WW Webster Dictionary gives the meaning of “pure” as spotless, stainless and containing nothing that does not properly belong; and free from moral fault or guilt, marked by chastity (adj. Latin purus). “Religion” means supernatural constraint, sanction, from religare meaning restrain (Latin religio, middle English religioun). God through His words in the Holy Bible defines Pure Religion as:

James 1:26-27 (KJV) “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Denominations composing Christianity, a religion relying on the Holy Bible as spiritual authority, are one in the interpretation of Pure Religion. As defined in the verses, it means “loving and caring for the orphans and the widows who are most materially and emotionally in need.” The establishment and maintenance of the following non-profit institutions, aside from individual good works, are the results of this rendition:

1. Hospitals
2. Orphanages
3. Home for unwed mothers
4. Home for the aged
5. Adult training programs
6. Different charitable institutions and organizations

Attending to the material needs, aside from emotional guidance, of the unfortunate people is the perceived fruition of Pure Religion. It is with this human understanding that “ecumenism” or the “unity” of Christian denominations is hatched under the aegis of love. In reality, however, they cannot be truly united because of variances in doctrines.

A glimpse of the deeper meaning

God is represented by His words (John 1:1) and Jesus Christ is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13 ). Simply stated, God should be the sole authority to speak for HIMSELF through His words! In plain illustration, God speaks through the microphone and the chosen servants should only act as the speaker system. Any sound coming from the speaker system that did not originate from the microphone is the nauseating hiss and hum. The topic will demonstrate how God explains His words. These are some points in the verses that God has to elucidate to clearly understand PURE RELIGION from His point of view:

1. “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”

What is “not keeping a tight rein on one’s tongue” from man’s point of view?From God’s point of view on the matter?How could one’s heart deceive him?

2.  “To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.”

Who are the fatherless and who are the widows from God’s point of view?Why only “visit” and not to give all-out support?What is their affliction?

3.  “To keep himself unspotted from the world.”

What is keeping oneself “unspotted from the world” from man’s point of view?What is God’s point of view on the matter?

A. “KEEPING REIN ON ONE’S TONGUE”

Man’s perception of “keeping rein on one’s tongue” is to speak only on a subject known under appropriate circumstances. To God, speaking on something only He is the sole authority is “not keeping rein on one’s tongue.” Examples: The Scribes or Teachers of the Law during the time of Christ expounded on the words of God and people followed them. Our Lord said, “blind guides followed by the blind.”

Christ spoke in parables. Not one of the apostles opened the mouth to explain the parables. Only Christ should explain His words that are expressed in parables.

Mark 4:34 (KJV) “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”

If Peter, Paul or John explained the parables, then they would “not have kept rein on their tongue.” Examples: when Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” Did any of His apostles volunteer to explain His words? When Jesus gave the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-23), did any of the apostles explain the meaning? If they did, then they would have taken His role. Then they would have been “other Christs” that our Lord warned in Matthew 24:23. God is the author of His words and only He is the authority to explain the great message. Who among the people today “keep rein on the tongue?” The dictate of the heart, however, tempts people to take the role of Christ by explaining the words of God:

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

God is represented by His words

God is a Spirit (John 4:24 ). Because He cannot directly relate to His chosen, He had to represent Himself through His words (John 1:1). This was revealed to Paul when he wrote:

Romans 7:14 “ For we know that the law is spiritual…”

To show the “Way” and reveal the “Life” to His words, God manifested Himself in the flesh.

1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) “ And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…”

This was prophesied and fulfilled in the person of JESUS CHRIST:

Isaiah 7:14 “…a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Accordingly, God in the person of Jesus Christ explains everything for He is the Word of God (Revelation. 19:13 ). Our Lord did this when He was with His disciples:

Mark 4:34 “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”

The parables are the spiritual components of the words, that only the Word can explain. This truth had long been revealed to the chosen in:

Psalms 78:2 “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old.”

Ezekiel 20:49 “Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?”

If Jesus Christ is a physical being called the Word of God in Revelation. 19:13 , and God is the Word in John 1:1), then we perceive the words of God as consisting of the “letter/physical” and the “spirit/spiritual.” The “letter or literal” in the words of God corresponds to Jesus, a physical being. Just as Jesus was visible, so is the “letter” understood with the LITERAL LANGUAGE of man. The “spiritual” component representing the Father has to be explained by the words, just as God is identified by divine revelation.

Truth therefore is composed of the “letter” or literal/physical” and the “spirit/spiritual” in the words. The literal-physical varies with time and culture of the people. The spiritual is immutable, representing the immutable God (Malachi 3:6). The Spirit God is Truth; as Jesus, the man, is Truth. Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30 ). A guide to their “unity” is, Jesus accepted worship when only God deserves that supreme accolade or honor (Matthew. 4:10 ). There is only ONE GOD (Malachi 2:10 , Mark 12:32 , 1 Corinthians. 8:6, Ephesians. 4:6). The fact that Jesus accepted worship proves that He is truly the visible representation of God (Colossians 1:15 , 2:9, John 14:7). For details on the revelation of God of Himself and Jesus Christ, read the articles, JESUS OF THE ORIGINAL APOSTLES and THE GOD OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT.

Hebrew 10:7 “ Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,)…”

God made a Testament for the salvation of the chosen. This culminated with the shedding of blood on the cross.

1 John 3:16 “ Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”

The “letter must die”

Just as Jesus died on the cross, so should the “letter” in the word that He represents must also die with Him:

Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”

The “handwriting of ordinances” refers to the “letter of the law” which, standing alone, cannot represent the truth. This is what Jesus said regarding this:

John 5:31 “ If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.”

The “letter” has “to die” as Jesus died in order to “rise again” taking the spiritual nature.

Romans 7:6 “ But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”

Jesus requires another witness to prove Him to be Truth. Aside from Him is the Father Who should testify to the Truth.

John 5:31 “ If I (Jesus = literal word) bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. 32 There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he (Father = spiritual word) witnesseth of me is true.”

Very clearly therefore, Truth in the words of God requires the LITERAL WORD representing Jesus, and the SPIRITUAL WORD representing the Father. Correspondingly, simply knowing the PHYSICAL JESUS is not enough to clearly recognize Him, for it needs the identity of the Father as well.

John 8:19 “ …Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

Here is the rebuke for not recognizing God by simply looking at the PHYSICAL JESUS, in spite of what is written about Him “Emmanuel” or “God with us”:

John 8:54 “ Jesus answered… it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him…”

Seeing Christ without His clear identification follows the non-recognition of the Father. Correspondingly, since Jesus represents the “letter” in the word, simply understanding the literal meaning does not necessarily follow the clear comprehension of the great spiritual message that the Father represents. That is how our Lord exposed the religious people in His time. He called them, “Blind guides leading the blind.” Today, who can claim clear recognition of God if Jesus is truly identified?

Recognizing the physical Christ therefore is not enough. We have also to identify the spiritual Christ. These two are one and constitute the Truth. The “Spirit God, the Father,” and “Emmanuel, God with us, the Son,” are the TWO WITNESSES to the Truth. A guide to the truth was revealed in the Old Testament:

Deuteronomy 19:15 “ One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”

Since God is the Word (John 1:1) and Jesus Christ is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13 ), the TWO WITNESSES therefore are the LITERAL and the SPIRITUAL word. Without “Emmanuel” God could not have been seen (John 14:7), is equivalent to, without the “literal word” God could not have communicated with His chosen. Just as the “Spirit God” and “Emmanuel” are one (John 10:30), so also the “spiritual word” cannot be separated from the “literal word” that establishes the truth. The “third witness” refers to the Holy Spirit that gives “life” to the words.

John 6:63 “ It is the spirit that quickeneth…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Here we can see the Spirit God uttering the Word that represents Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit giving “life” to the words. The “literal word” is “quickened” or given life by the Holy Spirit’s revelation through the very words:

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

Here is God’s way to read the Holy Bible. It is not verse-by-verse, or chapter-by-chapter, or book-by-book, as to simply get the context of the story. It must be:

Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”

B.“VISIT THE FATHERLESS AND WIDOWS IN THEIR AFFLICTION.”

If to the Natural Man the “fatherless” are the orphans whose physical fathers had died, Jesus revealed the spiritual father in the following:

JOHN 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil…he…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…”

The “fatherless” therefore refer to people who found the TRUTH that now Satan, “the father”, had died in their life. These are the “spiritual orphans” who need to be “visited” and to be taken to the “household of the Lord (Ephesians 2:19).”They are to be fed with the Living Bread or the pure word of God.

JEREMIAH 15:16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name…”

God tells us “to visit” them only. This presupposes that it is God Who will take care and feed them with His spiritual words. The truth about “God speaking over the microphone and the believers acting only as the speaker system” will apply here. God is the actual giver, and the chosen are only the messengers.

The “widows” in the LANGUAGE OF MAN are women whose husbands had died. In the SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE OF GOD, the husband refers to SATAN. This is deduced from the following where God is supposed to be the spiritual “husband.”

ISAIAH 54:5 “ For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name…”

JEREMIAH 3:14 “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family…”

The “seeds” of God are the truth in His words (Luke 8:11). The “seeds” of Satan are the deceptions in the words of God. Satan showed that he could cite Bible verses (Matthew 4:6). During the time of our Lord, the spiritual “wife” of God were the Disciples who only received His “seeds”. The Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious sects at that time, who followed the Teachers of the Law could not have been the “wife” of God for they had been receiving “seeds” that were not of God. This is gleaned from the warning of our Lord:

MATTHEW 16:6 “Then Jesus said unto them (Disciples), Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

MATTHEW 16:12 “Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

Doctrines contradictory to what is written in the Holy Bible although supported by Bible verses could not have come from God. These are the “leaven of bread” spoken of by our Lord.

The “widows” are physical male and female (Galatians 3:28), who had been receiving “strange seeds” or “leaven” in the word. These are the condemned human precepts and religious traditions (Colossians 2:8). Cessation from receiving these strange seeds makes them “spiritual widows” of the enemy of God. Satan now had “died” in their life. Like the “fatherless”, they need to be “visited,” taken to “the household of God,” and be fed with the Living Bread or the pure word of God.

