DEMOLISHING STRONGHOLDS
In order to become a New Covenant disciple, Old/First Covenant religionists must change their understanding of what they read in the Bible. Instead of interpreting it literally, they must learn to interpret it with spiritual understanding by listening to God’s voice. For them, literal interpretation of the written law, and listening to false prophets who teach from the literal law, must come to an end. If such thinking does not end, it is a religious stronghold of wrong thinking.
Religious strongholds are the defenses that religious people raise up to defend Old/First Covenant religion against New Covenant thinking. It is hard to overcome these strongholds of thinking, but it is possible. God provides the following scriptures to encourage us that it can be done and instruct in what we must do to demolish our own religious strongholds:
Romans 12:1-3: I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
COMMENTARY: The “mercies of God” tells us that this scripture has a New Covenant focus. We know this because “mercy” is one of several code words, along with faith, grace, peace, spirit and others, that refers to the New Covenant.
When we slow down and allow God to speak the meaning of this verse to our hearts, we will begin to see it differently. The concept of “sacrifice” brings up visions of a dead, charred animal being consumed by fire on an altar. Obviously God does not want us to literally do this so we must understand the symbolism of sacrifice and altar if we are to understand the verse.
STUDY TIP: See Sacrifices, Tithes and Offerings, Tabernacles, Temples, Altars, High Places and Pilgrimages, and Tithes for more about sacrifices.
We know from Old Testament Bible stories that God commanded the Israelites to make burnt offerings many times. Jews still believe that someday the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt so that they can again obey these commandments.
Elsewhere, God says that they should present their offerings on altars of earth, wood and stone. Since earth, stone and wood symbolically represent people, God effectively says that people are altars in which they present their offerings. This correlates perfectly with God’s command to bring tithes, sacrifices and offerings to the place where chooses to place his name. In other words, sacrifices, tithes and offerings are all spiritual because they exist in the heart. They are not material or natural. They cannot be seen, touched or heard because they are matters of faith — not religion.
STUDY TIP: It is always necessary to read several related scriptures to gain understanding of any one scripture. This is the essence of assembling the Bible puzzle and understanding mysteries.
Sacrifices that exist only in the heart are living sacrifices. All material/natural sacrifices that can be seen and touched are dead sacrifices. Living sacrifices are holy and acceptable to God because they are spiritual.
This spiritual truth will not be easily accepted by Jews or Christians who have always labored under the stronghold of belief which provides that sacrifices, tithes and offerings are material.
This spiritual interpretation will have great impact on Jews who historically believed that literal burnt offerings are the kinds of offerings that God considered holy and acceptable. Jews were forced to cease making physical burnt offerings when the second temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, but some Jews still hope and prepare for the day when a third temple will be built in Jerusalem so that they can renew the practice of making kosher animal sacrifices.
God affirms that Romans 12:1-3 is all about the New Covenant when he says that a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable is an act of spiritual worship. Here the contrast is made between fleshly worship (i.e. burnt offerings of dead things) and spiritual worship (i.e. living sacrifice) is made clear. And we know again that the focus is on the New Covenant because spirit, or spiritual, is one of those code words that points to the New Covenant.
2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
COMMENTARY: Old/First Covenant religious people are conformed to the world of religion which can be seen. New Covenant disciples are recreated into the image of God who is invisible.
This transformation begins when we accept that God wants his people to listen to his voice and stop listening to the voices of false prophets. It progresses when we study the Bible while listening to hear God’s voice explain the hidden mysteries of Biblical Symbols, Signs, Types, Copies, Shadows and Patterns to us. And it is completed when God’s laws are written on our hearts and we only listen to God’s spirit to teach us about him.
3 For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him.
COMMENTARY: Grace is a code word (along with love, mercy and peace) for New Covenant.
Old/First Covenant religionists, thinking that they have exceptional spiritual knowledge, are filled with arrogant pride because or their ability to interpret the Bible literally. What they have is actually worldly wisdom — not Godly wisdom.
This contrasts with New Covenant disciples (i.e. recipients of the letter from Paul) who understand that their ability to symbolically interpret the mysteries of the Bible with spiritual eyes and ears is is a gift from God — not a matter of intellectual knowledge. Therefore, they do not think highly of themselves.
Ephesians 4:17-30: Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; 18 they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; 19 they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. 20 You did not so learn Christ! — 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. 22 Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need. 29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
COMMENTARY:
Different religious groups have different doctrines based on the teachings of their religious fathers (i.e. those who have preached or written the doctrines that they and their spiritual children adopt as truth). These teachings have the value of law by those who subscribe to them. The way we see it there is a big problem that greatly affects everyone who adopts such doctrines: They are rules of men that nullify the word of God. They are traditions not based on what man has said, not on what God has said.
