No One is Righteous No Not One

Romans 3:10-12 "10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”"

Anyone who has been born again knows the brokenness of their heart when they discovered they were as filthy rags before God. These are the most grateful people, those who have admitted their sinfulness and have been changed by Christ into a completely different person.

 
We are so grateful we can openly and easily say we were wicked and express the unquenchable joy we have at being changed by Christ.

 
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 "9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 Such WERE some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

We are no longer sinners when we have become born-again, we are saints trapped in this shell, our bodies, battling against the flesh daily as we ask God to cleanse us from whatever stench of sin lingers in our flesh.

 
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Romans 7:14-25
The Conflict of Serving Two Masters
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold into bondage to sin.
15 For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate.
16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, that the Law is good.
17 But now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.
18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God in the inner person,
23 but I see a different law in the parts of my body waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, the law which is in my body’s parts.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."

Seminary and Bible College Man's Idea Not God's

Let's count the number of apostles who were trained in seminary or Bible college and ordained by men......oh that's right NONE!!!!

Hierarchy God Never Commanded

Many people think they are saved because they are in a protestant church gathering and because they are not Catholic.

What they don't realize is that many activities and rituals they follow come from the Catholic church and have never been Biblical.

A one-man-paid-pastor system is typical of apostasy. When one man is seen as the authority over all the other believers in the church gathering this is a model of the priest in the Catholic church who offers the sacrifices for the people.

I was once told that I couldn't know the truth about the principles of the Bible because I had not been to seminary. I quickly retorted; "you mean the Holy Spirit only goes to seminary?"

When the one-man pastor is only considered qualified to preach and teach this is denying that all men in the gathering have the Holy Spirit and are qualified as long as they are the husband of one wife.

The women are qualified to speak to anyone about the Lord as long as they are born again and have the Holy Spirit. No other qualification is necessary to speak of the Lord to others.

When the one-man pastor must be paid for his time and ordained by men after attending a seminary or Bible college, this is a form of hierarchy that God never commanded in His Word.

In the church the men lead by example and teaching, they have no authority over others. Every believer has the authority over every other believer to speak the truth and discipline someone who is in sin. In fact, God told us if someone was sinning we were to take it two witnesses and if they would not listen to the whole church and if the person will still not repent they would be treated as outsiders to be ignored and even put out of the church. The whole church were in one accord when putting a sinner out of the church.

Matthew 18:15–20

If Your Brother Sins Against You

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. "

1 Corinthians 5:13 "… 12 What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

The purpose of putting someone out of the church was to pray for them and desire their repentance so that they could come back restored and no longer in sin.

The hierarchy system today elevates some men over others rather than seeing the Holy Spirit in every believer as the One Who makes everyone One Body in Christ, working together with one purpose.

Any time we elevate one person over another we fall into the trap of believing that one person has special knowledge that no one else has. The one who is elevated often begins to think they are special and different causing arrogance and division. God clearly said that the one who preaches must be teachable himself.

1 Timothy 3:2 "2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach (meaning teachable himself),"

If an overseer is not teachable himself, he is not qualified to teach others.

We have leaders in the home and leaders in the church and they are the men. They lead by example and teaching not by force, demeaing, or intimidation, they lead by the love they have for one another. Nothing is about getting their own way in selfishness, just the opposite, they have given their lives over to others to protect and support Spiritual and emotional growth in those they lead.

Every leader must do what he does for the sake of the well-being of others, not about his own selfish desires.

Titus 2 "2 But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.

2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,

4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,

5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;

7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,

8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

9 Urge slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be pleasing, not argumentative,

10 not stealing, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people,

12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds.

15 These things speak and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. No one is to disregard you."