Author Archives: True Jesus Church

附錄：防備更改了的福音

早期教會面對最大的威脅之一就是異端的滲透。很少事情能比離開純正道理的言論更具有毀懷性。因此，撒但利用這有力的武器，藉著自高自大或放縱私欲之人來散播錯誤的道理。在新約聖經中，我們看到使徒一再提到並警告信徒，免得被錯謬的道理引誘離開所信之道。

撒但最善於偽裝和詭計，也被稱為迷惑普天下的（啟十二9），牠的差役裝作光明仁義的差役，所以撒但的工作時常不易分辨。保羅警告哥林多的信徒有關那些假使徒，行事詭詐，裝作基督使徒的模樣（林後十一13）。他說：「這也不足為怪，因為連撒但也裝作光明的天使。所以他的差役，若裝作仁義的差役，也不算希奇。他們的結局必然照著他們的行為。」（林後十一14～15）主耶穌在登山寶訓中也警告，要防備假先知的迷惑：「你們要防備假先知。他們到你們這裏來，外面披著羊皮，裏面卻是殘暴的狼。」（太七15）。主耶穌預言末世兆頭時便提到，將有許多假先知冒耶穌的名而來，迷惑許多的人（太廿四4、5、11、24）。甚至早在使徒時代，就有不虔誠之人偷著進到教會裡，更改神的恩，並且不認主（猶3～4）。跟據保羅寫給帖撒羅尼迦的書信，那不法的人來，是照撒但的運動，行各樣的異能、神蹟，和一切虛假的奇事，並且在那沉淪的人身上行各樣出於不義的詭詐；因他們不領受愛真理的心，使他們得救。神甚至會給他們一個生發錯誤的心，叫他們信從虛謊（帖後二9～12）。保羅也寫信給提摩太，預言「在後來的日子，必有人離棄真道，聽從那引誘人的邪靈和鬼魔的道理。」（提前四1）；「作惡的和迷惑人的，必越久越惡，他欺哄人，也被人欺哄。」（提後三13）在啟示錄中，從地中上來的獸看似羊羔，又能行大奇事，迷惑住在地上的人（啟十三11～14）。

有史以來，撒但總是用話語來誘騙人。牠並不正面否定神的話，卻將神的話斷章取義並加以曲解，以造成疑惑與混亂，這就是假道理的特徵。那狡猾的蛇就是用似是而非的話欺哄了夏娃。他問說：「神豈是真說嗎？」又對神的話稍作修改，對夏娃承諾：「你們不一定死。」（創三1～4）撒但試探耶穌時，甚至引用聖經，但加以扭曲其應用（太四6）。以色列民中也有好些先知，起來說謊詐的默示（參：耶廿八1～17；結十三1～23；彌二11；民卅一16）。同樣的，在新約時代的教會裡，撒但也是透過迷惑人的道理來工作。保羅警戒以弗所的長老們：「就是你們中間，也必有人起來說悖謬的話，要引誘門徒跟從他們。」（使廿30）。彼得也預言，將有假師傅起來，教導人難以辨明的異端：「從前在百姓中有假先知起來，將來在你們中間也必有假師傅，私自引進陷害人的異端，連買他們的主他們也不承認，自取速速地滅亡。」（彼後二1）。在保羅的時代，教會就已經歷偏離道理之信息的影響。因此保羅寫信給提摩太：「但要遠避世俗的虛談，因為這等人必進到更不敬虔的地步。他們的話如同毒瘡，越爛越大；其中有許米乃和腓理徒，他們偏離了真道，說復活的事已過，就敗壞好些人的信心。」（提後二16～18）。主耶穌在啟示錄給教會的信息中，以最嚴厲的警告揭露巴蘭、尼哥拉和耶洗別等人的教訓，又呼籲眾教會要悔改（啟二14～15、20）。

保羅與那些錯誤、具毀壞性的道理爭戰，揭發這種道理的迷惑。這些道理已經將一些信徒帶偏了。在加拉太的信徒隨從了別的福音。換句話說，這些教訓外在看似得救的福音，但對保羅而言，只能有一個福音，他不容許「別的福音」。事實上，那些傳錯謬道理的人，目的就是要「更改」福音（加一6～9）。那誤導信徒的，不是直接否認得救道理的，而是更改過的另一版本。這經過更改過的福音，能以使人從基督的恩典中墜落。這也是為何保羅如此激烈地聲明，若有人傳福音，與信徒起初所領受的不同，這人就應當被咒詛。同樣的，哥林多教會似乎也被看起來像福音的異端侵襲。那些撒但的差役來傳「另一個耶穌」、「另一個靈」、「另一個福音」，與他們所領受過的不同（林後十一2～4）。這些新的教導與真正的福音極為相似，讓信徒容易受迷惑，但它們事實上是不同的，也是錯誤的。

我們身為真教會的信徒必須認清那惡者的詭計，包括誘惑人的道理和企圖更改曾一次交付我們的信仰。讓我們警醒禱告，穿戴神所賜的全副軍裝，能以站立得住（路廿一36；弗六10～18；彼前五8～10）；讓我們在我們主救主耶穌基督的恩典和知識上有長進（彼後三17～18；參：弗四11～16）；讓我們在至聖的真道上造就自己，在聖靈裏禱告，保守自己常在神的愛中，仰望我們主耶穌基督的憐憫，直到永生（猶20～21）。

有關教會與基本信仰

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YM持續不斷地質疑、毀損「真耶穌教會是惟一得救的教會」這信念。從他的言論與對教會的批評可以看出，他的目的就是要否定我們所領受與宣傳的得救福音之必要性。

1. 把愛與光凌駕於真理之上

聖經確實不斷強調「愛」，YM就努力提倡愛的重要，並藉此開始毀損福音。但因強調「愛」，他把「福音」與「愛」放在敵對的位置。他問：「我們是靠真理得救的呢？還是靠神的愛得救的？」他主張：耶穌只命令我們「信而受洗必然得救」，真理幫助我們變得越來越完全，但他狡辯：並不是真理拯救我們。他主張：實際上，教義阻礙了我們去實踐真理。

YM訴諸神所吩咐「愛的誡命」，也藉此毀損福音的重要性。他聲稱：教會必須過愛的生活來維護真理；沒有愛，神將會棄絕我們；沒有愛，我們不再被認為是個教會。他問：一間沒有愛的教會，怎麼能有真理在其中呢？

在一次的演講中， YM說：最後審判時，神不會以一個人是否信耶穌作為審判的基礎，更不會看一個人是否屬於真耶穌教會；神的審判是看一個人是否行在光明中，他這樣爭辯就是把基本信仰放在敵對的位置。因此，他力勸他的聽眾，一個人是否受洗、是否受聖靈、是否領聖餐、是否守安息日、是否接受洗腳，不要再聽有關這些的解釋。他主張：信徒不需要這些來歸屬神。YM把神所吩咐行在光明中、彼此相愛的誡命，與得救的福音弄成對立的。[返回頁首]

2. 把得救的教義貶低為人的決議

YM挑戰真教會的獨一性，卻加了一個但書，就是他不否定「真耶穌教會是唯一的得救教會」，這是典型的矛盾心態。他質疑教會有維護真理的能力。他問：「先有真理呢？還是先有教會？」他的結論是：既然我們從真理生的，我們就無從給真理下定義。

根據YM所言，教義或基本信仰的發明是用來給人定罪。他主張：我們一直用基本信仰來判決那些不遵守基本信仰的人不能得救。對他而言，教義是人為的。在宣道時，我們不應當為教義爭執，也不應該宣告「真耶穌教會是唯一的真教會」。[返回頁首]

3. 藉著定教會組織的罪，挑戰得救的福音

YM把真耶穌教會描繪成一個腐敗的組織，這是他毀損得救福音的一個戰略。他不斷含沙射影地說：目前教會的組織是毫無前途的階級制度，導致信徒若不藉由少數高層的決策者，就無法見到神。他給聽眾的印象是：教會的長執與傳道都渴望掌握大權、操控一切。YM的結論是：即使教會的講道沒有生命，信徒只因怕被除名而持續聚會。根據YM所言，真耶穌教會灌輸恐懼的方法就是：信徒如果離開教會，就會下地獄。他描繪教會的負面形像，使聽眾對於教會所傳的福音產生懷疑。[返回頁首]

4. 質疑得救福音的必要性

YM提醒他的聽眾：真教會是在天上，真耶穌教會只是我們進天上真教會的入門。然而，他迴避如何定義得救的福音與進天國的門路。有關洗腳禮的必要性，YM這樣回答，真耶穌教會以12分超越了得救所需要的10分。他用這個類比來暗示：有些教義很好，但不是得救必然需要的。他有時把這些「多餘的」叫做「恩上加恩」。當聽眾問他為何還選擇在真耶穌教會，而不去其他的基督教派，他回答：既然他的父親是在真耶穌教會，他相信他的父親已在天國，對他而言，這是去天堂的明確道路。基本上，YM切割了教會與得救的福音，他認為教會不是絕對的，得救福音也不是絕對的。他反問：將來，神會用十大信條和五大教義來審判世界嗎？他堅決主張：人真的沒有任何標準可用來衡量真理。[返回頁首]

聖經談及有關教會與得救的教義

保羅對於有人所傳的福音與使徒們所傳的不同，態度上絕不妥協，他這樣寫：「但無論是我們，是天上來的使者，若傳福音給你們，與我們所傳給你們的不同，他就應當被咒詛。我們已經說了，現在又說，若有人傳福音給你們，與你們所領受的不同，他就應當被咒詛。」（加一8～9）。YM相信我們無從定義真理的標準或把人定罪，使徒保羅卻不像YM這樣，保羅毫不猶疑地把傳更改福音的人定了罪。縱然保羅不是神，他自己是從真理而生，他堅持福音的絕對性卻毫無疑慮。對於保羅而言，得救的標準顯然只有一種、得救的道路顯然只有一條。

