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Proverbs 26:1
As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.
The fool is one who says in his heart there is no God (Psalm 53:1), and of course this would be referring to someone who is lost and without Christ because of their rejection of Him, but even we Christians are told not live as fools, but rather as wise (Ephesians 5:15-16). Many times, if we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we, even as the children of God have lived as though there was no God, and when we do, there was never any honor involved.
Honor is what follows humility (Proverbs 18:12), and this has to be the process because only by grace does God give honor, and only the humble obtain grace (1 Peter 5:5). Grace only flows into the life of someone who has their faith in Christ and His Redeeming work at Calvary (Galatians 5:21). It is abnormal to see snow in summer, as well as rain at harvest time, and like the example here given, you will neither find honor in the life of the fool!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (Rom. 6:6).
As Paul uses the word “sin” here, he is actually speaking of “the sin nature.” He tells us here that when we accepted Christ, “the body of sin (sin nature) might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve the sin nature.” The word “destroyed” in the Greek is “kataigeo,” which means “to make ineffective.” So, at conversion, the sin nature was not obliterated, but rather was made ineffective.
What is the sin nature?
At the Fall, man’s nature became that of sin. In other words, everything that the unredeemed person does is toward sin, and of every description.
The Gospel declares that man is absolutely ruined by sin and wholly unable to restore himself to God’s favor by his own ability and strength. A false gospel teaches that man is not wholly ruined, that by self-culture he can merit God’s favor and secure his own happiness.
There is only one way that the human being can properly address sin. Pure and simple, he must die. That’s why Paul said, “For he who is dead is freed from sin” (from domination by the sin nature [Rom. 6:7]). This “death” occurs at the Cross of Calvary, hence the Apostle saying, “our old man is crucified with Him.” The death of which we speak can occur no place else. This is the reason the Cross is so very, very important, actually the only means by which this horrible problem can be properly addressed.
This “death” is obtained by the Believer simply evidencing Faith in Christ and what Christ did at the Cross. The “old man” then dies, which refers to what we were before Salvation, with a “new man” then rising with Christ in “newness of life.” Unfortunately, unredeemed man tries to address the sin problem in many and varied ways other than the Cross. He tries to address it with education, money, government, etc., all to no avail!
Worse yet, many Believers attempt to do the same thing. They try to address the sin nature, i.e., the problem of sin, by ways other than the Cross. It simply cannot be done. Some try to address the sin nature by denying its existence. Others try to address it by struggling with it on a day-by-day basis, all to no avail.
The sin nature was conquered at the Cross, and it remains conquered, but only as we maintain Faith in Christ and what Christ did at the Cross. We were crucified with Christ, and, in that, the sin nature was made ineffective. We were raised with Christ in newness of life. That position is maintained by continued Faith in Christ and the Cross, and by no other means.”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
The one thing that never changes is the fact of change itself. Everyone grows a little older, hopefully gets a little wiser, preferably matures into their roles in life. We move from being rosy cheeked babies through the acne of the pre-teen years and stumble on into early adulthood. We advance from knowing nothing, to thinking we know everything, to realizing we understand very little, until we ultimately begin to forget it all. Perhaps there is one other truth that never changes besides the fact of change itself. That is, that our God never changes. His love is as sure and as strong as it was when we first met. His grace is always available and His mercy endureth forever. When life was hard on me, He loomed large. When life got better, He received the praise. But never, not for a moment, has He ever forsaken, forgotten, or moved away from my side. Even when I thought He was busy somewhere else, He proved Himself faithful by showing up right on time with a plan for me that could not fail. I guess the only thing that never has changed and never will change is the character and faithfulness of my God. And for that He is worthy of my praise!
Malachi 3:6 - For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Proverbs 26:2
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.
Without a continual flow of God’s grace and an obedience to study God’s Word, scriptures like this will simply cause us to just keep on reading, but every Word which God has ever spoken is in Righteousness (Proverbs 8:8), and through His Righteousness we have obtained like precious faith (2 Peter 1:1). This is the same faith that comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17).
