The Real Reason:

Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It

Beyond The Liberal Limitations Of Jim Wallis

Senior Editor-In-Chief of Sojourners

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Greetings Jack Pannell, Press Secretary

I so liked the title of Jim Wallis book God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, that I decided to use it as part of my response to the Christianity Today and Lisa Ann Cockrel's interview with Brian McLaren. You can find my web page containing the below letter which is entitled Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right @

http://ebionite.com/TwoWrongs.htm . If Mr. Wallis or Sojourners magazine would like to respond to what I have written, then I would be glad to engage you in dialogue. The Truth is not in who is right or who is wrong with respect to liberals and conservatives -- but rather, the degree of truth that each side possesses, and how blind each side is in their condemnation of the other. That the Right gets it wrong, and the Left doesn't get it, is because each is attempting to create manmade doctrines in the endeavor to explain the great voids created by the Church of Constantine. And while the Da Vinci Code has begun to initiate many questions regarding the divinity of Jesus -- which has in turn spawned many inquiries into why the original Ebionites were condemned by the Gentiles who were generally too heathen to comprehend and embrace the very spiritual teachings of Jesus and TheWay -- eventually the world will take notice that the Truth was known all along, but the Church (liberal and conservative) chose to ignore what the Hand of God provided in answer to their prayers for greater truth and understanding.

Allan Cronshaw

Long Island, NY

The Dilemma that confronts the Church today is that while the Religious Right is willing to embrace a very narrow dogmatic perception of Jesus' teachings, the Liberals who perhaps see more, are unwilling to live the Truths that the conservatives are in denial of. While it is true that Jesus was compassionate for the sufferings of the people, and women played an important role in his ministry, this compassion did not in any way lessen his requirement that it was necessary for man to seek and live the Truth. The fact of the matter is that not only is the ideologies of both conservative and liberal Christianity greatly flawed, but they are both in absolute denial of their original Ebionite/Nazirene foundations as demonstrated in a previous letter to Christianity Today (see http://ebionite.com/EbioniteDenial.htm ). And in the same way that because the Church is in denial as to the essence of Jesus' teachings ( http://Ebionite.com ) as to the corruption of the Church, the Hand of God has raised up the fictionalized speculation of the Da Vinci Code in order to draw attention to the fictionalized doctrines of the Church. Because Truth is rejected, God raises up one lie to bring attention to another lie that is being promoted in the Name of the Lord. And while the conservatives are in denial as to the Truth, the liberals discredit themselves in their lukewarmness towards the Truth -- i.e., "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth" (Rev 3:16 NKJ). And both reject the Truth in order to embrace the doctrines of men -- i.e., "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46 KJV).

What Jesus taught was that if you desire Truth, then you must be willing to live that Truth in word, thought, desire and deed. Not in the manner of the conservatives who cling to the doctrines of Pagan Rome ( http://nazirene.org/unfaithful.htm ), while the liberals are only interested in promoting Jesus as the champion of social harmony and causes. And while it is true that much of the Da Vinci Code is speculation based upon certain foundational truths that both conservative and liberal Christians are in denial of, the fact that both groups continue to evade these foundational truths, only alienates each side from the Truth in their empty judgments of each other. The result is that each group condemns itself, by virtue of its judgment of the other.

While with hesitation I use the above word condemn -- simply because liberals totally reject the whole concept -- but the fact is that we are ourselves judged by our own judgments of others. And this is a truly difficult concept for most Christians to deal with. While it is absolutely necessary to exercise discernment, the facts are that each of us are ourselves tested in accord with our own perceptions and ideas. As an example: While Sojourners Magazine ( http://www.sojo.net/ ) is critical of the Religious Right, what are they offering the people as an alternative. And while it is good to be critical of the narrowness of the conservatives, the liberals are themselves evaluated by their own actions. I have here used the word evaluated instead of judged, because it is important to understand that each person is limited by their own sentiments and positions.

Fundamentally, the Christian Church is agnostic. Because the fourth century Roman Church murdered those who represented the spiritual essence of the religion ( see http://Ebionite.com/prologue.htm ), believers no longer understand that the Kingdom must be found while one is living in the body (see http://DivineManna.org ). And because the most important teachings were all removed from the Bible as it was spiritually castrated by Pagan Rome ( see http://BibleCorruption.com ), Christianity has been reduced to agnosticism, because of the doctrinal limitations that have been imposed upon them by a long list of Roman Emperors and a very Pagan priesthood. In addition to the many quotations on the Ebionite web site that proves the original Disciples of Jesus did not believe that he was the pagan god of Rome ( http://Ebionite.com ), there exists sufficient evidence to prove that the baptism verses were edited in order to support the Church created Jesus god-ship (see http://TheTenWords.com ). So while the facts prove the conservatives have been greatly misguided by their claim that the Bible is infallible, where does this leave the liberals who continue to promote Jesus, while rejecting many of his most important spiritual teachings of TheWay? And what about all those verses in the Bible that both liberal and conservatives ignore, which emphatically state that the Christian must not only bring about the next stage of birth (see http://ebionite.com/reincarnation.htm#birth ), but the Revelation and other such writings that the Doomsday prophets have used to invoke fear in the minds of the superstitious, is actually an allegorical portrayal of this process of soul-birth (see http://GateOfEden.com ). And because the Church has consigned itself to embracing the doctrines of a Circus Prostitute and her emperor-husband (see http://ChristianReincarnation.org ), they fail to understand that their complacency towards the Truth in this life will not bring them success in the hereafter.

In our discernments and sentiments, it is not enough to oppose the flaws that you see in others, you must yourself be willing to become a Beacon and Light of Truth. While it is easy to discern that the conservatives are in error on many important points, that we are able to point out that error does not make us right. And the fact that it has been granted to us to be able to see the error of the conservatives, means that we are ourselves required to be fruitful in the insight that we have been given. If we use this insight only to point out the error of our brothers -- without making ourselves a Beacon of Light to guide others in TheWay, then we have ourselves been overcome by our own discerning judgements and sentiments. While the following verse still exists in the version of the Sermon on the Mount contained in Matthew, the words of the Gospel of the Nazirenes ( http://GospelOfTheNazirenes.org ) still retains the original thought which was paramount in the Hebrew Matthew used by the Ebionites: "Whosoever therefore will break one of these commandments which He will give, and will teach men so, they will be called the least in the kingdom; but who so ever will do, and teach them, the same will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. They who believe and obey will save their souls, and they who don't obey will lose them. For I say to you, That except your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

Since it can be easily demonstrated that the original Disciples of Jesus did not believe he was God incarnate in accord with the doctrines of Pagan Rome -- the fact that he was a man, just like you and me, and that he lived and embraced Truth to such a degree that the inner barriers of mind and being were overcome, and he became One with the Indwelling Logos -- gives a totally different perspective to his words that, those who fail to pick up their own cross and follow in his footsteps, are not worthy to be called his disciple: "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23 KJV). While this verse would not make much sense if the Jesus-god doctrines of Rome were true, these words make perfect sense from an original Ebionite perspective. And with respect to Paul's doctrine of faith over the ritual works of the Law, Paul was the father of Christian Gnosticism ( see http://nazirene.org/gnostic_paul.htm ), and Gnostic-faith is entirely different than the blind faith of Martin Luther which has shackled the Church to complacency and spiritual alienation from the Inner Kingdom (Luke 17:20-21).

