Tag Archives: repentance

June 20, 2009 · 11:26 am

Where Do the Manifested Sons of God Come From?

They are born of humble origins and inauspicious beginnings; they start as any other sinful human being. The vast majority will not come from the powerful elite class, for “not many mighty, not many noble are called” (1). God is rather choosing out the weak of this world, ones who have little power or influence. He does this so that when He reveals Himself in these chosen ones, they’ll know it is Him and not them doing the greater works.

Called to Transcend

They will have been called by their heavenly Father to transcend merely dwelling on temporary earthly delights for themselves.

During their initial selfish sashay upon earth, they will eventually see that enough is enough. For how many women must one man bed until he finally realizes that sex without the heavenly component of love is senseless, fruitless, and meaningless. And how many men must one woman lay with before she sees the futility of her physical submission.

Awaking Out of the Mud

The future offspring of God will awake one day and try to wash up from the mud-caked sin that smears their inner spirit. They will hear the LORD cry, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes” (2). They will at once want to change, to clean up, to attire themselves in clothes not meant to attract another’s attention, but just to modestly cover the shame of their nakedness.

They will want to change, but they will not know how exactly. They will try to change themselves for themselves, but they will see that doing things for your self is just that same sly selfishness dolled up for another run.

They will finally see that they can’t change themselves–for themselves. They’ll see that as long as their old self is still there, it will selfishly devote its life for self-aggrandizement. That is all the old nature can do.

Don’t “Become a Better You”!

The world is full of people trying to become better. They are encouraged by feel-good false teachers to do so. But the sons and daughters of God will see through this. They’ll realize that the “You” in Become a Better You! has got to go. The “You” must willingly surrender its sovereignty over its body. The “You” must not be re-directed or “made better.” God commands that the old “You” repent, by dying on the cross with Christ.

It’s a tough sentence–this self-imposed crucifixion. But the future sons and daughters of the Creator will become desperate enough to just believe what the scriptures of truth say. They will surrender their old selfish existence up to God. They will abdicate themselves as sovereign of their own life. They will present their bodies back to God to allow His Spirit reign in them.

Life Out of Death

True life out of death. Since God’s Spirit will not dwell in unclean temples (bodies), our old selfish heart must go. And the only way to get rid of it is on the cross. Through belief in His resurrection, the Spirit enters our hearts after we are immersed in His death (3).

At first hearing this, many will draw back. This is why the Master said, “Few there be to find this way of truth.” For “many are called, but few are chosen” (4).

After the surrender, the Spirit grows up in a person. Lessons are learned; small battles with the adversary are fought and won; “senses are exercised to discern both good and evil.” Fiery trials of their belief in Him come and go, lending their purifying qualities to the gold-like faith they are walking in.

Their knowledge increases about His government (kingdom), and they continue growing “up into Him” until eventually “Christ be formed in you” (5).

The manifested sons of God are destined to emerge in these latter days. It is the crowning event of our age. The casting call is going out. The sons and daughters of God will be the stars of the show, and God will choose all unknowns for these roles. The question still is, Are we one of them? Kenneth Wayne Hancock

I Cor. 1: 26
Isa. 1:16
Rom. 6: 1-6; I Cor. 1: 18
Matt. 20: 16
Gal. 4: 19

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March 30, 2009 · 12:54 pm

Overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb

People are pressed down by this old world system. The world’s economies are skidding down into a gigantic depression. People are under extreme pressure, some even going crazy, killing their families and themselves. They are losing their jobs, their homes, cars, their lives as they know it.

In lieu of all this, Christ’s words ring with the crystal clarity of truth: “In the world, you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

But here is a newsflash: We shall overcome also! But how do we overcome the world and all of its tribulation, trouble, and anguish?

The First Overcoming

The first overcoming, which leads to all of the overcomings, or victories in Christ, is the victory over sin in our lives. It is a direct victory of the power of the devil in our lives, for “he that commits sin is of the devil.” But to get rid of sin in our lives was the “purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3: 8).

How is this done? “They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12: 11). Our victory over the evil comes through these two things.

Many talk a good Christian ballgame, but few deliver through the lives that they lead. Many claim to follow Christ, yet they still do secret sins, which emanate from the dark recesses of an unregenerated heart–a heart that is old and carnal–a heart that has not climbed Calvary’s hill to submit to the death of the cross along with Christ.