面對教會裡假教師的滲入，猶大不得不寫信給信徒，談共得的救恩。他力勸眾信徒：「要為從前一次交付聖徒的真道，竭力的爭辯」（猶大書3）。我們同得的救恩有可以定義的標準，從前一次交付我們的信仰也毫無妥協的空間。

約翰同樣地警告信徒要防備謬妄的靈：「親愛的弟兄啊，一切的靈，你們不可都信，總要試驗那些靈是出於神的不是，因為世上有許多假先知已經出來了。凡靈認耶穌基督是成了肉身來的，就是出於神的，從此你們可以認出神的靈來。凡靈不認耶穌成了肉身來的，就不是出於神，這是那敵基督者的靈。你們從前聽見他要來，現在已經在世上了。」（約壹四1～3）。約翰為信徒提出了分辨假先知的標準，他甚至說那些不順服我們的，就不是屬神：「我們是屬神的。認識神的就聽從我們，不屬神的就不聽從我們。從此我們可以認出真理的靈和謬妄的靈來。」（約壹四6）。

關於得救的福音，使徒們毫不猶疑地定義真理與謬誤，因為他們直接從主耶穌領受這福音（林前十一23）。這福音後來經由使徒傳給其他的信徒，神也用神蹟奇事與聖靈的恩賜來證實這福音（來二3～4; 參：彼後三1～2）。我們持守所領受的福音，就必因這福音得救 (林前十五1～2)。今日，我們既聽見真理的道，就是那叫我們得救的福音，也信了基督，就受了所應許的聖靈為印記（弗一13）。我們不但有聖經所寫的話作為我們衡量的標準，而且受了應許的聖靈，這種體驗與早期的教會完全相同。

包含五大教義的信條，就是主耶穌與使徒們在聖經中有關救恩之路的教訓。這些信條不是人定出來給人束縛或定罪。舉例來說，洗禮、洗腳禮與聖餐禮都是我們的主直接命令的，我們藉由聖禮得到恩典與救贖。儘管並不是教義的正確文字來拯救我們，十大信條傳達了救恩的福音，也陳述了真耶穌教會的基本信仰。正如使徒們從主所領受的，已忠心地傳給信徒，並竭力護衛真理，對抗假的教義，今日的教會也必須繼續維護得救的真理。

愛確實是命令的總綱（羅十三8～10；加六2；參：提前一5）。我們在基督耶穌裡的信心必須用愛的行為來彰顯（加五6; 雅二1～20）。愛是基督門徒的標記，愛也是我們從神生的標記（約十三34～35; 約壹四7～12）。但愛不能取代真理、貶低真理。更確切地說，愛是在真理中實踐，愛喜歡真理（林前十三6; 約壹三18; 約貳3; 約參1）。為了獲得信心與神的認識，彼此真誠相愛可以建立基督的身體。愛讓我們說實話（弗四11-16）。

使徒約翰強調愛的重要，他告訴我們：愛神的意思就是遵守祂的命令（約壹五2～3; 參：約貳6）。一個人如果不遵行真理與誡命，就不能說自己有愛。這就是何以強調愛的使徒約翰也教我們要分辨真理的靈和謬妄的靈（約壹四1～6）。他告訴我們，愛絕不會容忍、而是拒絕迷惑人的教義：「我們若照祂的命令行，這就是愛。你們從起初所聽見當行的，就是這命令。因為世上有許多迷惑人的出來，他們不認耶穌基督是成了肉身來的，這就是那迷惑人、敵基督的。你們要小心，不要失去你們所做的工，乃要得著滿足的賞賜。凡越過基督的教訓，不常守著的，就沒有神；常守這教訓的，就有父又有子。若有人到你們那裡，不是傳這教訓，不要接他到家裡來，也不要問他的安。」（約貳6～10）。

愛既不能取代我們主耶穌基督的恩典，也無法做為我們救贖的基礎。保羅寫道：「你們得救是本乎恩，也因著信。這並不是出於自己，乃是神所賜的，也不是出於行為，免得有人自誇。」（弗二8～9）。以「愛」之名毀損得救的福音就是傳揚「靠行為得救」。在神面前，我們的義行都像污穢的衣服（賽六十四6）。再多的慈善工作都不能替我們賺取進入神國的門票。

事實上，唯有我們主耶穌的愛與憐憫能拯救我們。因此，保羅在救恩的基礎上闡述：「但到了神我們救主的恩慈和祂向人所施的慈愛顯明的時候，祂便救了我們，並不是因我們自己所行的義，乃是照祂的憐憫，藉著重生的洗和聖靈的更新。聖靈就是神藉著耶穌基督我們救主，厚厚澆灌在我們身上的。」（多三4～6）。

藉著在基督的血中重生的洗，我們的罪得以洗淨。藉著神澆灌給我們的聖靈不斷的更新，我們得以履行律法的要求。神的這些救贖工作是由於神的恩典與憐憫，而不是由於我們的功勞。這是我們所領受與傳揚的福音要素。我們「愛的行為」應該是對我們領受恩典的回應。我們必須「在愛中」持續分享獨一的得救福音，這就是真耶穌教會堅持的真理。[返回頁首]

有關聖靈

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YM聲稱不否定說方言是受聖靈的憑據。然而，他不斷地貶低「祈求且領受應許的聖靈」和「說方言的」必要性。

1. 扭曲主耶穌和信徒之間的平行類比

YM 發展出一套神學理論：聖靈有兩種不同的「內住」。他引用哥林多前書三章16節和六章19節，來主張當我們受洗時就有聖靈住在我們裡頭。這所謂的第一次聖靈的「內住」讓我們成為神的兒子，就如當初耶穌受洗時聖靈降在祂身上的情景一般。YM主張第二次的「內住」是發生在洗禮之後，當我們領受「應許的聖靈」時。他解釋約翰福音十四章16節的「另一位保惠師」為第二次的聖靈內住。YM主張這次內住的聖靈是不同於在洗禮時與我們同住的的聖靈。根據YM的看法，這應許的聖靈加添我們能力能成為祂的見證人，但與使我們成為神的兒子無關。當被質疑人為什麼還要求聖靈，如果聖靈已經住在人裡面了，YM宣稱領受應許的聖靈是「恩上加恩」。

聖經中沒有記載一個人接受洗禮的當下，聖靈就立刻住在他裡面了。聖經也沒有說到所謂聖靈第二次的內住是「恩上加恩」。我們需要明白耶穌受洗和基督徒受洗之間的相似和相異處。正如在耶穌受洗的時候聖靈就降在祂身上，聖靈也在我們受洗的時候就同在，讓我們能從水和聖靈重生（約壹五6；約三5；林前十二13）。耶穌在受洗的時候，被宣告為神的愛子；同樣地，藉著相信基督耶穌，我們接受洗禮歸入基督，披戴基督時，就是神的兒子了（加三 26～27）。

然而，耶穌的洗禮是與眾不同的，因為聖靈在耶穌洗禮時降在祂身上是個記號，證明祂是那位用聖靈給人施洗的，祂也是神的兒子（約一33～34）。對信徒而言，另一方面，神應許信徒在他們悔改受洗之後，必領受所賜的聖靈（徒二38～39）。領受聖靈是發生在特定的時間點，且領受聖靈的憑據是能說方言。因此，得聖靈的經歷是與洗禮有區分的。例如，在撒瑪利亞的信徒雖然受了洗，卻還沒有領受聖靈，直到彼得和約翰到了，為他們禱告、按手，他們才受了聖靈（徒八14～17）領受聖靈的關鍵經歷，就是主耶穌所指的受聖靈的洗之體驗（徒一 4～5，十一 15～16）。藉著我們所領受的聖靈，神見證我們是神的兒女（羅八15～16；加四6～7）。這應許的聖靈也是我們得天國基業的印記（弗一13～14；林後五1～5）。

根據YM的說法，雖然主耶穌在洗禮時「聖靈已降在祂身上」，然而祂必須等到升天之後，才真正領受所應許的聖靈。他認為耶穌領受應許的聖靈就如同我們如何在洗禮時聖靈已經住在我們裏頭之後，才再領受應許的聖靈。這個偏差是由於中文合和本對使徒行傳二章33節「應許的聖靈」的翻譯所造成的誤解。然而，這經節在希臘文和英文是很清楚的：「祂既被神的右手高舉（或譯：他既高舉在神的右邊），又從父受了聖靈的應許 (the promise of the Holy spirit)，就把你們所看見所聽見的，澆灌下來」(徒二33)。這經節不是說耶穌領受了 (應許的) 聖靈，而是說祂從父領受了將聖靈降下來的權柄，正如祂所應許門徒的 (參：約十四16、26，十六7；徒一4～5)。主耶穌必須被高舉在神的右邊，才能將應許的聖靈澆灌下來。因此，聖經並沒有教導我們，耶穌從父領受的應許和我們領受聖靈是可相類比的。

當耶穌在約翰福音十四章16節談到「另一位」保惠師，並不是在說兩種不同聖靈的內住。耶穌用「另一位」(another) 這個字是來區別「祂還在世上與門徒的同在」與「祂將藉著應許的聖靈再來到他們那裡」(參：約十四19)。耶穌告訴祂的門徒，祂若不去，保惠師就不到他們那裡(約十六7；參：約七39)。耶穌必須先被高舉，才能賜另一位保惠師給信徒。事實上這「另一位保惠師」就是被高舉的基督祂自己。約翰在他的書信中稱耶穌基督為「保惠師」：「⋯⋯若有人犯罪，在父那裏我們有一位中保，就是那義者耶穌基督。」（約壹二1）和合本這裡譯為「中保」一字，其實與約翰福音十四章的「保惠師」是同一字。誠如主耶穌應許祂門徒的，祂將以「另一位保惠師」的身份再來到他們那裡。因此，用約翰福音十四章16節來解釋有「兩種聖靈」，是對耶穌的話嚴重的誤解。[返回頁首]