AUTHORS’ NOTE: See Traditions and Religious Traditions for more about this topic and examples in modern religion.
Also see Compare Covenants Part Six: God’s Written Word and God’s Voice for discussion on the written law and hearing God’s voice.
The simple reason why the teachings of men have gained such influence in the world of religion is that scripture has not been correctly interpreted. Because people have invested so much in literal interpretation of the Bible, however, it is very hard for any generation to break out of that pattern to understand spiritual meanings. Thus we have generations of teachings that repeat the same old doctrines with a few modernized twists. And no one is able to break out of that pattern.
AUTHORS’ NOTE: See Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 1, Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 2, Literal or Symbolic Interpretation Part 3, Mystery and Symbols, Signs, Types, Copies, Shadows and Patterns for discussion on correct interpretation of the Bible.
What we have, therefore, is a people that do not have eyes to see or ears to hear spiritually. All they can do is interpret scripture literally according to the teachings of men. But that ability does not agree with the terms of the New Covenant which says about the Spirit teaching us instead of human teachers. So what we end up with is strongholds of wrong thinking.
AUTHORS’ NOTE: It could be said that the goal of this website is to tear down strongholds that inhibit correct Biblical interpretation by showing that it must be interpreted symbolically and not literally. Alternatively, it could be said that we are demonstrating that it is more important to hear God’s voice directly in your heart than it is to read or hear words that have been mediated by religious leaders who presume to speak for God. This is a significant point of differentiation between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant that must be understood by all who aspire to Godliness and not just to Old Covenant obedience to the written law.
See the following pages for understanding about the differences between Old Covenant and New Covenant.
BIBLE
Bible Basics
Compare Covenants Part One: Basic Differences
Compare Covenants Part Two: Scriptural Examples
Compare Covenants Part Three: Milk and Honey
Compare Covenants Part Four: Two Legal Systems
Compare Covenants Part Five: Religious Form vs. Spiritual Function
Compare Covenants Part Six: God’s Word and God’s Voice
It is no understatement to say that religionists have been deceived by wrong teaching that leads to wrong thinking. But even if that is true, we have a responsibility to remove ourselves from wrong teaching so that we can receive good teaching directly from God. No false prophet has come and forced us to listen or forced us to accept false doctrines. We are willing participants in these relationships. If we go out of our way to go to church or synagogue, or listen to music or read a book by a religious leader, we have willfully exposed ourselves to wrong teaching. And we have just as willfully accepted and adopted the teaching. We could have rejected it, but did not. That makes us guilty. The false prophet must bear the weight of his/her own sin for teaching, but we must bear the weight of our sin for seeking instruction from the false prophet instead of seeking instruction directly from God.
STRONGHOLDS INHIBIT UNDERSTANDING
In these modern times we do not relate easily to the archaic idea of strongholds. In ancient times, however, they were walled cities and fortifications built by kings and princes to protect cities from attack by invaders who would destroy their kingdoms. In the Bible, strongholds that are associated with God are good. In Psalms God is often referred to as a fortress which is a Godly equivalent of an evil stronghold. Evil strongholds are more commonly represented in the Old Testament as fortified cities which are generally associated with religious kingdoms that are governed by evil religious rulers called kings, queens and princes.The exception is Jeremiah who is called a fortified city who God warns that he will be attacked because of his prophecies.
AUTHORS’ NOTE: See Kings, Queens and Princes and Cities, Kingdoms and Nations for insights on correctly interpreting these entities in spiritual terms.
These fortified cities and strongholds are the Canaanite cities the twelve spies were sent to evaluate before entering into the Promised Land. These cities are occupied by giants whom the spies feared would devoured them if they would try to conquer the cities. This often-told Bible story is the basis for the lack of understanding of the First Covenant. The cities and strongholds are not physical walls a fortresses. They are spiritual strongholds as represented in these scriptures:
2 Corinthians 10:3-6: For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
COMMENTARY:
Ephesians 6:10-17: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; 16 besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
COMMENTARY:
In the Old Testament, strong holds were built up by kings, queens and princes who wanted to protect their kingdoms. We can fairly apply these Biblical examples to religious leaders who have status and income to protect. But rather than simply blaming the religious leaders, followers must take personal responsibility for hearing God’s voice.