There are two great temptations that confront every Christian. Now, while you quickly try to pare down your list of allurements from the “Seven Deadly Sins” catalog to just two, remember, I did not say there were ONLY two temptations. I said there were two that every one of us faces. These two major temptations are not the sexual or social sins that seem to be so commonplace within our Church community. These two deadly harbingers of destruction are nestled in the way we interpret the Bible. The temptations are either (1) to relegate or (2) to project.
I am quite sure that most of you can echo my perception that, over the course of the past, we have not heard one, single sermon decrying the vile nature of these temptations. However, the dismissive nature in which these villains are treated in no way diminishes the terrible consequences they induce. Relegating and projecting will have more effect upon your Christian experience than almost any other factors. Now that we have firmly established their importance, let’s investigate their functions.
The definitions are as simple as their names imply. First, let’s deal with Relegating. This deadly perspective means that we view the Bible as a chronicle of history with very little significance to the present day. “Relegators” see God as a Supreme Being only involved in the past. He used to do miracles; He used to intervene in the course of nature; He used to help the helpless and give hope to the hopeless. Relegators honor God for what He used to be and what He used to do. This is the theology of “Yesterday.”
Those who relegate God to a “use to be” Deity have taken the position of theological Deism. Deists consider God as the ultimate watchmaker who was intricately involved in the design and manufacturing of the product. Afterwards, then took His hands off and simply observes with no further participation. They see Him as a disinterested or impotent observer who has better things to do than stay involved in the day-to-day circumstances and needs of His creation.
While it is true that not all Relegators are Deists, there is a common thread that runs between them. They both share the view that God just doesn’t do godly things like those that He used to do. They quickly acknowledge that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They celebrate the miracles of the Old Testament and even the supernatural ministry of Jesus’ earthly ministry. However, this is where they tend to draw the line in their theological sand. Relegators incorrectly assume that Christ is no longer involved in the ongoing needs of His children.
“Relegation Theology” erroneously asserts that the days of miracles ended with the death of the last Apostle, John. They opine that all of God’s supernatural abilities were halted after the first century. Therefore, we are helplessly at the mercy of the devil, society, ecology, politics, economy and disease until we die. Then, we go to heaven. Unfortunately most go prematurely because, like Asa, they do not consult the Lord in their sickness but depend solely on medical science for their help (2 Chron. 16:12).
As I stated earlier, this is a subtle yet deadly deception of demonic origin. The causalities of this belief system cannot be measured by our finite minds. Only God knows the incalculable masses of Christians who could have received help, hope and healing had they simply allowed God to be the “UNCHANGING” God He proclaimed Himself to be.
Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I change not...”
The writer of Hebrews emphatically declares Christ’s unchangeableness also when he penned, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever” (13:8). Both the Old and New Testaments proclaim this message. The theological term “Immutability” describes emphatically that our God is a God who CANNOT change. He is not susceptible to wavering or waffling. He is forever the same.
If God did not change and will not change, then neither His actions nor His attitudes have ever changed. Moreover, they will never change! Matthew 22:31-32 says, “...Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” God’s power and glory are not matters to be relegated to the past with no hope of His helping us today. Jehovah is a very present help in time of trouble or need (Psalms 46:1). If you think He cannot or will not help you, then you have tied His hands because of your unbelief. Avoid the temptation of this deadly deception to relegate God to the past. God is a “Today” God: every day, all day long.
The second of these deadly deceptions is the reciprocal of the first. It is the temptation to PROJECT every blessing and promise of God into the future. This view also fails to see God intervening in the present circumstances of His children. Everything in this deception assumes that, only later on earth or in heaven, will God’s people see His supernatural nature revealed. This is the theology of “Someday.”
“Projectors” consign everything to the future. Beautiful songs like “In the Sweet By and By” and “Everybody Will Be Happy Over There” feed their view that nothing good happens here. They assume that all of God’s blessings have been reserved exclusively for heaven. Truly, the blessings of the “Sweet By and By” will be wonderful, but God has made provision for us in what has been called, “The Nasty Now and Now.”
The perils of projecting cause us to miss the marvelous provisions Christ has purchased for our immediate benefit. Instead of accepting the false view that this earth is the Christian’s hell, we need to embrace the statement God made to the Israelites about His desires for His people NOW. When speaking to them about the importance of His word, He stated in Deuteronomy 11: 20-21, “And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.” Those words are a summation of God’s desire for His people: not that we live in Hell here, but that we experience “Heaven on Earth.” His intensions have never changed.
The Scriptures contain the word “NOW” 243 times in the New Testament. The majority of times it is used, it is in the context of informing Believers about the rights and privileges we have through the completed work of Christ’s gift of redemption. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Our heavenly Father wants His children to embrace the promises and provisions that were secured by Christ’s atoning work on Calvary. The picture Paul painted of the Church is that of “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”
(Eph 5:27).
Here are just a few scriptures to help you claim the “Now Promises” from God’s Word.
A. 2 Peter 1:3, “God has given us ALL things…” [NOW]
B. 1 Cor. 3: 21, “ALL things are yours…” [NOW]
C. Eph. 3:1, “Who hath blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings…” [NOW]
D. Eph. 1:18, “…Know the glorious riches of His inheritance in the Saints.” [NOW]
E. Roms. 8:32, “He hath freely given us ALL things…” [NOW]
F. 1 Cor. 2:12, “…the things that are freely given to us of God” [NOW]
G. Luke 15:31, “ALL that I have is THINE” [NOW]
Our victory was purchased by Christ, so that we might enjoy it now and later. The promises are for now. God wants His children to conquer Satan, sin and sickness NOW. Our God is not a “Has-Been God” or a “Will-Be God” but a “NOW-IS GOD!” Do not allow the enemy to trick you into relegating to history or projecting into the future the blessings God has available for you right now.
God stated in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that Christ was made to be sin for us so that we might be made righteous. He stated in Isaiah 53:10 that Christ was made sick (KJV Text: “put to grief”; Strong’s Hebrew 2470, “To make sick, diseased, or put to pain”) so we might be healed. He further declared in
2 Corinthians 8:9 that, “though He (Christ) was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.” Not one of these provisions deals with heavenly amenities.
These are all earthly blessings our loving and gracious God provided through His Son, Jesus Christ. There will be NO NEED for the gifts of Righteousness (Salvation), Healing or Prosperity in Heaven. If you aren’t saved, you will not be there. If you are there, Revelation says there will be no more pain or disease. If you are in Heaven, you will also be living in a mansion and walking on a street of gold. All three of these provisions are part of the basic package for all those entering Heaven. God made these provisions for us so His children might have “Heaven on Earth” (Righteousness, Healing and Prosperity) now in the present world (Deut 11:21). So, ENJOY! He wants you to.
****A Personal Word to Our Readers from Dr. Frazier****
There are great insights to be derived from the study of the Greek New Testament. Each month I will endeavor to share a nugget of truth from the Book of Truth, God’s Eternal Word. These will be concise and should not intrude into your time or opportunity to explore the richness of the vein from which they were extracted. That is for you and the Holy Spirit to excavate together. These nuggets are just to let you know where to begin the digging, if you so desire. They are NOT designed to be an exhaustive commentary providing all the answers on the subject. The Spirit will guide you in how deep to dig. Please feel free to share your questions, observations or insights with our readers and me.
Website: http://www.donfrazier.com
Author: Donald Frazier
| Author's Website: http://donfrazier.com
Written: 09/01/2008
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Category: Golden Nuggets
Comments: 3
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