2. 藉著強調聖靈普遍臨在產生的誤導

YM提出一些疑問如：「怎麼可能一個人是神的孩子，而沒有神的靈呢?」或「怎麼可能一個人領了聖餐，有耶穌的生命在他裡面，卻沒有神的靈呢?」他爭論那些還未領受應許聖靈的，也可以結出聖靈的果子，也可以被聖靈充滿。藉著指出教會只安排已領受聖靈的信徒領會或當宗教教育的教員，YM斷言那些未領受聖靈的信徒是不會被允許參與任何聖工的，而且在教會裏就如同次等公民。藉著認為每位信徒都有聖靈在他們裡面，他譴責教會的組織，並提倡應該杜絕他所認為的「不平等」。

YM的錯誤在於扭曲聖靈的普遍臨在，並巧妙地削減領受應許的聖靈的重要性。YM引用保羅在哥林多前書三章16節和哥林多前書六章19節的兩段經節，來作為信徒在洗禮時就有聖靈的立論根據。保羅說：「豈不知你們是神的殿（temple），神的靈住在你們裡頭麼？」（林前三16）「豈不知你們的身子（your body）就是聖靈的殿（temple）麼？這聖靈是從神而來，住在你們裡頭的；並且你們不是自己的人」（林前六19）。希臘文的介詞「在⋯⋯裡頭」（in）也有「在⋯⋯中間」（among）的意思，第二個意思也可以適用於這個上下文。在這兩處經節，保羅用複數的「你們」和「你們的」，卻用單數的「殿」（temple）和「身子」（body）。以教會整體而言，保羅教導信徒們，他們共同組成一個身子，是聖靈的殿（單數）。信徒整體有神的聖靈，因為教會是基督的身體，是那充滿萬有者所充滿的（弗一23）。即便如此，信徒必須繼續成長，建造成為神藉著聖靈居住的所在（弗二 22）。教會整體的目標，是要成為神旨意彰顯的地方。在這些經文裡，保羅從未教導每位信徒已經有聖靈在他裡面，或已經領受應許的聖靈。

聖經多處提到神和信徒同在，然而沒有一處經文告訴我們：在洗禮的那一刻，神已經住在他裡面。耶穌吩咐我們：必須常在基督裡，也要常在祂的愛裡，並遵守祂的命令，這樣祂才會常在我們裡面（約十五1～10）。同樣地，在啟示錄基督應許：那聽到耶穌叩門，且開門的信徒，祂要進到他裡面（啟三 20）。保羅也勉勵我們：要自己省察有信心沒有。有信心是耶穌基督在我們心裡的先決條件（林後十三5）。保羅談到他自己，說他已與基督同釘十字架，也就是已將他的肉體情慾釘在十字架上，所以他則可以說基督在他裡面（加二20；參：加五24）。保羅在羅馬書八章也寫到：聖靈的同住是基於信徒已選擇靠聖靈行事（羅八9～11）。約翰在約翰壹書也同樣地一再強調住在基督裡和遵守誡命的重要性，這乃是神住在信徒裡面的前提（約壹四4、15）。

在這些經節裡，聖經都沒有說到聖靈在洗禮的那一刻立時內住。要有神的內住，需要我們立志一生一世順服神。YM的錯誤在於推論聖靈的內住發生於信徒洗禮的那一刻。這也是許多基督徒所犯的共同錯誤，他們教導一個人在相信且承認基督的那一刻，就得到救恩。如果這種推論可以成立，那麼根據約翰壹書四章15節，聖靈應該在一個人承認耶穌是神的兒子的那一刻就住在他裡面了，甚至都不必受洗就可以有神的靈的內住了。這種錯誤的推論完全曲解聖經的信息。[返回頁首]

3. 以「聖靈的一般工作」和「聖靈的充滿」製造混淆

聖經的確記載了聖靈的一般工作：藉一位靈，我們都受洗成了一個身體，而我們都飲於一位聖靈（林前十二13）。這一位靈的工作，發生在洗禮時，也在教會裡運行，將不同的恩賜分給每位信徒。若不是藉著聖靈（被聖靈感動），沒有人能說「耶穌是主」（林前十二3）。因此，所有的信徒都體驗過「聖靈的工作」。聖經沒有任何經節說到，還未領受應許的聖靈的信徒身上完全沒有聖靈的工作。「要靠聖靈行事」的這種勸勉，也是給他們的，因為那是每位信徒一生的目標。事實上，保羅也勉勵信徒，要藉著詩頌、感謝和彼此順服來被聖靈充滿（弗五18～21）。每位信徒都應該過著被聖靈帶領的生活，從裡面得到屬靈的滿足。然而，那些還未領受聖靈的，必須繼續禱告，祈求主賞賜所應許的聖靈。

既然神是無所不在的，祂的靈也是遍在的。因此保羅說：有一位神，是眾人的父，超乎眾人之上，貫乎眾人之中，也住在眾人之內（弗四5）。神的「住在眾人之內」，實際上不是意味著「聖靈住在每一個人類裡面」，好比聖靈住在基督徒裡面。論到挪亞的世代，主神說：「我的靈將不永遠住在人裡面」（創六3），這句話同樣的，也沒有暗示聖靈是住在每個人類裡面，而神所要說的「住在他裡面」是泛指「神與人之間的關係」。這告訴我們，不應該每一次聖經提到「神在人裡面」就解釋成「聖靈的內住」。

其實在聖經裡，應許的聖靈降臨前，我們讀到許多例子記載，神用祂的靈「充滿」或降在（賜能力給）某些特定的個人。例如：神以祂的靈充滿了比撒列，使他有智慧和能力，能為會幕作各樣的設計和巧工（出三十一1～11，三十五30～33）。主神的靈也降在先知身上（如：亞撒利雅、以西結)，甚至也降到巴蘭身上 (代下十五 1-7；結二2；民二十四2)，來對神的百姓傳講神的話。同樣的，施洗約翰在他母腹裡，就被聖靈充滿（路一15）；當以利沙伯聽到馬利亞的問安，她也被聖靈充滿（路一 41）；撒迦利亞被聖靈充滿，就預言有關神的救贖（路一 67）。同樣的，聖靈也在西面的身上，啟示他必看見主所立的基督（路二25～26）。這些例子都是聖靈的工作，祂感動每個人，為要在耶穌「被高舉前」來完成神的計畫。這些經歷不能與主耶穌應許要賜給信徒內住的「應許聖靈」混淆（參：約十四17）。它們也不能證明，還未領受「應許聖靈」的信徒，可以被聖靈充滿。

根據使徒行傳記載，門徒在領受「應許聖靈」時被聖靈充滿（徒二1～4）。掃羅在他歸主時被聖靈充滿（徒九17）。同樣的，所有信徒都必須體驗這種聖靈的充滿，這和前面提到的神的靈充滿祂的僕人是不一樣的。

當信徒遇到逼迫時，在禱告中被聖靈充滿，繼續放膽講論神的道 (徒四31)。保羅被聖靈充滿斥責那抵擋真道的術士 (徒十三 9)。這些被聖靈充滿的情況，是強調某些時刻聖靈當下的充滿。

除此之外，聖經也有其他記載用「被聖靈充滿」來形容某些人的特色，如：司提反、巴拿巴和那些被選來在教會服事的人，都是「被聖靈充滿的」（徒六3、5，七55～56，十一24）。這裡講的「被聖靈充滿」是指著他們完全靠著聖靈而行，彰顯聖靈的能力。

以上這些新約的經節中從未提到任何人在領受「應許的聖靈」之前，就已經被聖靈充滿了。[返回頁首]

4. 貶低領受聖靈的重要性

YM的教導似乎對還未領受聖靈的有鼓勵的作用，也有吸引力，但也很容易貶低受聖靈的重要性。保羅從沒有告訴那些正在祈求聖靈的人，聖靈已經在他們裡面了。實際上，當保羅在以弗所遇到幾個信徒，他最關心的是，他們信的時候，是否受了聖靈（徒十九 1～2）。即使他們再奉主耶穌的名受洗之後，保羅仍按手在他們頭上，聖靈才降在他們身上（徒十九5～6）。同樣的，在耶路撒冷的教會聽見，在撒瑪利亞的信徒已經受洗了，但還沒有領受聖靈，他們就差派彼得和約翰去為他們禱告，要叫他們受聖靈（徒八14～17）。從這兩個例子看來，使徒們相當在乎信徒是否領受了聖靈，他們幫助信徒祈求聖靈，而不是安慰他們，說他們已經有聖靈在他們裡面了。

YM也教導孩童不必祈求聖靈，他對孩童們保證，如果耶穌現在再臨，他們即使不會說方言，也一定可以進天國。他所指的，是出於害怕而求聖靈不正確的動機。我們的確要避免用地獄來嚇唬孩童求聖靈，但很重要的是也要教導他們，用誠心和懇切的心來禱告求聖靈。聖經並沒有勸孩童不要求聖靈，也沒有提到聖靈是僅僅給大人的。相反的，聖經很清楚地記載：「這應許是給你們和你們的兒女，並一切在遠方的人，就是主我們神所召來的」（徒二39）。因此適當的引導孩童憑信心求聖靈是應該的。這也是為什麼在真耶穌教會裡有許多孩童得到聖靈，乃是他們憑信心向主求。雖然孩童知道的不多，甚至需要大人帶他們到主前，我們的主耶穌仍然接受他們（參：太十九13～15；可十13～16；路十八15～17）。

