous, merciful, gracious, just—because He is God!
That's what the whole life of Job had to prove. That you take away all these other things that God can give—and He can give them, and He does bless and intervene—take it all away, and Job had to learn that he had to love God! He did it by mouth but didn't do it from the heart until the end. That's why he said, 'I repent in sackcloth and ashes. I abhor myself!'
…Indeed, the Scripture teaches that faith is faith only when it is operating in contrast to our circumstances….
Romans 14:8—here's what we have to do with our lives. This why this whole thing with going out and trying to prove to someone else how righteous you are is so much dribble! And a lot of 'religionists' do that. Here's what it needs to be:
Romans 14:7: "For no one among us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we should live unto the Lord; and if we die, we should die unto the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's" (vs 7-8).
That's why everything else does not matter; it just doesn't matter! The physical things—when you're deprived of them—do cause a little consternation and it's real nice for us to all sit here and shake our heads and agree with it while we're sitting here in the lap of luxury and comfort.
Verse 9: "It is for this very purpose that Christ both died and rose and is living again, so that He might be Lord over both the dead and the living."
Verse 23: "…for everything that is not of faith is sin." That's very powerful! We could almost give four or five sermons starting right there. That's why I continually emphasize why we do the things that we do!
Some people are in the Church to follow a man. If they're not following Christ, following that man won't get you anywhere. Per chance if that man is really following God, he's going to tell you to follow Christ! So therefore, with that proviso then you will be safe.
Hebrews 11—the faith chapter—talks a little bit about some of the saints, and we will see what this faith caused them to do. Hebrews 11:1: "Now, faith is the substance… [the reality] …of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen." That's exactly what faith is. That faith, because it's based on the Spirit of God, is more real than the things that you see. That's what we need to have in the way of faith.
When someone truly says, 'Don't worry, God is going to work it out.' That doesn't mean that it's going to be worked out the way that that person may even think it's going to be worked out. I'll refer back to Esther Grisinger; she would ask, 'Why am I this way? My husband came to church for so long and then he quit.' But she would always say, 'I don't know why, but God is going to work it out.' And God did work it out! Not in the way she thought, or I thought, or any of us thought, but God worked it out!
How was that worked out? Through adversity! Her husband had a stroke and nearly died and was incapacitated. So, here you have a faithful woman with diabetes, blind, in a wheelchair, can't take care of herself; now her husband has a stroke and he nearly dies and is in the hospital. Then they can't afford to pay the hospital so he's got to come home.
Now, what are you going to do with a terrible and horrible situation like that? If you look at the things, which were seen, how can there be a God? So, we all did the best we could. I know that different ones would go every day and help her, and guess what? Lo and behold, her husband was baptized. Finally repented! Then she died! Poor Robert said, 'Oh, why, God?' It was a very simple answer that he finally accepted, which was, 'Robert, she was ready, you weren't.' Then he kept the Passover, came to the Night to be Much Remembered and in 30 days he was gone!
Did God work His purpose in their lives to what He wanted? Yes! Was it all sunshine and flowers? No! It was misery and agony, but all of that is going to be forgotten at the resurrection! God does things in a way that is different than we think. So, the faith that she had, that we had in praying for her, and that God demonstrated to her and to Robert, worked what God wanted! Because God says, 'Blessed are those who die in Christ!'
How long do you think anyone is really going to remember that suffering? How long do you think Esther is going to remember that when she's resurrected with a spirit body and Robert is resurrected with a spirit body?
That's why faith is the substance; it is what you have!
- You can't see it!
- You can't feel it!
- You can't touch it!
But it is faith because you believe in God; because the first thing that you do is believe in God regardless of what the circumstances are.
Verse 2: "For by this kind of faith the elders obtained a good report. By faith we understand that the worlds were created by the Word of God…" (vs 2-3). That is true! Even though they get down to atoms and molecules and parts of atoms and electrons and protons and neutrons, they still don't know what makes things go, but it upholds the entire universe!
"…so that the things that are seen were made from things that are invisible" (v 3). Take that as hope! Take that as faith! By realizing that you see the things that you can see, and that the Word of God made and created that out of the things that do not appear!
