Fellowship – Is, Was and Will Be – The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word

“I want to ask you to keep our brother in Kenya, George Mwaboli, his wife, Judith and their two children, and his elder son Julius in your prayers as there has been yet another terrorist attack in Kenya, this time in Mombasa, where our brother works as a member of the armed forces. The problem causing these terror attacks that are happening in Kenya seems to be Muslim extremists but as I have learnt, there is such a web of lies in this world and it really does not matter what the reasons are, it boils down to a hatred of the One True God and those who attempt to follow Christ.”

I have emboldened part of that last sentence because it is so true, and because it exemplifies the true cause of all wars and all acts of terror that ever have, or ever will be, committed by one human against another. There is just one thing that is more hated than the hatred of a Jew or a Christian against a Muslim, or the hatred of a Muslim against Jews and Christians, and that is a person within any of those three communities who espouses the doctrine of Christ that we are to ‘love our enemies”. As was so rightly states: “…it all boils down to a hatred of the one true God and those who attempt to follow Christ”.

We could follow the history of the conflict between Christian Kenya and Muslim Somalia all the way back to Cain and Abel, and it would still come down to: “…it all boils down to a hatred of the one true God and those who attempt to follow Christ”.

Thank God for the hope we are given in that account of the first murder ever committed on earth:

Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

It is not adding to the Word of God to declare that, from this account, it is clear that Cain did not “do well” and that “sin [did] lay at the door” for Cain. Yet we are assured right here at the very beginning of history “You [Cain] shall rule over him [sin]” that mankind will receive forgiveness. In other words, God has already forgiven mankind all the heinous sins he will ever commit, and that forgiveness was granted and guaranteed before the first murder was ever committed.

But forgiveness is a Godly attribute, and it is not a characteristic of the natural “marred… vessel of clay” that God has made us all to first be.

Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

We are not told what Cain “talked with Abel” about. All we are told is that God approved of Abel’s offering, “but unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.”

Gen 4:3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Next we are told that God asked Cain why he was so upset, and He reminded Cain that all he needed was to “do well” and he would “be accepted” of God, and “if you do not well, sin lies at the door”. “And unto you shall be his desire” is a very misleading translation, which completely hides the meaning of what God is actually telling Cain and all of us. The Hebrew word translated as ‘unto’ is the word ‘el’ and in the very next verse it is properly translated as “against”. “Cain rose up against his brother Abel and slew him”. Cain was bitter against His brother, and that bitterness was not pleasing to God, and it was not good for Cain. The phrase “unto thee shall be his desire” might lead one to believe that God was pronouncing a blessing on Eve as it is also mistranslated in the previous chapter where God is telling Eve what will be the fruit of her disobedience:

Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to [Hebrew – ‘el’, against] thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

God has just told Eve that because she disobeyed His commandment against eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that she will “in sorrow bring forth children”. Does Christ then tell Eve that part of her punishment will be to desire to please her husband? No, that would be blessing her for her disobedience. Rather it should read “…your desire shall be against your husband”. Then, just as with Cain in the next chapter, it is followed by the merciful promise that in the end her husband will rule over her rebellious spirit against him. That is the same thing God said to Cain concerning sin in Cain’s life: “Against thee shall be his desire”. That is the very function of the law of sin that the “one lawgiver” has placed within the flesh of all men of all time. (Rom 7:17-23; Jas 4:12)

The pronouns “his” and “him” are used to personify the spirit of the adversary which is just naturally within every person ever born by virtue of being made a marred vessel of clay. (Jer 18:4)

Joh 8:44 Ye [That is you and me first and foremost] are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Cain had not done well in obedience to God. He was the cause for God’s refusal to accept his offering. Abel on the other hand had “done well in being obedient to God. But Cain was bitter against his brother because his brother was obedient, and Cain considered Abel’s “do[ing] well” to be the reason why his offering was not accepted. Abel’s obedience provoked Cain’s condemnation of his innocent brother’s obedience, and in doing so it demonstrated Cain’s inability to forgive his brother of what he perceived to be his brother’s fault.

Cain’s inability to forgive his brother brought the curse of God’s wrath upon Cain, and that curse is upon all of Cain’s spiritual children to this very day.

Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Cain did not believe what God told him. He preferred to blame his brother for what was really his own problem, and that is what we all do when we blame anyone else for our problems which are all given to us by God, and not by those who God uses to give us our problems and our trials.