YM質疑「祈求聖靈」的這事，他覺得奇怪，為什麼我們必須一直祈求神已經答應了要給我們的聖靈。但是，祈求應許的聖靈是主耶穌的教訓。耶穌在教導有關禱告的信息時，最後說道：「你們雖然不好，尚且知道拿好東西給兒女。何況天父，豈不更將聖靈給求祂的人麼」（路十一13）。，我們為什麼必須藉著禱告，一直祈求、尋找、叩門，為了領受我們的慈愛天父已經應許給我們的好東西，這看似很難理解。然而主耶穌卻教導我們，祈求聖靈必須情詞迫切（或作「大膽」）的求。當主耶穌囑咐門徒，要在耶路撒冷等候父所應許的聖靈，門徒們並不是無所事事地坐在那裡等候所期待的，而是同心合意的恆切禱告（徒一14）。禱告顯示我們對神的信心，也是我們兌現神之應許的方法。祈求一件神曾應許的事是沒有矛盾的。神「要賜聖靈給那祈求的人」的這應許，應該更加勉勵那些還未領受聖靈的信徒，要持續迫切地禱告祈求。[返回頁首]

5. 誤解「說方言」的意思

YM曾在一次講課中談到，有些禱告時唸「哈–利–路–亞」很慢的人，如果按照我們「以說方言為憑據」的標準，則得不到聖靈的。因此，他懷疑「說方言」是領受聖靈的憑據。他甚至提到，有些傳道有秘訣，催促求聖靈的人唸哈利路亞唸快一點，可以快一點得到聖靈。他這樣嘲笑「說方言」，直接挑戰聖經中的真理，也就是當聖靈澆灌在信徒身上，聖靈可以讓他「說方言」（徒二4）。使徒們是依照這種超自然的體驗，來斷定一個人是否領受了聖靈（徒十一15～17）。

YM繼續發展出來的教義是「說方言」應該是「聽得懂的」而不是「聽不懂的」。他看真耶穌教會判定是否「說方言」，是以說「聽不懂的」語言為標準，他認為這樣方法是不對。他引使徒行傳的記載，來爭辯使徒之所以可以分辨他們已得聖靈，乃是因為「聽見他們稱讚神為大」。他認為這樣的記載是意味著「說方言」應該是說出「聽得懂的」話。YM提出當我們聽外國人禱告時，若他僅以我們聽不懂的外國語言唸，我們或許會誤以為他在說方言。在這種情況下，他認為我們不可能辨別一個人是否真正得到聖靈。

YM有關「說方言」的教導，和保羅所說的有衝突。保羅寫道：「那說方言的，原不是對人說，乃是對神說，因為沒有人聽出來。然而，他在心靈裡，卻是講說各樣的奧祕。」(林前十四 2)。「說方言」的獨特性是一種人聽不懂的話語。那是一種獨特對神說的語言，不是對人說的。當路加記載第一次聖靈降臨，他寫道：門徒被聖靈充滿，說起別國的話（other tongues，其他語言）。這字 “other”（ἕτερος, heteros）是要強調那語言（tongues）是不同於一般人類的語言。神讓虔誠人可以聽見門徒們所說的語言，是用那些虔誠人各人生來所用的鄉談（his own language）（徒二6）。換句話說，對這些人而言，門徒神奇地同時說著多種不同的語言。但對其餘的人而言，門徒似乎是在胡言亂語，這就是為甚麼他們譏誚門徒是新酒灌滿（徒二13）。

在使徒行傳第十章，我們讀到彼得和猶太信徒，聽見那些受了聖靈的人「說方言」，並「稱讚神為大」（徒十46）。「說方言」不等於「稱讚神為大」，但在這個事件，這兩種情況同時發生。使徒行傳第十九章告訴我們，以弗所的信徒開始「說方言」，又「說預言」（徒十九6）。聖經沒有說明，這裡的「說預言」是否類似於在舊約當神的靈臨到人身上的「先知說話」，或是一種「說預言的恩賜」，是用可理解的話講出來。但無論如何，這種「說預言」的經驗不等於「說方言」。

彼得辨別哥尼流和那些同他在一起的人領受了聖靈，是因為他看到聖靈降在他們身上，就如在五旬節，聖靈降在門徒身上一樣（徒十一15）。使徒在五旬節所經歷的，是有舌頭（divided tongues）分開落在他們各人頭上，按著聖靈所賜的口才，他們就說起別國的話。耶路撒冷的眾人覺得驚訝，是因為門徒「說方言」，而不是因為他們講聽得懂的話。如果門徒只是用一般的語言 (如：希伯來文或希臘文) 來講說神的大作為，那就沒有甚麼理由可以覺得驚訝了。同樣的，如果哥尼流和那些人是用希臘文來稱讚神為大，彼得或那些猶太信徒也不必覺得希奇。這些外邦人說方言和門徒在五旬節說方言一樣，這事實使得彼得和那些猶太信徒承認：神也接納了外邦人。這個特殊經歷迫使彼得為這些外邦人施洗，最後也讓在耶穌撒冷奉割禮的門徒，承認神甚至接受了外邦人的悔改。YM否認「說方言」是聖靈所賜的口才說出聽不懂的語言，就是否定了使徒的經驗和教導，同時也藐視真耶穌教會自設立以來，我們有目共睹所有領受聖靈的經歷。[返回頁首]

6. 凸顯「結聖靈的果子」，因而貶低「說方言」的重要

YM將「結聖靈果子」的重要性和「領受聖靈」的重要性形成對立。他指出一個常見的錯誤觀念：「只要領受聖靈說方言就夠了」。他強調結聖靈果子的重要。但可惜的是，他用這重要的教訓，來質疑領受應許聖靈的重要性。他以保羅在早期教會所責備的假師傅為例，來提醒聽者：那些假師傅也會說方言。言下之意就是，與「有好行為」相比，「說方言」相對上是不重要的。

在網路上YM貼文說到，說方言的只是造就自己的方法之一，而不是唯一的方法。他辯解一個人不會說方言，並不表示他就無法造就自己。他的論點是，那些會說方言的，也可能不會真的造就自己。他用哥林多教會和啟示錄七個教會的信徒為例子，他們雖會說方言，但沒有因會說方言而得造就。再次，我們看到YM不直接否定說方言，卻以強調好行為的名義，來讓聽者懷疑說方言的重要。

使徒勉勵信徒要靠聖靈行事，卻從未貶低領受聖靈說方言的重要。保羅反而以信徒所受的是兒子的心 (靈) 為基礎，來鼓勵他們要被神的靈引導（羅八14～17）。我們既領受了應許聖靈，就應該時常提醒自己，要時時靠聖靈活著。在保羅解釋過著被聖靈引導的生活的同一章，也提到聖靈替我們祈求所帶給我們的幫助。「況且我們的軟弱有聖靈幫助，我們本不曉得當怎樣禱告，只是聖靈親自用說不出來的嘆息，替我們禱告」（羅八26）。哥林多前書十四章2、4節說到，當我們在禱告時說方言，是在心靈講說各樣的奧秘，造就自己。這就是保羅在羅馬書八章所說的聖靈的代求。藉著說方言，聖靈在我們的軟弱上，幫助我們，用說不出來的嘆息，替我們禱告。我們雖心裡嘆息，等候最後得著神兒子的名分之時，我們可以從「兒子的靈」得到幫助。所以，說方言不應該被輕視為只是造就自己的方法之一而已。[返回頁首]

有關聖經

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YM持續不斷地質疑聖經的權威，如此而行，基本上，他已經拒絕承認聖經所記載的是神的話語。

1. 否認新約的內容為聖經

真耶穌教會相信，新、舊約聖經是神所默示的。然而，YM否認新約經卷是聖經。他認為當保羅寫「聖經都是神所默示的 (God-breathed) 」，所講的是舊約聖經。他教導說新約不是神的話且在多處和舊約聖經有衝突。他引用耶穌登山寶訓的例子說明耶穌如何加添與刪減了許多神的話。

雖然YM自己經常引用新約的經文作為自己的教訓之依據，他卻硬說教會對新約聖經的認同是基於羅馬天主教的決定。根據他的解釋，使徒的著作本是個人的書信，而非聖經；且多數初代教會的信徒未曾看過四福音書。他視新約27書卷是對神的話的加添與修改，不認為這些書卷有神聖的權威。YM藉著引證神應許要將祂的律法寫在祂選民的心上，而認定神的話並不是寫在紙上的這些經卷，而且認定其實並沒有真正的標準是我們共同應遵行的。

實際上，遠在西元393年希坡會議 (Synod of Hippo) 肯定聖經正卷之前，新約聖經早已被基督徒所接受了。雖然四福音書的文字記載最初還未廣泛發行，然而我們主耶穌的言行已是第一世紀的信徒所皆曉的（參：路二十四18～19；徒二22）。保羅要求他的書信要在教會間傳閱誦讀（參：西四16）。彼得寫到有關聖經的默示，也認為保羅的書信是聖經（彼後三16）。因此新約經卷的權威性很早就被確認，甚至在使徒離世前就被接受。

使徒們是主耶穌的見證人，多數是親自跟隨過耶穌的（參：徒一22）。他們所傳講或書寫下來的教訓是從主直接領受的（參：林前十一23；彼後一16）。新約經卷的話語是以基督為中心，藉著使徒寫下來並傳遞，為永生之道（參：約二十31；徒五 20；來二 3；約壹一 1～2）。懷疑新約聖經的權威性，就是不信源於我們救主的生命之道。若沒有新約聖經的經文，我們整個基督教信仰就毫無依據了。[返回頁首]

2. 貶低聖經的權威

YM不僅否認新約聖經的神聖權威，而且他也開始質疑整本聖經的重要性。他宣稱信仰不在文字裡或教義裡，因為古聖徒沒有讀過文字的神的話語 (聖經)。從YM的觀點，沒讀過聖經的聖徒能夠寫聖經，而今日有聖經閱讀的我們卻不瞭解聖經。他相信：信仰是在一個眼神、在一個感動當中。他鼓勵他的聽眾去捕捉聖經文字背後的東西，去摸到看不見的事情。

