THE WORLD AND FALSE RELIGIONS - CAN THEY
TEACH THE VERY BODY OF CHRIST
TRUE CHRISTIANITY?
by
Keith Hunt
Is it possible that an individual who has not been called by
God, does not know the truths of the Lord, is not even interested
in any kind of "religion" - just rides along with the world and
many of its ways, who is merely a product of their environment
and up-bringing, can actually TEACH the members of the very true
Church of God, aspects of true Christianity?
Can a group of persons, a "club" of individuals, an
organizations of people, who do not obey many of the laws and
commandments of the Eternal, who are blinded to many truths of
the word of the Lord, who practice false customs, who believe
false doctrines, who are deceived (maybe sincere, but sincerely
wrong) by the god of this world, TEACH the members of the true
body of Jesus, certain aspects of true Christianity?
SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH SOMETIMES TEACHES US WITHIN
The "church" - the called out ones of God, to whom the Lord
revealed Himself,gave them His laws and commandments, formed a
covenant with them, entered into a marriage agreement with them,
said they were His, did NOT begin on the feast or day of
Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. That was the start of the New
Testament(NT) church of God. But the Old Testament nation of
Israel is also called the "church in the wilderness(Acts 7: 38).
Those who were not Israelites, who were Gentiles, were as a
whole,WITHOUT GOD in the world "being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope...."(Eph.2:12).
Jesus was at Capernaum, a centurion, a Gentile, came
beseeching Him to heal his servant who he loved. Christ offered
to come to his home, but the man said he was unworthy to have Him
under his roof, "....but speak the word only, and my servant
shall be healed" said the man to Jesus.He went on to show how he
understood Jesus to have authority over such matters for he also
was a man with authority in ceratin physical things pertaining to
this life. It is written:"When Jesus heard it, He MARVELLED, and
said to them that followed, verily I say untoyou, I have NOT
FOUND SO GREAT FAITH, NO, NOT IN ISRAEL"(Mat.8:10).
Wow! A man not part of the commonwealth of Israel, an
outsider, a man uncircumcised, as the Jews would have called him.
They would have called him a lot worse - a "dog" - unclean,
definitely not part of the true "church in the wilderness" but a
part of them who were basically without God in the world. AND
THIS MAN WAS TEACHING ISRAEL A LESSON IN FAITH FOR HEALING!
Jesus was impressed! I guess He was, especially when you
consider He had to tell His very disciples "oh, you of little
faith" at one point, and they lived, walked, ate, saw day after
day His miracles, and were so close to Him so much of the time.
One day while in the area of Tyre and Sidon, a Greek woman,
a Gentile, a woman not part of the nation of Israel, a woman
outside of the covenants of promise, a part of the world without
God, came to Jesus asking Him to cast the demon out of her
daughter.
Jesus answered in no uncertain a manner, in a way that most would
not only have been upset with but darn right angry with,certainly
in a way that was not "politically correct" and many today would
say was out and out "racist."
Yet this unconverted woman, this "dog" from the Gentiles,
answered in a manner that used the kind of wisdom that many in
the "church" could LEARN from. She said:"Yes, Lord; yet the dogs
under the table eat of the children's crumbs"(Mark 7:28).
Jesus was impressed! Because she answered correctly in this
particular situation her request was granted.
Oh, we should be learning from this another point. God can
and does answer the requests of those outside "the church of God"
if He desires and wills.
Is it wrong to have WISDOM? Why of course not! James was
inspired to tell us that if we CHRISTIANS, lacked wisdom (ah, ah,
God's people are often unwise then), then we should ask the Lord
for it(James 1:5). True wisdom does come from God as Prov.2:6,7
shows.
Now turn to Luke chapter 16. Jesus here gives a parable to
TEACH the children of light an important lesson. Note verse 8,
".....for the children of THIS WORLD are in their generation
wiser than the children of light."
Wisdom is from God, true members of the church of God
should have wisdom, yet often it is the unconverted children of
darkness, who could TEACH US a thing or two about the topic of
wisdom, so said Christ, so it is written.
GENTILES TAUGHT CHURCH AT CORINTH A POINT OF
GOD'S LAW!
The problems the people of God had who lived in the city of
Corinth is plain to see,only too plain I am afraid. They had
"spiritual gifts" unmatched by any other church of God, yet at
the same time, they seem to have had as much fame in "carnal"
ways also.
Paul even had to say to them: "I could not speak unto you as unto
spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto BABES in Christ"(1
Cor.3:1).
Now a babe, although human, does not know yet much about
life or how to live as an adult, lots and lots to learn. So here
was a group of Christians, part of the true body of Christ,
called out of this world, given the truths of God, brought from
darkness to the light, shown what sin was, brought to baptism and
conversion, given the Spirit of God, yet only babes in spiritual
growth, much more carnal than spiritual. Still they were
classified by Paul as "in Christ."
Yes, this shows us clearly that Christians are not PERFECT
when they receive the Spirit of God to make them children of God.
There is GROWING TO DO! And sometimes our own lack of human
character pushes away the working of the character of God in us
via his Holy Spirit.
