DEWITT
TABERNACLE TEACHING SERIES
“MADE
SUBJECT TO VANITY”
By
C.W. Wood February
2005
For our text Scripture,
we will look at Romans 8:20-21, “For
the Creature was made subject to vanity (sin), not willingly, but by reason of Him (God) who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God.”
In these two short verses
lies a very powerful revelation. We will ask our Lord Jesus to shine His light
on them for us. In looking at the first part of Verse 20, we see that we,
the creature, the human being, was MADE SUBJECT TO VANITY. To have been MADE
subject to sin, reveals the fact that we had no say about having been born a
sinner, depraved and separated from God. Reading the rest of the verse, we see
that we were not willing to have been made so, but because it was the
plan of Him who makes no mistakes, it was done.
Please notice that if the
Scripture says we were NOT WILLING to be subjected to sin; then we must have
been rational creatures, able to reason, BEFORE we were placed in these flesh
bodies. But before this time, of living in the flesh, we must have lived in
ANOTHER BODY, and in ANOTHER PLACE. And this is what the Prophet taught. We came
from a higher being!
QUOTE: C.O.D. BOOK
PAGE 339-340,
“When God made man, He made him a Theophany…..when God made man in His
Image, in His Likeness, there was no man yet to till the soil, and God had done
made them Male and Female. That’s right, no man to till the soil.” (End
quote)
According to our text
scripture, we were in Heaven with our Creator, blessed and happy in our
Theophany Body, with NO SIN. But the time came for God’s great Plan of
Salvation to be put in motion, and it was His plan for His sinless creatures to
be SUBJECTED TO VANITY.
God’s plan to become a
SAVIOUR began to unfold when He took a part of one of His Sons named Adam, out
of his Theophany, and placed him in a flesh body here on Earth. In this flesh
body, Adam became SUBJECT TO SIN. Although Adam was now subjected to sin, we
must show that God did not entice him to sin, but rather straightly warned him
against doing so. Gen. 2:17, “But
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it; for in
the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
Though Adam was warned,
God knew what he would do, and The Fall was not something that could be avoided,
that is if God was to carry out His Plan of Salvation. Before Salvation could be
a necessity and then freely given by God’s Grace, there had to be those who
needed to be saved! God was determined to have a way in which He could make
known to His subjects the Love that, before The Fall, had no proper way of being
expressed. Since God not only LOVES, but is LOVE ITSELF, He was determined to
make that known to His Sons and Daughters.
Now, having said all that
we have said above, we will bring in a statement of the Prophet that is hard to
understand, that is until we understand God’s reason for allowing The Fall.
(We do understand, don’t we, that God could have avoided The Fall, had it
better suited His purpose!)
QUOTE: INVISIBLE
Can we see that this
statement of the Prophet fits our text scripture that says we were MADE SUBJECT
TO SIN by reason of Him that subjected us to it? Brother Branham was not meaning
to come against The Plan of God, which plan was to subject us to sin. He was
only pointing out that the GERM, or SEED, that was placed in this flesh body was
a part of God, Himself, and that part, which is the real
us, has never sinned. Who will accuse God of sin?
When he said we were
deceived into it, he was not saying that God deceived us. He was saying that the
Serpent deceived Eve, and because of her sin, we were born lost and depraved.
Now to see that this is the very same thing that Paul taught, let us go to Rom.
Paul was teaching that
there was a part of him, the Inner Man, the Seed, or the New Soul, that had
never sinned. And not only that, but it could never sin, because it was part of
God Himself. Now, if we were MADE SUBJECT TO SIN, but not willingly, and if the
real us, the part that was originally in the Theophany, has never sinned and
cannot now sin, then we should be able to see that it is our flesh man, that
came from The Fall, who is guilty!
Now, Dear Reader, before
you are left with the wrong impression, we are not saying that we do not need to
repent for our sins in the flesh. We know we are guilty, even as Adam knew he
was. We know better than to give ourselves over to sins of the flesh. God has
written His Laws in our hearts, and we know better. What we are trying to show
is that our God’s Great Plan was to Justify the ungodly, and before He could
do so, there had to be the ungodly who needed Justifying! Therefore, The Fall
fit exactly into God’s Plan. You and I must have a Redeemer, and it was in the
Heart of our Creator to be such a One.
We have said that The
Fall in
There is nothing out of
cater; it has all happened exactly as God planned it. He would not be satisfied
in His great Mind until there was a need for He, Himself, to live in a flesh
body, without sin, then give that perfect life in our stead. The Fall earned us
death, but now His death, as our Representative, has paid our debt. Who but God
could have thought of subjecting His own Children to vanity, so that He could
then express a love that has no boundaries? But even if someone had thought of
such a plan, no one but our Lord could have done it. Only God can justify the
ungodly.
