Your Word for Today

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Your Word for Today

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him Who Judges Righteously: Who His Own Self bore our sins in His Own Body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto Righteousness: by Whose stripes you were healed (I Pet. 2:21-24).

Men can only believe in God by believing in the Lamb of God. It is not by means of the Creation that they believe, for that can not give rest to the conscience; nor by means of Providence, for that leaves the way of God upon Earth in profound darkness; nor by means of the Law, for that fills the conscience with terror. It is only by the means of Jesus, the Lamb of God Who redeemed them to God.

Just as a child, with painstaking effort and close application, follows the shape of the letters of his teacher and thus learns to write, so Saints should, with like painstaking effort and by close application, endeavor to be like the Lord Jesus in their own personal lives. Or, as a small child endeavors to walk in the footprints made by his father’s feet in the snow, so we are to follow in the path which our Lord took.

The Greek word for “follow” literally means “to take the same road” as someone else takes. We should walk the same road that Jesus walked — in short, be Christlike.

However, the only way we truly can follow in Christ’s footsteps is that we ever look to the Cross. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we certainly cannot do it, and the Holy Spirit will help us only if we ever look to the Cross. That is the pattern we ought always to follow!

The word “bore,” used in the 24th Verse, is the translation of a word used of the Priests carrying the Sacrifice up to the Altar. The Brazen Altar was 4 1/2 feet high and was approached by an incline up which the Priest bore the Sacrifice.

Alford says that this word belongs to the idea of Sacrifice, and is not to be disassociated from it. The Greek word translated “tree” does not refer to a literal tree, but to an object fashioned out of wood, in this case, the Cross. Thus our Lord, Himself the High Priest and the Sacrifice, carried our sins as a burden of guilt up to the Cross.

The phrase, “Being dead to sins,” is literally “having become off with respect to sins.” It speaks of the action of God in breaking the power of the sinful nature in the believing sinner when he puts his faith in the Lord Jesus as Saviour. Henceforth he need not be a slave to sin.

Concerning the “stripes” which Jesus suffered on our behalf, Wuest says:

“The Greek presents a picture of our Lord’s lacerated back after the scourging He endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers. The Romans used a scourge of cords or thongs to which were attached pieces of lead, brass, or small sharp-pointed bones. Criminals condemned to crucifixion were ordinarily scourged before being executed. The victim was stripped to the waist and bound in a stooping position, with his hands behind the back, to a post or pillar. The suffering under the lash was intense. The body was frightfully lacerated. The Christian martyrs at Smyrna about A.D. 155 were so torn by the scourges that their veins were laid bare, and the inner muscles and sinews, even the bowels, were exposed.

“The Greek word translated ‘stripes’ refers to a bloody wale trickling with blood that arises under a blow. The word is singular, not plural. Peter remembered the Body of our Lord after the scourging, the flesh so dreadfully mangled that the disfigured form appeared in his eyes as one single bruise.

“Thus we have the portrait of the suffering Servant of Jehovah, His Blessed Face so pummeled by the hard fists of the mob that it did not look like a human face anymore, His back lacerated by the Roman scourge so that it was one mass of open, raw, quivering flesh trickling with blood, His Heart torn with anguish because of the bitter, caustic, malevolent words hurled at Him. On that bleeding, lacerated back was laid the Cross.

“Unsaved Reader, this was all for you, just as if you were the only lost person in the universe. The Lord Jesus died for you, in your stead, took your place on the Cross, paid your penalty, so that God could offer a Salvation from sin based upon justice satisfied.

“Will you not right now appropriate the Lord Jesus as your own personal Saviour, trust Him to save you?“

And Saint, does not all this make you love the Lord Jesus more, soften and make more tender your heart? The Blood of Christ heals our sin in that He, by One Offering, put away sin forever.”

It is ever the Cross! The Cross! The Cross!“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

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Your Word for Today

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His Glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy (I Pet. 4:12-13).

Some Christians have the erroneous idea that if they embrace Christ and the Cross, making that the sole Object of their Faith, then they will never again be tempted, never have another problem, etc., etc. Bluntly and plainly, the Holy Spirit through Simon Peter here tells us that that’s not the case at all. In fact, we are not to even think it out of the ordinary, or “strange,” concerning the “fiery trial which is to try you.” The words, “fiery trial,” carry the connotation of “furnace,” referring to a smelting furnace where gold is refined.

The words, “strange thing,” are the translation of a Greek word referring to something alien or foreign in nature. The word “happened,” is, in the Greek, literally “to go together,” i.e., “to happen.” But nothing just happens in the life of a Christian. Even this suffering for Righteousness’ sake is all within God’s Plan. It is used by the Lord as part of the process, to cause us to run to Christ.

Instead of thinking it a strange thing, we are exhorted not only to expect such suffering but to rejoice in the fact that we can be partakers of Christ’s sufferings. However, the Christian has no cause for rejoicing because of suffering that is brought on because of our own misdoing. But insofar as suffering is the result of doing well, we have cause for rejoicing. Our rejoicing arises from the fact that we share in common with Christ suffering for Righteousness’ sake.

We should, however, be reminded that these sufferings of Christ, which we share in common with Him, are not His expiatory sufferings on the Cross, but His sufferings for Righteousness’ sake while enduring the opposition of the religious establishment previous to the Cross.

Whenever a person accepts Christ and the Cross, making that the sole Object of his Faith, which will automatically cause him to throw aside all false doctrine, many times the opposition from the religious sector will be fierce. Sometimes our own family will oppose us. I know of no other avenue which will attract such opposition as when one places one’s total Faith in Christ and the Cross. The opposition will come from the world of religion, even as it did with Christ.

But instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, the Holy Spirit through Peter here plainly tells us, “Rather rejoice”!“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

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Your Word for Today

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the House of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them who obey not the Gospel of God? And if the Righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (I Pet. 4:17-18).

After the horror of 9/11/01, when the lives of some 4,000 Americans were snuffed out due to Muslim terrorism, two Preachers of my acquaintance were interviewed over Network Television. They were asked why the Lord allowed this to happen to America.

Their answer was most interesting! Both agreed, “It is because of the homosexuals and the abortionists in this nation!”

That is basely incorrect!

While the two sins mentioned definitely are abominable, as should be overly obvious, that is not the problem in this country. According to the Word of God, the problem is the “House of God.” The Church in America has failed, and failed miserably! The Gospel is little preached from behind fashionable pulpits. The Cross of Christ, the very heartbeat of Christianity, has been relegated to the dustbin of antiquated doctrines, no longer applicable, or so it is said, for this modern age.

What I have just said is, in effect, the same as what Jesus said: “Verily I say unto you, that the Publicans and the harlots go into the Kingdom of God before you” (Mat. 21:31). Jesus certainly wasn’t condoning the sins of thievery and harlotry. What He was saying was that while the publicans and the harlots would repent, or at least some of them would, the religious leaders of Israel would not repent (Mat. 21:32).

Judgment always begins with Believers, and pertains to their Faith, whether in the Cross or otherwise; the Cross alone is spared judgment, for there Jesus was judged in our place.

If God will judge His Own, how much more will He judge the unredeemed? The Cross alone stays the Judgment of God. That must ever be understood.

The modern Church in this country is little preaching the Gospel. If it was preaching the Gospel, i.e., “the Cross,” which, as stated, alone stays the Judgment of God, then this nation would escape much punishment, and could very well have escaped the horror of 9/11/01.

Because it is so important, let us say it again:

If the Church faithfully preaches the Cross, most Judgment can be spared, for there Jesus was judged in our place. If the Cross is little preached, the nation is opened up for Judgment, and that’s exactly what is happening! The Cross of Christ alone stands between man and eternal Hell. We must never forget that (Eph. 2:13-18; Gal. 6:14). “

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

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Your Word for Today

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord Who bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of Truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not (II Pet. 2:1-3).

In some ways, Simon Peter preached the Cross just as strongly as did the Apostle Paul.

The “damnable heresies” here mentioned would be better rendered “heresies of destruction.” Peter is dealing with that which is the most serious of the heretical teachings, either denying the substitutionary death of our Lord, or failing to give it its full due. The word “bought” in the Greek is “agorazo,” one of three words translated “redeemed” in the New Testament. In classical use, the word meant “to purchase in the marketplace,” and was used of the purchase of slaves in the slave market. Our Lord’s Precious Outpoured Blood was the ransom paid to redeem slaves of sin from that slavery. His Death satisfied the just demands of the High Court of Heaven, paying the penalty for the sinner, and making a way whereby a righteous God could be just and, at the same time, the Justifier of the believing sinner.

The denial seems to have consisted of an inadequate view of the Person and Work of Christ in our relation to the problem of human sin. Sadly and regrettably, that is the sin of the modern Church.

As we have said in other daily devotionals, the Cross of Christ, for it is this of which Peter speaks, has been so little preached in the last several decades that the modern Church attempts to serve a “Cross-less” Christ. For the most part, the Cross is ignored, misunderstood, or outright rejected.

Incidentally, the word “heresies” constitutes one of the “works of the flesh,” which characterize themselves in the lives of Believers who have made something other than the Cross of Christ the Object of their Faith.

Paul said, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these (if one attempts to function by means of Law of any nature, the ‘works of the flesh’ will be manifested in one’s life); adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, “Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, “Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like (if one is walking after the flesh [Rom. 8:1], one or more of these sins will manifest themselves in one’s life; the only way, and I mean the only way, one can walk in perpetual victory is to understand that everything we receive from God comes to us by the means of the Cross; consequently, the Cross must ever be the Object of our Faith; this being the case, the Holy Spirit, Who works exclusively within the confines of the Sacrifice of Christ, will exert His mighty Power on our behalf, which will enable us to live a Holy life): of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past (refers to the fact that the Apostle was not afraid to name specific sins), that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. (This tells us in no uncertain terms that if our Faith is not everlastingly in Christ and the Cross, we simply won’t make it. God doesn’t have two ways of Salvation and Victory, only one, and that is ‘Jesus Christ and Him Crucified’” [Gal. 5:19-21].)

Now, let us exegete what Peter said:

“But there were false prophets also among the people (refers to the false prophets who plagued Israel of old), even as there shall be false teachers among you (the false teacher is one who presents a way of Salvation, or a way of Sanctification, other than the Cross), who privily shall bring in damnable heresies (the idea is that these false teachers would teach some true Doctrine and then cleverly include false teaching with it; it is the introduction of false teaching alongside the Truth that makes it very subtle, and which abrogates the True), even denying the Lord Who bought them (refers to denying the Cross), and bring upon themselves swift destruction (upon themselves and upon those who follow them, which refers to the ultimate loss of the soul).

“And many shall follow their pernicious ways (actually most!); by reason of whom the way of Truth shall be evil spoken of (proclaims the fact that not only is the Truth castigated, but the bearer of Truth, as well; in short, it is a denigration of the Cross).