It was the same with Joseph and his brothers. Joseph was faithful to his father whereas his brother’s in a sense did not “do well” and sin was laying at their door as it was at Cain’s. This is what we are told:

Gen 37:2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Gen 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
Gen 37:4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Why did Cain hate Abel? Had Abel done anything against his brother Cain? No yet he could not speak peaceably to Abel. Instead:

Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

So the actions of Joseph’s brothers against him were equally unwarranted. Joseph, like Abel, chose to be faithful to his father over the sinful ways of his brothers’ “evil report”. Jacob accepted Joseph’s offering of obedience over the disobedience of his other sons:

Gen 37:4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Joseph’s brothers had the exact same motivation that possessed Cain. They put their rejection by God at the feet of their brother, and they hated him. They were bitter toward their brother because of their own sin against God.

An unforgiving and bitter spirit will not be tolerated by a loving heavenly Father. He makes it abundantly clear that even evil and wicked men are actually the work of His own hand which has constructed these clay vessels in a marred condition and of a sinful, corruptible composition, so that the sins any of us commit are not our own sins any more than our good works are our own works.

Look at what Joseph tells his brother’s concerning their evil which they committed against him. He tells the the same thing twice in chapter 45, and then he repeats this Truth in chapter 50:

Gen 45:4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Gen 45:5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Gen 45:6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Joseph’s brothers were not given ears to hear the words “it was not you that sent me here, but God”. All they heard were the twice repeated words “whom you sold into Egypt… you sold me here”. The same is true to this very day. Until God gives us eyes to see and ears to hear none of us can see this same simple truth as it is repeated in the New Testament:

Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Rom 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Until this very day we cannot see the words “it is no more I that do it”, and instead all we can see is “sin that dwells in me”. The false doctrine is “free moral agency” is far more acceptable to our carnal minded “sin within me” flesh, then are the truthful words “it is no more I that do it”.

As long as we continue to blame our brother Abel, and our brother Joseph, for the depth of our own sins, we will never see the depth of the “sin that is in my members” and we will be incapable of forgiving those who are indebted to us and who trespass against us, as our Lord instructed us we must:

Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Mat 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

So…

Who is your worst enemy in this world?

What is our Lord’s answer?

Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

That is just how powerful and how expedient is this matter of forgiving of the sins of others. Our very life depends upon God forgiving us of our sins, and God’s forgiveness of our sins hinges upon our own forgiveness of the debts of others against us. God will not forgive us if we have not forgiven those who He has used to try us.

What does all of this tell us about who is our own worst enemy in this whole wide world? This is what all men of all time must come to understand about themselves:

1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Until we come to see ourselves as the chief of sinners, we will find it difficult to forgive our brothers for their sins. Until we see ourselves as the man who deserves to die for his own sins, we will still be as Cain and Joseph’s brothers who blamed all their problems upon those whose sins were far less than their own.

One more such example of how we always place the penalty of our own sins upon those whose sins are so much less than our own is King David, who was furious that anyone in his kingdom would treat another of his subjects as he himself had treated his own subject, Uriah.

That story happened to King David, and it is written for our admonition, and it is central to understanding that the power of forgiving others of their sins hinges upon each of us seeing ourselves as the ‘chief of sinners’. Let’s review how King David is used of God to show us how we all, like self-righteous Cain and like Joseph’s self-righteous brothers, hate and despise our own sins when we see those sins in others whose debts should be seen as much less than our own. Here is how God teaches us this lesson through the fiery humiliation of King David over King David’s adultery with Bathsheba, and then his murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to cover up his adultery:

2Sa 12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2Sa 12:2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
2Sa 12:3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
2Sa 12:4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
2Sa 12:5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
2Sa 12:6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
2Sa 12:8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
2Sa 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
2Sa 12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

King David made Uriah bear the penalty for his own wretched sins, just as Cain did to Abel and just as Joseph’s brothers did to him. And what is God’s summation and assessment of what we all do when we do such an unforgiving and ungodly thing? Here it is again: “… you have despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight.

As I quoted at the beginning of this study of the attacks of the Muslims of Somalia against the Christians of Kenya:

“…It really does not matter what the reasons are, it boils down to a hatred of the One True God and those who attempt to follow Christ.”