Jesus proved that each of us is the prodigal son and daughter of our Heavenly Father -- and that each of us not only at one time dwelled in the Kingdom -- but that our Heavenly Father will actively communicate with us, whenever we are willing to arise from the ways and thinking of this world, and seek the Kingdom within. Paul warned that the Truth is beyond organic man's ability to understand -- and he will condemn the Truth as "foolishness" (see http://ebionite.com/defeat.htm ). And the foundation of what Jesus taught, is embodied in the words that to Know the Truth, you must be willing to Seek and Live the Truth. Not in accord with the pagan doctrines of Rome as Christians do today -- but rather, "...by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4 KJV). So while it is easy for liberals and conservatives to each point out the flaw in the vision of their brothers and sisters, while ignoring their own flawed vision -- i.e., "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matt 7:5 NIV). Just following this condemnation is the reality of the words: "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces" (Matt 7:6 NIV). Which means that only those who are willing to make themselves the "good ground" in the parable of the Sower and the Seed ( http://SowerAndSeed.com ), are able to spiritually receive the Truth. And that we can see the flawed vision of our more conservative brothers and sisters, without converting them by seeking the Kingdom within ourselves, and shining a Beacon of Light before their eyes for them to see, only brings judgment and condemnation upon ourselves.

GodSpeed in TheWay,

Rev. Allan Cronshaw

Brian McLaren on The Da Vinci Code

An interview by Lisa Ann Cockrel

With The Da Vinci Code poised to go from bestseller list to the big screen on May 19, pastor and writer (and Sojourners board member) Brian McLaren talks about why he thinks there's truth in the controversial book's fiction.

What do you think the popularity of The Da Vinci Code reveals about pop culture attitudes toward Christianity and the church?

Brian McLaren: I think a lot of people have read the book, not just as a popular page-turner but also as an experience in shared frustration with status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone organized Christian religion. We need to ask ourselves why the vision of Jesus hinted at in Dan Brown's book is more interesting, attractive, and intriguing to these people than the standard vision of Jesus they hear about in church. Why would so many people be disappointed to find that Brown's version of Jesus has been largely discredited as fanciful and inaccurate, leaving only the church's conventional version? Is it possible that, even though Brown's fictional version misleads in many ways, it at least serves to open up the possibility that the church's conventional version of Jesus may not do him justice?

So you think The Da Vinci Code taps into dissatisfaction with Jesus as we know him?

McLaren: For all the flaws of Brown's book, I think what he's doing is suggesting that the dominant religious institutions have created their own caricature of Jesus. And I think people have a sense that that's true. It's my honest feeling that anyone trying to share their faith in America today has to realize that the Religious Right has polluted the air. The name "Jesus" and the word "Christianity" are associated with something judgmental, hostile, hypocritical, angry, negative, defensive, anti-homosexual, etc. Many of our churches, even though they feel they represent the truth, actually are upholding something that's distorted and false.

I also think that the whole issue of male domination is huge and that Brown's suggestion that the real Jesus was not as misogynist or anti-woman as the Christian religion often has been is very attractive. Brown's book is about exposing hypocrisy and cover-up in organized religion, and it is exposing organized religion's grasping for power. Again, there's something in that that people resonate with in the age of pedophilia scandals, televangelists, and religious political alliances. As a follower of Jesus I resonate with their concerns as well.

Do you think the book contains any significantly detrimental distortions of the Christian faith?

McLaren: The book is fiction and it's filled with a lot of fiction about a lot of things that a lot of people have already debunked. But frankly, I don't think it has more harmful ideas in it than the Left Behind novels. And in a certain way, what the Left Behind novels do, the way they twist scripture toward a certain theological and political end, I think Brown is twisting scripture, just to other political ends. But at the end of the day, the difference is I don't think Brown really cares that much about theology. He just wanted to write a page-turner and he was very successful at that.

Many Christians are also reading this book and it's rocking their preconceived notions - or lack of preconceived notions - about Christ's life and the early years of the church. So many people don't know how we got the canon, for example. Should this book be a clarion call to the church to say, "Hey, we need to have a body of believers who are much more literate in church history." Is that something the church needs to be thinking about more strategically?

McLaren: Yes! You're exactly right. One of the problems is that the average Christian in the average church who listens to the average Christian broadcasting has such an oversimplified understanding of both the Bible and of church history - it would be deeply disturbing for them to really learn about church history. I think the disturbing would do them good. But a lot of times education is disturbing for people. And so if The Da Vinci Code causes people to ask questions and Christians have to dig deeper, that's a great thing, a great opportunity for growth. And it does show a weakness in the church giving either no understanding of church history or a very stilted, one-sided, sugarcoated version.

On the other hand, it's important for me to say I don't think anyone can learn good church history from Brown. There's been a lot of debunking of what he calls facts. But again, the guy's writing fiction so nobody should be surprised about that. The sad thing is there's an awful lot of us who claim to be telling objective truth and we actually have our own propaganda and our own versions of history as well.

Let me mention one other thing about Brown's book that I think is appealing to people. The church goes through a pendulum swing at times from overemphasizing the deity of Christ to overemphasizing the humanity of Christ. So a book like Brown's that overemphasizes the humanity of Christ can be a mirror to us saying that we might be underemphasizing the humanity of Christ.

In light of The Da Vinci Code movie that is soon to be released, how do you hope churches will engage this story?

McLaren: I would like to see churches teach their people how to have intelligent dialogue that doesn't degenerate into argument. We have to teach people that the Holy Spirit works in the middle of conversation. We see it time and time again - Jesus enters into dialogue with people; Paul and Peter and the apostles enter into dialogue with people. We tend to think that the Holy Spirit can only work in the middle of a monologue where we are doing the speaking.

