A Word to Evangelists and Self-Appointed Teachers

A Word to Evangelists and Self-Appointed Teachers

The Romans’ faith was spoken of throughout the whole world. Rom. 1:8. The apostle Paul certainly would not have written to them about things they could not understand, and yet the letter to the Romans is a riddle to the Christians of our day. This proves that the Christians in Rome were more mature in their Christian life than the Christians of today.

The Romans must have known about sin in the flesh, because the apostle exhorted them not to let sin reign in their mortal bodies, that they should obey it in its lusts. Rom. 6:12. They had received power over sin; otherwise such an exhortation would have been pointless.

The fact that we have been set free from sin and have entered the ministry of righteousness does not remove sin in the flesh. Sin in the flesh can also be called the lust of the flesh. This is why it is written that each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires (lusts) and enticed. Therefore, we should reckon ourselves dead to our lusts (or sin) and alive to God.

When we were in the flesh, the sinful lusts were at work in us. Rom. 7:5. This makes it clear that we are no longer in the flesh. It is written, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Rom. 8:9.

Because it is written that we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit, many children of God believe that sin in the flesh has been removed, or that they have been transferred from Romans 7 to Romans 8. However, sin is just as present in the flesh as it was before. That is why we need to reckon ourselves dead to sin.

After we have been baptized with the Spirit, the process of sanctification begins. God then leads us to our enemies, and they are our bread.

When Israel crossed the Jordan into Canaan, it was full of enemies. Our flesh is also full of enemies, even after we, through the law, have died to the law. There is still nothing good in our flesh. Now the new and living way has been opened through the veil—that is, His flesh. Therefore this way must also go through our flesh. On this way we meet countless enemies, all of whom must be conquered in the power of an eternal Spirit. Here there are abundant sacrifices and abundant bread. Christ went ahead of us on this way, and God condemned sin in His flesh, so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us when we walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

There is plenty of evidence that sin still dwells in us even after we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit. We have seen many fall away because they gave in to the lusts in their flesh. They allowed sin in the flesh to reign, and they fell in manifest sins. We can only be saved and preserved by remaining on the cross. Those who are Christ’s have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. This crucifixion is a position of faith, but the moment you allow the lusts to reign, you lose this position.

The cause of all divisions, fights and disagreements is that people allow the lusts in their members to reign. James 4:1. All manifest sins (works of the flesh, Gal. 5:19) are the result of giving in to lusts in the flesh.

I am convinced that many souls have fallen into sin precisely because they believed sin had been removed from their flesh. They stopped watching and praying—they were not awake; yet the lusts were still wide-awake, and so they fell. Not many should become teachers, for they bear the greater responsibility. Think to be responsible for leading people into this sleep-inducing false doctrine that teaches that sin has been removed from the flesh by the baptism of the Spirit.

You would think experience would have taught us that we need powerful exhortations not to let sin in the flesh reign so we obey it in its lusts.

Aaron and his sons were to bear the guilt of allowing others to transgress against their priestly office. We need men today who can take these self-appointed religious leaders by the ear and put them in their place.

“But when he [Uzziah] was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God by entering the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the Lord—valiant men. And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, ‘It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.’ Then Uzziah became furious . . . leprosy broke out on his forehead . . . .” 2 Chron. 26:16-19.

Uzziah not only became strong, he also became dictatorial. He deemed the sons of Aaron to be insignificant. This is what usually happens to an evangelist when the Lord exalts him through revivals. He begins to take everything into his own hands, and it is as if the shepherds, teachers and prophets become so insignificant that they no longer exist. Just like Uzziah, he goes beyond his boundaries. He pushes his way into other people’s areas; he takes it upon himself to be a teacher—but he is a false teacher, because God never appointed him to be anything but an evangelist. The church becomes bankrupt; many fall away, and leprosy breaks out everywhere. Yet he continues to sleep securely, waiting for the next revival when once again he will be the center of attention. Vanity of vanities! It is all vanity. God’s Word stands, and it says that God placed some in the church as apostles, some as prophets, some as teachers, etc. They have been placed there for the equipping of the saints, until we all come to the unity of the faith. God has placed different servants in the church, and they don’t go around politely asking permission from men to carry out their work. The prophets in the Old Testament were not treated particularly well by the religious people of their time. Similarly, I believe that everyone who wants to stand before God’s face and serve as a priest for Him will experience the same thing in these so-called “enlightened” New Testament times, when darkness is called light and light darkness.