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WHO IS YOUR COVERING?

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves
among themselves, are not wise” (II Cor. 10:12).

The question, “Who is your covering?” probably came out of the Charismatic movement. It implies
that every Believer, and especially Preachers, should have other Preachers as their covering,
meaning they submit to them, etc. The idea is, that the ones who serve as the covering, watch
over the ones whom they are supposed to cover, with the one who is supposed to be covered, knowing that someone is watching them, which is supposed to keep them from sinning, etc. The idea
is further extended, that if one doesn’t have this, and I speak of such covering, this means they
are dishonest, unethical, cannot be trusted, and are probably trying to get by with sin.
Please allow me to go straight to the bottom line, before I make further comments.

IS SUCH COVERING SCRIPTURAL?

The question, “Is something Scriptural,” is the criteria, actually the litmus test for all things.
If it’s not Scriptural, then it’s not valid. The Bible at all times must be the criteria for all things. The
Scripture plainly says: “To the Law and to the Testimony: if they speak not according to this
Word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa. 8:20).
Paul said, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to Preach the Gospel: not with wisdom of
words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect” (I Cor. 1:17).
Our Lord said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of
the Mouth of God” (Mat. 4:4; Deut. 8:3).
No! The present man-devised scheme of “covering” is not Scriptural. This means, and
bluntly stated, that anyone who claims to cover someone else in the realm of spirituality, is sinning.
It also means that anyone who claims to come under such covering is sinning. Pure, plain,
and simple, it is sin, because it sets aside the Cross of Christ, which, in effect, is the only Covering
that man can have, that is, which God will recognize. Paul also said:
“Christ is become of no effect unto you (this is a chilling statement, and refers to anyone who
makes anything other than Christ and the Cross the Object of his Faith), whosoever of you
are justified by the Law (seek to be Justified by the Law); you are fallen from Grace (fallen from the
position of Grace, which means the Believer is trusting in something other than the Cross; it actually
means, ‘to apostatize’)” (Gal. 5:4).
One cannot place one’s Faith in the Cross of Christ and something else at the same time. Either one,
nullifies the other. The Apostle continued to say, “But God forbid that I should glory (boast), save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (what the opponents of Paul sought to escape at the price of insincerity is the Apostle’s only basis of exultation), by Whom the world is Crucified unto me and I unto the world. (The only way we can overcome the world, and I mean the only way, is by placing our
Faith exclusively in the Cross of Christ and keeping it there.)” (Gal. 6:14).
Unfortunately, many Preachers boast about having other Preachers as their covering, and many Believers boast about having a certain Person, Preacher, Church, or Denomination as their covering. Paul plainly tells
us here that if one is to boast, it had better be in “the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and that
alone! Let me say it again: The idea that a poor, flawed, sinful man, can act as someone’s
spiritual covering, is ludicrous indeed! That’s the reason you will not find anything in the Bible that lends any credence whatsoever to the modern idea of “covering.”

THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE

Men can lie to other men, and often do; however, men cannot lie to God, at least not successfully!
So, the idea that if one has certain individuals as their covering, claiming this means they
are honest and forthright, a little Scriptural investigation will prove otherwise. Even if the best intentions are produced, with total sincerity being the order of the day, outward appearance is all that can be observed, which is a very unreliable barometer. The great Prophet Samuel is an excellent
case in point. When the Lord told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse the Bethlehemite saying, “For I have provided Me a king among his sons,” He didn’t tell Samuel which one of the sons He had chosen.
When Samuel arrived at the house of Jesse, and the sons of Jesse were brought before the
great Prophet, the Scripture says that Samuel “looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’s anointed
is before him” (I Sam. 16:6). Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (I Sam. 16:7).
The upshot is, had the Lord not intervened, Samuel, great Prophet though he was, would
have chosen Eliab. He did so, because everything looked right outwardly. And that’s as far as
a poor mortal can go. Only God knows the heart. The following should be remembered and understood:
“Reputation” is what men think you are, while “character” is what God knows you are.

