In the 12th chapter of the book of Luke, in the midst of a sermon by Jesus in preparation for the difficultys that his followers will encounter after his departure, Jesus is called upon to settle a dispute between two brothers concerning the division of an inheritance. (verse 13) Jesus response to this petition is revealing in its implications as to the level of impor-tance the persuit of worldly gain should play in the lives of his followers:
"Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you? Take heed
and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the
abundance of the things he possesses." (Luke 12:14,15, NKJV)
Contrary to what you hear today preached from pulpits televised and otherwise, that Christ's primary role on behalf of his followers is to ensure their financial prosperity; when directly called upon to intervene in a financial dispute concerning the acquisition and distribution of wealth between two of his followers, He responds by declaring: "Who has made me an arbiter, (divider of wealth), over you?" (parentheses mine)
Further, He goes on to warn them to ever be on their guard against greed (covetous-ness) in all of its forms. Why? Because the value and/or success of our Christian life and walk are not seen in creature comforts.
In spite of injunctions like this in scripture, Positive Confession proponents, like the Pharisees of old, have made the commands of our Lord and Savior null and void by their traditions. (Mk 7:6-13) By using the Word of God deceitfully, they call what Christ declared evil, good. This they do in order to justify the extravagent lifestyles they enjoy, and which they have strapped to the backs of sincere Christians who have flocked to them seeking a "fresh word from the Lord." (Isa 5:20; II Cor 4:2) This is the Rebellion of Greed.
In the book of Jude, while identifying character traits common amongst false teachers, Jude identifies 3 types of rebellion in verse 11: Self-Righteousness, Insubordination, and Greed These three rebellions are typified by Jude, in three persons: Cain, Korah, and Ba'laam.
Cain – "The Rebellion of Self-Righteousness"
Cain rejected God's methodology, (Gen 4:1-5)
Cain and Abel had been taught by their parents the principle that "without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin." (Heb 9:22) This is shown in that Adam and Eve had made their own coverings for their nakedness after they sinned, (Gen 3:70), but these coverings weren't sufficient in the sight of God. So, for the first time ever, something had to die to provide a covering for them. (verse 21) The Hebrew word used here (hor) denotes animal skins. This principle was obviously passed on to their children in that knowledge of the need for the sacrifice was practiced by them. Abel chose to obey the principle exactly, Cain chose to bring his own best instead of what God required.
Positive Confession adherents are guilty of Cain's rebellion in that they wantonly reject God's clearly recorded way of accomplishing what his followers are to accomplish, and have chosen instead to follow their own avarice. The injunction to "take up your cross" and follow the true Christ is considered to be negative. Instead, they redefine Christ to be as money hungry and materialistic as they are.
Korah – "The Rebellion of Insubordination"
Korah rejected God's hierarchy, (Num16:1-33)
During the giving of the Law to Moses, and by extension, to the people of Israel, and just prior to the Israelite's being given the Promised Land, the Levite Korah attempted to carve himself out a position of authority in the soon to be possessed land. In an attempt to cover up his dire motives, Korah tried to sell Moses on the idea that he just wanted to help; just wanted to ease he and Aaron's workload. He rejected God's established author-ity structure as outlined in the Law.
Like Korah, Positive Confession peddlers exhibit an utter disdain for God's established authority structure; and this in spite of the fact that scripture is clear in it's instruction as to how the structure of the church is to be maintained. Paul instructed Timothy; "the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." (II Tim 2:2) He instructed Titus, when choosing those for leadership, to choose men who were; "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught", (Tit 1:9).
Positive Confession teachers reject adhering to the biblical method of disciple-ship, referring to it as "your tradition," and this after centuries of believers suffering, and even dying to uphold this truth. As with Korah, there is no respect for biblical leadership, or for the word of God it upholds.
Ba'laam – "The Rebellion of Greed"
Ba'laam sold God out for wealth, (Num 31:16)
During the time that Israel trekked through the wilderness to the Promised Land, and after the destruction of Korah for his rebellion; Israel encountered Ba'laam. Ba'laam was a false prophet whom God chose to speak through. God chose to do this because Israel was passing near the Moabite kingdom, and their king, Balaak, wanted to attack them, (22:1). Before he would do that, and because he feared Israel's God and their military prowess, he sought to enlist the aid of Ba'laam. He did this to have a curse placed on Israel to tip the balance in his favor. (22:2-6)
Knowing this, God told Ba'laam not to curse them, but rather, to bless them, (22:12; 23:20). Even though Ba'laam wasn't one of God's prophets, he knew that to confront God's people was fruitless. Instead, Ba'laam, for a price, taught Balaak and his people to infiltrate God's people, and then destroy them from the inside by gradually leading to other gods. (25:1-18; 31:16; Rev 2:14)
Like Ba'laam, the modern Profits of Got are the end result of a massive infiltration effort by "he" who wants to stop us from accomplishing God's will, but knows frontal confronta-tion is fruitless. The Father of lies first tried to peddle the lie of godhood and a warped sense of self-empowerment in the Garden of Eden. Since that time he has at many times and in many ways sought to peddle these same lies. We are repeatedly warned in scrip-ture to watch for the infiltration of his subtle agents. (Matt 7:15; 11:12-15) It is only with the current disdain for self-sacrifice, and the justifica-tion of greed that he has gained a mea-sure of success in the camp. Believer's would do well to heed the words of the Apostle Peter, (as recorded in II Peter 2:1-3a), when he warned:
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many shall follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up."
