Introduction. Jesus offered a challenge to all who proclaim themselves a Christian. “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Lk. 6:46). A second challenge is “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (Jn. 14:15). Thus, those who call Jesus “Lord” while not keeping His word are only token disciples. If we truly believe “for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Jn. 18:37), then we must meet His expectations or let go of the truth. If we want to be His genuine disciples, we must accept and submit and never question anything He said.
This critical decision can only be done fully or not at all. The very instant we decide there is a command to which we will refuse to submit, we are no longer of the truth and He is no longer our Lord. In setting aside a command we place ourselves as His equal in deciding what is truth and what it not. It also violates another challenge: “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32). This is a simple fundamental truth. Only if we abide in His word can we be genuine disciples because “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God,” for only “the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” (2Jn. 9). Jesus’ commands are the boundary between fellowship with truth, Jesus and God the Father or with error & lies.
This critical decision can only be done fully or not at all. The very instant we decide there is a command to which we will refuse to submit, we are no longer of the truth and He is no longer our Lord. In setting aside a command we place ourselves as His equal in deciding what is truth and what it not. It also violates another challenge: “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn. 8:31-32). This is a simple fundamental truth. Only if we abide in His word can we be genuine disciples because “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God,” for only “the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” (2Jn. 9). Jesus’ commands are the boundary between fellowship with truth, Jesus and God the Father or with error & lies.
Yet equally important, only if we abide in His word shall “we know the truth and be made free.” If we want to know the truth about what is good and what is evil, we must see His word as the boundary. If we submit to His word, we know the truth. If we set it aside in our own wisdom, we reject the truth. Remember Adam and Eve. God told them the truth! “Don’t eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The devil offered an alternate reality of truth. When they acted on the Satan’s “truth,” they died just as God had revealed to them. Jesus told us the truth; if we don’t believe Him, we will suffer the consequences of the truths He revealed.
There are many alternate realities today. Many of the things Jesus revealed as truth are denied by multitudes today. What Jesus revealed about salvation, worship, the church, good and evil, the creation, and multitudes of other subjects are not only set aside, but openly scoffed and mocked at by those who call themselves “disciples.” Sadly, the truth can only make us free if we believe, trust and act upon it. To say we love and want the truth, but then reject anything Jesus said is the worst type of hypocrisy. If it is not in His word, it is not the truth, period!
One of the most deceptive tricks of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” is that Jesus’ authority and the truth He revealed were not passed on to His apostles. Many openly proclaim that when Paul or Peter said something that is not considered truth in our culture it can be set aside and ignored. This is an amazing paradox! Those calling themselves Christians openly proclaim they can’t agree with Paul’s forbidding women to be preachers or calling homosexuality a sin and won’t submit.
After several decades of this, it appears as established truth in the Methodist, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian churches. Because this has been proclaimed as truth and multitudes now have accepted it as truth, Peter’s prophecy has come to pass again: “Many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” (2Pet 2:2). Today, the Bible is openly rejected and man’s wisdom elevated to status of truth. Though Jesus validated the creation, flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, some “disciples” openly mock and scorn Him.
Jesus did not leave to our imagination what will happen to those who call Him Lord, yet reject His authority to reveal God’s will. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Mt. 7:21-23). Once again, calling Him Lord, then rejecting His authority, makes “Jesus is my Lord!” a lie. All who call Jesus Lord but reject the Scriptures He revealed, “will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” That is the truth and we reject it to our eternal peril and loss. If we doubt the truth of these words, listen to His conclusion “Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, … And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” Jesus considered anyone who sets aside anything revealed as the will of God in the Scriptures as “practicing lawlessness” because His word is “the law of Christ” and all who live outside of that law are lawless. (Gal. 6:2; Jas 1:25).
Jesus made it very clear over and over again that what He revealed through His apostles held the same authority as His own words spoken directly by Him. Jesus said, “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Lk. 10:16). How could Jesus have made it any clearer? If we accept their authority, we accept His authority. If we reject their authority, we reject not only His authority, but also the authority of God who sent Him.
There is a clear chain of authority here. “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (Jn. 20:21). He also solemnly affirmed: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (Jn. 13:20). Thus when Paul said, “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord,” (1Cor. 14:37), he spoke absolute truth! If we reject it, we reject the truth. After revealing another command Paul made clear: “Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.” (1Th. 4:8)
This is why Jesus can say with full assurance that when we reject any command of Paul, Peter or any other apostle or prophet (Lk. 11:49), we are actually rejecting God, Jesus as Lord, and the Holy Spirit! Jesus revealed this truth clearly: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (Jn. 14:26). Later Jesus continued: “I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. … I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” (Jn. 16:7, 12-13). If we call Jesus Lord, how can we not believe, submit and act on these truths? The answer of truth is: We can’t!
How many times does Jesus have to say something for it to be the truth? Once is the right answer! His final words to His apostles were: “Make disciples of all the nations.” He left that task to His apostles and if we reject their writings, we cannot be His disciple. He revealed their role: “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:19-20). Did they do this or not? If they did teach the disciples to observe all things that He commanded them, then we reject Him when we reject them. Jesus can only be with us to the end of this age if we are taught by their letters and observe their commands exactly as though they were Jesus’ commands. Because that is exactly what they are!