So if our churches can encourage people to, if you see someone reading the book or you know someone who's gone to the movie, say, "What do you think about Jesus and what do you think about this or that," and to ask questions instead of getting into arguments, that would be wonderful. The more we can keep conversations open and going the more chances we give the Holy Spirit to work. But too often people want to get into an argument right away. And, you know, Jesus has handled 2,000 years of questions, skepticism, and attacks, and he's gonna come through just fine. So we don't have to be worried.

Ultimately, The Da Vinci Code is telling us important things about the image of Jesus that is being portrayed by the dominant Christian voices. [Readers] don't find that satisfactory, genuine, or authentic, so they're looking for something that seems more real and authentic.

Lisa Ann Cockrel is associate editor at Today's Christian Woman.

While The Teachings Of Yeshua/Jesus Are The Truth

The Way Of The Churches Bring Spiritual Death

Because They Share A Common Doctrinal Flaw

Liberal And Conservative Churches

Are Merely Opposite Polarities Of The Same Flaw

When Rev. Jim Wallis opposes Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell, it is as one polarity of error opposing it's opposite polarity of error. Christian's claim to rely upon the New Testament -- and yet, it is the very scriptures they champion that rejects their doctrines of belief as being turned out of TheWay. The following is in reply to a Christian's condemnation of someone who in the Ebionite Nazirene forums used the name Eternal Seeker -- and the Christian bases his allegations on the belief that Eternal Seeker is in error -- because from his perspective, Christians have found Jesus -- and belief is all that is required. So from his very limited reasoning, the Christian proclaims: What is there to seek? You simply believe, and that is the end of it. The fact that a man would call himself the Eternal Seeker, proves to him that such a man is lost and of Satan. Yet, the Bible states that just the opposite is true -- and it is in fact this very mindset that keeps Christians spiritually ignorant, and destroys even their opportunity to become a Disciple of Yeshua and TheWay. Speaking of the false shepherds, Peter writes: "These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity-- for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him" (2 Pet 2:17-19 NIV).

The "...people who are just escaping from those who live in error", are those who are trying to escape the clutches of the culture of this world, by becoming "babes in Christ". And yet, what Peter is stating is the fact that the very octrines of the false shepherds, are conveying to these entry-level believers that they have found freedom, when in fact they have only just begun their walk in TheWay. The depravity that Peter speaks of is in fact a parallel to the warning in the Epistle of James that "faith without works is dead" -- i.e., without the works of the spirit, "...they themselves are slaves of depravity -- for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him". We must ask: Why would the counterfeit clergy-shepherds promise the people "freedom" in the Gospel and the Good News -- and yet, Peter warns that they "...themselves are slaves of depravity"??? Because these shepherds of the simple faith do not understand the words that Yeshua said to the man who he had healed: "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14 KJV). Having themselves never been "WHOLE" -- or even remotely understand the reality of Wholeness -- the shepherds of the simple faith attempt to use Jesus as a sacrifice to live in a state of perpetual sin. And thus, these blind guides are not only disenfranchised from the very spiritual essence of the teachings of Yeshua and TheWay, but they have themselves never experienced Wholeness -- or even understand the reality that is conveyed in these words.

Perhaps the key to understanding the false shepherds of the Church is found in the words: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 5:17-20 NKJ). Thus, while Yeshua and his Ebionite ( http://Ebionite.com ) disciples condemned the rituals and traditions of the Pharisees, they openly acknowledged the Royal Law that remains completely in effect and binding upon all people's of the earth.

Peter's next statement is not only in direct opposition -- and runs contrary to what is preached in the Churches today -- but should literally haunt every person who calls themselves a Christian believer: "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit, and, A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud" (2 Pet 2:20-22 NIV)

Where the modern Church promotes the doctrine that they are saved by Grace regardless of the manner they live their lives, Peter not only states that this doctrine is in grave error, but correctly states that: "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." Every Christian should ask themselves: How Can This Be??? Christians promote the doctrine that only those who believe can be saved -- and here Peter is stating the opposite is true, and that those people who claim to believe, may be worse off after they have come to believe, than before they began to believe. The shepherds and blind guides that Peter is making reference to, are those who preach the modern doctrine of perpetual sin that is promoted in churches today -- i.e., "This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature..." (2 Peter 2:10 NIV). Because these false shepherds fail to understand the reality of what Yeshua meant when he used the terms Whole, and Complete, they preach the "...promise [of] freedom [in their doctrine of salvation by faith and grace alone], while they themselves are slaves of depravity"

In what can only be in total opposition to what Christians today believe, Peter states that it would have been better for the entry-level believers to have never heard of the Gospel, than to have heard, and then fall prey to the false shepherds who promise freedom but blindly lead the believers into the proverbial ditch. And there is simply no means for the modern Christian who believes the doctrines of the Church, to even begin to understand what Peter is making reference to. Why? Because what is preached in the Churches today, has relatively little in common with what Yeshua actually taught. And in truth, modern Christian doctrine is founded upon the religious principles of Pagan Rome (see The Christian Judas), than what Yeshua actually taught. How can this be? A person will ask? Quite contrary to modern Christian doctrine where all believers are saved, it is very clearly demonstrated in the scriptures that believers who do not live in accordance with the Commandments of the Lord will be punished more severely than the non-believer. This truth is demonstrated in the words: “That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:47-48 NIV). What Jesus is stating to us is that believer’s who do not fulfill the Commandments, will be punished more than those who do not know the will of God.

Proof of the above -- and proof that when Paul was speaking of faith, he was not speaking of a faith that permits the believer to continue to sin after embracing the Gospel -- is confirmed in the words in the Epistle to the Hebrews where it is warned that if a believer sins willfully after becoming a believer, that they have crucified the Christ afresh, and no sacrifice (Jesus/Grace) can have any effect on their destiny of judgment as an apostate to the teachings of Yeshua and TheWay: "For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.. For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." (Heb 6:4-6;10:26-27 RSV).

Thus, while the Christian counterfeit clergy "...promise them freedom" in their idolatry of using Yeshua/Jesus as a license to continue to sin, in total agreement with Paul, Peter warns that the the believers who continue to sin "...are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit, and, A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud" -- which is also expressed in the words: "...For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." And this reality that the people of the Church fail to comprehend, is further confirmed in Paul's letter to the Corinthians: "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep" (1 Cor 11:27-30 NKJ).

