WHO ARE
THE CLERGY?
By David Yeubanks
April 2005
Special Thanks To Joe
& Deanna Rodriguez for Help Proof-Reading This Document
|
How
many of us were raised with the notion that there is intended to be some elite
class of spiritual leaders, which preside over an assembly of Christians (i.e.
a church) known as “the clergy”? And by
“elite” I simply mean to emphasize that these individuals are commonly
understood to be those that inhabit a religious office of ministry, generally
as a paid profession, that is believed to be separate and higher (in ranking
authority, skill, honor and responsibility) than the rest of the members in a
fellowship of Christians. These are
typically believed to carry the principle responsibility of hearing from God
and bringing His Word to the people every week.
They are frequently seen as counselors, whom the people in a
congregation expect them to have answers (from God) in response to their daily
troubles, hang-ups, questions and need for direction. Furthermore, along with these common
presumptions, often the belief exists that giving to “the clergy” (i.e. tithes,
offerings, etc.) and/or giving to “the church” (i.e. time, service, finances,
ministry work, etc.) equals giving to God as the clergy are seen as mediators
for the people and “the church” as being a temple. Traditionally,
the other members who are not clergy are most often recognized as “the
laity.” But does God’s Word actually
make such distinctions among His people who are His body? And where did these terms actually come
from? Are they clearly defined in
Scripture? If so, where? And if they cannot be found in the Word of
God but are proven to have been derived by some other means, then is it wise to
maintain support of a system that God has not ordained? Could it, in fact, be damaging to a
believer’s process of spiritual growth, reliance on God and intimacy with
Christ? These are important questions,
which this article intends to examine. When
many people think of “the clergy” the thought of Roman Catholic priests,
bishops and popes often come to mind; little white collars, crucifixes and
black suits. While it is absolutely true
that many of our modern Christian practices actually originate with Roman
Catholicism and not expressly Scripture, my intent with this article is not to
single out Catholics or any denomination in particular. When I speak of “the clergy” I intend all of
those engaged in the profession and position of priest-like office. This may in fact include the modern
professional pastoral role, elders, apostles, etc. Many Christians think of these ministries to
be religious “offices”, having some higher, separate and intermediary role
apart from other believers. So, in this
sense, even many who are of the Protestant faith may easily be qualified as
clergy. Even our modern English
dictionaries define clergy as pertaining to Christian pastors and priests. My
purpose with this article/e-book is to encourage readers to dive deeply into
the Word of God and not to merely settle for status quo traditionalism. I hope to offer some strong points to
consider and questions to examine. I
will also share some of the bold conclusions that I myself have come to. As the author of this work, I humbly submit
to my readers that I am not a theologian in any official sense of the
word. I do happen to hold an Associates
degree in the field and love to study Scripture and Biblical history as a
hobby, but I do not suppose that either of these qualities make me an expert in
matters of Hebrew or Greek interpretation.
I, like many other students of the Word of God, rely heavily upon the
multitude of Bible dictionaries, lexicons and commentaries (by scholars more
learned than I) available as resources for study as well as examining various Scripture
translations and biblical contexts. I
also rely upon personal time spent in prayer and meditating upon the word of
God. I do not ask the reader to simply
take my word for anything (even though some of my conclusions are boldly
expressed). It is vital that each person
diligently study the Word of God and draw their conclusions based on honest
research, fair examination and communion with the Holy Spirit, and not merely
because someone else “said so” or simply because something “sounds good.” This
is one of the great frustrations I have with “organized religion” today; People
follow blindly because men, who suppose themselves to be spiritual leaders,
often “say so” and few have concern that there may ever be error in their
teaching and, many times, even those teachers themselves impose that anyone who
rejects their teaching or even questions it is rebelling against God’s
anointed. This is nonsense! God expects us to be watchful and diligent in
our pursuit of truth. We should not be
ignorant and gullible. Our freedom in
Christ depends on it! While
I will agree that there are those who may call themselves members of “the
clergy” and are generally sincere and appear to have pure intent to serve God’s
people, there are also plenty of hucksters out there that claim to be
“anointed” and who claim to preach “the truth.”
Some for money (whether for wealth or merely as a profession), others
for power, others for fame, notoriety, self-esteem, and still others for any
number of reasons beyond a simple and pure intent to lovingly care for God’s
children. The latter (those with
corrupted hearts and minds) will likely take some offense to this article. The intent, however, is to encourage
believers to use discernment. This is
not meant, in any way, as an attack on those individuals who have a sincere
intent to care for God’s little lambs (not as lords over them, or who do so for
money, but as ones who set godly examples and who sincerely care for them the
way older brothers watch over their younger siblings – 1 Peter 5:2-3). But it ought to be a solemn reminder and
challenge to be careful about the motives of your heart and to make honest
examination of these things to be sure you are walking justly before Christ,
before His people and in alignment with the truth of God’s Word. Even well-meaning servants can miss the mark,
become puffed up with pride, and become an obstacle in God’s path if they lose
sight of the truth. The good news is
that once we are made aware of our error, we can repent and turn to the right
way. While
the purpose of this article is not to cause people to take on a suspicious
attitude about everyone who occupies the functionary role of a “minister”, it
is to encourage believers to be watchful – because this is something our Lord
commanded of us. Many of those so-called
“leaders” who get angry because some ask questions or require convincing (with
Scripture and actions) are simply showing their “fruit” and this should only
make them that much easier for you to spot.
And once they are spotted, they ought to be left alone – as Jesus
commanded. Matthew
15:13-14 (ISV) - He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father did not
plant will be pulled up by the roots.
Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If one blind
person leads another blind person, both will fall into a ditch." BEWARE OF
SELF-PROCLAIMING “ANOINTED ONES” Matthew
24:4 (KJV) - And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Take heed that no man
deceive you. For many shall come
in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” The previous passage (Matthew 24:4), as
it appears in the original Greek (the language that much of the New Testament
was written in); says that “many shall come in my name, saying, ‘I am
Christ…’” The KJV correctly renders it
here. A number of newer translations add
the word “the” before Christ to indicate that this passage means that men would
specifically say that they were Him (i.e. Jesus). While it is true that there were those, even
in the first century (and afterwards) who came (as Jesus prophesied) claiming
to be Christ (in other words “the Messiah”), the literal words of Jesus here do
not add the word “the” to His statement to make it specific to Him. The word “Christ” is “christos”. It means “anointed one.” In other words, what we have here is Jesus
talking about MANY who would come IN HIS NAME claiming to be ANOINTED ONES.
His warning is continued repeatedly in the Gospels… Matthew
24:24 (NIV) - For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform
great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. The
words “false christs” is actually one single word in the Greek;
“pseudochristos.” It (literally
translated) means “a false anointed one.”
Now, consider these things Jesus Himself warned His sheep about… How frequently do we hear men, standing
behind their golden pulpits, boasting that they are “anointed ones”? One particular televangelist comes to mind that
frequently says on his program, “brother I’m anointed!” Many of you have also likely heard these same
individuals warn you not to “touch God’s anointed ones” in threatening tone to
avoid being questioned or scrutinized for what they teach and do. Please
notice, dear friend, that Jesus did not merely say that many would come claiming
to be Him (i.e. “the” Christ), but that they would come claiming to be
“anointed ones” (christs). Why would
this deceive so many people? Because
Jesus also said they would come “in His name” (in other words, claiming to be
sent by Jesus). They would look like the
real deal. They would say, “we come to
you in the name of the Lord and we are anointed.” But watch carefully when you hear this kind
of boasting. It may be that the voice
you are hearing is pseudochristos!
Remember, Jesus said there would be MANY who come in His name. Dear friend, it is BIBLICAL to watch
out! Don’t ever let anyone tell you
different! YOUR LORD SPECIFICALLY
INSTRUCTED YOU TO BE ON YOUR GUARD ABOUT SUCH THINGS! And
concerning those who attempt to use Scripture in threatening you not to “touch
God’s anointed”, please look with me for a moment at their banner passage,
which they so frequently remove from context to manipulate you and induce fear
and submission: Psalm 105:12-15 (NLT) - He said this when they were few in number, a
tiny group of strangers in It is 100% clear, by the
preceding passage, that God warned AUTHORITIES not to touch HIS PEOPLE! Not the other way around! According to this passage, God regards ALL
HIS PEOPLE as being His anointed ones!
Keep that in mind when a man attempts to insert himself as your
authority and tries to avoid accountability by telling you not to touch him
(question him, correct him, disagree with him, or reject his word) because he
is “anointed”. A true anointed servant
of Christ doesn’t throw his weight around, boast in titles, or insist on
subservience, but he is humble and manifests a clear character of Christ
through his actions. Luke Such
men like to be lifted up on pedestals.
They don’t come as fellow brothers among brothers with humility. They enjoy the praise of men and expect to
have a reward for their so-called labor.
But Jesus taught something different. Luke 17:9-10 (MSG) - Does the servant get special thanks for doing what's
expected of him? It's the same with you.
When you've done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, 'The
work is done. What we were told to do, we did.'" WE MUST
OBEY GOD AND FOLLOW HIM Keeping
these things in mind, we should be able to spot the fraudulent “servants” who
are such only in word (their word) but do not manifest the character and
teaching of Christ. You will notice that
many of these false servants will direct you to obey their teaching (regardless
of your being uncomfortable with it).
They say they speak the truth and they speak for God. They will quote the Scripture and say that
this is God’s will for you to obey them because God has ordained them to lead
you and give account for you. Hebrews Does that passage sound
familiar? Well, it is important to
understand what these words actually mean in the Greek and in context. Obey does NOT mean unquestioned subservience
– it does not mean to “follow commands” – and there is also nothing in the
original text to support the words “those that have the rule over you.” Now, before you accuse me of heresy, please
continue with me here for a moment. Let’s
examine this carefully. The Greek word for
“obey” (in the preceding passage) is “peitho” and it means “to be persuaded by
argument, to judge whether true or false”!
Simply said, this does not mean “obey” at all (not in the way most of us
were taught in church world). Rather it
means that a person must be convinced by a true example. Once they are convinced, they may choose to
submit themselves willingly to that instruction. This submission is not harshly ordered of
them; they yield it willingly. They are
only expected to yield to something as they are persuaded of its truth by sound
reason and trustworthy example. As a
matter of fact, every reference to “obey” as it concerns believers within the
community of believers, is this word “peitho”, which means to be persuaded by
convincing (not to sub serve authorities). It may surprise some
that there is not one verse in the entire New Testament Scripture that
instructs believers to “unquestioningly obey” some kind of hierarchy of church
officials. The closest example of such a
concept would be “obey” as it is found in Titus 3:1 – which has nothing to do
with church leaders (“Remind your people to submit to the government and its
officers...”). This Greek word for obey
in this passage is not strictly “peitho”, though it may be derived from
it. It’s a different word, “peitharcheō”, which means “to submit to the authority of hierarchical rulers
and superiors.” Like “peitho” it has in
mind the idea of willing submission according to persuasion of truth. The difference simply being the subject that
kind of submission is given to – a ruler, a government. Again, this word is NEVER used in connection
with so-called church leaders (for “archeo” is never used to describe servants
of Christ). There is no hierarchy in the
Lord’s Church – save Christ Himself as our Head and Master. Peitho belongs to Christian brothers and
sisters… Peitharcheo belongs to earthly governments (so long as they do not
require us to violate God’s commands). Peitharcheo
also belongs to God. But it NEVER
belongs to men! Acts With the exception of
our submitting to secular governmental authorities (in so far as they do not
violate God’s will), the only one a believer must submit his absolute obedience
to is GOD. If the author of Hebrews had
intended to instruct his hearers that they ought to “obey” church leaders in
terms of “following commands”, he might rather have used the Greek word
“hupakouō” – a completely different word, which
means “to hearken unto a command.”
