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The Cure
Index
The Cure: What If God Isn't Who You Think He Is
And Neither Are You
By McNicol, Bruce; Thrap, Bip; Lynch, John
(2011–11–17). Cross Section Ventures, Inc. Kindle Edition. Available here.
A Response by Les Sherlock, posted April 2021 but originally 2013
INDEX
Introduction
Chapter One Two Roads
Chapter Four Two Solutions
Chapter Three Two Gods
Chapter Six Two Friends
Chapter Seven Two Destinies
Conclusion
Holy and Righteous in the Bible
Introduction
Introduction
This book is highly regarded in some Christian circles. However, there are aspects of it that disturb me greatly, hence this response. I hope that anyone reading this will not take my word for it, or the word of the authors of the book, but will search the scriptures to see if these things are so.
I am reminded of the words of the serpent in the Garden of Eden:
“Has God said…?”
In The Cure we are presented with statements we are expected to accept, which together end up as a package that undermines, or even contradicts, New Testament teaching. Let me emphasise that there is much in this book that is sound and scriptural. My concern is over the parts, here and there, which are not; resulting in a teaching that takes us away from deliverance from sin, rather than toward it.
INDEX
Chapter One
Chapter One: Two Roads
In this chapter, almost immediately we are confronted with the choice at a crossroads between two roads: ‘Pleasing God’, or ‘Trusting God’. The road called ‘Pleasing God’ leads to a building over which is the sign:
"‘STRIVING HARD TO BE ALL GOD WANTS ME TO BE’."
On the door is the plaque ‘Self Effort’, which opens into
"‘The Room of Good Intentions’."
The entire book is based around two rooms: we come to the second later. All the implication is that ‘Pleasing God’ means self–effort. This is simply untrue! Although it is not put in such bald terms, the whole emphasis implies that ‘Pleasing God’ is bad, while ‘Trusting God’ is good. This is an artificial distinction. Certainly pleasing God by self-effort is the antithesis of Christianity, but clear Bible teaching is that pleasing God and trusting God are interlinked. It is impossible to have one without the other. It would be like saying it is fine to breathe in but you shouldn't breathe out, which is impossible of course – you can only do the one while you are doing the other.
The only way to pleasing God is by trusting Him. If one is trusting God, then one is pleasing Him. It is impossible to please God without trusting Him, or to trust God without pleasing Him. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to please God – indeed, it is essential that we do, as it is the highest motive we could have. The only alternative is wanting to please ourselves or others, which is the road to failure and despair. When Jesus was baptised, after the Father had identified Him as His beloved Son, the only thing He said about Him was:
“…in whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:17
‘Pleased’:
"εὐδοκέω, eudokeo, yoo-dok-eh'-o. From G2095 and G1380; to think well of, that is, approve (an act); specifically to approbate (a person or thing): - think good, (be well) please (-d), be the good (have, take) pleasure, be willing."
(Strong’s Greek dictionary)
Matthew tells us the Father said the same thing on the Mount of Transfiguration:
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
Matthew 17:5
This is confirmed by Peter:
For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
2 Peter 1:17
Jesus said of Himself:
And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.
John 8:29
‘Please’:
"ἀρεστός, arestos, ar-es-tos'. From ἀρέσκω (aresko, ar-es'-ko. Probably from G142 (through the idea of exciting emotion); to be agreeable (or by implication to seek to be so): - please.) agreeable; by implication fit: - (things that) please (-ing), reason."
(Strong’s Greek dictionary)
It seems God has different priorities to The Cure!
Likewise, ‘Good Intentions’ here are portrayed as being wrong; but there is nothing wrong with good intentions. Indeed, it is necessary that we should have them. What kind of intentions do we have if they are not good? Bad intentions? Presumably, what is meant here is people who mean well but have got it wrong. However, having good intentions is not a guarantee that a person has got it wrong. In fact is it possible ever to ‘get it right’ without having good intentions? Good intentions, or sincerity, have nothing to do with being right or wrong; but it is certainly the case that a person with good intentions is more likely to be doing things God’s way than someone with bad ones!
Alarm bells always ring loudly in my ears when I come across teaching that relies on the distortion or manipulation of scripture to maintain it. This arrives very early on, in the second footnote to which we are directed in this first chapter, commenting on the following scripture:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11
Quote from the footnote:
“Contrast this sort of mindset with what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 (NASB). He speaks of those among the Corinthian believers who were “fornicators,” "idolaters," "adulterers," "effeminate," "homosexuals," and so on, and how they were "washed," "sanctified," and "justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and in the Spirit of our God." Do you think, even for one second, that the readers of that Epistle in Corinth were slyly looking around wondering, "Who are the idolaters? Who are the homosexuals? Who are the swindlers?" No. They all knew these things about themselves–each and every one of them knew the background of each and every other one! And because they knew these about these "closet skeletons," they were well equipped to protect each other's weaknesses. That is to say, they knew each other well enough to know where to watch out for each other. They were definitely not living in the Land of "Doing Just Fine.""
