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God is not the Author of Confusion
January 1, 2022
The new year as man sees it starts on a Sabbath this year and the imagery of an old man being replaced by a baby revisits us during this season each year. For those who study the calendar of God we know that the new year on God’s calendar is a few months away. With that in mind, we still use the Gregorian calendar for all civil and business purposes, and God’s sacred calendar is used for religious purposes and helps us to identify Holy Days. Each year because there is a difference between God’s sacred calendar and the Gregorian calendar, the dates for the Holy Days on the Gregorian calendar will change. Even though we use a calendar of man’s devising, there is a pattern to that calendar with January 1st looked as the start of the year and December 31st as the end of the year. In our mind we can consider a date on a calendar and knowing the climate of where we live, we can have a fairly good idea of what type of weather we can expect. For those who focus attention to nature, we begin to notice when days are long and short, when trees bud and leaves fall. If we look at nature around us, there is fairly consistent predictability, and when weather becomes inconsistent, it tends to be cause for great concern.
Spiritually, similar principles apply to us in the church. The big concept we need to understand and never waiver on is that God is not the author of confusion, and instead is the author of peace. Where we see confused religious practices, God is not the author. Where we see religious practices that aggrandize an individual or a segment of the church, that is not of God either. Rather, God would have the church exist so that we can all edify each other, to build up each other, to help make each other spiritually stronger so that we can grow the more robust fruit of the spirit. When we look at the writings of Paul to the Corinthians we see a church where the brethren came together and shared their faith with each other, and they shared their faith with each other in an unproductive manner, even though all were spiritually focused. Paul gave them instruction on how to handle speakers of foreign language, who during the course of the gathering would be allowed to share their faith as any other and advised them to limit their sharing so that excessive time would not be taken in translation. He told them of the need to have structure and order in their services because God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.
1 Corinthians 14:26-40
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
Let all things be done decently and in order.
The structure and order that Paul had on his mind in writing to the Corinthians was also on his mind as he wrote to the Ephesians, and to the Ephesians, he stressed the need for unity of the Spirit kept in the bond of peace. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, and God is working so that His people, the called out ones, the church is united through the Holy Spirit, and how did Paul advise the Ephesians to keep the unity of the Holy Spirit? Through lowliness and meekness, through patience, through tolerating others, because each of us are given gifts of the Holy Spirit and each of us have access to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:1-7
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
It is when we think of ourselves to be something that we are not, when we lack patience, and when we are intolerant in our own thinking that we allow for a foundation of confusion to be established in ourselves and the church. Instead, James tells us to use meekness even in our conversation. Some use words out of bitterness, a desire to divide, or a desire to supplant truth. Those who do create confusion, create envy and strife. God is not the author of confusion. God is not the author of bitter envying and strife in our hearts. God is not the author of having us think we are something that we are not. God is the author of peace that is based in truth. God is the author of gentleness, the ability to exercise less power than one has at their disposal. God is the author of being easy to approach, and is the author of mercy and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. God is the author of impartiality, and is the author of sincerity.
James 3:13-18
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
The ability to develop fruit of the Holy Spirit depends on our understanding that God is not the author of confusion but of peace, because the fruit of the Holy Spirit is sown in peace by them that make peace. A person who is not called by God who is not part of the church could not understand this. People who are not led by the Holy Spirit are under the influence of Satan who bases his actions in lies, who is the author of confusion. The subtlety of the lie is not the obvious falsehood, but the believable falsehood, that moves us from the bond of peace with each other to an aura of impatience and intolerance where if it wasn’t for the church we would have nothing to do with a certain person.
John 8:42-47
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
From the very beginning, God has been the author of peace. When God first created man and placed man in the Garden of Eden, there was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that man was told to not partake. That tree of the knowledge of good and evil unlocked the door to confusion, when God had established a garden of peace. Everything in that garden was perfect and there was no conflict, no concern, no wrong-doing until Adam and Eve partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told man that eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would lead to man’s death. Interestingly, God had also placed the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. If man had eaten of the tree of life, imagine the peace that would have followed. The lesson for us today is that if we allow confusion to rule our life, this will lead to our demise.
Genesis 2:7-17
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
When God told Moses to build Him a tabernacle, God did not tell Moses to do whatever Moses or the people wanted. God prescribed exactly how the tabernacle was to be designed. God gave Moses a pattern to follow, not only of the tabernacle itself but everything that was needed within the tabernacle. When God designed His tabernacle and gave the information to Moses, there was no room for confusion, because God knew the tabernacle would hold the mercy seat that for His people at that time would provide an avenue for mercy and peace.
Exodus 25:1-9
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,
And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair,
And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim wood,
Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,
Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.
According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.
When the Kingdom of God is established on earth, when New Jerusalem is established, the design will be complete so that the Kingdom of God will be a time of peace. In part of John’s vision for New Jerusalem, we see a vision of a crystal clear river of life that flows from the throne of God and Jesus Christ. On either side of this river of life is the tree of life, the tree of peace. The fruit of the tree of life is always ripe, and this means the fruit of the tree of life is always growing. The fruit of the Holy Spirit must always be growing within us and is possible as we recognize that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. As we live a life where the fruit of the Holy Spirit is always growing within us we can begin to sample this future promised time where there is no more curse and the promise of eternal life.
Revelation 22:1-5
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Knowing that God is not the author of confusion but of peace, we know our salvation comes through the grace that comes through Jesus Christ, and because we live pursuing peace, we must be wise to not be entangled with the affairs of this life. This doesn’t mean we avoid contact with the world we live in. It doesn’t mean we don’t hold down jobs so that we can take care of our family and ourselves. It means we do not allow ourselves to be trapped by this world, that is based on a system of confusion where Satan is the author of the systems of this world, instead looking forward to and seeking the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness by growing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 2:1-7
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
And 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.