What is the source of the modern day Christian Apostasy? In many respects the doctrines which were born under the umbrella of Protestantism, were in fact reaction doctrines to the corruption of the Church of Rome. By embracing the doctrine of faith regardless of actions which was instituted by Martin Luther, the Christians have totally failed to maintain the necessary biblical standards which are required. And while Christians are critical of the thinking and lifestyle of others, Christians continue to promote the doctrines of Martin Luther -- a Roman priest who failed to understand the doctrine of Divine Providence, and promoted a life of sin as evidence of faith. Luther rejected over half of the New Testament -- and in total opposition to the teachings of Yeshua, Martin Luther actually promoted sin as proof of salvation. In Luther's own words: "Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides... No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day." ('Let Your Sins Be Strong, from 'The Wittenberg Project;' 'The Wartburg Segment', translated by Erika Flores, from Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften, Letter No. 99, 1 Aug. 1521.) Luther believed that man is a congenital sinner because of the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, and that only those who God saves, will receive salvation. This void in Christian thinking which seduced both Luther and Calvin to embrace the doctrine of Original Sin and Divine Providence, was the result of the corruption of the scriptures (see http://BibleCorruption.com ) -- and was directly caused by the removal of the doctrine of the Journey of the soul over the course of many lifetimes ( http://Ebionite.com/reincarnation.htm ). And only when this fact is understood, can the above words be understood that a complacent believer is worse off, than someone who has never at all believed the Gospel message. And thus, Christians today remain ignorant of this face, because the teachings on the journey of the soul was condemned by a circus prostitute who gained political power ( http://ChristianReincarnation.org ), and the Church no longer has the doctrinal means to understand why some people are created vessels of honor, while others are created vessels of dishonor (Rom 9:21-22). Thus, because of the corruption of the scriptures, modern Christians totally lack an understanding of the words of the Church Father Origen: “For God the Creator makes a certain vessel unto honor, and other vessels to dishonor; but that vessel which has cleansed itself from all impurity He makes a vessel unto honor, while that which has stained itself with the filth of vice He makes a vessel unto dishonor. The conclusion from which, accordingly, is this, that the cause of each one's actions is a pre-existing one; and then every one, according to his deserts, is made by God either a vessel unto honor or dishonor. Therefore every individual vessel has furnished to its Creator out of itself the causes and occasions of its being formed by Him to be either a vessel unto honor or one unto dishonor. And if the assertion appear correct, as it certainly is, and in harmony with all piety, that it is due to previous causes that every vessel be prepared by God either to honor or to dishonor, it does not appear absurd that, in discussing remoter causes in the same order, and in the same method, we should come to the same conclusion respecting the nature of souls, and (believe) that this was the reason why Jacob was beloved before he was born into this world, and Esau hated, while he still was contained in the womb of his mother”.

The only means for a person to have "...cleansed [themselves] from all impurity" is to seek to live a pious and Consecrated Life in TheWay that Yeshua/Jesus taught and ordained. Yet, Luther went as far as to state that those who attempt to live a pious life, have themselves rejected Christ: "Those pious souls who do good to gain the Kingdom of Heaven not only will never succeed, but they must even be reckoned among the impious; and it is more important to guard them against good works than against sin." (Wittenberg, VI, 160, quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 122.). Like Calvin, Luther did not understand the doctrine of Divine Providence because key teachings had been removed from the scriptures by the Church (see Bible Corruption), and in their reactionary doctrine to the corruption of the Roman Church, the fathers of the Reformation plunged Christianity into an even greater apostasy to the true teachings of Yeshua and TheWay. Thus, Christians condemn the Knowledge of TheWay, in order to remain apostates to the Kingdom by holding fast to the doctrines of Martin Luther. In the same way that Luther condemned those who attempted to live a pious life to be sinners, someone who is an Eternal Seeker from their perspective, rejects the free gift of salvation in the Jesus-god of Constantine.

Christians claim that Jesus was God, because the claim was made that he was One with God. Yet, they fail to even consider the fact that "being One with God", is not the same as being God. This reality is parallel to that of a Divine Marriage ( http://DivineMarriage.org ) where the husband and wife are "one flesh"-- yet, that does not mean that the wife is the husband, and the husband is the wife. It means that they dwell in oneness and perfect harmony in the Higher Third-Force Soul reality that causes the vital life-force of each to flow freely through both bodies -- and it is the manifestation of this is spiritual Etheric reality that makes the "two one flesh". Further, the Gospel of John also states that the Disciples were One with both Yeshua, and the Father -- so does that make them God also? Thus, what we have is the prevailing Christian ignorance preached by a clergy who "...promise [of] freedom [in their doctrine of salvation by faith and grace alone], while they themselves are slaves of depravity"

In order to be a believer and follower of Yeshua/Jesus and TheWay, the person must make themselves the "good ground" in which the Living Word has been implanted (see http://SowerAndSeed.com ) -- Christians promote the doctrine that they attribute to Paul with respect to being saved by faith apart from one's actions. And if Paul had meant this in the manner that they imagine, he never would have told them to "be afraid" that if they are unfaithful to their Covenant, that they will be cast away (see http://ebionite.com/#purescriptures ). In the same way that Yeshua taught that with respect to the teachings on the sin of adultery that his followers would be held to a higher standard than the Jews, this is confirmed in Paul's warning to "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body" (1 Cor 6:18 NKJ). If the author of these words agreed with the doctrine that man is saved by faith apart from his actions, then he would have said that once you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savoir, sexual immorality no longer matters. When Paul wrote that man cannot be saved by the works of the Law, he was making reference to the outward rituals of the Jews -- something which even modern Judaism has rejected (see http://TheThreeLies.com ). Christians are blind to the true meaning of their own scriptures, because to even begin to walk in TheWay, one must Repent. Yet, there can be no repentance, so long as Christians continue to embrace the culture and mindset of this world. Moreover, without true repentance, there can be no Law of Grace -- only the disillusion of being possessed by the Powers of the Left Hand (see http://DivineManna.org ). If the beginning of one's walk in TheWay is initiated with repentance, then there must be a total severing with the sins of one's past in order to be faithful to the teachings of Yeshua and TheWay. To have compassion and make excuses for the ways of this world -- attempting to portray the path of ignorance as being OK from the perspective of the teachings of Yeshua and TheWay -- is merely the product of a defiled mind that Satan whispers to -- often telling you his name is Jesus Christ. So long as you keep following counterfeit shepherds who promote the doctrine that you are saved by Grace regardless of your actions, mindset and lifestyle, then you will continue to be apostates to the Kingdom and the Living Word of God.

