#92 -- Gospel and Spiritual Growth

Valley – July 20, 2003 p.m.

                                                                                                                              

TWO STANDARDS FOR CHANNELING THE RELIGIOUS WORKS OF THE FLESH

Both the human moral religion of the world system and the Mosaic Law were designed to channel or control the religious works of the sin nature (the flesh).  Early in my Christian life I was taught that true Christianity wasn't "religion" rather it was a life.  God intervenes in the life and provides eternal life.  The English word "religion" comes from the Latin term religio.  This Latin word wasn't used of Christianity until the fourth century.  True Christianity was identified early as "the way."  God provided new life for those He made believers in stark contrast with the world system.  After Christ's cross work unique provisions were made that had never been available to human beings before in the history of the world.  One of those provisions was that of the new nature.  Now the believer has two natures.  Under the Law this wasn't true.  An Israelite had only one nature and that was a sin nature.  It made no difference whether he or she was a believer or not.  The Law was designed to curb the sin nature (as was the world system).  The Mosaic Law prohibited the involvement of Israel with human moral religion of the world system as it was manifested among the nations of the world system.  Religion is a normal part of human existence and desire.

 

I well remember the statement that "every man has a vacuum in his heart that can only be filled with God."  The fall ruined any validity to the statement.  The fall bent the human will and perverted human nature.  The resulting fallen sin nature inherently has religious works and religious appetites.  These appetites are often gratified by the religions of the world system.  The religious works of the flesh are found in Galatians 5:20:  idolatry, religious superstitious awe/witchcraft and heresies.  Other works of the flesh have religious aspects as well.  These include zeal, rivalries and divisions.  Human moral religion provides the religious works of the flesh with a wide variety of things that bring it gratification.  This works because it brings gratification with justification for the "religious" activity.  It might be unintelligent but it is justified by some element of religion.  Human moral religion uses the religious works of the flesh to misdirect the human mind from the Creator of the universe.  Most religion has enough flexibility for specific personal gratification whether in the core or on the outer periphery of the belief system.  Since the lusts of the flesh war against the soul, human moral religion provides mechanisms that channel one's feelings from God.  Human moral religion also influences the other works of the flesh.  It provides constraints, provides options that permit certain behavior, makes double standards for men and women, attempts to manage the works, attempts to redirect them, provides religious alternatives and establishes curbs that limit the extent of the works of the flesh.  Human moral religion is permeating the world system itself and so is practically universal on earth.  Common tenets of religion include (to some degree) a belief in the existence of supernatural power or powers, distinctions between good and evil, beings superior to man and powers that affect life now and in the future.

 

Central to the focus of the world system religion is that higher powers can be pleased by human works.  These works provide gratification for the works of the flesh.  Israel had idolatrous roots.  Abraham came from Ur an idolater.  The nation left Egypt as idolaters who followed the gods of Egypt.  They believed in superior powers or beings (as do most in the world system).  They also believed that mankind could earn divine pleasure and benefit from divine favor as a result.  Exodus 19:8 is the great presumptive statement of Israel that led to the provision of the Mosaic Law.  Israel had reacted against accepting the promises made to Abraham in the covenants (especially the 1st Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 15). In a sense, faith in the promises of Jehovah made to Abraham isolated his seed from the religious works of the flesh.  They preferred to do something to show Jehovah their sincerity and ability.  "All that Jehovah has said, we will proceed to do."  Immediately the nation was separated from Jehovah.  Jehovah gave the Mosaic Law as a penalty for the Dispensation of Promise.  The promises of the four covenants still remained but now there were conditions that needed to be met before the covenants could be realized.  The Law was more of a replacement than an addition.  It provided a whole new set of criteria for life.  It focused on doing or working.  Even so God's salvation was by God, by grace through faith and not by works under the Mosaic Law.  The religious works of the flesh could find gratification in doing those things prescribed in the Law.  The Law was binding on both believers and unbelievers in Israel.  Galatians describes their relationship to Law as bondage and as being incarcerated by the Law. 

 

The first two "commandments" of the Law prohibited Israel's involvement with the human moral religion of the world system as manifested among the Gentiles.  "To you there shall be no other gods above my face (Ex. 20:3)."  This literal translation gives a clear picture that no religious or the world system with its gods was to be given a place above Jehovah.  The second commandment involves the prohibition of making images or forms of created things and bowing down to and serving them.  Jehovah takes such things personally because He is a jealous God.  The Law looks at the religions of the world system as illegitimate sources for the gratification of the sin natures of the Israelites.  Scripture uses some important verbs to describe the potential relationship of human beings to human moral religion.  These verbs include walking after, consenting to, listening to, fearing them, worshipping them, serving them, swearing by them or sacrificing to them.  Deut. 16:14 tells Israel not to go after [lit. walk after] other gods, the gods of the peoples round about.  Deut. 13:6-11 shows the seriousness of messing with the moral religion of the world system under Law in that it provides the death penalty for the violation of either of the first two "commandments."  2 Kings 17:35-37 confronts those in Samaria with similar reminders even though they were a mixed group of peoples.  Jehovah had gotten their attention by sending lions to devour some of them.  The making of graven images in the second commandment is also prohibited in Lev. 19:4, 26:1 and Josh. 23:7.  Psalm 97:7 literally says, "All those that are serving graven images will be ashamed, that boast for themselves of idols (nothingness).  The Mosaic Law said, "Don't mess with the human moral religion of the world system.