ISRAEL

The Lord said to Israel: “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, who take counsel, but
not of Me, and who cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin” (Isa. 30:1).
The Commentary from the EXPOSITOR’S STUDY BIBLE say:
“In the preceding Chapter (Isa. 29), the design of the Jewish rulers to seek the alliance of Egypt
was covertly looked at and condemned; now it is openly declared and rebuked.
“‘Counsel’ which is not of the Word of God is also not from God. “As well, only the Spirit of God can
cover someone, which He does through the Word, which speaks of what Jesus did for us at the
Cross. Actually, the ‘covering’ comes for each Believer through Christ, Who Alone can actually
cover. And He does so by the Spirit through the Cross. Christ is the Source, while the Cross is
the Means. “Any poor mortal who thinks he can be the ‘covering’ for another
presents spiritual and Scriptural ignorance.” Let it be understood, while the Lord, as is obvious here, is not pleased at all with His people seeking the “covering” of the world, typified by Egypt, neither
is He pleased at all with Believers leaning on other Believers, as Godly as they may be. We are to
look to the Word of God, and be led by the Spirit. Paul said: “For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God (the Spirit will always lead us to the Cross), they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14).
The Truth is, this idea of “man covering man,” is “of the flesh.” Paul continued to say: “So then
they who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8). Let me say it again:
Any fad, scheme, idea, or direction, that is devised by man, as it regards the Lord, is actually
not of the Lord, and cannot be condoned by the Lord. Pure and simple, “man covering man” is not
Scriptural. As already stated, it is a sin. As the Lord was greatly angered at Israel for placing her
trust in Egypt, actually concluding Egypt to be a covering, instead of looking to Him, He is just
as displeased with such today. While the situation may be different, the principle is the same.

PAUL THE APOSTLE

The great Apostle said, “For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord
commends. (This tells us that the Lord does not accept man’s recommendations or accommodations.
They mean nothing to Him” (II Cor. 10:18).
The Apostle also stated, “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh” (II Cor. 5:16).
And when we speak of “covering” at least as it is being presently used, that’s all that one man can do for another, is to cover him in the flesh. The Holy Spirit here through Paul tells us that this says
nothing. I continue to quote the Apostle. He said: “Do we begin again to commend ourselves?
(This was in order to prove his Apostleship.) or need we, as some others, Epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? (Paul is presenting this contention as an obscurity to suppose that he or Timothy should need such letters, either from the Corinthians or to them.)
“You are our Epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men (refers to the Saints at Corinth who had been Saved under his Ministry, which were Epistle enough)” (II Cor. 3:1-2).
During the time of the early Church many were declaring many things about Paul, mostly criticism.
I think it could be summed up in the modern statement,
“that he did not have the covering of some people who were thought to be important.”
The Holy Spirit through him plainly states that such was not needed. If he wanted “commendation” it was not from other men. The commendation he wanted and had, was souls Saved, lives changed, which characterized his Ministry. That continues to be the commendation that is presently needed.

