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Romans - Introduction - Corps - September 5, 1978

3rdburglar by Wordburglar
Topic: Romans,logospedia,lp
Format: mp3,pdf
Publication Date: September 5, 1978

On Ephesians 4:25 where I want to begin tonight, or where we will begin tonight , the first part of what the Research Team gave me is the work that Walter Cummins published in our wonderful Way Magazine on "The Spoken Word." Also, as we cover Ephesians 4:28 tonight, I had all the information in front of me from another article that Walter Cummins has in the... has had in the Magazine. The first article on Ephesians 4:25 is entitled "The Spoken Word." The one on Ephesians 4:28 is "Workers for God." Both of these pieces of work by Walter are absolutely superb. And I believe that they should appear and will appear in our research journal GMIR whenever we begin publishing that. {GMIR Aramaic word meaning ' to perfect, accomplish , mature, complete, arithmetically to be divisible without any remainder.}

And I noticed again that some of the things that were stated are just so beautifully and logically presented, I'm truly thankful for, not only Walter, but the whole Research Department. I think our Biblical Research Department is just second to none. And it' s even going to be better by God' s mercy and grace next year and in years to come than it is at this time. And right now I do not believe that our Biblical Research Department needs to take a back seat for any academic institution or work in the world.

And I thought today, I have never... I've never thought of Walter Cummins in any other capacity than to be my assistant. I know Vince Finnegan, you know, on the books is my assistant. And that' s great. But I've never thought of Walter Cummins in any other capacity for so many years as always being my assistant. And I think he' s just the most wonderful person that any president could have as his assistant. And also to be chairmen of the Department of Greek, and then the coordinator of the Biblical research of The Way International. For any one man to have that position and that responsibility is an awesome reality and I'm real proud of Walter and real thankful for him. But I am also thankful for the rest of our wonderful men and women in the Research Department.

I would like for the Corps all over the country to go to the Magazine and find "The Spoken_Word," that's the title of it, dealing with Ephesians 4:25 and other scriptures, and before the next Corps meeting next week, you endeavor to master that great piece of work by Walter Cummins. It's just, you know, the spoken Word. Over fifty Greek words are used in the New Testament in connection with the faculties of utterance. Over fifty. And then he takes the most important ones and he lists them and it' s just. .. it' s just a piece of research work that you should really as a Corps master in your heart and in your life.

Ephesians 4:25 in the King James reads, Wherefore put away lyin g, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

The ' putting away' was interesting to me again because of the Greek word aniko, a-n-i-k-o.

And this word is ' the putting away,' this word ' put away,' aniko, is the same root word as in 4:22, where we use the word ' rest,' meaning ' to rest.' Is that right? Yep, that is right. I taught you that,

didn't I? Did I or didn't I? Doesn't look right to me. It is the same root. What chapter am I missing? Am I missing anything? I don't know. Right now I'm screwed up, ha ha. First time today. You check the word again and I'll do that, too and see what I'm missing here.

But a-n-i-k-o is the word for ' putting away from you. ' To put away. And it' s the same root as the word ' rest.' I don't know where the word appears, but it's got to be in there.

Now, that word ' speak,' every man speak. That word ' speak ' is from the Greek word

laleo, l-a-l-e-long-o. And that' s where Walter' s article on "The Spoken Word"_c omes in because that is.. .he uses that word laleo in here, which I teach in Corinthians when I teach the Foundational Class. And he says the word is employed 24 times in I Corinthians chapter 14. I had forgotten that.

This word is truly significant. I couldn' t quite understand it Research Department, what  you said on page 26B 16, where you defined it ' to make vocal utterance,' ' to babble,' 'to talk,'  'to  exercise the faculty of speech without reference to the words spoken.' I just wondered if there might not be another word that could be substituted or utilized at this point. I know that Zachariah 8:16 is the quotation that is used here, or spoken of. And that Zachariah 8:16 adds force to what is said by using a quote, a quotation. That' s why my question to the Research Department is, How can it be without reference to what is spoken if it is truth plus the quotation of the Word of God that's given. It doesn't quite fit for me.

'With his neighbor' has to be a believing neighbor. This 'speak truth with his neighbor' is a figure of speech gnome, g-n-o-m-e, which simply is a citation. And that' s a citation from Zachariah 8:16.

There are a series of figures of speech, Corps, in chapter four which just put the 00mph, the highlight, to the particular things that are set whereby you put off the old man. This phrase here 'speak every man truth with his neighbor'  is one of them. The other one appears in verse 26, 'be  angry and sin not.' ' Steal no more' is another one. 'Corrupt communication' is the fourth one.  'Grieve not the  holy spirit' is the fifth one. ' All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking' is  the sixth. And  then  ' be kind' and so forth, is the seventh.