Hupakouō is used in passages like Ephesians 6:1,
which says, “Children obey your parents because you belong to the Lord for this
is right.” It’s also used in Colossians
3:22 concerning obedience to worldly employers.
But again, this kind of obedience is never expected in connection with
those who serve as ministers of the Gospel – FOR THEY ARE NOT RULERS OVER THE
BRETHREN – THEY ARE SERVANTS OF THE BRETHREN.
It is easy to understand why unquestioned obedience is never ordered of
the saints in the New Testament when you consider the many false teachers that
had infiltrated the community of believers (which both Jesus and His apostles
continually warned about). How would
believers be able to judge righteously and even walk away from such men if they
had been instructed to obey without question every so-called leader among them? Now, as we said earlier,
there is also no word in the Greek that represents our English KJV phrase
“those that have the rule over you.”
Does this surprise you? It did me
too when I first realized this. The
actual Greek word is “hēgeomai” and it simply means “to go
before, to go on ahead, to lead.” In
other words, the author of Hebrews is instructing believers to be persuaded by
those who have gone on ahead and set a godly example. THAT’S IT!
It’s that simple! It’s not
talking about blind obedience or unquestioned subservience to church
leaders. It’s not talking about having a
covering. It’s not talking about quietly
submitting to pastors, teachers, apostles and prophets no matter what personal
disagreements you may have with their doctrine.
There is no example of Jesus or His apostles teaching others that by submitting
to “leaders”, even if they be false, that God would still regard their
submission as right (as though they were submitted to God despite the error of
men). This kind of teaching is a
LIE. When you discern false teaching,
you must reject it! When men order your
submission and do not model the truth, you must avoid them and submit to God
rather than man. They have a
responsibility to demonstrate the character of Christ in their serving (if they
are in fact true servants of Jesus). If
they fail to do this, you must judge righteously and not follow them. Christ alone is your covering! He is your Head – even the Head of every man! 1 Corinthians 11:3a (NIV) - Now I want you to realize that the head
of every man is Christ… The
following article presents revelation I have found through my own studies in
the Word of God. I pray that your
journey through the Word will be just as exciting. And, as always, if you find something here
you sincerely disagree with, I welcome comments and questions from anyone. Finally, I wish to convey that the depth of
examination this article presents is limited for brevity sake. It is in no way exhaustive. I realize that there may still be some
questions the reader has that are not examined here. I have merely tried to touch on some of the
main themes that I believe the Holy Spirit has laid on my heart for this
writing. Hopefully, this will inspire a
fresh challenge to dive wholeheartedly into the pages of God’s Word to seek and
find. I completely believe that the Holy
Spirit will guide the sincere heart to a comprehension of the truth of
Scripture as you pray and read His Word.
He is, after all, our blessed Teacher and Jesus assured us that He can
be wholly trusted to do just that; to lead us into ALL truth! May God bless you as you examine His Word and
tune your ear to the voice of the Holy Spirit. To
begin, let’s start out with the basics.
How is this term, clergy, defined in some of our English
dictionaries? The last source I have
quoted from below is actually a thesaurus to show commonly designated synonyms
of the term clergy. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1996) - “The body of men set apart, by due ordination,
to the service of God, in the Christian church, in distinction from the laity…” Wikipedia
Encyclopedia – “the generic term used to
describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. The term comes from greek κληρος
(fortune, or metaphorically, heritage). Rogets Thesaurus – “clergyman, divine,
ecclesiastic, churchman, priest, presbyter, hierophant, pastor, shepherd,
minister; father, father in Christ; padre, abbe, cure; patriarch; reverend;
black coat; confessor. Dignitaries of
the church; ecclesiarch, hierarch; ebdomarius; eminence, reverence, elder,
primate, metropolitan, archbishop, bishop, prelate, diocesan, suffragan, dean,
subdean, archdeacon, prebendary, canon, rural dean, rector, parson, vicar,
perpetual curate, residentiary, beneficiary, incumbent, chaplain, curate;
deacon, deaconess; preacher, reader, lecturer; capitular; missionary,
propagandist, Jesuit, revivalist, field preacher. [Antonyms: laity.]” Clearly,
by the definitions above, we can see that the clergy is commonly understood to
be a specialized office of Christian ministry (and leadership) – separated from
those who do not occupy such offices (i.e. the laity). The distinction is very bold and real – the
dictionary plainly defining “laity” as the antonym of clergy (the direct
opposite – separate and apart from).
Some of the very terms marked as synonyms for the word clergy include
ones that define positions of authority, hierarchy, reverence, priestly service
and elitism. Before
we continue here with the subject of the clergy, let’s look briefly at the
dictionary’s definition of “laity” as well to get an idea of the distinction
between itself and the clergy (we will examine these definitions more
thoroughly in a moment): The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English
Language, Fourth Edition Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1996,
1998) – “Those who are not of a
certain profession, as law or medicine, in distinction from those belonging to
it.” WordNet Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary – “1: the people of a
religious faith as distinguished from its clergy. 2: the mass of the
people as distinguished from those of a particular profession or those specially
skilled.” Note
how each dictionary reference shown above emphasizes that the laity represent
individuals who are exempt, excluded from, and separated completely from a
given profession – most especially, for our discussion here, separate from the
clergy. The word “laity” comes from
Latin (laicus) derived from the Greek
( The
word “clergy” comes from the Latin word “clericus,” meaning “priest” or
“clerk.” The word “clerk” or “cleric”
comes from the Greek word “klerikos” and stems from the word “kleros” which
means “lot”, “heritage” or “inheritance.”