“And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you (the people are exploited instead of developed; the underlying cause is ‘money’): whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not (the Judgment seems to be delayed, but it definitely is not idle; sooner or later, all who travel the path of ‘damnable heresies,’ which refer to any way other than the Cross, will ultimately face 'utter ruin and destruction')."

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

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Your Word for Today

“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled again therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of Righteousness, than, after they had known it, to turn from the Holy Commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true Proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire (II Pet. 2:20-22).

Peter is saying the same thing here that Paul said in Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26-29. He is speaking of Believers, that is, people who have truly been Born-Again, who have now ceased to believe Christ and what He did at the Cross. While they may claim to believe Christ, they have actually divorced Him from the Cross, hence the Apostle saying that they are “denying the Lord Who bought them,” i.e., denying what Christ did for them at the Cross (2:1).

These are not individuals, as some claim, who have merely heard about the Lord, and who have refused to accept Him. These are people who have “known the way of Righteousness,” which means that they once accepted the Righteousness of Christ and were Born-Again. Actually, no unsaved person can “know the way of Righteousness.”
These individuals knew that way, but turned to something else, which Peter likens to a “dog turning to his own vomit again, and a hog that was washed going back to her wallowing in the mire.” This completely refutes the unscriptural doctrine of Unconditional Eternal Security.

We teach Conditional Eternal Security. As long as the Faith of a person remains in Christ and what He did at the Cross, that person is eternally secure. If the person moves his faith to something else, and it doesn’t really matter what the “something else” is, he loses his way. The correct ingredient of Salvation is Faith in Christ and what Christ did at the Cross. If that is denied, they have “crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame” (Heb. 6:6). And if a person stays in that condition, and we speak of continuing to deny the Cross, such a person will be eternally lost, despite the fact that they once were saved.

As previously stated, this is the sin of the modern Church. It professes Christ loudly, but it denies the Cross.

How do I know that?

I know that because of the many and varied schemes offered which claim to be the way. I speak of the “Purpose Driven Life” doctrine, the “Government of Twelve” doctrine, the “Word of Faith” doctrine, “Denominationalism,” “works righteousness,” etc. If one accepts these doctrines, and a host which we haven’t named, one is “denying the Lord Who bought them” (2:1).

If there ever was a time that Believers should renew their Faith in Christ, it is now!“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

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Your Word for Today

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, where is the Promise of His Coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation. The Lord is not slack concerning His Promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to Repentance (II Pet. 3:3-4, 9).

In the Second Chapter of his Second Epistle, Peter speaks of false teachers who had denied the Atonement and now are denying what the Bible teaches about End time events.

What “Coming” is Peter addressing?

Actually, he is addressing the Second Coming, which incorporates a number of events, namely, the rise of the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon, and the Kingdom Age. In Scripture, there are four “days” listed as such. They are:

1. The day of man (I Cor. 4:3): This “day” started with Adam’s Fall, and will last until the Second Advent of Christ.

2. The day of Christ (Phil. 1:6): This refers to Christ catching away the Church, i.e., “the true Church,” at the Rapture.

3. The day of the Lord (Isa. 13:9; Rev., Chpts. 6-20): This pertains to the seven-year Great Tribulation, and then the Millennium, which will last for 1,000 years.

4. The day of God (II Pet. 3:12): This pertains to the time beginning with the close of the Millennium, which will incorporate the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15), and the restoration of the Earth and its planetary heavens to their pristine glory. This is the Eternal Forever (Rev., Chpts. 21-22).

Exactly as the Holy Spirit said through the Apostle Peter, many Preachers in the modern Church are claiming that there is no such thing as a coming Rapture, and no such thing as a coming Great Tribulation, Antichrist, or Battle of Armageddon. They deny these things, claiming that if they happened at all, it was in the past. They claim that the world is getting better and better, and that Christianity is more and more gaining an upper hand, which will ultimately bring Christ back.

Some of these modern prognostications, such as the “Purpose Driven Life” doctrine and the “Government of Twelve” doctrine, claim they are going to completely revolutionize the world, making it better and better. Now, we know that the Saints of God definitely are the “salt” and “light” of the world (Mat. 5:13-14), but the Bible does not teach that the world in the last days will get better and better, but rather that it will get worse and worse (I Tim. 4:1; II Tim. 3:1-7).

Furthermore, many are denying a coming Judgment. The world and the Church have become so psychologized that they actually deny personal responsibility — hence, no Judgment!

The reason for all of this is because of a denial of the Cross. As previously stated, “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified” must be the foundation Doctrine of all that we believe and teach (I Pet. 1:18-20). This means that every doctrine must be built upon that foundation. If the Cross is denied, whatever doctrine is presented is going to be, in some way, specious and spurious, hence, the denial of Biblical End time events.

If there ever was a time that Believers should huddle around Christ and the Cross, it is now!“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

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Your Word for Today

“But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all Holy conversation (lifestyle) and Godliness. Looking for and hasting unto the Coming of the Day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His Promise, look for new heavens and a new Earth, wherein dwells Righteousness (II Pet. 3:10-13).

The Church presently is in the last days of its time, better described as the “Laodicean” period (Rev. 3:14-19). The next prophetic event will be the Day of Christ, or the Rapture of the Church. Following that will come the Great Tribulation, a period of seven years, called “the seventieth week of Daniel” (Dan. 9:24-27). That is to be followed by the 1,000-year world empire of the Lord Jesus (Rev. 20:1-7); at its conclusion, the Great White Throne Judgment will occur, and the wicked dead will be judged. This is what Peter is speaking of in 3:7 when he speaks of “the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

Immediately after this, the renovation of the Earth and its planetary heavens will occur (3:7, 10, 12). As stated, the Day of the Lord comprises the Great Tribulation and the Millennium. The Millennium merging into eternity is the “Day of God,” which will be eternal (3:12).