As the birds wander, and the swallows fly, they will eventually land, and where they land, it will not be without a cause. Just the same, the curse only comes upon those who fall under its cause. The cause of the curse is sin and is upon all those who are under the Law, as the curse is death, and all are dead spiritually because of sin until they receive God’s Grace through faith in Jesus Christ and His great atoning work on the cross! The cross of Christ is God’s Righteous cause and all who find it will find deliverance from the curse and will be found shouting for joy (Psalm 35:27).
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:11).
The words, “believe” (Rom. 6:8) and “reckon” (Rom. 6:11), signify Faith. In fact, the three words, “believe,” “reckon,” and “yield” (Rom. 6:13), express three energies of the Christian mind which secure and make real a life of Scriptural Sanctification. The entirety of the Sixth Chapter of Romans expresses God’s manner and way of Sanctification.
The word “reckon” in the Greek is “logizomai,” which means “to conclude, impute, number.” Considering all that Paul has thus far said, we are to conclude ourselves, because of what Christ did at the Cross, “to be dead indeed unto sin,” in effect, “dead unto the sin nature.”
As stated, this Verse does not say that the sin nature is dead, but it does say that we are dead unto the sin nature, that is, if we maintain our Faith in that which made us dead, so to speak, which is the Cross of Christ (Rom. 6:6); however, the Holy Spirit through Paul doesn’t leave us in this “dead position,” but brings us to a new life altogether, totally different than what we once had, which, in effect, was no life at all, and tells us that we are now “alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This means to be “alive” to all that God has, which we have through and by what Jesus did at the Cross, all on our behalf.
The Doctrine of Grace especially that which declares Justification and Sanctification to be by Faith apart from works, excites the enmity of the natural heart, and this enmity expresses itself today in various ways, but mostly by unbelief. So the following question must be asked:
Is the rejection of the Cross a moral problem or a theological problem?
If it was theological, it would mean that the Cross of Christ is too difficult of understanding for one to grasp; however, the very opposite of that is true. The Gospel of the Cross is a principle of such simplicity that even a child can understand it. So we know from that that the problem is not theological.
To be truthful, the problem is “moral.” That means that the enmity of the natural heart is at work against God’s Prescribed Order of Sanctification, and it registers itself, as stated, in the form of unbelief. In other words, it refuses to believe that what Jesus did at the Cross, and that alone, guarantees victory over every perversion, every type of sin, every work of the flesh, and, in fact, everything that is the opposite of the Lord. That’s exactly what the Cross does, but most people, even Believers, refuse to express Faith in that Finished Work.
So, as stated, the problem is a “moral” problem, rather than a “theological” problem.
As a Believer, understanding what Jesus has done for you at the Cross, all you have to do is to reckon yourself, according to that Finished Work, to be dead to the sin nature, and that you are! On the Cross, Jesus died to sin. He has done with it forever. The Believer died in Him, and this great fact, when believed, reckoned to be true, and practically obeyed, becomes a moral experience in the activities of the life of Holiness and Consecration.”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Self-righteousness is always the attitude in the heart of an individual who believes they earn their relationship with God. Pride rises to the surface and is quick to elevate self especially above those who do not practice the same religious actions. Self-righteousness will always condemn another for a known act of sin while ignoring the truth that they themselves are falling short of the glory of God. Self-righteousness lifts a soul to arrogance and elitism. Self-righteousness sees the good in one’s own person, but very rarely sees much good in others. When a person believes that their religious routine elevates them above others they reveal that their faith is not centered in Christ but on what they do. Anyone who does not look like them, walk like them, talk like them, or believe as they do, is suspect. More often than not, the actions being elevated are dos and don’ts regarding dress, days, food, or sundry religious activities. The attitude held towards others is that they stand far beneath the status of the one exhibiting these supposed high spiritual standards. Self-righteousness is the result of one being blinded to the haunting and terrifying state of darkness that dominates and surrounds the heart of the one so influenced.
Luke 18:11 - The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Proverbs 26:2
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.
Without a continual flow of God’s grace and an obedience to study God’s Word, scriptures like this will simply cause us to just keep on reading, but every Word which God has ever spoken is in Righteousness (Proverbs 8:8), and through His Righteousness we have obtained like precious faith (2 Peter 1:1). This is the same faith that comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17).
