The Lord’s Work – Part 11
The Appearance of the Reprobate
Back again to 2 Cor. 13:
2 Corinthians 13:5-6 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
So now that we have studied this passage, what do we know?
First, we know that one cannot get himself IN THE FAITH, or keep himself in the faith by demonstrating his love, or by maintaining good works. One is not in the faith because he is going to church. One is not NOT in the faith because he backbites or backslides. “In the faith” is the spiritual state/location of one who has believed on the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you want to know whether a man is in the faith, you check his doctrine.
Second, we also know that one does not PROVE HIS OWN SELF with carnal works. Whether one maintains good works in this life has no relationship to whether or not he is a Christian. There is a way that a Christian SHOULD live. A saved man can live this way, or not live this way. But he is still a saved man, and neither lifestyle is proof of him. An unsaved man can live like the devil, or he can live like a Christian should live. But he is still an unsaved man, and neither lifestyle is proof of him. So..
How do we know our own selves, whether we are in the faith or are reprobates? By proving ourselves.
How do we prove ourselves, whether we are in the faith or are reprobates? By bread, by waters, by fire. By hard questions of the word of God. Hard questions of the doctrine of Jesus Christ (faith, works, judgment, grace, mercy, righteousness).
BUT, you won’t be able to prove yourself to be a Christian by comparing your works to those of a reprobate. Why? Because a reprobate can have “good works” such that he appears righteous. A reprobate can appear righteous! … Even more righteous than Real Christians! Look at the next verses:
2 Corinthians 13:7-8 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
Now, Paul says we shouldn’t do good to APPEAR approved, nonetheless we should do good.
Without specifically stating it, Paul is pointing out that if you do no evil in the flesh, you can appear approved. If we “do no evil”:
We can “appear approved… though we be as reprobates!”
We can “appear approved”… and so can the reprobates!
We can “appear approved”… and yet no different in appearance than reprobates!
We can appear just as approved or just as ungodly as reprobates (unsaved) in the flesh. We be AS them. And if we be as them, then when they “do no evil” they also be as us… in the flesh, in appearance.
No matter how much you appear approved, you appear no more approved/clean than reprobates.
So if we seek to PROVE ourselves by comparing works in the flesh, we may appear approved, just as the reprobates. And they will appear approved too, just as approved as righteous men.
But, if we seek to prove ourselves by works, we will not BE approved. We will not be able to truthfully prove ourselves, and KNOW that we are in Christ. We may appear righteous, but no more and no less righteous than the reprobates. We may have the appearance of being in the faith, but not the proof. If we prove ourselves with works, we will appear no more approved than the reprobates. And if this is how you have proved yourself, then not only have you NOT approved yourself, but you have disapproved yourself. You have proven that you ARE a reprobate. You have defined your own self… by works (your doctrine thereof).
A reprobate is IN THE FLESH, and not IN THE SPIRIT. As long as a man is in the flesh, the best he can do, is APPEAR righteous.
2 Corinthians 13:7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, …
If one does no evil, they will appear approved, instead of appearing as a reprobate.
This is what the lost do… they “do no evil” (at least in eyesight – “there is no man that sinneth not”) that they may “appear approved”.
For us, we SHOULD do no evil, not to appear approved, but because we ARE approved.
It’s not about appearing good in the flesh. We should do good because we ARE good in the Spirit. We should do good because that is what we are, and that is what our father is, and that is what is expected of us. To be perfect in the flesh/earth as we are in Spirit/heaven. To not provoke him to anger. To be perfect. And one day, we will be in flesh as in Spirit.
… but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
We be AS reprobates, because we are no different in the flesh. But no matter what we do, no matter how much we LOOK like reprobates in the flesh, we are not reprobates in the spirit. We are not FAKE (that is, righteous only in appearance). We are not without of Christ. We do not work evil, and we do not work good falsely. We are not deceitful workers.
