Salvation is by Believing, not by Achieving

This "justification by faith alone" doctrine that the Apostle Paul believed and preached, does it have any grounds at all in the Torah? Or is this a message that he made up? The Judaizers believed the latter; many of Paul's disciples in Galatia were heading that way too; but Paul is adamant. He sets out in Galatians 3:6-12 to prove that his doctrine is God's. It originates and is deeply rooted in sacred Scripture. It is a central theme, not only in the New Testament message, but of the Old Testament as well. We need to keep stressing this in our day as Paul did in his. Many today believe that Old Testament religion was a religion of law and not gospel. If the false teachers wanted to reach back to Moses, Paul could go back further to Abraham, the esteemed ancester of the Israelites. He lived in a period prior to the law, the temple, and circumcision. In fact, he was even a Gentile before God called him! There, in the first book of the Bible, Paul finds the patriarch simply believing God's promise. What distinguished him as a man of God is that he simply took God at His Word. On that basis God justified him (Gen. 15:6). He did not win right standing with God by his own efforts. It was given to him as a result of his faith. The implication is obvious. Abraham's children are those who, like him, are trusting God to do for them what they have given up trying to do for themselves. Then Paul appeals to Scripture for a further point. Not only was Abraham justified by faith, he is definitely linked to the Gentile peoples. "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3b). Reader, if you have never received Christ as your Savior, then hear this. The truth of justification, which was anticipated so clearly long ago, has now become visible and available in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed, everyone who believes are even now blessed along with Abraham. They are enjoying God's favor because they are believing God just as he did. The only demand God makes on you in connection with salvation is the trusting attitude of faith.

Using Scripture to Deceive

It is hard to believe but it is nevertheless true that some preachers "lie in wait to deceive" their hearers (Eph. 4:14). They even use Scripture to do it by misinterpreting it. Satan used this tactic when he tempted our Lord in the wilderness. He had been defeated on each of the first two attempts and so the enemy said in effect, "O.K. If I can't win by opposing him then I'll win by joining him." And so he quoted Scripture, from Psalm 91. But, he conveniently misinterpreted it for his own advantage (Luke 4:10-11). The Lord recognized this ploy and warded off the attack with another Scripture.

This tactic was used by the Judaizers in the early church. They believed that faith in Christ, though crucial, was not enough for salvation; believers had to observe the ceremonial law to be approved by God and to be welcomed into the family of God. They used Scripture to teach this. Had not Abraham, who received the promise that through him all the nations of the world would be blessed (Gen. 12:2-3), been commanded to be circumcised to be part of the family of God? (Gen. 17:10) This reference to Abraham and to Scripture made a lot of sense to the Jewish and Gentile believers. But, if the Christians of that day carefully studied their Scriptures, they would have discovered the deliberate misinterpretation. The Judaizers conveniently forgot an event that took place ten years after the promise and fourteen years before the command to be circumcised. At that time Abraham was challenged to believe that even at his advanced years, he would have a child who would be the seed of a great nation who would produce the Messiah. Scientifically, this was impossible. But faith takes God at His Word. "He believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). This means that Abraham was saved by faith alone - fourteen years before he was circumcised. Paul concludes, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham ... So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham" (Gal. 3:7, 9). Friend, don't give up precious gospel truth to people whose major self-appointed task is to lead you astray. They will even use Scripture to do it, but it will be abused.

Superficial Believers

I don't know what the percentage is, but I dare say that evangelical churches are filled with superficial believers. They live only to experience spiritual "highs." In seeking for good feelings, they have missed the truly joyful, happy, satisfying life. Make no mistake about it, there are wonderful feelings in the Christian life, but they are found only in knowing and obeying God's truth. True happiness comes as John McArthur describes it as the product of a "humble pursuit of God's truth and will and of conformity to it."

The first century had their share of such believers too. Paul speaks of them in Galatians 3:1-5. "O foolish Galatians!" (Gal. 3:1) "Are ye so foolish?" (3:3) "Foolish" is such a harsh word! But the Apostle was not calling them stupid. The word that he used here means "no mind" or "no understanding." The Galatian saints failed to use their spiritual intelligence when faced by the unscriptural, gospel-destroying teaching of the Judaizers. They were not using their heads. They were lazy! They had foolishly fallen into Judaistic legalism because they had stopped believing and applying the basic truths of the gospel that Paul had taught them and by which they had been saved.