Note the final sentence. In this scripture Paul is quite clearly pointing out sinful lifestyles, which here and elsewhere we are told will prohibit entrance into God's Kingdom. They were once practised by these Corinthians, but now they have been delivered: they have been washed, sanctified and justified. Notice it says, "Such were some of you," not "Such are some of you," thus putting these sins in the past, not the present.
Therefore it is no longer the case for them and they do not undertake these activities any more. However, the writers of this book tell us they are definitely not living in the Land of "Doing Just Fine" – in other words these sins are still entangling them, which is the opposite of what the verses say. In an earlier book, Bo's Café, the same scripture is given the same treatment and is obviously a key foundation for the True–Faced teaching. 'True-Face' is the name of the American group that produced these two books.
Throughout the New Testament we are clearly told that the old life of sin is done away with and the Christian has entered a new one:
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
John 8:36
It may be the case that many Christians, not experiencing the fullness of this promise, wear the kind of mask used by the people in ‘The Room of Good Intentions’ in this book. The case of The Cure is that because we all have sin that cannot be controlled, we should just be honest about it instead of covering it up. As with most deceptions, they usually contain a lot of truth with enough error to divert us along the wrong path. Of course people are going to wear a mask if they think everyone else is succeeding where they are failing. The remedy is not to try to persuade everyone to be honest about their failure on the basis that victory over sin is impossible, but to explain more clearly the way of faith that brings such victory to the believer.
At the end of his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul says:
For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.
2 Corinthians 12:20–21
However, while it is clear from this that there were Corinthians who had not given up their former sinful lifestyles, it is equally clear that Paul was rebuking them for this and telling them to stop it and act in accordance with the deliverance that God had given them. He certainly wasn’t saying,
“ I know it is impossible for you to conquer these things, so you should support each other because you are all in the same boat.”
There is no hint of this kind of attitude toward sin anywhere in the New Testament.
On the back of the room is the banner:
"WORKING ON MY SIN TO ACHIEVE AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD."
In the footnote on this we are given the 'once saved always saved' teaching (a belief I held myself, until the plain teaching of the Bible forced me to reconsider):
"…but they are and always will be his children. In order not to be, they would have to be "unborn."
Untrue! A clear example is Adam and Eve. They started off in a perfect relationship with God, but as a result of their choice to go their own way, were cut off from Him. When a person is born into a family, it is not being unborn that takes them away from the family, but death. God told Adam and Eve that the day they sinned they would die, and this is what happened. Their spirits died: in other words they were cut off from God. This spiritual death was then passed on to the entire human race, so Paul says:
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
Ephesians 2:1
The spiritual death they experienced does not mean they ceased to exist, but that they were now ‘dead’ to God. Their bodies, now cut off from the previous unity with God they had enjoyed, took much longer to follow suit, but they too eventually died many years later.
The scripture given in support of 'once saved always saved' is…
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand…
John 10:29
…a verse that makes our security in God very clear, because nothing is able to separate us from God's love. No external force can take us away from God. However, we still have a free will, and the deliberate choice to go our own way, away from Him, in extreme cases can lead to the loss of salvation:
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame…
…exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 2:1–3; 6:4-6; 10:25-31 (Words in capital letters are quotes from the Old Testament in the NKJV)
Note: the writer is talking to Christians here, referring to people who are able to ‘exhort one another’, who ‘have received the knowledge of the truth’; and he includes himself in this by use of the word ‘we’.
For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "A sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
2 Peter 2:20–22
Jesus said:
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned."
John 15:5–6
Abide:
"μένω, meno, men'-o, A primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own."
(Strong's Greek dictionary)
So there are some people who start as a branch of the vine, but do not remain there. Paul said:
Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
Romans 11:20–22
Paul is talking to people who ‘stand by faith’ (therefore they are Christians), but who will be ‘cut off’ if they do not continue in His goodness. Do you really think, for example, that a person in his teens can turn to Christ and profess salvation for a few months, but then turn his back on Him and live for many decades a lifestyle of "idolatry, fornication, adultery, etc," deliberately ignoring God until he dies, and still be welcomed into God's Kingdom at the end of his life? Of course there is always a chance such a one may repent and be restored, even on their deathbed (only God knows if/when a person has stepped over the line of the point where repentance is impossible); but without this I fail to see any scriptural basis for salvation in such a case:
For we must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…
2 Corinthians 5:10–11
Yet the children of your people say, 'The way of the LORD is not fair.' But it is their way which is not fair! When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it.
Ezekiel 33:17–19
The Ezekiel passage is from the Old Covenant, of course; but the sacrifice of Jesus, which brought about the New Covenant, did not change God’s nature! It simply changed the way in which we could be brought into a relationship with Him.
The footnote goes on to say:
"When individuals assume that they can enhance their relationship with God—or their fellowship with God—by working on their sin issues, they are missing the basis for the relationship they have with God, namely the cross. Furthermore, they are missing that it is God who is working with them on their sin issues, because of the cross."
