of-01-soul

This set of studies follows on from the series The Necessity of Loving All. In that series we examined the importance of loving all in relation to the calling, inheritance and power of God. We will now uncover three dark spiritual forces which oppose the Lord’s purposes in these areas and examine how we can defeat them.

Introducing the Three Assassins

The book ofvJudevhas a particular focus on the End Times and exposes attitudes which are counter-productive to loving one another. Almost the entire book warns about certain people creeping into the Church in order to harm it (v 4).

Vv 17-21vcontrasts two groups of people:

True Believers
These are described as people of faith, open to the Holy Spirit, committed to the love of God and focussed upon eternal priorities (vv 20-21).

Assassins of Unity
Such folk are soulish mockers who cause divisions (vv 18-19). Their opposition to God’s purposes is a thread which runs right through the Bible, down to the present day and to the End of the Age. They represent evil spiritual beings who span the generations. As such they must be faced and conquered by God’s people in each generation until Jesus returns.

Such folk are soulish mockers who cause divisions (vv 18-19). Their opposition to God’s purposes is a thread which runs right through the Bible, down to the present day and to the End of the Age. They represent evil spiritual beings who span the generations. As such they must be faced and conquered by God’s people in each generation until Jesus returns.

Vv 11-12.oThese assassins are represented by three characters from the early pages of the OT. Their influence was brought into focus at the love feast because it was a time of sincere acceptance of one another. The occasion apparently included a meal along with the Lord’s Supper. These assassins feasted without fear (ie. without showing proper respect to either the Lord or His people) and were serving only themselves. This description strongly parallelsv1 Cor 11:20-30vwhich was examined in the series The Necessity of Loving All.

Let us now introduce the three assassins and see how they relate to God’s calling, inheritance and power. Each will be examined in greater detail as the series proceeds.

Cain Opposes the Calling of God

One of the basic components of God’s calling upon an individual (whether it be in the area of salvation, maturity, ministry, or whatever) is doing things God’s way. For example, we can only come to salvation by the Lord’s revealed procedure. It is useless to invent our own form of salvation and expect Him to accept it. The same principle applies to every aspect of Christian living. If we want to develop spiritually then we must do so God’s way. There is no other way to achieve what the Lord intends. However opposed to God’s way is the way of Cain which represents alternative approaches based upon human preference.
Balaam Opposes the Inheritance of God
Balaam was a pagan prophet who was greedy for material gain. He was the mastermind behind Israel’s fall into immorality with the Moabites. This individual had little regard for Heaven’s riches but was focussed upon the benefits of this life. Balaam seeks to rob us of our spiritual inheritance by offering short-term, fleshly gratification in forbidden areas.
Korah Opposes the Power and Authority of God
Korah was a cousin of Moses and sought to overthrow him. He opposed Moses’ anointing and leadership. So we see that Korah stands against the anointing flowing through godly order.

The Way of Cain

Gen 4:1-2.oThe very first humans, Adam and Eve, initially had two male children, Cain and Abel. Cain grew up to be a crop farmer and Abel a shepherd.

Vv 3-5.oTo grasp the meaning of these verses we need to understand that God has established only one basis of acceptance between Himself and sinful humanity - blood sacrifice. There is no other way to come into right relationship with Him. In the OT that involved sacrificing certain animals on specific calendar days and as the need arose. In the NT animal sacrifice was replaced by what it pointed towards: the once for all sacrifice of Jesus the Son of God.

Abel submitted to God’s way of sacrifice but Cain introduced an alternative way by presenting a collection of vegetables to the Lord. When Cain’s offering was rejected he responded by murdering his brother (v 8). As a result he became a fugitive and a vagabond (vv 9-12). Let us now look at two modern expressions of the way of Cain.

False Religions
The way of Cain represents self-invented human religion which centres upon gratifying itself rather than pleasing the Lord. The false religions and cults of today fit this category.

Alternative Plans and Directions
The way of Cain is also expressed as a fleshly alternative to the Lord’s plan for a specific situation. If Cain’s false way is followed then everything becomes muddled. All of this can be very subtle because the false way can sometimes seem right, but eventually it will end in death (Prov 14:12). It will be an empty waste of time.

In whatever context, the way of Cain seeks to assassinate God’s way and that ultimately leads to murder, whether it be literal murder or the snuffing out of the Lord’s plans and purposes.

Next time we will examine the alternative to Cain’s way.