In Webster’s extended notes on this term, it references Deuteronomy 18:2
and makes mention of the Levite priests in the Old Testament to example the
meaning of this term “clergy.” To show
context I will quote both verses 1 and 2: Deuteronomy
18:1-2 (NLT) - "Remember that the Levitical priests and the rest of the
tribe of Levi will not be given an inheritance of land like the other tribes in
We can see from Scripture (as well as the
dictionary) that “clergy” pertains to a people who are regarded as God’s “lot”
and have God Himself as their inheritance.
Webster’s Dictionary goes on to immediately draw a parallel from
Levitical priests to Christian ministers: Webster’s Interestingly
enough, this same definition is common among many of today’s clergymen. I have myself heard ministers compare their
profession to that of Levitical priests, only in a modernized sense. However, this parallel is problematic
biblically for several reasons… Let’s
look at a few. THREE REASON NUMBER ONE: Most Christians who
attempt to draw these same parallels (i.e. Old Testament priests to New
Testament pastors) fail to acknowledge the reason(s) why this priesthood of
Levitical clergymen were set up in the Old Testament (and therefore fail to
acknowledge why it is impossible to presume that it still exists in some other
form today). The Scripture plainly
teaches that the old system has been set aside.
In fact, Hebrews 7:18 says that it was disannulled (abrogated,
abolished, set aside, cancelled, rejected)!
Even more astounding is the fact that the author of Hebrews remarks
that, not only was it set aside and cancelled, but it was set aside because it
was useless and unprofitable! Hebrews 7:18 (Webster) - For there is verily a
disannulling of the preceding commandment on account of its weakness and
unprofitableness. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
(G115 - athetesis) – “abolition,
disannulling, put away, rejection” Strong’s
Greek Dictionary – (G115 - athetesis) – “cancellation
(literally or figuratively): - disannulling, put away.” Vine’s Greek Dictionary
– (G115 - athetesis) – “a setting aside, abolition, is translated ‘disannulling’
Heb_7:18, with reference to a commandment.” There
is a real challenge set forth here that will be difficult for some to embrace
at first. That is the challenge to
believe the Scripture when it says that the Old Covenant priesthood and purpose
was fulfilled in Christ and therefore the old system abolished (as Hebrews
teaches). Why will this be difficult for
some to accept? Because if the logic is
followed through completely, it means that other facets of the Old Covenant
system will also have to be discarded, such as the concept whereby some believe
that the Jewish Temple is represented by the modern day institutional church
building. If the Bible is embraced fully
(in context), without compromise, it will certainly mean that many of our
modern day religious concepts and practices which are often asserted to be essential,
must be re-examined, altered, and perhaps even discarded (lest they continue to
keep us in bondage and distracted from what truly is essential). Truly many will not be willing to lay the axe
to the unbiblical traditions that they have held dear for years and they will
reject the truth and embrace their comfortable bondage. I believe that, eventually, these will be
some of those who have become part of the harlot church system (Mystery Babylon
– Revelation 18), whom God will plead with that they come out of before they
are destroyed with her. I
think that if more Christians understood the Old Testament story better
(concerning the Law and priesthood), and especially its reason of typology,
they would rarely make the kind of mistaken parallels they so often do. They would also appreciate far more, the
measure of sacrifice Christ made and the freedom, grace and ultimate blessing
He afforded us through His death and resurrection. They would be utterly amazed at how wonderful
and precious is this rite of priesthood that God has bestowed on all those who
are born into His kingdom. Here’s
the kicker: The entire arrangement of the Old Covenant priesthood was presented
as merely a temporary substitute.
CHRISTIANS MUST UNDERSTAND AND
RECOGNIZE THIS VITAL, BIBLICAL TRUTH.
When the Law was instituted and God set the restrictions for how this
priesthood must operate, the people understood that disobedience to any portion
of the arrangement, constituted sin and therefore resulted in punishment and
death – this was the curse. In other
words, when you consider the Old Covenant priesthood, you have to consider the
context of the curse under the Law. The
fact is that you cannot have the Old Covenant priesthood without the Old
Covenant Law (which includes all of its rituals and ordinances). The two are intimately intertwined and
require each other to exist and operate.
If any portion of the Old
Covenant Law is made requisite, then all of it is equally requisite and failure
to comply with any detail puts you under the curse! Galatians 3:10 (NKJV) - For as many as are of
the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is
everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of
the law, to do them." James 2:10
(NKJV)
- For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he
is guilty of all. Keep
in mind, this is New Testament instruction we are reading here (by James and
Paul). They are not saying you get off
the hook if you blow it because Christ gives you grace. No!
They are saying, “It’s Grace or Law PERIOD! You have to choose! If you choose to live by the Law, then you
FORFEIT grace! YOU PLACE YOURSELF UNDER
THE CURSE OF THE LAW – NO EXCEPTIONS!!!” Dear
Christian, do you understand this? Young
believer who is reading this, don’t let anyone rob you of your freedom in
Christ Jesus by subjecting you under the Law!
Those who have taught you such have not taught you well and their words
(which are nothing short of vain babblings) will lead you into bondage and
ungodliness! (2 Timothy 2:16) Christ is your Lord and King. He is your covering and Head. No church, pastor, prophet or apostle can
occupy this divine position. Romans
4:14-18 (MSG) - If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing
everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly
signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an
ironclad contract! That's not a holy promise; that's a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer
and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to
collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise--and
God's promise at that--you can't break it.
