Articles
God-Identified
The Talmudic requirements of one who would be called a proselyte were much stricter than even the Law of Moses demanded. Under the Law of Moses [i.e., the Old Law], God said, “The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you” (Lev. 19:34). Unfortunately, some took this simple statement and read more into it than what was actually intended and, over time, a stricter requirement was implemented and the traditions were handed down that increased the prerequisites of becoming a proselyte.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says the Talmud considered "circumcision, with the addition of baptism and the offering of sacrifice…indispensable; and thus their converts had to submit to the whole burden of the Mosaic and traditional Law," and those who did so were considered a "perfect Israelite." Other historical records demonstrate circumcision was not a requirement of the Law, though, and proselytes were accepted whether or not they were circumcised. Despite this, many still thought of proselytes as inferior to one born a Jew, and one rabbi even said, "Proselytes are as injurious to Israel as a scab." What we should learn from these various perspectives is that man did not always acknowledge and/or accept the one whom God accepted, and man sometimes takes it upon himself to redefine terms and alter the conditions and requirements God has already established. In regards to the matter of who, exactly, was a proselyte, God had one standard, and man had others.
The point we should learn from this is that man often has a different standard than God; in this case, where God has established one way for one to be accepted by Him, man arbitrarily decides the requirements must be more stringent. This is nothing new, and it will likely not change anytime soon, either. Consider just a few points to illustrate:
Salvation. God's word teaches us Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16), but man says, "We are saved by faith alone," or, "We are saved by grace alone," or, "Baptism is not necessary" — or some other statement that denies the very words of Jesus. No matter what men may do to add to — or take away from — the words of Jesus, those words still stand as the only authoritative ones. Simply put, man doesn't have the right to alter God's plan of salvation. As Paul put it, “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim. 2:19), and He won't be fooled.
The Bible also teaches us that our conduct after we become a Christian matters, too. Peter warns against those who might be drawn back into the world: “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” (2 Pet. 2:20, 21). Man, however, says, "It doesn't matter how I live because it is impossible for me to fall away, once saved." Look back at the words of the inspired writer, and see if that sounds like "once saved, always saved" to you. There are many passages in the New Testament that warn against falling away, and many admonitions to “stand fast” in the faith; why all these warnings and admonitions if there is no possibility of falling?
The Lord's Church. Jesus once asked His disciples who others thought He was, and then who they thought He was (Matt. 16:13-15). After Peter responded by telling Jesus he believed He was the Christ and Son of God, Jesus then said, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:16-18). Please note that Jesus said “church” and not "churches." The apostle Paul also wrote, “He is the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:18); please note here that the body of Christ is the church, and since Paul also wrote there is one body (Eph. 4:4), this means there is only one church. Despite this, man has established many churches — 41,000 and counting. How can any reasonable person look at the number 1 and the number 41,000 and say they are equal? Christ never intended there be 41,000 churches! Christ never intended there be more than one!
Yet men argue that these churches are all equally valid in God's sight. Man says, "Join the church of your choice." Man says, "Denominations are beautiful" ("Why We Need Denominations," Relevant Magazine, October 13, 2013.), and, "Denominations serve a real purpose and are worthy of our promotion, propagation, and commitment" ("How Important Are Denominations?", ByFaithOnline.com). Yet again, we see what God says has been altered by man, and the original intent of God is set aside that the desires of men may be elevated. The truth is, God only identifies one church as Christ's, and all others as the invention of man. Only one is comprised of the saved (Acts 2:47).
Divorce. When Jesus answered the question of the Pharisees about whether a man could divorce his wife for just any cause, He told them, “And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery” (Matt. 19:9). Though Jesus used the word “divorces” to say what the man had done, men today say, "It's not really a divorce because it violated God's will." I am constantly amazed at the human reasoning men use to try to invalidate the words of Jesus, and this is one argument that simply makes no sense. Would we say that if a man killed another man, "It wasn't really murder because his action violated God's will"? Can we see how ridiculous that argument would be? And if we can, can we not see it is just as ridiculous when man tries to change the very words of Jesus?
We could list many more instances where man has taken what God has established and tried to alter its meaning and purpose, but let us stop here and consider something relevant to these things and every other case where man is not satisfied with God's way. The fact is, when man alters God's established ways, or tries to redefine terms He used, it doesn't change the reality and fact God's word is authoritative and man's word is not. Simply put, man has no authority to alter what God has already established.
Man may self-identify as a Christian, but unless he has done what God has commanded, it means nothing; God doesn't identify him as such. Man may claim that any church that calls itself Christ's is acceptable, but if it was not established by Christ and does not follow His doctrine, it is an empty claim and Christ does not identify it as His. Man may claim an unlawful divorce is not really a divorce, and then say you can put away your spouse after you've already been divorced, but God will not identify it as a lawful act.
No matter what we may say, and no matter how we may identify ourselves, what really matters is how God identifies us and what God's word says. No man has any authority to redefine words or alter what God has established. Christ alone is the authority (Matt. 28:18).
—— Steven Harper
