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The Theological Nullification of Jesus’ Words

I am never ceased to be amazed at the lengths hyper-grace teachers go to in order to twist Scripture to make it fit their doctrine. Here’s an example I read today: “The Lord’s Prayer was not given to the church, but to Jews under the Law of Moses. So Jesus’ solemn warning about unforgiveness that is derived from the Lord’s Prayer has no application to Christians.”

You no doubt know that the Lord’s Prayer includes these words: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matt. 6:12). One verse later, Jesus elaborated on that clause, saying, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matt. 6:14-15).

Jesus’ words in that passage are crystal-clear, but according to some hyper-grace teachers, all of them became completely irrelevant after Jesus died and rose again—at the inauguration of the new covenant. And hyper-grace teachers must find a way to make them irrelevant, because taken at face value, they indicate that our being forgiven by God is predicated upon our forgiving others. And obviously, being forgiven by God is a basic requirement to enter heaven. But that, they say, is not consistent with grace, at least as defined by hyper-grace teachers. Grace, they wrongly claim, can include no requirement of holiness, otherwise it is salvation by works.

Worse, Jesus’ words, taken at face value, make it clear that God might REVOKE forgiveness He has already granted, a concept also taught in Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant (see Matt. 18:23-35). Jesus concluded that parable by warning, “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart” (Matt. 18:34-35).

Of necessity, hyper-grace teachers MUST make those words also irrelevant to new covenant Christians, plus many other clear declarations Jesus made that contradict their perverse doctrine. And so you will hear them often claim that everything Jesus taught that doesn’t agree with their theology was only applicable to old covenant Jews under the Mosaic Law.

Of course, their strange view is problematic on many levels. One is that their view is not taught anywhere in the New Testament epistles. You won’t find Paul, Peter, James, John or Jude writing anything like, “Jesus ministered to Jews under the old covenant, and so many of His words have no application to new covenant Christians.”

On the contrary, they, like all the other apostles, taught their disciples to obey everything Jesus had taught them, because that is precisely what He commanded them to do in His Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20, emphasis added).

And that is why Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians, “For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus” (1Th. 4:2, emphasis added), and why he wrote to the Colossian believers, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Col. 3:16, emphasis added).

That was why John wrote, “By this we know that we have come to know Him [Jesus], if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3, emphasis added), and why Peter wrote, “To those who reside as aliens…who are chosen…to obey Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:1-2, emphasis added).

That is why James so often alluded to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in his general epistle (see Jas. 2:13; 3:18; 4:11-12; 5:3, 12), and why Jesus is referred to as “our Lord” 68 times in the New Testament epistles.

Never, not once, does any author of any New Testament epistle ever intimate in the slightest that any of what Jesus taught is irrelevant to new covenant believers. That being so, anyone who claims that some or all of what Jesus taught IS irrelevant to new covenant believers is teaching pure heresy. They might also be guilty of blasphemy since they, by nullifying some of Jesus’ words, diminish His lordship.

And there are many other problems with the hyper-grace teaching that nullifies so much of what Jesus said. One is that it creates a different means of salvation under old and new covenants, whereas the New Testament teaches that grace and faith have always been the means of salvation, prior to, during, and after the new covenant. Both Abraham (before the Mosaic Law) and David (during the Mosaic Law) were saved by grace through faith (see Rom. 4:1-8, 16).

The grace that God has always offered has never been a license to sin, but rather a temporary opportunity to repent of sin and be forgiven. That is biblical grace as Paul defined it, writing, “For the GRACE OF GOD has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:11-14, , emphasis added).

So, is our forgiveness predicated upon our forgiving others? Yes, according to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul similarly warned that those who practice “enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, [and] factions”… “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19-21). Does unforgiveness have any connection to that list of social sins? The answer is obvious.

Regarding the subject of forgiveness, there is much more that could be said from the many other scriptures that make some reference to it. Christian teachers sometimes just skim over the surface of the subject, while believers often wrestle with questions about what God requires of them, particularly in regard to offenders who never ask for forgiveness. I have done my best to address those deeper issues in some articles I’ve written on this website. For anyone who is interested, one is titled, “A Closer Look at Forgiving” and another is titled “DMM Chapter 24: Confrontation, Forgiveness and Reconciliation.” (You may be surprised to learn that, although God expects us to love everyone, He does not expect us to forgive everyone.)

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The Radical Redefinition of Repentance

by David Servant

After His resurrection, Jesus told His apostles that “repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47, emphasis added). Clearly, according to Jesus, forgiveness of sin from God is predicated upon repentance. That does make sense, as it would seem odd to think of God forgiving people who have no intention of turning from the behavior of which He is forgiving them. It would also seem odd for anyone to expect forgiveness from God—or from anyone for that matter—if they intended to continue the behavior for which they are asking forgiveness. If they did, they really wouldn’t be asking for forgiveness, but rather for a license to continue their offensive behavior.

The Radical Redefinition of Repentance by David Servant

Jesus’ post-resurrection words to the apostles about God’s forgiveness being predicated on human repentance were no surprise to them, because at least some of them had heard John the Baptist preach, as Scripture declares, “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark  1:4; Luke 3:3, emphasis added). Specifically, John preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2).

Beyond that, all of the apostles heard Jesus proclaim the identical message, that is, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). In order to be ready for the coming kingdom—over which a King would obviously reign—people who were not currently submitted to that king needed to change what they were doing and submit to that king.