Peter also speaks of the “new heavens” and the “new Earth.” Both the heavens and the Earth have been marred by sin: the heavens by Lucifer’s revolution against God, which took place in eternity past; the Earth, by Adam’s Fall.

When Peter speaks of both the heavens and the Earth “burning up,” he is not speaking of annihilation, but rather “passing from one condition to another.” As stated, this will take place at the conclusion of the Millennial Reign. Exactly how the Lord will do this, we aren’t told; however, it should be obvious that the Creator of the universe, and all that is therein, can easily bring forth this which He proclaims He will do.

In the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Chapters of Revelation, however, we are told exactly what this new Heaven and new Earth will be like, and more so the new Earth.

Peter’s phrase, “Wherein dwells Righteousness,” also tells us that there will be nothing in this new Earth that will cause sorrow and heartache. In fact, John the Beloved said that the Lord will “make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).

Concerning this, Paul said, “But as it is written (Isa. 64:4), Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them who love Him.

“But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit (through the Word of God) . . .” [I Cor. 2:9-10].“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

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Your Word for Today

“But if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (I Jn. 1:7).

The word “walk,” as John uses it here, even as Paul, refers to the manner in which we live this life for the Lord, i.e., our walk with God.

The “fellowship” of which John speaks here is not fellowship with other Christians, as most think, but rather us fellowshipping God and God fellowshipping us. In other words, this Passage takes the Believer to a far higher place and position than mere fellowship with other Believers, as wonderful and necessary as is the latter.

In Verse 6, John tells us that we cannot have “fellowship with Him” and, at the same time, “walk in darkness” and “do not the truth.”

First of all, what is the “Light”? What is the “Truth”? Christ is the “Life” (1:1-2); He is, therefore, the “Light”! He Who is the Light and the Life reveals God. This knowledge is of priceless value, for it searches the heart. It also declares the Deity of Christ, for only Deity could reveal Deity. That Light judges everything, and is the rule of Faith to those who walk in it. The moral rule of the Christian’s will is God Himself, as revealed in Christ and the Scriptures.

So, Christ and Him Crucified, even as John will say (1:7), is both “Light” and “Truth.”

As the Believer places his Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross, we then continually have “fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (I Jn. 1:3). As well, while we are continually having fellowship with Them, the Blood of Jesus, God’s Son, keeps constantly cleansing us from sins of omission, sins of ignorance, and sins in our lives of which we are unaware (for the reason that we have not grown enough in Grace to see that they are sin).

Please understand that these sins are not rare; they are prevalent! If the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ did not make Divine provision for the constant cleansing away of the defilement of sin in our lives, these sins would prevent our fellowship with God.

Actually, each and every Believer, even the Godliest, is constantly “coming short of the Glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). (The Greek Text indicates a continuing action.) However, even as we are continually coming short of that glory, we are continually being cleansed by the Blood.

This does not pertain to willful sin, which demands confession to the Lord, as is evidenced in 1:9. In fact, 1:7 proclaims the intercession that Christ constantly makes for all Believer, guaranteeing that there is a constant cleansing (Heb. 7:25), and thereby a constant fellowship.“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

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Your Word for Today

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us (I Jn. 1:8).

The Apostle John here emphatically states that the Christian continues to have the sin nature. Paul explains this in Romans, Chapter 6, proclaiming the fact that while the Believer is to be dead to the sin nature, the sin nature itself is not dead in the Believer, and will not be taken out completely until the First Resurrection of Life (Rom. 6:11; 8:23).

In this Passage, John addresses the heresy then being proclaimed by some, which presently is being proclaimed by many, that the Christian doesn’t have a sin nature.

“Sin,” as John uses it here, is singular in number. Despite the fact that it is used without the definite article (i.e., “sin” rather than “the sin”), it points to the fact that the nature is referred to, not acts of sin. Here we have the denial of the indwelling and totally depraved nature, which is passed down through the race from Adam. John says, therefore, as rendered in the literal Greek, “If we say that sin we are not having, ourselves we are deceiving.” Notice, if you will, the emphatic position of the pronoun “ourselves.”

The Christian who believes he has no sin nature, that it is completely eradicated, is deceiving himself, nobody else. All others can see sin stick out all over his experience. To be sure, that sin must come from the indwelling sinful nature. When John says, “The truth is not in us,” he is not meaning that the person is not saved, but rather that the truth of the sin nature is not in that person.

The first thing regarding the meaning of the New Covenant (which is the meaning of the Cross) which the Lord taught the Apostle Paul was the fact of the sin nature, which Paul gave us in Romans, Chapter 6. The Lord then told Paul what the answer to the sin nature was, in fact the only answer, which is the Cross of Christ (Rom. 6:3-5). There is only one answer for sin and that is the Cross.

To be sure, the only thing standing between the Christian and eternal Hell is the Cross. We must never forget that (Jn. 3:16).“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[daninthelionsden]

Your Word for Today

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us (I Jn. 1:8).

The Apostle John here emphatically states that the Christian continues to have the sin nature. Paul explains this in Romans, Chapter 6, proclaiming the fact that while the Believer is to be dead to the sin nature, the sin nature itself is not dead in the Believer, and will not be taken out completely until the First Resurrection of Life (Rom. 6:11; 8:23).

In this Passage, John addresses the heresy then being proclaimed by some, which presently is being proclaimed by many, that the Christian doesn’t have a sin nature.