Liberal Folly

The Strength Of Liberals Is In Their Open Mind

Yet, They Ignore The Facts

And Promote The Ignorance Of The Conservatives

"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips,

but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "
(Matt 15:7-9 NKJ)

The Law Is Spiritual

And Can Only Be Fulfilled, By A People Who Are Themselves, Spiritual

People are liberal minded, because they are predestined by the Laws to perceive life and the world in a much wider scope than the conservative who is narrow and focused. Unlike the conservatives, the liberals are better able to discern the vast modern findings that prove that Jesus was a man who became One with God. Where the conservatives cling to their Bibles, the liberals are able to much more easily examine other historical writings, and see beyond the limitations of the written word which Paul called the "letter that killeth". They have been given a gift of a much more open mind, in order to see what is beyond the scope of vision of the conservative. In their more open discernment, it is reasonable for them to understand that if it is true that Jesus was a true holy man who fulfilled and overcame the Law within himself -- to the degree that he became One with God at what is portrayed as the baptism (see The Ten Words) -- then they also possess the insight to recognize that the blind faith doctrine of Martin Luther is fatally flawed.

Belief and faith in the fact that another man who was just like you and me, did as God required, and overcame the Natural Laws which created mental barriers within us -- and in fulfilling the Laws and Commandments of God, this man who was portrayed as our brother by those who knew him, became One with the Indwelling Logos -- to the liberal mind should equate to the fact that all men have the ability to accomplish what the historical Jesus did.

Only absolute hypocrites can use their gifts of an open mind that permits them to see beyond the written word of the scriptures when it is convenient for them to do so, and yet promote Jesus as an excuse for failing to accomplish within themselves what he accomplished. Then the liberals find fault in the conservatives, and judge them for their very narrow interpretation of the scriptures, while they perpetuate a mindset and lifestyle that can only be described as apostasy to the teachings of Jesus and TheWay.

Conservative Folly

The Strength Of Conservatives

Is In Their Ability To Hold To Standards

And The Strength To Overcome

Yet, They Ignore The Standards When Convenient

And Promote The Apostasy Of The Liberals

"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips,

but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "
(Matt 15:7-9 NKJ)

The Law Is Spiritual

And Can Only Be Fulfilled, By A People Who Are Themselves, Spiritual

People are conservative minded, because they are predestined by the Laws to perceive life and the world in a more narrow vision than the liberal who lacks focus and a more distant perception of the results of their actions. But in embracing the doctrine of faith regardless of actions which was instituted by Martin Luther, the conservatives have totally failed to maintain biblical standards. While they are critical of the thinking and lifestyle of others, conservatives continue to promote the doctrines of Martin Luther -- a Roman priest who failed to understand the doctrine of Divine Providence, and promoted a life of sin as evidence of faith. In Luther's own words: "Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides... No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day." ('Let Your Sins Be Strong, from 'The Wittenberg Project;' 'The Wartburg Segment', translated by Erika Flores, from Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften, Letter No. 99, 1 Aug. 1521.) Luther believed that man is a congenital sinner, because of the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, and that only those who God saves, will receive salvation.

Luther went as far as to state that those who attempt to live a pious life, have themselves rejected Christ: "Those pious souls who do good to gain the Kingdom of Heaven not only will never succeed, but they must even be reckoned among the impious; and it is more important to guard them against good works than against sin." (Wittenberg, VI, 160, quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 122.). Like Calvin, Luther did not understand the doctrine of Divine Providence because key teachings had been removed from the scriptures by the Church (see Bible Corruption), and in their reactionary doctrine to the corruption of the Roman Church, the fathers of the Reformation plunged Christianity into an even greater apostasy to the true teachings of Jesus and TheWay. Thus, Luther writes:

"...with regard to God, and in all that bears on salvation or damnation, (man) has no 'free-will', but is a captive, prisoner and bondslave, either to the will of God, or to the will of Satan." (From the essay, 'Bondage of the Will,' 'Martin Luther: Selections From His Writings, ed. by Dillenberger, Anchor Books, 1962 p. 190.)

"...we do everything of necessity, and nothing by 'free-will'; for the power of 'free-will' is nil..." (Ibid., p. 188.)

"Man is like a horse. Does God leap into the saddle? The horse is obedient and accommodates itself to every movement of the rider and goes whither he wills it. Does God throw down the reins? Then Satan leaps upon the back of the animal, which bends, goes and submits to the spurs and caprices of its new rider... Therefore, necessity, not free will, is the controlling principle of our conduct. God is the author of what is evil as well as of what is good, and, as He bestows happiness on those who merit it not, so also does He damn others who deserve not their fate." ('De Servo Arbitrio', 7, 113 seq., quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, pp. 266-267.)

All these passages come from a tract Luther penned, titled, 'De Servo Arbitrio ,' or 'Bondage of the Will,' in which the father of the Reformation works hard to present the case that free will does not exist.

In many respects, Luther was as diabolical as the despots in the Church he opposed. In fact, his prescribed treatment of the common man closely resembles that of the Islamic terrorists who torture those who oppose their religious tents of belief. Thus Luther writes: "Like the mules who will not move unless you perpetually whip them with rods, so the civil powers must drive the common people, whip, choke, hang, burn, behead and torture them, that they may learn to fear the powers that be." (El. ed. 15, 276, quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 235.) Further stating: "A peasant is a hog, for when a hog is slaughtered it is dead, and in the same way the peasant does not think about the next life, for otherwise he would behave very differently." ('Schlaginhaufen,' 'Aufzeichnungen,' p. 118, quoted ibid., p. 241)

Luther even permitted polygamy: "I confess that I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict the Scripture. If a man wishes to marry more than one wife he should be asked whether he is satisfied in his conscience that he may do so in accordance with the word of God. In such a case the civil authority has nothing to do in the matter." (De Wette II, 459, El. ed. 15, 276, quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, pp. 329-330.). And in his spiritually disenfranchised ignorance of the true meaning of the scriptures, Luther blamed women for the fall of mankind: “God created Adam master and lord of living creatures”, Luther writes, “but Eve spoilt all, when she persuaded him to set himself above God's will. Tis you women, with your tricks and artifices, that lead men into error” (Quoted in: The Great Thoughts; compiled by George Seldes).

His hatrid of the Jews is legendary: "Jews are young devils damned to hell." ('Luther's Works,' Pelikan, Vol. XX, pp. 2230.) Even condoning Islamic type violence against them: "Burn their synagogues. Forbid them all that I have mentioned above. Force them to work and treat them with every kind of severity, as Moses did in the desert and slew three thousand... If that is no use, we must drive them away like mad dogs, in order that we may not be partakers of their abominable blasphemy and of all their vices, and in order that we may not deserve the anger of God and be damned with them. I have done my duty. Let everyone see how he does his. I am excused." ('About the Jews and Their Lies,' quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 290.)

