4 The Two Pillars of Christianity

4-The Two Pillars of Christianity
BH Clendennen

Our lesson here we've called the two pillars of Christianity.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now, I want you to think on that as we move through this lesson. The whole of the Christian religion stands upon two great pillars. The greatness of the fall-where we fell from. You see, that's what's been lost in the minds of a lot of people. You've got millions of people believing that once you're saved, you're always saved, and can never fall from that position. But where did Adam fall from? What are we going to be redeemed back to? He fell from the holy life of God. He lost the image of Christ in that life. So the first pillar is the greatness of that fall. Second though, is the greatness of our redemption. See, all the reasons of a deep humility, penance, and self denial lie in the true knowledge of these two truths right here. Until these two truths have awakened and opened our mind for the reception of the divine light all conversions are superficial. And I can tell you millions are looking for the coming of the Lord but they are not ready for Him. They believe they're saved and they're not saved. In the fall, man lost the life of God. In that loss, he took on the nature of the devil inwardly and the nature of the beast outwardly.

Now, this hellish nature of fallen man subsists of four elements: covetousness, pride, envy and anger. These four elements nourish and keep up the life of the fallen soul and are also the elements of hell in which demons dwell. These devils can no more exist outside these four elements than a fish can exist outside of water. When man lost the life of God, when Adam fell, he become a dark root of self tormenting fire that has these four elements in it. By having these elements of hell in it, is is how evil spirits have such communion with the soul of man. Every stirring of fallen man in the element of pride is the moving of the devil's element, where he is, where he has power to join, what he can act with. Every motion in the element of envy and wrath empowers the devil to enter into the soul and establish his kingdom within us. The old man is the dark fallen nature, enlightened only with the light of this outward world. It is the diabolical nature only softened with flesh and blood, quietened and comforted by the light of the sun. By this light he can only see the outward images of things and can only reason and argue about his own shadowy images but can no more know God than such images can represent God under him. Oh, God help you to hear me. The old man may be a historian, poet, or politician, etc. All of his skills lie within his reach. The fire of the soul, kindled by the sun, may do all this, but in spite of all these trappings and endowments, he is wholly shut up in his dark prison of selfishness, envy, pride and wrath. He is an animal full of earthly sensual passions and tempers and can only favor such things that gratify that nature.

Oh, you say that's a terrible picture, but that's God picture of him and that's what you are. You may have been raised by people that disciplined your life but lying beneath that discipline can break out this awful, awful nature. This is what man is without God. Wherever he has gone, wherever you find him, the results are always the same. Here and here only lies the true distinction between the old and the new man and the plain reason why the life of the one is the death to the other. They cannot exist the same. In this difference between the old and new man, we see a clear and solid ground and difference between what is called an historical and superficial faith which cannot save the soul, but leaves it a slave to sin, and leaves it a slave to sin, and the living faith that brings in to being that new creature in the Lord Jesus Christ. The only remedy then is to have the nature changed and that can only happen by being born again from above. Now, this new birth takes place in the spirit of man. For these elements of pride, envy, covetousness, and anger are not without, but are death and hell springing up within that man. They're there under provocation they come out. Now, because this serpent is within us, rising up within us in the form and essence of our fallen nature, even so our Redeemer must equally be within us. The Word of God teaches us only the promised seed of the woman, the eternal Word or Son of God, made man, can bruise or kill this life of that serpent in us. Therefore, the Word of God or Son of God must have His dwelling in the grounds and in the essence of our nature because that is where this serpent of the devil is. We must know that knowing about a thing is not the same thing as possessing it. Mere head knowledge about this great salvation genders pride and feeds that serpent. And you see so much of that in religion today. You have this far out prosperity, making money, these kind of things, the will of God and the purpose of God. God doesn't care what you have but He's very concerned about what has you. See, a new life, or new nature must rise from that seed within us thus making it clear that regeneration or the new birth is and can be nothing else but the recovery of the birth of the Son of God in that fallen man. Nothing else. It cannot be religion, it cannot be a good Samaritan, it cannot be a good Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, there must be a new creature. Nothing can awaken a sinner or mere professor, but a true sense of the inward possession and power that sin has in him and over him.

Most people don't want to admit this. They somehow make excuse for what they are and how they are. There must come by the preaching of the Word of God an understanding of what that nature is or he'll never turn in true repentance to God. He must be made by the preaching of the Gospel to see that sin begins in his being and rises up by what he is. That he only acts like he does because that is what he is. That must be the revelation that takes hold of us in these final days. God has stirred me so to preach this message that you must be born again. I talked to my neighbor here next door, where I live. He was a fine man, a business man, his name was Doug. I said to him, you must come to Christ, you must be saved. He said, "Oh, I'm a good man, I go to church once in a while. I pay my bills, treat my family good." But I said "You're dead." Oh, he was insulted. He was a brilliant man. Well, there was an oak tree in front of his house and in it was a squirrel. I said to him, "Doug, you believe that tree's alive?" He said "of course it's alive." I said to him, "Do you believe that tree knows that squirrel is there?" Finally, he said, "No." I said, "That's what I'm saying. That tree is dead to an environment that squirrel is alive to. And I'm alive to an environment you're dead to. You go to church but you're not born again. You don't know God. Spiritual things are not the appetite of your life."