The truth is obvious: Since “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2Tim. 3:16) and the New Testament is scripture, it too was given by the inspiration of God. It is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! We have no right to pick and choose what is truth and what is not. It is the whole truth or it is not the truth at all. The obvious conclusion is simple. Once again, a time the Holy Spirit warned disciples to beware of has come upon us: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, ...they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2Tim. 4:3-5). It is nothing but a fable that the writings of the apostles have less authority than the words of Jesus. They ARE the words of Jesus, revealed to them by the Holy Spirit!
Conclusion. The problem with all fables is that in the end they prove to be false and everything that was built upon them crumbles into dust. Jesus spoke of the entire New Testament when He said:
There are many alternate realities today. Many of the things Jesus revealed as truth are denied by multitudes today. What Jesus revealed about salvation, worship, the church, good and evil, the creation, and multitudes of other subjects are not only set aside, but openly scoffed and mocked at by those who call themselves “disciples.” Sadly, the truth can only make us free if we believe, trust and act upon it. To say we love and want the truth, but then reject anything Jesus said is the worst type of hypocrisy. If it is not in His word, it is not the truth, period!
One of the most deceptive tricks of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” is that Jesus’ authority and the truth He revealed were not passed on to His apostles. Many openly proclaim that when Paul or Peter said something that is not considered truth in our culture it can be set aside and ignored. This is an amazing paradox! Those calling themselves Christians openly proclaim they can’t agree with Paul’s forbidding women to be preachers or calling homosexuality a sin and won’t submit.
After several decades of this, it appears as established truth in the Methodist, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian churches. Because this has been proclaimed as truth and multitudes now have accepted it as truth, Peter’s prophecy has come to pass again: “Many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” (2Pet 2:2). Today, the Bible is openly rejected and man’s wisdom elevated to status of truth. Though Jesus validated the creation, flood, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, some “disciples” openly mock and scorn Him.
Jesus did not leave to our imagination what will happen to those who call Him Lord, yet reject His authority to reveal God’s will. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Mt. 7:21-23). Once again, calling Him Lord, then rejecting His authority, makes “Jesus is my Lord!” a lie. All who call Jesus Lord but reject the Scriptures He revealed, “will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” That is the truth and we reject it to our eternal peril and loss. If we doubt the truth of these words, listen to His conclusion “Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, … And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” Jesus considered anyone who sets aside anything revealed as the will of God in the Scriptures as “practicing lawlessness” because His word is “the law of Christ” and all who live outside of that law are lawless. (Gal. 6:2; Jas 1:25).
Jesus made it very clear over and over again that what He revealed through His apostles held the same authority as His own words spoken directly by Him. Jesus said, “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (Lk. 10:16). How could Jesus have made it any clearer? If we accept their authority, we accept His authority. If we reject their authority, we reject not only His authority, but also the authority of God who sent Him.
There is a clear chain of authority here. “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (Jn. 20:21). He also solemnly affirmed: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (Jn. 13:20). Thus when Paul said, “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord,” (1Cor. 14:37), he spoke absolute truth! If we reject it, we reject the truth. After revealing another command Paul made clear: “Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.” (1Th. 4:8)
This is why Jesus can say with full assurance that when we reject any command of Paul, Peter or any other apostle or prophet (Lk. 11:49), we are actually rejecting God, Jesus as Lord, and the Holy Spirit! Jesus revealed this truth clearly: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (Jn. 14:26). Later Jesus continued: “I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. … I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.” (Jn. 16:7, 12-13). If we call Jesus Lord, how can we not believe, submit and act on these truths? The answer of truth is: We can’t!
How many times does Jesus have to say something for it to be the truth? Once is the right answer! His final words to His apostles were: “Make disciples of all the nations.” He left that task to His apostles and if we reject their writings, we cannot be His disciple. He revealed their role: “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Mt. 28:19-20). Did they do this or not? If they did teach the disciples to observe all things that He commanded them, then we reject Him when we reject them. Jesus can only be with us to the end of this age if we are taught by their letters and observe their commands exactly as though they were Jesus’ commands. Because that is exactly what they are!
The truth is obvious: Since “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2Tim. 3:16) and the New Testament is scripture, it too was given by the inspiration of God. It is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! We have no right to pick and choose what is truth and what is not. It is the whole truth or it is not the truth at all. The obvious conclusion is simple. Once again, a time the Holy Spirit warned disciples to beware of has come upon us: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, ...they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2Tim. 4:3-5). It is nothing but a fable that the writings of the apostles have less authority than the words of Jesus. They ARE the words of Jesus, revealed to them by the Holy Spirit!
Conclusion. The problem with all fables is that in the end they prove to be false and everything that was built upon them crumbles into dust. Jesus spoke of the entire New Testament when He said:
- “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” (Lk. 6:46-49