The reason why the nations of this world hate each other is because they are not capable of seeing themselves as “sinners of whom I am chief”, and they are all placing the penalty of their own grievous sins upon those who they ought to be viewing as less guilty than themselves. Truly such a concept is utter foolishness to those who “despise the commandment of the Lord” to love their enemies.

Here is the only way we can possibly forgive our enemies or anyone who we think of as being in our debt:

Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Personal humility is basic to being able to forgive others their sins. We must acknowledge that we too, are sinners, and that from our own perspective our own sins are worse than others and “other[s] are better than [we are]”. Christ drives this point home in His instructions in for dealing with sin and leaven within His body in Matthew 18.

Matthew 18 is the most powerful admonition against thinking of ourselves as better than others, and this admonition is from our Lord Himself. It is here that we are told how we are to keep the leaven of the Pharisees from spreading within the body of Christ, and it is here that it is so powerfully demonstrated that our own forgiveness from God, hinges upon us first forgiving those who have trespassed against us.

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Verse 15 gives us the goal of confronting a brother who trespasses against us in either doctrine or deed. The goal is to “win thy brother”. We will make no progress towards winning our brother if we go around behind his back and gossip to everyone in the body of Christ about the sins or false teachings of our brother. We are commanded to “go and tell him his fault between you and him alone”. We will bring a curse upon ourselves if we fail to follow that commandment. Gossip cannot be tolerated within the body of Christ. This is why:

Pro 11:13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Pro 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Pro 18:8 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Pro 20:19 He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

Pro 26:22 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

“He that covers a transgression seeks love” toward his brother. A talebearer on the other hand has not forgiven the subject of his gossip, and soon enough everyone will know to “meddle not with him…” because while he will flatter you to your face, but he will spread gossip about you too, behind your back, and he will “separate [you from your] very friends” because he has not forgiven you or whoever is the object of his gossip.

But keeping the matter “between you and him alone” in no way means we are to tolerate sin or false doctrine or gossip within our fellowship. Far from it. We are never expected to simply let a brother who trespasses in deed, or transgresses against the doctrine of Christ, to continue to spread the leaven of the Pharisees within the Lord’s flock. We are to deal with such brothers in this way:

2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
2Jn 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

If we obey our Lord’s instructions here, we will remain united in the spirit and truth of the Word of God and we will “lose not the things which we have wrought”. If on the other hand, we fear men and fail to live by these words, we will soon reap the fruit of that spirit which fears men more than it fears God.

If a brother or a sister comes to us complaining about another brother or sister, then the first words out of our mouths should be to instruct that brother of sister to “go to him between you and him alone”. We must all be very careful not to be sucked into a rebellious spirit of gossip which will divide us and rob us of the peace and unity that belongs to all who are in Christ and who fear to ignore and disobey His commandments.

Continuing with Christ’s instructions in Matthew 18, we are told this incredible truth:

Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

The literal translations catch the meaning of the Greek much better than the King James Version. We are not at liberty to establish doctrine contrary to the Word of God. “In My name” means ‘according to My doctrine’. It certainly does not impart powers to any man to decide what is and what is not the doctrine of Christ. When we take it upon ourselves to ignore the doctrine of Christ, as we saw in 2Jo 1:8-11, Christ in not “in [our] midst”.

Here is a much better translation of these three verses:

Mat 18:18 Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.
Mat 18:19 Again, I say to you, that, if two of you may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask–it shall be done to them from my Father who is in the heavens,
Mat 18:20 for where there are two or three gathered together–to my name, there am I in the midst of them. (YLT)

The “two or three” of verse 20 are the same “one or two more” we are commanded to take with us to “establish [that] every word” spoken is according to “that which has been written”. We are solemnly commanded that we are to never to “think above that which is written”.

1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I did transfer to myself and to Apollos because of you, that in us ye may learn not to think above that which hath been written, that ye may not be puffed up one for one against the other,

It is “that which has been written” here in Matthew 18 concerning forgiving our brother or our sister that is so vital to our own forgiveness of our own sins by our heavenly Father.

