Intercontinental Church of God--What do they believe?

most Christians read Matt 5:17 like this: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to DESTROY.


Yes, Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly; there was no one better. In this regard, Jesus is the living END, the perfection of RIGHTEOUSNESS, the pinnacle, the END - Romans 10:4.


Even Gentile Christians are to fulfill (keep) the righteousness of the law (Rom 2:26), by "fulfilling the law" (vs. 27) and becoming Jews inwardly by having our hearts circumcised (vs. 28-29).


Christians are to be IMITATORS of Christ - 1cor 11:1
--
http://intercontinentalcog.org/ICGCC/Lesson_Seven.shtml

[ February 18, 2006, 05:11 PM: Message edited by: wopik ]

 

My husband and I were in contact over the internet with a man in the WWCOG through their big changes.......at least near as I can tell from what you all are saying, it would have been during that time. It was quite a transition, and he needed alot of help in sorting out Biblical doctrine from what they had been taught previously.

Ive often wondered just what became of him, as we lost contact quite a few years ago.

 

After arranging a day with him (Paul), many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he (Paul) expounded and witnessed about the kingdom of God. He (Paul) persuaded them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets -- acts 28:23.

 

It appears some still hold to the cultish teachings of the WWCOG

 

what might that be, standingfirm ?

 

wopik,

and with your last post are you thinking that we would say Paul should have used NT books which had not yet been written? Jesus is found all throughout the Bible, the gospel is written clearly in the OT as well as the NT. The OT Law pointed to the Christ, and Paul could very easily have used it to show them how Jesus had fulfilled that law. The passage shows that Paul was speaking to the "chief of the Jews", men who were well-versed in OT Law and Prophets. These were men who had memorized the entire OT, and it would have been VERY effective to use those OT Scriptures especially in this case.

 

bapmom

yes, Jesus fulfilled the law. And we are to do the same (romans 2: 26-27).


Jesus "stopped at the stop sign" does not mean we don't have to.

 

I guess "fulfilling" the sacrifices, circumcision, and all the rest of the ceremonial commands means that we still have to keep them too.

 

if you feel the need to break the Ten Commandments and use the Lord's name in vain, God help you.

 

I found this information re: WWCoG and the changes made from heretical to orthodoxy:

http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/armstrong.htm

Just prior to Armstrong's death in 1986, Joseph W. Tkach, Sr., assumed the title of "Pastor General" of the WCG. (Tkach died in September, 1995, at the age of 68. He was succeeded by his son, Joseph Tkach, Jr.) Since the 1986 leadership change, observers of the cult's affairs can list some 40 changes in WCG's doctrines, as well as a withdrawal from circulation of a number of Armstrong's written works. The leadership of the WCG has issued a new statement of faith which, on the surface, appears to accept traditional Bible doctrine in many areas. The major changes are toward a more orthodox position on the Trinity and salvation through the grace of God alone and not through good deeds. The WCG has also declared that tithing and observing the Sabbath are no longer mandatory. [Of the Sabbath, it says, "Though physical Sabbath keeping is not required for Christians, it is the tradition and practice of the Worldwide Church of God to hold its weekly worship service on the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday)."] And though the WCG continues to hold annual festivals based on the Old Testament feasts, they no longer claim that these are binding upon Christians. (Despite the doctrinal changes, many still question the sincerity of the WCG leadership in making them -- see note below.)

Due to the doctrinal and practical changes brought in by the new leadership, Joseph Tkach Jr. lists 104 organizations that have splintered from the Worldwide Church of God to form separate entities. (There were approximately 350 pastors in the Worldwide Church of God as of 2/95, but more than 40% of these ministers had resigned or been terminated because they could not accept the church's movement toward so-called mainstream Christianity; with new additions, however, as of 11/01 there were 334 WCG pastors in the U.S.) These dissident-formed breakaway churches include the Global Church of God; the Philadelphia Church of God; the United Church of God; Triumph Prophetic Ministries (Church of God); and Christian Churches of God. To various degrees, all these continue to promote Armstrongism. (See Notes below on the Philadelphia Church of God and the United Church of God.)