You see, the last phrase in that verse, in King James, For we' re members one of what? [Another] And it' s relative to the neighbor. Now you just look at that. Wherefore put away  lying, speak  every  man truth with his what? [Neighbor] For we are members  one of  another.  That  doesn't  mean just  a neighbor who lives next door, but it has to be a believing neighbor because  we are members  one of what? [Another]. You could not be a member ' one of another' ifhe  was an  unbeliever.  That's how I know this is going to  work. This tells me that the neighbor  is  a  believer.  And  this  ' we' re members one of another' continues the imagery of the Body of Christ.

The literal  according  to  usage of this verse is as follows:   Wherefore  put away the  lie... and I believe in my heart, before I go on with the literal that until man is born again, it's all a lie anyways. And that' s why I believe that this translation will fit in the light of that knowledge. Because when  a man is not born again, his whole  life is just a  lie. Now you're  born again,  and that ' s  why  I think the text states it ' wherefore put away the lie,' the life you' ve been living , the screwed up life you have lived outside of God. It' s been just a life of a lie. It' s not truth. It' s just the opposite of truth and that's my reason for translating it this way... Wherefore put away the lie.

You've got to go with that translation. You have no other text to go by both from Aramaic and Greek it's 'lie.' Not 'lying.' If the Research Department has anything to share in the light of that, I'd be blessed to hear, but you' ve heard my reasons for translating it, Research Department, this way.

Now since they're born again, their whole life is changed, so the life of lying, and living a lie, and being a lie, and being false, is to be put away.

And every man... this is the translation ... and everyone, everyone. The word ' man' you could use because it's an inclusive noun, but I prefer to use the word ' one.'

Wherefore put away the lie and everyone speak the truth with his neighbor for we are members one of another. That is literal according to usage.

Now for the expanded according to understanding. It's not bad. Because of this... What we coughing for? Everybody sick?...Because of this... and the reason I went in the expanded along this line is because verse 24 last week told us that we are created by God in righteousness and in true purity, through holiness. Twenty four.

That's why 25, Wherefore ... 'wherefore' can be translated 'because of this.' Because of this what? Being created in righteousness and truly pure. See it's an inside job.

Because of this being created in righteousness and truly pure by the grace and the love of

God.. .Because of this being created in righteousness and truly pure, you put away, completely lay to rest the lie that you have been and were living and each one of you speak the truth using a quotation from the Word with his believing neighbor for we are members one of another in the Body of the Church.

Robinson {Edward} said, he translated, 'speak every man truth with his neighbor' and he said it's from Zachariah 8:16 which adds force to what is said by using a quote. That's why I translated that. I think that' s great. It adds force to what is said. If you're speaking to someone, it adds force to what you say by using a quote, a quotation from God's Word. In other words, ' you share the Word with them.' That' s why I went with that translation. I want to give it to you again in this sense.

Speak the truth using a quotation from the Word, which means 'share the Word.' Quote the Word to them. Tell them what the Word says, with his believing neighbor. Why? For we are members one of another in the Body of the Church. This verse is just mind blowing.

Here, you have a born-again believer neighbor who needs to grow up a little more. So what do you do? Each one speak the truth to that neighbor, that believer, using the Word, quoting the Word because we' re members one of another in the Body of the Church. It's a real positive thing to do.

Verse 26 in King James reads, Be angry.. .ha ha... we like that one, don't we. Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.

Here is a verse of Scripture that' s very, very difficult for most people. And it' s not too easy for us either. But I think we are able to share the truth of the greatness of this and it's been burning in my heart for a long time to do this with our people.

Everybody has problems with ' how can you be angry and not sin?' You know, how can raise hell with something and not be sinful in doing it? Teed off and not be sinful. And how can you go... and what does it mean 'don't let the sun go down upon your wrath?' See.

In the context, here, verses 26 and 27 deal with your believing neighbor, specifically. Then the Greek word for ' anger' which is from the root orge, o-r-g-long-e means 'anger together with the desire of revenge .' That' s bad. That' s a heavy. The Hebrew word means ' to kill, and all the tumults of passion that terminate in killing.' So it's a real heavy word when it said ' be angry.'

And the way I believe it's used in God' s Word, ' be ye angry' means ' it's a long time anger with your believing neighbor until a change has ensued.' The desire to... of revenge is a change. And I, knowing the Word in the light of the new birth, it's where a change finally comes about. Until that time, you just, long-term, you just stay put witnessing the Word, sharing the Word. You do not dislike the believing neighbor; you simply dislike that he is not fully accepting the Word and walking on it. So it' s a long-term anger until a change has ensued. You just stay faithful.

I don't know what else to do with those words. It is a righteous anger. Yet it is a righteous anger without sin.

Among the scholars, there is a disagreement on these words. Well, I don't know about my being a scholar; that I don' t anything about being about. But it's simple to me because righteous anger is commanded by God's Word when it says ' be ye angry.' Well, the scholars can fight about it. I don' t care. It' s a command. Not just permitted to get teed once in a while when somebody' s off of God' s Word, a believer is off of God's Word. You' re always teed off righteously at any believer, born-again believer, who is off of God' s Word. And for those of us in the Way Ministry, it' s been a lifetime.

