Month: September 2014

DiM | “Overwhelmed” by Big Daddy Weave

Faithful Stewardship 11 Comments

Today is “Discernment in Music” (DiM) day here at Faithful Stewardship.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (ESV)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

Today I wanted to take a look at the #7 song on K-Love’s top songs chart dated September 21. The song is Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave. I skipped over songs #5 and #6 because as soon as I saw the list I was already singing the chorus to Overwhelmed in my head. Let us begin with a refresher for those who might not have heard this song on the radio:

There is a portion at the end where children can be heard singing something in Swahili. Thanks to one of the comments on the video (and Google translate) those lyrics and their meaning are as follows:

wewe ni mzuri, wewe ni waajabu
You are beautiful, you are the extraordinary.

Wewe ni mtukufu, wewe ni mfalme wangu
You are exalted, you are my king

Overwhelmed | Lyrics (via Big Daddy Weave Website)

(Music & Lyrics: Mike Weaver / Phil Wickham)
I see the work of Your Hands
Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming

I hear the sound of Your Voice
All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming

I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

I know the power of Your Cross
Forgiven and free forever You’ll be my God

All that You’ve done is so overwhelming
I delight myself in You
In the Glory of Your Presence
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

You are Beautiful, You are Beautiful
Oh God, there is no one more Beautiful
You are Beautiful, God you are the most Beautiful

You are Wonderful, You are Wonderful
Oh God, there is no one more Wonderful
You are Wonderful, God You are the most Wonderful

You are Glorious, You are Glorious
Oh God, there is no one more Glorious
You are Glorious, God you are the most Glorious

Positive Elements

This song is more pointed at the God of the Bible than some of the songs we’ve reviewed. The first stanza identifies the object of worship as God, the Creator of the Universe.

Psalm 102:25-28 (ESV)
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27     but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
their offspring shall be established before you.

The next stanza starts a bit oddly. “I hear the sound of your voice…” could be artistic license or it could be leaning toward mysticism. We’ll put that thought on hold for a bit and continue on to acknowledge that there is a reference to both the gentle voice of God and the thundering voice of God. That’s positive, because throughout the Old Testament we see God speaking to His Anointed in large and small ways, by audible voice and by the Written Word. The children of Israel were frightened by the Voice of God at Horeb, and insisted that Moses go speak with God on their behalf. Being overwhelmed by the Creator of the Universe is a good thing, just as being overwhelmed by the fear of the Lord was a good thing at Horeb. In fact, let’s look at passage. Moses is recounting to the people of Israel how God spoke to them the 10 Commandments at Horeb.

Deuteronomy 5:22-29 (ESV) 22 “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders. 24 And you said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live. 25 Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived? 27 Go near and hear all that the Lord our God will say, and speak to us all that the Lord our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’

28 “And the Lord heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Being overwhelmed by God is a good thing, and oh that we had such a heart always, to fear God and to keep all His commandments. Which brings us to the chorus. The idea of delighting in God is one that we see reflected in the Psalms. However, this song doesn’t quite complete the thought like the Psalms did, because this song keeps it in sort of vague, mystical sense of delighting in God directly, delighting in His presence and running into His arms. While it makes for strong emotive poetry, it falls short of actually providing something we can do. Let’s see how the Psalmist completes the thought.

Psalm 119:9-16 (ESV)
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
 let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I declare
all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
    as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

So we see that the aim of our delight in Him is by keeping His Word in our hearts. Why is this important? Because there are many false religions who seek oneness with gods in creation without acknowledging the One True God and Creator of the Universe, for they reject His Word. What ends up happening is they fall into idolatry of the created over the Creator, or in the idolatry of self-worship. Delighting in God must be according to His Word and not left to our imaginations, impressions, or emotions alone. The line, “God, I run into Your arms” needs to be understood as Repentance and prayer, not just singing this song and praying for answers. I’m not sure if that is what the writers of the song intended, but that is the only way this song stays doctrinally sound. We are called to remain in the Lord, and as the Psalmist says by guarding our way according to His Word is the only way we can keep our way pure. So any notion that we have of running into the arms of the Lord must coincide with the need to repent from prior drifting or running away from Him, which is Sin. Repentance is also the way in which we practice running into the arms of God. Once we’ve repented from sin, then the next line “Unashamed because of mercy” holds true, because of His Great Mercy we are forgiven when we confess our sins and repent from them.

The second verse is really only one stanza, and then a return to the Chorus. This third stanza gives us a much-needed reference to the Cross of Jesus Christ. This is the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He bore our sins, iniquities, and the full penalty of our unrighteousness on the cross.