Therefore, you can have faith even though you don't see it, even though you don't understand that faith is the substance of the things not seen, just as the things that are seen are the substance of the things that you can hold onto. Exactly the same way.
But notice what faith causes someone to do, v 4: "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain… [Faith made him do the right thing!] (v 5): …By faith Enoch was transported so that he would not look upon death… [v 6]: …Now, without faith it is impossible to please God. For it is mandatory for the one who comes to God to believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Very profound verse. Not what he can get from God, but is seeking God Himself, and then:
Verse 7: "By faith Noah…" built an ark. I wonder what it was like the day that the animals started coming? I wonder what it was like when they were sealed in the ark by God? They were in there how long before it started raining? One week! Seven days! It doesn't record anything of what maybe the sons said. There's even an indication of what is rain at that point. Where's the water? It came! It came and God wiped that old world out! Totally destroyed it!
Verse 8: "By faith Abraham…"—you know the whole story of Abraham.
Now let's see what that faith will motivate us to do in loving God—1-Cor. 13. We know that faith, hope and love abide—the greatest is love. Why? Because you are loving God—Who is God—and that is greater than anything else! That's why!
If you can have all of these blessings that are listed here, gifts or whatever in 1-Corinthians 13:1: "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." Obviously then, excluded from the Kingdom of God!
Verse 2: "If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith…" You have to have something goes beyond faith. You have to have that love of God. When you put that together with what Jesus did, what Jesus went through, with everything that God has done through Jesus Christ, that is absolutely fantastic! That's why we're to love and serve God.
"…so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing" (v 2). You could have a following today. If you had someone going around praying and move this mountain, what would be the next thing that would happen? Everyone would join in and say, 'We're going to follow him around when he moves the next mountain; we're going to have him move one where there's gold and we're going to get it.' I could even think of making a fantastic movie out of that.
Verse 3: "And if I give away all my goods… [helping the homeless] …and if I deliver up my body that I may be burned… [commit suicide] …but do not have love, I have gained nothing."
Covenant House in New York—for teenage runaways—there's a very sanctimonious, pious Catholic priest who runs it and he turned out to be a child molester and homosexual. If you don't have love, it doesn't matter what you do. You could feed all the jillions of poor…. There's a woman in Oakland—'Mother Wright'—started out fine and she would feed the poor. On Thanksgiving she started out feeding a lot of people and it grew and grew, and I think she now in trouble because there's the Mary Wright Foundation. Someone else is going to take it over and use that for some sort of ideological mask to accomplish what they want. That's how good intentions of people can be taken on.
But of all the people I've ever seen feed the poor, she has got to be one of the most sincere that I have ever seen in my life. So, I do not fault her. I would hate to see that whole thing turned in to some sort of political forum like the 'eagle freaks' have now, and things like.
Who else does charity work in San Francisco? The 'Rev.' Cecile Williams—and runs St. Anthony's Kitchen. He does not believe in the divinity of Christ. He got stuck on a radio program once and someone called in and said, 'I understand that you're a Methodist minister.' Yes, that is correct. 'Could you tell me if you believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ?' If he really did, he would have simply said 'Why certainly, I do.' But he said, 'That is not a question to be answered on radio.' Then sleazed all around it and gave his answer that the hope he's trying to bring people is the 'physical goods that he can give to them now.'
He's going to be one of those that is going to be a Matt. 7:21—'Lord, Lord, have we not fed the poor in Your name? Done many wonderful works in Your name? Clapped hands and sung every Sunday? Brought hope to the destitute on the streets?' Because you give all your goods to the poor, give your body to be burned and have not love—the love of God; that you really love God because God is God—it profits nothing!
Verse 4: "Love is patient and is kind; love envies not, does not brag about itself, is not puffed up. Love does not behave disgracefully, does not seek its own things, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…. [regardless of the circumstances] …Love never fails…." (vs 4-8)— God is love! God cannot fail! God is Truth! That's where it's going to be.