Get into it with them on... Oh what subject do you want to talk about? Baptism? Food? One God? See. All that stuff.

The Aramaic is accurate in the words ' and sin not.' It literally translates ' and you will not sin.' Again, this ' be angry and sin not' is that figure gnome. Quotation. A citation from the Old Testament. It' s from Psalm 4:4. But in King James, Psalm 4:4, it's translated 'stand in awe.' The real sense of the Hebrew is ' one of admonition;' sin not. Where we' re admonished to not sin. Sin not.

' Let not the sun go down on your wrath. ' Ha ha. That again is beautiful. People went to bed when the sun went down, when it got dark. That's when they went to bed. So what that simply is saying, ha ha, ' don't go to bed teed off.' Don' t let the sun go down on your wrath. In other words, go to bed; don' t go to bed mad. ' When you go to bed' is what it means. Let not the sun go down when you go to bed. And they went to bed when the sun went down. When it got dark, they went to bed, see.

' Upon your wrath.' And the word ' wrath' here is basically ' irritation.' Ha ha. Previously when I taught Ephesians, I made mention of this fact, ' don' t let righteous anger shake you, wondering if it was right on. When you go to bed, go to sleep.'

Now, this is what we have done with it in the literal, ha ha, according to usage. I got more papers up here than Carter has liver pills, or something. Then, I can' t find my... whatever it is I take off of it.

Okay, verse 26. You be righteously angry.. .this is literal according to usage.. .and you will not be sinning. Don't go to bed even with a momentary irritation, ha ha.

I don't think you get nearly as much fun out of this as I do. It's neat. It's absolutely scrumptious, see. At the opening, is that heavy word, remember? Anger. So it's a real heavy time. So what he is saying, in the heavy time, when your standing on God' s Word  and sharing that with the  believing  neighbor, you' re righteously angry... you're not sinning. And  you don't  even go to  bed with a momentary irritation. In other Words, when you go to bed, thank God the day is over. Say your last prayer and start snoring.

Boy, that would save a lot of sleeping pills, wouldn' t it? Practicing that principle. Boy, oh boy, what a tremendous Word. And hardly anybody understands verse 26. They argue about it, but they don' t get the understanding.

Now this is the expanded one according to understanding, I hope. And again, I would like to just lay some things before the Corps, and especially before the Research Department. I translated the first part of verse 26, You always stay angry with an all-out desire to have them to change which anger will not be sin on your part.

Then I have another translation of that first part of it: You be righteously angry, 'teed off' with sin... 'Teed off' I put in quotes. But don't  you sin  by acting  ' holier than thou'  vaunting  yourself  by acting so righteously like you never sin.

I do not know which one of those two the Research Department feels would be the better. The last part of the phrase that I translated which would go with both of these that I have given you here on the expanded one for understanding. This, the last part, goes with that first one and with the second ... also.. .even if it is only a momentary irritation.  When you go to  bed, go to sleep. That's what I did with it.

Now, verse 27. King James says, Neither (or neither) give place to the Devil. The word 'place' is simply a portion, a part. No believer will give full place to the Devil, but he may be giving a part, a portion. He' ll mark off a spot, ' this is Devil' s permission over here, over here, no permission, you know. And you really give the Devil a portion or a spot if you stew about it after you go to bed and you toss and you tum and can' t sleep.

This word 'the Devil,' ' the Devil' in the Aramaic is a very interesting and exciting Word to me and it blesses my heart. It' s a compound word where the first part means ' to eat' or ' to devour.' The latter

' to slander' or ' to accuse. '  So when I got to translating  this, literally according  to usage, verse 27 reads: Do not give any portion or space or an opportunity to the Devil. So I used those three words synonymously: portion, space, opportunity. Do not give any portion or space or an opportunity to the Devil.

The expanded according to understanding: And you will not give a toehold, an opportunity or an occasion for the Devil to eat you. Ha ha. I get more fun than you ever will out of working this stuff, huh.

You see, and to me, that communicates to my understanding. John 10:10. The thief cometh not but for to what? [Steal, kill, and destroy] Right. To eat you out. To beat you. And that's why that Aramaic word, on the word ' Devil' really thrilled me.

And that ' s why I put it into the expanded translation: And you will not give a ' toehold.' Now, at L.E.A.D., you know how important it is to get a what? [Toehold] Ha ha. And when you' re really climbing in, you' re blessed for a toehold. How thankful you are when you get a foothold. Now the adversary can never get a foothold in a believer' s life until he first has a toehold. That's why I translated it that way.

Do not give... and you will not give a toehold ... shave all the rocks off... an opportunity or an occasion for the Devil to eat you. And that' s exactly what he likes to do to believers.

Now we go to verse 28. King James says, Let him that stole steal not more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. And here again, is another great work that I believe should be in our research journal GMIR, Walter' s work on " Workers for God."