Peter has no comment about Christ’s statement that what he binds on earth shall be having been bound in heaven and what he looses on earth shall be having been loosed in heaven. Peter’s question is recorded for our edification and for our exhortation. Here is what Peter now wants to know:

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Applying the principle of “the sum of thy word” (Psa 119:160), we read this in the gospel of Luke:

Luk 17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk 17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

Between these two gospels we have now learned that God expects both repentance and forgiveness. The offender must repent, and the offended brother must forgive his wayward brother “seven times in a day” if that brother “turns again… saying, I repent”. Seven times in a day does not allow enough time for seeing the required “fruits meet for repentance” which are also expected of the offending party. We must accept the sum of God’s word concerning repentance as well as forgiveness, and we are commanded to repent with Godly sorrow, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance:

Mat 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

2Co 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
2Co 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

But the forgiveness comes first: “You shall forgive Him” is what we are commanded, and lest there be any doubt just how important it is for each of us to first forgive our brother, even before he has time to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, Christ gives us this parable:

Mat 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

“The kingdom of heaven is likened unto” this parable. Now we have been granted to understand that “the kingdom of God is within you” (Luk 17:20-21). That means that the lesson of this parable is within us. It is we who are being addressed with this parable Christ is giving us in answer to Peter’s question “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”

In this parable we first have a servant who owes his lord “ten thousand talents”. The commentaries do not agree on how much ten thousand talents is in today’s dollars or pounds, but they all agree that it is an unimaginable amount of money that could never be repaid in a lifetime. This servant is desperate, of course, and begs for mercy, promising in his desperation to repay an non-repayable sum. His Lord, following our instructions to forgive a repentant brother even before there are any fruits of repentance, completely forgives this incredible debt and sets his servant at liberty. This same servant then goes to a fellow servant, who owes him “a hundred pence”, an amount that is absolutely nothing compared to what the first servant was forgiven. Nevertheless the first servant demands immediate payment. The second servant does the same thing the first servant did and begs for mercy, offering to pay it all back. But the first servant does not show to his fellow servant the mercy that was shown to him. Instead he puts the second servant in prison until the debt is paid.

When we are granted to see that we are that first servant, and we see and understand that the non-repayable debt is to be understood as ourselves being guilty of the blood of our own Savior, then we will have no problem forgiving our fellow servants. But the lesson for all of us is that we do not just naturally see any of this, and what we do just naturally do is to hold the sins of our fellow servants against them, and demand that their sins be exposed and that they be humiliated and be forced to pay every penny, and that they face immediate justice for the way they have treated us, even though their sins should pale in our minds compared to our own sins which we are told we should see as making us “chief… of… sinners”.

1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I [Mike Vinson] am chief.

We have a log, a beam, in our own eye which we cannot see, but focus on the mote in our brother’s eye.

You and I have not only been forgiven an impossible, non-payable debt, but we have also been given to understand that neither our good deeds nor our sins are really ours, and the same is true of our fellow servants (Gen 45:4-8 and Rom 7:17- 25). Knowing the truth of those verses of scripture should help us to realize that we have absolutely no reason to hold the sins of our fellow man against him.

Lest we miss the impact that the need for forgiveness is to have upon us, this parable ends with these words of warning, which are designed to cause us to fear to ignore the fruits of not forgiving our fellow servants, and to see their sins as infinitely less than our own:

Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

There is so much which could to be discussed in these four verses, but it should be clear that God expects us to fear to ignore this warning against failing to see ourselves as the first servant, ourselves guilty of the blood of Christ, and against failing to see our fellow servants sins against us as nothing by comparison to the sins we have committed against our Lord.

Yes, the Lord is working all things after the counsel of His own will, and it is his will to “deliver [us] to the tormentors, till [we] pay all that [is] due Him… if [we] from [our] hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses”.

May God grant us all to see that our own forgiveness of the death of our Lord by our heavenly Father is designed by that same Father to hinge upon us first forgiving all who have sinned against us, and that if we do not first “from the heart” forgive all who have ever sinned against us, then our heavenly Father will not forgive us of the death of His Son, but will instead “deliver [us] to the tormentors till [we] should pay what [is] due Him”. God’s “tormentors” have never yet found anyone who was even a challenge against their ability to bring us to repentance from the heart. It is simply not granted or given to many in this age.

Christ had already made this message clear in Mat 6:

Mat 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

The message of Matthew 18 simply adds more force to the necessity that we forgive those who have trespassed against us, and it shows us that we are the person who has been forgiven by our Lord of a debt we could never pay. It also adds the fact that we will be tormented by the tormentors if we do not from the heart forgive those who trespass against us. This is the worst case scenario, and even in the worst case the torment is only “till he should pay all that was due unto him.” It is not for all eternity but “till he should pay all that was due Him”.

