Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.(Hebrews 12 : 16~17)
O you who think you have achieved repentance!
If you have truly accomplished born-again repentance, then how is it that you cannot escape the path of sinners and the yoke of sin, constantly repeating sins of jealousy, envy, hatred, pride, and falsehood according to your interests—but instead flounder, holding onto fruitless self-reflection?
O you who say you have received the forgiveness of sins!
Have you carried your cross and followed the love of the cross, becoming an example and model by testifying to the love of the cross throughout the earth and proclaiming this true gospel? Because you lack the love of the cross, which is the highest law and the greatest commandment, you live your whole life as sinners, repeating sin according to your interests—so how can you ever enter the kingdom of love?
This is your last chance to soberly examine yourselves and turn back—to see whether your faith is not like that of Esau, who exchanged the glory of salvation for perishable worldly hopes, dreams, and blessings. Are you truly Christians who pursue the love of the cross according to God’s holy will? Or are you merely churchgoers with no connection to the Word?
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.(1 John 2 : 15~17)
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.(James 4 : 3~4)
Everyone! What exactly do you believe in, and what do you rely on that you consider it faith? Like Esau, is it not that you regard as Christian faith your pursuit of perishable, worldly blessings—happiness, ideals, and desires that can never be satisfied—while always repeating sin according to your interests, offering nothing but fruitless repentance and reflection that cannot bring rebirth? Because of such a faith that only repeats sin, are you not, like Esau, unable to be born again, and endlessly trapped in a faith that only seeks perishable blessings belonging to this world?
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:(Colossians 1 : 10~14)
Because sin is always repeated according to self-interest, and because sin is never cut off but only fruitless repentance is endlessly repeated, you must now take this as a clear opportunity and turning point to discern whether your faith has become nothing more than your own rationalizations—rationalizations that justify sin, and falsehoods and distortions born of pride—which have been turned into the Word or deified as God.
Because sin inevitably repeats according to personal interests, true rebirth is impossible. Yet the tragic reality of today’s Christianity is that the absurd and false claim of having achieved Christ’s repentance and received the Holy Spirit has spread like leaven throughout the earth. Now is the time to judge, with true sobriety and according to the standard of the Word, whether your belief has strayed from the true faith—one that pursues the spiritual gifts and fruits of God born of the love of the cross, a faith worthy of full salvation through genuine repentance in Christ—and whether your own assertions, thoughts, and judgments are truly aligned with sound reason and authentic faith.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.(1 John 4 : 16~17)
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.(1 John 4 : 7~11)
How can those who, all their lives, have pursued their greedy desires and blessings while continually committing sin, ever attain a heart that bears the love of the cross, or receive the forgiveness of sins and salvation? The teaching of the cross is that if one bears the cross and practices the love of the cross like the Lord did, and follows Him, then one will reach salvation. This is to dwell in the love of God, who is the source of love. Those who try to serve God along with the world and material things cannot belong to the love of the cross. They are merely walking the path of sinners, continually adding to their sins according to personal interests, unable to turn back, and being unregenerate, they are simply slaves to sin who only repeat sin. Within a faith that seeks perishable success, happiness, and blessing for oneself, there is no love.
Therefore, in such faith, one can never receive the forgiveness of Christ, nor true faith, nor wisdom, nor gifts, nor the Holy Spirit. Thus, the emotional stirring you feel for the sake of your blessing and happiness is by no means the inspiration, teaching, or grace of God. They are the pastors who, pretending to be God’s shepherds, actually bear the spirit of Satan—leading you further to long for the perishable things of the world, and causing you to accumulate more sin according to your self-interest. They appear as shepherds of Christ, but are actually spirits of speech and theory, deceptive spirits who tempt with worldly things, and blind pastors governed by the god of materialism who leads people to seek wealth.
Deceived by the corrupted, heretical sermons and words designed to lure you with sweet worldly temptations—leading you to pursue worldly desires, happiness, and blessings—you spend your entire life walking in place, clinging to fruitless repentance (self-reflection) repeated thousands and tens of thousands of times, never able to be born again. Because of this, most churches today are ones where people grow increasingly numb to sin, treat sin lightly, or even grow bold about sin through prideful teaching.
Emotions, teachings, and tears that fail to lead sinners to turn back from the path of sin that arises from self-interest must be dismissed altogether. They are neither God’s grace nor His teaching, but only the leaven and corruption of moralistic legalists, hypocrites, and those who try to serve God along with the world and material gain. They have nothing to do with salvation. They are teachings of human moral and ethical values created to justify worldly lives that stand in opposition to God’s holy will and make enemies of the love of the cross. They promote the old saying “sweetness comes after bitterness”(the idea that suffering and effort eventually lead to reward and fruit), as if this were God’s blessing, inflating the hopes and dreams of believers as though all their problems and desires will be resolved immediately. But such comfort and hope vanish the moment one turns away. They are like dough inflated by leaven—emotional stirrings and teachings puffed up but hollow.
They do not seek a love that is worthy of leading to salvation, but only a life where all things go well—for the sake of their own desires, happiness, ideals, and success. This is the true reason behind their prayer, faith, and belief. Their faith exists only to pursue selfish desires and worldly dreams that are no different from those of unbelievers. Because of this, they carry a depraved faith and offer depraved prayers that ensure sin will continue until the day they die, with no rebirth, no repentance, and no way to stop sin. The emotions and teachings of such people are nothing more than the tear and inspiration of Esau—who sold eternal glory for perishable blessings and happiness that were his alone.
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.(James 5 : 19~20)
They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.(Jeremiah 23 : 17~22)
And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.(Malachi 2 : 1~6)
The truth, Word, wisdom, and mysteries of God and Christ never rely on human intellect, intelligence, interpretations, explanations, vocabulary, or parables. This is the fundamental reason why humanistic thinking and preaching have prevented you from bearing the true fruit of Christ that is grounded in the Word.