THE NATIONAL PRAYER ALTAR

 MARATHON PRAYERS

Monday 14th - Sunday 20th October 2024

THE JUDAIZING OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH

 The Scofield Reference Bible laments what it describes as “the Judaizing of the New Testament Church,” referring to a practice in the Church in which the principles, regulations, and practices of Judaism are applied to New Testament saints. According to Cyrus I. Scofield, the practice has greatly hindered the Church from fulfilling its mission, both to God and to men.

To avoid that pitfall, Holy Spirit, through apostle Paul, placed an instruction in the New Testament for pastors to, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). The cause of much of the doctrinal errors in the Church is the inability of many Bible teachers to “rightly divide the word of truth.” In many instances, the commandments meant for OT saints are applied to NT saints, while the promises of God are similarly misapplied.

 In Bible colleges, “Hermeneutics” is a course that deals with interpreting the Bible. It states that before a passage in the Bible can be properly interpreted, it is important to note context: who is speaking, to whom, and under what circumstance. If that rule is applied to our current understanding of the Bible, it shall be discovered that much of what is practised as Christianity in the Nigeria Church is a mixture of OT and NT principles. That is the ‘mixture’ that has opened the door to syncretism, the combination of Christianity and tradition, resulting in the paucity of Christlike character in the Church.

 Christians need to note that God related to humans under different dispensations, each dispensation with its rules and regulations. Bible scholars have identified the following dispensations of God’s dealing with the world:

1. the dispensation of innocence – the Adamic dispensation

2. the dispensation of conscience – the Enoch dispensation

3. the dispensation of human government – the Noahic dispensation

 4. the dispensation of promise – the Abrahamic dispensation

5. the dispensation of the law – the Mosaic dispensation

6. the dispensation of grace – the Church age

7. the dispensation of millennium reign – the Messianic dispensation

A comparison of the OT saint under the Mosaic law with the NT saint under the dispensation of grace reveals that both saints have different origins, different assignments, and differing rewards. While the OT saint originated from the patriarchs, the NT saint originated from the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8). The OT saint was commanded to separate himself from the nations, but the NT saint was commanded to go to the nations. The OT saint was promised a reward in the Promised Land while the NT saint would get his reward in heaven, if he successfully accomplished the will of God (1 Pet.1:4). While the OT saint requires the blood of bulls and goats to atone for his sin and grant him access to God, the NT saint only requires the blood of Jesus. Their modes of worship equally differed. While the OT saint is permitted to worship only at the Temple, the NT saint can worship anywhere two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus.

One major issue in the Church is that there are many “Christians” who by confession identify with Jesus Christ but in practice and character follow Moses. This is one reason Deut. 8:18 (power to get wealth) is popular in the Church while Acts 1:8 (power to witness) is not. God gave the OT saints power to get wealth while He gave the NT saints power to witness. Many New Testament saints are pursuing the power to get wealth (OT promise) to the detriment of soul winning (NT assignment). 

In Matt. 5, the Lord repeatedly cited portions of the OT and overrode them with new regulations for the dispensation of grace. The Lord kept repeating, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, … but I say unto you…” This statement is repeated in verses 21, 27, 31, 33, 38, and 43. New Testament saints are meant to follow the new regulations that replace the old. What the Lord did in Matthew 5 was a way of confirming that the regulations for Christians were different from those of the OT saints. The Church is not under the law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14). In Gal. 3:10, the Bible declares,” For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse”, while verse 11 continues,” that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident….”

Unfortunately, for various reasons, many pastors present OT regulations as mandates for Christians, making some people to ask, “Why, then, was the OT preserved and presented to NT saints?”

The question is answered in 1 Cor. 10:6,11:” Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (v. 11). Romans 15:4 says,” For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” The Old Testament was preserved for the New Testament saint to learn about the experiences and mistakes of those who went before and learn to avoid their pitfalls. This is the essence of 1 Cor. 10:1-13. Readers should read the passage and note the five offences that the OT saints committed in the wilderness, that led God to destroy them after taking them out of Egypt. Jude 5 declares that God saved them out of Egypt and later destroyed them for unbelief. The NT saint is warned not to commit any of those five offences. (Teachings on those five offences can be found at www.houseofkaris.net/audio: “Ambush on the Road to the Promised Land” - Parts 1-5.)

If the Church is going to be revived and make impact in this generation, there must be a total return to the New Testament. Believers were called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts. 11:26) because people saw that they were like Christ. In this generation, it is difficult to find Christians who are like Christ, because most Christians do not wholly follow the teachings of Christ. It is time to return to Christlikeness. That is the way to revival.

 PRAYER POINTS

1. 1 John 1:9 Confess the sins of the Nigeria Church for deviations in any way from the commands of Jesus Christ, e.g., concerning brotherly love in the Church, unity of the saints, soul winning under the Great Commission, as well as in following the example of Christ as a servant.

2. John 8:32 Pray for the Nigeria Church that it shall be wholly established in the truth of the Word of God.

3. 2 Tim. 2:15 Intercede for ministers of the gospel, that they shall receive grace to rightly divide the word of truth and teach believers nothing but the truth.

4. Matt. 28:19-20 Pray that, henceforth, the Nigeria Church shall focus on making disciples rather than on building cathedrals.

5. Rom. 8:14 Pray that Christians shall receive grace to have personal relationship with Holy Spirit, that the manifestation of Holy Spirit shall be real to every Christian.

6. Eph. 4:11-15 Pray that ministers of the gospel shall receive grace to teach the whole counsel of God so that the saints can mature into the fulness of the stature of Christ.

 7. 2 Pet. 2:1-3 Pray that God shall uproot from the Church all false teachers who deceive Christians into following mammon instead of wholly following Christ. Amen