Concerns

Our goal here is to practice Biblical discernment in the songs we hear played on the radio (maybe even sing along with) so that we are fully aware of what we are filling our hearts and minds with. The primary concern with this song is in the open door to a mystical interpretation of delighting in God’s Presence (presence theology like that taught at Bethel). The modern-day evangelical church has been flooded by New Age Mysticism that seeks to skip over the Written Word of God and dive right into “experiencing” supernatural communion and presence and imparting spiritual wisdom apart from the Bible. It is woefully dangerous theology and false doctrine. The Bible warns us time and time again not to accept false gods, false spirits, or doctrines of demons. Even from the Law the test of a true Prophet involved more than simply whether or not a sign or wonder was performed… but what they taught was to be scrutinized and examined for Truth. For the Law was a testimony of God. Moses and the Prophets testified of the Messiah to come, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit testifies of the Christ who came, died, ascended, and is returning to judge both the living and the dead. Do not skip the Written Word of God hoping to ascend into heavenly existence via mystical short-cuts, and do not listen to those who claim to teach such methods.

You might be thinking, “wow, I don’t see any of that in this song.” One of the methods taught by the 3rd Century Roman Catholic Mystics was to chant a word of scripture or phrase over, and over, and over again… to enter into a trance-like state until supposedly the hidden secret meaning of the scripture would be revealed. That is not what the Bible teaches. So when so much of this song is devoted to repetition, it makes me nervous. Also, having grown up in a lot of the “presence” approach to worship, I know that the intended purpose of these lyrics is to allow the music team to run these lines on repeat until “something happens” or “the spirit moves among the people”.

Conclusion

This song is a decent song in that it almost stands on its own.  Proper understanding of the fear of the Lord, and how we are to delight in Him is required to keep this song in its proper place. That prayerful confession and repentance from sin is how we are to “run into His arms”. It does seem to have been written in a way that it could be used by liberal, seeker-mergent, mystical forms of worship, so the context of this song being played is important. I enjoy hearing it my car and humming along as I go about my day, because I’m not engaging in mysticism, merely thinking about just how overwhelming our God is, His Holiness and His Grace that He should love a wretch like me. Whenever you hear this song played on the radio, it is my hope that you will be reminded to delight in God’s Word, in His Testimonies, in His Statutes, in His Commandments, and most importantly in His Son, Jesus, who lived, died, and rose again and is returning soon.

Jude 1:24-25 (ESV)
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

CTT | By His Wounds…

Faithful Stewardship 1 Comment

Today I want to take a look at the most commonly quoted verse with respect to praying for healing. The WoF teachers point to this passage as an unbreakable, unfailing promise of physical healing that we can proclaim and declare from Scripture “In Jesus Name”. Is that fair? Is that what this passage teaches? If the declared healing doesn’t come to pass… is that a failure in the prayer or the promise? If it is a failure in the promise, is the healing the only thing that goes?

Healing Belongs to God

Before we look at the WoF (Word of Faith) use of this passage, I want to make absolutely clear that we serve a God who is capable of healing our temporal bodies. In fact, one of the Gifts of God the Holy Spirit listed is the gift of healing.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (ESV) | Spiritual Gifts
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 (ESV) 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

So we see that gifts of healing is included in the list of gifts of God the Holy Spirit that He gives for the common good. We see that the Apostle Paul makes it clear that the various gifts and manifestations granted for the church are good, provided they are of God. For God the Holy Spirit is One. Paul isn’t writing here about false signs and wonders, he does that elsewhere. Here, Paul is talking about the Truth gifts and manifestations of God the Holy Spirit, and he is making absolutely clear that all True gifts come from the Same Spirit. God is Sovereign over His Gifts. Paul is rebuking the church for judging themselves and each other by the Gifts of the Spirit and this has caused division in the church. Paul is teaching that regardless of the gift, the credit goes to God the Holy Spirit, and the purpose of each Gift is to build up the Church. He makes clear that not everyone is an apostle, a prophet, a teacher, works miracles, possess gifts of healing, etc, and all should desire higher gifts but there is a more excellent way. More excellent way to what? To serve God and to serve the Church. It is no coincidence that the next chapter is dedicated to love, since loving God and loving others as yourself fulfills the Law and the Prophets. Paul is saying that you don’t get the higher gifts by pursuing them directly, they belong to God the Holy Spirit. Love God, love your neighbor as yourself and as He sees fit He will give Gifts for His Purposes and His Glory Alone (Soli Deo Gloria).

The Promise of Healing?

The WoF teachers tend to proclaim, declare, and command physical, temporal healing by invoking what they consider to be a promise in Scriptures, “and with his stripes we are healed (KJV)”. This quote is a portion if Isaiah 53:5 that is quoted by Peter in 1 Peter 2:24. We’ll examine both, in context, and then we’ll discuss.