I will close with the words of the apostle Paul to the Thessalonians:

2Th 1:4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
2Th 1:5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
2Th 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
2Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: [including Mat 6:12-15, and Mat 18:15-35]
2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2Th 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

The Spiritual Significance of the Nazarite Vow – Part 2

Mike Vinson — Sat, 07 Jun 2014 16:14:41 +0000

Aired June 8th, 2014

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Aired June 16th, 2014

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The Spiritual Significance of The Nazarite Vow In The New Testament

Study Aired June 8, 2014

In our last study we saw that all the symbolism of the Nazarite vow, from the uncut locks of hair to the prohibition against wine, strong drink, and touching a dead body, are one and all symbols of immaturity. It is completely fitting that the last judge of Israel, Samuel. and the last prophet of Israel, John the baptist, were both life long Nazarites, symbolizing the spiritual immaturity of that dispensation of the law of Moses.

I want to thank our brother John McDowell for pointing out that the beheading of John the baptist by King Herod, symbolized the end of that immature, Nazarite dispensation of the law of Moses and ushered in the beginning of the reforms which our Lord was prophesied to bring. The life of John the Baptist, like this prophesy in Deuteronomy, was for the purpose of proclaiming “the time of reformation” that was Christ’s ministry.

Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Deu 18:16 According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.
Deu 18:17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
Deu 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

It is Christ Himself who informs us that all the sacrifices, as well as all the instructions for the building of the tabernacle and all the prophesies of the law of Moses, actually “concerned” Christ Himself:

Joh 5:39 Search the [Old Testament] scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

The entire Bible is a Christ-centric book. How would it be possible to be any other way since Christ tells us that He is “the beginning and the end, the first and the last”.

Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Of what exactly is Christ “the first and the last”? Here is what the scriptures reveal:

Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure [Greek: tupos – type. “the first man Adam”] of him that was to come [the last].

As Paul later explains:

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam [the spiritual tupos, type of Christ] was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

It is all contained in these words:

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

“All things” certainly includes the lessons behind the symbolism of the Nazarite vow. The very fact that it is a ‘vow’ belies the immaturity of all of its symbolism.

Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:

Mat 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

The symbolism of not being permitted to cut one’s hair, short hair being the very symbol of the man who is the head of the woman…

1Co 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
1Co 11:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

1Co 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

The symbolism of not being permitted to drink, or eat, or even touch anything concerned with “the vine tree” or “the fruit of the vine”, the very symbol of Christ and His words…

Luk 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [of wine] is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

The symbolism of not even being permitted to touch the dead bodies of his own family, which even the priest, typifying Christ, were permitted, all demonstrate the spiritually “yet carnal” symbolism of this entire vow:

Lev 21:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people:
Lev 21:2 But for his kin, that is near unto him, that is, for his mother, and for his father, and for his son, and for his daughter, and for his brother,
Lev 21:3 And for his sister a virgin [Mat 12:48-49] , that is nigh unto him, which hath had no husband; for her may he be defiled.

Mar 5:39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.
Mar 5:40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
Mar 5:41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

Mat 12:48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
Mat 12:49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

So the Nazarite vow in the lives of Samson, Samuel and finally, in the life of John the baptist, symbolizes the immature nature of “carnal… babes in Christ”, and the “law for the lawless… and… any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine”, which is what the scriptures call the law of Moses. (1Co 3:1-4)

1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Like Moses before Him, our Lord was a reformer, whose life and doctrine began a reformation which is still taking place to this very day in the lives of all in whom He dwells.

Before the coming of Christ, no one had any idea that “Ye are the temple of God”.

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

To this very day that is a revolutionary concept.

Here is where the time of Christ is called “the time of reformation”:

Heb 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Heb 9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
Heb 9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
Heb 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Heb 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
Heb 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
Heb 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
Heb 9:9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Heb 9:10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Carnal ordinances were imposed on Israel until the time of reformation. When did that reformation begin? We just read that “God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto [Moses]“, who was also a great reformer. So the times of reformation began with Christ. But no reformation yet has ever taken place overnight. Christ made that perfectly clear concerning the reformation He had come to begin when He made this statement:

Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

So Christ simply started the reformation, and like the reformation begun by Moses, which prophesied of a place where God would place His name, “the times of reformation” continued for many years.

Deu 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

2Ch 6:6 But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel.

