Part 1: About "plaiting of hair, and of putting around of things of gold, or of putting on of garments,"

Believers, Did you notice something was amiss where the devil quoted parts of Psalms 91 to our Saviour Jesus when he tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4?) It reads:

"5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

This passage that Satan quoted is from Psalms 91:11-12. The complete verses read:

11 “For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

The devil left out "To keep you in all your ways."!

You see, the devil and his agents cannot quote Scripture completely or in its correct context because it would be counterproductive to do so. People will be saved! Jumping down from the pinnacle of the temple to prove that He is the Son of God definitely wasn't on our Saviour's agenda. He knew that He is the Son of God and didn't have to kowtow to the demands of the world to prove it. Jumping to prove His Sonship isn't His way and God's angels "keep you in all your ways."

For us in Christ, the thoughts of the Holy Spirit in us become our action; for us, "your ways" is the path of righteousness which Christ our Shepherd put and leads us on; it is NEVER our own righteousnesses from works of the law or things that Satan and his ministers behind some pulpits say we should do or not do in order to prove that we are children of God.

The devil subtly left this crucial part of verse 11 out! This is what he still does through his agents in some places of worship today, questioning the righteousness and sonship of those that our Lord God has made His children, righteous in Christ, by using the same "If you are the Son of God" refrain that he did with our Saviour and pointing believers to the law and things to do to prove their sonship; his agents quote bible passages out of context and omit parts for their own shady agendas. 1 Peter 3:3 is a favourite of those who try to twist the Scripture to suit their own shady purposes, at least in Nigeria. It says of women:

"whose adorning -- let it not be that which is outward, of plaiting of hair, and of putting around of things of gold, or of putting on of garments,"

Many like to pounce on the "plaiting of hair" and "putting around of things of gold" parts, banning their church members from doing these things and telling them, as Satan told Eve, that these actions can make them to "be like God;" but just like the Accuser, they conveniently leave out "putting on of garments." If anyone is going to interpret this verse as meaning "don't do hair," and "don't wear jewellery" and such, then they must stick with it all and not wear any garments: go NAKED everywhere. The verses before and after give us the full context of this message.Take a text out of its context and you'll be left with a con. See vs. 1-5 for the full context.

How we make our hair and what we wear cannot "improve our righteousness" before God neither can they make us stop being children of God. Good works are EVIDENCES of our becoming children of God, not CONDITIONS. Having Christ as your righteousness and not living right is as impossible as jumping into the sea naked without getting wet. When your believing is right, right living will follow; we GET TO be transformed to right living and not by human might or power but by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18)

See James 2:10. If one is keeping the law and doing things like these to become, remain or prove that he is a child of God, that one rejects the gift of righteousness that Christ died that we might have. Galatians 2:21 says: “I refuse to reject the grace of God. But if a person is put right with God through the Law, it means that Christ died for nothing!”

The one under law has to keep ALL of the law or else face the curse (Deut. 28:15,) but no one can, “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands…” says Romans 3:20. Believers, this is how we are made (and remain) sons of God: John 1:

"12 but as many as did receive Him to them Him gave authority to become sons of God -- to those believing in His name, 13 who -- not of blood nor of a will of flesh, nor of a will of man but -- of God were begotten."

See the NIRV: 12 "Some people did accept Him and did believe in His name. He gave them the right to become children of God. 13 To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.”

Jeremiah prophesied of our Saviour long ago saying of Christ "...And this is the name by which He will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”" (Jer.23:6) To "receive Him" entails receiving Christ as our righteousness and forsaking that which comes from our puny attempts at keeping the law and doing things that we think makes us holy. This is how we are made righteous in God's sight: 2 Cor. 5:21 says of our Abba Father-

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Also Romans 5:19- "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."

No more, no less. When we have Christ as our righteousness and forsake ours which comes from law-keeping and wearing only long skirts and baggy suits, The Lord our Righteousness Himself in us determines everything- how we live, how we dress, how we give and how we love (these are works of faith) - because "no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me."

If you have received and believe Christ, having Him as your righteousness and not yours from keeping the Ten Commandments or eschewing things like weaves and skinny trousers in order to prove your holiness to the world, then you are redeemed; the ransomed of the Lord. He leads you on the path of righteousness. Isaiah 35:8 says of we who walk this road:

"And a highway shall be there, and a way; and it shall be called the Holy Way. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for the redeemed; the wayfaring men, yes, the simple ones and fools, shall not err in it and lose their way. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk on it.”

Notice this highway is for “the redeemed” (definition: to gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment)? Bought back not by works like not doing hair and not wearing jewellery but with the price of the blood of Jesus. The Lord our Shepherd Himself keeps us from going astray, not our own knowledge of good and evil (remember the tree of the same name that kills.)

Our status as "children of God" isn't dependent on who we're descended from or human effort at doing what is right. It is of God's power and dependent only on receiving and believing Jesus Christ.

Believers, when you try to make yourself a "child of God" or prove that you are by doing certain things that some "If you are the Son of God...." person tells you to do when Christ has already paid the price for our sonship, you are dashing yourself from the pinnacle of the temple! Galatians 5:4 says

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.”

This means that if you believe that it is your lack of make-up and law-keeping/what you do or don’t do that makes you right with God, you can call on the name of Jesus all you want but it will be an effort in futility. You can’t mix law and grace; the law did not come through Jesus Christ. Grace and Truth did. And this Truth is not the Ten Commandments. Grace (Christ Himself) is the Truth that makes free.

Galatians 3:10 says: “But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”” No one can.

Believers, don't let anyone deceive you into coming under the curse with incomplete or 'out of context' bible passages! If you take a 'text' out of 'context,' you will be left with a 'con!'

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Bbelieve Right and you will Live Right.