Isaiah 52:13-15 (ESV) | He Was Pierced for Our Transgressions
13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
14 As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15 so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.

Isaiah 53 (ESV) 1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

This is what the Prophet Isaiah recorded as a Word of the Lord God. Now let’s look to what Peter was teaching when he quoted this prophecy.

1 Peter 2:11-25 (ESV) | Submission to Authority
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh,which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Peter goes on to instruct the Church in matters of marriage and in suffering for righteousness’ sake. Now, noticed that Peter quoted an entire thought from Isaiah, not just the snippet that gets so often interpreted into temporal, physical healing. Peter isn’t just plucking out the closing phrase of Isaiah 53:5; rather, he captured the thrust of verse 5 (that Jesus bore our sins in his body) and included verse 6 (we as sheep had gone astray).

Isaiah wasn’t merely prophesying that God would send the Messiah to heal our physical bodies until we die. This prophecy is about Salvation. The Promise is of Salvation, secured by the blood of Jesus Christ. So, then, what is being healed by His wounds? Our iniquities, our sins, our transgressions, and our unrighteousness were healed by His wounds on the cross. He bore the price of our sin, so that our relationship with God the Father would be healed. The rift between God and Man that took place when Adam sinned in the Garden was healed by Jesus’s wounds. By His wounds, we are promised to share in His resurrection, and our physical bodies will be perfect… that promise is assured, and secured by His Wounds on the cross.

The Problem with the WoF Teaching

The biggest problem with the WoF teaching is the distraction of temporal, physical healing which overshadows the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a prophecy of the Salvation of God and we have the WoF “declaring” temporary, physical healing by essentially demanding that God keep His promise to heal based on what He did on the cross. Nowhere in the prophecy nor in 1 Peter 2 (or even 3) do we see any mention of this passage promising temporary, physical healing. I say temporary, because Scripture clearly states that everyone is appointed to die and be judged.

Hebrews 9:24-28 (ESV) 24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that He bore the price of our sin in His own flesh, so that when it comes our time to be judged, those who’ve placed their faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ will been judged righteous not by our works, but by Christ’s finished work on the cross.

John 3:13-18 (ESV)13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

So, if our perspective in approaching Isaiah 53 is eternity, then the promise of healing includes the ultimate perfected healing of or physical bodies, because in the resurrection we are promised new imperishable bodies. However, as Peter points out, while we continue in this life as sojourners and exiles, we are to resist the passions of the flesh. Why? Because the promise of healing is not yet fulfilled as our bodies (the flesh) are still defiled and corrupt. This is the Grace of God that we might continue in this life as ministers of reconciliation, preaching the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are lost in this world, and we are also joining with Christ in His afflictions and persecutions until the Great Day of His Return. But our bodies are still sinful, the flesh is corrupt and wars against the Spirit, and one day we will put off these mortal bones and be with God in Heaven, at which point our healing will be complete, even to our physical bodies, when sin death and the devil are finally and permanently judged in the Lake of Fire.

If the healing doesn’t come

As with most of the WoF teachings, the problem with the doctrine doesn’t become obvious until that which is “declared”, “unleashed”, “spoken into existence”, or “loosed” doesn’t actually come to pass. When the flip-side of the “promise” coin is exposed, things get very ugly, and people get hurt. With WoF, the blame usually falls on man’s unbelief. Some realize how harmful that is, so they won’t blame the Christian outright, but blame the “atmosphere of doubt”. The real problem is usually false teaching/doctrine. The assertion that this verse is a promise of physical healing is no different.

  • If the promise of healing is validated by the promise of salvation, then when the healing doesn’t happen “as promised” what does that say about the promise of salvation?
  • If the promise of healing is as sure as the promise of salvation, why does healing require additional prayer if salvation does not?
  • If salvation comes by faith and is secured “once and for all” by Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross… why do I have to “declare” healing so often? Shouldn’t it, too, be once-and-for-all?

There is also an evil strawman argument employed by the WoF that suggests that anyone who disagrees with taking this portion of a verse as a promise of healing is somehow saying that God is cruel and unwilling to heal. False argument to defend a false teaching. The discussion isn’t about whether or not God loves us, provides for us, or even that He heals us. The discussion is whether or not the teaching that it is a promise to be declared at our will is Biblical. Or, put another way, if the Will of God is to make Christians illness-free while living on this earth but our failure to “declare” this promise can prevent His Will for our lives.

God has good gifts for His children, and the best gifts He has for us are not here, where moth and rust destroy. It’s interesting that after teaching on fasting and prayer, (thy Kingdom come thy Will be done) that Jesus follows up that teaching with the following:

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) | Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Over-realized eschatology (attempts to claim promises of inheritance as promises for today) leads to prodigal theology.