To be noted is, the “widows are only to be visited.” It seems the role of the believer is relegated to a simple accessory. Let us remember the believer acts as a simple “speaker system” only. It is God Who “speaks over the microphone.” It is God Who explains His words and it is He Who can make them understand the message. It is God Who actually takes care and feeds them spiritually.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works…”

The “affliction of the widows and fatherless” is their spiritual isolation and persecution by the “sons and wives of Satan.” Jesus Christ warned His disciples, a type of the “fatherless and widows”:

JOHN 16:2 “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

“Whosoever killeth you” does not necessarily mean physical death, but “murder in spirit.”

1 John 3:15 “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him .”

C. “KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD”

In the LANGUAGE OF MAN, “world” refers to worldliness and the sin of the flesh taken literally in the following and in the Ten Commandments:

Gal. 5:19 “ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Christ will explain whether the literal obedience is all to the commandments.

Luke 18:18 “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19And Jesus said unto him… Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. 21And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.”

The Ruler must have physically avoided sins when he told our Lord: “ all these have I kept from my youth up ( Luke 18:21 ). “ Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me (Luke 18:22 ).”

Luke 18: 23 “And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. 24And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God ! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God .”

If “rich” means literal-physical, Joseph of Arimathea a rich man in the New Testament; and Abraham, Jacob, David and Solomon, all rich men in the Old Testament, could not have attained eternal life. Therefore, who are the “rich” and the “poor” that our Lord is referring to? Here are the “poor”:

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The “poor” are the humble in human spirit like “little children.” (Matthew 18:3). They are not physical little children for the apostles were adults when our Lord called them as such. The apostles must have acted innocently in the eyes of our Lord; ignorant in their own eyes, not philosophical, and devoid of the rationality of an adult.

John 13:33 “ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews…”

God therefore is speaking His SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE for this is physically impossible:

Matthew 11:25 “ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

2 Timothy 3:15 “ And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation…”

If spiritual “little children” or the “poor in spirit” are given spiritual wisdom, then the “spiritually rich” must be the opposite. They are not given spiritual knowledge and therefore spiritually blind. Truly so, how could the spiritually blind “see” the Way and follow the Truth? No wonder, Christ said, “ it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God .”

The Natural Man sees “possession” as referring to material wealth, land, houses, etc. To God these are the spiritual possessions to be “sold”: “house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2) and “land of darkness” (Job 10:21). Continuous possession of these could not have opened the eyes of the spiritually blind. These “possession” should be sold in order to receive proceeds of TRUTH. It is truth that should be shared to the “poor in spirit.” Now God made it clear who the “fatherless” and the “widows” are.

Our Lord gave another reference to spiritual possession:

Matthew 6: 21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Spiritual “possession” therefore is what is ensconced in the heart. In the heart of the religious people, the Scribes and Pharisees, during our Lord’s time was their zealousness to follow the “letter of the law.” Our Lord called them hypocrites. The truth is:

2 Corinthians 3:6”Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament ; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth , but the spirit giveth life.”

Zealousness to the “letter of the law” makes a person self-righteous and proud. That is what the Rich Ruler bragged about before our Lord. “The letter” cleanses the “outside of the cup” only and this is limited to MORALITY (Matthew 23:26 ). Christ preached cleansing first the “inside of the cup.” This is SPIRITUALITY and it refers to the spiritual message of the word. This truth is the basis of the following:

Galatians 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.”

Perhaps the Natural Man (1 Corinthians 2:14) would ask, “How could a person be cursed under the law when God gave the law precisely to be followed?” Unknown to many however, God gave His words for Him to explain for He is speaking spiritual things. Man’s understanding is limited to the literal-physical meaning. Thus the impossibility of following the law with man’s understanding:

James 2: 10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

With man’s limited perception, God knows nobody can follow the whole law. He wants the chosen to trust Him as “little children,” so He could have a “free hand” shaping their spiritual life. However, many people, like the Scribes and Pharisees, want to act like “adults.” Therefore, the curse! Hence, came this sweeping statement from our Lord:

Matthew 18:3 “ And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

It is only to the SPIRITUAL, not physical, babes that knowledge and wisdom is endowed. Christ’s disciples were “converted and became as little children”:

John 13:33 “ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said…”

To them therefore was endowed the wisdom not otherwise given to the Teachers of the Law who were known as the wise and prudent:

Matthew 11:25 “ At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

It is to the spiritual suckling that doctrines are taught and learned:

Isaiah 28:9 (KJV) “ Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.”

2 Timothy 3:15 “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation…”

Is this possible to the literal-physical babies?

Psalms 8:2 “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”

God’s chosen were all “converted and became as little children” that they were blessed with a clear understanding His words. They are given the gift of faith, which alone justifies man before God. They know, with man’s personal capability, that they will forever be short of God’s standard of righteousness:

Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

The “law” refers to the literal-physical understanding of man that limits him to the simple “cleanliness on the outside” or morality. God’s word goes beyond “cleanliness on the outside” or far above morality. The spiritual aspect delves on the “cleanliness in the inside.” This is SPIRITUALITY that our Lord kept on pounding to the Teachers of the Law, but they did not understand Him. God revealed that the “law” justifies no man. Only faith, a gift from God, can shape man into the image of the model, the man-Christ Jesus.

Galatians 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.”

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

“Works” are not the simple noble deeds or charity that man can boast about. Rather, they are the fruits of faith after having known the spiritual word. It is the spiritual “walk” after having found the “Way”, for this is what leads to eternal life.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

THE WHOLE LAW SUMMARIZED

There is one Scribe who preferred to ask our Lord on a subject people expected him to know. This Teacher of the Law must have been “converted into a little child” as the disciples were.

Mark 12:28 “And one of the scribes came, and…asked him , Which is the first commandment of all ?”

Mark 12:29 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, OIsrael ; The Lord our God is one Lord:”

In the ordinary human perception, our Lord’s answer is not even responsive to the question for how could “The Lord our God is one Lord” be a commandment. This is one proof that our Lord is speaking “spiritual things” or parables (Psalms 78:2). Relating this to what transpired in the life of our Lord, He saw how the Teachers of the Law supposed to lead people to eternal life did NOT KNOW GOD.

John 8:54-55 “Jesus answered …it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him…”

They professed to worship one God, the God of Abraham and Moses, but this is not enough.

James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe…”

Now the “first of all the commandments” cited by our Lord could be appreciated because KNOWING OR RECOGNIZING GOD really must come first before LOVING HIM. Then our Lord began enumerating the Two Great Commandments:

Mark 12:30-31 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God … this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:32 -33 “And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God ; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart…and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Mark 12:34 “And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God…”

The Scribe showed how humble he was to ask our Lord on a subject people expected him to know. He saw his real role: a simple “speaker system emitting only the sound coming from the Speaker over the microphone.”

How many of the counterparts of the Scribe today ask our Lord to explain what He said? On this matter of the Two Great Commandments, perhaps everybody is presumed to be an authority for it looks so simple to understand. However, who can explain God’s words but Him alone! Did Peter, John, and the other apostles take the authority to elucidate? No one among them!

Mark 4:34 “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”

God/Jesus Christ is/are speaking in parables (Ezekiel 20:49 , Psalms 78:2). The Two Great Commandments must have been expressed in a parable.

GOD IS LOVE

Since “there is none other commandments greater than these,” and the ultimate objective is spiritual perfection and salvation, therefore Pure Religion must have been founded on these Two Great Commandments. “God is love” and the Commandments are instituted on the basis “love.” Therefore, Pure Religion must be “all-in-all” for God.

1 John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love .”

1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

TO KNOW GOD IS THE FIRST “COMMANDMENT”

Pure Religion exemplifies one’s perfect relationship with God. Taking the cue from the answer of our Lord to the Scribe, the starting point of love is a “call”: “ Hear, O Israel.” Israel is the name given to Jacob, a descendant of Abraham, and a chosen of God. Christ could not have referred to Jacob or to his offspring alone, for the chosen embraces the following:

Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

“Hear, O Israel,” therefore, is a call to all people belonging to Christ to listen to His voice: “the first of all the commandments is…”

Mark 12:29 (KJV) “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord:”

Mark 12:29 (NIV ) “ The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel ,the Lord our God, the Lord is one .

To man’s understanding, this is not even a command but a simple statement of fact. However, TO KNOW the “One Lord and one God” becomes a command in the light of the following. To simply believe in one God is not enough.

James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe…”

Jesus Christ voiced the same urgent call of God in the Old Testament; but many of His people ignored Him:

Jeremiah 4:22 “For my people are foolish, they have not known me; they …have none understanding…”

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me…”

Because many people did not “offer their whole heart” to God, they were not given the “heart to know Him.”

Jeremiah 24:7 (KJV) “And I will give them an heart to know me…for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”

Perhaps people have different perceptions of the meaning of TO KNOW GOD; among them are the following:

1. A feeling of closeness to God
2. Personal perception of righteousness before men due to high standard of morality
3. Piety to religious beliefs
4. A sincere declaration of belief in one God, etc.

“KNOWING GOD” must be seen in the light of the spiritual foundation, the prophets and apostles, and Jesus Christ the chief corner stone:

Ephesians 2:20 “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”

How did the prophets and apostles KNOW the “One Lord and one God?” Was it one of the aforementioned criteria? Was it simple relationship? Or, was it just an honest perception of righteousness? Or, was it only a sincere declaration of belief in one God? Let God answer the questions through His words. None of the prophets recognized God without being “given a heart to know Him”, and only after having offered their “whole heart” to the Lord.

Peter demonstrated “giving one’s whole heart” when he recognized the CHRIST. Our Lord put it in a different perspective, saying, “flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but by the revelation of the Father.”

Matthew 16:16 (KJV) “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:17 (KJV) “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

How easy for anyone to declare “Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God.” If this came only from “flesh and blood”, or one’s personal competence, then the truth of what our Lord said would not be realized:

John 14:7 “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”

Would many people still say, “God/Father (1 Corinthians 8:6a) is a mystery incapable of clear identification with man’s finite mind” if the recognition of Jesus came from the revelation of the Father, which is the result of “returning with one’s whole heart to God?” Where now is the vaunted claim that Jesus Christ can be identified and recognized by the intellectual capability of men? How easy for many people to speak of the “historical-physical” Jesus! But are they not at a loss as to the clear relationship between Jesus and the Father?

