Now we are a royal priesthood |
Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His mercy through Christ
made us priests. Yes, now we are priests by the grace of God, as it is
written: “But ye are …. a royal priesthood ….” (1 Peter
2:9) and again: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). |
The
spiritual sacrifices that we who are priests of God must offer to God were
foreshadowed under the Old Testament by the sacrifices that the Levitical
priests had to offer according to the law of Moses. For, according to the
law, the levitical priests were appointed by God to burn sweet incense on the
altar of incense which was in the tabernacle, and to offer sacrifices of
peace offerings and burnt offerings upon the altar of burnt offering which was
before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. As for the burnt
offerings, the priests had to offer with the burnt offerings a grain offering
which was made of fine flour mixed with oil, and also a drink offering which
was made of a certain quantity of wine (Numbers 15:1-16). |
Now, let
me explain to you what the spiritual sacrifices we have to offer up are. |
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Let us offer our
life to God
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Paul wrote
to the saints in Philippi: “Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink
offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice
with you all” (Philippians 2:17 – NKJV). Paul was in prison when he wrote to
the Philippians and told the saints that if he had to die for the Gospel’s
sake he would be glad. He preached the Gospel to the Gentiles and he endured
many sufferings and many hardships for the sake of the elect from among the
Gentiles, for he said to the Colossians: “I now rejoice in my sufferings for
you ….” (Colossians |
Let us
consider Jesus, the Lamb of God, and the sacrifice He offered to God for all
of us. Paul wrote to the saints at |
As you
know, it is much easier for men to sacrifice themselves for their own
interests than to sacrifice themselves for the sake of other people, but you
know also that we, as followers of Christ, must not live for ourselves, but
for Him who died and rose again for us, so that His name may be glorified
through the sacrifice of our life offered to God for the elect. |
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Good works are
sacrifices well pleasing to God
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It is
written: “But do not forget to do good and to share,
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews |
With regard
to this I want to tell you that every offering (or donation) – whether it is
a money offering or not – we make to the saints, in order to be well pleasing
to God, must not be stained with fraud for the law says: “Thou shalt not
bring the hire of a whore, …… into the house of the LORD thy God ….” (Deuteronomy
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A broken spirit
is a sacrifice well pleasing to God
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David,
after he committed adultery with Bath-Sheba and had Uriah the Hittite (who
was the husband of Bath-Sheba) killed, confessed his sins to God saying: “Against
thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou
mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest”
(Psalm 51:4) and again: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin” (Psalm 51:2). |
David had
committed two serious sins, and according to the law of Moses he could not
offer to God any sin offering for his sins because both the adulterers and
the murderers had to be put to death for their sin, so David acknowledged his
sins before God and called on His name so that He might have mercy on him.
David knew that God did not desire sacrifices for sin or burnt offerings for
he said to God: “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou
delightest not in burnt offering” (Psalm 51:16), but he knew also that God
wanted him to repent sincerely of his sins, as he said to God: “The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). When the people of |
We, as
priests of God, have to offer to God such sacrifices, that is, a broken and
contrite heart; let us humble ourselves before God, knowing that “if we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Beloved, the Lord welcomes
those who come to him sincerely confessing their sins,
He does not drive them away. |
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Praise is a
sacrifice well pleasing to God
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Another
spiritual sacrifice that we, as priests of God, must offer to God is the
sacrifice of praise, as it is written: “By him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving
thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15). When we praise God with our mouth, we
offer to Him a spiritual sacrifice He delights in. It is written: “Offer unto
God thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14) – the IBRV reads “Offri a Dio il sacrificio
della lode” that is, ‘Offer to God the sacrifice of praise” – therefore to
praise Him is a commandment and we have to put it into practice. Beloved, let
us praise God with songs because He is good and His mercy endures forever on
those who fear Him. God rescued us from the hand of the enemy and took us in His
arms, therefore we have to praise His wonderful name
always. |
Paul wrote
to the Colossians that we must sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord (Colossians
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God says:
“Whoever offers praise glorifies Me” (Psalm 50:23 – NKJV), therefore the
sacrifice of praise we offer to God is a sweet-smelling aroma which comes up into
God’s nostrils and in which God delights. And David knew how much God
delighted in the praise of His saints, for he said: “I will praise the name
of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall
please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs”
(Psalm 69:30-31). These words were spoken through the Spirit by a man after
the heart of God, who offered the burnt offerings and peace offerings (of
which the law of Moses speaks) as well as the sacrifice of praise. Keep this
in mind always in order to understand how the sacrifice of praise is more
important than all the sacrifices commanded by the law. |
Now, I
want to say to you two other things which I consider useful. |
The first
thing is this. The fact that a song has a beautiful melody does not mean
necessarily that the words of that song are in accord with the truth, and
with regard to this I will give you an example that you may understand what I
mean. In our hymnals there is a song that many of you sing, which says among
other things: ‘Il tempio di Dio voglio essere anch’io …. col
sangue del Figliuolo Tuo distruggi Tu la schiavitù che mi separa da Te’, that
is, ‘I also want to be the |
The second
thing is this. In the Holy Scriptures there are no songs addressed to the
Holy Spirit, yet in our hymnals there are many hymns and strophes of songs
which are addressed to the Holy Spirit. Now, provided that “the Lord is the
Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17) and that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of
the Godhead, I ask you: ‘Why should we sing to the Holy Spirit, when the Holy
Scripture does not confirm that we should sing to the Holy Spirit? Why should
we go beyond what is written? Consider the Psalms. We have one hundred fifty
Psalms, yet none of them is addressed to the Holy Spirit. |
Many of
the Psalms were written by David (Israel’s beloved singer), who spoke by the
Holy Spirit, as it is written (the following words were spoken by Jesus
Christ): “For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: The LORD said to my
Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool” (Mark
12:36 - NKJV) and again (the following words were spoken by the apostle Peter
before the day of Pentecost): “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs
have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before
concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. For he was
numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. Now this man
purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst
asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto
all the dwellers at |
The book
of Psalms is an hymnal free of error of any kind and I am convinced that if
among one hundred and fifty psalms written by men who prayed and sang to God
by the Holy Spirit not one of them is addressed to the Spirit, no one has the
right to write songs which are addressed to the Holy Spirit. |
Jesus was
full of the Holy Spirit, He preached by the Holy Spirit, He taught by the
Holy Spirit, He cast out demons by the Holy Spirit, He healed the sick by the
Holy Spirit, He raised the dead by the Holy Spirit, yet He did not praise the
Holy Spirit but His Father, as it is written: “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. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Matthew |
After the
Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost, neither the apostles
nor the disciples sang to the Holy Spirit, yet they were full of the Holy
Spirit and knew the Spirit. It is written: “And they, continuing daily with
one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat
their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God …. “ (Acts |
Now, let
us see if in heaven there is somebody who sings to the Holy Spirit. One day,
the apostle John was in the Spirit and was caught up to heaven where he saw
the throne of God, and the angels of God, the twenty four elders, and the
four living creatures around the throne of God. He saw also those who had
been victorious over the beast and his image. Here is what he says: “And
immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and
one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow
round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the
throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty
elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns
of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings
and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before
the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there
was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and
round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And
the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the
third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying
eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they
were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when
those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne,
who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him
that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and
cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for
thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:2-11), and again: “And
when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders
fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden
bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a
new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,
because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from
every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a
kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon
thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and
the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy
is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and
strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:8-12 - NIV), and
again: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that
had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark,
and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps
of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of
the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just
and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord,
and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for
all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made
manifest” (Revelation 15:2-4). All these Scriptures show us that John did not
see nor hear anybody singing to the Holy Spirit, and let it be known to you
that when we are in heaven we will not sing to the Holy Spirit, because in
heaven we will praise God and the Lamb of God. Brothers, answer this question
of mine: ‘If someone asks you: ‘Could you show me from the Scriptures that the
early disciples also did sing to the Holy Spirit?’ what passage of the
Scripture do you quote to show him that by singing to the Holy Spirit you do
not go beyond what is written? |
Paul wrote
to the Corinthians: “Now brothers, I have applied these things to myself and
Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the
saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in
one man over against another” (1 Corinthians 4:6 – NIV). Therefore, we all
must learn not to practice beyond what is written, and we can learn this only
by following the example left by the apostles, and since they knew the will
of God in Christ Jesus for the saints, and in their epistles (as well as in the
Acts of the apostles) we don’t read that they sang to the Holy Spirit, I
believe that it is not lawful for us to do something they themselves did not
do and they did not exhort us to do. As for me, I stopped singing to the Holy
Spirit for the sake of the brethren, so that they may learn in me not to go
beyond what is written. What is the use of going beyond what is written? Notice
that Paul said: “Now brothers, I have applied these things (the things he had
just written to the saints) to myself and Apollos for your benefit”, which
means that Paul applied those things to him and Apollos for the sake of the
saints so that the saints, seeing their example, might learn to practice only
what was written and they might not be puffed up on behalf of one against the
other. When we say to those who sing to the Holy Spirit that what they are
doing is not written in the Scripture and that neither Jesus nor the apostles
sang to the Holy Spirit, many of them begin to say bad words because their
pride prevents them from recognizing that what they are doing is not
scriptural. They speak against us saying: ‘You don’t believe in the Holy
Spirit!’. But I want to say to these brothers: ‘Pay
attention to what I am going to say. Those who don’t believe in the Holy
Spirit are not those who don’t sing to the Holy Spirit, but those believers
who reject the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.’ Many believers are carnal
and don’t know what happened on the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem, and
besides this they reject the manifestation of the Holy Spirit because they
don’t believe what the Holy Spirit says and reveals through visions today,
they reject the gifts of the Holy Spirit, yet they say to us who don’t sing
to the Holy Spirit: ‘You do not know the Spirit’, or ‘You are not spiritual’
and many other untrue things. |
Many
children of God refute through the Scripture the wrong teachings and
behaviours of the sects, and this is a right thing in the sight of God
because by so doing they defend the Gospel. However, when they have to refute
an unscriptural teaching or behaviour which is gaining ground among them,
then they don’t show the same zeal for the Word of God that they show when
they have to refute the teachings of the Roman Catholics, of the Mormons, of
the Jehovah Witnesses (who are false witnesses of God), and of many other
sects, and the reason is because they refuse to learn not to go beyond what
is written. Some of them say to us: ‘Those who wrote the songs addressed to
the Holy Spirit were children of God, and some of them did preach the Word!’. Listen, I am not saying that those who wrote these
songs were not children of God, but I think that we have the right and the
duty to search the Scriptures to find out whether the things which are said
and done by the ministers of the Gospel are scriptural or not. And if the
Scriptures show us that some of the things which are taught and done by them
are not right, we must abstain from these things, lest we learn to go beyond
what is written. Should I sing: ‘Rough cross which is still bleeding …..’ or
‘Jesus Christ is still bleeding’ because he who wrote the words of this song
was a brother? Or because the melody of this song is beautiful? Should I sing
a lie in order to please men? Or just because many Christians sing it? The
Scripture teaches us that it was Jesus and not the cross who bled, and
furthermore it teaches us that Jesus does not bleed any longer, for it is
written: “But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and
immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34 - NKJV). His blood came out
of His body once for all, why then should we sing that His blood is still
coming out of His body? |
Brothers,
test all things, even the words of the songs, test them carefully through the
Scriptures. |
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Thanksgivings are sacrifices well pleasing to God
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Under the
Old Testament, the priest offered some sacrifices which were called ‘sacrifices
of thanksgivings’, that’s how they are called in the IBRV while in the KJV
and in the NKJV they are called ‘sacrifices of peace offerings’,
and in the NIV ‘fellowship offerings’ (read Leviticus chapter three). |
We also
have to offer to God sacrifices of thanksgivings, but these sacrifices are
spiritual, for Paul says: “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians |
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Prayer is a sweet-smelling aroma
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God
commanded to build an altar of incense and to burn on it sweet incense.
According to the Scripture the incense had to be made of some particular
substances, as it is written: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee
sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure
frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And thou shalt make it a
perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together,
pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it
before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet
with thee: it shall be unto you most holy” (Exodus 30:34-36). |
The prayer
of the saints is a sweet-smelling aroma which ascends before God, for this is
what David says: “Let my prayer be set before You as incense” (Psalm 141:2 –
NKJV). The apostle John confirms this by saying: “Now when He had taken the
scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before
the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the
prayers of the saints” (Revelation 5:8 – NKJV). Furthermore, just as the
incense under the law had to be pure in order to be well pleasing to God, so
our prayer is to be pure in order to be heard by God. Job, who was a
righteous and upright man, said: “My prayer is pure” (Job |
The
Scripture says that God answers the prayer of those who are pure of heart, as
it is written: “The prayer of the upright is His delight” (Proverbs 15:8),
but also that God rejects the impure and saltless prayers, that is, those
prayers offered to Him with a heart full of hypocrisy and iniquity, as it is
written: “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer
shall be abomination” (Proverbs 28:9). That’s why God said to those
Israelites who refused to obey Him but continued to pray to Him and to offer
incense upon the altar: “When ye make many prayers, I will not hear ….
Incense is an abomination unto me” (Isaiah |
We pray to
God in the name of Jesus Christ because Jesus said: “Whatsoever ye shall ask
the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John |
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The lifting up of our hands is a sacrifice
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We can
pray God lifting up our hands, as it is written: “I desire therefore that the
men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy
2:8 - NKJV), and the lifting up of our hands also is something that pleases
God, for David said: “[Let] the lifting up of my hands [be set before You] as
the evening sacrifice” (Psalm 141:2 - NKJV). |
Ezra, who
was a priest of God and a scribe, after he returned from Babylon to
Jerusalem, when he heard that the Israelites who had returned from captivity
had taken some of the pagan women as wives for themselves and their sons, he
tore his garment and his robe, and plucked out some of the hair of his head
and beard and sat down astonished. Then, at the evening sacrifice, said Ezra,
“I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I
fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God. And said, O
my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our
iniquities are increased over our head, and our
trespass is grown up unto the heavens …..” (Ezra 9:5-6). Ezra, therefore,
prayed on his knees and with his hands spread out to the Lord, confessing the
sins of the people of the Lord. |
Solomon
also prayed to God before the people of Israel with his hands spread out
toward heaven, as it is written: “And Solomon stood before the altar of the
LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his
hands toward heaven: And he said, LORD God of Israel, there is no God like
thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy
with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart ….. “ (1 Kings |
However,
with regard to the lifting up of hands, it must be said that God does not
delight in the lifting up of those hands which are full of blood and acts of
violence, for God said through the prophet Isaiah to those who committed sins
and then spread out their hands toward God: “When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you …. For your hands are defiled with blood, and
your fingers with iniquity” (Isaiah |
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Our spiritual worship
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Paul said
to the saints of Rome: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s
mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God –
which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1 – NIV). |
We, who
are priests of God under the New Covenant, must offer our bodies in sacrifice
to God, and we can do this by abstaining from the fleshly lusts which war
against our soul and by presenting ourselves to God as being alive from the
dead and our members (which are the members of Christ) as instruments of righteousness
to God (Romans 6:13). To offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God does
not mean that we have to cut ourselves with knives as the prophets of Baal
did in the days of Elijah, nor that we have to climb so called holy stairs on
our knees grazing our knees and causing them to bleed. In this world there