Pray for Healing with an Eternal Focus
not a Temporal One

We should pray for the sick. We are commanded to seek prayer when we are sick. But it is not for us to make demands of God; rather, we must walk in faith and submission to the Will of God the Father.

James 5:7-20 (ESV) 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Eternal focus. This life is temporary, and we are but sojourners and exiles in it. We are urged to be patient as we wait for the Day of Jesus Return. Notice the eternal focus here lets us know that the effective fervent prayer of faith for the one who is sick can save them… that their sins may be forgiven (that the Lord will open their eyes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ) and the Lord will raise him up. Can this be physical? Yes… but it is also clearly spiritual. Because James is not just talking about the temporal life here. And if the sick person is saved and dies, he gets to be in Heaven serving a Living God, and can lay claim to his inheritance that is in Christ Jesus. With an eternal focus, we see that when God allows cancer or a virus to take the temporal life of a Christian, that He is indeed granting the Christian’s inheritance in full.

Stop “declaring/proclaiming” healing, prosperity, deliverance, etc. and humble yourself to pray that God’s will be done in your life, for His Glory. When God the Holy Spirit heals in this life, He does so according to His purpose for His Glory. When He doesn’t heal in this life, it is equally for His purpose and His Glory.  Just like Job, we are not guaranteed a full explanation or picture of the why and how, only that we trust in the Lord our God. Our hope is not in this life, but in the resurrection. Stop placing your hope and trust in this temporary life. Let our confession mirror the Apostle Paul’s:

Philippians 1:19-23 (ESV)19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

May the Lord bless you and keep you in His Word,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

“My Grace is Sufficient”

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imagesToday, I wanted to look at closing up yesterday’s discussion, especially for those who struggle with the notion that “soul ties” aren’t biblical. If “soul ties” aren’t the answer, what is? The simple answer is, “the Grace of God”. Let us begin by looking to the Apostle Paul for some insight, because Paul often taught regarding the dual nature of Christians as being both sinner and saint. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul shares a personal plea to God and God’s answer to Paul should give us encouragement and comfort.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10 (ESV) | Paul’s Visions and His Thorn
1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

If this reference to boasting seems a bit awkward, in the previous chapter Paul is calling out the false apostles (sarcastically calling them ‘super apostles’), particularly pointing out their abuse, their boasting, and their financial exploitation of the Corinthians. Paul closed out the previous chapter boasting, so to speak, in his afflictions and hard work on their behalf rather than take from them, and he continues here boasting in a way that demonstrates that while the false apostles boasted illegitimately, Paul could boast all the more. Paul is one of the few who have ever been taking up into heaven (as a point of clarification, no one since Revelation has been shown heaven for the purpose of revealing or teaching the Church about it, and no one who claims to share details of Heaven is legitimate).

This thorn in the flesh that was given to Paul was given for a specific purpose, it was allowed to afflict Paul “so to keep him from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations of heaven“. So, not only do we NOT get a detailed description of what Paul saw in Heaven, he was also allowed a tormentor, a messenger of Satan, to keep him from becoming conceited. You and I don’t need a thorn in our flesh, for our flesh is thorny enough on its own. Neither of us have been established as Apostles of Jesus Christ, and neither of us (I say with a great deal of confidence) have been taking up into Heaven. Notice here that if anyone had a special claim on an anointing from God the Holy Spirit, Paul did. If anyone could teach with authority the Word of Faith (WoF) doctrine, it would be Paul. But he doesn’t. We see here that he prayed three times to God that the thorn in his flesh, the harasser from Satan, be taken away from him, and God’s response wasn’t “you haven’t prayed the right prayer yet”, or “you still lack faith”, or even “this is to make you stronger”… no, God’s reply was simply

“My Grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”

We don’t have thorns placed in our flesh, but we must contend with the flesh nonetheless. Our flesh desires sin, it chases after sin. This thorn was above and beyond Paul’s flesh, and still the answer from God was, “My grace is sufficient for you…”.

How many times have you prayed and longed for God to miraculously remove your fleshly desire to…

  • lust after scantily clad women…
  • drown sorrow or pain in food or drink…
  • take just one more dose to remove the edge…
  • covet a neighbor’s lifestyle, possession, or spouse…

In all of these things, and all the other temptations of the flesh… your flesh… the flesh that wages war against the Spirit, the flesh that desires sin even when un-prompted by an outside agent (be it a person or an unclean spirit), the answer from God the Holy Spirit remains

“My Grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”

Can God the Holy Spirit miraculously heal addictions and mental illness? Yes. God was not incapable of removing the thorn in Paul’s flesh, and every demon and unclean spirit obeyed the commands of Jesus. The Sovereignty of God rests not only in His power, but in His Will as well. As we see in the book of Job, His Will isn’t always fully revealed to us, either. Nevertheless, we know that He works all things for good. All things… for good.