John 8:19 (KJV) “…Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”

Who is the “One Lord and one God” of the prophets? Who is the “One Lord and one God” of the apostles? What is His name? Who is the “One Lord and one God” of real Christianity today? Where now is the “call” of Jesus that is the starting point of PURE RELIGION: “Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord:”

Can there be true “love of God” without His clear identity? Which comes first, TO KNOW or TO LOVE? Can there be true “love of neighbor” before having first loved God that our Lord listed as the 2 nd commandment? Where now is the generally accepted definition of PURE RELIGION from the “wise and the prudent?”

“ONE LORD AND ONE GOD” AND THE “TESTAMENT”

First, God teaches us how to read the Sacred Scriptures. It is different from man’s CONTEXTUAL understanding.

Isaiah 28:10 (KJV) “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

God says in His words that He is only ONE.

Isaiah 43:10 “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD…that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.”

1 Corinthians 8:6 “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom…”

God says in His words that He is the SOLE creator:

Isaiah 44:24 “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer…I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”

Malachi 2:10 “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?…”

Is there another Creator aside from God in the following?

Colossians 1:15-16 “Who is the image of the invisible God…For by him were all things created…”

Ephesians 3:9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”

God says in His words that there is no Savior beside Him:

Isaiah 43:11 “ I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”

Who is the SAVIOR or MESSIAH or the CHRIST that Peter saw in Matthew 16:16?

Matthew 16:16 “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ…”

Indeed, it requires divine revelation for Peter to declare Jesus is the Christ or Savior; when the FATHER claims to be the ONLY Savior and no other beside Him! This truth can be traced from the following:

It is written God made several covenants or testaments with His chosen people. These, however, can be lumped into the promise of salvation that God wanted His people to know. God made the following promise to Abram, before he was named Abraham:

Geneses 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”

To take the word of God literally, this promise or will or covenant or testament was made only to Abraham and his physical offspring, the Israelites, and later known as the Jews. Literally, this will exclude other nationalities. However, God is speaking in parables. In the SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE OF GOD, the offspring of Abraham are the following:

Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Many Jews will be surprised to find that, if they do not belong to Christ, they are not even considered spiritual children of Abraham in the eyes of God. This truth reveals God’s love that is available to all people. Many people will be surprised that this covenant or promise or testament or will requires the death of the maker:

Hebrew 9:16 “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”

This is something that the Natural Man cannot accept. For how can the Spirit God fulfill His testament with His death! A spirit cannot die. However, God will show that man’s mind is too little to comprehend great spiritual things. Example, how many people will accept the following?

1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness : God was manifest in the flesh…” (Who is this GOD in 1 Corinthians 8:6a and Isaiah 43:10? Is He not the Father?)

1 John 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his lifefor us…”(How many GOD are there in Isaiah 43:10 and 1 Corinthians 8:6a? Is He not only one? Who laid down His life for us? Is He not Jesus Christ?)

There is only ONE GOD and this is the Father. The Father made a testament of salvation and He had to manifest Himself in the flesh to be able to fulfill it, now known as Jesus Christ, the Son, the LORD:

1 Corinthians 8:6 “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…and one Lord Jesus Christ , by whom are all things…”

This was revealed both in the Old and New Testament:

Deut. 6:4 “Hear, O Israel : The LORD our God is one LORD:”

Mark 12:29 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, OIsrael ; The Lord our God is one Lord:”

Is it sufficient to simply believe in ONE GOD without clearly identifying Him?

James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe…” .

This was revealed to Thomas, Philip, and Peter when they recognized Jesus:

John 14:7 “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

Peter said, “You are the Christ,” as if saying, “You are the Savior.” Only God is the Savior in Isaiah 43:11. There is only One God and that is the Father! Some references in the Old and New Testament pertaining to this great truth:

THE FATHER SPEAKING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

Isaiah 46:4 “And even to your old age I am he…”

Isaiah 52:6 “Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”

THE SON SPEAKING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:

John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

John 8:28 “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he…”

John 13:19 “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.”

It is very clear why the Father and the Son “are” alluded to as the Creator for “both” referred to “each other:” The Father speaking, “ I am He,” and Jesus Christ telling His disciples, “ I am He.” Is it impossible for God to change His manifestation in order to fulfill His plan of salvation?

The Creator referring to the Father

Nehemia 9:6 “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things…”

Isaiah 44:24 “… I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”

The Creator referring to the Son

John 1:3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Col 1:15 “Who is the image of the invisible God… For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth…”

The Name of the Creator is revealed!

Malachi 2:10 “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?…”

Ephesians 3:9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”

THE SAVIOR

Was not the Father speaking in the following?

Isaiah 43:11 (KJV) “ I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”

Does not the Angel refer to the Son in the following?

Luke 2:11 (KJV) “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

THE FIRST AND THE LAST

Was not the Father speaking in the Old Testament in the following?

Isaiah 44:6 (KJV) “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel … I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

Does not the Angel refer to the Son Jesus Christ in the following?

Revelation 1:7-8 “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him… I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

THE INHERITANCE

In the Testament, God promised Himself to be the inheritance of the priests. The priests are the real believers (Revelation 1:6).

Numbers 18:20 “And the LORD spake unto Aaron… I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel .”

Ezekiel 44:28 (KJV) “And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance…I am their possession.”

Who would like to receive the frightening God (Exodus 20:18 -19)?! However, God always makes it easy to the beneficiaries by taking the characteristics of a dove. Truly so, they received the Holy Spirit as inheritance!

John 7:39 (KJV) “(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

Acts 2:1-4 (KJV) “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…”

Physically, this was fulfilled earlier when “God in the flesh” was seen with His chosen people:

Matthew 1:23 (KJV) “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Emmanuel, “God with us,” was literally fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the man; and spiritually, in the Holy Spirit. “There is only one God, the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6a).”

1 Corinthians 3:16 (KJV) “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

Because God is speaking His SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE, true recognition of JESUS does not come from “flesh and blood” but by the revelation of God. Peter realized this:

Mathew 16:16 (KJV) “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

How many people now can claim having recognized Jesus “not with flesh and blood but by the revelation of the Father?” Then this truth is proven. To the Disciples who recognized Jesus “not with flesh and blood,” a great blessing:

John 14:7 (KJV) “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

To the religious people who only saw Jesus and did not recognize Him by divine revelation, a rebuke:

John 8:19 (KJV) “Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”

THE NAME OF GOD

God had not yet revealed His name in the Old Testament. How many people know this? The different “names” given like: Jehovah, Yahweh, I am that I am, El Shadai, Lily of the Valley, Rose of Sharon, Jealous, Lord, Lord of hosts, etc. are only titles to describe Him. God Himself said:

Isaiah 52:6 (KJV) “Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”

The name of God is one.

Zecharia 14:9 (KJV) “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”

This was revealed to the disciples when Jesus told them to baptize the believers in the NAME of the Father, in the NAME of the Son, and in the NAME of the Holy Spirit:

Matthew 28:19 (KJV) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

The apostles did not baptize till they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost Who would endow them with spiritual wisdom. Peter executed, and did not simply repeat, the command; so did Philip and Paul baptize in the same name (Acts 10:48 ).

Acts 2:38 (KJV) “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christfor the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Acts 8:12 “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom ofGod , and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 19:5 “ 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Truly so, the fullness of God will be seen in the physical body of Jesus Christ:

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Colossians 2:9 (KJV) “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

In the SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE of God, this is expressed as “right hand” that means POWER OF GOD:

Exodus 15:6 (KJV) “Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.”

Luke 22:69 (KJV) “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

The Natural Man’s perception of “spiritual things” is not enough to clearly recognize God. That is why Jesus Christ said, “except ye be converted into a little child,” and “flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto you,” for spiritual things are discerned by divine revelation. How could the “One Lord and one God” be perceived if one tries to understand “spiritual things” with the intelligence of an “adult” using the intellect, instead of an innocent and inculpable “babe?” How could one recognize God “with flesh and blood” with the following “plural” references to Him?

Genesis 11:7 (KJV) “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.”

John 14:23 (KJV) “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me…and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

John 14:26 (KJV) “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things…”

Matthew 3:16-17 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

John 20:17 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

• Is it impossible for God to manifest Himself in the flesh to be able to fulfill His Testament by death, thus, implementing His plan of salvation?
• Is it impossible for God to manifest Himself in the flesh to show the Way by example to His chosen, for no one is worthy of this role (Romans 3:10 -12)?
• Is it impossible for God to take the gentle and amiable characteristics of a dove to make Himself acceptable to the chosen?
• Can the much-vaunted human wisdom comprehend that “right hand” means power or the totality of God?

Exodus 15:6 (KJV) “Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.”

Luke 22:69 (KJV) “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

Thus, in the visible person of JESUS CHRIST will God be seen by His chosen few.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Colossians 2:9 (KJV) “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

John 14:7 (KJV) “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

This is the True God, the “ One Lord and one God”, that has to be clearly recognized before LOVE of Him can be made. TO KNOW should precede TO LOVE. That is what Jesus told the inquiring Scribe:

Mark 12:28 (KJV) “And one of the scribes came, and …asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?”

Mark 12:29 (KJV) “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:”

LOVE OF GOD

In many words, Christ emphasized LOVING God through His words for He is represented thereto. True LOVE OF THE WORD will nullify simple emotional sentiment one expresses on God. Examples:

1. The women of Jerusalem showed “love” for Jesus when they saw Him carrying the heavy cross. This is man’s perception of “love.” Our Lord rebuked them:

Luke 23:26-28(KJV) “…and on him they laid the cross…And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.”

This is the kind of LOVE that our Lord expected from the chosen.

John 14:23 (KJV) “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words…”

2.  Peter prevailed upon our Lord for learning that He would someday be crucified on the cross:

Matthew 16:2 “… Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must …suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”

Matthew 16:22-23 “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”

The kind of LOVE our Lord expected from His disciples is to accept that He had to die on the cross in order to fulfill the Testament of the Father. Then the promised Holy Spirit will be made available to them. Thanking Him for this is the recompense that Peter, instead, should have expressed to our Lord. Love of God is expressed with love for His words. Could there be true love for rejection of the truth? Examples:

1. Is it TRUTH to read the Holy Bible that is contrary to what is written? Nothing is written about the CONTEXTUAL understanding of the message for this is but the fruit of human wisdom. Rather,

Isaiah 28:10 (KJV) “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”

2. Is it TRUTH to call a person “father” on earth in spiritual matters?

Matthew 23:9 (KJV) “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.”