This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on
trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's
promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get
in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never
heard of them. For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial
father--that's reading the story backwards. He is our faith father. We call Abraham "father" not
because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made
something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always
read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many
peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a
father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the
dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham
believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't
do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude
of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family,
Abraham!" The
Law indeed condemned all men to death because no human could keep the Law
perfectly. In order for humans to walk
in fellowship with God, and become a kingdom of priests as He had always
desired, they would have to be a perfect observance of every minute detail of
God’s Law. Not just outwardly, but
inwardly as well (as Jesus demonstrated and taught). God knew this would be impossible for men (He
knew that righteousness would never come through the Law – not because the Law
was evil but because men are imperfect and full of sin), but His plan was to
send His Son as the final and complete sacrifice for sin because He Himself was
sinless and perfect, who would restore man to God as a kingdom of priests. Until this time, however, As
a side point here, I would like to note how many Christians today like to cite
Old Testament passages like Deuteronomy 28 (the list of blessings and
curses). They think if they follow this
list of rules and righteous deeds then God will grant them amazing
blessings. The problem is that even Deuteronomy
28:15 (NKJV) - "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice
of the LORD your God, to observe carefully ALL
His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these
curses will come upon you and overtake you…” As
anyone can clearly see by reading this passage, there is not a shred of gray
permitted here! If a person wants to
obtain the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 through keeping the Law, they had better
not miss a beat because it could cost them their life! Just look again at the severity of the curses
for disobedience… Better put on your
seatbelt and helmet for this one! Deuteronomy
28:15-45 (NLT) - But if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and do not obey
all the commands and laws I am giving you today, all these curses
will come and overwhelm you: You will be
cursed in your towns and in the country.
You will be cursed with baskets empty of fruit, and with kneading bowls
empty of bread. You will be cursed with
few children and barren fields. You will be cursed with infertile herds and
flocks. You will be cursed wherever you
go, both in coming and in going.
"The LORD himself will send against you curses, confusion, and
disillusionment in everything you do, until at last you are completely
destroyed for doing evil and forsaking me.
The LORD will send diseases among you until none of you are left in the
land you are about to enter and occupy.
The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, fever, and inflammation,
with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These devastations
will pursue you until you die. The skies
above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as
iron. The LORD will turn your rain into
sand and dust, and it will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed. "The LORD will cause you to be defeated
by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but you will
scatter from them in seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms
of the earth. Your dead bodies will be
food for the birds and wild animals, and no one will be there to chase them
away. "The LORD will afflict you
with the boils of As
we already read in the book of Galatians and James (and now in Deuteronomy),
failure to meet every detail of the Law condemned you (and O did it condemn
you). You couldn’t just keep one or a
few to exempt yourself from the curse. Christians so often fail
to realize this important detail about the Law – you can’t pick the deeds you
want in order to try and move God’s hand and get blessings. If you are going to try and keep one detail
of the Law in order to get the blessings attributed, you therefore obligate
yourself to keep EVERY detail of THE WHOLE law – and therefore you place
yourself under the curse of the Law – it’s just that simple! Again, as Paul said so plainly to the
Christians in Are
you one that has been taught or that currently believes you need to keep
certain laws to gain blessings, favor, provision and protection from God? Were you taught things like you need to tithe
your money to a local church organization or ministry, attend services every
week (i.e. Sabbath keeping), recognize a clergy caste system in the religious
organization you frequent, etc? If so,
then let me boldly ask you this: Were you also taught the rest of the story;
that the Bible clearly says that you are choosing to live under a curse because
you believe and attempt to practice rituals you think will get you points with
God? (Galatians 3:10; James 2:10) Were you also taught that God’s grace through
Christ does not apply to you and Jesus’ sacrifice on We
need to realize that there are false brothers and false teachers in our midst
and the Bible teaches that they are masquerading to spy out our freedom in
Christ to look for some way they might trip us up and lead us into bondage
(Galatians 2:4). Jesus warned us about
the times of the end; the earthquakes, the famines, the wars and rumors of
wars… but He warned us about the danger of false prophets, false leaders, false
anointed ones and false teachers FOUR TIMES AS MUCH! Paul said that he did not cease to warn the
believers for THREE YEARS with tears streaming down his face because he knew
that savages wolves (dressed up like sheep – even from their own numbers) were
going to come in and try to devour them! Acts
20:29-31 (NIV) - I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you
and will not spare the flock. Even from
your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away
disciples after them. So be on your
guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night
and day with tears. Consider
for a moment, if you will, each of those concerns we talked about earlier – the
ones that so many Christians voice because of what they have been taught by
teachers who were in error; Concerns that God will not bless and watch over
them if they do not religiously adhere to certain laws and legalistic
practices. For example, consider how
prevalent is the pressure for Christians to “bring their tithes into the
storehouse” (storehouse meaning “the church” according to this frame of thinking). Many Christians have been taught that if they
neglect to give money to a religious organization (and its clergy), that God
will not bless them, or guarantee provision, or protection. Some even believe or have been taught that
they may also reap curses for not giving into such “storehouses.” But the idea that God only takes care of His
children (even lavishing them with His blessings) if they obey certain
religious rules and regulations (especially those in the Law of Moses – not to
mention those entirely made up by men) runs 100% contrary to the teaching of
Jesus. Remember His words? Matthew
6:25-34 (BBE) - So I say to you, Take no
thought for your life, about food or drink, or about clothing for your body. Is
not life more than food, and the body more than its clothing? See the birds of heaven; they do not put
seeds in the earth, they do not get in grain, or put it in storehouses;
and your Father in heaven gives them food. Are you not of much more value than
they? And which of you by taking thought
is able to make himself a cubit taller?