Romans 8:18-39 (ESV) | Future Glory
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul is not talking about avoiding pain, or tribulation, or distress, or persecution, he is pointing to the promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are several verses that are pulled from this passage to push the WoF “declare victory now” over-realized eschatology, but when read in-context we know that the hope that lies ahead is far greater than our present circumstances. There will come a day when all of creation will be set free from its bondage to corruption, including our flesh. That nothing that “goes wrong” down here has any lasting consequences and that any suffering we might endure on this earth is not fit to be compared to the Glory that awaits us in Christ Jesus.

In this life we will face struggles, from outside agents and from our own fleshly desires, for it is corrupt. We must take up our crosses daily, and we must resist temptation and flee sexual immorality. But we are weak, and the Spirit of God helps us in our weakness. When we are weak, He is strong.

“My Grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”

The Grace of God is that He gave His One and Only Son Jesus to die on the cross as payment for our sin. Sin still has consequences in this life, and our flesh is corrupt.

Galatians 6:7-9 (ESV) 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

This isn’t about lawlessness and carnal living without consequences. This is about understanding that while we live in these fallen earthly bodies, we will sin. Our very flesh wars against our Spirit, compelling us to sin. Think of it in terms of addiction… only rather than being limited to a particular sin (drunkenness, gluttony, sexual immorality, etc.) our flesh is addicted to self-seeking, self-gratification (as a goal), and all manner of sin. The Grace of God brings our spirit to life, pulled out of the kingdom of darkness and sealed by the Holy Spirit for the Day of Christ’s Return. We must walk in the Spirit, resist the devil, and crucify our flesh daily. As Paul described it in Romans 6, we are to consider ourselves dead to sin, and alive to God, being slaves to righteousness. But we do so without condemnation, for the Grace of the Cross says that it is by His Blood we have been made righteous, not by our actions.

I pray that each of you will be set free from addictions and habitual sins. When you are going through the storm of temptation, trust in Him. The desire will be there, because your flesh craves sin, but know that the Spirit wages war against the flesh. There is no hidden secret to making the desire just go away. Trust in the Lord, God the Holy Spirit living inside of you to make a way of escape. Temptations will come… and often they come from within your very flesh. That will not always be the case. Sanctification is a life-long process, as we learn to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. Press on toward the goal of the upward call of God, the Great Day of His Return. In the meantime, do not be ensnared by condemnation by the accuser. Remember the cross, remember the Grace of God, for His Grace is sufficient, and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

1 John 1 (ESV) 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

May the peace of God reign in your hearts this day and every day,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “Fix My Eyes” by for King & Country

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Presentation1This DiM has been parsed out of a double DiM post back in September 9, 2014 for archival purposes. It was originally a part of this DiM post.

This week, “Greater” by MercyMe dropped to #3 due to the Lecrae marketing, so it’s nice to see that its drop is purely artificial. I am still holding out hope that it will topple the Ocean’s song. At #4 we find “Fix My Eyes” by for King & Country.

Music Video

Lyrics

“Fix My Eyes”
Hit rewind, Click delete
Stand face to face with the younger me
All of the mistakes, All of the heartbreak
Here’s what I’d do differently

I’d love like I’m not scared, Give when it’s not fair
Live life for another, Take time for a brother
Fight for the weak ones, Speak out for freedom
Find faith in the battle, Stand tall but above it all
Fix my eyes on you

I learned the lines and talked the talk (everybody knows that, everybody knows that)
But the road less traveled is hard to walk (everybody knows that, everybody knows)
It takes a soldier, Who knows his orders
To walk the walk I’m supposed to walk

And love like I’m not scared, Give when it’s not fair
Live life for another, Take time for a brother
Fight for the weak ones, Speak out for freedom
Find faith in the battle, Stand tall but above it all
Fix my eyes on you

The things of Earth are dimming, In the light of Your glory and grace
I’ll set my sights upon Heaven, I’m fixing my eyes on you
I’m fixing my eyes on you, I’m fixing my eyes

Love like I’m not scared, Give when it’s not fair
Live life for another, Take time for a brother
Fight for the weak ones, Speak out for freedom
Find faith in the battle, Stand tall but above it all
Fix my eyes on you, I fix my eyes on you
I fix my eyes on you

This song gets a lot of airtime on my local radio station. This song suffers from the same problem that we looked at in yesterday’s post in that it has the appearance of Gospel but is in-fact all Law.