Of course it is impossible for us to do anything toward dealing with our own sin, but in trying to counter the error of thinking we can, the writers swing straight over into another error. One big emphasis in this book is that sin has no effect on our relationship with God. This is untrue. Sin is detestable to God and if there is deliberate sin in a Christian's life, his or her relationship to God is bound to be affected. This idea that sin does not matter is confusing two very different issues:
On the one hand Jesus dealt with sin on the cross once for all. We receive full and free forgiveness for and deliverance from sin as a result of our faith in Jesus. This means our birthright as God's children is freedom from sin – both its penalty and its power. There is nothing we can do either to deliver ourselves from sin's penalty, or free ourselves from its power in our lives. In both cases it comes by God's grace through faith. So "working on their sin issues," as in the above quote, is quite obviously wrong. We must never work on our sin issues: we must put our faith in the reality of the Holy Spirit working in us all that Christ achieved in His sacrifice and leave Him to deal with them.
On the other hand this does not mean that sin in our lives does not matter. It matters very much, and there are endless scriptures telling us that because we have been freed from sin we must not let it reign in our lives – particularly Romans chapter six, but there are many more. Sin allowed to fester in our lives will significantly affect our relationship with God. The problem is that, knowing this, many people (myself included for many years) struggle and strive against sin trying to defeat it; and it never works. This is one thing for which the Holy Spirit indwells us – so He can sort it out; and He cannot do this while we are getting in His way by trying to do it ourselves.
The big problem with this book is that, trying to get away from the self–improvement thing that traps so many Christians, 'The Cure' leaves the impression that God is not the slightest bit bothered about our sin, it is always going to be there and we can't do anything to be free from it. It has no effect on our relationship with Him, so we can stop worrying about it. This attitude blocks the only route to 'The Normal Christian Life' (as Watchman Nee would call it), because it is only accessed by faith and you can't be exercising faith for something you do not believe is available.
Quite rightly we are told:
"More right behavior + Less wrong behavior = Godliness. There's only one thing wrong with the equation: It completely disregards the righteousness God has already placed in us."
However, although righteousness is imputed to us when we believe (Rom 4:24), it is the presence of God, who is righteous, living within us, that makes and keeps us righteous.
And therefore "IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
Romans 4:22-24 (Words in capital letters are quote from the Old Testament in the NKJV)
The blood of Jesus has cleansed us from sin, purifying us; and the presence of the Holy Spirit maintains righteousness. As long as we trust His presence for our power to live, we remain righteous. If we go back to doing things in our own strength, we block His righteousness and sin is the result.
So, giving up on 'The Room of Good Intentions', we are taken back to the crossroads and on to the path of 'Trusting God'. This brings us to a building bearing the words…
"'LIVING OUT OF WHO GOD SAYS I AM'"
…and the plaque on this door is 'Humility'. Going through the door leads to the Room of Grace.
In The Cure there is quite a lot of psychological stuff about what goes on in the mind and why we do this, that, or the other, etc. This in itself is contradictory to the point the authors are trying to make, that self–effort can never achieve victory over sin. Psychoanalysing Christians is just one more type of self–effort, and although it may give the appearance of being clever and directing people along the right path, it can never be a substitute for the work that only the Holy Spirit can do; which is why it is not found in scriptures. Indeed, in The Normal Christian Life, Chapter 12, page 159, The Light of God and Knowledge, Watchman Nee says:
How can I know that I am walking in the Spirit? How do I distinguish which prompting within me is from the Holy Spirit and which is from myself? It seems that all are alike in this; but some have gone further. They are trying to look within, to differentiate, to discriminate, to analyze, and in doing so are bringing themselves into deeper bondage. Now this is a situation which is really dangerous to Christian life, for inward knowledge will never be reached along the barren path of self–analysis. We are never told in the Word of God to examine our inward condition. That way ends only to uncertainty, vacillation and despair. Of course we have to have self–knowledge. We have to know what is going on within. We do not want to live in a fool's paradise; to have gone altogether wrong and yet not know we have gone wrong; to have a spartan will and yet think we are pursuing the will of God. But such self–knowledge does not come by our turning within; by our analyzing our feelings and motives and everything that is going on inside, and then trying to pronounce whether we are walking in the flesh or in the Spirit.
(The Normal Christian Life (Kindle Locations 2340–2346, emphasis mine).
(I happened to read again The Normal Christian Life just after finishing writing all of this, and so I have gone back and inserted quotes here and there; not because he is the final authority, but to demonstrate that I am not alone in what I am saying, being supported by a world–respected Christian teacher. This also applies to quotes I use later from the works of Andrew Murrey.)
INDEX
Chapter Four
Chapter Four: Two Solutions
Along the way, many scripture references appear in the footnotes. However, since the main emphasis of the book conflicts with scripture, it would appear the references are there simply to give the appearance of it being Bible–based rather than genuinely to support it. For example, in chapter four we are told…
"On the cross, Jesus asked the Father to forgive those who had crucified Him so His heart wouldn't become bitter."