It' s just tremendous where he... you know... he just goes into God' s men are called many things in the Word. They' re called: fellow workers, ministers, or servants, slaves, fellow slaves, partners, messengers, soldiers, fellow soldiers, athletes, fellow athletes, stewards, ambassadors, witnesses, all of those. And he covers them so beautifully. And I love very much how he covered the word ' slave,' because it' s a much stronger word than to be a minister, or to be a servant. It is to be one who is branded, marked out, sold out. And baby, from that day on, there are no ifs, and' s, or but' s. You never budge on it. You are branded. Most believers are never branded. They may be servants, they may be ministers, but they are not branded. When you' re branded, you stay faithful. You do not budge. You do not change. You stay put. If all hell breaks loose, you still live the believing Word.

I think the prophet once said, If I was in the midst of hell, God I know you' d be there. (Psalm 139:8) He' d be there. That' s the doulos. That, of course, is just a tremendous piece of work.

And the other great part that I think... and this is a second piece that I want the Corps to master before next Wednesday night, " Workers for God," the work on ' witness.' You see, it's the same word basically that's translated ' martyr,' see. And we got a lot of those canonized. That's not at all what a witness is. A witness is a living example, not a dead one. The word 'martyr' simply means that you lay down your life in witnessing. And boy, when you put the doulos together with ' witness,' then you' ve got power for abundant living. It's just a fantastic work by Walter and I' m real grateful that it was published. Because once it' s in print, people can take a look at it if they want to.

I'd like a cup of coffee, please.

Now, we are in verse 28. The Aramaic translation is ' and he who was stealing.' I understand it from the English, ' let him that stole,' past tense. The Aramaic is real simple, real strong. ' And he, the one who is born again, who was, past tense, stealing.'

Thank you.

His whole life was one of those before he was born again.

Whenever you bring a cup of coffee to a right-hand man, you put the handle to the right. When you serve a cup of coffee to a left-hand man, you put it on the left-hand side and put the handle to the left. Corps principle number seven or something, ha ha. Mrs. Wierwille would say, Well, be thankful you even get a cup of coffee. [Laughter] Ah, you're wonderful.

See, ' let him who stole, steal no more.' 'Stole and steal,' that' s a figure of speech and is polyptoton p-o-l-y-p-t-o-t-o-n. It' s a repetition of the same root word in different parts of speech or reflections. But, that's not earth shaking right now in my heart.

You see, in some Eastern culture, it was not considered a sin or a shame to steal because that's the way they lived, the only way they lived. Somebody told me... or not only told me, one of our people, but it was in a national magazine, that the basic culture of Russia today is to steal. And in some respects I can understand this. If you don't have anything and you're starving to death and there' s a loaf of bread you can get a hold of... steal the dam thing. I understand that.

So this verse is really sharp, really sharp. Let him who stole, even though that man previously considered it the way to live and there was no shame in it, no sin in it. He said, Well, let that fellow who stole, steal no more. Something has happened on the inside of that man. Something that happened, where He is able to meet all of our need according to His riches in glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. More than conquerors.

A record in the Old Testament, I forget where it is, but it's in there, that it' s never, you never need to borrow or steal bread or... what is that in the Old Testament? Begging bread. One person stand and tell me. {Psalm 37:25, I have been young and now am old; yet have I seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.} Psalm 27:25 who? {Psalm 37:25} 37:25. All the years, he's never seen the righteous to have to do what? {Beg bread} Beg bread.

First of all, I wish the Christian world could hear this. Secondly, I wish our government in the United States could understand it. The Word says, If you don't work, you don' t eat. A lot of that stuff. Well, what we've been doing is stealing from the people who are willing to work to give to the people who don' t want to work. That's a bunch of crap. That's stealing. That's why this verse is so hot in my soul tonight. Let him who stole, quit stealing, dang it. See.

Many years ago I was really knocked for a loop along some of this line in India, from Dr. Williams. I think he loved India maybe like I love the United States, I don' t know. Because only a man knows how much he loves his own country, I guess.

But... as we were traveling together, he said to me, Dr. Wierwille, I hear you have whores in the United States.

You know, I never had given it a thought. I just took it for granted. [Laughter] And I said, yeah. He said, Why does a rich country like the United States have whores?

And I said, I don't know.

And he said, I can't understand it. Cannot your women make enough money to live? Yeah, but they figure that' s cheaper and more pleasurable or something, I don' t know. And he said, Well, I think it's sinful that the United States has whores.

And I said, What do you mean?

And he said to me, why, I can understand India. He said we don' t enough food, we don' t have enough of anything hardly for a lot of people. And we have whores because that' s the only way they can continue to live physically.

And I thought to myself, well boy, that' s slapping me in the face good. And I took it as a wonderful lesson. There is no excuse in the United States for any women being a whore because she doesn' t need to get screwed and paid for it in order to get money so she can live. There's plenty of work available and if there isn' t she ought to get born again, then there' s a guarantee of work. ..other work, available. I tell you, when you' re honest, some of these men in other countries have some real logic behind their thinking. How would you have liked to have handled that? I just simply admitted, Well, I think we' re wrong in the United States. But I said, I think you' re wrong in India, too, because no reason to have whores here if you get them born again.