Positive Elements

What the song declares to be good works are indeed Biblically-sound good works. To love without fear, to give gracefully, to love our neighbors, all very good things to do.

Concerns

The setup for the song is questionable. It seems to follow a sort of “If I could do it over” mantra. Well, the truth of the matter is that if we could do it all over, we’d still sin. We’d still fail to keep the Law. Under the Law, you don’t get credit for “trying”. We know from Hebrews 11 that those who were under the Law who were found righteous were not found righteous by their actions; rather, by faith.

Hebrews 11:1-13 (ESV) | By Faith
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Romans 4:1-3 (ESV) 1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

So this song is lacking a Gospel message. The bridge of the song would have been a perfect place to insert a Gospel message, rather than the esoteric mystical reference to God’s glory and grace that leads into 3 more “I” statements. Perhaps use these lines to point out that repentance and forgiveness for sin is the best “reset” we have in this life and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us the opportunity to grow in Him and do better by His Grace in keeping the Law, knowing we will fall short and sin but that God’s Grace is bigger than all of that.  We didn’t really need more of the “I’ll fix my eyes on you” in the bridge.

Conclusion

For a Christian who is firmly grounded and rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, this song may serve as an encouragement to do good works, and to seek to honor God in everything we do. However, there is concern for a wearing down and crushing weight of the Law-presented-as-Gospel for those who are not firmly grounded in the knowledge of the Grace of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For it is only as a result of the Gospel that we are made free to do good works. And we will fail, for our flesh is weak. Therefore, if we lose sight of the Gospel (that isn’t found in the song) we might slip into condemnation or despair and may God-forbid, we start to question the Gospel or our salvation that can only be found in a faith in Christ (not works of the Law).

I still catch myself singing along to this song whenever it plays, and I value the reminder of what the Law of God says about how we are to live by Faith. While not many songs seem to “pass the test” so to speak, I’m not advocating abandoning Christian music and going full-secular. There are some songs that prompt me to hit “power” and just pray for about 3 minutes or so… then I can turn the radio back on and hopefully enjoy the next song. At least I get some extra prayer time in.

May the Lord bless you and keep you firmly in His Grace
In Christ,
Jorge

CTT | What About Soul Ties?

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Presentation1Have you ever heard someone teach on “soul ties” and the need for Christians to become aware of them and sever them? I learned about this Word of Faith doctrine at youth retreats and in every Christian “self-help” Book (oxymoron) dealing with sexual purity, adolescence, dating, and marriage. Books teaching about deliverance from addictions to spiritual bondage all point to these soul ties (and generational curses) as the background chains or hindrances to Spiritual Growth and freedom. But are these teachings Biblical?

Well, let’s first look to a resource that presents itself as a Bible study site:

What a soul tie is

The Bible speaks of what is today known as soul ties. In the Bible, it doesn’t use the word soul tie, but it speaks of them when it talks about souls being knit together, becoming one flesh, etc. A soul tie can serve many functions, but in it’s simplest form, it ties two souls together in the spiritual realm. Soul ties between married couples draw them together like magnets, while soul ties between fornicators can draw a beaten and abused woman to the man which in the natural realm she would hate and run from, but instead she runs to him even though he doesn’t love her, and treats her like dirt. In the demonic world, unholy soul ties can serve as bridges between two people to pass demonic garbage through. I helped a young man not too long ago break free from downright awful visitations from demons, all due to an ungodly soul tie he had with a witch. The man was a Christian, and the only thing that allowed her to send demonic torment his way, is through the soul tie. Other soul ties can do things such as allow one person to manipulate and control another person, and the other person is unaware to what is going on or knows what is going on, but for no real reason, allows it to continue. (from GreatBibleStudy.com, accessed 9/23/14)

Wow, that’s quite a collection of things lumped under “soul ties”. Does the Bible teach any of this? From here on out, we will only look at what the Scripture says. Let’s examine the premise behind these claims in bold first before exploring this doctrine any further.

Souls being knit together

The first claim is that the Bible talks about souls being knit together. Where does the Bible talk about that? Well, the phrase is mentioned in the Bible but it isn’t really taught. The most commonly used text for this idea comes from 1 Samuel 18. Let’s begin in chapter 17 so that we can get some context as to when this all took place.