…with footnote 12 (Hebrews 9:11–14, 22, 26–28.) to support it. However, this passage in Hebrews says nothing of the sort.
But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? … And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission… He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Hebrews 9:11–14, 22, 26–28
In support of the gospel of grace promoted by the apostle Paul, they quote in chapter 1, footnote 6:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Come on! Read the verse! If old things have passed away and all things have become new, how can the Corinthians not be "living in the Land of "Doing Just Fine"" as the authors claimed earlier? They've been washed, sanctified, justified, the old things have passed away, and all things have become new. How much clearer could Paul make it? How much 'finer' could they be doing?
It is true, of course, that the letters to the Corinthians were written in order to correct errors they were making. So, for example, Paul complains about sexual sin. However, this is only one man, not all of them, who was having an illicit relationship with his step–mother, and Paul was telling them that because they are now different, such behaviour must stop immediately. The entire thrust of the letters is to tell them to act in accordance with the new nature they now have. It is not to tell them that because they do not have the power or ability to overcome their old behaviour it is ok to continue with it until they are ready to do so, as The Cure tells us later in the book.
"If our primary motive is pleasing God, we'll never please Him enough and we'll never learn trust. Pleasing God is a good desire. It just can't be our primary motivation, or it'll imprison our hearts."
I'm sorry, but this is nonsense! The choices are: pleasing ourselves; pleasing others; or pleasing God. Wishing to please God is the highest motive one could have. The writers are confusing 'pleasing God' with 'trying to please God by our own efforts', which is certainly not the same thing. In the footnote for this bit, they quote…
"that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10"
This is a scripture quite clearly pointing out our requirement to please God; and knowing this, they obviously include it here in order to interpret it in such a way as to defend their claim that we are wrong if we have it as our primary motivation. However, in the footnote, they quite rightly say:
"But if we understand this verse to mean that we are able to walk worthy because we trust who God says we are–saints–then we are pleasing to him and we are able to bear fruit in every good work. Note, our effort cannot produce the good fruit. The good fruit comes out of the reality of who we are."
Why is this relegated to a footnote? It is the key to Christian life. God has transformed us into saints, and His presence within us enables us to be everything He wants us to be. Colossians 1:10 quite clearly contradicts their position over pleasing God, and no matter how hard they try to make it say something different, they cannot. The Bible says:
So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:8
But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.
1 Corinthians 7:32
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:9
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
Ephesians 1:9
Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God...
1 Thessalonians 4:1
Notice how pleasing God is linked here to being sanctified (‘how you ought to walk’), which is important in light of what comes later in The Cure.
for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
1 Thessalonians 4:2–4
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure… Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.
Philippians 2:13; 4:18
“Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him." …By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "And was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him… But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased… make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 10:38; 11:5-6; 13:16, 21
And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
1 John 3:22
In The Normal Christian Life, Chapter Nine, Our End is God's Beginning, page 111, Watchman Nee says:
"It means that from henceforth I am going to try to please Him. `What a doctrine!' you exclaim. `What awful heresy! You cannot possibly mean that!' But remember, if I try to please God ìn the flesh', then immediately I place myself under the Law. I broke the Law; the Law pronounced the death sentence; the sentence was executed, and now by death I – the carnal I (Rom. 7:14) – have been set free from all its claims. There is still a Law of God, and now there is in fact a "new commandment" that is infinitely more exacting than the old, but, Praise God! its demands are being met, for it is Christ who now fulfils them; it is Christ who works in me what is well–pleasing to God. "I came ... to fulfil (the law)" were His words (Matt. 5:17). Thus Paul, from the ground of resurrection, can say: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure" (Phil 2:12–13)."
(The Normal Christian Life (Kindle Locations 1596–1600), emphasis mine).
In The Cure, we are told:
"Eventually, I notice a banner in this room, too: STANDING WITH GOD, MY SIN IN FRONT OF US, WORKING ON IT TOGETHER. I'm not sure I get it yet."
No we're not working on it together! There is absolutely no contribution I can make toward dealing with my sin. It is entirely His work from start to finish. If I try to do anything at all, sin is strengthened within me. I have to keep out of the way and trust Him to do it all.
"He then directs my sight to that mound of filth now out in front of us. After several moments, with a straight face He says, "That is a lot of sin. A whole lot of sin. Don't you ever sleep?" He starts laughing. I start laughing. Gazing at that mound of pain, I consider that I never thought I'd experience this kind of moment. All of the pain, regret and damage of my life is laid out in front of me. All that has caused shame and condemnation. All that has caused me to pretend and impress and yearn for control. All that has broken my heart and His. But now I'm viewing it with Jesus' arm around me! He's been holding me with utter delight, all with my sin right here in our midst, never allowing it between us. He wants to know me in the midst of this, not when I get it cleaned up. I know now if this mound is to ever shrink, it'll be by trusting this moment for the rest of my life. He looks back at me. "We'll deal with this when you're ready. I've got your back.""