The Folly Of The Church

Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It

The spiritual disenfranchisement of the Church begins with Luther's condemnation of the words of Jacob who is called James, the Brother of Yeshua, wrote that "faith without works is dead", Luther condemned the Epistle of James: "...the epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw, because it contains nothing evangelical." ('Preface to the New Testament,' ed. Dillenberger, p. 19).

Who was Jacob/James? The Church historian Eusebius quotes Hegesippus and writes of Jacob/James, the brother of Yeshua/Jesus, and first leader of the New Covenant Church: "He drank no wine or strong drink, nor did he eat meat". Hegesippus is further cited by Eusebius and tells us that "...the Lord's brother...was Holy from his birth. Everyone from the Lord's time till our own has called him the Righteous", and that "[b]ecause of his unsurpassable Righteousness he was called the Righteous, and Oblias," the latter being a strange word he describes as meaning "Bulwark of the People, and Righteousness," (E.H. 2.23); for Epiphanius, the word means "Wall"; for Eusebius, the "Protection of the People." James was considered to be such a true holy man who was a Nazirene (of the vow) from birth, that Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis (315-404 CE), who had access to works he said were called the Anabathmoi Jacobou (the 'Ascents of James') and the Gospel of the Hebrews, and writes that: "once during a drought, he [James] lifted his hands to Heaven and prayed and at once Heaven sent rain...Thus they no longer called him by his name, but his name was, rather, the Righteous One" [in Hebrew, the 'Zaddik'].

Is the vision of the perfect life of the Disciple of Yeshua manifest in the example of James? Peter is quoted as saying with respect to James: "Our lord and prophet, who has sent us, declared to us that the Evil One, having disputed with him for forty days, but failing to prevail against him, promised that he would send Apostles from among his subjects to deceive them. Therefore, above all, remember to shun ANY APOSTLE, TEACHER OR PROPHET WHO DOES NOT ACCURATELY COMPARE HIS TEACHING WITH JAMES...the brother of our Lord...and this, even if he comes to you with recommendations" (Clementine Homilies 11.35). Thus, we are able to see where the present-day doctrines and lifestyle associated with the Christian Church today, is merely the work of the apostles of the Evil One.

In direct opposition to the faith apart from actions of Paul, the Brother of Jesus wrote: “What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? …Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, 'You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works’” (James 2:14-18 NAS). And the problems arising out of the controversy is explored in the words of the Barnes' Notes Commentary for James 2:26: "…all history has shown, the statements of Paul on the subject of justification are liable to great abuse. All the forms of Antinomianism have grown out of such abuse, and are only perverted statements of his doctrine. It has been said, that if Christ has freed us from the necessity of obeying the law in order to justification; if he has fulfilled it in our stead, and borne its penalty, then the law is no longer binding on those who are justified, and they are at liberty to live as they please. It has been further said, that if we are saved by faith alone, a man is safe the moment he believes, and good works are therefore not necessary. It is possible that such views as these began to prevail as early as the time of James, and, if so, it was proper that there should be an authoritative apostolic statement to correct them, and to check these growing abuses. If, therefore, James had, as it has been supposed he had, any reference to the sentiments of Paul, it was not to correct his sentiments, or to controvert them but it was to correct the abuses which began already to flow from his doctrines, and to show that the alleged inferences did not properly follow from the opinions which he held; or, in other words, to show that the Christian religion required men to lead holy lives, and that the faith by which it was acknowledged that the sinner must be justified, was a faith which was productive of good works."

The problem was that the carnal Christians were incapable of understanding the Apostles words when he wrote: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Rom 6:1-2 KJV). The ideas they developed that man was genetically incapable of not being a sinner, and that even after becoming a Christian continued to sin, negated the words of Paul when he wrote: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom 6:16 KJV). One of their paramount errors was their failure to perceive the words of Paul in their true spiritual sense -- i.e., when Paul spoke of death he was not indicating the death of the body, but more appropriately, the severing of the natural man from his spiritual nature. Thus, as sinners, and men of the flesh, the essence of New Covenant theology -- which was the spiritual perfection of the believer -- was simply beyond their comprehension.

In recognition that the Bible presents two paradoxical teachings on the matter, Rev. Charles Spurgeon writes in his autobiography: “The system of truth revealed in the Scriptures is not simply one straight line, but two; and no man will ever get a right view of the gospel until he knows how to look at the two lines at once. For instance, I read in one Book of the Bible, The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him who hears say, Come. And let him who is athirst, Come. And whoever will, let him take the water of life freely [Rev. 22:17]. Yet I am taught, in another part of the same inspired Word, that it is not of he who wills, nor of he who runs, but of God Who shows mercy [Rom 9:16]. I see, in one place, God in providence presiding over all, and yet I see, and I cannot help seeing, that man acts as he pleases, and that God has left his actions, in a great measure, to his own free-will. Now, if I were to declare that man was so free to act that there was no control of God over his actions, I should be driven very near to atheism; and if, on the other hand, I should declare that God so over-rules all things that man is not free enough to be responsible, I should be driven at once into Antinomianism or fatalism. That God predestines, and yet that man is responsible, are two facts that few can see clearly. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory, but they are not. The fault is in our weak judgment. Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one part of the Bible that everything is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find, in another Scripture, that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other” (Charles H. Spurgeon, Autobiography Vol. 1: The Early Years. pp. 173, 174). Do we have free will? In many places of the scriptures it appears to suggest that we do. And yet, in many other places the Bible reveals that Divine Providence -- which is the Will of God -- totally rules over every aspect of our lives. If, therefore, we profess to believe in the Bible, and we desire to embrace the Light, we must not accept one of these paradoxical realities, while rejecting the other. We must instead embrace the premises that both are equally true.

The Church Of The

Spiritually Disenfranchised!

Throughout the Gospels the requirement is made that you will know them by their fruit -- i.e., their works that their faith brings to fruition. In what is called the Epistles of Christ to the Church, in total contradiction to modern Christian doctrine, the criteria of judgment that will be used for the followers of Christ is not passive faith, or philosophical belief -- but rather, the criteria is the peoples “works” -- i.e., what they accomplish with their lives -- and it is used in this fashion eighteen times. At Revelation 3:2 we find an example of one of the main differences in the religious perspective of the first century followers of Jesus -- those who knew him, and personally sat at his feet and learned the requirements to enter the Kingdom -- and what we believe today: “for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God” (Rev 3:2 ASV).