Go back and study some of the lives of the prophets. Jeremiah was called as a young man and God said, 'I'm going to send you into people who have foreheads like iron. You're going to suffer, but I will make your forehead like flint. What you do is you do what I tell you to do and speak.' And Jeremiah did!
Jeremiah 25:1: "The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah. It was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; The word which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the people of Jerusalem, saying, 'From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even to this day, that is the twenty-third year, the Word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken to you, speaking again and again. But you have not hearkened'" (vs 1-3). So, he didn't have a very rewarding ministry—did he?
How about Isaiah when he was called? It was in a vision and it was like he was caught up in the seraphim and he saw the altar of God and said, 'I am undone!' Just literally came unglued! God says, 'Speak.' And Isaiah said, 'How can I with uncircumcised lips.' The angel took a coal from the altar and touched his lips and said, 'Speak what I tell you to speak.'
Then how about Ezekiel? Oh man! I don't even want to go through and rehearse what Ezekiel went through. How about Hosea? God says: 'Marry a whore and have children of harlots.' That's what God said! Hosea didn't say, 'Oh, God, I'm righteous, how dare you ask me to do that?' He says, 'I'm going to teach you and those children a lesson, because I've brought up children and they're just like children of whores.'
Sunshine and flowers? Whoa!
p 58—So important was it that this satanic doctrine be refuted that the Lord gave Satan every opportunity to oppress Job to the breaking point, if he could….
p 59—Here is the story of string of personal tragedies that fell upon the life of a servant of God, the equal of which will rarely befall any man. If ever there was a person who would be able to prove from the evidence of his external circumstances that he was the object of Divine hatred…
That's exactly what Job's three friends really said! 'Job, you're getting this because you deserve it.' He said, 'No, I don't deserve it.' And he really didn't deserve it, but he got it anyway.
"…it was the patriarch Job. His world had fallen apart, and he had nothing left but a heap of ashes, a nagging wife and three philosopher "friends" to complicate matters.
What was Job's response? Blessed be the name of the Lord! God has given; God will take away, and the end of the story is that he received twice as much.
p 60—Few of us will be able to resist the temptation to believe Satan's non-faith theology unless we understand the real nature of faith in a Christian sense. The faith of the Christian, his belief in the existence and goodness of God, is not a temporary attitude that he musters from time to time in this life. One's view is childish if he believes that faith is something that he exercises all weekend, knowing he will see the glad fulfillment of his faith of Monday morning. Our faith is not like that. Faith, to the Christian, is a much higher thing, far above the level of ordinary human understanding.
Let's take a look at Paul's life, and even the calling of Paul was a contrary thing. Here was an enemy of God! Persecuting, killing church members, running off trying to get them and drag them before the high priest to be stoned. So, God calls him. I've often wondered how those who had their loved ones die at the hand of Paul felt when they came and heard Paul preach? What a testimony to God! What a testimony to Satan the devil! 'I'm going to take one of your best workmen, Satan, and I'm going to convert him and he's going to knock the socks off of you!'
The Bible doesn't record the argument that went on between Satan and God about Paul. But Jesus tells us that there was an argument between God and Satan over Peter. Jesus said, 'Satan has desired to have you, to sift you as chaff, but I prayed for you that your faith be strengthened.' So, there was a contest there.
Paul was called, and let's see what he was called to do. This totally refutes Satan's doctrine that adversity must produce apostasy. It doesn't have to. Of course, Ananias was a little stunned when the message came from God, 'Ananias, I want you to go to My servant, Saul.' Lord, isn't this the one that is persecuting the Church? 'I have called him, he's a chosen vessel to Me.'
Acts 9:15: "But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for this man is a chosen vessel to Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will show him what great things he must suffer for My name.' Then Ananias went away and came into the house; and after laying his hands on him, he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord has sent me, even Jesus, Who appeared to you on the road in which you came, so that you might receive sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit'" (vs 15-17). What a total, absolute undoing of Satan's instrument! Completely!
Let's see a little bit about the life of Paul. Let's go to 2-Cor. 11. Paul separated the 'good time' Christians. 'Lord, what's in it for me.' God said, 'You're going to suffer!' Did Paul suffer? Yes, he did!