3. Is it TRUTH to call a person “rabbi” or teacher or master or head or leader or pastor or shepherd in spiritual matters?

Matthew 23:8 (KJV) “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.”

4. Is it TRUTH to take the authority of appointing apostles, pastors, and teachers in the “physical absence” of our Lord?

Ephesians 4:11 (KJV) “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;”

Galatians 1:1 (KJV) “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ…” (Christ appointed Paul an apostle in His physical absence. Can He not do the same today? Why do religious leaders take this role and authority?)

5. Is it TRUTH for religious leaders to explain prophecies? Is not only God the sole authority to explain His words?

2 Peter 1:20 (KJV) “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”

6. Is it TRUTH to take the authority to TEACH when only God is the Teacher? Let us be reminded of the analogous “God speaking over the microphone and the servants acting only as the speaker system.”

James 1:5-8 (KJV) “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

1 John 2:27 (KJV) “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth…”

7. Is it TRUTH to train pastors and preachers in the Seminaries and Bible Schools ? Did the Apostles adopt the practice? Paul became an apostle after Jesus physically ascended into heaven. The SPIRITUAL Christ, the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17 ), appointed and taught him (Galatians 1:11 -12). Are modern apostles similarly and equally appointed and taught? (The modern practice, different from what the apostles did, caused the division of Christianity, because denominations have their respective training schools.)

8. Is it TRUTH to follow the Law on Tithes differently from that of our Lord and His apostles? Our Lord and the apostles followed it SPIRITUALLY and not literally-physically. For details read the article on TITHES AND OFFERING and TEMPLE MERCHANTS .

Matthew 5:17 (KJV) “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

9. Is it TRUTH to reject the Way shown by Jesus earning His living as a carpenter? Paul followed the Way as a tent maker.

John 14:6 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way…”

Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary…”

1 Corinthians 11:1 (KJV) “Paul speaking, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

Acts 18:3 “And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them…for by their occupation they were tentmakers.”

Acts 20:33 (KJV) “I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.”

10. Christ and His disciples built spiritual temples -- the real believers. Is it TRUTH to build chapels, churches, and cathedrals where some people in these physical structures are looked up above the rest, and addressed such honorific titles that solely belong to God?

Luke 22:25-26 “And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger…”

James 2:9 (KJV) “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”

Psalms 111:9 (KJV) “He sent redemption unto his people… holy and reverend is his name.”

Jesus Christ said, “I am the Truth.” Anything, therefore, that is not of the truth is not of God. Jesus spoke of love of God in:

John 14:23 (KJV) “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words…”

John 8:42 (KJV) “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me…”

How many people see that LOVE OF GOD is actually LOVE for His words for He is being represented thereto? Can one love before knowing the subject?

Jeremiah 4:22 (KJV) “For my people are foolish, they have not known me… and they have none understanding…”

Hosea 4:6 (KJV) “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me…”

Those are some of the “negative love” that many people seems not to see. Now here are some examples of “positive love” that many people missed:

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT:

EXODUS 20:1-3 "And God spake…I am the LORD thy God… Thou shalt have no other gods before me ."

Here, God introduces Himself to His chosen. People reading this are probably surprised why this is inscribed as the First Commandment. Christ expounded on this principle by listing TO KNOW OR RECOGNIZE the “One Lord and one God” as the “First Commandment of all.”

MARK 12:29 (KJV) "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:"

MARK 12:29 (NIV) “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel , the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

“I am the Lord thy God” and “The Lord our God is one Lord” are actually an introduction of God of Himself! In the mind of a Natural Man, this could not be a commandment. It is simply a statement of fact. Our Lord, however, is speaking “spiritual things.”

How many people “obey” the First/Most Important Commandment? Stated in another way, how many people have clearly identified and truly recognized the “One Lord and one God?” This is a PREREQUISITE to the other commandments, both in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and in THE TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS. The religious leaders were dumbfounded to hear Jesus Christ tell them, “You do not know God!”

JOHN 8:54-55 "Jesus answered...it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him…” ”

The Jews ridiculed Jesus. He however proved their spiritual blindness by saying:

JOHN 8:19 "...Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."

The Jews hated our Lord as a consequence. Today, Christendom to whom the Word of God is likewise entrusted also professes to worship the God in the Bible. While everybody purports to know Jesus Christ and confess to be the Savior, many find themselves at a loss when asked to pinpoint the one true God! Everybody reads the following truth about God:

MALACHI 2:10 “ Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?…”

DEUTERONOMY 32:39 "See now that I, evenI, am he, and there is no god with me...”

ISAIAH 43:10 "...saith the LORD...that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."

1 CORINTHIANS 8:6 "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things...and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things...”

2 CORINTHIANS 3:17 "Now the Lord is that Spirit...”

1 JOHN 5:7 (KJV) "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, theWord, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

1 JOHN 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God...”

ISAIAH 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God , The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

How clear is so-called Christians’ recognition of the real identity of the “One Lord and one God?” The following doctrines find their respective contradiction to what is written:

1. Believing that “the Father is the only God and Jesus Christ is only a man and never a God.” This following is the doctrine’s contradiction to what is written:

a. Why did Jesus accept worship (Matthew 14:33, Luke 24:52) when He emphatically stated that only God should be worshipped (Matthew 4:10), if He is not God? b. Why did the Father, the only God, state that He is the only Savior in Isaiah 43:11, when Jesus is the Savior in Matthew 1:21. c. What does John mean in 1 JOHN 5:20? Isaiah 9:6? Plus many more.

2. Believing that “Jesus, the Son, is only a minor God and the Holy Spirit is only a force of God.”

• How many God/s are there? One or two?
• Can we find God saying, “There is a God or god with Him?” "Thus saith the LORD...I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah 4:6) Where is the truth in Deuteronomy 32:39?

3. Believing that “Jesus is only a third person of the Trinity. Each person is God, thus, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is also God, but one person is not the other two persons.”

• Is God clearly identified in this doctrine? Can anyone clearly identify the “One Lord and one God” following this belief?
• This doctrine teaches that God is a mystery, incapable of full and clear recognition. Does not this belief contradict what is written in the Old Testament?

JEREMIAH 31:34 "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD...”

• Does not this doctrine contradict what is written in the New Testament?

HEBREW 8:11"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest."

• Is this doctrine not subject to the rebuke of our Lord in John 8:19; 8:54-55?

While the Jews professed to know God but did not recognize Jesus Christ, and according to our Lord, they did not know the Father; Christendom today professes to know Jesus Christ, but still in the dark as to Who the “One Lord and one God” is! Can we see the similarity? Does it make any difference?

Regarding “obedience” to the First/Most Important Commandment, did the Jews get a passing mark? How many people today believing in the Bible pass the same test? “Obedience” to the First/Most Important Commandment is a PREREQUISITE to the rest of the commandments; that is what Jesus told the inquiring Scribe! Revelation of the identity of God is found in another article entitled “Who Am I That Doth Speak?”

Jesus Christ proved that the Jews were “disobedient” to the First/Most Important Commandment. They were ignorant as not to recognize their God and spiritually blind as “not to see” Him. The false God is always waiting to be worshipped! Has this truth passed away in our time?

PROVERBS 14:12 (KJV) “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

PROVERBS 21:16"The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead."

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:4-5 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing...Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God...”

Bible-readers find the people of the Old Testament guilty of idolatry by worshipping the different gods of the heathens:

BAAL, the god of the Canaanites and the Phoenicians, championed by Jezebel the wife of king Ahab.

ASHTORETH, the goddess of the Canaanites, later known as Ashtaroth, Venus, Diana, the goddess of beauty.

DAGON, the god of the Philistines, with head and hands of a man and the body of a fish.

APIS, the god of the Egyptians with head and hands of a man and the body of a lion.

The Jews, under the leadership of the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, could not imagine themselves guilty of idolatrous worship to these gods and goddesses. Yet Jesus Christ kept on rebuking them for the sin of idolatry. How many people see this truth today?

Many people see it to be wrong to make and to bow down before or venerate graven images. Because of spiritual blindness, the literal simple understanding of the commandment is even negated with the use of philosophy. Thus, the practice of some religious sects allowing the veneration of statues and pictures supposedly those of God and the saints.

The Jews and their religious leaders thought that they had already complied with the Second Commandment when they did not make, nor bowed and served graven images. Who would say that the Jews were wrong? So are the people today who had gotten rid of their graven images and other idols. One characteristic to describe God is jealous. In fact, He adopted that title which the Scribes and Pharisees miserably missed:

EXODUS 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"

Can God share the honor and glory that solely belong to Him? That is where we find Jesus Christ rebuking the Jews and their religious leaders for the use of the titles: Father, Rabbi or Teacher or leader. Only God deserves these epithets! Did the religious leaders know that they were defying the 2nd Commandment? Do religious leaders today know that they are defying the 2 nd Commandment? They even go beyond calling themselves Holy and Reverend, when these titles solely belong to God:

PSALMS 111:9 "He sent redemption unto his people… holy and reverend is his name."

Literal understanding of the word of God is limited to physical idolatry of statues and images. The spiritual word goes beyond that. It deprives God of the esteem due Him, which is now erroneously directed to fellowmen. In this case, people are the object of idolatry. Jesus Christ condemned this practice as found in:

REVELATION 2:6 "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate."

(The word NICOLAITANS comes from the ME., Ofr. NICOLAS; L. NICOLAUS; Gr. NIKOLAOS <nike, victory + laos, the people. Thus, victory over the people.) Unwittingly, man enjoys “victory” over his fellowmen in religious matters. With the kind of organizational set-up in religious sects, the leaders cannot help but occupy a position of esteem over the people, or laity. The practice sets a favorable atmosphere for idolizing the leaders of the organization, which the subjects equally enjoy. Unwittingly, both the subject and the object become victims of the sin of idolatry. Christ condemns the “deeds of the Nicolaitans” as Lucifer is condemned, the first to rob God of the honor and glory exclusively belonging to Him. Peter warns of the malpractice, which in essence is Nicolaitanism .

1 PETER 5:3 "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock."

Paul, the apostle appointed by Christ in His physical absence, like Peter warned the believers of this practice:

1 CORINTHIANS 3:21 "Therefore let no man glory in men...”

Do not religious leaders today want to be looked up and exalted in various ways? How relevant is the thing that our Lord saw in the Scribes and Pharisees during His time!