Presented below are the highlights of what the Worldwide Church of God officially believed, pre-1994 (and what most of the breakaway groups continue to believe), compared with the WCG under Tkach, concerning the Godhead, salvation, heaven and hell, and prophecy -

1. God/Holy Spirit/The Trinity. (under Armstrong) -- "The Hebrew for God is Elohim, a uniplural noun, such as the words family, church, group ... And so, in truth, God is not merely one personage or even limited to a 'Trinity,' but is a family" (The Good News, February, 1979, p. 1). "The doctrine of the Trinity is false ... Elohim is the divine family -- only one family, but more than one divine Person ... So the eternal Father is a Person, and is God. Jesus Christ is a different Person -- and is God. They are two separate and individual Persons ..." (The Missing Dimension In Sex, p. 32). Also, the Holy Spirit is not a person, but an active force emanating from God. Armstrong taught that the Bible reveals "two Personages coexisted and nothing else did. No third Person is mentioned -- no 'Ghost'" (Mystery of the Ages, p. 37). One argument for why the Holy Spirit is not a person comes from an interpretation of Acts 2:18 and 10:45. These verses say that the Holy Spirit is poured out. Armstrong reasons that a person cannot be poured out, "The Holy Spirit, like water or a fluid, can be 'poured out.' Can you pour out a person from one into another -- as from God into those assembled there?" (Ibid., p. 47).

God/Holy Spirit/The Trinity. (under Tkach) -- "Do let me summarize, and I hope to make this crystal clear. Our old literature taught that there are two god beings in one God Family, each composed of Holy Spirit. That teaching, which implied that there are two Gods, is not biblical. The Bible teaches that there is one God, not two. "The Bible does not teach that God is a family name, with two God Beings in that family right now, and billions to come later. The Bible teaches that the one and same God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" (Pastor General's Report, July 27, 1993, p. 4).

2. Christ. (under Armstrong) -- Claims that before Jesus was conceived by Mary, He was not the Son of God, and therefore, is not equal with God the Father -- Jesus only became a Son of God by His resurrection. It is also claimed that the Blood of Christ does not finally save anyone, but it saves merely from the death penalty of sin. "Christ is the Yahweh of the Old Testament" (The Plain Truth, Jan., 1955, p. 7). "Hence, we see that He was not the 'Son' of God until He was born of the virgin Mary" (The Plain Truth, July/August, 1955, p. 4). "The Satan inspired doctrine that Jesus was not human, that He did not inherit the sinful nature of Adam, that He did not have all the normal human passions and weaknesses against which all of us have to struggle ... this is the doctrine of the antichrist" (Ibid.). "Now notice carefully God the Father did not cause Jesus Christ to get back into the body which had died" (The Plain Truth, April, 1963, p. 10).

Christ. (under Tkach) -- "Was Jesus the God of the Old Testament? Since God is one, what is the point of asking who the God of the Old Testament was? The answer ... has to be 'The one and only true God. Who else?'" (Review on the Nature of God, p. 5). "The Son of God is one of the three hypostases of the one God. Therefore, the Son of God hypostasis is eternal" (Pastor General Report, Oct. 1993). "From God's standpoint, there was no possibility that Christ might sin, ..." (Pastor General Report, Jan. 22, 1991). "Jesus Christ clearly showed to his disciples that after his resurrection, He still had the body He had before His death" (The Plain Truth, April 1994, p. 19).

3. Salvation. (under Armstrong) -- Claims that salvation is by faith, but that it also requires works, and as such, water baptism is essential for salvation. Actually, there are as many as six steps necessary for salvation: repentance, faith, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, obedience, and resurrection (the "new birth"). Since "obedience" is one of the required steps for salvation, a disciple of Armstrongism can never be secure in this life -- one can be converted in this life, but salvation will have to await a future resurrection (cf. Acts 16:31; Eph. 4:30; 1 John 5:13). [Armstrong claimed that the true Gospel had been lost to the world from A.D. 70 until it was restored by God through Herbert W. Armstrong in 1934.] "We are saved by GRACE, and through faith -- make no mistake about that; but -- there are conditions! ... People have been taught, falsely, that 'Christ completed the Plan of Salvation on the Cross' -- when actually it was only begun there. The popular denominations have taught, 'Just BELIEVE -- that's all there is to it; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are that instant saved! That teaching is false!" (All About Water Baptism, p. 2, 1954 edition). "... Jesus gave them the final GOSPEL COMMISSION ... He commanded baptism as an obligatory ordinance for this Gospel dispensation: ... it is 'he that is baptized' that shall be saved. It's part of the divine Commission -- a required ordinance for salvation!" (Ibid., p. 5). "Now water baptism is a required CONDITION to receive the Holy Spirit" (Ibid., p. 8). "But now see how God's Spirit entering and dwelling in one compares to the physical sperm impregnating the ovum -- the imparting of eternal SPIRIT life, later to produce ... a SPIRIT PERSON! ... Life from the Father has been imparted to it ... but neither embryo nor fetus is YET a born person. In the same manner the Spirit-begotten human is not, yet, a SPIRIT PERSON ..." (Just What Do You Mean ... BORN AGAIN, p. 17, 1972 ed.). Armstrong taught that a believer could lose salvation by disobeying what Armstrong declared to be "God's command through His chosen Apostle." He wrote, "Do you want to let resentment against God's government over you NOW disqualify you -- snatch you from God's GRACE and PURPOSE for you, and cast you into a lake of fire?" (Dear Brethren Letter, May 2, 1974, p. 7).