YM教導我們的信仰不要局限在精確的文字裡，表面上似乎正確。但很顯然，在他的言談中，他的最終目標不外乎就是推翻真耶穌教會的基本信仰。藉由質疑聖經文字記載的重要性，他企圖毀損我們信仰的根基。沒有聖經作為標準，信仰就沒有基礎，只能靠每個人自己的觀念和感覺了。

很諷刺的，YM常引用聖經的故事來證明他的論點，但又緊接著同時告訴聽眾：我們不需要太多文字。換句話說，他精挑細選聖經中可以支持他論點的重要部份。然而，當聖經的話與他的教訓衝突，聖經就擱置一旁，所記載的只是文字而已。他這樣的教導其實是私自加添與刪減神的話。

在哥林多後書中，保羅寫：新約不是憑著字句，乃是憑著精意，「因為那字句是叫人死，精意是叫人活」 (林後三6)。從這節經文的上下文，我們瞭解保羅並不是撇棄聖經所記錄的文字。更確切地說，保羅是強調我們必須從內心回轉向神，接受聖經裡有關基督的記載 (林後三16-17)。如果一個人遵守寫在石版上舊約的字句，卻不在聖靈裡接受基督，他的心仍被蒙蔽而看不見生命。我們看不到任何一處有這樣的暗示：保羅建議廢除聖經裡所寫的文字。

主耶穌與眾使徒都高度崇敬聖經。當耶穌受魔鬼試探時，他就是引用聖經裡的文字而得勝：「經上記著說……」 (太四1-11)。耶穌宣稱聖經是為他作見證 (約五39)。復活以後，耶穌責備因不信而往以馬忤斯的兩個門徒：「無知的人哪，先知所說的一切話，你們的心信得太遲鈍了」 (路二十四25)。於是從摩西和眾先知起，凡經上所指著自己的話，都給他們講解明白了 (路二十四27)。主耶穌另一次向門徒顯現，他又談起聖經上有關他的應驗：「這就是我從前與你們同在之時，所告訴你們的話說，摩西的律法、先知的書和詩篇上所記的，凡指著我的話都必須應驗」 (路二十四44)。摩西的律法、先知的書與詩篇合起來就是指舊約所寫的聖經。我們的主耶穌不是指有關基督的一般含糊概念的應驗。更確切地說，聖經裡所寫有關耶穌基督的每一件事都必須應驗。

關於聖經的至關重要，保羅寫信給提摩太說：「並且知道你是從小明白聖經。這聖經能使你因信基督耶穌有得救的智慧。聖經都是神所默示的，於教訓、督責、使人歸正、教導人學義，都是有益的」 (提後三15-16)。從一些其他語文的譯本可清楚看出，「聖經」一詞 (Holy Scriptures）由原文直譯就是「神聖的著作」 (Holy Writings)。沒有文字寫作，就沒有聖經。聖經裡所寫的文字是神聖的，是神所默示的，使我們有得救的智慧。撇棄聖經記載文字的重要性，就是拒絕神和祂的話語。脫離聖經所寫的話語而另尋一條得救之路，只會帶人離神更遠。聖經必須是最終的權威，是衡量我們信仰的標準，並衡量神與人關係的標準。[返回頁首]

Excursus: Beware of a Distorted Gospel

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Among the greatest threats that faced the early church was the infiltration of false teachings. Few things are as destructive to the faith of believers as teachings and claims that deviate from sound doctrine. Therefore, Satan takes advantage of this powerful weapon and makes use of individuals who are puffed up or have given in to their own desires to propagate false teachings. In the pages of the New Testament we see that the apostles repeatedly mentioned and warned believers against teachings that mislead people from the faith.

Satan is the master of disguise and trickery. He is known as the one who deceives the whole world (Rev 12:9). His messengers masquerade themselves as ministers of light and righteousness. As such, Satan’s works are often difficult to discern. Paul warns the believers in Corinth saying about the false apostles, deceitful workers who have transformed themselves into apostles of Christ (2 Cor 11:13). He states, “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Cor 11:14–15). Our Lord Jesus, in His teachings on the mount, also warns of the deceptive nature of false prophets: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Mt 7:15). When foretelling the signs of the end time, the Lord also says that many false prophets will come in Jesus’ name and will deceive many (Mt 24:4, 5, 11, 24). Even as early as the days of the apostles, ungodly people had crept into the church unnoticed, perverting the grace of the Lord and denying Him (Jude 3–4). According to Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, the lawless one will come by the working of Satan and deceive those who refuse to love the truth and be saved. God will even send such followers a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false (2 Thess 2:9–12). Writing to Timothy, Paul also foretells that in latter times, some will depart from the faith, “giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim 4:1); “Evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim 3:13). In Revelation, the beast rising out of the earth has the appearance of a lamb and is able to work great signs to deceive those who dwell on the earth (Rev 13:11-14).

From the beginning of history, Satan has worked deception through words. He does not directly contradict the word of God, but takes it out of its context and adds a twist to it in order to create doubt and confusion. Such are the characteristics of false teachings. The crafty serpent deceived Eve through equivocation. He posed the question, “Did God really say?” and made a subtle change to God’s word by promising Eve, “You will not surely die” (Gen 3:1–4). When Satan tempted Jesus, he even quoted Scripture but distorted its application (Mt 4:6). Numerous prophets had risen among the people of Israel to speak lies and false divinations (cf. Jer 28:1-17; Ezek 13:1-23; Mic 2:11; Num 31:16). Likewise in the New Testament church, the work of Satan came in the form of deceptive doctrines. Paul alerted the elders in Ephesus, “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:30). Peter also predicts the rise of false teachers who will preach heresies that are difficult to detect, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). During Paul’s days the church already experienced the influence of misleading messages. So Paul writes Timothy, “But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some” (2 Tim 2:16–18). In His message to the churches in Revelation, the Lord Jesus exposes the teachings of Balaam, the Nicolaitans, and Jezebel with the strongest admonitions and calls the churches to repentance (Rev 2:14-15, 20).

Battling the destructive influence of false teachings that had led some believers astray, Paul reveals the deceptive nature of such teachings. The believers in Galatia had turned away to a different gospel. In other words, these teachings had the appearance of the gospel, the good news of salvation. But to Paul there can only be one gospel and he would not allow for “another gospel”. In reality, those who preached the false teachings wanted to pervert the gospel (Gal 1:6-9). The word for “pervert” means “distort” or “change”. What led the believers astray was not a direct contradiction of the message of salvation but an altered version of it. Once the gospel is thus distorted, it makes its followers fall from the grace of Christ. This is why Paul vehemently pronounces curse upon anyone who preaches any other gospel than what had already been preached to the believers. Similarly, the church in Corinth seemed to have been plagued with heresies that had the appearance of the gospel. The ministers of Satan had come to proclaim “another Jesus”, “another spirit”, and “a different gospel” from what they had accepted before (2 Cor 11:2–4). These new teachings seemed so similar to the true gospel that some believers were easily deceived. Yet in reality, they were fundamentally different and false.

We as believers in the true church must recognize the scheme of the evil one, including deceptive teachings and works that aim at altering the faith that we had been entrusted once for all. Let us be watchful in prayer and take up the full armor of God so we may stand firm (Lk 21:36; Eph 6:10-18; 1 Pet 5:8-10). Let us grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:17–18; cf. Eph 4:11–16). Let us keep ourselves in the love of God, building ourselves up in the most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, and waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life (Jude 20–21).

About the Church and Basic Beliefs

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YM persistently questions and undermines the conviction that the True Jesus Church is the only true church of salvation. From his teachings and criticisms of the church, we can see that his aim is to deny the necessity of the gospel of salvation that we have received and preach.

1. Places Love and Light above Truth

YM begins his efforts to undermine the gospel by advocating the importance of love, which the Bible indeed emphasizes repeatedly. But in stressing love, he places the gospel in opposition to love. He asks, which saves us: the truth or the love of God? He claims that Jesus only commands us to believe and be baptized and promises that we will be saved. Truth, he argues, is to help us become more and more perfect, but it is not the truth that saves us. He claims that doctrines actually hinder us from practicing the truth.

YM also undermines the importance of the gospel by appealing to God’s commandment of love. He contends that the church must uphold the truth by living a life of love. Without love, we will be rejected by God and we can no longer be considered the church. He asks, how can a church without love have the truth in her?

In one presentation, YM stated that at the final judgment, God would not start by judging based on whether one believes in Jesus Christ or not, much less whether one belongs to the True Jesus Church. By arguing that God would instead judge a person based on whether he walks in the light, he placed the basic beliefs in direct opposition. Thus, he urged his listeners to stop listening to explanations about whether one has been baptized, received the Holy Spirit, partaken of the Holy Communion, kept the Sabbath, and had his feet washed. He claimed that believers do not need these things in order to belong to God. YM has made God’s commandments to walk in the light and to love one another an antithesis to the gospel of salvation. [Back to top]

2. Reduces the Doctrines of Salvation to Being Merely Human Decisions

Typical of his pattern of ambivalence, YM challenges the oneness of the true church while adding a disclaimer that he would not deny that the True Jesus Church is the only church of salvation. He questions the church’s ability to uphold the gospel of salvation. He asks, “Which came first? The truth or the church?” He concludes that since we are born of the truth, we are in no position to define the truth.