So I don' t know. But this verse today as I worked the final working on this verse 28 is when my heart really went back and burned with that truth that Dr. Williams had stated. Because in many Eastern cultures, it was not considered as sin or as shame to steal, if it was a matter of livelihood. You sometimes wonder who will live in the greatest condemnation before God and justice and judgment when the time comes.

For in most of what are called poor countries even, there is sufficient money, food, and other things for the people to live if those in positions of authority were not so selfish and egotistical, and want it for themselves , and let the rest of the world die... or a country die.

The word ' labor' in verse 28 is the word which literally means ' hard work resulting in fatigue.' That's how I felt coming from the woods last night. And I didn' t do anything. It was just hard work being there with the rest of you. Today I got so tired of being with some, I came home. Ah, you' re wonderful.

' Working with his hands' is an Eastern cultural type of thing. Today in our culture, you could have it, you know, the truth is working with your mind or working with your hand, whatever you' re working at. But in Eastern culture, every son was to be trained to work with his hands, even if he was the son of a king. Had to learn a trade, a profession of business.

Jesus Christ was a saddle maker. He made them to ride, I guess, what do you want? Tennessee Walkers , or? See. I think not only did he do that, Paul did it, too, you know. Someday I'm going to find a...or Walter, or some of those, are going to find me a manuscript to prove it. .. and a wonderful carpenter by trade. Many times doing carpentry work and being a saddle maker were sort of in the same household, because building carpentry and having saddles to use for their business and carrying on, were very, very closely aligned. Well, I won' t argue the point, but I wish we' d keep looking.

II Thessalonians.. .Do your hands ever get so dry you can hardly hold anything? Golly, mine are so dry tonight, I wonder why? II Thessalonians, chapter 3:10... this we commanded you that if any would not work, neither should he what? [Eat] Right. Even unemployment is no excuse for stealing. He just doesn' t eat. Goes and gets work. Boy, when I first saw the greatness of these principles many years ago, and then of course, I uniquely by God' s grace, inculcated that into our W.O.W. program and very dynamically in the Corps leadership.