The ‘place where God would place his name’, part of the reformation begun by Moses, was not fulfilled until the time of King David and his son Solomon, 350 to 400 years later:

One of the most powerful revolutionary parts of Christ’s “time of reformation” is this statement He made to the Samaritan woman at the well:

Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

In spite of how plain our Lord speaks here, the prominence of the physical city of Jerusalem is in no way diminished by that statement from our Lord for the Christian world as a whole. For most Christians that statement simply means that Christians can worship God wherever they are in the world. “You shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father”, simply does not register. Not even the destruction of the temple in 70 AD has helped to make “You shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father” register with the average Christian.

So we are to this day living in “the time of reformation”, and the details of Christ’s reformation were slowly being revealed to us throughout the New Testament. For many years not even the apostle Paul was aware of the depth of the meaning of the statement Christ made to that Samaritan woman, “… Ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father”. It was going to take a very long time for even the apostles of our Lord to accept the depth of the Truth of those words.

The process of reforming the way we think is the same in the New Testament as it was in the Old. We are living in the time of reformation. It began with Christ, and it took many years to make that change from the material sphere to the realm of the spirit.

2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 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.

That reformation continues to this very day.

A great part of that unveiling of Christ’s reformation was placed upon the shoulders of one more person who we are told took a Nazarite vow, indicating that he, too, was not yet mature while under that vow. The words “Swear not at all”, had not yet registered with this man, and that person was the apostle Paul. Paul was not a life-long Nazarite like John the baptist, but we do read this concerning Paul:

Act 18:18 And Paul after this tarried there [Corinth] yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

There were various reasons for shaving one’s head in the law of Moses. The cleansing of a leper, and the purifying of the Levites required shaving the head, but the only time a vow is connected to the shaving of one’s head was in the case of the Nazarite vow. I had not made that connection until our sister, Bettie Rogers, asked me why I had not mentioned Paul in my study on the spiritual significance of the Nazarite vow last week.

So now I will mention Paul, and it will be very revealing to see that Paul himself was still in a Nazarite stage of his own understanding before being imprisoned in Rome. It was while in prison in Rome that Paul wrote the epistle to the Ephesians where he tells us clearly and boldly for the first time:

Eph 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye [Ephesian Gentiles] 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;

“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.” Such a reforming doctrine was unknown to the Paul of Acts 15 who signed onto what the holy spirit and the church had said in the letter that came out of that conference:

Act 15:19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
Act 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Act 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
Act 15:22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
Act 15:23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Act 15:24 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:
Act 15:25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
Act 15:26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Act 15:27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
Act 15:28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
Act 15:29 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.

Why did it please “the apostles and elders, with the whole church…” here in Acts 15 for the the Jews to continue be circumcised and to keep the law of Moses while the Gentiles were only expected to “abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication”? Would the holy spirit agree to something that was not yet the mature Truth?

Here is the answer to that question:

Joh 16:12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Ephesians 2:11-19 is part of those “many things” which Christ’s own apostles, including Paul himself, could “not bear” until after Paul was taken prisoner to Rome, where he was given to finally understand that the law of Moses was for the lawless and was being reformed to the extent of being “done away… abolished”, and replaced with “a change also of the law”. Paul had written many things which were slowly revealing that the physical realm was being replaced by the things of the spirit, but the fact is that Paul himself did not apply any of these statements to Jerusalem and the Jews, to the extend that he thought God was making of the Jew and the Gentiles, “one new man”.

Let’s look at a few things Paul said early on, of which we can safely say he did not understand the depth of his own words. For example:

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.

1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

2Co 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

2Co 3:11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.

2Co 3:14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

2Co 3:13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Gal 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Gal 3:10  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal 3:12  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

This is all in Romans and the first and second epistles to the Corinthians and in Galatians. All these epistles were written before Paul was apprehended in Jerusalem, but in Paul’s mind, and in the mind of all who had signed on to that epistle to the Gentiles in Acts 15, these words, at this time, applied only “to the brethren which are of the Gentiles”, and not at this time to the Jews who were in Christ. It was not until Paul was in prison in Rome that it was revealed to him for the first time that God:

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:

The body of Christ was not yet one while the Jews were being taught to keep the law of Moses, and the Gentiles were being taught the law had been “done away”.

