Part of my desire to post again on Steemit is to do just as the title says:
Contend for the Faith.
As many of you know, @papa-pepper, also known as Kevin, is my neighbor. What most of you don't know is that he and his family ended up as my neighbor because he followed me and my family down from Wisconsin to join our lives together in homesteading, home-churching, home-schooling, home-birthing and what ever "home" ing you can think of. We shared, and still do share, many of those same convictions.
However, as many of you know, about a year and a half ago, Kevin started fellowshipping with some other people who post here and else where content that supports a Hebrew Roots/ Torah Observant approach to Christianity. In that time Kevin has decided to follow them and their teachings, though he would undoubtedly contend that he's just following God. Because of this, I and my family have purposefully separated ourselves from fellowshipping with him and his family in hopes that they would see the error of such false teachings and one day be in fellowship with us again. After all, that is why he moved right next to me almost 3 years ago now.
And now, as of late, Kevin has been making his own videos teaching the beliefs of the Hebrew Roots/ Torah Observant cult. I have asked him to meet with me to study and discuss these serious issues. To his credit, he has met with me once in January of 2018 and again just a couple of weeks ago, but had to get going before any resolution or conclusion could be reached. I know he is a busy man, so taking time away from his content creation might be a bit too much to ask for such trifling matters as this (said tongue in cheek, dripping with sarcasm). So I have decided to engage Kevin here, on the very platform he chooses to discuss, or preach, the very teachings I believe are heretical and can subvert the faith of those who hear it. This doesn't mean I'm not open to an occasional visit from my neighbor to study these issues, in fact, I beg him to make it a priority. It really is a matter of life or death, spiritually speaking.
Why take exception to Papa-Pepper and not @mericanhomestead or @dwells or any number of other Hebrew Roots/Torah Observant members of the Steemit community? Because Kevin is my neighbor, literally, and figuratively. I feel a sense of responsibility before God for moving him down here to the Ozarks of Arkansas. He's ultimately accountable for the choices he makes, as am I, but if I know something is being taught that is contrary to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I have any sphere of influence on, then it is my duty to oppose it and proclaim the Truth so His light can shine to all on Steemit and Youtube.
So, without any hatred or animosity towards @papa-pepper, but with love in my heart for him and his family, I meet with him on this platform of his choosing to try and show him, along with all of you, the truth from God's Word. I may fail, I may not get everything right, but at least God will be my witness that I didn't give up without a fight.
Without further ado, part 1 of how many posts it takes...
This is my response to Kevin's latest post:
Oh, where to begin?
I guess, I would first like to point out, just because others in the Faith don't believe what you believe, that doesn't mean they are marginalizing you or dismissing you. It also doesn't mean that they are of "little faith" or even that God wants them to do the same thing He supposedly has shown you to do. That's a lot of assumptions you have made about God and about the "faith" of your Christian brethren.
The underlying message that comes across is that if "they" believe like you believe, then they have great faith. Similarly, if "they" take the same "steps of obedience" that you have taken then they will be ready for "meat." "Meat" being among, but not limited to in your understanding: homeschooling, homechurching, evangelism, no-birth control, and observing the Sabbath according to the Law of Moses.
Both of these conclusions, i.e. small faith and needing milk rather than meat, lack not only humility on your part, but also are not Biblically founded.
The milk and meat passage you eluded to is found in Hebrews 5:12-14
Hebrews 5:12-14 King James Version (KJV)
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The thought doesn't stop there. It goes on into chapter 6 as follows:
Hebrews 6 King James Version (KJV)
6 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
The "milk" is actually the beginning words of Jesus, as found in the Gospels. Part of that Milk is in Repentance "changing one's mind" of Dead works. What is dead works? It is Necros Ergon. The same phrase is seen again in Hebrews 9:14.
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
In context, dead works are man's efforts to make himself righteous by religion. Doing external, carnal (as pertaining to the physical realm) religious activities as opposed to trusting in Jesus by faith.
The "meat", in context, is understanding the depth and breadth of the love of God that we have in Jesus and understanding the mysteries of who we are and what we will be in Jesus. This is my understanding, based on careful study of Hebrews in it's entire context. In fact, the whole letter to the Hebrews was written to warn followers of Jesus not to turn back to the Old Covenant for their justification and righteousness, but to hold fast the confidence they had at first. Falling away from Grace, as Paul said in Galatians, echoes what the author of Hebrews was trying to warn it's recipients about. After beginning with justification by grace through faith, don't turn back to "dead works". Read the serious warning in the next verses in chapter 6.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
The whole letter to the Hebrews proves that Jesus is greater than the Law and the Prophets, Jesus is greater than angels, Jesus is greater than the Levitical priesthood, Jesus is Greater than everything, including sin and death. And if we are in Him, through faith, then we are forgiven of all sins. We are counted as righteous. We are justified. We are adopted and become children of God. We, in Him, become the new temple that the former temple forshadowed. We, in Him, become the new priesthood that the former priesthood forshadowed. We, in Him, become members of God's family, that the nation of Israel forshadowed.
Coming back to the underlying misconception of your video and of your opening statements here on this post, namely that
By implication, if God wants one believer to do something, then perhaps we wants others to as well...
This could be true, but it could also be something you are to keep between yourself and God. By imposing your convictions on others as being legally binding by God, violates the clear teachings of Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8.