Now our sins are cast
behind His back. He has blotted them out. Though they be brought up again by
Satan, they shall not be found. Grace is that compassion that does not deal with
us according to what we deserve. If He dealt with us according to His Law, we
would have everlasting wrath. He dealt with Jesus Christ (Who was God in flesh)
according to The Law, and if we would know what He saved us from, then study His
death on The Cross. For six, long, terrible hours He died one second at a time.
He did not have to do it, there was no cause for death in Himself, and it was
His Will that He would suffer it in our place.
The Justification that
comes from God, Himself, must be beyond question. If the Judge who made The Law
came and fulfilled it in our stead and acquitted us, who can condemn us? If the
highest court in the universe has pronounced us Just, who shall lay anything to
our charge? Justification from the Just One, Himself, is the Devil’s answer
when he comes to condemn! The Holy Ghost in us brings us peace that is past
understanding. It can stand in the face of all the devils roaring. With this
peace, we can live from day to day, with this peace we can also die, and then
rise again.
Shall the lost man, who
does not have this peace, dare to overlook what his Creator has done in order to
give it to him? The Lord can blot out all your sins. “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.” Though
you are sunk in sin up to your neck, He can remove it and say, “I
will, be thou clean.” He will say, “Thy
sins be forgiven thee, go in peace.” And if He does this for you, no power
on Earth, or under the earth, or in Heaven, can put you back under wrath!
We should never again
doubt the power of God’s love, once we see that it was by His own will that He
planned to die in our place. We could not forgive our fellowman if he had
offended us as we have offended God, but we can’t measure God’s love in our
measuring cup. His ways are as high above ours as the Heavens are the earth. You
may be thinking, "It would be a great miracle, above any I have heard
about, if God were to forgive me." Exactly right! It would be a great
miracle, but one that He has performed over and over again. It is one that He
greatly desires to perform. He died for 6 hours so He could perform it! Don’t
let it be in vain as far as you are concerned! How can God remain JUST and yet
JUSTIFY those of us who have been so guilty? How can God spare the worst sinner
on Earth, and not violate His holiness? If this is a question in your mind, then
listen to the answer! God can spare us because He DID NOT SPARE HIMSELF. God can
pass over our sins because He bore them Himself on The Cross. If we believe that
Jesus Christ was God, Himself, then believe that our sins were carried away by
He who became the SCAPE GOAT for His people (See Lev. 16:7-10)
The Lord cannot read our
pardon that was written in His own blood, then charge us with sin and smite us.
The more I look at the sufferings of Jesus, the more certain I am that my debt
was paid in full. He justifieth the ungodly, and that just fits my case. Our
full hope for salvation lies in what Jesus did on The Cross. We have not one
particle of hope in anything else.
One might say, I could
believe that Jesus would forgive sin, but my trouble is that I sin again, and
have such desires in me to do so. As surely as a stone thrown in the air comes
down again, so do I return to sin. Though I did believe that He forgave me, I am
found again and again under the spell of sin. Then, dear Friend, you must add
Sanctification to your experience of Justification. Justification without
Sanctification is not full Salvation. It would call a man well and leave him to
die with his sickness. It would forgive the sinner, but leave him a rebel to his
Lord. What then is Sanctification? First, let it be said that it can only come
AFTER Justification. We must know that our sin-load has been lifted. Knowing
this is a most glorious feeling, but we are still left with a desire to sin in
our heart, as simply as I know how to state it, Sanctification is an experience
that follows Justification, wherein we are prompted by the Holy Ghost (Who is
still not in us, but only with us, see John 14:17) to make an iron clad
decision to give the rest of our lives over to serving the One who forgave us of
our sins.
When our Lord sees that
we have truly made such a decision, we have at once become a candidate to
receive the Holy Ghost Spirit. When His Spirit comes in, then the desire to sin
is slain. That is not to say that we have been delivered from “The Law of Sin” that is in our flesh. That will remain until we
are rid of our flesh. It is that in our heart we can no longer love sin. Though
we may still be caught up in it from time to time, we will hate it even while
doing it. The flesh can still be tempted to sin, but by His Spirit we bring the
flesh more and more under control.
The Lord knows quite well
that we cannot change our own heart, but He also knows that He can. He can cause
the Ethiopian to change His skin, and the leopard his spots. It is an
astonishing thing, but He can create us a second time; He can cause us to be
Born-Again. What a mighty miracle it was when God, at the command of Moses,
caused The Red Sea to part its waters so that they stood up in a heap on either
side! Nothing but the power of God could have achieved that miracle. But that is
a small thing compared to the course of our human nature being totally reversed,
so that we tend toward God rather than away from Him.
He can reverse the
direction of our desires, and that is what He has promised to do. Ezekiel
36:26-27, “A new heart also will I
give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh. And I will give you a heart of flesh.” When the
Lord has done this for us, no known power can take that new heart out of us. The
Gifts and Callings of God are with out repentance. He will never repent and
change His mind. He will not take away what He has given.