It took quite a while for me to realise what it was about this passage that disturbed me so much. At first I thought it was the trivialization of sin: does God ever laugh at our sin? This is what took Jesus to the cross, and caused Him to experience God's wrath and judgement.
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness...
1 Peter 2:24
I am sure God has a sense of humour – it is inconceivable that man, made in his image, would have a facility that God did not possess. However, I find nothing anywhere in the Bible to indicate that God would consider sin a source of merriment. He certainly laughs at sinners who are in rebellion against Him, but that is very different: He is laughing at them, not with them.
He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision.
Psalm 2:4
It is true that in the above quote we are told sin has broken Jesus' heart; but this is passed over so quickly and swallowed up in the main thrust of the unimportance of dealing with sin, that it is quickly lost.
God does not change and sin is something deeply offensive to Him that only attracts His wrath. Furthermore it is never the case that God 'lets us off' from any sin. Every sin is met by His anger and judgement – either in the person of Jesus on the cross, or in the person of anyone not covered by the blood of Jesus. The reason we are free from experiencing that wrath and judgement ourselves is because Jesus has taken it for us, so there is none left for us to experience.
I get the impression from this book that the authors think God's love (grace) and His justice (judgement) are two options He has, and since love trumps justice, He will not give us judgement but grace. This is not so, of course. Love and justice are both a part of His nature and as He never changes and always acts according to His own nature, it is never a case of 'either, or', but 'both, and'. He can never stop loving and He can never stop His justice. This is why the plan of salvation is so incredible – it satisfies both parts of God's nature and we, who justly deserve to experience His wrath, are free from it and enabled only to know His love.
Something more disturbing is what that 'mound of filth' represents. Sin. This is not past sins: if it were then Jesus would not ignore it in this way but simply point out that it is forgiven and forgotten, and no longer exists. In this case He would say…
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:12
…and therefore the mound is an illusion, a lie, created in the book's character's mind by our accuser and is not real.
So this mound is present sin in which the character in the room is still trapped. What kind of sin? The book has given some examples earlier by quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9–11. So is Jesus saying to him,
"By all means carry on with your fornication, idolatry and adultery until you are ready to give it up?"
This, in effect, is what the above passage in The Cure is saying, and it is coming very close to the attitude Paul condemned:
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Romans 6:1–2
This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
Romans 13:11–14 (NLT )
What about:
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.
1 Corinthians 1:30 (NLT )
Or:
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1
Or:
...Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
2 Timothy 2:19
Or:
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age
Titus 2:11–12
Or:
So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy."
1 Peter 1:14–16 (NLT)
Or:
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Ephesians 5:3–5
Or:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Galatians 6:7–8
Or:
...all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Revelation 2:23
Or:
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still …But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
Revelation 22:11, 15
Salvation is not so we can continue to live however we like and then be forgiven at the end of our lives. It is so that we can be delivered from the power of sin and therefore be able to 'sow to the Spirit' and reap accordingly. What if the character in the book never reaches the point where he is 'ready'? This is the aspect of the passage that disturbs me the most. If tens, or hundreds of thousands of people read this book, then statistically some, if only a few, will reach the end of their lives and die within days, or perhaps weeks, of reading the book, having been told that the sin(s) in which they are trapped can be laughed at and left until later to be sorted out. We never know when our days will end, as I realise very well after having a heart attack, with no prior warning until the week it happened, only a few weeks before writing this!
…again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
Hebrews 4:7
…for he says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
2 Corinthians 6:2
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."
James 4:13–15
While the context of 2 Corinthians 6:2 may make the 'day' of salvation refer to a period of time rather than a 24–hour day, nevertheless, Hebrews 4:7 is definitely calling today "right now!," and it is very clear what James means. Throughout scripture we are told that we only have today and cannot anticipate having more time than this in order to do anything. To the rich man who thought he had plenty of time to do things, God said,
…'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'
Luke 12:20
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation…
Hebrews 2:1–3
The Hebrews passage is spoken to Christians, written by a Christian who is including himself in the word 'we'! I find it deeply disturbing that the authors should have such a cavalier attitude to sin, and encourage their readers to procrastinate dealing with it. It is understandable that many of those writing comments on the Amazon page regarding this book have found it so comforting – the reason sin is so difficult to eradicate is that it is very attractive; so to be told it has no effect on our relationship with God and we can carry on doing it without bothering about it, is the very thing we want to hear. Surely, though, this is leading them into a sense of false security?
Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.
Isaiah 59:1–2
This is Old Testament; but God does not change. His hatred of sin in the Old Testament is the same as His hatred of sin in the New. Just as sin separated people from God in the Old Testament, so it separates them from Him in the New, as can be seen in:
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
1 Peter 3:12
The sacrifice of Jesus means that sin is dealt with in a different way now from how things happened then, and if we sin and come to God for forgiveness, then there is cleansing and restoration of fellowship with Him; but how can we be doing this while we are pretending our sin does not matter and can be left to some time in the future to be dealt with?