And why are you troubled about clothing? See the flowers of the field,
how they come up; they do no work, they make no thread: But I say to you that
even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God gives such clothing to the grass
of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is put into the oven, will he
not much more give you clothing, O you of little faith? Then do not be full of care, saying, What are
we to have for food or drink? or, With what may we be clothed? Because
the Gentiles (the unbelievers) go in
search of all these things: for your Father in heaven has knowledge that
you have need of all these things: But let your first care be for his kingdom
and his righteousness; and all these other things will be given to you in
addition. Then have no care for
tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Take the trouble of the day as it
comes. Do you see this? It is the unbelievers that worry about
having their needs met (fearing that if they don’t work hard enough – they will
be without and fail to prosper). I
repeat, this is a NON-CHRISTIAN mindset that believers are succumbing to. A mindset that Jesus instructed His followers
to flee! While the televangelists are
telling everyone that the pursuit of prosperity is what the exercise of faith
is for, Jesus is saying, “you who run after these things only prove that you
have hardly any faith at all!” Jesus proclaims to His followers that if
the birds of the air don’t even sow or gather into storehouses and yet God
feeds and clothes them, HOW MUCH MORE will He feed and clothe us? What, my friend, does this say for all of
those “storehouse tithing to get blessing” sermons? Hmmm… And isn’t it interesting how God
illustrates the simplicity of the flowers of the field (who do not even labor
at all)? This should be a most striking
revelation – for Jesus said that NOT EVEN SOLOMON (the richest man that ever
lived) was so splendorously clothed as even the smallest flower of the field –
OF HOW MUCH MORE VALUE ARE WE TO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN? Matthew
10:29-31 (NLT) - Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the
ground without your Father knowing it.
And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to
him than a whole flock of sparrows. Continuing on this same matter concerning
some of these faulty mindsets that have become so widespread among
church-attending “laity” today, we see how many Christians are taught that
their acceptance by God and their being recognized by others as a true
Christian is perceived to be qualified and validated according to their keeping
of religious rules, attendance of religious meetings, financial support of
religious organizations, and their submitting themselves, often without
question, to a leadership system that governs their behavior, mediates their
relationship with God and claims to speak on His behalf (bring them “the word
of the Lord”). This is the principle danger
of the clergy-laity distinction; it clogs up the spiritual pipes (so to speak)
and the Lord is no longer permitted to be the Lord. No longer is he the One Mediator between God
and man, but other mediators have stepped into place. Whether they intend to be roadblocks or not
does not change the reality that this is what their position creates. Many a sincere clergyman has become an
obstacle to spiritual growth and intimate relationship with the Father without
even realizing or intending it. It is a common teaching in the clergy
system to instruct the laity to give tithes “cheerfully.” While this article is not intended to be an
in-depth study on tithing, it is perhaps an important detail to at least
briefly examine because it is primarily through the doctrine of monetary
tithing that the whole clergy system (and organization as well) is generally
maintained (most often without question).
On the simplistic side of things, we might recognize the fact that
buildings and programs cost money to build and maintain. If tithing were simply a matter of suggesting
an amount that people could contribute to help finance the organizations that
they have chosen to participate in (leaving any biblical question aside for the
moment), that would be one thing. But things
are not usually presented so basically. Most often Christians are introduced to
this subject under the teaching that God has ordained a system of clergy and
organized religion for a people (i.e. “the laity”) to submit to and who are
expected also to finance it. Tithing,
therefore, is not a mere suggested amount – it is rather said to be “the
commandment of God.” Christians are,
therefore, not being told to give out of free will volition, grace or love (as
Paul commanded in 2 Corinthians 9:7), but out of law and coercion (the very
thing Paul warned them not to give out of). Ironically, many in the clergy try to soften
the sound of this legalistic requirement to pay tithes by massaging various
passages of Scripture to make them sound as if they agree with their
teaching. They say that lay people
should give their tithes out of grace.
The problem is: you can’t give that which you are told that you owe. You can only pay it. Tithing is LAW. It has nothing to do with Grace! And that’s without even mentioning the hard
fact that there is not even a doctrine of monetary tithing anywhere in
Scripture! What we have seen in
operation is what Jesus warned about in the book of Mark: Mark 7:7-9 (GNB) - It is no use for them
to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws! “You put aside God's command and obey human
teachings.” And Jesus continued,
"You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own
teaching.” Paul never taught tithing at any time
(and certainly not anything we might call “grace tithing”). Paul taught the Romans that if you pay money
to a worker, that cannot be regarded as a gift because a worker earns his
wage. Therefore, giving MUST be a matter
of freewill otherwise it is not giving at all.
Grace is crucially tied to the subject of giving in the New
Testament. Legalism like tithing cannot
have anyplace within Christian practice because it fights against grace. Tithing says, “in order to gain God’s
approval, blessing, protection, favor, anointing, provision and prosperity, YOU
HAVE TO KEEP THE LAW!” Are you beginning
to see why this is so crucial to comprehend?
