When We Corrupt God’s Word

 “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” -2 Corinthians 2:17.

This was inspired from a lesson written for my daughter, and provides an example of just how misused God’s Word has become in our day, even among professing believers.

 The corruption we’ll look at comes from the first part of the contemporary Christian song Overcomer; which I heard from the gospel group called The Imperials, while listening to their Heed the Call album. This song greatly twists several verses in order to promote the idea of a prosperity gospel, and we’ll examine that here. Please remember that scriptures need to be taken in the CONTEXT of the passage they’re in, as well as in context with the rest of God’s Word.

The part of Overcomer to be examined comes right in the beginning, saying;

Jesus said that when we pray, ‘to believe that we receive. We can have our heart’s desires, as well as the things we need. We can speak to mountains, and they will be removed. Everything will prosper, that we set our hands to.

There is some confusion here in the handling of God’s Word, but the song’s opening statement obviously refers to Mark 11:24, in which Jesus says;

“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

God isn’t the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), but we find that here, because Jesus never said that We can have our heart’s desires, as well as the things we need, or Everything will prosper, that we set our hands to. And the part about moving mountains actually came in the verse before the one beginning the song.

Now you might recognize that the parts Jesus didn’t actually say are still in the Bible, but with these we find another mishandling of God’s Word; the author is using only parts of the verses he transplanted in order to promote what he wants the scripture to mean, adding to God’s Word (Proverbs 30:5,6).

Jesus did tell us that God would supply our needs in Matthew 6:33, but the part of we can have our hearts desires actually comes from Psalm 37:4, which says;

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” So you can see that the song naturally cuts out the Bible’s condition of “delighting in the Lord” first; our desires would then be God’s desires, who wants to provide for our needs, and NOT fleshly greed (Matthew 6:19-21).

This section of the song then closes by saying, Everything will prosper that we set our hands to; words that are actually taken from the passage in Psalm 1:1-3. The promise of “everything prospering” isn’t for every professing Christian, but for those who qualify; those who aren’t keeping company with unbelievers, and they also delight in God’s Word, meditating upon it day and night. Whether or not he intended it, we can see that the songwriter deceitfully handled God’s Word (2 Corinthians 4:2) in order to press the notion of unlimited prosperity for Christians.

Yet there are more problems of mishandling God’s Word here, and for that we’ll look at the full story from Mark 11;

 “13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves… 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it… And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. ” -from Mark 11:13,14, & 20-26. Bold type added for emphasis.

And so the backdrop for Mark 11:24 was Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree! Matthew 21:18 actually tells us that Jesus was hungry, so why didn’t He bless the tree, and multiply ripened fruit? Jesus needed and desired those figs, yet He chose to do God’s will, whom He delighted in; and we see later that Jesus told His disciples;

“...I have meat to eat that ye know not of…My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” -from John 4:31-34.

It’s important to know that Jesus was speaking only to His disciples in this passage, and the very nature of the FAITH example He used in no way promotes selfish prayers or materialism.

Our Lord also included here the need to forgive others when seeking Him in prayer, which seems to be still another condition to meet if we want to be sure of getting answers to our prayers.

Brethren, the importance of knowing ALL of God’s Word cannot be overstated; we see here an example of how parts of the Bible can be twisted to actually support views which contradict the Word’s overall message. We’ve been warned that in the Last Days false teachers would come (2 Peter 2:1-3), and a more complete knowledge of the Holy Scriptures are our best defense.

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, 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.” -John 8:31,32.

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” -John 17:17.

*Quotes from scripture are in quotes & italics;

quotes from the Overcomer song are underlined.

Scriptures involved: Psalms 1:1-3, 37:4, Matthew 21:17-22, Mark 11:13,14, 20-26.

The Church Today is Another Gospel

 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” -Galatians 1:6,7.

We who are truly Born Again Christians (John 3:3) ought to realize that the foundation of our Faith rests in the BIBLE; God’s holy manual for the beliefs and practices we hold dear. It’s my contention that the “church” of today has drifted far from God’s written Word (King James Bible), and that it’s high time for professing believers to trust only Jesus through His Word for guidance in their lives.