By the Blood of Christ the Sacrificial Lamb

He is the sin sacrifice–the “Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” He takes away the sin of the world. When He gets through, we don’t have it anymore. But we must identify our old sinful heart with Him that day of the Lamb’s death some 2,000 years ago. This is how the Lamb’s blood cleanses us. When it drained out of Him, the life and energy and power of sin died out. When His blood was all spilled out, then the lifeforce of sin in us drained out as well. This is how we overcame the devil. It is from this cleansing of sin through the death of our old nature, of our old spirit, of our old heart.

Yet, sadly, chances are very slim that you will hear this in today’s church houses and Sunday schools. It is “too strong, too harsh.” It is not politically correct and is a sure fire way for the hired preacher to lose his pastorship. But the old preachers of past centuries taught these very things I have shared here. John Wesley taught it, yet you won’t hear this in a modern Methodist church. Martin Luther taught it, but today’s Lutherans won’t hear it in church. Spurgeon taught it, but most Baptists won’t hear this stark message in their churches.

But this is how we repent from sin. The very first apostles’ doctrine was “repentance from dead works.” Sin, the breaking of the 10 Commandments, is a “dead work,” for it leads to death. And getting rid of sin in our lives is the very cornerstone in the sure foundation Christ talked about. Without this start in Christ, the foundation is shaky, and the house will fall when the devil winds blow. Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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December 3, 2008 · 7:20 pm

Conversations With the Seer–What Is Sin in God’s Eyes?

(Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the Seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a Seer. I Samuel 9: 9)

“Just what is sin then?” I asked the Seer. We had been talking about the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the “sin” question had come up.

“Sin is the breaking of the law,” he said (1).

“Which law?”

“The Ten Commandments. If you are breaking one of them, then you are in a sinful state. The apostle Paul of Tarsus proves this when he wrote, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet (2). Here he equates sin with breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Coveting or desiring your neighbor’s possessions or wife is a sin, prohibited by the Ten Commandments. There are nine others. Breaking any of them is sinning.”

“But I’ve been taught that sin can be anything from dancing to drinking wine, from getting angry to not doing something that I am supposed to do.”

“Shuffling one’s feet on a hardwood floor does not necessarily mean one is sinning. Remember King David, flooded with complete joy, danced in the streets; he did not sin. The Savior Himself drank wine in the homes of sinners and publicans (3), yet He committed no sin. He also got angry at the moneychangers at the temple, yet without sin.”

“Why don’t the preachers teach this?”

“They either do not know the truth, or they have turned from the truth and continued on in man’s traditions. I do not judge them. We all have a Judge who will examine us in light of the knowledge given us by Him.”

“You mentioned dancing and drinking wine. Why would that not be sinning?”

“God looks on the intents of the heart (4). If dancing is used for sinful and lustful purposes, then it is suspect. Same goes for drinking a glass of fermented grape juice. Righteous indignation is not the same as selfish anger.”

“Sin then is a spiritual condition.”

“Yes. It is a spiritual condition of the heart, of the core of a person. But sin does not have to be permanent in the human being. A ‘new heart’ composed of His Spirit can be transplanted into the human being through repentance and faith toward God (5).” He saw that I had enough to chew on, so he stopped speaking.

I thanked him for the visit and walked away with some answers, but they seemed to germinate and sprout into more questions–questions for another day. Kenneth Wayne Hancock

1. I John 3:4

2. Romans 7: 7

3. Luke 19: 2

4. Hebrew 4:12

5. Ezekiel 36: 26-27

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September 15, 2008 · 4:39 pm

“Baptized into His Death” Frees Us from Sin–The Doctrine of Baptisms

The early apostles’ taught their third doctrine–the “doctrine of baptisms” with an “s.” For there are several baptisms in the Christian walk–not just the one with water.

The first baptism mentioned was John the Baptist’s “baptism unto repentance.” He encouraged the people to repent of their sins, be baptized in water, thus pointing them to the Lamb of God, who would soon become the Sacrifice for all men’s sins. “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I…he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Mt. 3:11). Here we have three baptisms in one verse.

The baptism in water is symbolic of the death of our old sinful heart (see post on this at https://immortalityroad.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/baptismempty-ritual-or-symbol-of-death-of-self/ ). Paul taught that it was symbolic of being immersed into Christ’s death. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?” (Romans 6: 3).