In The Master’s Indwelling, Andrew Murrey says:
"The abiding presence of God is certainly the heritage of every child of God, as that the sun shines. The Father never hides His face from His child. Sin hides it, and unbelief hides it, but the Father lets His love shine all the day on the face of His children."
(Murray, Reverend Andrew; Sermons by Andrew Murray (2011-06-20). The collected works and sermons of Reverend Andrew Murray [Illustrated] (The Writings of Andrew Murray | Classic Christian Writings and Sermons) (Kindle Location 6086). Christian Miracle Foundation Press. Kindle Edition.)
“It is sin that provoked God, and brought His curse upon man. He hates sin with a perfect hatred, and will do everything to root it out. (Deut 27:26; Isa 59:1, 2; Jer 44:4; Rom 1:18) It is to take away sin that God gave His Son, that Jesus gave Himself. (Gal 2:4; Eph 5:25, 27; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 John 3:8) It belongs to God to set us free, not only from punishment and curse, from disquietude and terror, but from sin itself. (Jer 27:9; 1 Pet 1:2, 15, 16; 2:14; 1 John 3:8) You know that He was manifested that He might take away our sins. Let us receive the thought deep into our hearts: it is for God to take away our sins from us. The better we apprehend this, the more blessed shall our life be.”
(Murray, Reverend Andrew; Sermons by Andrew Murray (2011-06-20). The collected works and sermons of Reverend Andrew Murray [Illustrated] (The Writings of Andrew Murray | Classic Christian Writings and Sermons) (Kindle Location 6695). Christian Miracle Foundation Press. Kindle Edition.)
In The New Life: Words of God for Young Disciples of Christ, he says:
“The one thing that God hates, that grieves Him, that He is provoked by, and that He will destroy, is sin. The one thing that makes man unhappy, is sin. (Gen 6:5, 6; Isa 13:24; Ezek 33:6; Rev 6:16, 17) The one thing for which Jesus had to give His blood was sin. In all the intercourse betwixt the sinner and God, this is thus the first thing that the sinner must bring to his God -- sin. (Judg 10:10, 15, 16; 2 Chron 27:14; Ezra 9:6; Neh 2:33; 9:2, 33; Jer 3:21, 25; Dan. 9:4, 5, 20).”
Kindle Location 6741
Certainly, worrying about sin will not help us in the slightest. Neither will struggling against it. On the other hand, ignoring it or pretending it doesn't matter will only makes things worse! The remedy is made very clear in many New Testament scriptures. There is nothing we can do to help ourselves, so God has done it all for us. It simply takes a step of faith to accept holiness into our lives, and the choices we make regarding whether we want our sin more than God's way of righteousness will demonstrate how real that faith is. There is no need to wait until some time in the future to do this. Indeed, it is essential we do it at the earliest possible opportunity.
Of course God loves us in spite of our sin and failure. Of course He continues to minister to us, regardless of how badly we fail Him; but this does not mean that therefore sin is unimportant. It means He is doing everything possible to enable us to move into the place of victory He has made for us.
INDEX
Chapter Three
Chapter Three: Two Gods
"Let me say it again: You have as much God as you're gonna get! He lives in you! You are in Him. How much closer do you want than that? Every moment of every day, fused with you, there He is. He never moves. Never covers His ears when you sin, never puts up a newspaper, never turns His back. He's not over on the other side of your sin, waiting for you to get it together so you can finally be close."
You have as much God as you're gonna get? Not true! The verse given in the footnote in support of this statement in chapter three is:
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:4
Notice Jesus does not say that it doesn't matter what you do because you will always be abiding in Him and therefore bearing fruit. He tells us to abide in Him, and if we don't we won't be fruitful. Therefore it is possible not to abide in Him: if it was impossible for us not to abide in Him, why does He tell us to abide? It is a choice we can make, and this choice will affect whether we continue to abide in Him or not. Paul said to the Ephesians:
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14, 19
Why would he pray for the Ephesians to be filled with all God’s fullness, if they already were filled? Obviously, he did not believe that they had as much of God as they were going to get! Otherwise, he would have said,
“I thank the Father... that you are...,”
not,
“I bow my knees to the Father... That you may be...”
He also said:
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Ephesians 5:18
Once again this is a choice we make; therefore it is possible not to be filled with the Spirit. Why would Paul tell us to be filled with the Spirit if it was impossible not to be filled? So the idea that we are bound to "have as much God as you're gonna get!" is quite plainly wrong. In The Master’s Indwelling Andrew Murrey says:
“Oh, that Christians understood and believed that God is a fountain of happiness, perfect, everlasting blessedness! What would the result be? Every Christian would say, "The more I can have of God, the happier. The more of God's will, and the more of God's love, and the more of God's fellowship, the happier." How Christians, if they believed that with their whole heart, would, with the utmost ease, give up everything that would separate them from God!”