MATTHEW 23:5-6 "But all their works they do for to be seen of men...”

It is the laity or members of religious sects who can attest to this fact. Do not religious leaders distinguish themselves by the dress, cross, crucifix, and other insignia they wear? Are they not being honored in social gatherings? Do they “see” their awkward position in the eyes of God?

JOHN 9:39-41 "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth."

Obedience to the 2nd Commandment, solely based on conscience, is limited to physical idolatry involving statues, images, and pictures. SPIRITUAL CONVICTION, after having the “mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16),” is far beyond CONSCIENCE. It delves into the innermost being of man as revealed by the Spirit.

Our Lord rebuked the religious leaders for spiritual blindness. They thought they were leading the people to God they themselves did not recognize. They preached the word of God they themselves did “not understand” in the view of our Lord. God speaks His SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE. They were limited only to the LITERAL LANGUAGE of the Natural Man. How relevant is the rebuke of our Lord to the religious leaders:

JOHN 5:44 "How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?"

MATTHEW 23:24 "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."

MATTHEW 23:15 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte...”

MATTHEW 23:28 "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

How did the Jews who follow the law to the “letter” apply this commandment? To them, the name of God is any of the following: “I am that I am,” “Jealous,” “Jehovah,” “Yahweh,” “Rose of Sharon,” “Lily of the Valley,” “El Shaddai” and “Lord.” Today, Christendom that similarly comprehends the word of God has Jesus Christ as an added name of the Lord. Following the 3 rd Commandment therefore is simply not to make fun with any of the names mentioned. If God referred only to His literal name, then it would contradict:

MICAH 4:5 "For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever."

How could the chosen “walk in the name of the Lord” if the commandment is taken literally? It is clear that God is referring to His spiritual name. Who can discern that the spiritual “name of the Lord” is the Word of God?

REVELATION 19:13 "And he (Jesus Christ) was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."

Spiritually, “to walk in His name” is to live by the word of God. This is “walking by the Truth.” Did not Jesus say, “I am the way and the truth?” God is speaking His spiritual language. “Taking the name of the Lord in vain,” is not simply making fun of or being disrespectful to His physical name, but also of His spiritual name. “Taking the name of the Lord in vain” is to reject or renounce the truth in the word. Relate this Commandment of God now to the warning of Jesus Christ in:

MATTHEW 7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father…Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Where lies the power of the NAME of the Lord? Is it in the physical name JESUS CHRIST? He warned the people regarding the use of His name:

MATTHEW 24:5 "For many shall come in my name...and shall deceive many."

The power is in His spiritual name (Revelation 19:13)which is His words:

JEREMIAH 23:29 "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"

HEBREW 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

EPHESIANS 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

Who are worthy of eternal life? Are they not the people who “doeth the will of the Father?” How could one do the “will of the Father” without understanding His words? If the spiritual name of God is HIS WORDS, what is “taking that name of the Lord in vain?”

Perhaps, many people will profess following the 3rd Commandment because they respect, lift up, and praise the literal name. That is in the perception of the Natural Man. Why will Jesus tell many people, “I never knew you?” Do many people truly “recognize” Him and the Father? What kind of “wonderful works” will these people profess to have done? Why are they being accused of “workers of iniquity?”

EXODUS 20:7 “...the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

LEVITICUS 24:16 "And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him..."

“Taking the name of the Lord in vain” is professing to follow His words, but rejecting and blaspheming the truth. "But thou, O Lord, art a God of...truth." PSALMS 86:15

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:8-11 "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy… wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

God knows the heart of man that he would try to understand His words, follow some to the “letter,” and then brag about obeying the law and claim love of God. That is what our Lord found in the Jews, especially the religious leaders. Paul, formerly a Pharisee, after recognizing God, received this revelation about the “letter of the law:”

ROMANS 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

Using human understanding, the religious leaders kept Sabbath literally by not physically working on that day. They saw themselves more righteous than Jesus Who, in their view, did not keep it holy. That is one cause of His death on the cross.

JOHN 9:16 "Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day...”

The literal Sabbath was for resting the BODY. Jesus, however, indicated that it was the SOUL that is preferred (Matthew 10:28). He confirmed His statement in JOHN 6:63 “My words are spirit,” and the revelation of God to Paul in ROMANS 7:14 “For we know that the law is spiritual.”

One reason why God manifested Himself in the flesh is to show the Way in following His words. This is how Jesus Christ explained keeping the spiritual Sabbath holy. It is the rest for the SOUL:

MATTHEW 11:28-29 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Spiritual Sabbath is a respite for the SOUL. It is peace for the mind and serenity for the heart. No one will argue that the spiritual is better than the physical. The spiritual refers to the “inside,” while the physical to the “outside.” The Jews and their religious leaders kept the physical; while Jesus Christ and His disciples kept the spiritual.

The heavy yoke

One condition set by our Lord for the fulfillment of the spiritual Sabbath is, “To come to Him.” Coming to Christ is not simply saying, “I accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior” followed by a burst of emotion. “Coming to Christ” is adhering to the truth for He is the Truth. Truth is the “heavy yoke” that no one can carry without being made light by our Lord. If it were not so, then many people would have embraced it. Did not our Lord say, “Many are called but few are chosen?” Is not the way to eternal life a narrow road and only few pass through it (Matthew 7:14)?

Preaching the words of God and coming to the Truth are two different things. The Scribes preached the word of God, but they never came to the knowledge of truth. Truth never pass away.

2 TIMOTHY 3:7 “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Who do not only “see” the “letter of law.” Adhering to the truth as demonstrated by Christ in keeping Sabbath, has a much deeper meaning -- a “spirit that gives life.”

2 CORINTHIANS 3:6 "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

The other condition for the fulfillment of the spiritual Sabbath is to “carry the yoke of Jesus.” Contrary to the general belief that yoke refers to trials and hardships, the spiritual yoke is heavy that no one can carry without the strength coming from Christ. Jesus’ disciples carried this yoke. This yoke must be exclusive to the real believers:

2 CORINTHIANS 6:14 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers... and what communion hath light with darkness?"

A common yoke binds real believers. The “heavy yoke” is the Truth that cannot be accepted or “carried for it is too heavy” by unbelievers and pseudo-believers. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).

PHILIPPIANS 4:3 "And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow…whose names are in the book of life."

The Truth or “heavy yoke” cannot be shared to those who refuse to believe or “carry” it. If the spiritual yoke were light, then there would have been many carrying it. It is written, “Many are called and only a few are chosen.” “Narrow is the gate and only a few pass through it.”

Is it not spiritual peace that Christ preached but the religious leaders did not understand it?

HEBREW 4:11 “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."

The Natural Man only sees physical things. God speaks “spiritual things.” Jesus Christ demonstrated spiritual Sabbath in the following:

MATTHEW 8:23 "And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish."

MARK 4:37-38 "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?"

Here, the Natural Man (1 Corinthians 2:14) sees only the story. The Spiritual Man (1 Corinthians 2:16) perceives the spiritual message behind the story. Take note that Jesus’ disciples followed Him to the ship. This conveys the message that Jesus Christ, showing the way as model, was followed by the chosen in His spiritual journey. He traveled on a ship to reach the other side of the lake.

“God manifested Himself in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16) to show the way to the “other side of life,” the spiritual life of the believer. In His travel, Jesus had to pass over a body of water. Water symbolizes people (Revelation 17:15) and man himself (Psalms 18:16). Jesus, in His life on earth, passed over the people. It means He was not influenced or carried away by the erroneous beliefs, teachings, and practices of the people. In the journey, they encountered a great storm. This is what is expected also in the spiritual journey of real believers to the “other side of life.” It is a spiritual storm with buffeting waves and wind.

Water and the big waves

The big waves rattled the apostles who followed Jesus in the ship. Waves of water represent people:

REVELATION 17:15 "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest... are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

Just as the big waves seemed to wake up our Lord from His sleep, so do people seem to rob the chosen of their peace or spiritual rest. Are not the people oftentimes the cause of man’s troubles? Even in the Old Testament, God already revealed this to His people. It is not only other people, but also the men within one’s household:

MICAH 7:6 "For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house."

MATTHEW 10:36 "And a man's foes shall be they of his own household."

It is not only in our own physical or social household that this happens, but in God’s own “house” as well. This was shown in Christ’s apostles (Mark 10:35-41). Sometimes, the waves represent man himself that is the cause of his loss of peace (Psalms 69:1). Our Lord demonstrated that He was not bothered at all by the big waves. He remained asleep. Spiritually, the people around Him, the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Jews in general, and even His own disciples, were not strong enough to rob Him of His spiritual rest.

The strong wind

It was not only the big waves that seemed to wake up our Lord from His sleep, but also the strong wind. Strong wind symbolizes the stinging words from the mouth:

JOB 8:2 "How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?"

Are they not the biting words of other people that bother us and keep us awake at night? Strong wind may also refer to one’s own feeling and mind, the attributes of the soul:

JOB 30:15 "Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind...”

Is not the feeling of fear of being neglected, disgraced, discredited, defamed very disturbing? Are not our own jealousy, envy, covetousness, and hatred “strong wind” that keep us awake? Jesus demonstrated that these kinds of “strong winds” coming from the soul were not enough to wake Him from His sleep.

Jesus Christ valued the keeping of the spiritual Sabbath, that is, the rest for the SOUL, more valuable than the rest for the BODY. He worked indefatigably, as Paul did (Acts 20:33-34).

Spiritual Sabbath, an inner peace, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23) is a sign for God’s people.

EXODUS 31:13 "…Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you."

Only the people that truly belong to Christ can keep the spiritual Sabbath for it means spiritual peace, and Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). That is why a man caught gathering wood on the Sabbath was stoned to death. This indicates that the man did not have spiritual peace. He did not have Christ. Anyone who does not have Christ does not deserve eternal life! The second death (Revelation 20:14) is waiting for him:

NUMBERS 15:32-36 "…the children of Israel…found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And…brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses."

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1-6 "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple."

Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."

