I titled this part 3 and so it will be if we make it into Ephesians chapter 2 after I say what the Lord has impressed upon me to do herewith.
In first Corinthians chapter 11 and the first 15 verses we find that which we've just shared about woman being mans complement but in verses 16-19 we have a warning about falsehood and deception of men. Then Paul picks up with the LORD's Last Supper and our being identified in Him through it and the rest of the actions taken against Him up to and including His ascension. Which took place forty days latter in accord with Daniel chapter 9. Now through the perversion of this Gospel which we find as mentioned in verses 16-19, and which Paul picks up again in verses 27-34 and compares them with those spoken of in verses 16-19. Which says, 'they don't properly discerning the Lord's Body and they partake of this meal in an unworthy manor'. And because they do so they eat and drink unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (this we've seen by way of personal knowledge and experience with family). For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world'. Then Paul reveals in 1 Timothy and elsewhere (for example Hebrews) and Peter does in 2 Peter. So lets take a moment or two to look at them.
1Corinthians 11:16-19
“But if any man seem to be contentious (through the idea of custom and usage of the Law of Moses, they oppose God, look to 1Timothy 6:3-5), we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions* among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies (to take for one's self, those things now obsolete, taken as tenets [sects or parties] that is to say Pharisee’s, Sadducees, Christians and the like, which are the divisions* [denominations, as the “Jews” are figurative of them], look to Acts 5:17, 15:5, 24:5, 14, 26:5, 28:22; Galatians 5:20 and Titus 3:10) among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.”
This is what the LORD addressed to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9 when He asked him "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Saul here was a contentious man, he was a heretic because he was a Pharisee's Pharisee, he belonged to the sect of Pharisee's, and so he could speak from himself by way of personal knowledge. He was kicking against, resisting the proddings of Christ within his soul. Before we move into Timothy lets look at what the Lord said as recorded in Matthew 18:7 and by Luke in 17:1 which is saying the samething so we'll look at Matthew.
Matthew 18:7
'Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!' (now here's a listing of referenced or related passages for farther study Mat. 13:41-42, 23:13-28, 26:24; Joh. 17:12; Acts 1:18-20; 2Peter 2:3, 2:15-17; Jude 11-13; Rev, 2:14-15, 20-23, 19:20-21)
We could also look at what the Lord reveals in what is called the Beatitudes as found in Matthew chapter 6-7 about false religion but for time and space we'll leave that for another day.
Now to 1 Timothy chapter 4 where we find this in verses 1-10:
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”
From here we'll turn to 2Peter chapter 2 and beginning at verse 1 through 10 we find:
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.”
Now to keep this brief we'll not expound on these because they pretty much speak for themselves. So we'll pick back up with our study in Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians 2:1
"And you (the believer) hath he quickened, (made alive from the dead) who were (past tense, separated from God by) dead in trespasses and sins;..."
Now as we always like to define words so that anybody can understand. What really is death? Well we normally think of when something dies, it's dead! Well what happens when something dies. Let's keep it in perspective by using the human race as an example. What happens when a person dies? Well their soul, spirit the invisible part of them is separated from the physical body. Now that's all death is. Now that's probably over simplifying, but death is simply the separation of the invisible part of us, for all peoples it's soul and spirit. For the unbeliever it's only the soul, his spirit hasn't been energized, awakened, as it is still separated from God, it is asleep figuratively speaking. For both the soul and spirit are covered as a seed with a shell of sin, Satan's nature.
Spiritual death is also a separation, but it's a separation from God. So the person who is spiritually dead has been separated from the Creator God. And Paul is saying here, "This is where we were before redemption which is designed to bring us through to salvation." Let's look at what he says.
Ephesians 2:1b
"...who were dead..."
Now I understand why the Lord had me to do as we've done and revealed above. For only those who are dead men and women can remain in that estate by their chosen deeds or the lust for the sweetness of sin and death, that is to remain separated from God and His Light in Love. They remain contentious and as heretics.
You no we, were all separated from God. Now we're going to go all the way back to Genesis chapter 2. As you know we're always stressing Paul's Epistles are the basis for most of what we believe, but that doesn't mean we don't use the rest of Scriptures. Remember all Scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness. So when Paul says you were dead in trespasses and sins, what was he talking about, when did it happen? Well spiritual death or this separation from God was an event, it wasn't a process, but rather an event, a crisis.
We find that God has now created Adam, he's still alone. Eve is still in Adam, because she hasn't been brought out of him to be his "help mete" and salvation from the desire to gain the knowledge (the true, for unlawful carnal knowledge) of the nature and nature of all beasts. This knowledge makes us bestial in our very nature or Satan like. And you pick it up in verse 16:
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