“Sin,” as John uses it here, is singular in number. Despite the fact that it is used without the definite article (i.e., “sin” rather than “the sin”), it points to the fact that the nature is referred to, not acts of sin. Here we have the denial of the indwelling and totally depraved nature, which is passed down through the race from Adam. John says, therefore, as rendered in the literal Greek, “If we say that sin we are not having, ourselves we are deceiving.” Notice, if you will, the emphatic position of the pronoun “ourselves.”

The Christian who believes he has no sin nature, that it is completely eradicated, is deceiving himself, nobody else. All others can see sin stick out all over his experience. To be sure, that sin must come from the indwelling sinful nature. When John says, “The truth is not in us,” he is not meaning that the person is not saved, but rather that the truth of the sin nature is not in that person.

The first thing regarding the meaning of the New Covenant (which is the meaning of the Cross) which the Lord taught the Apostle Paul was the fact of the sin nature, which Paul gave us in Romans, Chapter 6. The Lord then told Paul what the answer to the sin nature was, in fact the only answer, which is the Cross of Christ (Rom. 6:3-5). There is only one answer for sin and that is the Cross.

To be sure, the only thing standing between the Christian and eternal Hell is the Cross. We must never forget that (Jn. 3:16).“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

This one hits home.

 

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Your Word for Today

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn. 1:9).

When the Believer sins, and we speak of a sin that he knows he has committed, he is to take that sin to the Lord and confess it before Him. The Lord has promised to forgive, and that He will do. His faithfulness is involved because He promised to forgive; and His Righteousness is in question, for it would be unjust to punish sin a second time — the penalty of the Believer’s sins having been already borne at Calvary.

There is also no limit to the number of times that the Lord will forgive; however, no true Believer habitually sins, unless his faith is in something other than the Cross of Christ. If that is the case, the sin nature will begin to dominate such a Believer, who will then constantly carry out habitual acts of sin, despite trying to do otherwise (Rom. 7:15).

The Believer must first of all learn to place his Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross, which will then give the Holy Spirit latitude to work in his life, which guarantees that sin will no longer have dominion over such a Believer (Rom. 6:14). This does not mean sinless perfection, for the Bible does not teach such; but it does teach that sin is not to have dominion over the Believer.

If sin, however, is committed, confession first of all should be made, in fact, must be made, to God. Confession of sin on the part of the Saint means to say the same thing that God says about that sin, to agree with God as to all the implications of that sin: those which relate to the Christian who commits it and to a Holy God against Whom it is committed. That includes the Saint’s hatred of that sin, his sense of guilt because of it, his contrition because of it, and his determination to put it out of his life and never to do that thing again. This is what confession of sin here means.

The English word “confess” means “to admit the truth of an accusation, to own up to the fact that one is guilty of having committed the sin.” But the Greek word means far more than that, as we here see. The Greek teaches that the constant attitude of the Saint toward sin should be one of a contrite heart, ever eager to have any sin in the life discovered for him by the Holy Spirit, and ever eager to confess it and put it out of the life by the Power of the Holy Spirit, which is the only way it can be done.

Let it ever be understood:

When the Lord forgives sin, which He always will do upon proper confession, then the sin is completely, totally, and absolutely forgiven. Not only does God forgive the Believer, but He cleanses him from the defilement which is incurred in committing the act of sin.

A true Christian hates sin. As we have repeatedly stated, the only answer for sin is the Cross!“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (I Jn. 2:1-2).

The Apostle John is not here revealing these great truths in order that we may sin and keep sinning, but rather that we stop sinning. But if the Believer does sin, we have an Advocate, Who is the Righteous One, and, at the same time, the Mercy Seat, so to speak. His Work, His Person, and His Action all unite in maintaining the Believer in the enjoyment of conscious fellowship with God. As a Priest, He deals with the guilt of sins; as an Advocate, with the restoration of the soul. Sin interrupts communion; the Advocate restores it.

The efficacy (effectiveness) of His action is guaranteed by the Righteousness of His Person and the value of His Propitiation, and these are unchangeable. Before Peter sinned, Christ prayed for him; when he sinned, He looked on him; and when he repented, He restored him — and so effectually restored him that Peter was able to strengthen his Brother Apostles. So effective is that Mercy Seat as a Propitiation for sins that if all men would approach Him for forgiveness of sin, then all men would be pardoned. The Atoning Sacrifice of Christ furnishes an ample provision for the Redemption of all men, but its benefit is only appropriated by those who believe (Jn. 3:16).

Jesus Christ is our “Advocate with the Father.” He is always in fellowship with the Father. Thus, if the Saint loses fellowship with Him through sin, and if the Believer properly confesses that sin, the Lord, in a sense, pleads our cause on the basis of His Precious Blood, and thereby brings us back into fellowship again. However, when we say “plead,” we are not really meaning that Jesus says anything or does anything. His very Presence before the Father guarantees that the intercession will be accepted, at least for those who will believe (Heb. 7:25-27; 10:12-14).

The word “Propitiation,” in its short form, means “to make satisfaction.” However, while that does explain the word, it does not give the true meaning. The Scriptural conception of the word is not that of merely appeasing one who is angry with a personal feeling against the offender, but of altering the character of that which, from without, occasions a necessary alienation, and interposes an inevitable obstacle to fellowship.