Salvation. (under Tkach) -- "The gospel of the Kingdom of God is the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ" (The Worldwide News, August 11, 1992, p. 4). "Our hope of the future, the time when we will receive the fullness of our inheritance, is made all the more real to us as we truly enter into and participate in the new life to which God has called us in Christ right now" (The Worldwide News, October 6, 1992, p. 1). "... forgiveness is not a result of baptism. Jesus forgave sins without having to perform a baptism. So when does a believer receive the Holy Spirit? When a person believes, he or she is 'in Christ,' sealed with the Holy Spirit" (Reviews You Can Use, November/December, 1993, pp. 21, 22). Yet Tkach has also taught that believers can lose their salvation by not being overcomers: "Salvation is one thing but overcoming is another. And if we are not interested in overcoming, you can rest assured that salvation is not going to be there. Salvation is a present possession. However, it does not mean once saved always saved in any way, shape or form. You have to overcome and endure to the end" (Joseph Tkach Sr., "Feast of Tabernacles," Sept. 30, 1993). "If the Christian remains faithful and does not turn away from God, his salvation remains firm and secure. In that sense, 'once saved always saved' is right" (Pastor General Report, May 15, 1990).

4. Sabbath. (under Armstrong) -- The Jewish Sabbath must be observed to maintain one's salvation. Also required is the keeping of the feasts and other aspects of the Old Testament Law (cf. Col. 2:16,17).

Sabbath. (under Tkach) -- Sabbath-keeping is no longer required for salvation. Also, it is now alright to work on the Sabbath for a brief period of time. The Sabbath (Saturday) is still the WCG day of corporate worship.

5. Being Born Again. Claims that the term "born again" refers to a physical resurrection, not to spiritual birth -- "receiving" Christ merely means to be "conceived." Claims also that Jesus Christ had to be born again.

6. Second Chance for Salvation. (under Armstrong) -- Those who "missed the chance" to believe in this life will be given a second chance in the next life -- that they will be resurrected at the close of the Millennium and given another opportunity to believe the Gospel (cf. Rom. 2:12-15; 2 Cor. 6:2; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:11-15).

Second Chance for Salvation. (under Tkach) -- The WCG still teaches a variation of the "second chance" principle -- the unbiblical concept of "postmortem evangelization": "It is the belief of the Worldwide Church of God that the Lord has made righteous provision in the Judgment for the unevangelized dead, and that many will respond to their risen and glorified Savior in faith and be saved, while the rest will be condemned" (11/2001, WCG Internet web site).

7. Heaven and Hell. (under Armstrong) -- Denies the Biblical promise of heaven for believers. Instead, believers will spend eternity with Christ on earth. Likewise, hell is reserved for Satan and his demons only, while the wicked are annihilated; i.e., they do not suffer eternal torment in the lake of fire (cf. Rev. 19:20; 20:10; Matt. 25:46).

Heaven and Hell. (under Tkach) -- The new WCG still rejects the Biblical concept of eternal punishment.

8. Soul Sleep. Claims that the soul is mortal; i.e., it will die, and that there is no conscious existence between death and resurrection. (This is the same teaching as the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh-Day Adventists -- cf. Lk. 16:19-31; 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Phil. 1:23,24; 1 Thes. 4:14.)

9. Forced Tithing. (under Armstrong) -- Tithing is required, and on special occasions, giving a tithe of the tithe of the tithe (i.e., a three-tithe, 30% system).