2-Corinthians 11:17: "What I am now saying, I do not speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting." He's saying, 'Look, everyone is running around here boasting. I really don't want to do this, but I'm going to.' That's what he's saying.
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Verse 18: "Since many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast…. [He's trying to just over abound to make them look foolish.] …For since you are so intelligent, you gladly bear with fools…. [what a scathing rebuke of them] …For you bear it if anyone brings you into bondage, if anyone devours you, if anyone takes from you, if anyone exalts himself, if anyone beats you on the face. I speak as though we were under reproach for being weak; but in whatever way anyone else is bold (I speak in foolishness), I also am bold. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am speaking as if I were out of my mind.) So am I, above and beyond measure—in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in imprisonments more frequent, in deaths often. Five times from the Jews I received forty stripes less one" (vs 18-24). That's pretty tough! Have you ever had your back beaten? I'm sure they didn't go 'ticky-tacky-toe' on his back. He was beaten!
Verse 25: "Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I spent in the deep. I have been in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my own race, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the desert, in perils on the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness" (vs 25-27).
This totally disproves Satan's fifth believable lie that adversity must produce apostasy!
Verse 28: "Besides all these things from the world outside, pressing on me daily is the care of all the Churches." He had it tough. The hardest thing we have to do is drive the freeway to get here; in perils of trucks, motorcycles, cars and speedsters.
2-Corinthians 12:7—not only that, he had a physical adversity: "But in order that I might not be exalted by the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to buffet me…"
Not only that, he was ridiculed by his own people. They said, 'Paul's letters are weighty, but his appearance is contemptible!' Paul said that when he wrote Galatians, 'I want you observe how large I have written this with my own hand.' If he had the disease that they suspected he had, he was kind of awful to look at, because it was when the lower eyelid kind of turns down and exposes the eye and it leaves a rather terrible view. I'm sure that some people would have said, 'Surely, God could have called someone better than him! If God is God why didn't He choose someone handsome that we could follow. This sick little ole pip squeak and his letters and he won't let us do anything.' You can almost hear it!
"…so that I might not be exalted. I besought the Lord three times for this, that it might depart from me; but He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you…'" (vs 7-9). There's the key, brethren! In these circumstances, the grace of God is still there. That's what's important, that the grace of God was still with Job:
- though Paul went through everything that he went through
- though all the prophets went through everything that they went through
the grace of God was with them! God is going to prove by the very creation of human beings that He is right, that He is true, and that Satan is absolutely wrong! That's what God is going to prove.
""…for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, most gladly will I boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (v 9). Just the opposite of what we think. Isn't that something?
2-Corinthians 4:3: "But if our Gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are perishing; in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we do not preach our own selves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake" (vs 3-5). How you test whether someone is a minister of God; there it is right there.
Verse 6: "Because it is God Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, Who shined into our hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Now we have this treasure in earthen vessels in order that the supremacy of the power may be of God, and not from us. On every side we are hard pressed, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted…" (vs 6-9). Persecution came against Paul who was the 'rod of persecution' against Christians.
"…but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in our bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For those of us who are living are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then, on the one hand, death is working in us… [he's being sarcastic to the Corinthians again] …and on the other hand, life is working in you. And having the same Spirit of faith, according as it is written, 'I believed, therefore I have spoken,' we also believe; therefore we also speak, knowing that He Who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead shall also raise us through Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the abounding grace may cause the thanksgiving of many to overflow unto the glory of God. For this reason, we do not lose heart…" (vs 9-16). We don't give up!
"…but if our outward man is being brought to decay, yet, the inward man is being renewed day by day" (v 16). That's what faith is to do for us. Not let affliction carry us down and lead to apostasy.
Verse 17: "For the momentary lightness of our tribulation is working out for us an immeasurably greater and everlasting fullness of glory…. [here is the thing that Satan cannot understand]: …while we consider not the things that are seen, but the things that are not seen. For the things that are seen are temporary; but the things that are not seen are eternal" (vs 17-18).