We are neither saved nor sanctified in the Christian life on the basis of good feelings or attractive inclinations. Both are on the basis of God's truth in Christ. Christians who rely on self-oriented emotions instead of Scripture-oriented minds are doomed to be "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." (Eph. 4:14). When they judge an idea on the basis of how good it makes them feel or how nice it sounds rather than on the basis of its harmony with God's Word, they are in serious spiritual danger.

Questions to Ponder:
1. What do you think attracts most people to cults: (1) They are intellectually convinced the doctrines of the cult are true. (2) They find its teachings and practices appealing. Support your answer.
2. Does Paul's appeal to the Roman saints in Rom. 12:1-2 apply to "foolish" saints today? How?

Story-Telling and a Hostile Crowd

I forget who said it but someone was referring to controversy when he stated, "No matter what you say or write, there is no controversy until someone does not agree with you.” It is to our benefit that Judaizers did not agree with Paul for now we can learn from the controversy over salvation by grace or by human works. Paul deals with his antagonists in three different way, each one being a way we should use when people disagree with us. In Galatians 1-2 he answers them personally, with stories from his own experiences; in chapters 3-4, doctrinally; and in chapters 5-6, practically. Since our thoughts have brought us to Gal. 1:10-24 we should note his story-telling practice. Personal stories have a particular charm because they cannot be refuted by a hostile crowd. We might call the stories our personal testimony. Every believer has a unique testimony that he should use over and over as he witnesses to people. This is particularly useful with those who may otherwise disagree with our message. Jesus used story-telling amny times to his hostile audiences. See Luke 15, the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, where Jesus thus exposed the hypocrisy of those who criticized his association with the lost. Peter used story-telling in Acts 11 to defend his action in speaking the gospel to Gentiles (Acts 10). Paul uses it here in Gal. 1:13-24. He speaks of his pre-conversion days (1:13-14)and states the obvious, i.e. that he did not learn salvation by grace alone through his commitment to legalistic Judaism. At the time of his conversion (1:15-16a) God revealed the risen Jesus to him (v. 12; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:8; Phil. 3:12) and he learned that salvation was by grace alone. His story continues because after his conversion (Gal. 1:16-24) he "conferred not with flesh and blood." Rather, Jesus Christ was his sole teacher during a period of three years in both Arabia and Damascus and he learned that salvation was by grace alone. When people disagree with your message, try story-telling, your own personal testimony.

Questions to Ponder:
1. If you had to argue for the reality of the gospel by giving one example of how faith in Christ has changed you, what would you share?
2. In what way is your experience of Christ an important part of your witness to others?

Fight the Good Fight but Watch Your Attitude

Paul is an apologist - a defender of the faith. In fact, he is probably the apologist par excellence of all church history. The book of Galatians is one apologetic document that came from his pen. Every serious Christian should focus on this wonderful work. We can learn much about how to defend the faith just by studying it. For example, it becomes obvious that Paul's defence of the faith was never meant to do what only the Holy Spirit can do, namely bring people under conviction of "sin, righteousness and judgment" (John 16:8-11). It is basically meant to strengthen believers. For sure, it is never meant to win an argument against an unbeliever. Josh McDowell stated, "Apologetics is not for proving the Word of God but simply for providing a basis for faith." (Evidence That Demands a Verdict, p. iii). McDowell makes the amazing observation that though the majority of those to whom he has spoken did not deny his evidence, they did not accept Christ as Savior and Lord. "This is not because they were unable to believe - they were simply unwilling to believe." (op.cit.p. i) In Galatians 1:10 Paul showed a right attitude in approaching people with the evidence concerning the truth of Christianity. We need to watch our attitude. Then in verses 11-12 he spoke to the Galatian saints who had been troubled by the Judaizers who claimed to be the true Christians. They had been influenced by suggestions that he made up his own gospel. In another article we shall see where this all went.

Questions to Ponder:
1. Why do you think Paul focused on helping the saints in the Galatian churches rather than on the unbelieving Judaizers? Was this a departure from his normal evangelistic outreach?
2. How has evidence for the truth of Christianity affected you?