Who can explain the great message of this but God alone through His words! Man’s comprehension is limited only to his LITERAL LANGUAGE. How could the priests in the temple profane the sabbath and remain blameless? Our Lord must be referring to the LITERAL profanation. They, however, remained blameless SPIRITUALLY before God! Did God contradict Himself with respect to the enforcement of the law?

The SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE of God remains irreconcilable with the LITERAL LANGUAGE of man. Literally, the priests profaned the sabbath. Spiritually, for remaining blameless, they must have kept it holy! Literally, it was not lawful for the priests to eat the showbread. Spiritually, however, the showbread symbolizes the word of God (Ephesians 5:26), which should be eaten as spiritual food (Jeremiah 15:16).

JEREMIAH 15:16 “ Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart…”

So is the corn that the apostles picked to eat on the sabbath. Corn processed into bread is food and it symbolizes the word of God. What the apostles did, picking corn and eating it on the sabbath, symbolized “eating the words of God.” Thus, spiritually they were actually keeping the sabbath holy! They “ate” the word of God that TRUTH would be in them. Christ is the truth. Christ is the Prince of Peace. Sabbath is spiritual peace.

Another reference and application of the word of God pertaining to the waves and strong wind is the great message of the word. Test for SPIRITUAL PEACE is calmness and equanimity in the midst of the strong thrust of the waves (water) symbolizing the word of God (Ephesians 5:26), and the lashing of the wind symbolizing the Holy Spirit (John 3:8). The literal word plus the revelation of the Holy Spirit is the great spiritual word of God. Does the sharpness in the two-edged sword of the word be accepted as sweet as honey to serve as spiritual food?

PSALMS 119:103 “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:12 "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

Everybody appreciates this command. Even those who reject the Bible have no quarrel on this. This is an example of moral lessons derived from the Bible, if what is understood is only the literal meaning. Morality simply “cleanses the outside” as our Lord saw in the Scribes and Pharisees and in the Rich Young Ruler. But moral lessons are not all to the inspired word of God. More than the moral, are the spiritual lessons. It is hoped man could distinguish the two. MORALS are what constitute man’s Standard of Righteousness; SPIRITUAL, that of God’s Standard. These two do not always go together in the eyes of men. To the advocates of the LITERAL interpretation of the Bible, why do they not prescribe the corresponding punishment imposed for its violation?

EXODUS 21:17 "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death."

The Spiritual Father

Who are the father and mother? Man must be thinking of physical parents, whose relationship is social in nature. The social should be distinguished from the spiritual aspect. God’s word is more than the physical and the social. They are “things of the Spirit” which the Natural Man does not have the means to understand for they are spiritually discerned:

1 CORINTHIANS 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Words of God are spiritually, not sensually (of the senses), not intellectually (through philosophy) or emotionally discerned. This is a demonstration of spiritual discernment through the word of God. Who is the only Father according to Jesus Christ?

MATTHEW 23:9 "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

For Christ’s disciples, there is only one Father, and that is God. Anyone, therefore, who takes the role of a spiritual father, and is called as such, usurps the position of God appropriating the honor that belongs to Him alone.

The Spiritual Mother

In like manner, the spiritual should be distinguished from the physical mother. The “wife” of Christ is the Church.

EPHESIANS 5:23-25 "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church...Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;"

EPHESIANS 5:32 "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

The Church should not be mistaken for the religious sect or denomination. A sect is a group of “religious” rather than “spiritual” people. A religious sect, like the sect of the Pharisees during the time of Christ, uses the law or the Bible as the basis for religious beliefs. A religious sect is an organization composed of members bound by a common religious belief, under the supervision of the religious leaders. Leaders of religious sects are trained and appointed by men. This fact alone exposes the religious sect as not representing the Church because of the taint of human precepts and religious traditions which God condemns (Isaiah 8:20, Colossians 2:8). An organization tainted with human and extraneous doctrines can never be the spiritual Church.

The Church, as the wife of Christ, is never led by any man or group of men, but by Him. Is He not the head of the wife? Christ, the spiritual husband, is the truth. The spiritual Church is led and headed by the Truth, and not governed by sets of human doctrines and religious traditions which are “additions or deductions” from the Bible.

It is the spiritual understanding of the laws of God that distinguished Christ and His disciples from the sects of the Pharisees and Sadducees. It is the spiritual understanding and application of the Word of God that should distinguish the Church, the spiritual mother, from the religious sects and denominations. Just as the laws of Moses were given to the Israelites, the chosen of God, and not to the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Canaanites; so is the word of God given only to the real Christians:

MARK 4:11-12 "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand...

Those within should be clearly distinguished from those without, as the Spiritual Man is distinguished from the Natural Man. The Natural Man can only understand literal-physical things. The Natural Man has only his CONSCIENCE to convict him. The Spiritual Man perceives spiritual things for his SPIRITUAL CONVICTION.

The Spiritual Parents

The spiritual parents are God and the Church. God is the husband and the Church, composed of the chosen, is the wife:

ISAIAH 54:5 "For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name...”

JEREMIAH 3:14 "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family...”

JEREMIAH 31:32 "... I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt… I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:"

The spiritual Father heads the spiritual mother. The Church is composed of real believers. How can the Natural Man understand that the real believer who is a part of the Church is a spiritual son at the same time? This must be foolishness to him.

Honor to the physical parents is for the PHYSICAL LIFE, and this is only “cleanliness on the outside.” Honor to the spiritual parents is for the SPIRITUAL LIFE, and this is “cleanliness in the inside.” “Cleansing the inside” should come before “cleansing of the outside,” as our Lord admonished the religious hypocrites. The physical is but a shadow of the spiritual.

MATTHEW 23:26 "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."

Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, a teacher of the law, typifying a Natural Man:

JOHN 3:12 "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?"

Paul, a former Pharisee, received this great revelation which he wrote:

1 CORINTHIANS 15:49 "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."

The Scribes and Pharisees saw only the “outside,” the “physical,” the “earthly.” Jesus Christ preached looking first at the “inside,” the “spiritual,” the “heavenly.” “To honor the father and mother” therefore means more than just giving respect to the “earthly” parents. Far and above is respect for the “spiritual parents.” To honor the spiritual Father, God, means totally submitting to Him, like what Jesus showed by example. Respect to the spiritual mother, the Church composing the real believers, is to be an indispensable part of the “household of God,” and never a cause for stumbling for the brethren.

MATTHEW 18:6 "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

The “little ones” are the disciples, the real believers, and not necessarily the literal children.

MATTHEW 18:3 "…Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

John 13:33 (KJV) “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me…”

Now the word of God gives a deeper meaning:

EPHESIANS 6:1-3 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."

It is not only the physical blessing that the real Christian looks for in the preceding exhortation, but the promise of eternal life with God.

Death for dishonoring parents

God gave an edict that anyone who dishonors his parents should be put to death (Exodus 21:17).

Exodus 21:17 "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death."

After discerning the spiritual meaning of the word, the more now we are convinced that it will never pass away. The death penalty for disgracing the spiritual parents is explicitly stated in the following:

HEBREW 6:4-6 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance ; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:13 "Thou shalt not kill."

The Natural Man only sees the literal-physical application of the commandment. If that is all to the law, then Jesus Christ was not justified in refusing the Rich Ruler trying to follow Him. Our Lord set a condition different from man’s understanding of the law.

LUKE 18:18-22 "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him…Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing…”

The Scribes and Pharisees, like the Rich Ruler, who were noted simply for literally “following the law” were called hypocrites by our Lord:

MATTHEW 23:26 "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."

“Following the law” to man’s understanding is limited to the literal-physical application of the commandment. This is just “cleanliness on the outside” as our Lord told the Scribes and Pharisees. They were “blind” to the “cleanliness of the inside” because they did not have SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT. Christ expounded on the “spirit of the law:”

MATTHEW 5:21-22 "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment...”

Jesus expressed the application of the commandment not only to the BODY but also to the SOUL; not only “cleanliness on the outside” but “in the inside” as well. John the apostle by divine revelation wrote about this in:

1 JOHN 3:15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

Our Lord emphasized “hating without a cause.” He demonstrated hating “with a cause” when He cast out the merchants in the temple (John 2:14-15), and when He rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees calling them hypocrite and serpents and a generation of vipers (Matthew 23:33).

Spiritual murder

Jesus Christ taught murder goes beyond the visible and the invisible, beyond the physical and mental. He expressed spiritual murder in the following:

Mat 23:15 (KJV) “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

MATTHEW 23:13 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

“Twofold more the child of hell” connotes rebellion against Christ. Christ is the Truth, so rebellion against the truth. The Scribes and Pharisees rebelled against Christ.

Without God explaining the deep spiritual meaning of “Thou shalt not kill,” who may know it? With the different “truths being peddled” by so-called apostles of Christ, are not people led to spiritual death? It is only the Truth representing Jesus Christ that can save us!

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:14 "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

Adultery to the Scribes and Pharisees and the Rich Ruler is simply having carnal knowledge with somebody who is not the spouse. Following the commandment from this perspective made them boast about it. That is only “cleanliness on the outside.” However, God goes beyond the literal-physical (Romans 7:14) by revealing spiritual marriage and who the spiritual husband and wife are:

ISAIAH 54:5 "For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name…”

JEREMIAH 3:14 "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family...”

Who is the “other man?” It is Satan who tries to win people to his side to be his spiritual “wife;” thus, rivalry between God and the Devil. As Husband, the “seeds” of God planted to His wife are His words, the truth:

LUKE 8:11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."

The “seeds” of Satan are the “leaven” or the false doctrines in the word of God.

MATTHEW 16:6 "Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

MATTHEW 16:11 "How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?"

MATTHEW 16:12 "Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

“Leaven in the word” are the human precepts and religious traditions, which are all the fruits of human wisdom through philosophy. Satan uses the very word of God to deceive people. He tried that to our Lord in the desert.

MATTHEW 4:5-6 "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down:for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee…”

Satan cited verses in the book of Psalms:

PSALMS 91:11-12 "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways…”

Are the following beliefs, doctrines, and practices not “leaven in the word?”

1. Is it the pure word of God, or “leaven in the word,” for religious leaders to be called “Father,” “Rabbi,” or Teacher, or Head, or Leader, or Pastor, “Reverend” and “holy?” Did Christ’s apostles, as foundation, appropriate those titles? Do people realize the distinction between TITLE and FUNCTION? The TITLES confer honor and glory that belong to God. FUNCTION refers to the work that bears fruits in the eyes of God that men may not necessarily notice.