Quite a life that Paul had to go through! You read that and some of the things we go through, we think are tough, but it's not tough at all! By saying that, I'm not asking God to put any of us through anything like Paul went through. I don't want to have to go through that. We don't want to get exalted in our own way here and bring something upon us.
p 60—It is higher…
—this belief in God, this faith in God, this going through adversity—
…because it believes totally in the existence and goodness of God who is above and beyond nature and therefore, "by the very nature of things," must not reveal Himself in nature anymore than He does.
That is a profound statement there. God can only reveal Himself as much as He has because of our limitations.
Exodus 33—after the Israelites sinned and Moses pleaded for them that God wouldn't destroy them. God said he wouldn't destroy them. Exodus 33:18: "And he [Moses] said, 'I beseech You, show me Your glory.' And He said, 'I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.' And He said, 'You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live.'" (vs 18-20). God cannot reveal Himself in nature any more than He has without destroying it. God is spiritual!
To manifest Himself through nature more, God would have to destroy it. So long, then, as we are in a natural work it is not possible for us to prove empirically…
By handling, holding, touching, looking, measuring.
…that our faith is true. Only beyond this life, when we step from nature into super-nature…
From the natural into supernatural
…will we move beyond the need for faith. Until then, faith must be the basis for our very life. In saying, "The just shall live by faith," God means faith will be the very basis of our existence and that will be the case for all of our natural lives.
Quite a profound thing! That's something to think on and meditate on, and maybe even study about. That's why if someone says, 'I would believe there's a God if I could see Him.' Listen, if you could see Him, you would be a grease spot! Do you want that? No!
p 61—Within the order of creation, there are no eyes that can truly behold God's face; there is no heart that can truly appreciate God's love; there is no mind that can comprehend the breadth of God's wisdom. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thought" (Isa. 55:9). Paul declares, "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" (Rom. 11:34).
Tremendous and deep lessons for us to learn—right? Absolutely!
Not while we are in this life will we move beyond the necessity of living by faith. Therefore, so long as we live, we will be vulnerable to the satanic argument that our only course is to despair, that faith in an unseen God is foolish.
That's why people make idols! They do not have the faith to worship God as God, so they must have an idol. I didn't realize it, but Muslims have rosary-type beads, too. Although, I'm sure they're not saying, 'Hail, Mary, mother of God.' But they have their own little rosary beads and whatever they do with them. You have to have those things because you don't have faith in God. That's something! This really opens up a lot to the understanding—doesn't it? It really does!
There is no way that it can ever be different, for there is no way that the supernatural can fully reveal itself within the natural.
That's why there's got to be a new heaven and a new earth. If we're all the sons of God composed of spirit, there must be a new heaven and a new earth, because the physical heaven and earth that we have around us now cannot exist in the presence of that power of spirit. This gets exciting!
God has so constituted nature that it is almost impossible to see the supernatural in it at all, except through the eyes of faith….
…How do we know that God loves us? Is it because of health and strength and wealth and plentiful supply? What is the real evidence of the love of God? On what basis can we still believe in the love of our heavenly Father when we live in the midst of war, poverty, privation, and a multitude of human reverses? What minister of the Gospel has not been asked the question, "If God is love, why is there so much suffering in the world?"
None of them can answer that question, because they don't have faith in God! That narrows things down quite a bit—doesn't it?
pp 61-62—Really now, how do we know that God loves us? The answer is that He reached into nature and made Himself and His love an observable thing in the lives of men. We know that God loves us because Christ came into the world. He lived and died on the cross to save us from our sins. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1-John 4:10).
Now you know why it is such a difficult thing for people to believe in Jesus. If you're not willing to accept Jesus Christ, you're not willing to accept God! That's why Jesus said: John 14:6: "…'I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.'" There is no other way!
Again, "God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8)….
The proof of the love of God in our lives is not sunshine and flowers. It is the historical fact of the death of Jesus Christ and the present indwelling of His Spirit in our lives. The reality of Jesus Christ is what makes it possible to trust God when we are facing the storms of life. Circumstances, to the Christian, having nothing to do with the question of the reality of the love of God. Prosperity, of itself, does not prove that God is for us, and adversity is no final indication that God has forsaken us.