There is a tendency among many today to place undue emphasis on the role of church in a Christian’s life, and it’s often regarded as a type of mediator necessary for the path of salvation; yet scripture itself says JESUS is the only mediator, calls born again believers the church, and has no commandment for us even to gather together, though it’s natural for Christians to seek other Christians in fellowship.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” -1 Timothy 2:5.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” -Romans 16:17.

Hopefully this blog can begin to reveal just how much Church practices now differ from the real instructions found in scripture.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” -2 Timothy 3:16,17.

See also Deuteronomy 4:2, Psalm 12:6,7, Proverbs 30:5,6, Revelation 22:18,19.

The huge first error we see is that modern day “churches” are NOT the church God identifies in the New Testament of the Bible. God’s church is simply the BODY OF CHRIST, which met in houses, not temples. Christians today have the Holy Spirit within, and THEY are now God’s temples;

“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” -1 Corinthians 12:27.

“And he (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church:” -Colossians 1:18A.

“Likewise greet the church that is in their house.” -Romans 16:5A.

See also 1 Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15, Philemon 2.

“Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,” -from Acts 7:48-50.

See also 1 Kings 8:27, 2 Chronicles 2:6, Isaiah 66:1,2.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” -1 Corinthians 3:16.

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” -1 Corinthians 6:19.

How could such a thing like this happen to God’s people, that we should forget the true nature of the church He chose? I believe we’ve slowly substituted a walk of faith for a walk of sight (2 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 11:1), and we find an example of this long ago with the nation of Israel, when they chose to be led by a visible king, rather than through God’s prophets;

“Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.” -1 Samuel 8:19,20.

So we can see by scripture what God’s true church really is, and why we now find such evil spiritual fruit in the organizations which falsely claim to be part of it. Far from being subtly deceived, today’s churches open their arms wide to receive the corruption their ALL WELCOME signs naturally invite!

God’s people were never meant to fellowship with unbelievers; Jesus told His disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15), but those who were converted then came apart from the world to fellowship only with other Christians;

“BLESSED is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” -Psalm 1:1,2.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?…Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” -from 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

How can a church cast out the wicked (1 Corinthians 5:13) who are constantly welcomed into it? What good can it do to separate from the world, if you then pollute your ranks by having God’s enemies join you? Why warn believers about false angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15), or “grievous wolves” entering the congregation, when you’ve been letting them and their deceptions in through the front door?

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” -Acts 20:28-30.

See also Matthew 24:24, 1 John 4:1.

Yet churches aren’t only compromised from external pollution, but also internally through the division of denominations; if the Word of God is foundational to our faith, shouldn’t we all hold the same beliefs?

In Acts 15, the early believers came together to resolve a key difference that had arisen among them, not accepting different views of a doctrinal issue. Paul also seems to address these matters with the Corinthians, when he writes;

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” -1 Corinthians 1:10.

“...for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” -1 Corinthians 3:3-7.

In spite of all the Bible teaches about doctrinal unity, today’s professing church still eagerly accepts almost ANY viewpoint that claims to be Christian. The Bible has already warned us (Matthew 24:25) that in the Last Days men will have a form of godliness which actually DENIES Him (2 Timothy 3:5), and goes on to say;

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”                            -2 Timothy 4:3,4. Bold type added for emphasis.

The devil is a master deceiver, and we should realize that the structure of church today plays right into his hands; our enemy opposes God by attempting to take His place in the eyes of mankind, even though actually leading us to destruction.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” -2 Thessalonians 2:3,4. Bold type is added. See also Isaiah 14:12-15, Revelation 13:8. Some have esteemed churches so highly, that they really believe the devil can’t get inside. They forget that even Jesus himself faced devils in synagogues, a type of church for that time;

“And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” -Mark 1:23,24.

 “And he (Jesus) preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils.” -Mark 1:39. Jesus’ name in parentheses was added to identify.  

It is spiritually dangerous to play “follow the leader” when seeking the path of eternal life with God, no matter how well intended that leader may be. God expects to have a direct relationship with every believer, and has given His Word and Spirit to enable us. Make sure that God is the One behind ALL of your works.

“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.” -1 Corinthians 7:23,24.

“For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” -Romans 14:11,12.