Remnant Bride Conduct

Remnant Bride Conduct

Introduction/Exhortation

The purpose of this is to provide an in-part list of what is expected of any Bride member in their conduct. And in pursuit of right conduct, let us keep in mind that any wise signer of a contract will first carefully examine the fine print so as to see what they are obligating themself to. What we are going to do here is look at the fine print and see what our part in this contract truly is, so that we can uphold it—lest we come up short and be disqualified! And, as in all contracts, ignorance does not remove one’s liability.

But first, it is necessary that we counter all the misunderstood and misguided emphasis on a “grace” we find in practice today, and see what the Scripture’s instruction truly is regarding how we are to live our lives. Many quote Paul’s teachings on grace so as to remove accountability for their actions and responsibility for producing righteous fruit—saying that it is not what we do that counts, but rather it is all by God’s grace, that our works are nothing more than filthy rags. But is this really true, or is it a dangerous irresponsible and mindless attitude? We will begin with what Paul himself said about grace. In Titus 2:11-12, we read his clear instruction:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, chastening us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age.

Grace is NOT a freedom to sin with no consequences, which is called licentiousness (Jude 1:4); but to the contrary, it is a responsibility and, yes, obligation to turn away from sin and perform righteous deeds. As Paul and John the Baptist both exhorted, there is the obligation to perform deeds consistent with repentance (Acts 26:20, Matthew 3:8). What you will read here is indeed the application of and the expectation from receiving God’s grace. In 2 Peter 1:2-7, we are likewise instructed (and this first paragraph is one very long sentence):

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things which relate to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that called us to glory and excellence, through which the greatest and precious promises are bestowed upon us, that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption in this world through lusts.

And for this very thing also—adding on your part all diligence—supply in your faith moral excellence; and in moral excellence knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control, endurance; and in endurance, godliness; and in godliness, brotherly kindness; and in brotherly kindness, love.

As we see here, once again the grace and peace being multiplied to us as partakers of His divine nature, includes supplying through our own part, and with all diligence, moral excellence, adding knowledge, of course exercising self-control (us controlling ourselves), not giving up or giving in but being persistent in enduring, as well as exercising godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are qualities that are all to be added to, being a product of, our faith. And if these are not added, James unequivocally states that our faith is useless and dead: “faith without works is useless,” “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14-26)!

And in this regard, do not be deceived or foolish to ignore the words of Yahshua Himself, whereby He warned, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:27). In 2 Peter 1:2-7 we see what those good deeds are that we are obligated to supply with all diligence.

Furthermore, in 1 John 3:3-10 we read the same clear command:

And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins [it being too objectionable]; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

Where in this passage is this cheap grace we hear of and see abundantly practiced today? Keep in mind, John the Baptist did not herald, “Cheap and easy grace is here, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” No, he cried “Repent, . . . ,” which is a mandatory call to change!

And one of the most basic commands throughout the history of man, and is just as relevant today, is Genesis 4:7:

“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

In 1 John 2:5-6 we find once again that as believers in Yahshua we are thereupon obligated to walk in His ways:

By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him is [lit.] obligated himself to walk as He walked.

How much clearer could this message be? Where is the excuse in this statement, or in any of these statements, that gives people the right to just do what they want to do via some supposed grace? They deceive themselves! Likewise, in 2 Peter 3:11-13 we read:

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people [lit.] must you be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat? But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

If we are to be worthy to be a part of that work, then we must prove it by first seeking that life in the way we live today. If anyone desires to be a part of the bride of the Lamb, remember that Revelation 19:7-8 clearly states:

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her that she be clothed in fine linen, bright and pure; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

The Bride indeed makes herself ready with righteous acts. Thus, it is fitting and wise to here add the words of the Groom:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied [Matthew 5:6].

Again, this is a lifestyle, a practice we choose right now. But what do we see today in the church? Is it indeed a kingdom of righteousness that they seek, or is it in fact the world and compromise and the approval of men? Without any question, the church today is committing harlotry with the world. They dress like the world, they expose their flesh and form like the world, the women paint their faces like the world, men bald their cheeks like the world (as was done to the shamed Savior, lit. of Isaiah 50:6), and like the world women are in places of authority that belong solely to men. Today they talk like the world, they take delight in the cares of the world, they pursue and practice the riches of the world rather than the riches of the kingdom, they listen to the music of the world and even conform their own music to that of the world, and in their churches they pursue the methods of the world. They pursue the entertainments of the world, they celebrate the corrupted holidays of the world, they divorce like the world, they use birth control and even have abortions like the world, and the list goes on and on and on. And of course they thus dilute and alter the word of God so that they can do all these things under the guise of “grace” and their “liberty in Christ,” when all the time they shame His righteousness and wholly ignore their obligation to put all of these things far from them, and will thereby be rejected!

In short, they fulfill Yahshua’s very warning to those whom He said claim to have prophesied in His name, cast out demons in His name, and performed many miracles in His name. To these He said He will declare, “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22-23).

We read above in 2 Peter 3:11-13 the exhortation: “what sort of people must you be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God . . .? But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” And before this statement was made, we are forewarned about the very things we see taking place today. Can you not see this?

. . . forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness [2 Peter 2:15].

