Works and Workers of
Iniquity
Matthew 7:22-23
Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
The Apostle Paul, in his
Pharisaical days of Christ-less religion had been dedicated, conscientious,
devoted, a Hebrews of the Hebrews, and in his own mind, blameless as touching
the law (Philippians 3:4-6). So much so that he persecuted Christ in His
members (Acts 9:4; I Corinthians 12:27). But when Christ Jesus met Saul of
Tarsus (later called Paul) on the road to Damascus; and opened his
understanding to the Old Testament scriptures (Acts 24:32), particularly Exodus
20:17: thou shalt not covet, (Romans 7:7) Saul found that His religious
exercises had been in vain, and not only in vain; but in defiance of God, then,
in His own esteem he saw that he was a miserable, wretched, and condemned
sinner; and, had never known God nor His law.
The Spirit of Christ instructed Saul that all his works of religion,
were nothing but dung (Philippians 3:7-8), evil and dead works, proceeding from
a spiritually dead heart, (Hebrews 6:1; 9:14) and that those works were fruit
unto death (Romans 7:7), his own death, as well as others.
The Pharisees had compassed sea and land to
make one proselyte, our Lord Jesus Christ said: “Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and
when he is made, ye make him two fold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
(Matthew 23:15) In this evil work of binding men’s conscience under a
perversion of the law (Matthew 15:2-6) the Pharisees had bound their proselytes
in misery, trying to obey a set of rules that had been fabricated by the
Pharisees themselves. Bringing them into bondage under a perversion of an
abrogated law (Romans 7:4), which had been abolished by the death of Christ
(Ephesians 2:15; II Corinthians 3:13), who is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone that believeth, (Romans 10:4). The Pharisees had
bound the conscience of men to a law of their own making, by perverting the law
of God. Christ Jesus “said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and
ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.” (Luke 11:46) And
it is written “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of
the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we are able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)
These that bind the conscience of
other men by their fabrications, show themselves to be the seed of the serpent,
(Genesis 3:15; John 8:44) for their proselytes are made two fold more the
children of hell than they themselves. This truth is demonstrated by the fact
that, the proselytes are bound by the same perversions as they that bound them.
And the fact that they are bound in these chains makes it evident that they are
not the children of God, for, all the children of God the Lord Jesus liberates
from all the holds of man made religion of whatever sort it may be. As it is
written: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(John 8:32)
Though the children of the
covenant of God may be bound by traditions of men for some time yet those who
were given to Christ before the foundation of the world will in time be
delivered from the chains of men’s tradition. Those who are never delivered
from the darkness of false religion are not the children of the covenant of God
in Christ. The seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15) will in this life, remain
content in works religion, doing their best, but always unsure that it is well
with their soul, for perfect peace is to be found only in the finished work of
Christ. Though they may go by the name Christian, yet if they depend on
something of themselves, whether it be their decision, choice, repentance,
works of whatever sort, if they trust in their faith, all is to lose their
soul: for, Christ Jesus alone is the Savior, anything that rivals Him as
complete Savior (such things as the works, choices, or decisions of men) are of
the darkness of this world. All the active graces of the Spirit of God, as,
faith, repentance, a willingness to be saved in Jesus Christ who is God’s
Salvation, a thirst for the water of life, hunger and thirst for righteousness
in the sight of God, a will to seek after Christ, all and everything in
salvation is the free gift of God in Christ; and these gifts are sealed to the
children of the everlasting covenant by the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews
13:20; Matthew 26:28; Acts 20:28).