We are in the faith, in the truth. We work good in the truth. They are against the truth. They can do nothing for the truth. We can do nothing against the truth (the Spirit).
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [There is a reason they stop right here! It’s their doctrine! Do. Work. And don’t stop! … But no, don’t read on!!] 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
They say “do, work!”. Yet, the people that have done, the people that did many wonderful works, are rejected!!! They were NEVER known of God.
It’s crazy that they can read this passage and still maintain that salvation is AT ALL by their works. It’s got to scare the poop out of them! And that is how they live. In fear. In bondage.
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
To eat His meat is to do His will, yea to FINISH His work.
Our doctrine is not do and live, work and live. Our doctrine is look and live, believe and live. Eat, and live.
But they believe that they can be better than those MANY “hypocrites”. They can DO!! Or do MORE. Maybe just more sincerely. Maybe just more fully. Maybe its just got to be more completely in my whole life! Just do enough. How much is enough? Don’t ask them, they have no idea!
So then they can never assume they will have eternal life. They better not stop. Better never turn away!
MANY, MANY really believe they HAVE done good. They really believe they did the will of God sincerely.
Nowhere else can we see it so clear: man’s good works are not TRUE good works. They are rejected as fake.
None of those works, no matter the motive, are counted good. Rather, they are all counted as works of iniquity.
Isaiah 59:6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
The wolf’s disguise – the sheep’s clothing – is his works. Their covering is so good they have convinced themselves. The Bible says we should be clothed with righteousness. They clothe themselves with works of the flesh; with their own righteousness.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
The works of the flesh ARE THESE, and such like!
Build a house for the homeless, you’ve worked adultery.
Give money to a charitable organization, you’ve worked hatred.
Help a stranger change their flat tire on the side of the road, you’ve worked witchcraft.
Give every beggar you find in you home city/town $100, you’ve worked heresy.
Give away a $100 Million winning lottery ticket to a man, you’ve worked murder.
How can you say that!!?!?!
Are those not “good works”? Are those not “the works of the flesh”? Well then, I didn’t say it, the Bible did!
These are the works of the flesh. If you do the works of the flesh, what you are doing are THESE.
All flesh is capable of these things, and many are zealous of these things.
The works of the flesh appear righteous, but they are NOT.
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
Talk about being the most hated guy in the room. Go tell the world that even their “good works” are evil.
Go preach that in public for 3 straight years and let’s see if you’re not either dead, in real danger, or have been forced into silence. Certainly you’ll have almost no one hearing you.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Men hate the light not because it reveals that some of their deeds are evil, but because it reveals that all their works (which they think are good, and which have the appearance of good!) are really evil.
“Oh, but Jesus just means some or most, right? The people that choose the good things and choose to serve God, their deeds are good, right?” No, all of our deeds are evil.
Don’t you think the Pharisees thought some of their works were good? Wouldn’t you agree that some indeed were? Are yours better?
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; …
All our good works are as unclean things. All our good works (the works of the flesh) are AS unclean things / sins. As filthiness, as abomination, as pollution, as unclean. As covered in blood.
And if we ourselves are an unclean thing to God, how can anything we bring forth be clean?
Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
It’s the source that defiles the product. It’s the source that defines it as reprobate.
The reprobate cannot bring forth righteousness. They can’t bring forth good fruit. They cannot bring forth clean things.
This is what they are, and this is what their work is.
Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
By nature, we are defiled and unbelieving. And thus.. NOTHING is pure unto us.
You can’t take a single good work, do it, and call it a pure good work.
There are good men and there are evil men. Righteous and reprobates. True men and spies. You’re one or the other. Elias. Bad guys and good guys. Bad guys can pretend to be good guys.
Wait till he has a chance to be bad, wait till he wants to sin, wait till he needs to lie.
You can do good things, and you can “do no evil” – not do bad things. But that is just hiding who you ARE. Lying.