As the birds wander, and the swallows fly, they will eventually land, and where they land, it will not be without a cause. Just the same, the curse only comes upon those who fall under its cause. The cause of the curse is sin and is upon all those who are under the Law, as the curse is death, and all are dead spiritually because of sin until they receive God’s Grace through faith in Jesus Christ and His great atoning work on the cross! The cross of Christ is God’s Righteous cause and all who find it will find deliverance from the curse and will be found shouting for joy (Psalm 35:27).
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of Righteousness unto God (Rom. 6:12-13).
Sin as a principle of evil dwells in the Christian’s mortal body in the sense of the sin nature; but it is not to reign there; it is, in fact, to be dormant. If Sanctification were based upon the principle of law-obedience, i.e., upon works, it would be impossible to escape from the lawful dominion of the sin nature, because a perfect obedience to Divine Law on the part of man is impossible. But being based upon the opposite principle of Grace, liberation from the power and dominion of sin as a Master is secured and may be enjoyed on a constant basis.
No! We are not teaching sinless perfection, because the Bible does not teach such. But we are teaching victory over sin, and in every capacity. Under Law, sin has a dominion, but it has no dominion under Grace. These are two totally independent realms.
The Believer actually has three natures. They are:
1. The Human Nature.
2. The Sin Nature.
3. The Divine Nature (II Pet. 1:4).
The human nature of the Believer is either controlled by the sin nature or by the Divine nature. Within itself, the human body is neutral. It is neither holy nor evil. If the Believer is totally trusting Christ and what Christ did at the Cross, doing so on an unending basis, this means the sin nature is dormant, and the Believer can then yield the members of his physical body as “instruments of Righteousness unto God.” It’s just that simple!
However, if the faith of the Believer is in something other than Christ and the Cross, then the sin nature is in control, and the Believer will be forced, despite all of his efforts otherwise, to yield his “members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin.” It comes as a shock to most Believers when they are told that Satan can override their will, that is, if their Faith is in anything except Christ and the Cross.
The reason is simple:
The Holy Spirit is God. As such, He can do anything; however, He will not go against His Own nature. In other words, the Holy Spirit will not force Satan out of the way if our Faith is in anything other than the Cross of Christ (Rom. 8:2).
In the Bible, we aren’t told to fight against sin. If we are struggling with sin, this means that our Faith is not properly placed in Christ and His Finished Work. While the Christian experience definitely entails a struggle, the struggle is to be in the arena of Faith. Paul told us to “fight the good fight of faith” (I Tim. 6:12).
The disobedience of the First Man, Adam, assured death for all men, and the obedience of the Second Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, secured life for all men, at least all who will believe. That is, all the sons of the First Adam, by reason of their relationship to him and because they possess his sinful nature, stand in death, and all the sons of the Last Adam, in virtue of their relationship to Him, because they possess His Spirit, stand in life.
In that “Life,” the Holy Spirit works. Faith alone on our part, which means Faith in Christ and the Cross, guarantees His participation. Only then will the sin nature no longer rule and reign in your mortal body. Without proper Faith in Christ and the Cross, the Believer is forced to “obey sin in the lusts thereof.” Proper faith guarantees obedience to Righteousness!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
In this Christian journey we all will encounter storms, i.e. difficulties that we will have to trust the Lord through! However, it is during these storms that we learn to properly trust the Lord and we also learn patience. We must remember, that despite the difficult times, that there is always sunlight at the end of these storms, and in the case of the Demoniac In Mark Ch. 5, there was a miracle on the other side of the storm.
Jesus said to his disciples, “let us pass over to the other side” and while he didn’t tell them that a storm awaited them, his word had already been given. So no matter what was ahead they would make it to the other side. The scripture tells us that there arose a great storm, which is indicative of the Christian experience in so many ways. The Lord tells us to do something or to go in a certain direction and when we set out on the course to that place we are met with storms, and even great storms. What will we do, how will we react? The disciples panicked, they lost faith and they lost sight of what he had previously told them. Hence, they focused on the storm and not the one who was in the ship with them. They cried, “master, carest thou not that we perish”?! What happened next would blow their minds! Jesus awakened, rebuked the storm, and then rebuked them as well for lack of faith. The scripture proceeds to tell us that the storm calmed and as Jesus said they made it to the other side, through the storm. On the other side of this storm, they reached a placed where a man was possessed with many demon spirits, and lived in constant torment night and day. Jesus rebuked these spirits instantly delivering this man and setting him free.
This is why we cannot abandon the Lord while we are in the storms, we cannot quit even during the most difficult times, but we must trust the Lord to take us through the storms of life. Across the way, on the other side of the storm, there’s someone bound, someone hurting, someone in complete despair, but since you made it through this storm, God will use you to impact them, and others as well! Hold on child of God, and don’t you dare give up!
Mark 5:1
"And they came over to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes."
As a Christian we should have the desire of exhibiting Christ as the primary goal of our everyday lives. This cannot be accomplished by just making up our minds to act a certain way. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Out of the attitudes and bents of the heart, a person acts. There is no way that a man can change what is in his heart by external activity. The internal portion of man must be transformed through experiencing the process of true salvation, consistent consecration, supernatural sanctification, and daily dedication. We must learn to place our faith securely in Christ and what He did for us on the Cross. This allows the Holy Spirit the legal right and the freedom to overhaul our hearts. With the right object of faith, the fruit of the Spirit’s work will soon become visible. To achieve the goal of Christlikeness we must depend upon Christ as the source of sanctifying power and we must ever keep our faith in the Cross which is the means by which we are effectively changed. Then and only then will the Spirit’s fruit be displayed continuously in our lives. Now that my friend, is a magnificent goal!
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Proverbs 26:4
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Our response to a fool should never be as the folly of which he speaks and lives, but rather our words to all should be with grace seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6). Words with grace will always point to God’s Word in its righteous context (Proverbs 8:8), which is the only avenue through which God’s Word is revealed (Romans 1:16-17), that being the message of the cross, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The warning is that if we speak with the fool on his level as a fool ourselves, there lies the danger of becoming like him (Ephesians 5:15). If our words are words of grace seasoned with salt, there is an opportunity he may become thirsty for this great grace which we have been given through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! Every soul is important to God and our mission is to love and treat them all as Jesus did.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the Law, but under Grace (Rom. 6:14).
As we have stated, the Bible does not teach sinless perfection, but it most definitely does teach that the “sin nature shall not have dominion over you,” that is, if the Believer properly abides by God’s Prescribed Order of Victory, as given in this Sixth Chapter of Romans. Otherwise, the sin nature most definitely will exercise dominion over you. Regrettably and sadly, that is the condition of most modern Christians, i.e., the sin nature rules and reigns in their lives.
A short time ago, I read a tract written by the great Preacher, Charles Finney. The title of the tract was “How to have Victory over Sin.” He correctly stated that victory could not be obtained by works or law, and that it must be done by faith; however, he never mentioned the Cross nor the Holy Spirit. In fact, when most of the modern Church attempts to address the problem of sin, they basically do so in the same fashion as Finney.
But to tell a person that the solution is not by Law, but rather by Faith, and to leave it there, is to fail to say enough. It’s like a staircase that only goes halfway to the next floor. As would be obvious, halfway is not enough.
If the question is asked, “Faith in what?” most presently would answer, “Faith in God” or “Faith in the Word.” However, that which says too much concludes by saying nothing. These are nebulous answers which really do not answer anything. The only way to have victory over sin is what the Holy Spirit taught us through Paul in this Sixth Chapter of Romans. The first place that the great Apostle took us was straight to the Cross, as outlined in Verses 3 through 5. The Believer is to understand that every single thing he receives comes to him by virtue of what Christ did at the Cross, all on our behalf.
As we have stated innumerable times, Christ is the Source, while the Cross is the means.
With faith properly placed and properly maintained, which means it neither varies nor moves, the Holy Spirit, Who Alone can make us what we ought to be, will then work mightily in our lives, bringing about the desired result (Rom. 8:1-2, 11). This is God’s Prescribed Order of Victory over sin. If faithfully followed, which any child can do, “the sin nature shall not have dominion over you.”
Paul made the statement, “For you are not under the Law,” for a specific purpose. Even though Calvary satisfied the demands of the Law in totality, still, most Christians have placed themselves under Law.
Please understand the following:
There are only two places to be, “Law” or “Grace.” If one exhibits faith in anything except Christ and the Cross, then one has put himself under Law, with all of its negative results, whether he understands such or not. If his Faith is in Christ and the Cross, then he’s functioning under “Grace.” Such Faith guarantees an uninterrupted flow, i.e., “Victory.”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
If you are a believer, the Word of God says that you are a new creation in Christ. What exactly does that mean? Do you realize that God literally produces a brand-new race of human being whenever He spiritually re-creates the believing sinner? When an individual recognizes his sinful state and looks by faith to Jesus as his Saviour, the Spirit of God immediately baptizes that individual into the person of Christ. They become one with Him. They are united with Christ. But then, the Holy Spirit does reconstructive surgery on the inner man. The soul, which is the part of man that feels, is given brand-new desires. The spirit, which is the part of man that knows, is equipped to continually communicate with God. The old hardened heart is replaced with a soft pliable heart, one that can be molded and shaped for the purposes of God. The Holy Spirit Himself takes up residence within the framework of this new creation and becomes the master teacher and power source for each and every believer. Are you in Christ? Call on His name, He will not turn you away! And abundant life, the like you cannot even imagine, will become yours!
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Proverbs 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
Verse 4 says ‘not’ to answer a fool according to his folly, and this particular verse says ‘to’ answer a fool according to his folly. Wisdom is the key as is always the case, and we are taught in verse 4 not to get on the same level as the fool with our answers, but in verse 5 rather to answer him according to his folly so that he will realize it is folly, and that we refuse to join him. This in verse 5 shows to disallow him to think he is wise in his own conceit, or rather the way he sees things.
The only clear eyesight into the scriptures and all situations is exclusively through faith in the cross of Christ which allows the Holy Spirit to show us and to lead us in what we need to see, what we need to know and the direction in which we need to go (John 3:3-5, 14:26). Outside of faith in the cross of Jesus Christ, we can be and many times have been, just as silly as the fool. The fool needs right answers and the child of God should have them for him.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“but God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered you (Rom. 6:17).
The formula, “form of doctrine,” is very important. It declares the Christian Faith to have been once for all delivered to Believers as fixed and complete, therefore, neither needing nor accepting additions.
Into that form, as into a mold, the Believers are poured or “delivered.” The two sides of that mold being Justification and Sanctification, it was manifest that anyone leading a sinful life had not been poured into the mold. In other words, such a Believer was not subscribing to God’s Prescribed Order.
This “form of doctrine” is the oldest Doctrine, one might say, in the world today, and ever has been. It was formulated in the Mind of the Godhead even before the foundation of the world (I Pet. 1:18-20). Through foreknowledge, God knew that He would make man and that man would fall. The Godhead then decided that man would be redeemed by God becoming Man, going to the Cross, shedding His Life’s Blood, and thereby purchasing man’s Redemption.
This means that every single doctrine in the Bible, irrespective as to what it might be, must be built on the foundation of the Cross of Christ; otherwise, it is spurious. All false doctrine, in fact, has its beginning because of either an improper interpretation of the Cross or else outright rebellion against the Cross.
Not only is the Cross the first Doctrine, formulated before the foundation of the world, it was also the first Doctrine proclaimed after the Fall of man. The Lord said to Satan through the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15).
The only “Seed” that woman has ever had is the Lord Jesus Christ. At Calvary’s Cross, He bruised Satan’s head, and Satan bruised His heel, referring to the sufferings of the Cross. This is the only “form of doctrine” that’s been delivered by the Lord regarding victory over the world, the flesh, and the Devil. It is the only one because no other is needed; consequently, if this “form of doctrine” is rejected, there is no other, and wreckage is the result. To reject it is to accept the way of Cain. To accept it is to accept the way of Abel.”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
