Examining "A More Christlike Word"
by Brad Jersak
“For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” (Paul’s concern from 2 Corinthians 11:4)
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The False Filter |
The Biblical Filter |
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The word OR the Word |
The Word THROUGH the word |
We left off on yesterday’s journal journey
with the conflict between what the Bible says about where “inspiration” happened as God breathed out his words through the biblical writers, and where BJ claims
it happens in an ongoing way between the reader and the Scriptures, hence his
demand for II Corinthians 3 to speak about “progressive illumination” instead
of the contrast between two covenants.
We will now continue looking through II Corinthians 3 to compare what BJ claims with what Paul really wrote as Scripture.
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II Corinthians 3:1-18 (NKJV) |
II Corinthians 3:1-18 (ESV) |
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5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to
think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6
who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the
letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. |
5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to
claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has
made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but
of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. |
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BJ’s “Twist” |
Monte’s Observations |
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BJ wants to make this about “progressive illumination”. BJ wants to say that “the letter” that kills
is “literalism” (reading the Bible as literal when referring to history). |
Paul was making this about the “new covenant”. Paul speaks of the letter that kills as the
old covenant (a huge theme in II Corinthians since Paul was addressing the
false teachers who were trying to impose the Law into the gospel). The “letter”
here cannot mean reading the Bible literally (taking God at his word). |
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II Corinthians 3:1-18 (NKJV) |
II Corinthians 3:1-18 (ESV) |
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7 But if the ministry of death, written and
engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not
look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance,
which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be
more glorious? |
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in
letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at
Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will
not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? |
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BJ’s “Twist” |
Monte’s Observations |
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The author wants us to believe that any
reference to “the Spirit” in this passage is what the Spirit does to the
reader when he/she reads the Scriptures. With that meaning, he introduces his
notion of “progressive illumination”, as if that is what Paul was referring
to. |
The ministry of death that was carved in
letters on stone was clearly the old covenant on the two stone tablets. The
ministry of the Spirit is the life of the new covenant (what the Spirit does
to teach born-again believers as we read Scripture is part of this new life,
but not what Paul was talking about). Paul already spoke of this in Romans
7:6 where he wrote, “But now we are released from the law, having died to
that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and
not in the old way of the written code.” The old way (that keeps people
veiled) is “the law”, “the written code”. The new way that removes the veil
is “the new way of the Spirit”, meaning, the new covenant life. |
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II Corinthians 3:1-18 (NKJV) |
II Corinthians 3:1-18 (ESV) |
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9 For if the ministry of condemnation had
glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even
what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory
that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is
much more glorious. |
9 For if there was glory in the ministry of
condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10
Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all,
because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to
an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. |
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BJ’s “Twist” |
Monte’s Observations |
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Not included. |
This continues to show that Paul was
contrasting the old covenant and the new, not literalism and progressive
illumination. The “ministry of condemnation” was the old covenant, and the
“ministry of righteousness” is the new covenant (“the righteous shall live by
faith”). The “once had glory” was the old covenant, “the glory that surpasses
it” is the new covenant. What was “being brought to an end” was the old
covenant; what “is permanent” is the new covenant. This is so clear that for
the author to claim otherwise is a deliberate twisting of Scripture. |
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II Corinthians 3:1-18 (NKJV) |
II Corinthians 3:1-18 (ESV) |
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12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use
great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so
that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was
passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same
veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil
is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil
lies on their heart. |
12 Since we have such a hope, we are very
bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the
Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end.
14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old
covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it
taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their
hearts. |
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BJ’s “Twist” |
Monte’s Observations |
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“We read through veils. These veils cover our
eyes and our hearts so that we may read what the Bible says but can’t
perceive what it teaches. The words are all there, but when read by the
letter (literalism) rather than the Spirit (the gospel sense), the message
becomes a source of death and condemnation” (pp. 77-78). |
The ”we” who read through veils is not
believers. It is the Jewish people under the old covenant (the Israelites)
and would apply to the unsaved. Paul then equates “their minds were hardened”
with the imagery of the veil that “lies over their hearts”. Again, this is
talking about unsaved people living under the old covenant, the specific
issue the false teachers were trying to bring back into the church. Those who have their hearts covered by this
veil of unbelief cannot understand the Scriptures because, as Paul stated
elsewhere, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because
they are spiritually discerned” (I Corinthians 2:14). This has nothing to do
with reading the Bible literally instead of BJ’s “another gospel sense” that
Paul was warning us about. |
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II Corinthians 3:1-18 (NKJV) |
II Corinthians 3:1-18 (ESV) |
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16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord,
the veil is taken away. |
16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil
is removed. |
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BJ’s “Twist” |
Monte’s Observations |
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The author claims that the veil in question
is taken away through “progressive illumination”, something that happens
after conversion as believers read the Bible and slowly have their eyes
opened from taking the Bible literally (however God breathed it out) and
start seeing it through the “different gospel sense” he is peddling. |
Paul is being so clear here that the veil is
removed/taken away when “one turns to the Lord” from the old covenant, which
can only mean conversion, salvation, being born again, getting saved. As Acts
11:21 describes, when preachers went into Antioch “preaching the Lord Jesus”
(vs 20), Luke writes, “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great
number who believed turned to the Lord.” Three verses later there is the
rhyming thought, “And a great many people were added to the Lord” (vs 24).