I AM HERE TEACHING
Oct 4 2020
The Lord’s Work – Part 11
Downloadable Word document:
The Lord’s Work – Part 11
The Lord’s Work – Part 11
The Appearance of the Reprobate
Back again to 2 Cor. 13:
2 Corinthians 13:5-6 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 6 But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates.
So now that we have studied this passage, what do we know?
First, we know that one cannot get himself IN THE FAITH, or keep himself in the faith by demonstrating his love, or by maintaining good works. One is not in the faith because he is going to church. One is not NOT in the faith because he backbites or backslides. “In the faith” is the spiritual state/location of one who has believed on the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you want to know whether a man is in the faith, you check his doctrine.
Second, we also know that one does not PROVE HIS OWN SELF with carnal works. Whether one maintains good works in this life has no relationship to whether or not he is a Christian. There is a way that a Christian SHOULD live. A saved man can live this way, or not live this way. But he is still a saved man, and neither lifestyle is proof of him. An unsaved man can live like the devil, or he can live like a Christian should live. But he is still an unsaved man, and neither lifestyle is proof of him. So..
How do we know our own selves, whether we are in the faith or are reprobates? By proving ourselves.
How do we prove ourselves, whether we are in the faith or are reprobates? By bread, by waters, by fire. By hard questions of the word of God. Hard questions of the doctrine of Jesus Christ (faith, works, judgment, grace, mercy, righteousness).
BUT, you won’t be able to prove yourself to be a Christian by comparing your works to those of a reprobate. Why? Because a reprobate can have “good works” such that he appears righteous. A reprobate can appear righteous! … Even more righteous than Real Christians! Look at the next verses:
2 Corinthians 13:7-8 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
Now, Paul says we shouldn’t do good to APPEAR approved, nonetheless we should do good.
Without specifically stating it, Paul is pointing out that if you do no evil in the flesh, you can appear approved. If we “do no evil”:
We can “appear approved… though we be as reprobates!”
We can “appear approved”… and so can the reprobates!
We can “appear approved”… and yet no different in appearance than reprobates!
We can appear just as approved or just as ungodly as reprobates (unsaved) in the flesh. We be AS them. And if we be as them, then when they “do no evil” they also be as us… in the flesh, in appearance.
No matter how much you appear approved, you appear no more approved/clean than reprobates.
So if we seek to PROVE ourselves by comparing works in the flesh, we may appear approved, just as the reprobates. And they will appear approved too, just as approved as righteous men.
But, if we seek to prove ourselves by works, we will not BE approved. We will not be able to truthfully prove ourselves, and KNOW that we are in Christ. We may appear righteous, but no more and no less righteous than the reprobates. We may have the appearance of being in the faith, but not the proof. If we prove ourselves with works, we will appear no more approved than the reprobates. And if this is how you have proved yourself, then not only have you NOT approved yourself, but you have disapproved yourself. You have proven that you ARE a reprobate. You have defined your own self… by works (your doctrine thereof).
A reprobate is IN THE FLESH, and not IN THE SPIRIT. As long as a man is in the flesh, the best he can do, is APPEAR righteous.
2 Corinthians 13:7 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, …
If one does no evil, they will appear approved, instead of appearing as a reprobate.
This is what the lost do… they “do no evil” (at least in eyesight – “there is no man that sinneth not”) that they may “appear approved”.
For us, we SHOULD do no evil, not to appear approved, but because we ARE approved.
It’s not about appearing good in the flesh. We should do good because we ARE good in the Spirit. We should do good because that is what we are, and that is what our father is, and that is what is expected of us. To be perfect in the flesh/earth as we are in Spirit/heaven. To not provoke him to anger. To be perfect. And one day, we will be in flesh as in Spirit.
… but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.
We be AS reprobates, because we are no different in the flesh. But no matter what we do, no matter how much we LOOK like reprobates in the flesh, we are not reprobates in the spirit. We are not FAKE (that is, righteous only in appearance). We are not without of Christ. We do not work evil, and we do not work good falsely. We are not deceitful workers.