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.
Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
As we grow the fruit of the Holy Spirit we need to remember that there is a distinction between this world and Jesus Christ, and that there is a spirit of antichrist. There is this concept that the Book of Revelation introduces us to the antichrist. This book introduces us to two individuals known as the False Prophet and Beast. The spirit of antichrist is something that is alive and well and has been since the time of Jesus. Broadly speaking, those who reject Jesus have the spirit of antichrist. This rejection can come from those who believe that Jesus is mythical, that Jesus was only a man, that a person is without sin, and even that by working really, really hard, people can save themselves. It is through grace provided by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are saved. It is through Jesus Christ we overcome Satan and this world. Without Jesus Christ we will be swallowed by Satan and this world.
1 John 4:1-6
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
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.
They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
As we navigate our way through this world we should remember what Jesus taught His disciples when they saw a person casting out demons in the name of Jesus who was not part of the disciples. The disciples had shared with Jesus that they had forbidden this person to cast out demons, and Jesus told them that this person should be allowed to continue because by not acting against Jesus, this person showed support for Jesus.
Mark 9:38-41
And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
For he that is not against us is on our part.
For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
In the spirit of peace, this passage from Mark shows us that we will come across people who act in the name of Jesus who are not of Jesus. Because these people are not speaking evil of Jesus, we are not to have negative interactions with these people, even if we believe these people to be in error. However, we are not to be swayed by these people in our beliefs. If we sincerely believe these other people are in error and not of Jesus, we don’t have to confront them, we don’t have to tell them they are not of Jesus, and we do not have to adopt what they believe. We are to be solidly grounded in the faith we have knowing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:7-16
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
We are told that God is not the author of confusion but of peace. Satan is the author of confusion. In the very beginning in Genesis one verse one we see that God created the heaven and earth. In verse two we read that the earth was without form. Translated from the Hebrew word tohuw, Strong’s Hebrew word 8414, being without form means being in a state of confusion. If God is not the author of confusion and in Genesis one verse two the earth was a in a state of confusion, it can only mean that something happened between verse one and verse two. Since God is the author of peace and not of confusion, when God created the heaven and earth in verse one, heaven and earth were created in peace. What we see in verse two could only be the result of Satan’s rebellion with an unknown span of time between verses one and two.
Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Satan and the demons are portrayed in the Bible as bringing confusion. For instance when Paul was followed by a possessed young lady, it presented as very confusing and bothering to Paul.
Acts 16:16-18
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
When Jesus encountered a possessed person, the demon cried out in a loud voice creating a scene, creating confusion, not peace.
Luke 4:33-37
And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
At another time during his ministry, Jesus came across a person who was possessed and presented as so violent that he was frequently chained for his protection and the protection of others and was able to escape the chains. This person self-mutilated and was possessed not by one demon but a legion of demons. When the demons were cast out, they possessed the bodies of pigs and the pigs ran off a cliff falling to their death in the sea below.
Mark 5:1-20
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, they were about two thousand, and were choked in the sea.
And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
Reading accounts of demon-possessed individuals in the Bible may give us an incorrect understanding of mental illness. Because in part of the stories of demonic possession in the Bible, there has been a stigma on mental illness in the western world. Mental illness is treatable with therapies and/or medications. Demonic possession is treatable through the command of a person imbued with the Holy Spirit to compel the demon to leave. We should never look at a person presenting with a mental illness and presume they are demon-possessed. In the accounts we read, the demons had much more than just a passing knowledge of Jesus. They identified Jesus from a spiritual perspective that was not understood by the common person and using language that would be atypical to the common person. In my lifetime I have known many, many wonderful people who happen to have a mental illness. I have ever only met one person in my life whom I suspected had a demon because that person approached me with knowledge of my faith that was not commonly understood using atypical language and presented somewhat similar to the young lady who was bothering Paul. This person was somebody that I worked with over a long period of time. To make a long story short, I let the demon know that the Holy Spirit within me was much stronger and that through the name of Jesus the demon could be cast out. The demon and I came to an understanding that if it didn’t bother me, I wouldn’t bother it, and we had peace. If you encounter a person with mental illness, pray for them as you would any other person who has an illness and encourage them to seek or continue in their treatment.
Confusion exists when we believe and do not act on that belief. We claim to be people of faith and with that faith must come action, similar to how when we encounter a person in need we do best when we address that need. James shows that even the demons believe, and they tremble. Belief of and by itself is insufficient for salvation, because if all salvation needed was belief, demons would be saved. We need to take action based on the belief we have.
James 2:14-19
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Just like the tree of life always has ripe fruit, we must live our life with the ripe fruit of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit develops naturally in us as we yield ourselves to God the Father and Jesus Christ. The closer we are to God the Father and Jesus Christ, the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be healthier and more robust.
Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
When we consider that God is not the author of confusion but of peace, it is so that many can be brought to salvation and have eternal life. We must live our life peaceably with others in the faith in a spiritual sense of unity knowing this brings a blessing to all.
Psalm 133:1-3
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Instead of focusing on a state of confusion, that which can divide us spiritually, we should focus on what can bring us together, things of truth and honesty, just and pure, things that are lovely and with a good report that have virtue. These are the things we should focus our attention to knowing that we are not in competition with others for salvation, instead knowing each of us can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us.
Philippians 4:8-13
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
God is not the author of confusion and is the author of peace, a peace that was wanted from the Garden of Eden where man could have chosen from the tree of life and instead chose from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan is the author of confusion and even our concept of good is an angled reflection of evil. Without evil we cannot understand good. God’s way of life is much more and much better than any concept of good we could possibly ever understand. Let us all endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace knowing that God is not the author of confusion.
All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
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