Because Christ set the ultimate example and GAVE HIMSELF FREELY to
us. I must repeat, anyone who teaches
you that God shows favor on you because you “do something” to earn it, THEY ARE
NOT PREACHING THE TRUTH! The Word of God
teaches the opposite! Romans
4:3-8 (CEV) - The Scriptures say,
"God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith in him." Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is
something they earn by working. But you
cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners
only because they have faith in him. In
the Scriptures David talks about the blessings that come to people who are
acceptable to God, even though they don't do anything to deserve these
blessings. David says, "God blesses
people whose sins are forgiven and whose evil deeds are forgotten. The Lord blesses people whose sins are erased
from his book." Are your sins erased from God’s
book? Has He forgiven your sins? Then that is all the qualification you
require to walk in His blessings. The
minute you start to believe that He favors you and grants blessing or suddenly
reaches in to protect you because you “measure up” in some way (whether it be
through tithing, keeping commandments or attending religious meetings
regularly), is the minute you have lost sight of the truth. God loves you! God blesses you because He loves you! And He knows, just like the woman who
anointed Jesus’ feet manifested in Luke 7:47, that he who has been forgiven of much shows forth much love. THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT FOLKS! God desires His children to respond to His
love – not to Law. The clergy system is
a system comprised of legalism. Upon
legalism it thrives. Through that
legalism A DIFFERENT GOSPEL is presented to people! And in that legalism the believer in Christ
who becomes caught in the deception will lose sight of the truth because it is
a worldly system that fights against the way of the Spirit. Friends, how can we believe for a moment
that God will not lavish His blessings and His provision upon us when we
consider the birds of the air and the flowers of the field as Jesus so clearly
taught us? How can we dare ignore His
words and place the Law in precedence to even Christ? The kinds of doctrines have been propagated
for centuries through the clergy system in an attempt to coerce people into
supporting them and their system. But,
whether all of them realize it or not, their doing such comes at the expense of
forsaking the truth and trading the liberty and joy of the Gospel for the
legalism and bondage of religion. We
need to keep alert, study the Word of God, and trust the discernment of the
Holy Spirit. This is vitally important
my brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul
the apostle marveled at how those he taught the truth were so quick to embrace
a different gospel and to put up so easily with false teachers. These teachers come in with their “principles”
and their “spiritual keys” and their “revelations” and their “commandments of
Jesus” (twisting the Word of God to fit their teachings and traditions) and
what they mostly amount to is nothing short of legalism, neatly packaged in
Christian wrapping paper. We cannot
allow our liberty in Christ to be trampled on.
This is what the enemy desires; to rob us of the joy and intimacy of our
relationship with Jesus, the Lord. 2
Corinthians 11:2-4 (NLT) - I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. For
I promised you as a pure bride to one husband, Christ. But I fear that somehow you will be led away
from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the
serpent. You seem to believe whatever
anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we
preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of
gospel than the one you believed. Christians
rarely, if ever, consider these things when they take certain passages out of
their context (as many have been taught to do) to try and manipulate the hand
of God in getting His blessings. It’s
sad that so many believers today fail to understand the power of the Gospel and
neglect to see that, through Jesus, we obtain every spiritual blessing
possible! Ephesians
1:3-11 (NLT) - How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because
we belong to Christ. Long ago, even
before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and
without fault in his eyes. His
unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us
to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness
he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased
our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along
with all wisdom and understanding. God's
secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ,
designed long ago according to his good pleasure. And this is his plan: At the right time he
will bring everything together under the authority of Christ-everything in heaven
and on earth. Furthermore, because of
Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the
beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. Isn’t that the best news you’ve read all
day? What incredible cause for joy! How often have we really considered the depth
and breadth of Jesus’ amazing love and incomprehensible grace? How could we ever presume that legalistic
subservience to religious rules and regulations could be more blessed that what
Christ has given to us FREELY and COMPLETELY by His Spirit? How could we ever trade the willing obedience
to His Spirit for the killing letter of the Law? 2
Corinthians 3:6 (GNB) - it is He who made us capable of serving the new covenant, which
consists not of a written law but of the Spirit. The written law brings death,
but the Spirit gives life. The
prospect of gaining blessings by observing laws is only for those who wish to
trade the Gospel for the “ministration of condemnation” (2 Corinthians 3:9)! Yes, I said trade the Gospel. You can’t have it both ways. On the other hand, those who choose the
ministration of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:8) and believe the Gospel of Grace,
will live unto God through obedience to Christ… and for them there is no
condemnation. Romans
8:1-4 (KJV) - [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit. THE
LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD Now,
back to our discussion of the Old Covenant priesthood and why it doesn’t fit
with our modern concept of clergy over the laity. Let’s take a few moments to look at how the
priesthood and the Law was implemented in the Old Testament. I’m going to have summarize quite a bit to
get us through this as briefly as possible. Exodus,
chapter 20, marks the introduction of the Law (the 10 commandments). God set forth a stipulation (see Exodus
19:5-6) that IF His people would obey His voice and keep His covenant,
they would be to Him a kingdom of priests.
Exodus, chapter 25, marks the command of God to build the Tent of
Meeting. The Tent of Meeting (or
Tabernacle) was a portable structure that the Israelites took with them on
their journey in the wilderness. This
God desired in order that He may dwell among His people. Exodus 28:1 marks the beginning of the
priesthood of Aaron. Before
this time every man was, essentially, the priest of his own household by virtue
of God designating that all the firstborn in the land be dedicated unto Him
(Exodus 13:2). God desired that His
people would all become priests unto Him.
The Tabernacle was to be God’s dwelling among men and so it was that the
people would draw near to the Tent of Meeting and God would speak to His
servant Moses as a man speaks to his friend and all the people observed. But then, something went terribly wrong
(not without God’s foreknowledge though).
The people failed to listen to God’s voice and they rebelled against His
Covenant (see Exodus 32); even turning from Him to worship idols. There is a side point here I would like
to make. This point was inspired by a
close friend of mine, Deanna Rodriguez, who encouraged me with some important
details that we ought not to miss from this passage of Scripture. You may have noticed, as I have, that some of
the movies which depict the story of Moses returning from the mountain and
finding the people in idolatry, show the tribe of Levi as though they were
innocent bystanders who did not participate in the rebellion. But you know what? The Scripture does not say this. What it does say is that God drew a line when
he observed the sin of the people. Exodus 32:26 (NIV) tells us that Moses
“…stood at the entrance to the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the LORD, come to
me.’ And all the Levites rallied to him.”