All genuine Christians must therefore ask the question: What does it mean when Jesus condemns the people because they failed to have “perfected works” -- which in many other translations is rendered “completed works”? From the perspective of what Jesus taught his faithful disciples, completed and perfected works is demonstrated by their ability to enter into the inner (Luke 17:20-21) parallel realm that he called Heaven, and another realm he called the Kingdom of God, and be spiritually pure enough to sit in the House and be taught by the One Teacher. To follow Christ, literally means to go to where the Master is. Since the Master is in the Kingdom, then we cannot be his followers if we are not with him. Thus, the term “works”, takes on a whole different dimension that neither the Sadducees, Pharisees, the Church of Rome, nor the modern believer is able to comprehend. And when this reality is understood, Paul was 100% correct to proclaim that believers can't find salvation in the ritual works of the Law. Yet, because those who read the Bible are of a carnal mindset and lifestyle, the reality that Paul is attempting to convey is beyond their ability to even imagine.

Because he understood the relationship of faith to works, actions and accomplishments -- and he was one of the few authorities of the Church who understood the reality of Divine Providence and why our lives are preordained -- the Church Father Origen would have asked of modern Christians: Why do you follow the doctrines of a spiritually disenfranchised man such as Martin Luther? Thus, Origen poses the question: “What man of sense will agree with the statement that the first, second and third days in which the evening is named and the morning, were without sun, moon and stars, and the first day without a heaven. What man is found such an idiot as to suppose that God planted trees in paradise in Eden, like a husbandman, and planted therein the tree of life, perceptible to the eyes and senses, which gave life to the eater thereof; and another tree which gave to the eater thereof a knowledge of good and evil? I believe that every man must hold these things for images, under which the hidden sense lies concealed” (Origen - Huet., Prigeniana, 167 Franck, p. 142). And because Martin Luther lacked both the intelligence and the spiritual insight to even begin to understand the true meaning of the scriptures, he condemned all who questioned his dogmatic positions. “Reason”, writes Luther, “is the greatest enemy that faith has; it never comes to the aid of spiritual things, but - more frequently than not - struggles against the divine Word, treating with contempt all that emanates from God” (Quoted in: The Great Thoughts; compiled by George Seldes).

A man of reason will ask: If there was no sun, moon and stars, how could there have been a day, night and dawn of a new day? “What man of sense”, Origen asks, will blindly believe such statements? This fundamental question is very similar to that asked by Jesus with regard to the blindness of the Sadducees and Pharisees, who also attempted to read the scriptures literally. Who could believe that God planted trees in the Garden of Eden which gave to the eater the knowledge of good and evil, while the fruit of another tree gave eternal life? These things are not history, writes Origen, but rather “images, under which the hidden sense lies concealed”. Origen explains that the scriptures are an allegory that conceal the deeper truths of the spirit, and writes: “It is sufficient however, to represent in the style of a historic narrative what is intended to convey a secret meaning in the garb of history, that those who have the capacity may work out for themselves all that relates to the subject.”

When Clement the disciple of Peter asked concerning the many things in scripture that are not literally and historically true, Peter explained: “Truly I rejoice, and I give thanks to God, who in all things doeth well. However, he knows that I shall be able to think nothing other than that all things are for God. Wherefore do not suppose that I ask questions, as doubting the words concerning God, or those that are to be spoken, but rather that I may learn, and so be able myself to instruct another who is ingenuously willing to learn. Wherefore tell me what are the falsehoods added to the Scriptures, and how it comes that they are really false. Then Peter answered: Even although you had not asked me, I should have gone on in order, and afforded you the exposition of these matters, as I promised. Learn, then, how the Scriptures misrepresent Him in many respects, that you may know when you happen upon them”.

In his Ecclestical History Eusebius writes that: “Many were led astray by reading the allegorical contents of the scriptures literally in the method of the Pharisees and Sadducees”. In these words we are provided great insight into the true heresy of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and why Jesus condemned them as being blind guides. When it is realized that Jesus was born among the Essenes, who were Gnostic, and a people who comprehended the inner meaning of the Law, we begin to understand that the true focus of the conflict in scripture was the Spiritual Israelites vs the carnal impostor Israelites who called themselves Jews. On the side of the spiritual Israelites was Jesus and the Essenes -- who perceived the true meaning of the scriptures as the guide that assists the disciple in opening the inner doors to the true Temple of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees, on the other hand, read the scriptures literally -- and were under the erroneous belief that God dwells in temples made with man's hands -- and employed a body of priests -- and approved a series of sacrifices, rituals and observances.

What was it that Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing? “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered” (Luke 11:52 NAS). Yet, modern Christians today do not believe this statement. They do not believe that the leaders of the Pharisees possessed the keys of knowledge prior to the advent of Messiah/Christ. We thus, modern Christians totally fail to understand that the keys of knowledge is the understanding of the true threefold nature of the scriptures, and man's inherent ability to learn directly from the Christ within. Because Christians read the scriptures in the manner of the Pharisees, they have themselves become the modern day Jews in opposition to the Christ. Thus, the scriptural confrontation continues right down to this present day -- the spiritual vs. the carnal believers. In the words of Origen: “Many, not understanding the Scriptures in a spiritual sense, but incorrectly, have fallen into heresies”. Anyone who attempts to read the scriptures, seeing the body only, while ignoring the mind and spirit, are doomed to fall into these heresies.

In the above words of the Rev. Charles Spurgeon writes in his autobiography: “The system of truth revealed in the Scriptures is not simply one straight line, but two; and no man will ever get a right view of the gospel until he knows how to look at the two lines at once... That God predestines, and yet that man is responsible, are two facts that few can see clearly. They are believed to be inconsistent and contradictory, but they are not. The fault is in our weak judgment. Two truths cannot be contradictory to each other. If, then, I find taught in one part of the Bible that everything is fore-ordained, that is true; and if I find, in another Scripture, that man is responsible for all his actions, that is true; and it is only my folly that leads me to imagine that these two truths can ever contradict each other”