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My Apology, Replies to My Letter, and Hope for Family Reconciliation

by David Servant

Greetings from beautiful Pennsylvania, a state that was named after William Penn, a Quaker Christian man who, in the 17th century, was instrumental in creating a safe place for persecuted European Christians, including Mennonites and Amish folks. For thousands of Anabaptists, Pennsylvania was an answer to their prayers. Today, Pennsylvania has the largest Amish population of all the states (81,500), leading even Ohio and Indiana. Anyone who lives in or near any Amish community knows what a blessing they are to local economies and everyone’s well-being. They have a reputation of being family-centered, hardworking, and honest. I count myself blessed to live within the boundaries of Pennsylvania’s third-largest Amish community, and within the vicinity of several others.

Image for followup to Amish letter

I wrote a letter in June that we sent to thousands of Amish households across North America. I’m happy to report that I received over 200 written replies, including many requests for English Bibles and more information about being born again, as well as many phone calls. I’d like to share some of the written replies with you later in this letter, as I think your will find them interesting. But first, I would like to apologize for a misunderstanding.

As I shared the story of the “Johnsonburg Amish Awakening,” I told how two-dozen Amish adults were born again—including a bishop named Levi and minister named Jonas—and how they were eventually excommunicated from their Amish community for “adopting a new faith.” For that reason, some who received my letter assumed that I believe a person cannot be Amish and also be born again. So please allow me to clear that up. I don’t believe that! (And I never said that in my letter.) There are many Amish people who have been born again and who follow an Amish lifestyle. I’ve received letters from some of them (and I’ll share a few with you). Most all of them know that believing in Jesus and obeying His commandments are what is most important.

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“You Have Heard…But I Say”—Jesus’ Six Counterpoints: Moral Upgrade or Moral Reclamation?

by David Servant

No doubt you’ve heard of Mennonites. Perhaps also of the Amish. Maybe even the Brethren and Hutterites. All fall under the heading of “Anabaptists,” who trace their roots to 16th century Germany and Switzerland. Their predecessors were part of what is known as the Radical Reformation, a response to perceived corruption in both Roman Catholicism and the expanding Magisterial (state-wedded) Protestant movement led by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others.

E-Teaching Graphic

The early Anabaptists, like the early Christians, were pejoratively named by their persecutors, but in their case because of their distinct doctrine of re-baptizing adults who had already been baptized as babies. The word anabaptist means “one who baptizes again.” Anabaptists noticed that infant baptism, practiced by both Roman Catholics and the Protestants of their day, wasn’t found in the New Testament, and that the apostles seemed to baptize only those who were old enough to understand the gospel, repent of their sins and follow Christ.

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Senior Sex

Sex is for Christians! Biblical Insights for a Lifetime of Purity and Pleasure - Chapter 14

PLEASE NOTE: This e-teaching is not appropriate for children, preadolescents, and many adolescents.

Picture of older couple in bed - Chapter 14, "Senior Sex"

Now there came to Him some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection), and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should marry the wife and raise up children to his brother. Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; and the second and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. Finally the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven had married her.”

Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection” (Luke 20:27-36).

Strangely, although the Jewish sect of the Sadducees in Jesus’ day did respect the Law of Moses, they didn’t believe there was an afterlife or that anyone would be resurrected. In their thinking, death was the absolute end (which is why some say they were “sad you see”).

One of their proof texts was the Mosaic Law’s regulation concerning levirate marriage, something we’ve considered in an earlier chapter. How could there be an afterlife if one woman had been repeatedly married, widowed, and remarried? In heaven, she would be married to multiple living men! Since polyandry was unthinkable, in their minds that ruled out any possibility of an afterlife. (They would, no doubt, have been OK with Solomon having 700 wives and 300 concubines forever.)

The Sadducees, however, were clinging to a few flawed assumptions. They reasoned that if there was an afterlife, those who were married prior to their deaths would still be married. Surely, they assumed, no married woman would be another man’s wife in the afterlife. Jesus revealed, however, that there will be no marriage at all in the next life. Death ends the marriage covenant, which is why Christian marriage vows generally include the words, “till death do us part.”

For those of us who are happily married, being unmarried in heaven is a sad thought. For that reason, my wife and I have already agreed to be best friends forever. Still, we wonder how heaven could be heavenly without our marriage. We can only assume that heaven holds something even better, although unimaginable. Might perfect love make possible perfect relationships with all the saints, so that we will all, in a sense, be “married”?

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Your Sexy Temple

Sex is for Christians! Biblical Insights for a Lifetime of Purity and Pleasure - Chapter 13

PLEASE NOTE: This e-teaching is not appropriate for children, preadolescents, and many adolescents.

Your Sexy Temple e-teaching graphic

“Ah, you are looking so nice and fat!”

Those words would hardly be perceived as a compliment in the United States, where many of us are overweight. Yet there are many countries where those sentiments are sometimes spoken as a sincere compliment. I’ve been to some of them. Without exception, those nations are generally poor, and being overweight is a sign of wealth, because it indicates that one can afford more food than most people. In many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, when someone tells you that you are fat, he is being kind.

No country better exemplifies that cultural phenomenon than Mauritania, in northwest Africa. Mauritania is mostly desert, and food is often in short supply. In rural Mauritania, people only survive if they live near an oasis. You can understand why being overweight is desirable—and even prestigious. So much so that Mauritanian men prefer heavy women. A heavy wife is the sign of a rich man. Skinniness is associated with poverty.