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What do I mean by “genetically altered”? The word genetic comes from the root genesis, meaning “origins,” or “beginnings.” A genetically altered gospel means it has been distorted, polluted, perverted and changed—altered from its origin or purity. God Himself said in Psalm 89:34, “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”
When it comes to God’s Word, I just accept what He says. There are serious dangers associated with creating a genetically altered gospel, based on philosophy that tries to make the Bible accommodate rather than challenge man. And the Apostle Paul strongly warned against it!
Beware!
Colossians 2:4-7 warns that Gnosticism, or philosophy, is trying to infiltrate the Church. “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.... As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Paul is telling them to be rooted and established in their faith in Christ (the Anointed One), because deception is coming.
Verse 8 says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Paul said, Beware, meaning “to be on guard against; be cautious of...” “lest any man spoil you....” Spoil means “to strip, rob, damage severely, render unfit for use.” Paul warned against four deceptions that threatened to rob the Church of their faith in God—philosophy, vain deceit, the tradition of men and the rudiments of the world.
The Gnostics were a sect who thought they had secret superior knowledge of spiritual matters, spawning false doctrine and spiritualism. The philosophers were heady and high-minded intellectualists who examined the Word through critical analysis and rational investigation. They were both prideful and puffed up with what I call “lofty intellectualism”—too much thinking and reasoning outside the Word of God. It will darken your understanding, pollute your conscience, weaken your will and rob you of your faith! First John 5:4 tells us our faith is the victory that overcomes the world. No wonder the devil’s after it!
Paul goes on to say in Colossians 2:9-10, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” Here they had Jesus Christ the Anointed One living inside them, and the devil was creeping in to move them off the truth.
In Galatians 1:7-8 Paul said, “...there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” Then he warns that “though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed....”
Why is Paul so concerned about the gospel being weakened? Because it’s being challenged by religion, that’s why. Religion comes from a genetically altered Bible gov- erned by the mind of the flesh instead of the inspiration of the Spirit.
Too Much Thinking
You cannot “figure out” the Word of God through sense knowledge. Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, “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, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” The Word of God is received through revelation, and it equips and empowers us to do good works.
The devil is out to steal your power—the faith in your heart that comes out your mouth. Genetically altered religion weakens faith and wanders in a diseased delirium. It causes loss of Christian liberties, joys of salvation, good seed sown into good ground, and the divine rays of God’s light from warming your heart. It generates confusion and brings division to the Body of Christ, and nobody knows what to believe. That’s why the Body of Christ has so many denominations—every one of them believing some- thing different.
And what is its source? Intellectual activity. It’s anti- Christ. Anti-anointing. Anti-power. It’s an alternate way of thinking. Philosophical thinking will get you so far off course you’ll begin to believe there are many path-ways to God.
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” When we’ve got Jesus, we’ve got the whole package. Jesus is the Way, so we can’t get lost; He is the Truth, so we can’t be deceived; and He is the Life, so the devil can’t kill us—as long as we stay on the pure Word.
And to stay on the pure Word, we have to know what God said—and be persuaded of what He meant! As one minister puts it, “The Bible is so simple you need help to misunderstand it.” Well, we know who that help comes from! That’s why the devil’s been misquoting the Word and questioning what God said since the serpent asked Eve in the garden, “Hath God said?”
If God Said It—Believe It!
Psalm 119:89 says the Word is forever settled in heaven. That’s good enough for me. If God said it, I believe it! Yet, I hear people say all the time, “Well, I prayed but I didn’t receive.” So? Does that change the Word? Romans 3:3-4 says, “For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar....” We may fall short of receiving the benefits of the Word, but the Bible does not fall short. Our lack of experience does not change the Word of God.
“But Brother Jesse, we tried that and it didn’t work.” You don’t try the Word. You believe it and do it. If you’re having a hard time believing and receiving, don’t question the integrity of the Word. You need to renew your mind to the Word, not to the opinions of men. The gospel will prove itself. “Be not con- formed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renew- ing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). Religion never transforms, it only conforms.
Look again at some of those religious statements I mentioned earlier, and a few others:
• “You never know what God’s gonna do.” Well, just read His Book and you’ll find out.
• “Well, if it be His will.” But you can know His will. Ephesians 5:17 says, “Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
• “He’s sovereign.” Yes! But He does not go against His Word. • “Now don’t get your hopes up.” You’d better get your hopes up! Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things
hoped for....”
A man once criticized me for preaching prosperity. He said, “I don’t believe in prosperity.” I told him, “Well, you must really be enjoying the recession.” Then I said to him, “That’s a nice truck you have.”
“Well, yeah.” “You have a nice house?” He said, “Uh, yeah.” Then I asked, “Why? You’re criticizing me because I’m practicing what I believe, but you’re not practicing what you believe. You need to get rid of that truck and go live under a bridge since you believe in poverty.”
He was shocked.
People like that look at you as if you’re crazy when you stand on the Word and believe God. God has become an opinion to them instead of a reality.
I grew up under the doctrine of suffering and poverty. We lived in an 8-foot by 32-foot trailer. But it had its advantages— when a hurricane came, we took our house with us! We never lost our house; we’d just come back, put it on blocks and start
again. I know that sounds funny, but that’s the way we lived. We were suffering for Jesus.
A genetically altered gospel says we must suffer with sickness, when the Word says in 1 Peter 2:24, “By [His] stripes ye were healed.”
“But I’m sick, Brother Jesse.” I understand that, but I’m trying to get you to focus on “ye were healed” instead of what you’re experiencing. You have to fight back with the Word of God instead of agreeing with circumstances.
Here are a few more:
• “You’re bearing this for the sake of the Cross.” Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses!
• “God’s trying to teach you something.” Well, learn it and move on.
• “Well, when the Lord gets ready, He’ll do something.” Faith is now. Aren’t you tired of waiting? When are you going to get healed? When is your family going to get saved? Why keep pushing your blessing to the future when you can bring it into the right-now by believing and speaking faith-filled words, instead of making religious excuses for it not working in your life?
• “That’s not for today.” Well, how did I get it? And why don’t you want it?
I could go on addressing religious-sounding statements, but the point is, if the Word says it, believe it. Don’t ever change the Word to fit a situation! Let the Word transform you through the renewing of your mind.
Philosophical thinkers are “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). Philosophy never comes to an answer. Jesus is the Answer.
Christianity is a personal relationship with the living God. When you “trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5), you can stand on the Word of God and boldly proclaim, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).
By Jesse Duplantis
Originally published in Kenneth Copeland's "Believer's Voice Of Victory" Magazine
February 2010 Issue
www.jdm.org
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