Deuteronomy 4:2

Verse of the Day Devotion: Deuteronomy 4:2

“You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” – Deuteronomy 4:2 

We as Christians are called to keep the commandments of God.  And it is to be done not because we feel we have to in order to be righteousness, but because we love Him. Jesus told His disciples the following, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15. And again, “You are My friends if you do what I command you.” John 15:14. Notice, if we love Him and are His friends, then we are to keep His commandments.

Many obey the parts they want to obey and ignore the rest, or they add to His commands.  According to our focus verse, we must be careful that we only teach what is actually His commands, and do not add anything that He did not say.  Let us look at these a little deeper.  Both actions, adding to or taking away, can be done out of ignorance.  This is the reason we are to study His word and completely understand what He is saying.  Paul said it this way in his letter to Timothy.  “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15. Along with reading His word, it is important that we spend time studying it as well.  We must understand what He is commanding before we can fully obey Him.

First, we will look at adding to His word.  This happens a lot when we begin to merge our past teachings, either from our times when we did not follow God, or when we add to His words that which we followed from a previous religion.  There are many cults out there that claim to follow Jesus but actually serve another God.  When I was in the Air Force, I unknowingly became involved in a cult that said we are not to read the Bible with understanding, but to pray read it, and rely on the leader of our particular church to explain any meanings in scripture.  I did not fall for it, but I was concerned about those in the cult.  Fortunately, I went to a great church and knew many strong Christians.  Other problem teachings which are additions to His word are confessing our sins to another so we may receive forgiveness and the idea that the LGTBQ lifestyle is acceptable to God.  God loves everyone but still requires from us all to obey the commands that He gave to us.

Also, we must not remove things from His commands.  In the word faith movement, they teach that if you pray for something and have faith He will give it to you, then He absolutely will.  However, James counters this. “You lust and do not have; so, you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.” James 4:2. Notice the last part of this verse, ‘You do not have because you do not ask.’ This is often the verse they quote.  However, they do not go any further.  The next verse counters their belief.  “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:3. Having attended several word faith services, I have heard them quote verse too many times, but not verse three.  When you leave off the second verse, you are teaching a falsity.  You are leading people in a direction God never intended. The above are a few examples of adding and taking away but are by no means the only ones.  We must be careful that we do not add things to His word or take away things.  When we do either one of them, we are not fully teaching His word for we are changing what His word is communicating to us.  We end up leading people in a wrong direction.  We must be very careful that we earnestly study His word and know what it says and what it does not say.  We may be asked to speak a message or help someone understand some passages.  We need to make sure we tell them exactly what His word says.  We do not want to lead anyone astray with what we communicate.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Hebrews 6:6

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 6:6 

“And then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” –  Hebrews 6:6  

The idea found in Hebrews 6:4-6 is one of the most difficult and controversial one to understand in all of scriptures. Lets look at verses 4-5. “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” Hebrews 6:4-5. This here speaks of ‘spiritual enlightenment’: understanding and acceptance of the truth. We know these are Christians for it states they are ‘partakers of the Holy Spirit’. They have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. These are not simply those who declare they are Christians when actually they have never given their lives to Christ. These are actual Christians.

Then, it is in our focus verse where the major difficulty comes. “and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” Hebrews 6:6. Many people see this as a losing of their salvation. But this is not what it is saying. They are not ‘losing’ their salvation, they are ‘leaving/walking away from their salvation. They are becoming ‘apostates’, which are those who abandon or renounce Christianity, and ultimately Christ Himself. Remember what John wrote. “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9. Unfortunately, as Christians we will sin from time to time. However, if we go before Him and ask Him for forgiveness, He will grant it to us. Therefore, this is not what the author was speaking of. Falling away refers not to sin in general, but to the specific sin of apostasy. By backing away from the faith, you essentially back away from what He did for you. Thus, the idea regarding be crucified again.

The next two verses give us an illustration using farmland. “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. ” Hebrews 6:7-8. The rain that falls from heaven corresponds to the enlightening blessings of verses 4–5. If the seed of the word of God is truly present in the soil, the hearts of men and women, the rain causes fruitful crops to grow, fulfilling the blessing intended by God. But where the word of truth, though heard, has been rejected, the rain can only quicken that which is already in the soil, that being thorns and thistles. And continued rain will only make matters worse, not better. Such fruitless land will merit the ultimate cursing of God and be finally given over to burning.

Such a scenario parallels the condition Jesus describes of certain branches of the true vine which do not abide in him and are therefore cut off and gathered into the fire and burned. Jesus says essentially the same thing as written by John. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:1-6.

In closing, those who stay true to Christ and follow His ways are guaranteed eternal life with Him. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” John 5:24. However, there will be some who will reject the faith they had believed in. Their eternal future is not glorious. But will be eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Spend time in the scriptures, strengthen your faith through study and prayer. And also use this time as preparation to be ready to help and strengthen those who need assistance in keeping their faith. “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2. If you see someone drifting away, do what you can, in love, to draw them back to the truth. You will be blessing them, yourself, and ultimately God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Matthew 24:34

Verse of the Day Devotion Matthew 24:34 

“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” – Matthew 24:34 

Today we will look at the Parable from the Fig Tree.  These verses deal with end time events. Here is this parable as found in Matthew’s gospel.

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:32-35.

Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives when the disciples came up to Him to point out the Temple buildings.  However, Jesus answers them in a way they did not expect.  “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” Matthew 24:2. His statement probably surprised them, so they said, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3.

He then in Matthew 5-24 He answers them by listing and describing what is coming that points to the end (click verse to see it).  He now turns from this to describing how they are to conduct themselves as they await His coming. He uses a parable from the Fig Tree to help them understand. “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” Matthew 24:32-33.

How does a fig tree example help here?  It is said that most trees in first-century Palestine kept their leaves throughout the year, except for the fig tree. It sheds its leaves in winter, but year after year something happens in the spring. The branches become tender because the sap rises causing the tree to put forth leaves. There are other ways of knowing that the winter has come to an end, but anyone who has grown trees knows how satisfying it is to see the new leaves make their appearance. This is the proof that the harsh days of winter are gone and that summer is near. The fig tree does not bring the summer, but the appearance of its new leaves is a sure and certain indication that summer is now at hand.  

And just as the return of the leaves on the fig tree denote the end of winter, so does the events Matthew 24 denotes His return, “when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” Matthew 24:33b. The followers of Jesus are to be no less discerning than the growers of fig trees. When the things He spoke of make their appearance, they are commanded, “know that it is near” In fact, He becomes more specific when He says, “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

We are already seeing many of the things mentioned in Matthew 24:5-24, such as false Christs, wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes and various places.  Jesus tells us this is just the start. “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” Matthew 24:8.  After this He speaks of the persecution we Christians will need to endure. And then will come the anti-Christ, the abomination that causes desolation. And finally, Christ will return and do away with all the evil that was perpetrated on the earth.

Jesus assured the disciples that when these signs appeared as He foretold (the abomination of desolation, followed by great tribulation, followed by signs in the heavens), His return to the earth would follow. When a fig tree buds, there is an inevitable result – summer is near and fruit is coming. In the same way, when these signs are seen, the coming of Jesus in glory with His church to this world will inevitably follow.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.