 

The Mosaic Law prohibited any participation on the part of Israel with the human moral religion of the world system.  It demanded all of the attention of the Israelite.  It channeled and curbed the sin nature.  The world system has its own set of religious standards to do the same thing.  The two are in opposition to one another yet they both have the same objectives.  The world system's religious organization is designed to channel men and women away from the Creator of the Universe.  The Mosaic Law was designed to keep the works of the flesh within certain boundaries because of a national relationship to Jehovah.

 

 

Thrilled at the prospect of the meeting in the Northern sky!

 

Eagerly awaiting the Head to come as the Bridegroom,

 

DKS

 

TWO STANDARDS FOR CHANNELING THE RELIGIOUS WORKS OF THE FLESH

 

 

1 John 2:15

 

Proposition:   To relate to the isolation of the religion of Israel from that of the moral religion of the world system.  At least the practice of one religious work of the flesh was openly prohibited by the Mosaic Law and its limitations.

        Introduction

              A. The Question of the Appropriateness of Using "Religion" of Biblical Christianity

              B.   The Incorporation of the Latin Word Religio in the Fourth Century of Christianity

              C.  The Divine Implementation of an Alternative to Religions in the World System

              D.  The Prohibition of Practice of Human Moral Religion by the Law

 

TRANS:  The natural appetite for religion established the basis for human moral religion of the world system.  It provides gratification for the appetite and uses it to curb other works of the flesh that are less acceptable within the ordered Satanic system.

 

  I.     THE NATURAL APPETITE FOR RELIGION AS PART OF THE WORKS OF THE FLESH – THE PROPENSITY FOR RELIGION IN THE NATURE OF MANKIND – THE ACCOMMODATION OF THE WORLD SYSTEM TO THE RELIGIOUS APPETITE OF HUMAN NATURE

      A.  Human Natural Religion and the Religious Works of the Flesh – Galatians 5:20

            1.   Idolatry

            2.   Witchcraft / Religious Superstitious Awe

            3.   Heresies

      B.   Human Moral Religion and Other Works of the Flesh – Gal. 5:20, 21

            1.   Moral Limits on Works of the Flesh

            2.   Directive Limits on Works of the Flesh

            3.   Adaptation for Gratification

      C.  Human Religion in the Sense of Its Universality

      D.  The Common Tenets of Religions

            1.   Existence of Supernatural Power / Powers

      a. Good and Evil                                                                                  

      b. Superior to Man

                  c.   Capable of Affecting Life Now and in the Future

            2.   Some Differences Between Right and Wrong

            3.   Some Kind of Life After Death

 

TRANS:  The events in Exodus 19 demonstrate the anthropocentric focus of man's sin nature.  Man has absolute confidence that he has within himself the ability to meet any divine standard for behavior.  The great presumptive statement is in verse eight.

 

 II. THE HUMAN APPETITE FOR WORKS TO GRATIFY THE RELIGIOUS WORKS OF THE FLESH – THE PRESUMPTION FROM HUMAN SELF ESTEEM IN THE WORLD SYSTEM – A COMPARISON OF WORLD SYSTEM MORAL RELIGION AND THE SPECIFIC PROMISES OF GOD – Exodus 19:8

      A.  The Belief in a Superior Power/s or Being/s

      B.   The Belief That Man Has the Inherent Ability to Earn Favor by Work

      C.  The Basis for the Giving of the Mosaic Law – Ex. 19:8

      D.  The Bequest of the Mosaic Law as the Penalty for the Dispensation of Promise

            1.   More a Replacement Than an Addition

            2.   Focus on Doing with Believing

            3.   Confusion with Believers and Unbelievers

            4.   Bondage on Sin Nature

 

TRANS:  The Law demonstrates some of the tenets of the moral religion of the world system in what it prohibits and the severity of the punishments for violation.

 

III. THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS BY THE MOSAIC LAW AS REPLACEMENT FOR HUMAN MORAL RELIGION – THE PROVISIONS OF THE MOSAIC LAW AGAINST HUMAN MORAL RELIGION – THE ORGANIZATION OF THE LAW AGAINST HUMAN MORAL RELIGION

      A.  The First Two "Commandments" and Human Moral Religion – Ex. 20:3-6

            1.   #1 – "To You There Shall Be No Other Gods Above Me" – 20:3

      2.#2 – You Will Not Make and Serve Idols – 20:4-6

                  a.   No Fabrication of Graven Images or Forms

                  b.   No Worshipping Them

                  c.   No Serving Them

                  d.   The Divine Attitude

      B.   The Further Confirmation of the Two "Commandments"

            1.   "Commandment #1" Reaffirmed

                  a.   Deuteronomy 6:14, 15:

                  b.   Deuteronomy 13:6-11:

                  c.   2 Kings 17:35, 37:

            2.   "Commandment #2" Reaffirmed

                  a.   Leviticus 26:1

                  b.   Leviticus 19:4:

                  c.   Psalm 97:7:

                  d.   Joshua 23:7:

                  e.   2 Kings 17:35:

 

TRANS:  Israel had come out of Egypt and Jehovah had told them to avoid the idolatry they practiced there and that the other nations in the land practiced.

 

© by David K. Spurbeck

Valley Baptist Church

P. O. Box 99, Gaston, OR 97119