This is clear that turning to the Lord means coming to Christ in salvation. It
is at the moment that our blindness turns to sight in salvation that the veil
is removed, not in some ongoing and progressive way as we are convinced to
stop taking God at his word and start listening to BJ’s another Jesus instead. |
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II Corinthians 3:1-18 (NKJV) |
II Corinthians 3:1-18 (ESV) |
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17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into
the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. |
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face,
beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image
from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the
Spirit. |
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BJ’s “Twist” |
Monte’s Observations |
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“Yet, when we
behold Christ in the Bible by the Spirit, the Spirit removes the veil from
our hearts so we can see how the entire message has always been pointing to
life and reconciliation. Instead of progressive revelation (stacking bricks),
we have progressive illumination (removing veils)” (p. 78). |
This is not about beholding Christ in the Bible by the Spirit as believers who are reading the Scriptures. This is about being born again into the new covenant by the power of the Spirit so that the veil is removed and we can now grow up to be like Jesus. Even in this, there is no way it is referring to “progressive illumination” after we are born again as we read Scripture. It is speaking of what happens once we turn to the Lord in salvation and are now in the new covenant relationship with our Savior. The veil is now gone, and we are free to “behold the glory of the Lord”. Remember, the Jews knew that, under the old covenant, it was a
terrifying thing to come into the presence of God’s glory. They knew this
from Moses’ experience on Sinai, and the danger of the High Priest going into
the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. Paul is talking about believers
under the new covenant where we are free to “behold the glory of the Lord”
without being afraid because all the guilt, shame, fear, and condemnation of
our sin has been removed in Jesus Christ. |
Now that we have looked at the Scripture BJ
was referring to, let’s consider the comments he makes afterward.
After presenting the NKJV text of I
Corinthians 3:5-18, BJ says a number of things that I must present in a
side-by-side format so you can contrast what he claims with what Paul really
said. He introduced it like this, “Here we see Paul drawing multiple contrasts:”
(pp. 78-79).
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BJ’s Contrast |
Monte’s Response |
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The glory of Moses (representing the law) versus the glory of Christ
(unveiled in the gospel) |
No, not really. It was the glory of the old
covenant (represented by Moses) versus the glory of the new covenant. But,
yes, in the way Paul meant it, the glory of Christ is unveiled in the gospel
so that the moment one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. |
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BJ’s Contrast |
Monte’s Response |
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That which is passing away (the old covenant) versus that which
remains (the new covenant) |
Yes, I think this is the only time BJ gets
this right, that Paul is contrasting the old covenant that was passing away
with the new covenant that remains. However, Paul’s point is that it is the
new covenant that takes away the veil the moment we enter this covenant by
grace through faith while BJ twists this to promote his “progressive
illumination” which he needs people to believe to pass off his “another Jesus”,
his “different spirit”, and his “different gospel”. |
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BJ’s Claim |
Monte’s Response |
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Reading by the letter (literalism) versus reading by the Spirit
(gospel) |
Absolutely NOT! Paul was not contrasting reading the
Scriptures by “the letter” of “literalism”. Not even close. His reference to
“the letter” was the Law, the old covenant that had been carved in letters on
tablets of stone. There is no way that can be turned into a reference to
reading the Bible literally! And the other side of the contrast was not
about reading the Scriptures “by the Spirit (gospel)”, but entering the whole
of the new covenant by the Spirit, what Paul called “turning to the Lord”.
You know, conversion! As hard as BJ is peddling his progressive
illumination against his false equivocation of “literalism”, it isn’t there
in anything Paul said. |
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BJ’s Claim |
Monte’s Response |
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The ministry of condemnation versus the ministry of life |
If the author meant what Paul meant, that the
ministry of condemnation was the old covenant (not "reading the Bible
literally"), and the ministry of life was the new covenant (not "reading the
Bible in progressive illumination"), then this would be correct. However, since he is applying the contrast to
literalism vs progressive illumination, he is wrong even in this! That is not
even close to what Paul is giving us in his Scriptures. |
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BJ’s Claim |
Monte’s Response |
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The fruit of death versus the fruit of life |
Again, if the author meant this the way Paul meant it, he could get his gold star. However, since he is trying to tell us
that if we read the Bible literally (treating it like the authoritative words
of God), it is “the fruit of death”, he is absolutely wrong (dishonest). And since he is trying to peddle his idea
that only when we read the Bible progressively (letting his “different spirit”
inspire us with whatever his “another Jesus” gives us through his “different
gospel”) do we get “the fruit of life”, he is absolutely wrong in what he claims the
apostle Paul was carried along by the real Holy Spirit to write down into the
words of Scripture. Fact is, the author is doing the devil’s work
of leading people away from their sincere and pure devotion to Jesus Christ
under the new covenant which is where the veil is removed and our blind eyes
open to the glory of Jesus Christ. |
I realize by the distance we have travelled
today that I must bring this day’s journal journey to a close. How I wish that
people would heed the warnings that the apostles were giving to the church so
that everyone who sees this book would turn from such twisting of Scripture to
live by “the whole counsel of God”, by “every word that comes from the mouth of
God”, rather than such poison-in-the-pudding presentations as this.
I have to say that, when I saw the positive
reviews of this book, I really expected BJ’s deceptions were going to be a lot
more subtle for that many people to have missed them. The fact that his
twisting of Scripture is right out in the open staring everyone in the face (even
with him presenting Irenaeus’s list of four points about false teachers that BJ
is doing right before our eyes), has left me shocked that it is that easy to
peddle a different message than what God has breathed out into his own word. I
definitely need to set up camp and get a good night’s rest before I continue
down this garden path!
© 2024
Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the
English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text
Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.)
A More Christlike Word © 2021 by Bradley Jersak Whitaker House 1030 Hunt
Valley Circle • New Kensington, PA 15068 www.whitakerhouse.com
Jersak, Bradley. A More Christlike Word: Reading Scripture the
Emmaus Way. Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.
Definitions from the Bible Sense Lexicon (BSL) in Logos Bible
Systems
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