People-Pleasing Preachers

People-pleaser! The very term is meant for life outside the church. Clowns are people-pleasers! Wily politicians are people-pleasers! Hollywood actors are people pleasers! But are preachers and Bible teachers clowns, wily politicians or pretentious actors? They shouldn't be! God tells us that there will be teachers who will be just that. The Word prophesies of congregations that "will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears." (2 Tim. 4:3) The people may praise the scholarship, the rhetorical skills and the ability of people-pleasing preachers to manage large churches. But do churches really respect the integrity, the honesty with God's Word or any convictions of those preachers? I cannot imagine that they do! True respect is given to those leaders most representing the One who is our Lord and Savior. The Apostle Paul is such a man who demanded respect. He had been charged with preaching a gospel that was too easy. He was thus pleasing the people to draw in the crowd. The Judaizers who were troubling the Galatian churches taught that the gospel is improved if the Mosaic Law, as hard as it might be to obey, is added to the death and resurrection of Christ. But Paul insists that he was not being a people-pleaser by preaching the gospel of grace. "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Gal. 1:10) We displease God by trying to please people.

Questions to Ponder:
1. Why is it often tempting to try to please people? Why does this seem so important?
2. Is it always wrong to shape what you say according to your your audience's feelings? Why or why not?
3. This week, how can you avoid displeasing God by trying to please people? Think about some of the activities you will face.

How God Looks Upon a Distorted Gospel

I was only one year old in the Lord when a Christian cultist confronted me with the teaching that Christians must follow the laws of Moses. He said that we must keep the Saturday Sabbath. When I denied that, he left me with these words, "Well, I guess I'm a better Christian than you." This denial of the gospel of grace is what Paul faced in Galatia. Judaizers claimed authority from the Jerusalem church and were teaching that the Law must be added to the gracious work of Christ. The new Christians in the Galatian churches believed them and were in the process of deserting the Lord Jesus. This horrified Paul and so he moved quickly to offset the false teaching. He said, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" (Gal. 2:21) To teach that human works contribute to salvation is to suggest that Christ's work was insufficient and needed to be improved on. The real question Galatians 1:6-9 poses is not why Paul became so incensed by this error, but why we, confronted with even deeper error in our own day, seem not to be shocked or dismayed at all. We accept it as a natural thing. Paul was a principled man and it has been through principled leaders like him that we have any Christianity at all today. Our easygoing tolerance is the sort of thing that could destroy it. Do you remember what the Lord said of those who cause believers to stumble? "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea" (Mark 9:42)

Questions to Ponder:
1. Can you think of some modern perversions of the gospel?
2. How can one discern what is really true and avoid being led astray?

Who Says?

Galatians 1:1-9 Because he was not among the original twelve, Paul needed to defend his apostleship in ways that they did not. In I Corinthians 15:6-8 he states that he met the same requirement for seeing the risen Lord as they. However, in Gal. 1 he adds other arguments because his attackers, the Judaizers, were undermining his ministry in the Galatian churches. They claimed that he was a spurious, self-appointed preacher and therefore, his "strange teachings" needed not to be listened to. Contemporary liberal Bible scholars and theologians join them in maintaining that none of the apostles were special. Like other humans what they taught and wrote was based on their own human insight and understanding. Every believer has his own experiences of what is often called “the Christ event.” The Roman Catholics join evangelicals in denying that liberal teaching. However, Roman Catholic dogma adds a different and equally damaging doctrine. It maintains that the church wrote the Bible and is therefore a higher authority than the Bible. The church can therefore add to or modify Scripture as it sees fit, and its ecclesiastical pronouncements are held to have the same spiritual and moral authority as Scripture-even when they clearly contradict scriptural teaching.

Questions to Ponder:

1. How do you think Paul would answer the liberals of today who deny any special divine inspiration and authority to the writings of the apostles?
2. How do you think Paul would answer Roman Catholic dogma who claim that the apostles spoke to the church on behalf of the church?

Will the Real Gospel Please Stand Up?