1 Samuel 17:50-58 (ESV) | David Defeats Goliath
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

55 As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” 57 And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

1 Samuel 18:1-5 (ESV) | David and Jonathan’s Friendship
1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

Okay, so here we have written that after God defeated Goliath at the hand of David, Jonathan took to David and loved him as his own soul. Their souls were knit together. In the Hebrew the phrasing for “soul knit to soul” here is nephesh qashar nephesh. The Hebrew language has very few words so each word has a meaning that is broader than our English word for “soul”. Before we look at the meanings of the individual words, let’s look at where this idea is conveyed elsewhere in Scripture. Such a place is found in Genesis 44. Now, to set this next quote up a bit, this is during the 7 years of famine that followed the 7 years of bounty prophesied to Pharoah by Joseph. If you remember Joseph was the favored son of his father, Jacob (who would later be renamed Israel), whose brothers sold him into slavery. They deceived Jacob and told him that Joseph was killed (Genesis 37). Fast forward many years later, Joseph is now second-in-command of all Egypt and his brothers have come for food to weather the famine. If you are unfamiliar, I recommend reading the whole story beginning in Chapter 37, but for now let’s dive into 44.

Genesis 44:18-34 (ESV) 18 Then Judah went up to him and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’ 24 “When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ 26 we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your servant my father said to us,‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One left me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’ 30 “Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

We see here Judah pleading with Joseph (not yet knowing it was him) not to hold the youngest as they go back for their father. Judah explains that Jacob’s life is bound up in the boy’s life, here we see in the Hebrew “nephesh qashar nephesh“. Jacob’s life (nephesh) is bound up in (qashar) the boy’s life (nephesh). Jacob had explained to Judah that the mother of Joseph had only borne him 2 sons, and one was presumed dead; therefore, all that Jacob had left of her was this youngest boy. Jacob barely survived losing his favored son, Joseph, and Judah and the rest of the family believed fully that if they should return again without the youngest, Jacob would die of grief.

So does this mean the modern-day teaching of soul ties is Biblical? Well, let’s ask a couple of questions.

  • Is this a prescriptive text? Does the Scripture teach us about these soul ties here or whether they are good or bad? No. In both instances we have descriptive texts of uniquely strong emotional bonds.  Jesus taught that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself, and then answered the question of “who is our neighbor” in a parable. Jonathan’s love for David saves David’s life on a couple of occasions from King Saul. David refuses to raise his hand against Saul (God’s anointed) and is terribly grieved when he learns of Saul’s death and the death of Jonathan. Jacob’s love for his youngest son is strong and tied to his deeply-seated love/loss for Joseph. Is it healthy? Not really, but neither is it being prescribed here. It simply was. Notice, however, that in neither case is this “knitting together of souls” happening in the background or by mistake or accident. These are deliberate bonds of love.
  • Is this connection a Spiritual One? As we saw in the 2 texts above, the word nephesh is translated both soul and life. I have yet to find it translated “spirit” as in the spiritual part of a person. The Hebrew word for spirit is ruwach. Nephesh is more commonly associated with the emotions, mind, passions, and physical being rather than spiritual.

Clearly this idea of souls being knit together is a depiction of a deep emotional bond between two people. However, we haven’t established its existence at a Spiritual level nor have we seen any actual teaching on the matter. We see it merely describing a level of love that is uniquely strong in nature. We don’t see anything similar in the New Testament. Granted, we shouldn’t expect to see Hebrew terms being taught in the New Testament, but there is no teaching in the New Testament regarding a knitting of souls or a soul-bond between two individuals.

Becoming One Flesh

This is the most commonly taught aspect of this soul tie thing, especially in books targeting youth or adolescence. The idea here is that sex automatically ties the souls of those involved together. As the teaching goes, this is meant to be a good thing in marriage, but in the case of pre-marital or extra-marital sex it’s touted as its own spiritual problem beyond that of adultery. As the doctrine goes this connection then leaves an open door for continuing sin and spiritual torment and even blocked blessings from God… whether you are aware of this lasting soul tie or not. Is that what happens in sex?

Genesis 2:20-24 (ESV) 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Here we don’t see any of the Hebrew words used in the previous example of knitting souls. We see here that the two will become one flesh. There is no invoking of any spiritual realm here. She was formed from his flesh, and in the joining of their flesh they become one flesh again.

Souls Tied in the Spiritual Realm?

Marriage is a covenant of flesh. That is how Jesus taught it in Matthew 22.