For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom [yes, their “freedom in Christ”] while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved [18-19].

For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first [for they are hypocrites}. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire" [21-22].

These are the very ways concerning which Peter then warns of in chapter 3, verse 3: “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts.” Clearly, this includes the bulk of churches today that practice worldliness.

To the church, James warned: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Clearly, the church is in for a great surprise as they choose to live like the world, taking the things of the world into their lives and into their church services, and rejecting the clear instructions of the Scriptures regarding this obligation to righteousness. The church, Christianity, is worldly in every regard, and is in fact mystery Babylon (also addressed here). Just as mystery Babylon is the great harlot, in like regard James warns that friendship with the world is indeed a harlotrous, adulterous relationship. Believers DO NOT take this warning serious and regularly commit harlotry with the world, making themselves an enemy of God!

Today, if we desire to be a part of Yahshua’s bride, who has “no spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27, Revelation 21:2), and “has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7), or even desire to be a faithful part of the Body of Christ, there is only one standard we can go by: that which obligates us as written in God’s word, even in the fine print. And, we do not have the right to pick and choose from it what we will obey! Again, if we do not seek to practice righteousness, then why should we enter into this kingdom “in which righteousness dwells”?

James 4:8 goes on to tell us to draw near to God and He will draw near to us, that we must cleanse our own hands and purify our own hearts, and no longer be double-minded. Sadly, the nature of man is to be double-minded and thus compromise, making righteousness less exacting so that he can live at ease without too many constraints, and not have to look too different from others.

And equally sad, because of the teachings of the church today regarding supposed “grace,” people all the more do wrong. And in ease and with the approval of others, they think the fire insurance policy they have in Jesus will cover them. But frankly, just as there was a housing bubble that popped and people thereupon suffered great loss, so there is a sin bubble that will pop and most will likewise come up short—and it will be too late to do anything about it! (Ask the five foolish virgins about this.) For with this bubble, there will be no one to bail them out. They themselves will have to pay the price. It will be even as Yahshua warned, in the fine print: “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:27).

Furthermore, evoking much sobriety, Ecclesiastes 8:11-13 gravely warns regarding inaction and inattention and certainly a lack of circumspect behavior on our part:

Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. But it will not be well for the evil man and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow, because he does not fear God.

And, the fine print of Galatians 6:7-9 equally warns:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap age-abiding life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Thus, Revelation 16:15 soberly warns:

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”

Thus we see the obligation on our part to indeed perform deeds consistent with repentance, that we might prove ourselves worthy of our calling, worthy of the kingdom of God (Philippians 1:27, 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12, 2 Thessalonians 1:5). Click here to read more on our obligation to perform these confirming deeds.

In conclusion here and for your benefit and necessary understanding, let us clearly define what the work and purpose of the Elijah is as consistently set forth in the Scriptures. Foremost, we find that the purpose of the Elijah work is to cleanse a people and prepare them and the world for the coming of Immanuel and His kingdom in which righteousness dwells. It only makes sense that if He comes to bring righteousness to this earth, there will be those who willingly and gladly prepare His way in like manner with like righteousness. This purpose is of course evidenced by John the Baptist himself, in whom was the spirit of Elijah, whose message was indeed: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”! This too is the message of the fulfilling Elijah.

We have already read that the Bride makes herself ready, is without spot or wrinkle, and is clothed in the righteous acts of the saints. How does she then get to that place? There is no question that something must take place in this preparatory period of the Bride that demands and evokes acts of righteousness and cleansing. What then is it?

We read in Malachi 3:1-3 this most clarion evidence that the work of the Elijah in preparing the way for Immanuel is specifically for the purpose of purifying a people, a bride, for His coming:

Behold, I am going to send My messenger [Elijah], and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant [Elijah], in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says Yahweh of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to Yahweh offerings in righteousness.

A purifying furnace and fullers’ soap have one purpose: to remove all impurities! There is therefore no question that the Elijah work will severely challenge both established religious dogma and accepted worldly immorality and ungodly behavior, demanding its removal. Therefore if any work makes claim to being the fulfilling Elijah and is not characterized by a clarion and uncompromising call for righteous behavior, it is a false work. If they fail to effect the outcome of presenting to Yahweh offerings of righteousness, they are not the Elijah work.

In further evidence, in John 16:8 we read that the work of the Holy Spirit is to “convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.” Thus, when the latter rain is poured out, and this concluding work of the Holy Spirit forms the second Remnant, there is no question that the issue of sin and righteousness and judgment will be at the very crux of this work.

Having completed this important introductory examination, let us now look at the fine print so as to see what it is that obligates a Bride member in their behavior so as to make themself ready, even as it is written. And to be certain and of necessity of course, these are all things that the Scriptures directly set forth. And as you will see, as with the “Beliefs” document, a more concise statement is made, followed with links to supporting evidence and explanation. May Yahweh purify His people.

Conduct

1. Every word that proceeds from our mouth is a covenant, and we are held accountable before God for each of those words. Therefore, ANY time you give your word, fulfill it as a covenant (unless it is profane). If for some reason it cannot be fulfilled, return to or contact that person or whomever as soon as possible and give an explanation and provide correction or the fulfillment. Again, your word is a covenant—keep it.