(Murray, Reverend Andrew; Sermons by Andrew Murray (2011-06-20). The collected works and sermons of Reverend Andrew Murray [Illustrated] (The Writings of Andrew Murray | Classic Christian Writings and Sermons) (Kindle Location 4961). Christian Miracle Foundation Press. Kindle Edition.)
In The Cure, footnote nine of chapter three says:
“As part of our new creation, it is imperative that we believe we have a new heart (Romans 6:17). If I am still believing that my heart is deceitfully wicked, there is no way I will ever trust that I am who God says I am. And I will live unable to trust my new heart not to try to take advantage of God.”
However, the whole teaching of Romans chapter seven is that our 'new heart' is no more able to obey God than our 'old' one was. So if I try to 'trust my new heart' I am bound to fail. There will never be a time when we are not totally dependent on God's presence and power to keep us from falling.
INDEX
Chapter Six
Chapter Six: Two Friends
"What if it was less important that anything ever gets fixed than that nothing ever has to be hidden?'"
The scripture given to support this is…
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:5–7
This passage is not saying that being 'fixed' is less important than being 'unhidden'. It says that when we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus cleanses us – if that is not being 'fixed' then I do not know what is! What about:
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…
Hebrews 12:14
If we won't see God without holiness, it is rather important that pile of sin is sorted out, don't you think? In fact the enormous importance God places on this aspect of our lives can be seen by the number of times the words ‘righteousness’ and holiness’ can be found in the Bible. The word 'holy' or ‘holiness’ appears 637 times in 567 verses in the NKJ version; 611 times in 544 verses in the KJ version. 'Righteous’ or ‘righteousness' appears 315 times in 295 verses in NKJ version; 306 times in 289 verses in KJ version. So, for example, we are told:
and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:24
The fact that righteousness is the antithesis of sin can be seen by:
Awake to righteousness, and do not sin;
1 Corinthians 15:34
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions."
Hebrews 1:9
In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:10
The fact that holiness is the antithesis of sin can be seen by:
But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
Romans 6:22
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1
For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
1 Thessalonians 4:7
Overcoming sin in our lives is not an optional extra, or an impossible dream; it is the very purpose for which we were born again and cannot be emphasised highly enough. Throughout the Bible, over and over and over again God repeats His requirement that mankind should be righteous, the scriptures quoted above being a tiny example. At the bottom of this page I have put a fairly comprehensive list of the number of appearances of ‘holy’ and ‘righteous’ in the Bible.
Return to Text
You can jump there now to see it if you wish, as there is a link, RETURN TO TEXT, at the end to bring you back to the text here.
In note 2 of chapter six it says:
"See, for example, Colossians 1:9–13. This extended passage, apart from being one often cited by those who advocate pleasing God over trusting God, clearly indicates that God has "qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light" (NASB)."
This is precisely the point! We are new creatures. We have been changed. We are not the same as we were. If there are sin issues, it is because we have failed to realise the full salvation that Jesus has won for us. Solving them can never be resolved by the lie that sin will always conquer us and we can never beat it. For example a few paragraphs later The Cure says:
"It's a realization that sin finds its power when I hide. That nobody gets 'fixed.'"
Nobody gets fixed? What kind of 'salvation' are these people promoting? Certainly not the one found in the New Testament! It is the truth that sets us free, not the psychological half–truths found in 'The Cure'. Notice once again that note 2, chapter six (talking about “...those who advocate pleasing God over trusting God...”) repeats the denial made earlier in the book “of what Colossians actually says, which is:
For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love…
Colossians 1:9–13
God expects us to please Him. Full stop!
INDEX
Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven: Two Destinies
"You know the goal of the Room of Grace was never just about getting healed, right? The goal has always been to free your release into your particular destiny."
Footnote 1 relating to this statement says:
"In Colossians 1:21–22 Paul points out that the actual reason why Christ reconciled us is in order to present us holy and blameless and beyond reproach to the Father!"
Quite; and you can't be holy and blameless without being 'fixed'! The quoted scripture says:
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight–if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard…
Colossians 1:21–23
Notice this is only true if you continue in the faith. What if you do not continue in the faith? How does this square with their 'once saved always saved' belief?
"We're not trying to eventually arrive at some higher level. Col 2:1–3"
The passage actually says…
For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:1–3
…so what relevance does Colossians have to the above statement about not trying to reach a higher level?
"We each enter the Room of Grace self–centered."
The passage quoted to support this statement is given in footnote 19 as:
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apopos," are you not carnal?
1 Corinthians 3:1–4
Does the fact that the Corinthians were acting like this mean that every Christian is the same as them? I think not! It may, or may not, be the case that everyone begins their Christian life self–centredly; but this scripture is not the one to prove it.
Then the book ends! What happened to the pile of sin on the floor? Presumably it is still there, not dealt with, as the character walks off into the sunset (so to speak) after spending 15 months in the room of Grace.