The central chapters of the letter to the Galatians, chapters three and four, explain the nature of salvation. People use the term "gospel" very loosely. A reader of Scripture in a formalistic church may call the passage he is assigned to read "the gospel." Is It? Another may refer to the gospel as the set of rules Christians must live by. Is it? Thankfully not because that is what has turned many off organized religion. This begs the question, just what is the real essence of the Christian message? Christianity is personal faith in Jesus and a living, continuing relationship with Him. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 defines the gospel as the main work of Jesus Christ during His days on the earth. "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Christ took our place on the cross. He became a "curse" for us (Gal. 3:13). The marvel in the gospel is that His work is 100% sufficient for mankind. Simply by trusting in Him and accepting His finished work on the cross, we are justified in God's sight. Those united to Christ by faith belong to the people of God and have become heirs of the promise given to Abraham (Gal. 3:25-29). They are part of a new community based on grace and mercy, in which all that divides men in a fallen world can no longer divide them.

Questions to Ponder:
1. The main argument of the Judaizers was that Gentiles had to become Jews in order to become Christians. How did Paul expose the flaw in this argument as found in 3:6-9?
2. The law has two functions. There is both a positive side and a negative side to the law. What are they according to 3:18-19?

Truth on Trial

Christians are forced to defend their faith. They always have. But it's different today. We no longer live in the biblically oriented America that existed for the past four centuries. Ours is atheistic, pagan and cultic. Pluralistic, our culture tolerates false doctrine. The belief is that every person is his own authority. Each of us is independent; we determine truth for ourselves. There is no central authority for truth; there is no absolute truth. This is no small matter; it is a critical problem. Eternal life hangs in the balance. "We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:15-16) How we live and what we teach will make a difference in whether people obey the gospel or meet Jesus in the fire of judgment, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."(2 Thess. 1:7-8) This is why Paul was so provoked at the false teaching in Galatia. It was another gospel and would bring eternal ruin to those who embraced it. What strong words he spoke, "But 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." (Gal. 1:8)

This means that the question of authority is a most critical one for us today. Who are we to believe? Who or what has the right to command our obedience? To whom has God delegated His authority? Paul answered the question for the Galatians by asserting his authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:1, 11-12, 15-16). Paul's answer can help us today. The church of God is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20). It is an apostolic church. It bases its teachings, not on human ideas and traditions, but on the teachings of its Lord's apostles. The Bible is God's own Word. It follows then that they who subject themselves to the Bible, subject themselves to God. The Bible is not a mixture of human opinion but the repository of divine truth.

Questions to Ponder:
1. Paul defends himself in Gal. 1:11-2:14. Why must he do that?
2. What evidences of true apostleship does Paul present in Gal. 1-2?

The Fallacy of Working One's Way Past Judgment (Rev. 2:18-29)

Every evil system has been founded on lies. The Nazis believed the lie of the superiority of the Nordic race; the Communists, the lie of the superiority of a classless, stateless society based on common ownership of the means of production; the abortionists, in the lie that fetuses are just tissue. The Church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) denied a final judgment and so the Judge of all men, the Lord Jesus Himself, addresses them as the One who knows the future. He unveils lies believed by many members, which lies encouraged them in their denial. We must understand some aspects of these lies so we don’t believe them.

I. First, consider the nature of the lies in Thyatira (2:19-20). Lies are spawned by hell and those who teach them or believe in them are in league with Satan (2:24) who is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

The first lie was that people who have a reputation for good service need not worry about final judgment (2:19). This lie is not seen by a cursory reading of Rev. 2:19. There is no question but that the Church in Thyatira had a reputation for being a hard-working church. Even the Lord Jesus commends them for that. He comments on their “deeds,” “love,” “faith,” “service,” and “perseverance.” What could be wrong with that? If it stood alone, nothing. But the context of an ungodly church should make us look more closely. Their love is agape love, a love that only Christians can have. That love manifested itself in “service.” Their faithfulness is a gift that the Holy Spirit gives to His people (Gal. 5:22). That faithfulness manifested itself in “perseverance” during trial. From the beginning true believers revealed their divine nature by loving and faithful service to the Lord. And the church’s present state reflects “deeds .. greater than at first.” But, I might add, without the gifts of the Spirit. It appears that only the reputation is there. The Lord commends them because He wants believers to work for Him. But He is more interested in spiritual fruit than in reputation.

Why is this important? Any time believers tolerate unbelievers in their church while trying to serve their Lord the likelihood exists that those unbelievers will take credit for the good reputation of serving Christ. Until they become believers in Christ they will claim those good works as their right to pass the piercing eye of the Lord Jesus. The Bible clearly teaches that we are not saved by works. See Rom. 3:20, 28; Titus 3:5; Eph. 2:8-9.