How do I know that these statements in Romans 1st and 2nd Corinthians and Galatians, in Paul’s mind did not apply to Jews who were in Christ? That is clear from the fact that Paul himself had agreed to what was said in Acts 15. Further, it is very clear that Paul himself was still living under the immature law of Moses to the extent that He had taken a Nazarite vow, as I have already noted.

Besides that mention of Paul shaving his head because he had a vow in Acts 18:18, let’s consider a few other verses which demonstrate that Paul was not yet aware that the reformation of Christ would, in the end make both Jews and Gentiles “of twain one new man”.

In Acts 18 we read:

Act 18:21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

Paul did not say ‘attend this feast’, he said “keep this feast”, and that was what he did. Paul was still keeping the Jewish holy days according to the agreement he had signed onto in Jerusalem.

He was still keeping the day of atonement:

Act 27:9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast [day of atonement] was now already past, Paul admonished them,

If Paul was not keeping these holy days, how could he possibly have made this statement to Festus:

Act 25:7 And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.
Act 25:8 While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.

If you still have any doubt that Paul was keeping the law while teaching the Gentiles that they needed not to do so, let us look at one more proof of that fact. In Acts 21, having just penned his epistle to the Romans, Paul has arrived in Jerusalem with a generous gift from the churches of the Gentiles in Macedonia and Achaia.

Rom 15:25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
Rom 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

So all the epistles in which it appears that Paul was teaching that the law was not for the Jews or the Gentiles, were already written before Paul brought this gift up to Jerusalem, and before his prison epistles.

What we will now read in Acts 21 will settle this question of whether Paul was still keeping the law of Moses beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Act 21:17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
Act 21:18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
Act 21:21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Act 21:23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
Act 21:26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
Act 21:27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
Act 21:28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
Act 21:29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

That there are four of these Christians who have this Nazarite vow, shows us that we are all, to this very day, first “carnal… babes in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4), before we are granted to see the things of the spirit.

See the study on the spiritual significance of the number four: http://www.iswasandwillbe.com/numbers_four/

The fact that there are four of these Jewish Christians who had this Nazarite vow indicates that the Christian church as a whole was, and still is, at first under the law. You may very well ask “How can you possibly say that the Gentile Christian church is still under the law? Gentile Christians don’t keep the weekly Jewish sabbath, Gentile Christians don’t keep the Jewish holy days, Gentile Christians don’t circumcise their sons, How can you possibly say that Gentile Christians are still under the law?” Here is how Paul tells us the Gentiles are under the law:

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

What this tells us is that Gentile Christians have their own weekly sabbath, their own holy days, and yes, many Gentile Christians still circumcise their sons. I myself paid extra to have my first two sons circumcised as a Gentile Christian…on the eighth day, of course.

Getting back to what happened to the apostle Paul in Acts 21, either the accusations being made against Paul in verse 21 were false and Paul had never taught the Jews that were among the Gentiles to forsake the teachings of Moses or else Paul is a hypocrite of an incredible magnitude to agree to pay for the sacrifices of these four Nazarites so “all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law,” while going around for years teaching the Jews that lived among the Gentiles that they need not keep the law of Moses.

But Paul is not a hypocrite, and he has already proven repeatedly that he is willing to lay down his life for the truth of Christ as he understands it. He has already been stoned and left for dead for the gospel’s sake:

Act 14:19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
Act 14:20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

That was just one of many such persecutions Paul had endured to stand firm with Christ in His Truth:

2Co 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2Co 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

So Paul was not worried about what anyone thought about him. He wanted only to please God, and God had not yet made it clear to Paul that not only are the Gentiles fellow heirs with the Jews, but now, while in prison in Rome, just two or three years prior to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews out of their own country at the hands of the Romans, God has decided that it is time for the truth to be made known that He is in the process of “making of twain [Jews and Gentiles] one new man”.

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;

“Even the law of commandments contained in ordinances [is now] abolished.” Gentiles who are in Christ are now to consider themselves spiritual Jews, and all the false ‘two administration” doctrines to the contrary, the Jews will, with no temple at which to offer the offerings of the Nazarite, now be saved just like the Gentiles, just as Peter had prophesied way back there in Acts 15:

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?
Act 15:11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

The holy spirit used the apostle Peter to verify the revelation God gave to Paul at the beginning, and I will close this study with another quote from the apostle Peter who is again vouching for the authenticity of the revolutionary revelations God gave Paul to show us the depth of the reformation Christ had come to complete within each of us:

2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.