According to YM, dogma or basic beliefs were invented to condemn others. He contends that we keep using basic beliefs to judge and determine that those who do not adhere to them will not be saved. To him, dogma are man-made and we should not dispute over them when preaching. Neither does he believe that we should proclaim that the True Jesus Church is the only true church. [Back to top]

3. Challenges the Gospel of Salvation by Condemning Church Organization

Part of YM’s stategy to undermine the truth of salvation is to portray the True Jesus Church as a corrupt organization. He repeatedly insinuates that the current organization of the church is hopelessly hierarchical and that members cannot go directly to God without the mediation of a few top decision-makers. He gives his hearers the impression that the ministers of the church are power-hungry and manipulative. YM concludes that even though sermons in church are lifeless, members continue to show up at church because they are afraid of being excommunicated. According to YM, the True Jesus Church instills fears in members by telling them that they would go to hell if they leave the church. By painting a negative image of the church, he creates doubts in the hearers concerning the gospel that the church preaches. [Back to top]

4. Questions the Necessity of the Gospel of Salvation

YM reminds his hearers that the true church is in heaven. The True Jesus Church is only an entry for us to reach that true church in heaven. But he avoids the question of what defines the true gospel of salvation and the entry to heaven. When asked about the necessity of footwashing, YM answers by saying that it may take 10 points to be saved, but the True Jesus Church goes above and beyond by earning 12 points. By using this analogy he implies that some of the doctrines are good but not necessary for salvation. He sometimes calls these “extras” as “grace upon grace”. When listeners ask why he still chooses the True Jesus Church as opposed to any other Christian denomination, he replies that since his father was in the True Jesus Church and he is confident his father is in the heavenly kingdom, this to him is the sure way to heaven. YM has essentially detached the church from the gospel of salvation, neither of which in his opinion is absolute. He asks rhetorically whether God will judge the world with the ten articles of faith and five essential doctrines. He contends that there is really no standard by which one can measure the truth. [Back to top]

What the Bible Says about the Church and the Doctrines of Salvation

When it comes to the gospel, Paul would not have given in for a moment to anyone who tried to distort what he and the other apostles preached. He writes, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8-9). Unlike YM, who believes that we are in no position to define a standard of truth or condemn others, Paul did not hesitate to condemn anyone who preached a gospel different from what he and the other apostles had preached. Even though Paul was not God and was himself born of the truth, he had no qualms about upholding the gospel as something absolute. It is obvious that, to Paul, there can only be one standard and one way of salvation.

Faced with the infiltration of false teachers in the church, Jude felt compelled to write to the believers concerning the common salvation. He urged believers to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). There are standards which define our common salvation, and there is no room for compromise when it comes to the faith that has been entrusted to us.

John likewise warned the believers to guard against the spirit of error: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1 Jn 4:1-3). The apostle laid out for the believers the standard by which they could discern false prophets. He went as far as saying that those who do not submit to us are not of God: “We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 Jn 4:6).

The apostles did not hesitate to define truth and error with regards to the gospel of salvation because they had received the gospel directly from the Lord Jesus (1 Cor 11:23). This gospel was then passed down through the apostles to the rest of the believers, and God has confirmed it with signs and wonders and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Heb 2:3-4; cf. 2 Pet 3:1-2). It is by holding fast to this gospel which we have received that we are saved (1 Cor 15:1-2). Today, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, and having believed in Christ, we have also been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). Not only do we have the written words in the Bible as our standard of measurement, we have the personal experience of the promised Holy Spirit that is identical to the experience of the early church.

The articles of faith, including the five essential doctrines, are no more than what the Lord Jesus and the apostles have taught in the Bible about the way of salvation. They are not man-made laws created to bind or condemn others. For example, baptism, footwashing, and the Holy Communion were direct commands of our Lord, through which we may obtain His grace of salvation. While it is not the exact letters of the doctrines that save us, the articles of faith teach the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and state the basic beliefs of the True Jesus Church. Just as the apostles faithfully passed on to the believers what they had received from the Lord and fiercely defended the truth against false doctrines, the church today must continue to uphold the truth of salvation.

Love is indeed the sum of all commandments (Rom 13:8-10; Gal 6:2; cf. 1 Tim 1:5). Our faith in Christ Jesus must manifest itself in works of love (Gal 5:6; Jas 2:1-20). Love is the mark that we are disciples of Christ and that we are born of God (Jn 13:34-35; 1 Jn 4:7-12). But love does not replace or diminish the truth. Rather, love is carried out in truth and love rejoices in the truth (1 Cor 13:6; 1 Jn 3:18; 2 Jn 1; 3 Jn 1). True love for one another is to build up the body of Christ in order to attain to the faith and knowledge of God. Love is the spirit with which we speak the truth (Eph 4:11-16).

John, the apostle who stresses the importance of love, tells us that loving God means keeping His commandments (1 Jn 5:2-3; cf. 2 Jn 6). If anyone does not walk in the truth and the commandments, he cannot be said to have love. This is why the same apostle who emphasizes love also teaches us to discern the spirit of truth from the spirit of error (1 Jn 4:1–6). He tells us that love does not tolerate but rejects deceptive doctrines: “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him” (2 Jn 6-10).

Love also cannot replace the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ nor serve as the basis of our salvation. Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph 2:8–9). To undermine the gospel of salvation in the name of love is to preach salvation by good works. All our righteous acts are like filthy rags before God (Isa 64:6). No amount of charitable works we do can earn us entrance into God’s kingdom.

The truth is, only the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus can save us. Paul therefore elaborates on the basis of our salvation: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Tit 3:4-6).

It is through the washing of regeneration in the blood of Christ that our sins can be cleansed. It is through the continual renewal of the Holy Spirit whom God has poured out upon us that we can fulfill the requirements of God’s law. These saving works of God are due to the grace and mercy of God, rather than our own merit. This is the essence of the gospel that we have accepted and preach. Our works of love should be a response to the grace we have received, and with love we ought to continue to share the only gospel of salvation, the very truth that the True Jesus Church upholds. [Back to top]

About the Holy Spirit

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YM claims that he does not deny that speaking in tongues is the/an evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. However, he repeatedly undermines the necessity of asking for and receiving the promised Holy Spirit as well as of speaking in tongues.

1. Distorts the Parallel between the Lord Jesus and the Believers

YM has developed a theology of two distinct indwellings of the Holy Spirit. By citing passages such as 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19, he asserts that when we are baptized, the Holy Spirit already lives in us. This so-called first indwelling of the Holy Spirit enables us to be sons of God, similar to how the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus when He was baptized. YM claims that another indwelling occurs after baptism, when we receive the promised Holy Spirit. He interprets “another Helper” in John 14:16 as the second indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit, YM maintains, is different from the Holy Spirit that dwells in us at baptism. In YM’s opinion, the promised Holy Spirit empowers us to be witnesses but has nothing to do with making us sons of God. When asked why one still needs to ask for the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit already dwells in him, YM calls receiving the promised Holy Spirit “grace upon grace”.

There is no indication in the Bible that the moment a believer is baptized the Holy Spirit immediately dwells in him. Neither does the Bible speak of a second indwelling of the Holy Spirit called “grace upon grace”. This requires us to understand the similarities and differences between the baptism of Jesus and Christian baptism. Just as the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at baptism, the Holy Spirit is also present at our baptism, in which we are born of the water and the Spirit (1 Jn 5:6; Jn 3:5; 1 Cor 12:13). Jesus was pronounced as the beloved Son at His baptism. Similarly, we are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus because we put on Christ when we are baptized into Christ (Gal 3:26-27).

However, Jesus’ baptism is unique in that the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus at His baptism was the sign that Jesus was the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and that He is the Son of God (Jn 1:33-34). As for believers, on the other hand, God promises them that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit after they repent and are baptized (Acts 2:38-39). The receiving of the Holy Spirit takes place at a specific point in time, and the evidence that one has received the Holy Spirit is the ability to speak in tongues. Therefore, the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit is distinct from baptism. The believers in Samaria, for example, did not receive the Holy Spirit even though they had been baptized. It was not until Peter and John came to pray for and lay hands on them that they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). This crucial experience of receiving the Holy Spirit is what the Lord Jesus referred to as being “baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5; 11:15-16). It is by the Spirit whom we have received that God witnesses to our sonship (Rom 8:15-16; Gal 4:6-7). The promised Holy Spirit also seals us for our heavenly inheritance (Eph 1:13-14; 2 Cor 5:1-5).

According to YM, even though the Holy Spirit came upon the Lord Jesus at His baptism, He had to wait until He ascended to heaven before He actually received the promised Holy Spirit. He believes that this is liken to how we receive the promised Holy Spirit after the Holy Spirit already dwells in us at baptism. This error is based on the incorrect Chinese translation of Acts 2:33, where the Chinese Union Version renders “the promised Holy Spirit”. But it is clear in Greek and English, “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33, emphasis added). This does not mean that Jesus received the Holy Spirit, but that He received the authority from the Father to send the Holy Spirit to the believers as He had promised (cf. Jn 14:16, 26; 16:7; Acts 1:4-5). The Lord Jesus had to be exalted to the right hand of God in order to pour out the promised Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Bible does not teach us that Jesus’ receiving of the promise from the Father is analogous to our receiving the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus speaks of “another” Helper in John 14:16, He was not speaking about two separate indwellings of the Holy Spirit. Rather, by the word “another” Jesus was referring to the distinction between His presence with the disciples while He was still in the world and His coming to them again through the promised Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 14:19). Jesus told His disciples that unless He went away, the Helper would not come to them (Jn 16:7; cf. Jn 7:39). Jesus had to be exalted first before He could send the “other” Helper to the believers. This other Helper is in fact the exalted Christ Himself. John speaks of Jesus Christ as the Helper in his epistle: “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 Jn 2:1). The word for “Advocate” here is the same as the word for “Helper” in John 14. As the Lord Jesus promised, He would come back to His disciples as the “other” Helper. To use this passage to explain that there are two kinds of Holy Spirit is a gross misinterpretation of Jesus’ words. [Back to top]

2. Misleads by Emphasizing the General Presence of the Holy Spirit

YM poses questions such as, “How can a person be a child of God and yet not have God’s Spirit?” or “How can a person have the life of Jesus in him through partaking the Holy Communion and yet be without the Spirit of God?” He contests that those who have not received the promised Holy Spirit can also bear the fruit of the Spirit and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Pointing to the church practice of assigning only those who have received the Holy Spirit as sermon speakers and RE teachers, YM alleges that those who have not yet received the Holy Spirit are not allowed to take part in any sacred work and are like second-class citizens in the church. Arguing that every believer has the Holy Spirit in them, he condemns the church organization and advocates eradicating what he considers an inequality.