Just How Are We Immersed into Christ’s Death?

Just before Christ died, this perfectly sinless man took upon Himself the sins of the whole world, past, present, and future. Sin was transferred onto this sin offering, and He died with all our sins upon Him. Consequently, when He died, my old self died. When He died that day, our old selfish egos died.

When He was literally buried in the tomb, our old lives were buried. Gone. Over with. And when He rose from the dead, we rose from the deadness of our sinful existence, into a brand new wonderful life, energized with God’s Spirit now within (for more on this, see “Introduction” of my book The Unveiling of the Sons of God found at the top of this page). All this has already been done for us by God. We have to only believe it when we read it in Romans 6: 3-7 :

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

We are now free from sin–if we really believe it. Free! We are no longer slaves to the pulls, urges, and demands of that old spiritual nature that held us in bondage to do sinful acts! I’m talking about revolutionary freedom here! We were dead to sin, but now we live unto God by faith in the Spirit that He has given us.

Water baptism is just the symbol of this immersion into Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Believing and walking in this truth is the reality. But God has promised his sons and daughters more and greater baptisms–the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the baptism of fire, which takes us into the very presence of God’s transformative power. Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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September 9, 2008 · 2:26 pm

“Faith Toward God”–The Second Apostles’ Doctrine

We are told to repent from our old life in the first apostles’ doctrine, but how do we do it? How do we really change our old selfish ways, and let the old self die? The second apostles’ doctrine teaches us how to do it.

How do we get rid of the old sinful life and get into the new life in Christ? We reckon it done by faith/belief. How do we start walking in a brand new life? We reckon it done by faith. Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ (Yahshua Messiah). Rom. 6:11.

We’ve got to reckon it done! The word “reckon” is #3049 in Strong’s. It means “to account it, to count it as such.”

God wants us to reckon it so, but He does it first! When we turn to Him, then He counts us righteous in His eyes even in our imperfect state. It is His nature to “call those things that do not exist as though they did.” Rom. 4:17, NKJV. If He is this positive, then He would want His children to be the same.

He wants us to follow in His footsteps! God “accounted” righteousness to Abraham because of his belief—before Abraham was righteous! “Accounted” here is the same word as the one translated “reckon.” We are commanded to RECKON some things done. Now we have to reckon our sinful self gone—by belief—as though it were already done—for that is how God looks at it! By belief! Reckon it done through Him and His faith. He said it. Let it be done. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Rom. 4:3. Yahweh imputed, reckoned to Abraham the ability to live in a upright manner, keeping Yahweh’s laws and not sinning, by just believing that Yahweh had done it! We make it so hard through our hard heart of unbelief. He is looking for childlike faith, the belief of a small child. All we have to do is just believe that Yahweh has provided a way for us to actually put the old life to death and start living a new life in Him (read more from my book on this subject at http://www.yahwehisthesavior.com/yahch30.htm ).

When Christ died, our old sins died with Him that day. When He was buried, we were buried. And when He arose, we arose with Him. It is already done in God’s eyes. We just have to receive this new life by faith and belief. It hinges on our belief in Christ’s resurrection. By us believing that He was raised from the dead, we are raised with Him to walk in a newness of life.

The old ministers of centuries past knew this and preached and wrote about this–Luther, Wesley, Murray, et al. But in the last days, there will be a departing from the faith–the faith that reckons it so, believing in the life-changing power of the cross experience. Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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September 6, 2008 · 5:13 pm

Repentance from Dead Works–The First Apostles’ Doctrine

True repentance is the first apostles’ doctrine or teaching. It is the first stone to be laid in the foundation of the LORD’S (Yahweh’s) house, us. The first thing we are told to do by Christ and His apostles is, “Repent.” Because without repentance, the other teachings cannot be done.

It is the foundation upon which the rest of the Christian walk is built. That foundation is comprised of (1) repentance from dead works, (2) faith toward God, (3) doctrine of baptisms, (4) laying on of hands, (5) resurrection of the dead, (6) eternal judgement, and (7) perfection (Hebrews 6: 1-2).

Repentance from Dead Works

“Repentance” is from the Greek word metanoia, meaning “a change of mind.” Thoughts originate from the heart, then on through the mind, and then out through the mouth and actions of the body. So when Christ and His apostles tell us, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” they are saying we must have a change of heart and mind. The selfish heart of mankind must go, and then we can talk, Christ is saying.