ROMANS
INTRODUCTION
Jesus Christ, the man from Galilee, has affected all our lives to the Nth degree. Now the
word, or the words of God, as spoken or written; words of the judges, the prophets, Christ,
Peter, Paul, and all the others who spoke or wrote the Word of God are equal in
importance, otherwise, we reduce the Bible to a level where our respect for the word is
determined by man’s rivalry as to which is most important, rather than the authority of the
word, and the declaration of God which in I Corinthians 2:13 is:
“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
The authority of the word is divine. Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit, for the prophecy came not in olden time by the will of man, but holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The difference in the word is made
known by observing to whom, when, special persons, circumstances, what administration
it is spoken or written, and many other signposts that must be observed.
In the gospel of John, chapter 16, we read in verse 12-16:
“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear
them now
Howbeit when he [it], 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 show
you things to come.
He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show
it unto you.
All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he
shall take of mine and shall show it unto you.
A little while, and ye shall not see me, and again a little while
and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.”
A fantastic record about the man, Jesus Christ. He spoke this before the ascension, and
it is truly fantastic what he said. He said he had yet many things that were to be related but
they couldn’t take it at the time. In verse 13, when that spirit of truth, which came on the
day of Pentecost, that spirit will guide you into all truth. First, it’s called the spirit of truth;
secondly, it is going to guide you; thirdly, the guiding will be into all truth. If it is all truth,
how much more truth is there than all truth? None! That spirit is God in Christ in you
today, but going back, it was God in Christ at that time after the day of Pentecost to those
men who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit who gave the words which the
Holy Spirit teaches... first you have to hear it. They were given that word. Furthermore,
this spirit is going to glorify me for that spirit is God, via Jesus Christ, and that is why all
things that the Father hath are mine.
We’re going to be working one of the books of the Bible that begins to make known the
spirit of truth that will guide into all truth. That spirit that they heard, that spoke, and that
even showed things to come. The greatness of this revelation was so fantastic, and people
were so excited and moving with it, that Acts 19 has that great statement which is
knowledgeable to all of you – Acts 19:10:
“This continued by the space of two years; so that all they which
dwelt in Asia [Minor] heard the word [logos] of the Lord
[Jesus], both Jews and Greeks.”
That was a tremendous time in the history of the world, that something that is all truth
should be made known. What a tremendous thing, that it is possible to have the all truth. It
is exciting and electrifying! How many times have we not had more error than we’ve ever
had truth handed to us? But to think that the word of God declares that there is an all truth
that the spirit will guide into. Under the ministry of Paul and the other apostles and
disciples, the whole province of Asia Minor heard the “logos,” the word in two years and 3
months, and yet, it is a marked contrast when compared with II Timothy 1:5:
“This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned
away from me; ...”
Before the death of the apostle Paul, the one who was responsible, along with others,
that all this province of Asia heard the word of the Lord; before his death, it is recorded in
God’s word that they in Asia had turned away.
Now I, for one moment, do not believe that they turned away from Paul because they
disliked the clothing that he wore, or the way he looked. It was a lot deeper than that.
Before the death of the apostle Paul, that scripture in John 16:12-16 had been fulfilled. The
spirit had come and had guided them into all truth. And therefore, the Adversary went to
work, to chip away at that truth so that they lost the significance of the great mystery. All
the great revelation of God in Christ in you, the hope of glory; having passed from death
unto life; no condemnation; all of those great truths of what God made Christ to be for the
believer; what He made the believer to be in Christ; all of that was gone before the death of
that man. Knowing these great truths documented from God’s word, you can readily see
why the Adversary is always after the word. He doesn’t mind if you talk about witnessing
– as long as you don’t do it. He doesn’t mind if you say “I’m a Christian and I’m going to
heaven” – as long as you don’t move the word. It is the word that disturbs him, it’s the
word that upsets him, and he does everything that is in his power to deter, to hinder, to
obstruct, to destroy the people who have a knowledge of the word, or begin to compromise
on the word. He’ll do anything; and he did that in the first century.
We went through stuff like what they called “apostolic succession.” If you want to see
apostolic succession, you see it in Acts 20:29:
“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves
enter in among you, not sparing the flock”
This “grievous wolves,” that’s apostolic succession. That’s what happened after the
apostle Paul’s death. They look nice, they act nice, they sweet talk you, but they have no
word, the word is gone, it’s disappeared. You’ve got to get committed to the word. We’re
going to be in that word where the all truth is made known. I do not know of anything
more because there is no more to know, and it’s all truth! The only problem I will ever
have is with me believing that God’s word means what it says and says what it means, that
it is God’s true word. So I have to get committed to that word. The Cheyenne “dog
soldiers” carried a leather thong, about 20 feet long, around their waist. When they got out
to battle, they would drive down a stake to which they would tie that 20 foot leather thong.
They could not move beyond the perimeter of that 20 feet. There they stood – to win, or to
die. They were staked; they stayed staked! May we get so staked and held in by God’s
word that we just win, or die. Psalm 31:1-5, 11-18, 23, 24:
“In thee, O Lord [Jehovah] do I put my trust [have I
fled for refuge]; let me never be ashamed: deliver [rescue]
me in [by] thy righteousness.
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver [rescue] me speedily:
be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense to save me.
For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s
sake lead me, and guide me [gently].
Pull me out of the net [trap] which they have laid privily
[secretly] for me: for thou art my strength.
Into thine hand I [will] commit my spirit [life]: thou hast [by
your power] redeemed [delivered] me, O Lord [Jehovah]
God [Elohim] of truth.”
I was a reproach among all mine enemies [because he stood for
the word] but especially among my neighbors, and a fear of