The whole example of Job; quite fantastic—isn't it?
Let's look at some other things concerning this. Not only will we face circumstances, not only will we suffer, and Paul said that he rejoiced to have this suffering. It's interesting in the Greek, the letters 'syn'—which we have for synagogue—it's pronounced soon, which means a coming together. If we 'suffer with Christ' (Rom. 8) it is the 'syn'—the equal, same suffering of Christ. Paul said that he would rather 'glory in that.'
Not only will we have that. No only will we have the things we need to look to, but here is where we need to look when we're coming to understand about the circumstances and the difficulties and, yes, the trials and difficulties that will come upon us. And Jesus was put into such circumstances that what was the last thing that He said before He said, 'Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit'? He said, 'Eli, Eli Lama Sabachthani.' That is 'My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?' To prove to Satan and the world and humanity and everything in God's plan that the adversity and the death of God—though forsaken by the Father—will not stop the plan of God! And will not cause apostasy! That's something!
Hebrews 12:2: "Having our minds fixed on Jesus, the Beginner and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that lay ahead of Him endured the cross, although He despised the shame…" Didn't look at the physical circumstances. He said, 'I could call down 12 legions of angels' just like that—no problem! But He didn't do it.
"…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…" (vs 2-3)—when you and I are going through difficulties. That's when to look to Christ.
"…so that you do not become weary and faint in your minds. You have not yet resisted to the point of losing blood in your struggle against sin. And you have already forgotten the admonition that He addresses to you as to sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord…'" (vs 3-5).
Not only are we going to have circumstances befall us, but we're also going to have the correction of God! Many times it can be taken the wrong way. But God does this because He loves us. That is a manifest declaration of His love to us, by the correction that we receive.
"'…nor grow weary of being reproved by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He severely disciplines every son whom He receives.'…. [Powerful words!] …If you endure chastening, God is dealing with you as a Father with His sons. For who is the son whom the Father does not chasten? But if you are without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then you are bastards and not sons" (vs 5-8)—and therefore, would be fit for the Lake of Fire.
He deals with as sons. 'Now are we the children of God' (1-John 3). The Greek there is 'tekna'—the very offspring. Not the Greek word 'huios'—meaning in general, like the sons of Israel. That could mean any descendant of Israel. We are the 'tekna'—the specific children of God. He 'deals with us as with sons'; that is absolutely tremendous!
Let's see Paul's attitude toward this. As far as physical circumstances, Paul had everything in the world to look forward to—right? Power! The whole thing! He was on Satan's side; he was doing the right thing by cleaning Judaism of this wretched new sect called 'Christians' who follow this 'deceiver and magician' Jesus of Nazareth.
Philippians 3:4: "Though I might also have reason to trust in the flesh. If any other thinks he has cause to trust in the flesh, I have much more: Circumcised on the eighth day; of the race of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; with respect to law, a Pharisee; with respect to zeal, persecuting the Church; with respect to righteousness that is in law, blameless. Yet, the things that were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. But then truly, I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as dung; that I may gain Christ" (vs 4-8). That's exactly what it is!
Verse 9: "And may be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is derived from law, but that righteousness which is by the faith of Christ—the righteousness of God that is based on faith; that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings… [the fellowship, the same] …being conformed to His death" (vs 9-10). He looked forward to the resurrection.
Back to the book—talking about problems, etc:
pp 63-64—…A wrinkled fender may be a "problem" to the person who is driving the automobile, but for the person who operates the body shop, it is an opportunity. Many of our words are really descriptions of our own personal attitudes, rather than objective definitions of our environment.
That's why Paul could rejoice in suffering.
What may be a storm to one person is simply a refreshing rain to another. It, therefore, follows that a hateful and bitter reaction to one's circumstances is quite stupid. A second, considered, analytical look at a pile of rubble may suggest many golden possibilities to the creative mind…
That's why we have recycling. We're trying to look at in a way of the difficulties and problems we have as human beings in trying to attain to the Kingdom of God. God does not promise that it's 'sunshine and roses' all the way.