We are in the faith, in the truth. We work good in the truth. They are against the truth. They can do nothing for the truth. We can do nothing against the truth (the Spirit).
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [There is a reason they stop right here! It’s their doctrine! Do. Work. And don’t stop! … But no, don’t read on!!] 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
They say “do, work!”. Yet, the people that have done, the people that did many wonderful works, are rejected!!! They were NEVER known of God.
It’s crazy that they can read this passage and still maintain that salvation is AT ALL by their works. It’s got to scare the poop out of them! And that is how they live. In fear. In bondage.
John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
To eat His meat is to do His will, yea to FINISH His work.
Our doctrine is not do and live, work and live. Our doctrine is look and live, believe and live. Eat, and live.
But they believe that they can be better than those MANY “hypocrites”. They can DO!! Or do MORE. Maybe just more sincerely. Maybe just more fully. Maybe its just got to be more completely in my whole life! Just do enough. How much is enough? Don’t ask them, they have no idea!
So then they can never assume they will have eternal life. They better not stop. Better never turn away!
MANY, MANY really believe they HAVE done good. They really believe they did the will of God sincerely.
Nowhere else can we see it so clear: man’s good works are not TRUE good works. They are rejected as fake.
None of those works, no matter the motive, are counted good. Rather, they are all counted as works of iniquity.
Isaiah 59:6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
The wolf’s disguise – the sheep’s clothing – is his works. Their covering is so good they have convinced themselves. The Bible says we should be clothed with righteousness. They clothe themselves with works of the flesh; with their own righteousness.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
The works of the flesh ARE THESE, and such like!
Build a house for the homeless, you’ve worked adultery.
Give money to a charitable organization, you’ve worked hatred.
Help a stranger change their flat tire on the side of the road, you’ve worked witchcraft.
Give every beggar you find in you home city/town $100, you’ve worked heresy.
Give away a $100 Million winning lottery ticket to a man, you’ve worked murder.
How can you say that!!?!?!
Are those not “good works”? Are those not “the works of the flesh”? Well then, I didn’t say it, the Bible did!
These are the works of the flesh. If you do the works of the flesh, what you are doing are THESE.
All flesh is capable of these things, and many are zealous of these things.
The works of the flesh appear righteous, but they are NOT.
John 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
Talk about being the most hated guy in the room. Go tell the world that even their “good works” are evil.
Go preach that in public for 3 straight years and let’s see if you’re not either dead, in real danger, or have been forced into silence. Certainly you’ll have almost no one hearing you.
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Men hate the light not because it reveals that some of their deeds are evil, but because it reveals that all their works (which they think are good, and which have the appearance of good!) are really evil.
“Oh, but Jesus just means some or most, right? The people that choose the good things and choose to serve God, their deeds are good, right?” No, all of our deeds are evil.
Don’t you think the Pharisees thought some of their works were good? Wouldn’t you agree that some indeed were? Are yours better?
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; …
All our good works are as unclean things. All our good works (the works of the flesh) are AS unclean things / sins. As filthiness, as abomination, as pollution, as unclean. As covered in blood.
And if we ourselves are an unclean thing to God, how can anything we bring forth be clean?
Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
It’s the source that defiles the product. It’s the source that defines it as reprobate.
The reprobate cannot bring forth righteousness. They can’t bring forth good fruit. They cannot bring forth clean things.
This is what they are, and this is what their work is.
Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
By nature, we are defiled and unbelieving. And thus.. NOTHING is pure unto us.
You can’t take a single good work, do it, and call it a pure good work.
There are good men and there are evil men. Righteous and reprobates. True men and spies. You’re one or the other. Elias. Bad guys and good guys. Bad guys can pretend to be good guys.
Wait till he has a chance to be bad, wait till he wants to sin, wait till he needs to lie.
You can do good things, and you can “do no evil” – not do bad things. But that is just hiding who you ARE. Lying.
I AM HERE TEACHING
By Pastor • Individual Lessons, Salvation • 0