Every thought and action of natural, unregenerated man and woman is in God’s eyes a “dead work.” It is an action void of spiritual life. A disciple said to Christ, “Let me bury my father.” But the Master told him, “Let the dead bury their dead.” Christ equated those doing the burying with those being buried. In God’s eyes, both were lifeless, without the Spirit. Without God, our little plans and dreams are lifeless, vain, unprofitable.

So God cannot live in the midst of all that selfishness—a lawlessness that is called sin, for the breaking of the ten commandments is sin. And God hates sin because it is so against His nature. He wants to live in man and woman, but He can’t because when man is full of himself, then there is no room for God. Selfish action is a selfish spirit and is the opposite of God’s Spirit, which is the action called Love.

So there again is man’s problem; he wants to live forever, but wants to live his own selfish life forever, and this thinking breeds mortality, the way of death. In order to gain immortality, man must have God’s Spirit living within him. But the Spirit of God will not dwell in temples (bodies) that are unclean (have actions done in them that are sinful in breaking the l0 commandments). Mankind that comes as far as this knowledge on the road of life comes to a fork in the road. He must chose to either remain as he is and how he has been living, or he must seek a way to repent, to change the error of his ways.

God has provided a way for us to repent; it is the cross. Not that Christ died on the cross. Everyone has heard that story. But that we must surrender our old self and let it die on the Cross with Christ. This is how to repent from dead works. It is the “baptism into His death” (Romans 6: 1-6). Kenneth Wayne Hancock

{For more on this subject, go to the right hand column, and under “Categories,” click “Repentance.”}

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September 2, 2008 · 10:40 pm

The Apostles’ Doctrine–Curriculum of God’s True Teachers

Teachers of God will expound His way, while false prophets and false teachers lie to the flock of God. The true teachers are gifts to mankind from God (Ephesians 4: 11). They are precious and very few in number. If we seek, we will find one, and we will hold them dear.

But how can we tell the true from the false? The true teachers will have a grasp of the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42). They will know how to explain in detail how one repents, how faith works in us receiving a new heart. In short, they will have true knowledge of the “principles of the doctrine of Christ” (Hebrews 6: 1-2).

Yet they will also know that one must leave those first principles in order to “go on unto perfection.” The Spirit that is within them will “lead us into all truth.” They will know that it is Christ in them who actually is the real Teacher.

Many in “church circles” talk about wanting the same life as the early church in the book of The Acts of the Apostles. They see the miracles and wonders performed and long for that same divine power to hold sway on the earth today. They want, however, to circumvent the procedure used in those enlightened days right after Christ’s resurrection. They want to accept Christ, be baptized, and then they want to set the world on fire with God’s power.

Before the miracles come from God, pre-requisites must be done. “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles” (Acts 2:42-43). Here you see the progression of things: the doctrine, fellowship, breaking bread, prayers, fear of God, and then came the wonders and signs.

“We Don’t Want Doctrine–Just Jesus”

It was the apostles’ doctrine that the early converts stayed in. They did those teachings. For “doctrine” is translated from the Greek word didaskalia, which means “teaching; that which is taught.” Beware of those who will say, “We don’t want doctrine, we just want Jesus!” If they could only realize that the Savior Himself was referred to as a “Didaskalos,” meaning “Teacher, Master.” The same root word! People who say, “We don’t want doctrine” are really saying they do not want the real Christ and what He taught.

The true teachers of God will teach true repentance from sin in one’s life and how faith works to give us a new heart and new spirit that pleases God in not sinning against Him. And this is just the first principles “of the doctrine of Christ” (Hebrews 6: 1-2).

This is not a new thing that I write about. Read it for yourself in Martin Luther’s writings, “The Sermon on three-fold Righteousness [http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/web/3formsrt.html ; in the sermons of John Wesley ( http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/sermons/040.htm ), founder of the Methodist Church; from Andrew Murray, 19th Century Scottish Missionary and author http://www.victoryoversin.com/murray/like/lc24.htm ); or in my book The Apostles’ Doctrine [free copies available].

So, turn away from anyone who doesn’t teach the apostles’ doctrine, that says that you cannot be a righteous son or daughter of God. Don’t believe them. They will try to drag you down into the same spiritual slop that they are stuck in. Find yourself a true teacher and study out the apostles’ doctrine, for those are the teachings of Christ. Kenneth Wayne Hancock

* “Sermon on Three-fold Righteousness” at http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/web/3formsrt.html

“Thy Kingdom Come”–The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

The true gospel is the good news of our Father’s government literally coming to fill the whole earth with His righteous ways.