It presupposes that:
You discerned good from evil and rightly divided the Word of Truth in the first place. After all, you could be wrong. You may have misunderstood the scope and purpose of the Old Covenant and conflated them with the scope and purpose of the New Covenant.
Also, you may not be "hearing" from God, but rather are hearing your own thoughts, or even worse, demonic spirits. If what you are hearing doesn't line up with the truth of the Gospel, then it's not God who has told you to do what you are doing. After all, Saul thought he was obeying God by having Christians put to death. In fact, Jesus warned in John 16:2 that " They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." A person's convictions, even if based on a misunderstanding of the Torah, doesn't mean those convictions came from God. It could mean those convictions come from a person with a weak faith or a weak conscience. Paul himself was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He understood the Torah better than anyone, or so he thought. In his understanding he persecuted the Church. Why? Because among other things, Christians proclaimed that Jesus was God, and that violated his understanding of the Godhead as revealed in the Torah.
If you are indeed hearing from God, and are rightly dividing the Word of Truth, it doesn't mean that what you are hearing applies to everyone of God's children. Perhaps, it's what God wants you to do, but that doesn't automatically imply, as you suggest, that it's what He wants everyone to do. Once again, Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 makes this clear.
Romans 14 King James Version (KJV)
14 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
and again, at the end of the chapter the Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the Spirit of Christ, The Spirit of God, through Paul says:
22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Is it "sin" to eat meat sacrificed to idols? Yes and no. Not of itself. But if my eating that meat causes a brother who is weaker in the faith (who considers it a "sin" to eat such meat) to stumble, then it becomes sin. What if God told a man to not eat meat sacrificed to idols? He shouldn't eat it. Even if that man didn't actually hear from God, but had a conviction about it, HE SHOULDN'T EAT IT.
What if God told a man that he could eat meat sacrificed to idols? Is he free to eat it whenever and wherever he likes because he has that freedom? No, HE SHOULD'T EAT IT if it causes that first man to stumble.
1 Corinthians 8 King James Version (KJV)
8 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
So, having said all this, I hope you have taken the time to read and comprehend what I am trying to say to you.
If you believe God has told you to homeschool, you better homeschool. If you believe God has told you to evangelize, you better evangelize. If you believe God has told you not use birth control, you better not use birth control. If God has told you to not go into debt, you better not go into debt. If you believe God has told you to observe the Sabbath, then you better observe the Sabbath. However, it doesn't mean that God has told others to do as he has supposedly told you. We must
Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
It doesn't make your brothers and sisters who don't see what you have seen "sinners" and in rebellion towards God. We must show grace to all. For it is too easy to not take a good look at ourselves and forget how much God has shown us and forgiven us.
Which brings me to my last point, which is perhaps the greatest of them all:
If while we were yet sinners, the Messiah who is greater than everything, visible and invisible, chose to humble Himself and became made in the likeness of sinful flesh, what's more, chose to die for ALL of your sins, and then rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. If this Jesus, this Messiah, chose to do all that while you were still his ENEMY, and has made you a child of God, a brother to Him, a co-heir, what makes you trust Him so little with your salvation as to think that He could someday say "depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you." ????? It was never your works that justified you or made you righteous to begin with. It was all because of Him! It was His perfect life that gets completely imputed to you by your trust in Him. He makes you perfect in the Father's eyes. He makes you righteous in the Father's eyes. You are justified if you believe His blood was able to do all that. If you CONTINUE to believe that His blood was and is able to do all that. There is no boasting in your works, on what God has called you to do, as if that makes you anymore righteous in His eyes than another who isn't doing what you are doing. If you think that what you do after salvation somehow trumps what you did before salvation in God's eyes, then you are not trusting in Jesus to save you. Through all the jargon and parsing of words, in the end, if your justification and redemption had nothing to do with your works, only in your belief that God will have mercy on you, a sinner, then your sanctification can not be viewed in any other light.
I hope I'm being as clear as possible.
If Jesus, being omnipotent and omniscient, chose to die for you while you were still his enemy, why would he change his mind about you now that you are his child? As if the sins committed after being born again took Him by surprise. He died for those too!
It all comes down to the new birth. If you are his child, then you are born again. You are born of imperishable seed. You have eternal life now, not just in the future. Eternal life is eternal. You have been born of God. If God's nature is now your nature, you will grow to be more like Him everyday. It's part of the natural life cycle of the new species that He created.
So, food for thought for you. I know you once knew all of this, but others have crept in and have subverted your soul, bewitching you to believe in your own ability to make God happy by your good works, rather than by your simple trust in the finished work of Jesus. This is not good news, because all your righteousness is as filthy rags to God. Jesus' righteousness, however, is the Good News. His righteousness gets accredited to you by your simple faith in Him. Nothing more, nothing less. Adding anything more to that is another gospel. Which is what the author of Hebrews was warning it's recipients about. It's also what Paul was warning the churches in Galatia about. It's also what Paul was warning Timothy about, and the church in Philipi, and the church in Corinth, and the church in Colossea. The false gospel of teaching that you have to maintain your salvation by being observant of the Torah is warned about throughout over half of the New Testament epistles.
That's not taking Paul out of context. That's rightly dividing the Word of Truth. The meat of God is growing in grace, not in self righteousness.
Thanks for Reading!
As Always,