The Spirit vs The Flesh

The reality that the modern Church is in denial of -- and is attempting to hide its head in the sand in denial of the facts presented in modern discoveries, is the reality that the teachings of Jesus represented Essene/Ebionite Spiritual Judaism, versus the literalist and fundamentalist Judaism of the Pharisees who adhered to the written word that Paul correctly portrayed as the "letter that killeth" (2 Cor 3:6). And when the believers attempted to embrace the written word in the manner that Christians do today, Paul warned that the scriptures were not historical -- but rather, were an allegory: "Which things are an allegory" (Gal 4:24 KJV). Which is why Paul condemned the carnal Jews who were deceived into believing that they could achieve salvation through the ritualized works of the Law of Moses. But in Martin Luther's failure to comprehend that the Church is Spiritual, and that the scriptures are an allegorical account that must be used as the Key of Knowledge that when turned within, is able to open the inner "narrow gate" to the Kingdom (see Gate Of Eden) that Jesus commanded to enter within, the Church of the Reformation became even more disenfranchised than many of the spiritual communities of Christians that flourished under the nose of Pagan Rome. What Luther was oblivious to, was the fact that Paul was the father of Christian Gnosticism -- and his doctrine of faith was based upon the reality that if you live a consecrated life, that the Inner Kingdom will manifest within you -- and thus, this is the true meaning of the second coming of the Kingdom that Jesus said would never come upon the earth as carnal Jews and Christians predict (Luke 17:20-21 - see Gate Of Eden). And the fact is that modern Christians have been so spiritually disenfranchised from the Essence of the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus, that they fail to even comprehend the meaning of Gnosis, Gnostic, and the Kingdom within. Gnosis from a biblical perspective, is the Divine Manna that the Holy Spirit nourishes the true Disciple of Jesus with (see Divine Manna). And when Jesus condemned learning from the teachers of this world and the doctrines of men, what he was conveying to the believers was the need to become the "good ground" in the parable of the Sower and the Seed, and learn directly from what Peter called the True Prophet that is within each and every person. But this requires the works of the spirit that is made reference to in the Epistles of Christ to the Church.

What many believers today fail to realize is that the answer to the dilemma is found implanted on their own lips as they gather together for prayer and worship. Further, the answer is again found in the words of the Apostle Peter, as contained in an obscure writing of his disciple Clement, where he said that the genuine Christian must learn only from the True Prophet as to the correct meaning of the scriptures and the revelation of the Word. “Hence, O beloved Clement", proclaims Peter, “if you would know the things pertaining to God, you have to learn them from Him alone, because He alone knows the truth. For if any one else knows anything, he has received it from Him or from His disciples”.

These words -- i.e., that you not only can, but you MUST learn the things of God from Him alone, or from one of his genuine disciples -- are as true today as when Peter originally spoke them to Clement in the first century. They are based upon the New Covenant teaching that Jesus came to teach the Truth, and this Truth cannot be altered or defiled by either an impostor church, or the doctrines of men. Therefore, built into the essence of the Word is a means by which the truly faithful disciple throughout any and every age in the history of man is able to learn the Truth directly from the Lord Himself. What this further means is that even during that timeframe when the church was plundered into the very depths of darkness and despair, the truly faithful followers of the Light were taught the truth directly from the One Source of all Truth.

Jesus commands the disciples not to be called teacher, for there is only One Teacher (Mt 23:8), this same Truth can be demonstrated using the first century witness known as the Recognitions of Clement, where St. Clement quotes the teachings of the Apostle Peter. In chapter 59, under the heading of The True Prophet, Clement writes: “But I would not have you think, that in saying this I take away the power of judging concerning things; but I give counsel that no one walk through devious places, and rush into errors without end. And therefore I advise not only wise men, but indeed all men who have a desire of knowing what is advantageous to them, that they seek after the true Prophet; for it is He alone who knoweth all things, and who knoweth what and how every man is seeking. For He is within the mind of every one of us, but in those who have no desire of the knowledge of God and His righteousness, He is inoperative; but He works in those who seek after that which is profitable to their souls, and kindles in them the light of knowledge. Wherefore seek Him first of all; and if you do not find Him, expect not that you shall learn anything from any other. But He is soon found by those who diligently seek Him through love of the truth, and whose souls are not taken possession of by wickedness. For He is present with those who desire Him in the innocence of their spirits, who bear patiently, and draw sighs from the bottom of their hearts through love of the truth; but He deserts malevolent minds, because as a prophet He knows the thoughts of every one. And therefore let no one think that he can find Him by his own wisdom, unless, as we have said, he empty his mind of all wickedness, and conceive a pure and faithful desire to know Him. For when any one has so prepared himself, He Himself as a prophet, seeing a mind prepared for Him, of His own accord offers Himself to his knowledge”.

What does Peter say to us in these words? That the True Prophet “is within the mind of every one of us”. This concept is Spiritual -- and is the foundation of the Living Church that the Lord inaugurated. Jesus warned his followers not to go to a teacher or religious authority in this world -- even when that teacher or authority says that he knows the Christ. What is very clear in these words which are parallel and in harmony with the Bible, is the followers of Jesus were not to learn from men -- who themselves do not know -- and in true Spiritual-Gnostic fashion, they were only to go to the Source of all Knowledge, the True Prophet.

Paul wrote that the baptized believers at Corinth did not know the Gospel of God, and could not be taught the Mysteries and true Christian teachings because they were too carnal to receive them. This great dilemma that Paul wrote about -- and has been continually ignored by the majority of Christians throughout history -- was explained by Peter when his disciple Clement wrote his warning to believers: “…and if you do not find Him, expect not that you shall learn anything from any other”.

From a first century Christian perspective, there is only one way that you can learn and know the truth, and that is through your own dormant spiritual nature. “Expect not that you shall learn anything”, says Peter, if you attempt to learn from the doctrines of men -- even when these men are the leaders of your church, synagogue, mosque, or temple. Why? Because Jesus himself commanded: “But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren” (Matt 23:8 NKJ). Therefore, whoever will teach you -- except by example and the manifestation of the Light in their own lives -- from the perspective of the New Covenant, is a disciple of the anti-christ.

Peter embodies the very essence of the genuine teachings of The Way in the words: “But He is soon found by those who diligently seek Him through love of the truth, and whose souls are not taken possession of by wickedness. For He is present with those who desire Him in the innocence of their spirits, who bear patiently, and draw sighs from the bottom of their hearts through love of the truth”.

In this statement you will find the dividing line between the genuine Christian and the Christian of the flesh -- i.e., the genuine Christians are those who are willing to embrace the Light, and learn only from the True Prophet which they manifest in their lives by only doing what is of the Light -- whereas, the Christians of the flesh calls upon the name of the Lord, but they adhere to the teachings of men, and live in accordance with the culture of this world. Once these words of Peter are realized in the life of the believer, only then is it comprehended that it is the desire for the Truth -- and the Truth alone -- that will turn you in the direction of The Way. It is this desire that must rule your hearts and minds in such an all encompassing manner, that the believer rejoices in the labors of clearing the rubble of this world out of our lives, and strives to make themselves the good ground that is the only consecrated environment which the Lord will recognize as being genuine. In this respect, the True Prophet can only be found by those who cultivate and prepare themselves -- physically, mentally and spiritually, for the coming of the Lord -- within them.

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