As a sow loves the mire,
so does an ungodly man love his sin. You cannot force him to do what a saved man
does. You may try to teach him, but he cannot learn holiness, He has no heart
for it. You can set him a good example, but his nature leads him another way.
But when the Lord makes a new creature out of him, then all things are changed.
Only the Holy Ghost can do this. Can you make a thorn tree bear figs; can you
change the sap in a tree? But more of a miracle is it when God changes a man’s
heart. If you will yield yourself up to His working, He will change your nature.
Unchaste men and women
are made pure as the driven snow. Thieves are made honest, drunkards are made to
be sober, dope addicts are delivered from their bondage, liars are made the
authors of truth, and scoffers are made to praise the Lord. The Grace of God has
been offered to all men to do these things for us. You say, “I cannot make
such a change!” You never spoke truer words, and no one has suggested that you
can. The Scripture speaks not of what man can do, but of what God can and will
do. But you may still question, “How can this be?” What business is that of
yours? Do you have to understand God’s miracles before you will believe them?
Do you understand your physical birth? I dare say you have no clue at all! But
are you not alive and breathing?
So also can this Mighty
God create you over again, and change the sap in your tree of life. He can make
your thorn tree to bear figs for the rest of its days. He that made us subject
to vanity only did so that He might makes us subject to His righteousness. He
that allowed us to be born wrong only
did so that we might be born again. He
that allowed us to be born lost only
did so that He might save us. He that
allowed us to earn death only did so
that He might freely give us of His
Grace, and Life.
Yes, it was all done that
we might better understand the character of our Creator, and therefore love Him
with an undying love. Will a starving man refuse to eat because he does not
understand the process of digestion? Not at all, if he is in any wise sensible,
he will eat and leave the work of digestion to his body. Will a man who is bound
by sin and headed into eternal death refuse to come to Christ because he does
not understand the process of Salvation? Not at all, if he is in any wise
sensible, he will come and leave the changing of his nature to the One who
created him in the first place.
Lost Friend, take that
which God has offered to you, what Grace has provided. Make use of His glorious
Plan, for you are one of those He had in mind when He went to The Cross.
Whosoever will let him take of The Water of Life freely. You, who may have this
treasure simply by receiving it, will be very foolish to remain lost and go to
Hell. How can we continue to be hard-hearted when we know that out of Supreme
Love, Christ died for the ungodly? Though you may have a heart of iron that will
not melt, though you have eyes that refuse to weep, yet meditate on this; He
died for such as you are, the ungodly!
His desire is that the
wicked should turn to Him and live. Ezekiel 33:10-11, “As
I live saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that
the wicked turn from his way and live; Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways,
for why will you die, Oh house of Israel.” Here God, in no uncertain terms
declares to us His precious will. He has laid bare His loving heart, and spoken
His innermost thoughts. He asks a most sincere and heart-felt question, “Why
will you die?”
His desire is not to
curse, but to bless. This desire was so strong and undying that He became a man
and died, that He might give the blessing. God does not seek the sinner’s
death; He seeks the salvation of his soul. He will finally condemn the
unbeliever, but not because He delights to do so. He must do it when they have,
for the last time, rejected His mercy and grace. He is not set to bring us to
ruin.
The father in the story
was not bent upon the ruin of The Prodigal. The Good Sheppard was not bent on
the destruction of His stray sheep. Jesus was not delighting in the coming
destruction of
The One who created us is
not our enemy. He gives you your every breath, your every bite of food. He was
not nailed to the tree so that we might die, but rather that we might live.
And surely, you that
don’t know Him need life! What word more fully describes your spiritual
condition than this? You are DEAD. You are not dead as far as being unable to
feel your punishment that will surely come, but dead to all that is worth living
for now. You are dead as far as being what God created you for; to show forth
His Love to others. You are dead in your feelings toward Him that made you. You
are void of love for Him.
You live in pleasure on
Earth, committing your sins daily, because you are DEAD. You laugh and dance,
and sport around, and make merry, but you are dead in the water, drifting toward
the falls of utter destruction. As a log cannot rise up through the falls again,
and come to the bank, neither can you save yourself from your deadness.
Therefore He commands, even pleads, turn to Me. Why will you choose death for
Eternity? Why will you choose weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth? Is
this not a reasonable question? Do you have a reasonable answer? Before you
would try to give an excuse, may I say that it would in no wise be reasonable!
See Him as He beckons to
you with His nail-scarred hand; hear Him as He calls with His voice full of
love. It is to your eternal loss if you refuse. If you still hesitate, and
perhaps ask, “Am I at liberty to come to this Holy God?” let me ask you,
“Are you at liberty to stop committing adultery, are you at liberty to stop
swearing and stealing? Are you at liberty to honor your father and mother, and
to be a good husband or wife?” Would it be wrong to do these things? Who asks
such questions? Then is it wrong to turn to the One who will enable you to do
them? You dare not do otherwise! He has commanded it! Amen.
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