Turn to chapter 5. Mark verse one well. There was
FORNICATION being practiced
in the church at Corinth, and the whole congregation KNEW about
it, and were ALLOWING IT! A man was having sexual relations with
his father's wife! This was a part of sexual immorality that was
against the law of God - it was SIN! And sin is the breaking
of the law (1 John 3:4; Rom.7:7). Paul pulled no punches, he told
them what they should do about it and the man involved.
But notice verse one again, notice what Paul told the
brethren at Corinth. "....and such FORNICATION as is NOT SO MUCH
AS NAMED AMONG THE GENTILES...."
Gentiles, the UNCONVERTED of the world, those not a part of
the true church of God, those not called by the Lord, who really
did not have the covenants of promise and the law of God, who
were by and large the children of darkness. These Gentiles COULD
TEACH the church at Corinth a thing or two about the law of God
pertaining to the specific topic of "incest." It was not named
among them!
At the time Paul wrote, the Gentiles around the city of
Corinth were obeying the law of God concerning incest. Paul was
telling them the Gentiles did not even do this sin and here it
was in their very midst, being openly practiced and they were
turning a blind eye to it.
Is it possible for person or groups of persons to teach us
an aspect of true Christianity while they themselves are not a
part of the body of Christ?
EVEN THOSE OUTSIDE THE TRUE CHURCH CAN TEACH US
INSIDE THE CHURCH POINTS OF TRUE CHRISTIANITY
Sometimes through time and chance, by common trial and
error, or with simple human logic, people of the unconverted
world, or from the false deceived "religious" community, can hit
upon a truth and law of God. They can "get it right" or be in
sink with the very law of the Eternal. They can do this ALL THE
WHILE the very true children of God are yet still "carnal" and as
"babes in Christ" having to grow up in this truth that ones
in the world have come to see and practice.
In Romans chapter two, beginning with verse fourteen we
read: "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law(revealed to
them with God's special calling), do by NATURE the things
contained in the law, these, having not the law (specially
revealed) are a law unto themselves (time, chance and logic).
Which show the work of the law written in their hearts......."
Paul goes on to show that those called into the commonwealth
of God's people, who believe they are of the light and know the
deep truths of the Lord, who can teach the secrets of God to
others, are often guilty of breaking in some point, the way of
the Eternal while claiming to be in the true "body of God." This
goes on while at the same time the blinded (overall to the ways
and laws of the Lord) have found and are practicing certain
truths of the law of God, that those inside the church of Christ
are breaking, and are yet to "grow up into" the fullness and
stature of.
Some from the parents they had and how they were taught by
them, or by their educational institution, by the culture of
their society or nation, even from their own rational thoughts
and logic (a native in deep Africa may come to see that it is not
good to kill a person from another tribe, as his friends may
come and kill him), have found certain truths of the Lord, and
are living them.
Even many varying Christian religious denominations by a
collective effort on the part of its leaders, as they logically
study the word of God, have come to see certain specific points
of truth contained in that word. An example would be the Roman
Catholic church, who I and many in the Church of God would claim
is NOT as an organization, part of the true body of Christ, but
the very whore woman of Revelation, have come to see from the
word that ABORTION ON DEMAND (as the "woman's right" movement
teaches) is WRONG, is AGAINST the law of God, is not the way of
true Christianity.
The RC church can teach us in the Church of God many things
about the "abortion issue" from the many publications they have
printed on the subject, yet they as a whole organization are not
a part of the true body or Church of God. Going to learn "true
Christianity" from them must be taken as a phrase within certain
limited context. The context telling you about what PART of true
Christianity is the subject that is under discussion. If I was
discussing "abortion" - if that was what the subject was about,
then I may at one point use a general statement towards those
practicing abortion, and say: They better go visit the RC church
and learn a little more true Christianity.
The context is not saying I believe the RC church is a part
of the true body of Christ, only that they have on this one point
found true Christianity.
So when I talk about certain groups of God's true church and
say: "They better go visit the SDA church or Baptist church, and
learn a little more true Christianity" I hope you can now see the
truth of that statement. Yet my other statement still remains
just as true without any contradiction, namely: "I do not believe
the SDA church or the Baptist church are a part of the Church of
God as a whole."
The true Church of God has a higher percentage of truth, the
correct understanding of the word of the Lord, than any other
church that calls itself "Christian." But the true church is NOT
PERFECT, YET! It is still made up of flesh and blood persons,
who are finite NOT infinite, who still have carnal nature within
them, and are not yet 100% holy spiritual character like God is.
The physical members of the body of Christ are still to "grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus."
Sometimes some of us as individuals or groups of persons are
more carnal than spiritual, thinking and acting as babes in
Christ. Remember how Paul had to speak to the Corinthian church.
So it is quite possible that other groups of people WHO ARE
NOT A PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, could be further ahead of us in
some point of Biblical knowledge (such as "church government" or
"church disfellowshipping" or "allowing visitors to air their
differences" etc.), and even HUMAN RIGHTEOUS CHARACTER that is
also correct Godly character (remember what we looked at earlier
concerning the unconverted Gentiles in 1 Cor.5).
There are hundreds of examples that could be given of
righteous Godly character being exhibited by those not called by
God to His truths of His word.
Keith Hunt(Oct.1996)
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