mine acquaintance [relatives]: they that did see me without fled
from me.
I am [became] forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a
broken [missing] vessel.
For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side:
while they took counsel together against me, they devised to
take away my life.
But I trusted in thee, O Lord [Jehovah]: I said, Thou art my God
[Elohim].
My times are in thy hand: deliver [rescue] me from the hand of
mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy
mercies’ sake [loving kindness].
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord [Jehovah]; for I have called
upon thee: let the wicked [lawless] be ashamed, and let them be
silent in the grave [let them die].
Let the lying lips (against the righteous) be put to silence [let
them die]; which speak grievous [arrogant] things proudly and
contemptuously against the righteous [one].
O love the Lord [Jehovah], all ye his saints; for the Lord
[Jehovah] preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the
proud doer [the one who takes a stand].
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye
that hope in the Lord.”
What a fantastic psalm! What a fantastic stand to take!
I was inspired to rework something I had read years before, entitled “The Greatest
Teacher,” and I shared it with the Way Corps and I believe it ought to include, of course,
all the Way believers. It’s entitled “The Master Teacher,” and I wrote:
The Master Teacher of all times once assembled a corps, called
disciples, that they might be with him for intimate knowledge
and intensive training in the accuracy of the word, to be pillars,
marking posts, touchstones of right believing. He called them
apostles, meaning “the sent ones.”
The student body was not large, the enrollment was twelve.
Four of them, he found along the shore of a lake, two were
fishing, two were mending nets for their fishermen. One of them
he encountered on the highway. Another, a tax collector at the
receipt of customs. Another was a political revolutionary. The
invitation to all twelve was simple – leave all and follow me,
and I will make you to become fishers of men. There were no
other requirements for matriculation. The Master Teacher lived
with his students almost day and night. He taught them about
God, not only by word of mouth, but daily, in life’s situations as
they observed him molding truth with practical living. The
students were constantly exposed to demonstrations of the
greatest reality, including the finest code of ethics ever
introduced into the laboratory of life. Yet in spite of the
exposure to the Master Teacher, one of the twelve betrayed him
for 30 pieces of silver, the lowest price legally permitted for the
purchase of a slave. Another, under pressure, refused to be
identified with the Master Teacher. Another of the twelve
doubted the evidence of the resurrection and insisted on
touching and seeing, before he would believe. Three out of the
twelve, in the crisis and excitement of the time, gave no
immediate indication that the Master Teacher’s life and teaching
had taken root and was worthwhile. The experience of the
greatest master teacher, the batting average of the greatest
spiritual athlete? Yes.
Now the record of the Master Teacher is not a commentary on
him, but rather an attestation to human frailty, a prime example
of man’s inability or refusal to profit from the instruction in
righteousness, or at least to respond quickly by believing. The
record of the Master Teacher, the man of Galilee is encouraging
to every teacher, for to every teacher come moments when
progress is not apparent, and instruction in teachings seems
barren and empty. Rarely is it given to a teacher to see and
enjoy the full fruits of his teaching. A teacher labors, believing
in planting and watering – the harvest comes later.
Herein is the Master Teacher’s story:
Of the twelve, there were nine, and of the three, there were yet
two. To be sure, there was Judas Iscariot. There will always be a
Judas, or his relative. But there was Thomas, called the doubter,
who overcame his doubts by believing the truth, and labored to
the death in India, in the business of his master. And then, there
was Simon Peter who, like a grain of sand, blew about with
every gust of wind. And yet, his act of denial fades into oblivion
as we behold this spiritual pilgrim with a vision of the beauty of
the integrity and accuracy of God’s word, with an unalterable
commitment to God, His word, and His resurrected son,
journeying steadfastly to a martyr’s death. Was it, and is it all
worthwhile? Yes indeed, for today, you are in the Way Corps.
This year for the Corps, it’s the book of Romans, which is the first of the seven great
Church Epistles. In the seven Church Epistles, we have the perfection and the presentation
of the “all truth” into which the spirit was to guide, according to the gospel of John. These
seven Church Epistles have the perfect embodiment of the all truth in every facet of life
and living. II Peter 1:3 says:
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of
him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”
You could not have the “all things that pertain unto life” if you did not have all truth.
Not only is seven, the number of the epistles, perfect, but the order in which they appear
in the Scriptures is also perfect. The epistles to the Thessalonians were written first, and
yet they stand last in every manuscript. The reason being that the hope must be known in
the mind of a believer. He must know and believe Christ is coming back and yet in
practice, its position is last of all the church epistles for it is the final occurrence in this life
here upon earth. The seven churches to which God addressed His seven epistles by the
apostle Paul are Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and
Thessalonians. The remaining epistles in the New Testament are either general epistles, or
epistles addressed to individuals. The seven Church Epistles present a complete course for
every Christian believer in the administration in which we live. These seven epistles begin
and finish the total education for every believer. They are the spiritual curriculum
containing everything necessary for the believers standing and state, his walk, his total life.
Ignorance of the seven Church Epistles has caused no small amount of error, and therefore,
born-again believers have been susceptible to, and have been blown about with every wind
of doctrine. They’ve had no foundation in which they securely rested, with no anchorage of
the integrity of God’s word on which they could depend. Consequently, they had no basic
principle of truth on which to judge every standard of teaching and living.
Three of the seven Church Epistles stand out specifically and distinctly from all the
others as being treatises, rather than epistles. These three are Romans, Ephesians, and
Thessalonians. They contain so much more doctrinal (right believing) teaching as
compared with the other four epistles. By treatises, I mean that these three are more
elaborate, more exhaustive that the other four epistles that are simply epistolary. The word
epistle basically means a letter, a written message, a communication. It is of literary
excellence, but more brief than the treatises. The four epistles that are placed between the