That from without which occasioned the alienation between God and man was, and is sin. It was the guilt of sin that separated man from his Creator. On the Cross, our Lord assumed that guilt and paid the penalty in His Own Blood, and thus removed the cause of alienation. Now a Holy and Righteous God can bestow Mercy upon a believing sinner on the basis of justice satisfied. Our Lord provided a satisfaction for the demands of the broken Law. That satisfaction is the “Propitiation.” The Greek rendition is: “He Himself is a satisfaction.” The point is that the Old Testament Priest offered an animal sacrifice, but not himself as the sacrifice. This wonderful New Testament Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, is both the Priest and the Sacrifice.

That Propitiation is as wide as the sin. We must never forget that! If men do not experience its benefit, the fault is not in the effectiveness of the Propitiation, but in the man himself. That fault, if there is a fault, is “unbelief.”

If men believe in Christ and the Cross, they will obtain the benefits of all that Christ has accomplished.“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man who has this hope in Him purifies himself, even as He is pure. Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the Law: for sin is the transgression of the Law. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin (I Jn. 3:2-5).

Here John states that Believers are “now” sons of God, meaning that it’s not something future, but present. The world neither recognizes nor acknowledges Believers as sons of God; just as they neither recognized nor acknowledged Christ to be the Son of God.

The term “manifested” occurs three times in the Greek Text (Vss. 2, 5, 8), and responds to three cries of the heart:

1. The cry for liberation from sins and their eternal doom. The answer to that is: He was manifested to take away sins, and as He could not possibly fail in what He came to do, the Believer learns with wonder and joy that his sins are taken away forever (Vs. 5).

2. The second manifestation concerns the cry of the renewed heart to be sinless. This cry will be satisfied when we shall be manifested, for His People shall be like Him (Vs. 2).

3. This third cry is that of anguish and perplexity of the heart awakened to the misery, injustice, cruelty, and suffering in the world. The answer is found in Verse 8. They are “the works of the Devil”; the Son of God was manifested to destroy them, and so will He do.

The “likeness,” as John introduces the statement referring to the similarity with Christ, presents a physical likeness, and not a spiritual one. Saints are already spiritually like the Lord Jesus in a relative sense; through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, we are being conformed more and more to His spiritual likeness. Actually, here John is speaking of the Rapture and the change that will take place in the physical body upon that great event. It refers to all Saints at that time having a Glorified Body, exactly as Jesus did when He was resurrected. The change, at least that which John addresses here, which comes at the Rapture, is, therefore, a physical one. We shall be like our Lord as to His physical, glorified Body.

The phrase, “Be fashioned alike,” in the Greek is “summorphon,” which means “the outer enswathement of glory that now covers the Body of the Lord Jesus, and which will, at the Rapture, cover ours.” Only at the Rapture will we be able to see our Lord as He is now, for physical eyes and a mortal body could not look on that glory, only eyes in a glorified body. And that is the reason we shall be like Him, for only in that state can we see Him just as He is.

As to the expression, “purifies himself,” this is not to be taken in the sense that man can purify himself, for he cannot. “Apart from Me,” says our Lord, “you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). The statement implies a will to purify oneself, not out of, nor independent of, this hope, but ever stirred up by and accompanying it.

So this will is really not our own, but the result of the Christian state, in which the Lord also ministers to us the power to carry out that will in self-purification. It is done only by the Believer placing his Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross, which then gives the Holy Spirit latitude to do this necessary work within our lives, which He most definitely will do. Thus, in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, the Saint can put sin out of his life and keep it out (Rom. 8:1-2, 11).“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“But the Anointing which you have received of Him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same Anointing teaches you of all things, and is Truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him (I Jn. 2:27).

There are two Divine safeguards which preserve from error. They are the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures. These teach young converts, actually all Believers, to recognize and reject false teaching.

The Roman Catholic plea of “Development,” which refers, as they claim, to the Word of God being developed in the Church, is overthrown by the words of Verse 24, which says, “That which is from the beginning. . . .” This is the safeguard of the Word of God, which pertains to that and only that which was heard from the beginning, meaning that the Word of God is already fully and totally developed. Nothing must be taken from or added to it. The sheep listen to nothing else, for they know the Shepherd’s voice.

The Holy Spirit indwells all Believers. When Believers diligently study the Word, the Holy Spirit, according to the Word, will help them to know what is Truth. They will be able to detect a lie as being opposed to the Truth. All Believers, that is, if they properly know and understand the Word, as can all who so desire, are furnished with Divine equipment capable of enabling all of us to know “all things.” So, according to the Word of God, since the “anointing” abides in us and teaches us what is right and wrong, that is, if we will only properly heed, there is no excuse for Believers to accept false doctrine.

A proper understanding of the Word refers to a proper understanding of the Cross. If one doesn’t properly understand the Cross, one does not understand the Word. The story of the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. In truth, the Cross was established in the mind of the Godhead even before the world was created, which means that the Cross was an established fact even before the first words of the Bible were given (I Pet. 1:18-20).

So if one properly understands the Cross, that will go a long, long way toward the recognition of false doctrine, for this is the way the Holy Spirit works (Rom. 8:2; Gal., Chpt. 5; 6:14; Eph. 2:13-18).“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God (I Jn. 3:9).

The person who has accepted Christ now has the Divine nature (II Pet. 1:4). While he still retains the sin nature, now his human nature is guided and controlled by the Divine nature — at least that’s the way it should be! If the Believer continually makes the Cross of Christ the Object of his faith, which gives the Holy Spirit latitude to work within his heart and life, then he will walk in victory, with no possibility of the sin nature having dominion over him (Rom. 6:14).

But most Christians do not have even the foggiest idea as to the part the Cross plays regarding our Sanctification; consequently, they attempt, by various ways, to sanctify themselves, which, of course, is impossible. But for the person whose Faith is exclusively in Christ and the Cross, it is impossible for that individual to live a life of habitual sinning.