I mention this side point to encourage us all that none of us are
without sin. We all have embraced error
at one time or another. We all have
turned our back on God at some point.
But just like God drew the line and said, “I know you have sinned
grievously against Me, but now I ask you, who will leave that behind and stand
with Me?” I believe God can challenge us with the same call. Just as Jesus told Peter that he would deny
Him three times, but that afterward he would be restored and encourage his
brethren. Some of us have embraced some
faulty teaching over the years. I did myself
for many years (and many of those old religious ways of thinking still plague
some of my thought processes and I have to continually lay them down at the
cross). God lovingly and passionately
calls out to us, “come away with Me.
Come out of the error you once embraced.
Repent of it. Will you stand on
My Word and believe My truth? Will you
do it even if it’s not the popular consensus?”
Levi responded to God’s call and they chose to align themselves in the
Way. So God chose, from this point, that the
Levites (adopting them alone) would be set apart and serve Him continually as
priests. God
told Moses that the people ought to be destroyed because of their sin and for
breaking the Covenant, but Moses prayed to the Lord and God withheld His
wrath. He vowed not to destroy them if
they would enter again into covenant with Him.
At this time, God still permitted We
then move into the book of Leviticus, which details all of the sacrifices and
ordinances of the Law and every function of the Levitical priesthood. Look
now to the book of Numbers (chapter 18), where God designated that the food
tithes of Israel be designated to the Levites as a support for their ministry
to Him because they were not allowed an inheritance of land with the rest of
Israel and were set in “office” as a substitute. It is at this point that God orders that no
longer shall anyone be permitted to draw near unto the Tabernacle lest they
bear sin and die. Numbers
18:22-24 (NLT) - "From now on, Israelites other than the priests and
Levites are to stay away from the Tabernacle.
If they come too near, they will be judged guilty and die. The Levites must serve at the Tabernacle, and
they will be held responsible for any offenses against it. This is a permanent
law among you. But the Levites will receive no inheritance of land among the
Israelites, because I have given them the Israelites' tithes, which have been
set apart as offerings to the LORD. This will be the Levites' share. That is
why I said they would receive no inheritance of land among the Israelites." In
Numbers 18 it references how the people could no longer draw near to the
Tabernacle and hear directly from the mouth of God lest they bear the
consequence of their sin and die. This
was because of the rebellion of Korah and his men (prior in chapter 16), who
incited the people to complain against Moses and Aaron and tried to convince
them that the priesthood, which God had ordained, was a common thing. Korah and his followers rebelled against
God’s order and they were killed.
Forever from this event forward, the Israelites were no longer permitted
to draw near to the Tabernacle or they would die. The
Deuteronomy account (18:16-17 – shown below) reflects back on the entrance of
this whole system, when the people, because of fear, pleaded that Moses would
go up and hear God for them and then reiterate His words to them (also see
Exodus 20:19; Deuteronomy 5:24-28; Hebrews 12:19). Deuteronomy
18:16-17 (NLT) - For this is what you yourselves requested of the LORD your God
when you were assembled at Until
the death and resurrection of Jesus, it was required that priests go before God
on their behalf and prophets to speak on behalf of God to them. No man could draw near to God because he
would die. The priesthood and the
ministry of the Tabernacle was set up as a temporary arrangement until at last
the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, would die for all mankind, paying the
price once for all, allowing people to draw near unto the Lord once again –
themselves becoming His Tabernacle.
Deuteronomy continues: Deuteronomy
18:18-19 (MSG) – “I'll raise up for them a Prophet like you from their kinsmen.
I'll tell him what to say and he will pass on to them everything I command
him. And anyone who won't listen to my
words spoken by him, I will personally hold responsible.” The previous passage reveals a two-fold
message from God concerning how He would deal with His people. In the first respect, He would send them
prophets who would proclaim His words to them until the coming of the Messiah. In the second respect, God here intends that this
coming “Prophet” is actually also a reference to the Messiah Himself who would
save His people from their sins and restore fellowship between man and his
Creator. This truth is evidenced by
Peter’s reiteration of this passage in the New Testament. Acts
3:17-26 (MSG) - "And now, friends, I know you had no idea what you were
doing when you killed Jesus, and neither did your leaders. But God, who through the preaching of all the
prophets had said all along that his Messiah would be killed, knew exactly what
you were doing and used it to fulfill his plans. Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to
face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh
you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus. For the time being he must remain out of
sight in heaven until everything is restored to order again just the way God,
through the preaching of his holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, 'Your God will
raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word
he speaks to you. Every last living soul
who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.' All the prophets from Samuel on down said
the same thing, said most emphatically that these days would come. These prophets, along with the covenant God
made with your ancestors, are your family tree. God's covenant-word to Abraham
provides the text: 'By your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.' But you are first in line: God, having raised
up his Son, sent him to bless you as you turn, one by one, from your evil
ways." Stephen also confirms this understanding
in his last message, given before his martyrdom: Acts 7:37
(LITV)
– “This is the Moses who said to the sons of In conclusion of this point, what we have
seen is how God intended the Old Covenant Levitical priesthood to temporarily
substitute and model, as a type and shadow, the coming priesthood under a New
and better Covenant. Hebrews very
clearly tells us that this priesthood and everything associated with it was
imposed with a time limit; that one
day, its need to exist would be fulfilled in Christ – and thus the former
system would come to an end. Hebrews 9:8-11 (MSG) - This was the Holy Spirit's way of showing with a visible parable that as long as the large tent stands, people can't just walk in on God. Under t |