three treatises are in two pairs, with each pair containing respectively, reproof and
correction in contrast with the three doctrinal epistles.
Romans, Ephesians and Thessalonians contain doctrine, which is instruction, right
believing. Romans is doctrine, under it comes Corinthians and then Galatians. Corinthians
is the reproof and Galatians is the correction. There is one pair sandwiched in between
Romans and Ephesians.
Ephesians again is doctrine. Then under this, you have Philippians, which is reproof,
and then you have Colossians which again is correction. Then the seventh one lines right
up here and that is Thessalonians. Thessalonians is the return of Christ, the gathering
together, where there will be no more reproof and no more correction. That is why there is
nothing after it. So you notice that the order of the epistles is not only perfect, but the
reason for the order is divine and as such, Thessalonians stands last.
Believers must first and foremost understand what God has made Christ to be unto
them, and made them to be in Christ. Until they learn these former truths from the Church
Epistles addressed to the believers, they will simply continue to be occupied with
themselves and will erroneously divide the truths connected with the Lord’s coming.
The book of Romans must be studied and understood if we are going to understand the
balance of the six Church of the Body epistles to the saints who are in Christ Jesus. The
book of Romans stands as the cornerstone and the foundation of all Christian believing and
education. Until its great lessons are learned and understood, all the rest of the epistles will
be as so much confusion. If we wrongly divide and subsequently misunderstand the book
of Romans, we are going to be wrong all the way through. God had the book of Romans
placed first in all the Church Epistles because it is the foundation, the basic stepping stone,
the threshold of all true Church of the Body teaching.
In Romans chapter one, the gospel of God’s grace (the book of Romans) begins with the
following words:
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle, separated unto
God’s gospel...”
And with this begins the record in the word laying the greatest foundational truths of all
time, showing how every man is totally and utterly dead in sin and trespasses, living in
utter ruin and completely helpless. Whether they be the ungodly Gentiles or the
transgressors of the law of Israel, all alike are shown to be spiritually dead and lost; but in
Christ Jesus, justified by God. In the redemptive process, as revealed in the book of
Romans, God shows how He dealt with the root of all transgression, namely sin; as well as
the outgrowth of the nature of man and its results in sins. God reveals how the saved sinner
has been taken out of the deepest degradation in Romans and been justified by believing,
and is united to Christ Jesus in his death, his burial and his resurrected life. Even though
the old man nature continues to harass and endeavors to defeat the born-again believer and
is ever present as a hostility to the truth of God. Yet, for those born-again of God’s spirit,
there is no judgment, and consequently no separation from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord, but only rewards.
In the first eight chapters, God indicates what He has done with the root of all sins,
which are an outgrowth of sin, and how the saved sinner not only died with Christ, but is
risen with him, and is made a son and an heir of God, and a joint-heir of Christ Jesus. The
book of Romans begins with man in his utter degradation, and takes him to God. It deals
with man’s necessity. The remaining chapters (after chapter 8) of the book of Romans,
give us the practical application of the principles set forth in the first 8 chapters.
The book of Ephesians starts technically at the close of the eighth chapter of Romans,
and the book of Ephesians does not begin with man’s ruin and being brought to God, but it
indicates and starts with God reaching down to man and as to what God is in Christ to the
believer. Ephesians does not start from man’s necessity, but from God’s divinely designed
purposes from before the foundation of the world. Ephesians is little concerned about what
the saved sinner is made to be in Christ, but what Jesus Christ has been made to be unto
the saved sinner.
The book of Romans is basically given to give us the knowledge of ourselves, while the
book of Ephesians gives us the knowledge of God and His great purposes in Christ Jesus.
In the book of Romans, we have the gospel of grace, while in Ephesians we have the
mystery of this grace totally revealed. In the book of Romans, we see the people of Israel
as transgressors, and the Gentiles as sinners individually, while in the book of Ephesians
we see the one new man called out from both Jew and Gentile. In the book of Romans the
saved sinner is declared dead and risen with Christ; in Ephesians, this same believer is
shown as seated in the heavenlies in Christ, while in Thessalonians, this same believer is
seen forever in glory with Christ. The book of Romans takes up the sinner in his lowest
depths of degradation—Thessalonians deposits him on the throne of glory, to be forever
with the Lord. But midway between Romans and Thessalonians stands Ephesians, which
gives us God’s view of the saved sinner, who by believing, has already been seated with
Him in the heavenlies.
In the book of Romans we are taken out of the miry clay of total defeat, and in
Ephesians, set upon the rock, and then upon the throne, according to Thessalonians.
Nothing in the entire word of God is so dynamically real, nor in all biblical revelation so
unique as Romans, Ephesians, and Thessalonians, standing so distinctly, nothing else like
it found anywhere! These epistles are all ABOUT us, and they are all TO us. Thus, the
entire course of curriculum for the saved sinner, the Christian believer, is completely
complete and perfectly perfected in the seven Church Epistles.
The book of Romans starts at the lowest point – Thessalonians takes us to the highest.
No one can proceed any further in any direction. It is the “all truth.” The book of Romans
begins with every man dead in trespasses and sins, and ends with him on the throne of
glory. The book of Romans begins with beggars, and ends with heirs of God and jointheirs
with Christ Jesus. Having been brought low, we are lifted up. Having been poor, we
are made rich. Having been dead, we are made alive to be caught up to meet the Lord in
the air and so forever to be with the Lord.
In Romans we are justified in Christ, in Thessalonians we’re glorified with Christ where
there is no reproof or correction, only praise and thanksgiving. There are no Church
Epistles addressed to the born-again believers, the saints, beyond this because there is no
higher truth to be taught or learned. This is the “all truth” into which the spirit was to
guide. The consummation has been reached. This is the highest grade in the school of
grace, where the holy spirit is the great and true divine teacher. It is our education in the
school of grace that will make known unto us our proper standing and state in Christ Jesus.
It is certainly something to have such great truth in matters of such great importance.