“Commit” in the Greek is “poieo,” which means “a continuous action,” at least as it is used here. The actual translation reads, “Everyone who has been born out of God, with the present result that he is a born-one of God, does not habitually practice sin.” The short phrase, “His seed,” refers to the principle of Divine Life in the Believer, i.e., “the Divine nature.” It is this principle of the Divine nature that makes it impossible for a Christian to live habitually in sin, for the Divine nature causes the Child of God to hate sin and love Righteousness, and gives him both the desire and the power to do God’s Will. The phrase, “And he cannot sin, because he is born of God,” means that the Believer “cannot practice sin, because he is born of God.” The Text, as it is translated in the King James Version of the Bible, does not mean, as some think, that John is teaching sinless perfection. The Bible doesn’t teach that. The Holy Spirit through John is teaching that the Born-Again Believer cannot live a life of practicing sin, which should be obvious. If the Believer is practicing sin, which means that he sins with impunity, this simply means that the one so doing is not actually Born-Again.“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“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. (I Jn. 3:12).

We learn from this Text that there is no such thing as a middle ground between the Children of God and the children of the Devil. In other words, one cannot be a little of both. One is either — or!

Abel was a Child of God. Cain was a child of the Devil. To “do Righteousness” is to act as Abel did. He humbled himself and accepted God’s way of Righteousness. To “commit sin” is to act as Cain did. His religious works were evil. Cain was, in fact, a very religious man, but not a righteous man. His worship would have secured the admiration of “modern thought,” but the Holy Spirit here says it was evil. He rejected the Divine Way of Righteousness, and thus showed that he was “out of” the Evil One.

Popular modern Preachers teach that both religions are equally good; but God did not think so, for He accepted the one and rejected the other. He also states here that there is a Devil, that morally he has children, and that these children may be very religious.

Satan actually has two ways of Salvation: one by Sacraments, and the other by ethics. Christ’s Atonement — possessing infinite moral value — condemns and destroys both these false ways of seeking acceptance with God. Christ is the measure of the Believer’s acceptance; therefore, that acceptance is perfect, full, and eternal. In that Righteousness, the Righteousness of Christ, which was gained at the Cross and is given freely to believing man, no one can find a flaw; it needs neither ecclesiastical ceremonies nor human merits to add to its perfection.

The word “slew” in the Greek is “sphazo,” which means “to butcher by cutting the throat.” The inspired writer goes out of his way to use a specialized word to describe the murder of Abel by Cain. Cain slit his brother’s throat.

God said to Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries unto Me from the ground” (Gen. 4:10). The method Cain used to kill his brother was one in which much blood would be shed. The cutting of the jugular vein would fit that description. As is overly obvious, Cain was evil, which played out to what he did to his brother.

In view of all of this, John said that we are not to “marvel, if the world hate you” (3:13). John’s readers were astounded at the fact that people of the world should hate them because they were Children of God. The hatred of the world toward the Child of God is, however, a fact. This will not change. And yet, at the same time, we must not do things that would give the world a legitimate reason to think ill of us. No matter what the world thinks, our business is to commend Jesus to it, and to win it to the Lord.

Most of the hostility, however, will not come from the world, but rather from professing religion. I speak of that which calls itself “the Church.” Cain was very religious. He built an altar and offered sacrifice; however, it was not the type of sacrifice that God could accept, so Cain was rejected by the Lord. In this context, he murdered his brother.

Such hostility from the religious counterpart began with Cain and has continued ever since. As proved by the saga of Cain and Abel, the greatest animosity is tendered by the Church, and the reason is the Cross. The reason always is the Cross! (Gal. 5:11).“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“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 confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world (I Jn. 4:1-3).

The idea of these Passages is that Believers are to stop believing every spirit. Paul finds the source of false doctrine in demons who actuate the false teachers who propound heresy (I Tim. 4:1). Thus, these spirits are human beings actuated either by demons or by the Holy Spirit.

The exhortation is to try these individuals, whoever they might be, to see whether they are of God or not. The word “try” in the Greek is “dokimazo,” which means “to put to the test for the purpose of approving, and finding that the person put to the test meets the specifications laid down, to put one’s own approval upon him.” Thus, the Bible teacher, for instance, was not to be put to the test for the purpose of condemning him, but with the intent to approve him. The brother was not to be treated as a heretic before he had shown himself to be one.

The reason for putting visiting teachers to such a test was that many false prophets “are gone out into the world.” In the Greek, the words speak of an action that is taking place presently. They have gone out; as a present result, they are in the world of mankind, and they have established themselves among the people.

John now gives the test which will prove that the Holy Spirit is actuating a teacher. If that teacher confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, that is proof of the fact that he is a true Believer and is actuated by the Holy Spirit. What does John mean by this?

The statement, “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh,” refers to the Incarnation, and what that means. The name “Jesus” means “Jehovah saves.” “Christ” means “The Anointed One.” It speaks to the fact that the God of the Old Testament, Who, in the Person of His Son, became incarnate in human flesh without its sin, died on the Cross to satisfy the just demands of His righteous Law, which man broke, and raised Himself from the dead in the Body in which He died, to become the Living Saviour of the sinner who places his Faith in Him in view of what He did for him on Calvary’s Cross.

John says that the person who teaches that is actuated by the Holy Spirit; likewise, the teacher who does not agree with that doctrine is not of God. Such a teacher is actuated by the spirit of Antichrist, who denies and is against all that the Bible teaches regarding the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus.