INDEX
Conclusion
Conclusion
There are a number of other quibbles I could have mentioned, but it is not really worth the effort. As I previously said, a lot of what it written in The Cure is perfectly acceptable – encouraging even. However, these little deviations, slight twists in what the Bible clearly states as full freedom for the believer, are enough for me to put it on one side as 'another gospel'.
If we accept what this book tells us then we need to rewrite key scriptures:
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
John 8:36
Becomes:
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you will be partly free but still ensnared by sin.
And:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Becomes:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; some old things have passed away, some remain; behold, some things have become new and some haven't.
The Cure tells us that pleasing God is the wrong motivation for a Christian. Paul says:
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:9
The Cure and Paul are contradictory and incompatible.
The Cure says that sin has no effect on our relationship to God and can be left until we are ready to deal with it. Peter says:
…to the pilgrims of the Dispersion …in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience …but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; … Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart…
1 Peter 1:1, 2, 15–17, 22
The Cure and Peter are contradictory and incompatible.
The Cure says we can put off dealing with sin and it is impossible for anyone to lose their salvation. The writer to the Hebrews says:
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us... Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God... For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven…
Hebrews 12:1, 14, 15, 25
The Cure and Hebrews are contradictory and incompatible.
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:6–8
…we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine…
Ephesians 4:14
So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas.
Hebrews 13:9 (NLT)
If The Cure is not a ‘different gospel', then in my view it comes very close to being one. Therefore I think it safer avoided.
INDEX
Holy in the Bible
‘Holy’ and ‘Righteous’ in the Bible
The following definitions are from Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionaries, and the number of appearances of each word comes from the King James concordance.
Righteousness
6666 צדקה tsedâqâh, tsed-aw-kaw'
From H6663; rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity): - justice, moderately, right (-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).
This appears 157 times in the Old Testament
H6665 צדקה tsidqâh, tsid-kaw'
(Chaldee); corresponding to H6666; beneficence: - righteousness.
This appears once in the Old Testament
H6664 צדק tsedeq, tseh'-dek
From H6663; the right (natural, moral or legal); also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity: - X even, (X that which is altogether) just (-ice), ([un-]) right (-eous) (cause, -ly, -ness).
This appears 117 times in the Old Testament
H6663 צדק tsâdaq, tsaw-dak'
A primitive root; to be (causatively make) right (in a moral or forensic sense): - cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just (-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be, turn to) righteous (-ness).
This appears 41 times in the Old Testament
H6662 צדּיק tsaddı̂yq, tsad-deek'
From H6663; just: - just, lawful, righteous (man).
This appears 207 times in the Old Testament
G1342 δίκαιος dikaios, dik'-ah-yos
From G1349; equitable (in character or act); by implication innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively): - just, meet, right (-eous).
This appears 81 times in the New Testament
G1343 δικαιοσύνη dikaiosunē, dik-ah-yos-oo'-nay
From G1342; equity (of character or act); specifically (Christian) justification: - righteousness.
This appears 93 times in the New Testament
G1344 δικαιόω dikaioō, dik-ah-yo'-o
From G1342; to render (that is, show or regard as) just or innocent: - free, justify (-ier), be righteous.
This appears 40 times in the New Testament
G1345 δικαίωμα dikaiōma, dik-ah'-yo-mah
From G1344; an equitable deed; by implication a statute or decision: - judgment, justification, ordinance, righteousness.
This appears 10 times in the New Testament
G1346 δικαίως dikaiōs, dik-ah'-yoce
Adverb from G1342; equitably: - justify, (to) righteously (-ness).
This appears 5 times in the New Testament
Holy
H6942 קדשׁ qâdash, kaw-dash'
A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally): - appoint, bid, consecrate, dedicate, defile, hallow, (be, keep) holy (-er, place), keep, prepare, proclaim, purify, sanctify (-ied one, self), X wholly.
This appears 174 times in the Old Testament.
H6944 קדשׁ qôdesh, ko'-desh
From H6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstractly sanctity: - consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.
This appears 458 times in the Old Testament.
G37 ἁγιάζω hagiazō, hag-ee-ad'-zo
From G40; to make holy, that is, (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate: - hallow, be holy, sanctify.
This appears 29 times in the New Testament.
G38 ἁγιασμός hagiasmos, hag-ee-as-mos'
From G37; properly purification, that is, (the state) purity; concretely (by Hebraism) a purifier: - holiness, sanctification.
This appears 10 times in the New Testament.
G40 ἅγιος hagios, hag'-ee-os
From ἅγος hagos (an awful thing) compare G53, [H2282]; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated): - (most) holy (one, thing), saint.
This appears 231 times in the New Testament.
G41 ἁγιότης hagiotēs, hag-ee-ot'-ace
From G40; sanctity (that is, properly the state): - holiness.
This appears once in the New Testament.
G42 ἁγιωσύνη hagiōsunē, hag-ee-o-soo'-nay
From G40; sacredness (that is, properly the quality): - holiness.
This appears 3 times in the New Testament.
RETURN TO TEXT
INDEX
Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labelled NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004.
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