YM’s mistake is in distorting teachings on the general presence of the Holy Spirit and subtly overshadowing the importance of receiving the promised Holy Spirit. In two of the passages that YM cites as basis that a believer has the Holy Spirit upon baptism, Paul writes, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16) “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Cor 6:19). The Greek preposition for “in” may also have the sense of “among”, and the latter sense would also be applicable in the current context. In both verses Paul uses the plural “you” and “your” but the singular “temple” and “body”. Addressing the church as a whole, Paul teaches the believers that together they make up one body and are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Collectively, the believers have the Holy Spirit from God because the church is the body of Christ and the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Eph 1:23). Even so, believers must continue to grow and be built up into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:22). This means that the church as a whole should aim to be a place where God’s will prevails. Nowhere in these passages does Paul teach that every believer already has the Holy Spirit in him or has received the promised Holy Spirit.

In many places, the Bible speaks of God’s abiding in the believers. Yet none of these passages teach that the moment a person is baptized God already abides in him. According to the Lord Jesus, we must abide in Christ, His love, and His commandments in order for Him to abide in us (Jn 15:1-10). Similarly, Christ promises in Revelation that He would come into believers who hear Jesus’ knocking and open the door (Rev 3:20). Paul also exhorts us as believers to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Being in the faith is the precondition to having Jesus Christ in us (2 Cor 13:5). As for Paul himself, he was able to proclaim that Christ was in him because he had been crucified with Christ (i.e. he has crucified his fleshly desires) (Gal 2:20; cf. Gal 5:24). By the same token, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit that Paul writes about in Romans 8 is conditional upon believers’ choice to walk in the Spirit (Rom 8:9-11). John, in his first epistle, likewise repeatedly stresses the importance of abiding in Christ and His commandments. This serves as the context for his statements about God being in the believers (1 Jn 4:4, 15).

In all of these passages, the Bible does not speak of an instantaneous indwelling of the Holy Spirit at the moment of baptism. Having the abidance of God requires a lifelong commitment to submit to God in our lives. YM’s error lies in deducing that the indwelling of the Spirit happens the moment a believer is baptized. This is the same error many Christians make when teaching that salvation is received the moment one believes and confesses Christ. If such deduction were to hold, then based on 1 John 4:15, the Holy Spirit already abides in a person the moment he confesses that Jesus is the Son of God. Baptism would not even be a precondition for the indwelling of God’s Spirit. Such misleading deduction has completely distorted the message of the Bible. [Back to top]

3. Creates Confusion with the General Work and Fullness of the Holy Spirit

The Bible does teach the general work of the Holy Spirit. By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body and all were made to drink of one Spirit (1 Cor 12:13). The work of the one Spirit takes place in baptism and is active in the church, giving various gifts to individual believers. No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:3). Thus, all believers have experienced the work of the Holy Spirit. We do not see any passage in the Bible which says that the work of the Holy Spirit is completely absent in believers who have not yet received the promised Holy Spirit. The exhortations to walk by the Spirit also apply to them because it is a lifelong goal for every believer. In fact, Paul exhorts believers to be filled with the Spirit by singing, giving thanks, and submitting to one another (Eph 5:18-21). Every believer ought to live a life that is led by the Spirit and find spiritual fulfillment in it. Nevertheless, those who have not yet received the Holy Spirit must continue to pray for and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit promised by the Lord.

Since God is omnipresent, His Spirit is all pervasive. Therefore, Paul states that there is one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4:5). The fact that God is in all does not imply that the Holy Spirit dwells in every human being the same way He dwells within or among believers of Christ. Concerning the generation of Noah, the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever” (Gen 6:3). This statement likewise does not suggest that the Holy Spirit dwelled in every human being. Instead, the abidance God had in mind refers to God’s relationship with man in general. The lesson here is that not every instance where the Bible speaks of God being in a person should be interpreted as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Even before the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, we read in the Bible instances of God filling or empowering certain individuals with His Spirit. For example, God filled Bezalel with His Spirit that he would have the wisdom and ability to design and craft articles for the tent of meeting (Ex 31:1-11; 35:30-33). The Spirit of the LORD also came upon prophets such as Azariah, Ezekiel, and even Balaam (2 Chron 15:1-7; Ezek 2:2; Num 24:2) to deliver God’s message to His people. In like manner, John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb (Lk 1:15), Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit when she heard Mary’s greeting (Lk 1:41), and Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit to prophesy about the salvation of God (Lk 1:67). In a similar fashion, the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and revealed to him that he would see the Lord’s Christ (Lk 2:25-26). All these examples are the works of the Holy Spirit, who moved individuals to accomplish God’s purpose before Jesus’ exaltation. They are not to be confused with the dwelling of the promised Holy Spirit in believers that the Lord Jesus had promised (cf. Jn 14:17). Neither should they be used to demonstrate that a believer who has not yet received the Holy Spirit may be filled with the Holy Spirit.

According to Acts, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit when they received the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4). Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit in the same way at his conversion (Acts 9:17). Likewise, all believers must experience this filling of the Spirit, which is to be distinguished from the previous examples God’s Spirit filling His servants.

When faced with persecution, the believers were all filled with the Holy Spirit in their prayer and continued to speak the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). Paul was filled with the Spirit when he spoke to the sorcerer who opposed the truth (13:9). These references to being filled with the Holy Spirit focus on the infilling of the Spirit at a particular moment.

In addition, the Bible also speaks of being full of the Holy Spirit as a descriptive quality. For example, Stephen, Barnabas, and the men chosen to serve in the church were men who were full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3, 5; 7:55-56; 11:24). They were full of the Spirit in the sense that they lived fully by the Holy Spirit and manifested the power of the Spirit.

Nowhere in these New Testament references do we read about someone being filled with the Holy Spirit before receiving the promised Holy Spirit. [Back to top]

4. Undermines the Importance of Receiving the Holy Spirit

While YM’s teaching may encourage or appeal to those who have yet to receive the Holy Spirit, it may just as easily undermine the importance for them to receive the Holy Spirit at all. Paul never assures those who are praying for the Holy Spirit by saying that the Holy Spirit is already in them. In fact, when Paul met some believers in Ephesus, his utmost concern was whether they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed (Acts 19:1-2). Even after they were baptized again in the name of the Lord Jesus, Paul laid hands on them and the Holy Spirit came on them (Acts 19:5-6). Similarly, when the church in Jerusalem heard that the believers in Samaria had been baptized but not yet received the Holy Spirit, they sent Peter and John to pray for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). In both cases we see the apostles’ concern over whether believers had received the Holy Spirit. Instead of assuring these believers that they already had the Holy Spirit in them, the apostles helped them pray for the Holy Spirit.

YM also teaches that children shouldn’t be praying for the Holy Spirit. He assures the children that if Jesus were to come right now, they would certainly enter the heavenly kingdom even if they are not able to speak in tongues. He alludes to the incorrect motive of praying for the Holy Spirit out of fear. While we should avoid using hell as a scare tactic to make children pray for the Holy Spirit, it is important to teach them to pray out of a sincere heart and an earnest desire for the Holy Spirit. The Bible does not discourage children from asking for the Holy Spirit nor does it suggest that the Holy Spirit is only for adults. Rather, it clearly says that “the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). Therefore when properly instructed, children should also ask for the Holy Spirit in faith. That is why many children in the True Jesus Church have received the Holy Spirit—because they asked the Lord Jesus in faith. Even though children may not seem to know much and may even need the help of adults to be brought to the Lord, our Lord Jesus still welcomes them (cf. Mt 19:13–15, Mk 10:13–16, Luke 18:15–17).

YM questions the whole notion of praying for the Holy Spirit because he finds it strange that we have to keep asking for what God has already promised. However, praying for the promised Holy Spirit is the teaching of our Lord Jesus. At the end of His message on prayer, the Lord Jesus concludes with the words, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Lk 11:13). It may seem inconceivable why we must ask, seek and knock continuously through prayer in order to receive the good thing that our loving heavenly Father has already promised. But the Lord Jesus nevertheless teaches us the need to ask for the Holy Spirit with persistence and boldness. When the Lord Jesus commanded the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, the disciples did not sit idly waiting for the expected. Instead, they devoted themselves to prayer with one accord (Acts 1:14). Prayer is an expression of our faith in God and is the means by which we lay claim to God’s promise. There is no contradiction in asking for something that has already been promised. The promise that God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask should all the more encourage believers who have not yet received the Holy Spirit to continue praying earnestly. [Back to top]

5. Misinterprets the Meaning of Speaking in Tongues

In one lecture, YM made fun of those who speak very slowly when they pray. He joked that those who can only say slowly, “Hal–le–lu–jah” would never be able to receive the Holy Spirit, according to our standard of using speaking in tongues as the evidence. Hence, he casts doubt on speaking in tongues as the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. He even alleged that some ministers have devised a tactic to make people receive the Holy Spirit more quickly by urging them to say “Hallelujah!” very quickly. Such mockery of speaking in tongues is a direct challenge against the biblical truth that it is the Holy Spirit who enables the believer to speak in tongues when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon him (Acts 2:4). It is by this miraculous experience that the apostles determined if someone had received the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:15-17).