Begs the Question: Should evangelical churches be involved in social work? Should Bible churches cooperate with non-evangelical churches in great humanitarian outreaches?

The second lie was that people who do not repent need not worry about final judgment. The most atrocious sins were being practiced by members in the church. The congregation had allowed a woman prophetess (a false one, according to Christ’s assessment) to remain in the church and to continue to teach the saints to indulge in “acts of immorality” and to “eat things sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:20). Her teaching was no doubt similar to that of the Nicolaitans and Balaamites at Ephesus and Pergamos. Such sins were common practices for guild members in Thyatira. If they were not practiced, the artisans would lose their trade and their livelihood. In order to expose her true character, the Lord labeled her “Jezebel” – the name of the Canaanite wife of Israel’s King Ahab. Jezebel had not only led Ahab to worship Baal but through Ahab had spread he teachings of idolatry throughout all Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33; 2 Kings 9:22).

Why is this important? There is an apparent disconnect today between Christian beliefs and practice. Where is the distinction between Christianity and the world? People say they have trusted Christ but little is said of repentance. See Rev. 2:21-22. For example, a TV news item reported that a porn model claimed to be a Christian. Her justification was that Adam and Eve were naked. How wicked! Only as true believers uphold repentance in their own lives and live a life of separation from sin will they have an impact on those who see no need for it. Trusting by faith alone without repentance will damn a person. Repentance is one of the most essential, and yet, one of the most neglected of all Christian teachings. It indicates a dramatic change in thinking and attitude concerning sin. But notice how prominent it was in the early church. Jesus taught it (Mark 1:15). When He sent out his disciples on a missionary journey, He told them to preach repentance (Mark 6:12). The last message the Lord gave to his followers on earth was that of repentance (Luke 24:47). It was the message that Paul gave to the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20:21).

Begs the Question: The Lord tells us we are to love the unsaved, but does that mean we are to shut our eyes to the wrong they may do or to be unequally yoked with them in church membership? How much does the church preach on repentance? Can a person be saved if he does not consider himself sinful?

II. Now let’s consider another aspect of these lies: the failure of the lies in Thyatira (Rev. 2:21-23). The Lord pointed out such failure in His parable of houses built upon sand. He said that the floods would wash them away (Matt. 7:24-27). This is what the Lord predicted would happen to the church in Thyatira if they did not repent. Christ will not let the teaching of this false prophetess go unchallenged or unjudged. Failing to repent, Christ would cast her into a bed and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation. On a bed she sinned; on a bed she will suffer. She deceived others; she herself will now be deceived. Concerning the last days of this age, Paul wrote: “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). And during the Tribulation, deceit and falsehood will reach a climax in the Man of Sin. Paul says, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:9-10). Jezebel’s children will be judged. They will be killed. They are the offspring of the apostate church which by the end times will have spread around the world. God’s judgment on them is that He will cast them into the Tribulation. This was true of the judgment of the ancient Jezebel, Ahab’s wife. She met her death years after Ahab died, but to the last she was scheming for herself against God. Her death was so awful, they could not find enough of her to bury.

Why is this important? People who boast about a strong refuge they have made of lies and deception will watch their refuge collapse. They may deny a final judgment but they cannot support it by hiding behind their lies. Judgment will surely come. Read of the lie that future Israel in the Tribulation will believe before judgment comes to them (Isaiah 28:15-17).

Begs the Question? How many neighbors and friends really believe in a coming final judgment? If the supreme court of the land declares an action to be legal, is it right? How do we know? Abortion? Capital punishment? War?

III. We probably should call the final aspect of these delusions the alternatives to the lies in Thyatira (Rev. 2:24-29). Each letter is addressed to believers who remain faithful. The letter to the Thyatiran saints is no different. They are called, “the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them.” The Lord encourages these faithful ones by saying, “I place no other burden on you.” They would not experience the Tribulation and judgments related to it as the others would. He challenges them, however, to “hold fast until I come,” that is, hold fast to the Word of God which in turn would preserve them from error and instruct them in righteousness. They did not know how long that might be, but they knew He was faithful and He would come. It would require perseverance on their part but the Lord offers hope at the end of the line. He promised the overcomers that they would rule with Him in His kingdom (2:26-27). The Lord also promises “the morning star.” This is a reference to Himself (22:16). The morning star appears between the twilight of morning and the full blaze of day. The believers were living in a time like the future Dark Ages. It was their twilight. But the Lord would appear in grace and truth as would later happen when the Reformers appeared, preaching the Word of God. This is pictured in the next letter, the one to the saints in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6).