THE CROSS OF CHRIST

When Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, the Scripture said, “And they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” (Gen. 3:7).
Man has been trying to cover his spiritual nakedness from then unto now by using fig leaves of one sort or the other, spiritually speaking. The “covering” debacle is just another example. Concerning their covering, the Scripture also says, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the
LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” The notes from THE EXPOSITOR’S STUDY
BIBLE relative to this Verse say, “In the making of coats of skins, God, in effect, was telling Adam
and Eve that their fig leaves were insufficient; as well, He was teaching them that without
the shedding of blood, which pertained to the animals that gave their lives, which were Types of
Christ, is no remission of sin; in this first Sacrifice was laid the foundation of the entirety of the
Plan of God as it regards Redemption; also, it must be noticed that it is the ‘LORD God’
Who furnished these coats, and not man himself; this tells us that Salvation is altogether of
God and not at all of man; the Life of Christ given on the Cross, and given as our Substitute, provides
the only covering for sin; everything else must be rejected” (Gen. 3:21).
In the last few decades, the Church has drifted so far from the Cross that it hardly knows
anymore, where it’s been, where it is, or where it is going. This is the reason for all of these strange
doctrines that are making their debut, with “covering” being one of them. Let it be clear and understood, there is only one covering that the Believer can have, be he Preacher or otherwise,
which God will recognize. That “covering” is the “Shed Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” That’s the reason that the Apostle Paul said to the Church at Corinth and to us as well, “And I,
Brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom (means that he depended not on oratorical abilities, nor did he delve into philosophy, which was all the rage of that
particular day), declaring unto you the Testimony of God (which is Christ and Him Crucified).
“For I determined not to know anything among you (with purpose and design, Paul did not resort
to the knowledge or philosophy of the world regarding the Preaching of the Gospel), save Jesus Christ, and Him Crucified (that and that alone is the Message which will save the sinner, set the captive free, and give the Believer perpetual victory)” (I Cor. 2:1-2). Let me say it again
in closing:
If faith is placed in anything except the Cross of Christ, and I mean anything, and that includes
“covering,” it is sin. The Apostle said, “For whatsoever is not of Faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23).
When the Apostle used Faith in this capacity, always and without exception, he was speaking
of “the Faith,” or “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.” The cause of this sin of covering,
so-called, is a departure from the Cross of Christ. The only thing that will keep
the Believer victorious over the world, the flesh, and the Devil, is that he understand that Christ is
the Source of all things that we receive from God, and that the Cross is the Means by which
these things are received, all superintended by the Holy Spirit.
The Scripture says:
“There is therefore now no condemnation (guilt) to them which are in Christ Jesus (refers
back to Rom. 6:3-5 and our being Baptized into His Death, which speaks of the Crucifixion), who
walk not after the flesh (depending on one’s personal strength and ability or great religious efforts in
order to overcome sin), but after the Spirit (the Holy Spirit works exclusively within the legal confines
of the Finished Work of Christ; our Faith in that Finished Work, i.e., ‘the Cross,’ guarantees
the help of the Holy Spirit, which guarantees Victory). “For the Law (that which we are about to give is a Law of God, devised by the Godhead in eternity past [I Pet. 1:18-20]; this Law, in fact, is ‘God’s Prescribed Order of Victory’) of the Spirit (Holy Spirit, i.e., ‘the way the Spirit works’) of life (all life comes from Christ, but through the Holy Spirit [Jn. 16:13-14] in Christ Jesus (anytime Paul uses this
term or one of its derivatives, he is, without fail, referring to what Christ did at the Cross, which makes this ‘life’ possible) has made me free (given me total victory) from the Law of sin and death (these are the two most powerful Laws in the Universe; the ‘Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus’ alone is stronger than the ‘Law of Sin and Death’; this means that if the Believer attempts to live for God by any manner other than Faith in Christ and the Cross, he is doomed to failure)” (Rom. 8:1-2).
If he places his Faith exclusively in Christ and the Cross, and does not allow it to be moved elsewhere,
thereby ever making the Cross of Christ the Object of his Faith, the Word of God also says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you” (Rom. 6:14).

GOD’S PRESCRIBED ORDER OF VICTORY

If we follow God’s Prescribed Order of Victory, we will obtain the results promised. If not, it will
be impossible to live a victorious life (Rom. 6:1- 14; I Cor. 1:17-18, 23; 2:2; Gal., Chpt. 5; 6:14; Col.
2:14-15).
The following is a little formula that shows man’s way, and God’s Way. We’ll put man’s way first.
• FOCUS: Works.
• OBJECT OF FAITH: Performance.
• POWER SOURCE: Self.
• RESULTS: Failure.

Now let’s look at God’s Way using the same formula:
• FOCUS: The Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6).
• OBJECT OF FAITH: The Cross of Christ (Rom.
6:1-14).
• POWER SOURCE: The Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-
2, 11).
• RESULTS: Victory (Rom. 6:14).

Adapted from The Expositors Study Bible and The Evangelist

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Where False Doctrine and Heresy in the Modern Church World Get PWND

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