(Our thanks to Kenneth Wuest for most of the above material on the Person of Christ.)

To simplify the statement, John, in essence, is saying, “Christ and the Cross must be the Object of Faith.” If that is denied in any way, the person is not of God. That’s the reason that we look askance at many of the modern schemes which claim to be of God, such as the “Purpose Driven Life” doctrine, the “Government of Twelve (G-12)” doctrine, the “Word of Faith” doctrine, etc.

The last one openly repudiates the Cross. The G-12 claims to believe the Cross, but then turns to works to effect one’s Sanctification, which, in effect, denies the Cross. In no way could one come to the conclusion that the “Purpose Driven Life” theory looks to the Cross at all. It is a religion of supposed ethics, which God can never accept.

John the Beloved, who wrote this Epistle, is saying, “Such is not of the Lord.”

As it regards doctrine, Christ and His Cross are always the deciding factor!“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He who fears is not made perfect in love (I Jn. 4:18).

If we properly love the Lord, and know that He loves us, which He most definitely does, then we know that He is working everything according to our benefit. Everything that happens to a Child of God is either “caused” by the Lord or “allowed” by the Lord. While the Lord definitely does not cause sin, He does allow it, and with consequences.

Further, the Lord is not the cause of negative situations which come our way. But He does, at times, allow them. But no matter what He does, it is always for our benefit. We must know this, understand this, and believe this. If we love Him as we ought to, we will know that He likewise loves us, and that He will allow nothing to hurt us. We have this confidence in Him.

The phrase, “Perfect love casts out fear,” pertains to God. This love is not known by the poor results of its action in man, but by its perfect action in God. And here is something we must never forget: that perfection manifested itself at Calvary. This perfect love is a fact, and it manifested itself outside of man in order to effect the Salvation of man.

The Believer knows it by the Gift of God’s Son, and he enjoys it by the Gift of God’s Spirit. It is at Calvary that we learn what love is (4:10); and that when we had no love for God, the Lord loved us perfectly, even though we were far from Him and dead in sins. Man has no love for God; his pretension to possess it is self-deception. He cannot find it by searching within himself, but he can know it as manifested in the Atoning Sacrifice of Christ. Jesus gave the Life which loves and made propitiation for sins.

We who really possess this Divine nature love because we are loved. It is especially a fraternal love; it loves fellow-Believers more intimately than the nearest relatives who are unconverted. It binds the heart with a stronger bond to persons never seen than to the dearest companions of childhood. It is a new nature, a realm outside of natural human affection — a realm of Divine love — a fellowship with God and with all who know Him. In truth, there is no real love outside that realm.

The “fear” of which John here speaks, “fear” which “has torment,” is certainly not a Godly fear, a holy fear of displeasing the Father through sin (I Pet. 1:17; Heb. 12:28), but rather a slavish fear of a slave for a master, or of a criminal before a judge.

The word “torment” carries the thought with it of punishment. Thus, the Saint who has experienced the fullness of this Divine Love in his earthly life will have no fear of correction or penalty (loss of reward) at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

While the “perfect love” has its home in Christ, and is exercised at the Cross, the Saint can also have all that Christ has, which means that we can have “perfect love,” which is gained through our Faith in Christ and what He has done for us at the Cross. It is at the Cross that this great love was shown by God to a dying world, and it is at the Cross that the Believer takes upon himself this “perfect love.” It can be gained at no place other than the Cross (Jn. 3:16).“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart

 

[iLOVE]

Your Word for Today

“For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our Faith (I Jn. 5:4).

We are emphatically told in this Passage that it is “our faith” that gives us victory over the world. What exactly does John the Beloved mean by the phrase, “our faith”?

To understand the type of faith of which John speaks, i.e., the Faith that overcomes the world and guarantees victory, we must understand what the Object of this Faith must be. John tells us in Verses 6 through 8 of this same Chapter.

John says, “This is He Who came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ (this refers to the Living Word becoming flesh [Jn. 1:1, 4], which is symbolized by ‘water,’ and then as the Lamb of God, Who took away the sin of the world, which was effected by the shedding of His Blood on the Cross of Calvary); not by water only, but by water and blood (testifies to the fact that the Incarnation, within itself, although absolutely necessary, was not enough; the phrase also testifies to the absolute necessity of the Atonement). And it is the Spirit Who bears witness, because the Spirit is Truth (the Holy Spirit bore witness to the Divine Birth of Christ and to the Divine Sacrifice of Christ [Mat. 1:18; Heb. 9:14]).

“For there are Three Who bear record in Heaven (the Law has ever required the Testimony of two or three witnesses [Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Mat. 18:16; II Cor. 13:1]), the Father, the Word (Jesus Christ is the Word [Jn. 1:1]), and the Holy Spirit: and these Three are One (the only sense in which Three can be One is in essence and unity, which is clear in John 17:11, 21-23).

“And there are Three Who bear witness in Earth (as in Heaven, so on Earth), the Spirit, and the Water, and the Blood (speaks of the Holy Spirit; the humanity of Christ, while never ceasing to be Deity; and the Atonement, i.e., ‘the Cross’): and these Three agree in One. (These Three agree that Christ is Very Man, while at the same time being Very God, Who died on the Cross to redeem fallen humanity [I Jn. 5:6-8].)”

All of this tells us that our Faith must be anchored in Christ as the Source of all things which come from God to us, and the Cross is the Means by which all of this is done. “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified” must be the Object of our Faith. Such faith, properly registered, will guarantee victory that we overcome the world in every respect (I Cor. 1:23; 2:2).“

— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart