Believing in vain

 ICo.15:1-2 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." It is question to either keep the Gospel as it was originally proclaimed, or believe in vain.

The ever valid Gospel that produces the original faith in salvation is the gospel that has remained intact, safe and sound and perfect in its original content. The gospel handled, quibbled and groped by men, produces faith which is vain and provides neither salvation nor the possession of God's promises. When he came into the world, the Lord found people who, in his time, honored the Father. But they honored him in vain for two reasons: their heart was far away from the Father, and they taught the doctrines of man: Mc.7:6-7 "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

These two reasons are inter-related, but the first is obviously significant in the second. Indeed, no one can swallow doctrines which are men’s commandments, and have a heart attached to God. The relationship between the heart of man and God is the "Word-Faith". And we have seen that faith is absolute and exclusive. No one can believe in the word of God and at the same time, mix it with precepts. Once the heart of man accepts men’s precepts or commandments, true faith in God is no more, but is replaced by the "Precepts-faith" relationship, which keeps the heart farther and farther from his maker, and enslaves it to his masters, according to Isaiah 26:13 "O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name." When this grace ceases, the head of the masters shall proclaim himself God in the temple of God (2Thes.2:4, Dan.11:36). Today those who swallow the precepts of men may still, by grace, call on the name of the Lord, but that day they will not.

In this regard, the psalmist cried out "Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us." (Ps. 2:3). It really is an absolute necessity, forasmuch as we are still in the time of grace. But the only way to be made free is given by Jesus in John 8:31-32 "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  We must know the Truth to break asunder the chains of these lords, and the condition to know the truth is to abide in the Word of Christ and thus be His disciple.

Isaiah, with his prophet eyes, had also seen their tables full of vomit: Is.28:8 "For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean." Vomit, yea, because instead of serving healthy food, the bread of life come down from heaven, God's Word, they first chew it in their seminaries and Bible schools. And it is only after ruminating that they come to serve it to children with their saliva and other stomach substances. The whole thing is rubbish! In verse 10, the saliva and stomach substances they add are described, "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, and there a little.”  The Word of God is so simple, but man, being so complicated, always tries to make it complicated. So he overloads it with everything he picks here and there: a little from traditions, literature or affecting stories, science, philosophy, history etc., and a little from the Bible. And those that believe that do believe in vain, because that kind of faith cannot bring salvation nor deliverance. God does not need all that to save his children, he only needs his Word.

We are lavished a formal warning from our Lord, in Colossians 2, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead "v.8-9. Our faith is built on Christ and Christ is the Word - not affecting stories or sage advice, etc.

"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the  body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with using;) after commandments and doctrines of men? Which thing, indeed, have a view of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body, not it any honour to the satisfying of the flesh "v. 18-23.

Humility and wisdom, if they are not the result of the pure and holy divine seed, are superficial and vain, and are designed to seduce. Ordinances, precepts and doctrines of men can never produce the life of God found in the original Word. Jn.1:4 "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." These orders, precepts and doctrines can reproduce but the appearance, i.e. hypocrisy. And God is against hypocrisy, but wants the Truth to be in the bottom of the heart (Ps.51:8).

My wish is that if we believe, we believe in God, by God and for God. If we believe just to please ourselves, our families or our surroundings, our church or religion, or the society; then in this case we believe in vain. But if we believe in the salvation of our souls, here's what He urges us, Dt.5:32 "Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." Accepting one precept of a man equates turning away from God's Word, and that is to swallow vomit or rubbish.

Now he wants us to be holy for him, and that we distinguish between what is pure and what is impure, Le.20:26 "And ye shall be holy unto me: for I  the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine."

If you feel blessed, share and pour out the same blessings!