“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” (Jhn 8:44). I followed a certain minister on the internet for many years, “riding the coattails” of his journey in seeking the truth objectively. And as long as it was simply becoming more doctrinally correct, he always moved in that direction. However, when it came to the truth of submitting to the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ, he just wouldn’t do it. It seems his desire for being the leader, always winning every debate, and receiving praise from men, had too strong of a hold on him to repent and submit to Christ. When we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, it truly doesn’t matter who the leader is, who it is that’s right, or who receives the praise and recognition. It only matters that the truth prevails and people are helped. Servants of the Lord work together unselfishly like unique members of a body toward a unified purpose.
Many, and quite possibly most, Trinitarians are troubled by the inconsistencies and logical impossibilities of Trinitarianism yet remain quite content with remaining one. Why? Because their lusts keep them bound to it. They’re convinced that their view of God isn’t a salvation issue, therefore they can stay silent and still be saved. It’s because they’ve been deceived by the false gospel of salvation by faith that they think they’re saved while continuing to remain bound to the lusts of their father.
God spoke in a mystery from the very beginning that there would be two “classes” of people He would call either Day or Night, “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (Gen 1:5). And they would be “ruled” by either the Greater Light or the lesser light, “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night” (Gen 1:16). The message is clear, simple, and powerful—if we’re not being ruled by the Lord Jesus Christ, then we’re being ruled by the devil. There’s no gray area whatsoever.
John stated how we distinguish God’s children from the devil’s, “He that committeth sin is of the devil … Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin … In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother” (1Jo 3:8,9,10). Those that commit sin aren’t serving the Lord, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin” (Jhn 8:34). But those that belong to God live righteously, loving their enemies as Abel loved his brother Cain, “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1Jo 3:12-13).
Jesus Christ said, “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God” (Jhn 8:47). Those that belong to God, listen to Him, “him that is poor and of a contrite spirit [breath], and trembleth at my word” (Isa 66:2). Those that don’t belong to God, will only listen to the point that it confronts the lusts of their hearts. John said, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit [breath] of truth, and the spirit [breath] of error” (1Jo 4:4,6). Everyone has one or the other breath in them—the Greater or the lesser, “the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night” (Gen 1:16), “greater is he that is in you.” Those belonging to God have His breath in them, and listen to His Son and His apostles.
This isn’t simply an intellectual battle where people become convinced by reasoning with them more. It’s because the lusts of their hearts are so strong that the most intelligent people embrace some of the most foolish ideas. It’s because they love sin and don’t want to be free from it, therefore rather than being sincerely objective and following the evidence wherever it leads, they hide behind a façade of education, intelligence, and science. They portray themselves as people of love, while defaming those living righteously as haters. And they resort to arguing, mocking, and ridiculing because they have nothing legitimate.
The only way to be free from sin and the lordship of the devil is by falling on our faces in absolute brokenness before the Lord Jesus Christ. He is greater and only He can free us. But it isn’t just committing ourselves to Him as Lord but obeying Him as Lord, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom 6:16). It’s only when we live in obedience to the Lord that we experience God’s breath down within our bellies, continually flowing like a river, “He that believeth [commits] on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit [breath], which they that believe [commit] on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost [breath] was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (Jhn 7:38-39).
Understanding Scripture 