YM went on to develop the doctrine that speaking in tongues should be intelligible rather than unintelligible. To YM, the way the True Jesus Church views speaking in tongues as uttering unintelligible words is wrong. Quoting the book of Acts, YM argues that the apostles were able to discern that people had received the Holy Spirit because they heard them magnifying God. According to YM, this implies that speaking in tongues is speaking words which can be understood. To support his argument, YM points out that when we listen to a foreigner pray, we may be mistaken that he is speaking in tongues when he is simply speaking in a foreign language which we do not understand. In such a scenario, he claims we would not be able to discern whether someone has actually received the Holy Spirit.

YM’s teaching about speaking in tongues directly contradicts the words of Paul, who writes, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries” (1 Cor 14:2). The characteristic of speaking in tongues is that it is an utterance which is unintelligible to man. It is a unique language directed to God, not to man. When recording the first outpour of the Holy Spirit, Luke writes that the disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in “other tongues”. The word “other” (ἕτερος, heteros) stresses the fact that the tongues were different from normal human languages. The devout men were enabled by God to each hear what was said in his own language (Acts 2:6). In other words, to these listeners, the disciples were miraculously speaking over a dozen different languages at the same time. But to the rest, the disciples seemed to speak gibberish. That is why they mocked them and said that they were filled with new wine (Acts 2:13).

In Acts 10, we read that Peter and his Jewish brethren heard those who received the Holy Spirit speak with tongues and magnify God (Acts 10:46). Speaking in tongues is not equated with magnifying God, but the two occurred at the same time in this instance. Acts 19 informs us that the believers in Ephesus began speaking in tongues and prophesying (Acts 19:6). We are not told whether the prophesying is similar to the prophetic utterance in the Old Testament of someone on whom the Spirit of God had come or to the gift of prophecy that consists of intelligible words. But regardless, the experience of prophecy is not equated with the speaking in tongues.

Peter judged that Cornelius and those with him had received the Holy Spirit because he saw that the Holy Spirit had come on them just as the Holy Spirit had come on the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 11:15). What the apostles experienced at Pentecost was that as divided tongues appeared to them and rested on each one, they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. It is the speaking of tongues, not intelligent human speech, that made the multitude in Jerusalem marvel. Had the disciples been simply magnifying God in normal language, such as Hebrew or Greek, there would have been little reason to marvel. Similarly, had Cornelius and those with him been only magnifying God in Greek, Peter or the Jewish brethren would not have been astonished at all. The fact that these Gentile listeners spoke in tongues in the same way that the disciples did at Pentecost compelled Peter and the Jewish brethren to acknowledge that God had also accepted the Gentiles. The extraordinary experience convinced Peter to baptize these Gentile believers and eventually persuaded the circumcision party in Jerusalem to concede that God had granted repentance even to the Gentiles. In denying that speaking in tongues is an unintelligible utterance enabled by the Holy Spirit, YM has rejected the experience and teaching of the apostles, as well as disregarded all the experiences of receiving the Holy Spirit we have witnessed since the founding of the True Jesus Church. [Back to top]

6. Downplays Speaking in Tongues by Emphasizing Bearing the Fruit of the Spirit

YM also pits the importance of bearing the fruit of the Spirit against the importance of receiving the Holy Spirit. He points out the common misconception that merely having received the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is sufficient. He stresses the importance of bearing the fruit of the Spirit. But unfortunately, he also turns this important teaching into an occasion to question the importance of receiving the promised Holy Spirit. Citing the example of the false teachers that Paul condemned in the early church, YM reminds his listeners that they also spoke in tongues. He implies that speaking in tongues is relatively unimportant compared to having good works.

In an online post, YM writes that speaking in tongues is one way to edify oneself, but it is not the only way to edify oneself. He argues that just because a person is not able to speak in tongues does not mean that he is not able to edify himself. His point is that even those who speak in tongues may not truly edify themselves. He demonstrates his argument with the members in the Corinthian church and the seven churches in Revelation. Despite their ability to speak in tongues, they were not edified by the speaking of tongues. Once again, we see that without directly denying speaking in tongues, YM puts doubts in his hearers about the importance of speaking in tongues in the name of promoting good conduct.

The apostles never downplayed the importance of receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues when exhorting believers to walk according to the Spirit. On the contrary, Paul uses the fact that believers have received the Spirit of adoption as sons as the basis to encourage believers to be led by the Spirit (Rom 8:14-17). The fact that we have received the promised Holy Spirit should be a constant reminder to live by the Spirit at all times. In the same chapter where Paul expounds on a Spirit-led life, Paul also discusses the benefit of having the Holy Spirit intercede for us. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom 8:26). According to 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, when we speak in a tongue in prayer, we utter mysteries in the Spirit and build ourselves up. This is the intercessory work of the Holy Spirit that Paul explains in Romans 8. Through speaking in tongues, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. This is the help that we can receive from the Spirit of adoption while we groan and eagerly wait for the final adoption as sons of God. So speaking in tongues should not be reduced to merely one of the many ways to edify ourselves. [Back to top]

About the Bible

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YM repeatedly questions the authority of the Bible. In so doing, he has essentially rejected the written words of God.

1. Denies the New Testament Scriptures

The True Jesus Church believes that the Holy Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is inspired by God. YM, however, rejects the New Testament as Scripture. He argues that when Paul wrote that all Scripture is God-breathed, Paul was speaking only of the Old Testament Scripture. He teaches that the New Testament is not God’s word but contradicts the Old Testament in many places. He cites Jesus’ teachings on the mount as examples of how Jesus has added to and subtracted from many of God’s words.

Although he often uses passages in the New Testament as basis for his own teachings, YM alleges that the church’s recognition of the New Testament is based on the decisions of the Roman Catholic church. According to YM, the apostles’ writings were meant to be personal letters, not Scriptures, and that most believers in the early church had no access to the Gospels. He views the 27 books of the New Testament as additions and revisions to God’s word and does not regard these books as carrying divine authority. Quoting God’s promise that He would write His laws on the hearts of His people, YM concludes that God’s word is not what’s written on paper, and that there is really no standard by which we can all follow.

In reality, the books of the New Testament were accepted by Christians long before the Synod of Hippo affirmed their canonicity in 393 A.D. The words and deeds of our Lord were known to the believers in the first century, even though written records as found in the Gospels were not widely accessible (cf. Lk 24:18-19; Acts 2:22). Paul expected his letters to the churches to be circulated and read (cf. Col 4:16). Peter, who wrote concerning the inspiration of the Scriptures, considered Paul’s writings as Scripture (2 Pet 3:16). Therefore, the authority of the New Testament books were already recognized very early on, even before the death of the apostles.

The apostles were eyewitnesses of the Lord Jesus and most of them had personally followed the Lord (cf. Acts 1:22). The doctrines they preached and wrote down were received directly from the Lord (cf. 1 Cor 11:23; 2 Pet 1:16). The words in the New Testament books center on Christ and were written and passed down through the disciples as words of eternal life (cf. Jn 20:31; Acts 5:20; Heb 2:3; 1 Jn 1:1-2). To question the authority of the New Testament is to discredit the word of life that originated from our Savior. Without the New Testament Scripture, our entire Christian faith would be baseless. [Back to top]

2. Belittles Scripture’s Authority

Not only has YM denied the divine authority of the New Testament, he has also begun to question the importance of the entire Bible. He claims that faith does not rest on written words or dogma, since the saints of old did not read the written words of God the Bible. In YM’s view, the saints who did not have the Bible were able to write the Bible whereas we who have the Bible to read today do not even understand the Bible. He believes that faith is captured in a mental image or in a moment of inspiration. He encourages his listeners to seek for things beyond the written words of the Scriptures.

On the surface, YM seems correct in teaching that our faith should not be confined to the exact letters. But as is evident in his talks, his final goal is none other than to overthrow the basic beliefs of the True Jesus Church. By questioning the importance of the written words of the Bible, he attempts to undermine the foundation of our beliefs. Without the Bible as the standard, faith would have no basis but would depend solely upon one’s own notions and feelings.

Ironically, YM keeps citing stories from the Bible to illustrate his point, although he tells his listeners in the same breath that we do not need too many written words. In other words, he picks and chooses what is important in the Bible to serve his own agenda. But when the words of the Bible contradict his teachings, they are cast aside as mere letters.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that the new covenant is not of the letter but of the Spirit. “For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6). From the context of this verse we understand that Paul is not dismissing the written words of Scripture. Rather, he is emphasizing that we must turn to the Lord in our hearts and accept what is written in Scripture about Christ (2 Cor 3:16-17). If a person only adheres to the letters of the covenant written in stone but does not accept Christ in the Spirit, his heart is still veiled and he cannot see life. Nowhere do we see any hint that Paul suggests doing away with the written words of the Scriptures.

The Lord Jesus and the apostles held the Scriptures with the highest esteem. When tempted by the devil, Jesus overcame by citing the very words of the Scriptures, saying “It is written…” (Mt 4:1-11). He asserted that the Scriptures bear witness about Him (Jn 5:39). After the resurrection, He rebuked the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus for their disbelief, saying, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Lk 24:25). He then explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself, beginning at Moses and all the Prophets (Lk 24:27). In another appearance to His disciples, the Lord Jesus again spoke about the fulfillment of what is written about Him in the Scriptures: “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Lk 24:44). The Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms together refer to all of the Scriptures written in the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus was not referring to the fulfillment of some vague and general idea about the Christ. Rather, everything that is written in the Scriptures about Jesus Christ must be fulfilled.

Paul wrote to Timothy about the crucial importance of the Scriptures: “And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:15-16). As evident in some other translations, “Holy Scriptures” is literally “Holy Writings.” Without the writings there would be no Scriptures. The very words written in the Bible are sacred. They are God-breathed, and they make us wise for salvation. Dismissing the importance of the written words of the Bible is rejecting God and His words. To seek a way of salvation apart from the written words the Bible only takes a person further from God. The Scriptures must be the final authority and standard by which our faith and relationship with God are measured. [Back to top]