Matthew 22:23-30 (ESV) | Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection
23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

The setup here is wonderful, because what the Sadducees created in their hypothetical was in keeping with the Law. No sin is described and there is no adultery here according to the Law. What the Sadducees are trying to trap Jesus with is that if there is a resurrection then at the resurrection she would now be guilty of adultery having multiple husbands, and having slept with all the brothers (specific sins in the Law). Jesus obliterates this trap by exposing their ignorance of the Scriptures… there is no marriage in the resurrection. Therefore, marriage is an earthly covenant of flesh, not a Spiritual one. It points to a spiritual relationship between Christ and His Church, but it is only a shadow of it. With this understanding, let’s take a look at Paul’s teaching/rebuke to the Corinthians in Chapter 6.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (ESV) | Flee Sexual Immorality
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

While I dislike making arguments from silence; however, if sexual immorality were more than sin and somehow created a spiritual connection that needed a special severing, I believe Paul would have taught it plainly here. He doesn’t. Instead he moves right on into marriage, divorce, widows, and living as called. Why? Because sin is sin and there is no need to invent theories behind sins, one only needs to look in the Law, for the Law identifies sin and convicts us of sin. Adultery and all other forms of sexual immorality are sin. The answer to breaking the Law while under the Mosaic Covenant is death. The answer under the new covenant of Jesus’s blood is also death, but that death having already been paid by Jesus Christ. Which brings us to our assessment on this matter of “soul ties”.

Rescuing Mechanism for Word of Faith Theology

The doctrine of “soul ties” looks plausible at first (especially since it seems to fit our experience), but in-truth it cannot be taught from the scriptures, nor can it be substantiated as a Spiritual phenomenon. The biggest problem with this teaching is in the assertion that one who is “born again” saved by Grace, through Faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, might still have some sort of spiritual connection as a result of some past sin that remains at work in the believer’s life unless it is severed by some specific prayer. Really? Is that the Message of the Gospel? That once you have been made alive in Christ, parts of your soul might be unwittingly be bound in the spirit realm to past sin? No, it isn’t. This notion of the soul tie is a rescuing mechanism for the Word of Faith movement.

In the Word of Faith (WoF) movement, sin is not properly taught. More importantly, the condition of sin and the completeness of Christ’s substitutionary atonement on our behalf are not properly taught. In fact, once a person is saved the WoF movement rarely goes back to the cross except to declare promises based on the cross and “speak them” into existence. They teach that healing needs to be claimed and declared based on Isaiah 53, and that prosperity in this life is to be spoken into existence based on our having been adopted into the Kingdom of Heaven. The glaring problem with this teaching is the fact that Christians still get sick, Christians still die, and Christians still have financial struggles. The WoF catch-all for this fact is that we have to grow in faith until we are walking in the Spiritual realm and bringing Heaven down to earth, until then we get sick or we are poor because of our lack of faith. Then there comes the issue of repeated or habitual sins and addiction. Because WoF has a slanted view of the problem of sin, they need a rescuing mechanism for why confession of sin and repentance unto salvation doesn’t immediately remove the flesh’s desire to sin. Soul Ties (and generation curses) seem to offer an explanation for why we find ourselves caught up in sin even after we have been saved. It offers an external actor for the sin, a need for prophetic insight into the “root cause of the sin” and another occasion to “declare” freedom and to “speak” deliverance into existence. Unfortunately, if the ritual doesn’t stick… the Christian is back to square one… questioning his own faith and whether or not Christ truly died for him and his sin.

Conclusion

This “soul tie” thing isn’t Biblical. If you want to know why you continue to sin after having been saved by Grace, it’s because you still live in a fallen world, and walk in corrupted flesh that actively seeks out sin in opposition to the Holy Spirit who lives in you. Paul teaches in Romans 7 and in Galatians 5:16-26. In Galatians, he isn’t comparing Lost versus Saved; rather he is pointing out that our flesh desires sin but our Spirit desires Holiness. Walking in the Spirit is to deny the flesh daily, not by treating it harshly (asceticism) but by resisting its temptation and obeying the Holy Spirit. We confess and repent from our sins daily, taking up our cross daily, and following Christ. Repentance is a continual process. As we grow in knowledge and faith in Christ, we become more and more aware of the sin within our own flesh, and the deceitfulness of our own heart. There is not special ritual or prayer to cut off sin, for the answer to all sin, to all of the Law, is the Cross of Jesus Christ. There will come a day when we will no longer have to contend with our own sinful flesh, when at least our bodies will truly be healed of the sin of Adam and made perfect, that is in the resurrection in the Great and Final Day of Christ’s return.

Philippians 3:7-14 (ESV) 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Are there demons? Absolutely. Do they tempt and attack? Yes. Is there some special spiritual-jujitsu Christians need to learn to combat them? No. The Gospel of Jesus Christ frees us from spiritual darkness. We must contend with the flesh, resist devil (tempter), and repent of sins daily. We need God’s Grace every hour of every day.

1 John 1:8-9 (ESV) 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The forgiveness is immediate based on what Christ already accomplished at the cross. The cleansing is a continual process that will be completed when we are finally free of this earthly, fallen, body and are given our new heavenly bodies on the day of Christ’s Return.

May the Lord Bless and Keep you firmly in His Will,
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge