Can We Know The Truth?
Mike,
I grew up a Catholic and then fell away from that, and my sister- in- law convinced me to go to a Pentecostal church for awhile where I received the holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. I never really had any feelings that I should even try and speak in tongues after that. But when I spoke in tongues it was a very powerful experience that quite surprised me as I watched it going on from the inside looking out. Most of the Church world looks down at speaking in tongues and to a certain degree I can see why. The Pentecostal Church was really a freak show most of the time regarding tongues and heavily into the law and greatly lacking in love. So I left and shortly after I left I broke my neck and life kind of isolated me in the country, and I pretty much stayed out of Babylon from that point on.This fellowship that I am going to now appears to be Babylon also, and I don’t think I will continue going. But God’s hand is certainly involved in this, one can be sure. One of the brothers is determined to bring me into the fold and stops at my apartment one day a week. Over the phone he said he was going to stop by and needed to do a one on one. That tells me where his head is. But perhaps the Lord has brought him to me to shine some light into his darkness. I have sent him a link to your site.
He is reading a copy of Restoring the Original Bible by Martin, which I lent him, but he is hung up on free will and does not believe in Universal Salvation. Like I said, I link him to your site from time to time by email as you are one of the best in dealing with those topics in a logical and precise manner, but you can bring a horse to water…
Anyway I am still going through your site and also reading the Concordant site and my opinion is when man tries to get dogmatic in regards to scripture and place them in some type of organized format he paints himself into a corner. I don’t know if you really do that upon reflection. I also sent away for their new testament, and it is a good resource, one I will never be sorry about purchasing.
Thanks for the fine resource you provide on the web, Mike.
L____
Hi L____,
Thank you for your story. I feel sure we both agree that God “is working all things after the counsel of his own will.” I too, was once a Pentecostal, and I was as sincere when I had that experience as I am now. It was nonetheless a demonstration of the flesh which had no affect upon the heart. Yet it was all of God and has been used for my good in the long run, and I thank Him for placing me in a Pentecostal home as a youth, taking me from that into the super law abiding World Wide Church Of God, with its weekly sabbath and annual holy days, clean and unclean meats, no mixing of fabrics and all the rest of the law of Moses, which none of us really kept. Peter saw this along with Paul, but it was a long process despite what Mr. A. E. Knock taught. Act 15 does not prove two administrations; it does prove that the holy spirit does not give us more than we are able to bear. What Act 15 demonstrates is that Peter and Paul were both much further along that were the other apostles and elders.
Act 15:6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Act 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men [ and] brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Act 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as [ he did] unto us;
Act 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Act 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
This was years after Christ’s resurrection, and it serves only to demonstrate the truth of these words of our Lord the night of His apprehension by the Jews:
Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
“You cannot bear them now,” nor will you be able to bear them for many years to come. Mr. Knoch calls Christ’s words “a practical disappointment” as I will quote below. But for now, just consider what the Jewish, supposedly “apostle to the circumcision,” is telling James and all Jews in this 15th chapter of Acts.
“No difference between us and them???” Would Peter say that if he believed in two administrations? No, “He is not [ even] a Jew which is one outwardly” as far as God is concerned.
Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [ is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he [ is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [ is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [ and] not in the letter; whose praise [ is] not of men, but of God.
Nevertheless, the holy spirit saw fit to give me over to Mr. A. E. Knoch’s ‘no law at all’ heresy for the better part of ten years of my life from about roughly 1985 through 1995.
1Co 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Chris t,) that I might gain them that are without law.
There now is Paul’s doctrine concerning law. That is not Mr. Knoch’s ‘no law at all’ doctrine.
Those years in that fellowship were the very lowest part of my spiritual walk. It was the opposite end of the pendulum from the law abiding WCG, and at the time it was very appealing to me. I was no longer under the law and I was following Mr. Knoch’s advice to “revel in my freedom from the law.” This is the man who teaches, and I quote, “Christ’s words are not for Gentile Christians, only Paul’s writings are for us.” What does Paul have to say to Mr. Knoch? Here it is:
1Ti 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
1Ti 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
1Ti 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
It is Paul who tells us these things, and it is Paul who Mr. Knoch ignores when he tells us that “Christ’s words are not for us as Gentile Christians.” Christ’s words are “wholesome words which have a doctrine that is according to godliness.” So says Paul while under the inspiration of God’s holy spirit.
Mr. Knoch teaches us to simply ignore our flesh. Here is what Paul teaches:
Tit 3:8 [ This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Mr. Knock was so sold out to his own false doctrine on the Biblical approach to the subject of works that he went to the extreme of breaking his own rule of one English word for one Greek word when it came to the Greek word for works.
The Greek word for ‘works’ is ‘ergon.’ Whenever Mr. Knoch came across that word in Paul’s writings he deliberately translated it as “ideal acts.” But when he came across that word ‘ergon’ in any of the writings of the other apostles he would translate it as ‘works.’ This was especially true of the book of James which Mr. Knoch wants you and me to believe teaches salvation by works only. That is a blatant lie. James, like Christ and Paul, eventually came to see that salvation was by grace through faith,” and James never once says that salvation was by grace only, as Mr. Knoch insists:
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
And that is exactly what Paul also taught:
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [ it is] the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of [ our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
There, that is Paul’s approach to this subject of works. Does that sound like Paul taught us to simply ignore the need for works??? Here is about as clear as anyone can get on this subject:
Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Show me anywhere in any Concordant publication where anyone ever admonishes one to “work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling.” You will not find it; instead what you will find is Christ’s words will “prove to be a practical disappointment.” What you will find is “Christ’s words are for His future kingdom… the way to deal with your flesh is to ignore it.” All quotes from Mr. Knoch’s Commentary On The New Testament. Never will Mr. Knoch tell those who are in His charge to “Be careful to maintain good works.
Here is the right Biblical balance given this subject in God’s own Word. Just look at the very next verse in Php 2:
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [ his] good pleasure.
So we are to acknowledge that our willing and our doing is all of God. That willing and doing includes “exhort one another to love and good works.”
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Mr. Knoch will of course deny that the book of Hebrews is for us, affirming that we are not Israelites or Hebrews, but look at the very next verse after telling the Gentile Ephesians that we are saved by grace through faith:
Eph 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [ between us];
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [ even] the law of commandments [ contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [ so] making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [ stone];
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
“In time past Gentiles… of twain one… You also… fellowcitizens…” Where in all of scripture is there so much as a hint of two administrations? It is only in the book of Acts, which expressly demonstrates a progressive understanding of the “Many things which you cannot bear now.”
I have posted many exchanges on iswasandwillbe. com concerning Mr. Knoch’s doctrines. I never knew Mr. A. E. Knoch. I have nothing personally against him. I feel sure he was a very good and sincere man. But so too was President Andrew Jackson whose philosophy was that ‘The only good Indian is a dead Indian.’ These are Mr. Knoch’s own perverse words:
“The Beatitudes will find their fulfillment in the kingdom of the heavens, when Messiah comes again and establishes His millennial reign. Till then most of them prove to be a practical disappointment. The merciful often do not obtain mercy. The meek do not receive an allotment in the land or the earth. Not only that, but they never shall. A meek unbeliever will receive no allotment whatever. A meek believer is promised every blessedness among the celestials (Eph. 1:3). It would be a bitter disappointment to him to have an allotment on the earth or in the land of Israel. There is no happiness in this beatitude for us.” (Concordant Commentary on the New Testament, A. E. Knoch 1968)
What utter heresy to which I again refer to the apostle Paul’s inspired words:
1Ti 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
1Ti 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
1Ti 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
God did indeed bring the man you are fellowshipping with into your life. You are being used of God to witness to this man. If you feed him a two administrations diet, that too will be of God, but it will be “an evil spirit from the Lord” to deceive.
If we cannot speak with authority, then how can we “try the spirits to see whether they be of God?” If we cannot speak the words of God with confidence, then why would we dare to reject a heretic. If we cannot know the truth then why did Christ tell us that we would know the Truth?
1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
“Many” means ‘majority.’ No, it actually means the vast majority:
2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
Tit 3:11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Though Mr. Knoch will deny it, these are the same figurative “seven churches of Asia” to whom the book of Revelation is addressed. Mr. Knoch’s argument against the fact that the book of Revelation is signified does nothing but demonstrate his total spiritual blindness. He has not even a clue what it means to compare spiritual with spiritual as the writers of the New Testament demonstrate for us in quoting the Old Testament. Mr. Knoch would stone the Gospel writers for quoting Hos 11:1 out of context:
Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Hos 11:2 [ As] they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
Now look at how the New Testament writers use this as a spiritual statement, which Mr. Knoch would insist signifies only that Israel was God’s son. Mr. Knoch simply was not given to see spiritual words. He was given only “the natural man’s” eyes.
Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Many such Old Testament verses are quoted in just this same ‘out of context’ manner. I hope you will take the time to read the paper entitled How To Rightly Divide The Word Using A Principle Which Only The Apostles Understood. It is in the essential reading or ‘Read This First’ part of the site in the upper left corner of the iswasandwillbe. com home page.
This is far too long as it is. I pray that you will check out all those letters to Mr. Knoch’s followers that are posted. Be sure to read the Rightly Dividing The Word paper, and “be careful to maintain good works”, work out your own salvation because it is God who is working in you to do so.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike
Other related posts
- The Teachings Of A.E. Knoch Versus Scripture (December 22, 2004)
- Gospel Of Paul Supplant The Gospel Given To The Twelve? (April 8, 2012)
- Can We Know The Truth? (October 10, 2008)