are many false prophets who command their followers to torture their bodies;
let it be known to you that these things are an abomination to the Lord,
these people don’t glorify God in their body but they hurt themselves because
they are led to do such things by the devil. Wisdom says: “The merciful man
does good for his own soul, but he who is cruel
troubles his own flesh” (Proverbs |
We have to
take care of our body, but we must not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, as it
is written: “Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans |
The Lord
set us free from sin, therefore our way of life must be holy and right, as it
is written: “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your
conduct” (1 Peter 1:15 – NKJV). Now, you know that we were sanctified in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ and “by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians
6:11 – NKJV), but you know also that “God did not call us to be impure, but
to live a holy life” (1 Thessalonians 4:7 – NIV), which means that whereas on
the one hand Christ was made to us “sanctification” (1 Corinthians 1:30) and
thus we have the right and the privilege to be called “the saints who are on the
earth” (Psalm 16:3 – NKJV), on the other hand we must pursue holiness. Paul
was sanctified in Christ and pursued holiness and he exhorted the saints to
do the same, for he wrote to the Corinthians: “Therefore, having these
promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh
and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1 - NKJV). |
Brothers,
we must perfect holiness by abstaining from every form of evil and in so
doing we strive against sin. Do not think that our life on earth is a sort of
vacation, do not deceive yourselves, for we are at war,
in that we fight against sin. The Scripture says: “You have not yet resisted
to bloodshed, striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4 – NKJV), which means that
we as believers must resist sin, for the Word speaks of a struggle against
sin. Therefore, brothers, bear in mind that you also should spend the rest of
your earthly life serving righteousness and not serving fleshly lusts any
longer. Sin is an enemy, whose destructive power should not be underestimated;
anyone who underestimates it deceives himself. Sin is a work of the devil and
it kills those who serve it (Romans |
We know
that we can’t say that we are without sin or that we have not sinned, and if anyone
says: ‘I am without sin’ or ‘I have never sinned since I was converted’, we
know that he lies against the truth because the apostle John says: “If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1
John 1:8 - NKJV), and again: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him
a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10 - NKJV). However, we can say
that we strive against sin, we resist it and hate it; we fight the good
fight, that’s why God takes pleasure in us. |
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Brothers, it
is true that we all stumble in many things, that we have not yet been made
perfect, that we have to run with perseverance the race that is set before
us, and that we are bound to say to God: “Our Father in heaven forgive us our
debts’; but I exhort you not to be indifferent to the works of the devil;
have no fellowship with the works of the devil but rather expose them; do not
let darkness blind your eyes and do not be deceived by those who put darkness
for light and bitter for sweet, and who live a kind of life that shows
clearly that they are dead while they live, because they give themselves over
to the pleasures of sin. These people walk according to the flesh and then
when they go to the place of worship on Sunday they sing: ‘I want to spend my
best years for you, for You my Lord who died for me’ (note of the translator:
some words of a Christian song we sing here in Italy), yet they spend their
time serving sin and not righteousness. Some pastors and teachers have told
them: ‘You were sanctified, you came to the knowledge of the truth, and you
will never lose your salvation, for it is impossible for you to lose
salvation!’ But that’s not true because Jesus said: “If a man abide not in me,
he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast
them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6). Jesus Christ is the
vine and we who have believed on Him are the branches, but some of these
branches have withered because they have decided not to remain in the Lord
any longer, they have ceased to keep the commandments of God because they
spend their time serving their own belly. They have deceived themselves: they
thought they could serve sin again without receiving in themselves the due
penalty for their sins and thus they died. We have no fellowship with such
people because they have set their minds on earthly things; if they don’t
repent they will reap torments, to them God says: “Return, you backsliding
children, and I will heal your backslidings” (Jeremiah |