Tithing. (under Tkach) -- Tithing is not part of the New Covenant and Christians are not obligated to obey tithing laws. But when income dropped, the WCG was quick to explain that the new doctrine means members are not restricted to giving only 10 percent of their income (i.e., they should now be giving more). This amounts to no real change because the WCG under Armstrong also told members to not only pay their tithes, but to give generous offerings besides. Further, the new WCG has returned to the old manipulative techniques of telling members that God will bless them for giving, God commands them to give, and the WCG, with its unique ministry, is in financial need.

10. British Israelism/Anglo-Israelism. (under Armstrong) -- Views the "lost ten tribes" of Israel as the key to prophecy. Claims that "Judah" and "Israel" always refer to the two separate nations, and that inhabitants of Great Britain are of the tribe of Ephraim, while the inhabitants of America are of the tribe of Manasseh. (Armstrong never did explain how a Britisher, by immigrating to the U.S., moves from the tribe of Ephraim to the tribe of Manasseh.) Claims that white Anglo-Saxons are the chosen people of God.

British Israelism/Anglo-Israelism. (under Tkach) -- Late-1995, the church officially rejected the doctrine that the Anglo-Saxons descended from the tribes of Israel


Ray

 

Eric B

Hi, Eric B ---


I never heard of "fulfilling circumcision".


Yes, Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, but wasn't Jesus to fulfil the law and the prophets ? (Matt. 5:17).


The prophets haven't been fulfiled yet. In them, they talk about the Messiah coming to set up His Kingdom here on Earth: that is yet in the FUTURE.


http://bible.crosswalk.com/InterlinearBible/bible.cgi?word=fulfil&section=2&version=kjv&new=1&oq=fulfil

-
http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=4137&version=kjv

 

Surely, it's not okay to steal, lie, commit adultery, etc.........


In the Millenium, in the Kingdom of God with Jesus as King over the whole Earth (Zech. 14:9), the LAW will go forth from Jerusalem (Isa. 2:1-3).


There may even be sacrifices in the Millenium (Ezekiel' s temple vision - eziekel 40-48

 

Hi, Eric B ---

It is not the Ten Commandments of Moses, but rather the universal laws that go back before Moses (often called "Noahide") that are eternal(Idolatry: Gen. 31:19-36; Blasphemy: Gen. 3:1-4, Murder: Gen. 4.8-10-16, 6:11, 9:6, Theft: Gen. 3:6, Gen. 31:19, Forbidden sexual relationships: Gen. 19:5-7, 20.3, Establishing courts of justice: Gen. 19:1-9. (The Gates of a city were where Judges sat to convene Courts of Justice), Eating the Limb of a Living Animal: Gen. 9.4-5)

It is fulfilled, true spiritual circumcision is in the ears. (hearing the Word of God). And the seal is the Holy Spirit.

In passages like Matt.26:56 and Luke 18:31 & 24:44 "all that the prophets wrote" refers to his arrest and death. We are not freed from the curse of the Law only when we are resurrected. So the context does not necessarily extend to the next world.

Sacrifices would render Christ's death null. You have to realize that some aspects of those OT prophecies were conditional on [physical] Israel keeping the covenant, and being the instrument through which God brought in the Kingdom. But the whole lesson was that they could not keep a covenant based on the Law. That's why we have a new covenant, with updated prophecies like Revelation, which says there shall be no Temple in the Kingdom.

See
http://members.aol.com/etb700/sabbath.html

 

Hi Eric B


Gentile Christians are supposed to be circumcised in the heart (rom 2:29) and to fulfill the law (rom 2:27).


A righteous life is obeying the LORD: "all your commandments are righteousness" (psalms 119:172).

 

Paul is saying that by being "circumcised" in the heart (which, physically is "UNcircumcision as Paul calls in it v.27) THAT in itself is what "fulfills that Law"

And if you take "all your commandments are righteousness" to mean the Law of Moses, that would include physical circumcision (which was from Abraham, but incorportated into the Mosaic covenant), as well as physical sacrifices, etc.
Once again, "His commandments" for all time are the universal laws associated with Noah.

 

It is abundantly clear that the Jerusalem Church never gave up Sabbath observance during the New Testament era. On Paul's last visit to Jerusalem (about 58-60 A.D.), James and all the elders of the Church told Paul how the thousands of converted Jews "are all zealous ["ardent upholders," Moffatt] of the law" (Acts 21:20).

 

thank you Linda64.


http://www.borntowin.net/essays.aspx?eid=23