From the ministry archive
Repentance and Scripture
Today I would like to hit really hard on the subject of the consequences of keeping the wrong kind of company, and of not forsaking former friends and such who are opposed to our faith in Christ. I'm going to show here what is probably the Bible's most profound and damning example of the admonition of the apostle Paul, which says; "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Cor. 15:33). We know as believers that the event of God sending his Son to the world to die for our sins, along with his subsequent resurrection from the dead to be our mediator to the Father; is the most important and significant thing in the history of the world. It was and is the only way for anyone to be redeemed from sin, and to defeat death by means of obtaining eternal life. [I don't think I need scripture references for these things]. So that tells us that whatever took place after these things that has caused the most injury to the faith of Jesus Christ, has to be the most significant thing for evil that has ever taken place in the earth. So who is it that would have the most influence in damaging the faith of Christ, and overthrowing the faith; not only of the unbelieving, but also of those who already believe? The apostle Peter gave us some sobering specifics on this matter in his second epistle: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of" (II Pet. 2:1,2). There is your answer. It was people who had been born again, but had forsaken the reality of the faith and replaced it with a distortion; and taught that distortion to others who were already in the faith. These were the people who were in the most influential position to cause "the way of truth to be evil spoken of," because they had been in the way of truth before forsaking it for the perversion.
For those who can't grasp the fact that these were born again believers who went back on the true faith, let's continue with Peter's narrative: "Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; CURSED CHILDREN: Which have FORSAKEN THE RIGHT WAY, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness... For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire" (II Pet. 2:14,15,20-22). There it is my friend, plain and simple. These men had certainly experienced the new birth by faith in the death and resurrection of God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ, and had turned away from the pure faith and made a perverted form of it. So then, where are these men specifically found in the scriptures, and what was this perversion that they came up with? Before I show you that let's hear from the beloved apostle John about these same 'false teachers' that Peter wrote of: "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us... Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also" (I Jn. 2:18,19,22,23). Note that John said that these 'antichrists' went out from the apostles and those who followed with them. That means as Peter stated, that they had truly been converted to Christ, but they forsook the right way, as Peter also said. And as John stated, in denying that Jesus is the Christ they made themselves 'antichrists.'
One cannot 'forsake' the right way unless he had been in the right way to begin with, and Peter's narrative made that crystal clear. John also noted that these false teachers were teaching that Jesus was not and is not 'the Christ.' They did not deny the existence of Jesus, but they did deny that he was "the way, the truth, and the life," as Jesus said about himself (Jn. 14:6). Okay, now we can find who these men were, and just how it is that they distorted Jesus and the Gospel of Christ into what the apostle Paul called, "another Jesus... and another Gospel" (II Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:6,7). The following is the first appearance of these men in the new testament writings: "And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question" (Acts 15:1,2). Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch ministering to Gentile believers, and these men "went out from" the apostles and Jewish believers in Jerusalem, to go to Antioch in order to bring the Gentile's under subjection to the ceremonial ordinances of the old testament law. The following is what the apostles in Jerusalem had to say about the matter when Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to resolve the issue: "Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul... For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well" (Acts 15:24,25,28,29). The Gentiles did had never been under the law, and they had been converted to Christ strictly by faith in him, as had the Jews as well; and as the apostle Paul later taught the Gentiles, "And ye are COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:10). Paul in fact wrote these words to Gentile believers who had also been troubled by these same false teachers and their followers, who were trying to bring the Gentiles under dominion to the old testament natural ordinances.
The fact is that Paul warred against the false teachings of these men, and against their aggressive influence on Gentile congregations that he had established in the faith, for the remainder of his ministry; as almost all of his writings bear witness to. Endeavoring to establish his congregations in the pure simplicity of faith in Jesus Christ, and his death and resurrection, he wrote things like the following: "For Christ is the END of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). And this: "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). And again: "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a SHADOW of things to come; but the body [reality] is of Christ" (Col. 2:16,17). The entire old testament was about bringing Israel to Christ, but once Christ had come and manifested the living reality of God, and made it available to one and all; the 'shadow' had to give way to 'the light,' which light was Jesus (Jn. 1:6-10; Gal. 3:24,25). Once Jesus fulfilled the law as he said he would, the old testament format of the law was the same as a prophecy that is fulfilled, which means it is no longer in effect. The new testament is all about faith in Jesus Christ and the resulting empowerment of the divine life and righteousness of his Spirit received thereby (Jn. 7:38,39; Acts 1:4,5,8; Rom. 8:2). To make the faith of Christ about ANYTHING other than FAITH IN CHRIST is to contradict THE FAITH OF CHRIST! Isn't that simple enough? Like as in, "[we] are COMPLETE [by being] in him," as Paul clearly taught the Gentiles. Paul also taught HOW we get 'into Christ,' when he plainly stated; "For by one SPIRIT are we all BAPTIZED into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (I Cor. 12:13). The baptism of the holy Ghost, evidenced by speaking with other tongues, was and is the ONLY experience of faith that puts ANYONE into Christ. That's what the apostle said. That would be the exact same holy Ghost baptism that was received by the first followers of Jesus on the day of Pentecost; which had been promised by both John the Baptist and Jesus (Acts 2:4; Mk. 1:7,8; Acts 1:4,5).
Actually the apostles and Jewish believers continued in many of the customs of the law themselves, but they understood that what they had received from heaven at Pentecost and afterward, was the result of all that Jesus had done; and that it was far superior to the carnal 'shadows' of the law. In other words they loved Jesus more than the customs of the law that had been in place for over thirteen hundred years, and they understood that the Gentiles who had already been baptized with the Spirit into Christ did not need to go backward to the form that only led the way TO Christ. The men who 'went out from' the apostles and Jewish believers, who tried to convince the Gentiles that they couldn't be saved without keeping the carnal ordinances of the law; quickly went astray from their 'first love' of Jesus Christ, and decided that the shadows and symbolic 'works of the law' as Paul called them; were more important to salvation than faith in Jesus Christ. It's that simple. In doing this they ended up reducing Jesus to be no more than one of the prophets of the old testament, and they continued to make the natural ordinances of the law the main event, even as their predecessors of the Pharisees and Saducees who rejected Jesus, did before them (Mat. 23:5,23-28). After all, if Jesus did NOT fulfill the law and become the "one mediator between God and men," then of course the law continues and is still what it's all about (I Tim. 2:5). So the question is, and really the point of this article is, How did these men who had been born again like the other early believers, end up in that perverted state? Simple. They did not let go of their friends who did not convert to Christ, and who were opposed to the faith. This has been a damaging and sometimes fatal error that has been committed by many believers, and I have personally seen it happen to young believers more times than I can count. Jesus was clear on the topic: "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad" (Mat. 12:30). These men who became the first apostates of the faith of Christ, meaning that they blasphemed the holy Ghost; had been born and raised in a nation where the old testament law was what their whole life was about. When Jesus came as the manifest embodiment of that law, those who received him received everything that the law was pointing to and representing, namely HIM! Those who continued in their first love of him continued to abide in him by his Spirit that they had received. Unfortunately some who received him did NOT continue to abide in him, but rather they turned back to what amounted to the worship of the law; and in so doing they rejected the one who fulfilled the law and is the only Christ.
Those who forsook their 'first faith' did it by means of remaining within the influence of their former friends and family who were opposed to the idea of Jesus being the Christ; and that influence was there simply because these believers did not forsake it and them. The men who became the first apostates kept their old friends who refused to believe in Jesus for who he was, and therefore they were influenced to have more regard for the old covenant priesthood and leaders; who just happened to be the Pharisees and Saducees who were responsible for putting Jesus to death. So in exalting the law above Jesus, and turning him into just one of the prophets, they did as the scripture says of apostates, and inherited the curse for their apostasy as well: "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, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 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" (Heb. 6:4-6). So in not forsaking their regard for those who had Jesus crucified, they in effect crucified him again, which is to say they effectively killed him in their hearts. By so doing they did the unforgivable, which is to say they left themselves in the most fearful of positions that exists among men: "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb. 10:26,27). That is a steep price to pay for not letting go of one's 'friends' who are opposed to the faith of Christ, I must say. The truth is that being in harmony with Jesus and his Father is a privilege and joy that nothing or no one in this life is worthy to be compared to. Whatever or whoever would be an unedifying influence against our love for Jesus should be forsaken without a second thought. If it or they is not, then the consequences can certainly end up being damning, even as we have seen. So the only question that is really left here is, What ever happened to those first apostates. Have you ever heard of 'Islam?' That's them, still going strong against Jesus being the Christ, and still turning him into just one of the prophets. Still trying to establish a perverted version of the old testament law, and still trapped in an apostate form. Actually Mohammed came from the converts of the men that have been written about in this article, who became known as 'Ebionites.' The rest of that story is very ugly history, and an even uglier future to come. More on that later.
