Like the 2 covenants that ran parallel to each other while Israel was under the law, with righteousness being by faith, and works of the law being made mandatory by God to keep Israel from destroying itself. So that her messiah would have a purely human bloodline through which to come into the world. And was never meant for Israel to be made righteous before God.
So it is that unclean has little to do today with which groceries we grow or buy to eat. Rather, as it always was meant even for Israel under the law, clean and unclean has to do with the “meat” of the word of God. Meat that Hebrews tells us only the mature are equipped to eat.
Heb.5:13,14 says, “13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” And since everyone begins as a baby there is no shame in needing milk.
In fact, 1Peter2”2,3 says, “2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” So as babes we should desire the milk of God’s word. So that we can grow to be mature enough to eat the meat.
But, milk that is bad is to be figuratively understood as unclean. Unclean because it harms the growth of those who are drinking it. The kind of harm that false doctrine will do every time because that is Satan’s intent when he deceives.
False doctrine like the sin nature doctrine. And it is because it is so foundational that makes it so dangerous. It is a doctrine so contrary to the faith once delivered to the saints that it not only will stop a young believer’s growth toward maturity. But, it will actually destroy the kind of faith in them that brings eternal life.
The way this happens is because of what the sin nature doctrine proclaims. Teaching that not only is it impossible for you to be free from sin as long as you are in your earthly body. It also denies the doctrine of Christ by denying Jesus came in the same flesh all men have.
A great teacher once said of this false teaching, “It either makes Jesus a sinner by nature. Or it must deny His true humanity.”
A denial John said is so egregious that to the true believer he says “10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”
The reason we know that the doctrine of Christ is that the incarnation means that Jesus came in the same flesh all men have is because of 1John4:3 and Heb.2:14.
In these both Paul and John testify of Jesus’ incarnation as having come as fully man as well as fully God. Saying in 1John4:3, “3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
And then in Heb.2:14 Paul puts a much finer point to the incarnation of Jesus saying, “14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same…”
The finer point we see Paul making here is the absolute fact that Jesus’ flesh in the incarnation was exactly the same in every way that all men have had since God made Adam and placed him in the garden.
And why does Paul say it had to be this way? He said it was so “…that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
And in Heb.4:15 Paul emphasizes our need to know and believe Jesus came in the same flesh all men have by showing us that without it Jesus could not have been tempted in all points just as we are yet without sin. He said, “15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
So it is imperative that we believe in the Jesus that had exactly the same flesh all men have. And to believe otherwise is to deny the doctrine of Christ. Which leads us to what Jesus said in Mt.24 when He was explaining to Israel “when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
As He began to instruct them on these things He said, “Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” So there will be others who claim to be Christ. But, don’t confuse this with meaning these will be saying they are messiah.
Christ does not mean messiah. It means anointed. So these Jesus is telling them will come are those who want you to believe they are anointed by God to point you to the savior.
But, if they teach you that your flesh is different from Jesus’. If they teach you that Jesus’ flesh could not be like ours because then He would be a sinner by nature. They are not anointed of God. And neither are they teaching the doctrine of Christ.
Because remember the doctrine of Christ is that in the incarnation Jesus came in the same flesh all men have. And because He was tempted in all points just as all men are yet without sin. It is impossible that any man has ever been a sinner by nature.
This means that men sin by choice, and not by nature. And that sin is something a man can do. But, not something that a man must do. He is not compelled toward sin by his nature. Rather, he is repelled from sin by his nature.
This is the clear teaching Paul gives us in Rom.1 and 2. In Rom.1:26,27 Paul says a man does what is against his nature when he sins. And in Rom.2:14 he says, “14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves”.
So it is natural for men not to sin. And against his nature to do so. This shows us that God made us for fellowship and gave us everything we needed to naturally come to that end.
Not that the natural man perceives the things of the Spirit. But, only that the natural man naturally does what is right. And does not have the tendency in him that compels him to do what is wrong. Rather, it must be learned.
This is why we do not drink the bad milk of the sin nature doctrine. Rather, we drink the milk of the word of God that we may grow thereby into the mature believer who eats the good meat of the word of God.
Meat that rejects teaching that denies the doctrine of Christ in all of its forms. Meat that rejects the doctrine of original sin that we learned about last week.
Meat that keeps the gentile and the Jew doing that which even his nature has been made by God to be naturally inclined toward. So that believing the gospel we learn to love and serve Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, just as Jesus said.
This is all God asks of us. To love and serve Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Not much right? lol. Well. It might seem like a lot to some. But, truth is it’s our reasonable service as Paul says in Rom.12:1.
And when we do this we are not conformed to this world’s way of thinking. But, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds through the Holy Spirit who lives in us who are saved. Us who are born again.
If you have not come to a saving faith in Jesus so that you are born of His Spirit but want to now. So that you can begin drinking the sincere milk of God’s word and begin your path to maturity. Just confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. And believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead.
This is how you become a child of God and heir to His kingdom. This is how you become born again.
Do this and you will have eternal life now. Do this and you will have immortality at the resurrection. Do this… and I will see you there or in the air!