Raising the Standard of Absolute Truth (Rev. 2:12-17)

We are in great company when we raise the standard of absolute Truth. The Lord Jesus is the One who consistently did it. We learn from Him. In Revelation 2:12-17 He addresses the church of Pergamos and identifies Himself as the One who "hath the sharp sword with two edges." In 1:16 that sword comes out of His mouth. This would be grotesque if taken literally. It is God's symbolic way of describing His holy Word coming out of Christ's mouth with power (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12). God's Word is extremely sharp and, when used defensively, it protects the Christian against Satan and false teachers. But it is used offensively too, cutting down enemies and destroying them and their principles. This application of God's Word was what was needed by the congregation in Pergamos for they were tolerating false teaching. In applying His Word, Christ was raising the standard of absolute Truth (John 17:17). It is what we need to do in our day of religious pluralism.

In Rev. 2:13, then, His Word is encouraging. (1) He knew that they lived in a hostile and difficult place - "even where Satan's seat is." Pergamos was an idolatrous center; and to declare oneself in that place a Christian who worships the one true God and Savior, Jesus Christ, would certainly provoke hostility. (2) Also He commended them for their loyalty to His "name." His name refers to all that He is revealed to be. In this context the name of the martyr Antipas (lit. "against all") is brought up. He is mentioned between the two references to Satan, indicating that his death was instigated by the enmity of pagans in Pergamos. On the one hand Satan persecutes the saints to undermine their loyalty to Christ; but on the other hand, Christ's Word strengthens that loyalty by commending those who are true to Him and by exposing those who are deceitful. God's Word does that. It is meant to encourage us.

In Rev. 2:14-15 His Word is rebuking. Although some in the church had followed Antipas and did not deny Christ's name, others followed a different path. They held to the teaching and practice of the Balaamites and Nicolaitans that Christ hates (2:6). These two doctrinal systems could very well be the same. Their names mean the same. "Balaam" can mean to "conquer the people" (Heb. ba'al'am), which means the same as Nicolaitans. And they are mentioned together in this letter. In fact, the error in the church at Thyatira through the teaching of the woman Jezebel may also be similar to this one. In both letters the compromising practices of fornication and idolatry are named as the deadly effects of the false teaching (Rev. 2:14, 20). Like Israel in the days of Balaam and Jezebel, the church in Pergamos was being deceived; it was an unconscious revolution. Apparently some Christians at Pergamos were still participating in the pagan, holiday festivities and saw no wrong in indulging in the "harmless" beds in the temples and the sexual excitement everyone else was enjoying. Since Satan's chief method is deception , his devices are not known until they are clearly pointed out. The Word of Christ does just that (2 Cor. 4:2-4). He clearly points out their sin; He rebukes them; He exposes sin. When the Word of God is faithfully taught, Christians will be encouraged and sin will be exposed.

In Rev. 2:16 His Word is correcting. The Word of God tells sinners that they must "repent." The saints in Pergamos must repent or the Lord would come in personal judgment. They were to turn about from their evil practices, repudiate their wrong and practice the right. Since those who did not indulge in either religious fornication or idolatry tolerated their practice among them, they, too, along with the guilty, needed to repent. The Lord would "come unto thee quickly." This is not His Second Coming but a personal visitation of judgment on the church. Those who taught and practiced evil would suffer the consequences. Here again the Word of God shall be used, for the Savior said He would "fight against them" with the sword of His mouth. Men may deny absolute Truth today but they must deal with it in the day of accounting (John 12:48).

Finally in Rev. 2:17 His Word is challenging. Using three symbols of "hidden manna," "a white stone," and "a new name," Christ offers Himself to Christians who are tempted to compromise their loyalty to Him in order to gain the favor of the pagan gods. The Bible is filled with promises and invitations to lure Christians from the world to receive Christ as the power needed to overcome.


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



Your Step for Today: Write down any sin that the Lord is now exposing in your life. Name ways that he wants you to correct it.



Prayer for Today: Father, your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Guide me in the ways of holiness that you my be pleased in me.