The Pharisaical spirit is still
alive and well in our day, it is the spirit of antichrist, and it still works
in the heart of men, binding the conscience of men, by prescribing things to be
done by those who it seeks to bind. Spring revivals, tent crusades,
motivational speakers telling men what they must do to be saved, invitations,
and all such things are the inventions of men; and have no precedent in the
scriptures. So called preachers tell men what they must do to be saved, so poor
blind ignorant sinners, start out by doing something, it may be, praying to be
saved in public, it may be joining a Bible study group, shaking the preachers
hand, coming up front, all these are gimmicks that preachers use to get a
profession of faith from one who is ignorant of the way of salvation. The poor
baffled sinner goes away thinking he has to do something to stay saved, since,
in his mind, he did something to “get saved” in the first place, also there are
many things he cannot do, touch not, taste not, handle not, all the
commandments of men, who know not the truth. As the Pharisees of old used a
perversion of the law to bind the conscience men in that day: their present day
counterparts use a perversion of the gospel to bind the conscience of men
today. Satan does his greatest work from the pulpit by leading men to a false
gospel, which is dependent upon something that men must do or produce, a choice
they must make or their decision to follow Jesus, all this leads men to trust
themselves, and their works rather than trusting in the finished work of Jesus
Christ, who has reconciled God, (I Corinthians 5:18-19) finished the
transgression, made an end of sins, and has brought in everlasting righteousness
for those He came to save (Daniel 9:24; Matthew 1:21).
Young people are seduced by fear or the
promise of great rewards in this world, and so make a profession of faith with
no heart knowledge of God in Christ, and no true knowledge of the way of salvation.
These young people are bound by the traditions of those who bind them, and they
spend years in misery trying to fulfill what they think they have to do to be
saved. This sort of Christ-less religious activity is work of iniquity, binding
the consciences of men, and young people, under rules of men, and thinking they
may lose their souls if they do not fulfill the traditions they have
received. And because there is no real
inner working of the Spirit of God unto salvation in these who think they have
done something that has led them to salvation, they think also, that they must
continue to perform that which is prescribed by the religious leaders, but,
they find that they cannot do all that is to be done, and so become
discouraged, disillusioned, despondent, and finally give up. And their last
state is worse than before they began, for now they are avid haters of
religion, they become despisers of religion both true and false. Christ Jesus
delivers His covenant people from this state of bondage by the gospel of peace,
for Christ Jesus is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). He has made peace by the blood
of His cross (Colossians 1:20). The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we
are healed (Isaiah 53:5).
It is the office of the preacher,
to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified (II Corinthians 2:2). This was the way
of the Apostles, and it is to be the way in every age, as it is written: Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine.” (II Timothy 4:2). Preachers should not attempt to
intrude into the office of the Holy Ghost, by invitations, offers, or other
gimmicks to produce professions of faith from their hearers. Some have said
that if invitations and offers are not given no one will do anything: that is
exactly to the point! If men think they start by doing something, they will be
convinced that their doing is the thing that brought salvation: and that is to
miss Jesus Christ, and to rely on our own works. Christ Jesus has finished the
work His Father gave Him to do. His work was to save His people from their sins
(Matthew 1:21) this work He has finished (John 17:4). The Father has approved
of the finished work of Christ, and this is proved by the fact that the Father
has said to His Son, Sit at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy foot
stool (Psalm 110:1; Revelation 3:21). Now Christ Jesus has sent the Holy Ghost
into the world to apprehend (Philippians 3:12) all the children of the covenant
with the bonds of love and grace. It is the Spirit of God that gives life,
through the preached word, (I Peter 1:23) and He accomplishes that by
resurrection power, the almighty power of God (Ephesians 1:19). It is the work of the Holy Ghost to convince
of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, as our Lord Jesus Christ said: “And
when he is come, he will reprove (that is convince, writer) the world (of his
elect, writer) of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; of sin because they
believe not on me, of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me
no more, of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” (John
16:8-11).
Preachers should encourage men to
believe, but no preacher is able to give eternal life and faith to a
spiritually dead sinner, no preacher is able to cause God to save a sinner,
preachers are not the dispensers of faith. No preacher knows when the Spirit of
God has given life to a dead sinner. Preachers should stick to their business
of preaching the gospel, and leave the application of the gospel to the hearts
of men to the Holy Ghost. It is feared that many who preach use whatever means
they must to get professions of faith from men, women, and children. But the
true preacher of the gospel has one mode of operation in his preaching, he
consistently preaches Jesus Christ and Him crucified, he seeks the approval of
God and not of men. The true preacher will not change the message to suit the
congregation, but faithfully tells his hearers the truth of the gospel. He
leaves the saving in the hands of the Holy Ghost, who saves whom He will.
See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blog.com hear the true
gospel of the free and sovereign grace of God in Jesus Christ preached at www.13thstbaptist.org webcasting live
at listed service times.
AJ Ison