2. Is it the pure word of God, or “leaven in the word,” for so-called apostles of Christ to acquire knowledge through man’s efforts? They preach belief and trust in God. Do they believe and trust God in His words? The following is the test:

JAMES 1:5-I "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

What is the place of the Seminaries and Bible schools with this truth? Is the religious doctrine of teaching and training apostles of Christ a “seed” of God, or the “seed” of His enemy? Is this “seed” not the cause of the proliferation of Christian denominations -- all professing the truth?

3. Is it the pure word of God, or “leaven in the word,” for leaders of religious sects taking upon themselves the authority to appoint “servants of God?” The “authority” is supposedly endowed to them in almost all Bible versions in the following:

MATTHEW 28:19 " Go ye therefore and makedisciplesof all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

The Authorized or King James version of 1611, which has not yet suffered corruption as other versions have, has the following for the same verse:

MATTHEW 28:19 " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

MARK exposes the desecration:

MARK 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Have we seen the “hand of Satan” in changing the phrase, “ teach or preach the gospel” to “make disciples” just so false apostles could have authority to appoint fellow “apostles?”

Is there an instance in the Old Testament where servants of God appointed fellow servants of God? Did Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and other servants appoint fellow servants of God?

Did we ever find in the New Testament where Peter, John, James, Paul and other apostles of Christ appoint fellow apostles? Peter and the other apostles, before Pentecost, tried to appoint Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:16-26). Christ rebuked them and their error was exposed when He appointed PAUL instead (Galatians 1:1, 1:11-12). The appointment of Paul was done in Jesus’ “physical absence” if only to show that He is the sole authority in appointing “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11). Unknown to false apostles, Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit: "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." -- 2 Corinthians 3:17 ( Liberty from human precepts and religious traditions.)

Is not the practice of teaching, training, and appointing so-called apostles of Christ spiritual ADULTERY of the highest degree? From this, originated deceptive doctrines using the Holy Bible as basis by religious denominations. They have their respective “apostles of Christ!” Can we now appreciate what our Lord felt about the Scribes and Pharisees’ who thought they were leading the people to God?

MATTHEW 23:13 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

The Scribes and Pharisees’ obedience to the commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” made our Lord to tell them:

MATTHEW 23:26 "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."

In His indignation He called them:

MATTHEW 23:33 "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

Physical adultery is unfaithfulness to one’s spouse. Spiritual adultery is infidelity to one’s spiritual spouse, in this case God! Thus, although the Jews had been faithful to their spouses under the leadership of the Teachers of the Law, noted for following the LETTER of the Law, our Lord called them:

MARK 8:38 "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in thisadulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed…”

God did not only see His people commit spiritual adultery during the time of the Scribes and Pharisees. In the Old Testament, they also violated the commandment:

JEREMIAH 3:8 "And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away... yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also."

THE EIGHT COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:15 "Thou shalt not steal."

Like the other commandments previously discussed, the commandment is intended to keep the BODY, SOUL, and SPIRIT blameless.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

For the blamelessness of the BODY, it is physical material stealing that should be avoided, as everybody understands. For the SOUL, it is covetous practices:

MARK 7:21-23 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts... thefts, covetousness...All these things come from within, and defile the man.”

1 CORINTHIANS 6:9-10 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate... "Nor thieves, nor covetous... shall inherit the kingdom of God."

Covetousness takes many forms. It may be for material things or intangible possession: house, automobile, land, and prestige and popularity of another. It could be covetousness for the honor and glory of God. Only God is good (Luke 18:19). Only the name of God is reverend (Psalms 111:9). Only Christ should be called Rabbi or teacher or head or leader and Father (Matthew 23:8-1).

Spiritual stealing is defined as “not passing through the door,” and God defines the spiritual:

John 10:1 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."

JOHN 10:9 “(Jesus said) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved...”

JOHN 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth...”

Is it the truth, the “spiritual door,” not to recognize the “One Lord and one God” (Hebrew 8:11) before one ever learns to love God and his fellowmen (Mark 12:29-31)”? Is it the truth and the right way to be called Father? ...to be called Rabbi or Teacher or Master or Head or Chief or Pastor or Shepherd? ... to be called Holy? ...to be called Reverend, as to be looked up by and be above the laity? Is it not the truth for the real Disciples of Christ to be simply called brothers,indicating their equality in His eyes?

JAMES 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

Is it the truth or the “spiritual door” to try to acquire spiritual knowledge from fellowmen? What role are the Bible schools and Seminaries to God? Are they the right venues of acquiring knowledge from God (1 John 2:27)?

JAMES 1:5-8 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

Is this not the way our Lord showed His disciples? Christ “speaking over the microphone” and the Apostles relay what they heard as “speaker system only.”

MARK 4:34 "But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples."

Can people accept that Jesus Christ in His physical absence is still capable of teaching His chosen today as He did to Paul?

GALATIANS 1:11-12 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Does His word pass away? Can the power of God be limited?

1 JOHN 2:27 "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie...”

How does God reveal the great message of His words, so that no one will be tempted to bypass the spiritual door?

1 CORINTHIANS 2:12 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God."

1 CORINTHIANS 2:13 "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."

Using the foregoing truth as basis, how many among the so-called apostles of Christ today pass through the spiritual door? Man’s perception of STEALING is limited only to material things. To God, it could be any of the following: material, intellectual-emotional, and spiritual. What kind of stealing is the following?

MATTHEW 23:13 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

MATTHEW 23:15"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."

The object of robbery, in this case, are the souls of men. Could not “Twofold more the child of hell” refer to things abominable to God or those beliefs contrary to His words? Can people accept this bitter truth?

PROVERBS 28:9 "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:16 "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."

Human wisdom dictates that “to bear false witness” simply means telling something contrary to the facts. Spiritual truth is generally equated to sincerity. This is not so as it is written:

ROMANS 10:2-3 "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

Spiritual truths are beliefs and teachings that DO NOT CONTRADICT what is written in the Holy Bible. Falsehoods are beliefs and teachings that are supported by Bible verses but are contradictory to what is written. How could one, therefore, be spiritually guilty of the 9th commandment? The answer is summarized in the following:

Christ rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for following the law “to the letter” that only “cleanses the outside of the cup.” The Rich Ruler was allowed to follow our Lord by obeying the “law to the letter” for that is not enough. The truth is denied in the following:

2 CORINTHIANS 3:6 "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

Following the “letter of the law” simply cleanses the “outside of the cup.” The “spirit in the law” cleanses the “inside of the cup.” The Scribes and Pharisees did not submit to this truth. They denied the spiritual nature of the law, which Jesus Christ explained in their presence. The foregoing kinds of lies may refer to the unbelievers and pseudo-believers. There is a much deeper meaning of “bearing false witness” that now pertains to the real Christians:

1 JOHN 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not have the truth:"

To know the truth is not enough. Knowing but not walking on it is a great spiritual lie in the view of our Lord. Here is another example of a spiritual lie:

JAMES 3:14 "But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth."

If anyone lives only by the “letter of the law” like the Rich Young Ruler, he does not know that he can never follow Jesus like the disciples did. Many people only look at the “letter of the law that killeth” and miss the “spirit of the law that giveth eternal life.”

Because the Rich Young Ruler could only understand literal-physical things, he thought he had to sell his material possessions and give the proceeds to the literally poor or destitute. Unknown to him, “possession” is what is ensconced in the heart.

Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

To sell the “possessions” is to part with them and receive “proceeds” in return. Therefore, for the things in the heart to be exchanged with things of the Spirit, which is the TRUTH, is already a “sale” in the eyes of our Lord. Sharing the TRUTH to the “poor” is our Lord’s command. Again, are they the literally-physically poor? Not all the physically-materially poor want the truth. To give the “proceeds” to all the poor will contradict the following:

Matthew 7:6 "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

Therefore our Lord, through His words, identifies the “poor” in the following:

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Paul, Joseph of Arimathea a rich follower of Christ, and others, did not literally-physically sell their material possessions. The message had not changed. Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon did not sell their material possessions to follow God.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

EXODUS 20:17 "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."

The commandments are interrelated to one another as the whole Bible is, for everything constitutes the word of God of which He is represented to (John 1:1). We have seen the relationship between adultery and idolatry, and vice versa, and stealing, bearing false witness, and covetousness, among others.

As in the other commandments, “keeping the BODY, SOUL, and SPIRIT blameless” serves as the guide in fully understanding what God “has written with His finger (Exodus 31:18).” The Rich Young Ruler claimed obedience to the law. But he only saw “the letters” or perceived what is on the “outside.” The “letters” concern only the physical-material. The Scribes and Pharisees who were the exponents of the “letter of the law” were rebuked for their erroneous perception of the word of God.

LUKE 16:14-15 "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God."

More than the physical-material is the thing unseen. They are those “within” that the Natural Man cannot see.

LUKE 12:15"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."

To “covet thy neighbor’s house” goes beyond the material. A “spiritual house” may refer to the “house of the Lord,” or God’s people:

EZEKIEL 2:5 "And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house...”

To covet a spiritual house therefore, is to pine for, to desire to take, or to envy God’s people. This is religious proselytizing. Proselytizing should be distinguished from real evangelism. In proselytizing, people are won to the religious sect or organization, like the Pharisees trying to win the Sadducees, and vice versa, during the time of Christ. True evangelism is simply sharing the truth. This was seen in the works of Jesus Christ and later continued by the Disciples. The motive for true evangelism is the salvation of the soul. It is never tainted with any material, financial, social, emotional or any consideration.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife” goes beyond the literal. Of course it does not condone the physical. Consider the following:

1 CORINTHIANS 5:1-2 "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned…”

Behind the “letter” or the literal is the spiritual message. Who is the spiritual FATHER?

MATTHEW 23:9 "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

The spiritual FATHER is God! The Church is the WIFE of the spiritual FATHER.

ISAIAH 54:5 "For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts...”

EPHESIANS 5:23-25 "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church...Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church...”

To covet the spiritual wife therefore, is to usurp the role or authority of God in the Church. God implants His “seeds” in the Church. To wrest this function from the Father is to implants one’s “seeds” or own words or doctrines in the Church. Together with the act is the appropriation of the glory that solely belongs to the spiritual HUSBAND. In this case, grabbing the honor and glory belonging to God alone is appropriating the role of the FATHER.