Christ in this section of the “Lord’s Prayer” teaches us the importance of the Father’s kingdom. A kingdom is a literal form of government headed by a monarch. He is the King. Thy kingdom come…in earth as it is in heaven. His kingdom already rules in heaven; shortly it will rule completely on earth.

This is the good news proclaimed in the four gospels in the so-called “New Testament” of the Bible. Many scriptures back this up. “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15). Believe what gospel? The “gospel of the kingdom of God.” He is saying, God’s government is here. Because it is at hand, you need to repent from your old selfish life, and believe this good news of God ruling on earth.

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt. 24:14), It is this gospel, this true gospel of the kingdom of God that must be proclaimed throughout the whole world before the end of the age will come. The gospel that is going out now is another gospel of Christ–one of salvation, a salvation that usually does not include the death on the cross of the person’s old self (See Romans 6:6…( http://www.yahwehisthesavior.com/yahch27.htm ). Salvation is precious but it is just the first step.

In the next verse, Christ quotes the prophet Daniel concerning the end times. In Ch. 2 Daniel saw the Father’s kingdom coming down out of heaven smashing the world system to pieces.

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms.” These are four literal, political, historical world governmental systems–Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome}. At this present time we are seeing the last revival of the old Roman Empire. Think “Euro, the EU”. We are coming to the end of “the days of these kings.” “Thy kingdom come.”

To God’s faithful, this collapse of the present world system is “good news.” To others it will be “bad news.” Good or bad, the Father’s Kingdom is coming in a fullness.

We, then, should pray with this grand and glorious vision that Christ had, when He taught His disciples to pray. A vision of an earth free from corruption and cruelty–free from addiction and selfishness–free from hunger and desperation–free from greedy leaders who cast the poor in chains of lies and deceit–free from husbands and wives betraying those who love them the most–free from broken-hearted children thrown out like trash by selfish parents–free from the evil that rapes and pillages every soul on earth–

This is the gospel of the Kingdom of God. This is the good news that will fill the earth when Christ comes back and sits down on the throne of our invisible Father. And His sons and daughters will sit alongside Him in His kingdom right here on earth. And He will dispatch us His princes and princesses out into the ravished earth to rebuild and restore what the evil ones wasted.

“Thy kingdom come” evokes much about the glorious vision God has for His earth. We need to pray toward this end. He told us to not ask for things for ourselves, but rather, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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“Be Perfect”–Christ’s Impossible Command?

Christ gave us this command: “Be perfect.” And, of course, the kneejerk response comes, “Wait a minute. With all due respect, that’s not right. Nobody’s perfect. Why would He give us a command that’s impossible to keep?”

This is where some will toss Christianity into the trashcan, never realizing that “Be perfect” is a paradox, ” a statement seemingly absurd yet really true” (Dictionary.com).

But some will dig down to a deeper level and find that one man was and is perfect–Christ. And they’ll see that He was perfect because of the Spirit that filled Him. And they’ll understand that He has now given His Spirit to the sons and daughters of God, who will realize that they can grow in faith where “it is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

And armed with this knowledge, they will see that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). They’ll see that the glass is not half empty nor half full, but brim full and running over with the living waters of His Spirit.

It will dawn on these princes and princesses of God that “no idle word” proceeds out of the mouth of God. They’ll take this admonition to heart: “Let us go on unto perfection” (Hebrews 6:1-2). And they’ll learn that there is so much more to God’s spiritual house than the foundation of “repentance from dead works and faith toward God,” which are the first steps of “newborn babes in Christ.”

They’ll realize that they have received in their hearts the seed of perfection. Christ is that Seed. And now that Seed is growing, for “one plants and another waters, and God gives the increase.” This growth is likened to a planted seed of wheat or corn. It comes up, “first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.” And then harvest will come when He will have been perfectly reproduced in us. And we then in full maturity will have completed the life cycle of God. And that is perfection.

The princes and princesses of God will realize this in the command: “Be perfect.” For they will see these two words as His challenge to “overcome all things” and walk on down His road to the Heavenly City. They will answer the challenge and embark on this quest for perfection. Because He said to. Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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