Oh, man first see sin in the first forms of his life. Man must see it. He's chained in the very jaws of death and hell and unable to alter his own state. He must see that. Man's effort to save himself is everywhere. The whole Roman religion is that. You save yourself by acts of self. You have that in all other. Now, the ecumenicals are saying all religions have some good in them. There's none good but God. Where that blood of Christ is not preached and lived God is not there. Man must not be left there alone with the knowledge. He must be made to see that the free grace of God has provided a remedy that is greater than his distress. That the blood of Jesus Christ does cleanse, it does make new creatures, it does make men who don't love sin the love God. This grace has given him the holy blood, and life of Jesus Christ to enter into his being, to change the forms and essence of his life. This he must hear again. Oh, God put it on my mind to press this home to you. That this has to be made real to every man and woman. Don't let them go to hell believing everything is alright. The eternal life entered into man brings forth a new birth of a divine life which is to be the image of the holy trinity. They took knowledge those first Christians had been with Christ because the very image of Christ was seen in the way they lived and acted, the way they conducted themselves. When once a man truly knows these two truths, he'll know and feel the power of Christ brought to life in him.

There is no more you need to do in an outward way for God. At this point, when truly born of God, the voice of the inward Teacher is so speaking, heard and loved within you that you can say nothing to Him outwardly of any humility, penance, self abasement, they will not be less than his broken, convicted heart has suggested to him. When he's truly been born of God. Humility can only be pretended or false before this kind of conviction comes to a human. You don't have to tell that man with such conviction at this point that he must turn to God with all his heart. All he can offer to God seems to him to be less than the least of His mercies to him. This is the conviction and conversion that arises from a full inward conviction of the truth I'm bringing you today. Where the weight and power of these truths is not felt livingly in the heart, then religion has no root and cannot bring forth its proper fruit without root. In general, the church of our time is made up of dead, superficial consenters to the history of Scripture and doctrine. They go to church and hear sermons that makes no difference in their lives. They hear certain doctrines, this is what I am. They never become a living thing. As a whole they are unwilling to allow the Spirit to be the animating p0wer of life and service. Refuse to be a part with a form of religion. Amen. Despised, if you have any kind of self denial. They are fond of worldly ease. They don't want to hear any thing of any kind of self denial. Their whole life centers in worldly ease, indulgence and riches. Unwilling to be called to the perfection of the Gospel, they profess and practice religion as a fashion and custom as the certain church they are in requires. I say to you that probably 85% of what calls itself a Christian rests right there.

If some rests in outward forms of religion, if some expect to be saved by changes in their outward behavior, if some content themselves with a lukewarm spirit, others depend upon their works--these are delusions that happen to those who do not know and feel the true nature of their fallen soul and what kind of redemption alone that can save them. All of these errors, delusions, false rests, are dug up by the root as soon as any man truly knows the reason and necessity of his need of so great a Savior. The knowledge that it is the hell within his own nature, that it isn't out there, that he acts like he acts because that is what he is. That must be destroyed. He is then intent upon bringing about such a destruction. Such a conviction then saves him from false religion. Further knowing this inward hell can't be destroyed unless God becomes his redeemer or regenerator in the ground of his soul makes him believe all, expect all and hope all from Jesus Christ alone. The knowledge that this redemption takes place in the innermost depths of his heart produces the atmosphere and conditions for spiritual growth. We must grow or die. Everything that has life either has to grow or die. You that have children, that little boy he wasn't born to be a baby. He was meant to grow up and be a man like his dad. That little girl was born to be a woman like her mother. If they don't reach that, they have failed in life. They have to grow or die. What is true naturally is true spiritually. You have to grow in the knowledge of Christ.

Paul's cry at the end of his life was that I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship and suffering, being made conformable to his death. (Php 3:10) Now this truth makes man always approach God as the God of his heart. Therefore, what he offers to God is his own heart. Giving of his heart keeps him spiritually alive. This alone keeps him focused, always employed and intent upon the true work of God. You see separation is not so much separation from the world, but it is separation unto God. If you separate yourself unto God that eliminates the world which is an enemy of God. So our whole life is called upon to give Him our heart. Separate unto God. Offer him that body as a living sacrifice, to live, to walk to believe. Listen, folks, this is the way-the pathway of a freedom beyond knowledge, of overcoming and becoming a part to sit on the throne of this universe with Christ.

That person in such ever occupied with the fitting and preparing the heart for all the operation of the Spirit of God upon it, and the result is he's a true inward Christian. He has the kingdom of God within him. Where the state and habit of his heart is the continual worship of the Father in spirit and truth, ever looking up, ever thankful, ever walking with God. To be so full there is no room for anything else, to be truly possessed by the life and Spirit of God. To ever walk and live in this Spirit so that it's not I live but it is Christ. That's the only true freedom on this planet. Has it happened to you? Are you just a church member? Charter church member of some dead religion? Have you been born again? Old things have passed away and all things become new. If it isn't, sir, ma'am, then you're not saved and I'm telling you the end is upon us. That third world war is going to break out, listen to me, it's about to happen. One out of six people is going to die. We're seeing the climax of the ages. The Anti Christ stands in the wings. The monetary systems of the world everywhere is failing. It's all falling apart. Today the talk is one currency for the whole world. What they are talking about one world, one government, under Anti Christ. If you're ever going to get ready, you must get ready now. The Bible says call on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that God has raised His Son from the dead, and you believe in your heart this great truth, you will be saved. If God has dealt with your heart, kneel and ask God to save you. Ask God for Christ's sake to save you. Turn from who you are and to God, and you've found the answer to everything. God bless you and keep you in everything.