Perfection, the ultimate goal

Ever since, God’s plan was for the perfection of His chosen few. In the Old Testament, we find God telling Abram, before he was called Abraham, “walk before Him, and to be perfect.” (Genesis 17:1). Then God repeated the admonition when His people were in the wilderness:

DEUTERONOMY 18:13 "Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God."

When God was “manifest in the flesh, Emmanuel” He told His people personally:

MATTHEW 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Christ’s disciples after Pentecost realized the need for spiritual perfection. Peter reiterated everything God kept on reminding His chosen few:

1 PETER 1:16 "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

Distinction should be made between religious and spiritual perfection, between human standard and the divine standard, and between CONSCIENCE and SPIRITUAL CONVICTION. Conscience is simply a feeling of guilt from the dictate of the intellect. Spiritual conviction is a feeling of guilt from the great spiritual revelation of the Word. Religious perfection is dictated by the doctrines of the respective religious sects and denominations. Divine perfection is ordained under only one standard: “For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

MATTHEW 23:26 "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

CONSCIENCE tells man to cleanse the OUTSIDE. SPIRITUAL CONVICTION tells man to purify the INSIDE. The Natural Man has only his CONSCIENCE to convict him of his sins. Jesus Christ, in telling Nicodemus to be “born again,” in effect, wanted him to have SPIRITUAL CONVICTION that he could aspire for spiritual perfection. PURE RELIGION, therefore, is the totality of SPIRITUAL PERFECTION. Jesus showed the Way as model. The prophets and apostles followed the example. Now the following gives us a much deeper meaning:

EPHESIANS 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

WHO ARE THE “FATHERLESS AND WIDOWS?”

JAMES 1:27 “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

The fatherless in the LANGUAGE OF MAN are the orphans whose physical father had died. In the LANGUAGE OF GOD, the spiritual “father” is either Satan or God:

JOHN 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil…he was a murderer…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…”

MATTHEW 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”

Therefore, the “fatherless” refer to people who found the TRUTH that now “Satan, the father” has died in their life. These are the “spiritual orphans” who need to be taken in the “household of the Lord” and be fed with the Living Bread or the word of God.

JEREMIAH 15:16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God…”

The “widows” in the LANGUAGE OF MAN are women whose husbands had died. The spiritual husbands are either GOD or SATAN:

ISAIAH 54:5 “ For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name…”

JEREMIAH 3:14 “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family…”

The “seeds” of God are His words/truth (Luke 8:11). The “seeds” of Satan are the words of God but not constituting the truth. Satan had shown that he was also citing Bible verses (Matt. 4:6), but not the truth. During the time of our Lord, the spiritual “wife” of God were the Disciples. The Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious sects at that time, who followed the Teachers of the Law could not have been the “wife” of God for they had been receiving/accepting “seeds” that were not of God. This is gleaned from the warning of our Lord:

MATTHEW 16:6 “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

The “widows” are both physical male and female (Galatians 3:28), who have been receiving “strange seeds” or human doctrines before. Any doctrine not of God must have come from His enemy. The “widows” therefore are the people who have ceased receiving human doctrines. Satan now had “died” in their life. Like the “fatherless”, they need to be taken “in the household of God” and be fed with the Living Bread or the word of God.

The “affliction of the widows and fatherless” is their spiritual isolation and persecution by the “sons and wives of Satan.” Jesus Christ warned His disciples, a type of the “fatherless and widows” on this:

JOHN 16:1 “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

“KEEPING ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD”

JAMES 1:27 “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Who are the “poor”? God always gives us the clue to the answer. Here is the spiritual possession.

Matthew 6:21 “ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Spiritual “possession” therefore is what is ensconced in the heart. People may be thinking of material things, etc. However our Lord, aside from the material, saw what was in the hearts of the religious people, the Scribes and Pharisees, during His time: their zealousness to follow the “letter of the law.” The truth is:

2 Corinthians 3:6 ”Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament ; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth , but the spirit giveth life.”

As discussed, the “letter” is not all to the application of The Ten Commandments and in The Two Great Commandments. Zealousness to the “letter of the law” makes a person self-righteous and proud before the Lord. That is what was seen in the Rich Young Ruler. “The letter” cleanses the “outside of the cup” only. Christ preached cleansing first the “inside of the cup” which refers to the SPIRIT OF THE LAW, followed by the cleansing of the “outside of the cup” (Matthew 23:26 ).

Galatians 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.”

Perhaps the Natural Man would ask, “How could a person be cursed under the law when God gave the law precisely to be followed?” That is the perception of the Natural Man. But God did not intend it that way for He says:

James 2: 10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

God wants His chosen to completely trust Him, like “little children” (Matthew 18:3, 11:25, 2 Tim. 3:15), that they may be endowed with FAITH. Then God would be free to work in their life:

Galatians 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.”

Faith is gift of God:

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Faith must be followed by “works”.

James 2:17 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

But “works” is not the kind the Natural Man understands it to be. Looking at Jesus Christ Who showed the Way, as model, His works were FOR THE SOUL more than the BODY. If to the Natural Man freeing a prisoner is to release him from the State prison, Jesus was not found to have done that. Rather, He freed the prisoners this way. Physical or spiritual?

John 8:32 “ And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

If to the Natural Man feeding the hungry is to give them bread, rice, and fish, Jesus demonstrated this when He fed 5,000 and 4,000 men in two occasions. He however said that His “words are spirit.” (John 6:63). Jesus emphasized this when He was literally-physically seen hungry by the Devil in the desert and was told to turn the stones into bread (Matt. 4:2-4).

Matthew 4:2 “And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

This spiritual feeding was already demonstrated in the Old Testament:

Jeremiah 15:16 “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”

If to the Natural Man taking in strangers means welcoming them in the house, Jesus took “strangers” or sinners in the household of the Lord.

Ephesians 2:19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

If to the Natural Man healing refers to the physically sick, and it is perceived Jesus demonstrated this literally; how could He say this after opening the eyes of the blind? The blind recognized Jesus while those not physically blind did not recognize Him.

JOHN 9:38 (After the healing of the blind.) “ And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. 39And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 40And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 41Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”

Matthew 15: 14 “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

Even in the Old Testament, God revealed the kind of sickness being healed:

Psalms 41:4 “I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.”

God gave us a view of PURE RELIGION. It refers to the spiritual “widows and fatherless.” Now it is clear what PURE RELIGION constitutes. God defined the “fatherless” and the “widows.” He also gave examples of “works” that must follow “faith.” To be noted is:

James 1:27 “ Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

It is stated, only “to visit” the fatherless and widows. The reason is, it is actually God Who feeds the spiritual hungry, frees the spiritual prisoners, heals the spiritual sick, and takes a stranger to the spiritual household of the Lord. In essence, our Lord summarizes PURE RELIGION this way. Then He could have a free hand working in the life of a real believer:

Matthew 18:3 “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

END

Footnotes...

Mat 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

Mat. 4:10 “ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Jesus was the child born in Bethlehem, the Son of Mary, grew in Nazareth, preached and performed many miracles, crucified and died on the cross, rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will be coming back again.

John 14:7 “ If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

Ephesians 2:19: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

Luke 8:11 “ … The seed is the word of God.”

Gal. 3:28 “ There is neither Jew nor Greek… there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Col. 2:8 “ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Psalms 78:2 “ I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old.”

Ezek 20:49 (KJV) Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

1 Cor 8:6 (KJV) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…”

Mat 11:25 (KJV) At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

1 Cor 2:14 (KJV) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Rev 1:6 (KJV) And hath made us kings and priests unto God…”

Exo 20:18-19 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

Isa 7:14 (KJV) Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

1 Corinthians 8:6 “ But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…”

Psa 83:18 (KJV) That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Exo 3:14 (KJV) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Song 2:1 (KJV) I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

Exo 34:14 (KJV) For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

Isa 42:8 (KJV) I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Isa 22:25 (KJV) In that day, saith the LORD of hosts…was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Mark 12:28-32 "And one of the scribes came, and ... asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?" "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart...this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."

"And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:" -- Mark 12:32

As a child, Jesus was worshipped by the Wise Men from the East (

Jesus accepted worship from His disciples before His death and resurrection (Matthew 14:33)

Jesus accepted worship from His disciples after His death and resurrection (Luke 24:52)

Matthew 4:10 "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

John 8:19 “ … Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.”

John 8:54-55 “ 54 Jesus answered… it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him…”

Matthew 23:9 "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

Matthew 23:8 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."

College Edition - Webster’s New World Dictionary of the English Language.

1 Corinthians 2:16 "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

Luke 6:39 "And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?"

Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Exodus 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"

Psalms 83:18 "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth."

Song of Songs 2:1 "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."

Isaiah 42:8 "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."

Revelation 19:13 "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."

Matthew 10:28 "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Revelation 17:15 "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest...are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

Psalms 18:16 "He...drew me out of many waters."

This has a deeper spiritual meaning:

Deut. 13:6 “ If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend,which is as thine own soul…”

Mark 10:35-37 "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory."

Mark 10:41 “ And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.”

Psalms 69:1 "..Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul."

1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."

Acts 20:34 "Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me."

Galatians 5:23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Revelation 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

John 3:8 “ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

Isaiah 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life...”

Exodus 21:17 "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death."

John 2:14-15 "And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;"

Matthew 23:33 "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

Romans 7:14 "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin."

Matthew 23:8-10 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ."

Psalms 111:9 "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."

Eph 2:20 (KJV) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Acts 1:15-26

Galatians 1:1 "Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ...”

Galatians 1:11-12 "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Luke 18:19 "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."

Psalms 111:9 "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."

Matthew 23:8-9 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."

"And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

John 10:1 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."

Hebrews 8:11 "And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest."

Mark 12:29 "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:"

Mark 12:30 -31 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."

"And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."

Matthew 23:9 "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

Matthew 23:8 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."

Luke 1:49 "For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name."

Psalms 111:9 "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."

Matthew 23:8 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."

Matthew 23:12 "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."

Excerpts from the book CHRISTIANITY: Yesterday & Today.

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Exodus 31:18 “ 18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Luke 8:11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."

Genesis 17:1

1 Timothy 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh...”

Ephesians 2:19: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”