…if that mind will take a moment for reflection rather than reacting in despair. Contemplation or reaction, what a difference there is between the two! Indeed, one may be Divine and the other satanic. Satan, in his fifth doctrine, implies that man, as a mere human animal, will only react to his circumstances. He suggests that man's response to difficulty will be a instantaneous and negative rather than rational, considerate, and reflective. Satan hopes that all of us will live our lives on the basis of action and reaction rather than reflective thinking….
Then he talks about what we need to do if we have difficulties: Sit back and think about it first. Pray about it first! What's the old story? Count to ten before you open your mouth!
p 65—[talks a little bit about Job and his friends] …He did not curse God to His face, as Satan said he would. He was saved from this by taking time to think about it….
To help develop the right attitude, let sink deeply into your firmest convictions the beautiful definition of God found in Scripture, "God is love" (1-John 4:8).
That's where it needs to be in spite of any of the circumstances you may have, in spite of how discouraged you may think that you are, do not let despair of the circumstances overtake you. Remember that "God is love!" If you know about the circumstances, and if you know about the problems and difficulties, God also knows, because if you have the Spirit of God He is living in you and experiencing that with you.
- Look beyond the circumstances!
- Look beyond that and realize that "God is love!"
p 66—A proper understanding of the love of God will assure us that He is for us no matter what may be our momentary circumstances. Our faith that God is for us is based on a proper estimate of His goodness and the consequent confidence that His promises do not fail. Out with circumstances; up with Scripture!
The devil would bend all of his powers to destroy this faith. He knows that every person who loves God no matter what is confirming the basic fact of the universe, namely that God is just and He is also love. It is utterly important that we remain true to the Lord despite any degree of pain and problems that we may face. Life will, for most of us, be characterized by temporary periods of prosperity and adversity. In good times, we probably can impress an on-looking world with our prosperity as being an evidence of the blessing of God. But our faith will impress people even more if we are strong in the Lord when we are passing through a time of want or even the valley of the shadow of death.
That's the exact kind of faith that the Apostle Paul had.
Romans 8:31: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" We need to think of that! We need to realize that!
- if God is God—which He is
- if God is true—which He is
- if God is love—which He is
- if God is for us, can there be anything against us?
I mean, truly, really? We may have circumstances coming against us; we may have people coming against us, but God is for us! So, how can anything, then, be against us? If we truly would have had that faith—way back when—maybe we could have survived a little better through some of the circumstances.
It's just like when a person is lying, he is testifying to the Truth of God, because the Truth of God states what the Truth is. Can't do anything against the Truth.
Verse 32: "He Who did not spare even His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not also grant us all things together with Him? Who shall bring an accusation against the elect of God? God is the one Who justifies. Who is the one that condemns? It is Christ Who died, but rather, Who is raised again, Who is even now at the right hand of God, and Who is also making intercession for us. What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" (vs 32-35). Paul went through all those—didn't he?
Verse 36: "Accordingly, it is written, 'For Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter.' But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded…" (vs 36-38). This is the kind of persuasion that only comes through the love of God and the Spirit of God in us.
"…that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (vs 38-39)—which proves beyond any shadow of doubt that Satan's fifth doctrine—adversity must produce apostasy—is a lie!
All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in its Original Order, a Faithful Version by Fred R. Coulter
Scriptural References:
- Romans 1:16-17
- Romans 8:23-25
- Romans 14:7-9, 23
- Hebrews 11:1-8
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
- Jeremiah 25:1-3
- Acts 9:15-17
- 2 Corinthians 11:17-28
- 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
- 2 Corinthians 4:3-18
- Exodus 33:18-20
- John 14:6
- Hebrews 12:2-8
- Philippians 3:4-10
- Romans 8:31-39
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Matthew 7:21
- 1 John 3
Also referenced: Book:
Satan's Ten Most Believable Lies by Dave Breese
FRC: bo
Transcribed: 1-27-13
