Paul Was NOT Calling Us into Carnal Mindedness

By Brother R Michel Lankford

At first glance, a person might look at the title of this lesson and think to himself, well that’s a completely obvious and unnecessary statement. Of course the apostle Paul was not calling us into carnal mindedness. Paul was warning us NOT to be carnal minded. I agree. Paul was exhorting Christians not to be carnal minded, but instead to have our minds controlled by the spirit. Paul’s desire, and his position is obvious even to the most marginal Bible reader.
The problem is that the majority of modern-day Christianity accidentally and unintentionally teaches that Paul does indeed require us to be carnal minded in order to be ‘Christian.’ Before you decide to throw away this paper as being ridiculous, I challenge you to keep reading, because I will explain my position biblically. Let’s look very carefully at how Paul himself describes carnal mindedness. As it is written:

Romans 8:5-8 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8 (ESV)

Please keep in mind that these are Paul’s own words, which he wrote under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. So now let us look very carefully at how Paul himself describes the carnal mind:
1. The carnal mind has its focus and attention on pleasing the flesh and the sinful nature (V. 5).
2. The carnal mind which is set on satisfying the desires of the flesh and sinful nature leads into death (a.k.a. eternal separation from God, v. 6).
3. According to what God said through Paul, the carnal mind is hostile against God, (v.7)
4. According to what God said through Paul, the carnal mind DOES NOT SUBMIT itself to God’s Law, (v.7). So not submitting ourselves to God’s Law is a principle characteristic of being carnal minded, according to Paul.
5. The carnal mind cannot submit itself to God’s law (v.7).
6. The person who fulfills these characteristics of carnal mindedness CANNOT please God, (v.8).
So according to Paul himself under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Paul openly declares that if we refuse to subject ourselves to God’s Laws, it is an aspect of being carnal minded, and in such a situation we cannot please God.
So according to Paul himself under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, Paul openly declares that if we refuse to subject ourselves to God’s Laws, it is an aspect of being carnal minded, and in such a situation we cannot please God.
Remember, Paul the apostle’s letter to the Romans was written around 56 to 57 A.D. That is about 24 years after the death and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah. Now, here’s a pop quiz. Was the apostle Paul advising that being carnal minded was a good idea or a bad idea? Was he saying that being carnal minded was a good thing or a bad thing? Romans 8:5-8 creates a serious dilemma for modern-day Christianity.
Here’s why I’m saying what I’m saying. Most modern-day theologians passionately believe and fiercely preach that since Jesus Christ died on the cross, we are not subject to honoring God’s Laws Commandments and Instructions any longer. Some thoroughly misguided theologians will even go so far as to teach the ludicrous idea that if someone does try to honor, respect, and obey God’s Commandments just as Jesus did, that this is somehow the equivalent of denying that what Jesus Christ did through his death and resurrection is sufficient. So some will actually accuse people who try to obey what God commanded, and people who try to copy what Jesus did as though they were guilty of denying Jesus Christ. The ironic part is that most people will use misinterpretations of Paul’s writings and teachings exclusively to support this insanely ridiculous position.
Interestingly, Paul is the only biblical writer which people can use even to suggest that we are no longer obligated to subject ourselves to God’s Laws Commandments and Instructions because we are under grace in Christ. No other biblical writer even comes close to suggesting such a thing. The bigger problem is that IF Paul indeed was teaching us that we should not subject ourselves to God’s Law any longer because we are under grace, then by his own definition he would be teaching us to be carnal minded, which leads to death and not life. I do not believe as so many preach, that the apostle Paul was teaching us to abandon God’s Laws Commandments and Instructions, because that is the principle definition of carnal mindedness. I do not believe that Paul would encourage any form carnal mindedness at all. The apostle Paul was clearly not teaching us to abandon, or not to subject ourselves to God’s Law as so many erroneously believe and teach today.

Brother Michel Lankford

Let No Man Judge You

By Brother Michel Lankford

 
Doesn't Colossians 2:16-17 Suggest That We Can Celebrate God & Jesus in Any Manner That We Want, because of grace through the cross?

 
Many people use Colossians 2:16-17 as a supposed proof text that Jesus Christ did away with obeying God's eternal Commandments on the cross. That interpretation is certainly popular. It definitely appeals to our lawless and disobedient natures, but is it accurate interpretation of Scripture?
The problem with that interpretation is that in order for that understanding to be correct, you have to deny other clear portions of Scripture. All Scripture is true. However, if my understanding of one Scripture contradicts other Scriptures, then my understanding cannot possibly be correct, because TRUTH cannot contradict truth and remain true. So if my understanding of one Scripture causes other Scriptures not to remain true, then that understanding cannot possibly be the correct interpretation. Absolute truth cannot contradict absolute truth, and remain true. Yahweh cannot deny and contradict Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).
If Colossians 2:16-17 is interpreted to mean that Yahweh does not care if you honor the Sabbath, He does not care if you keep the feasts of Yahweh; or if it is interpreted to mean that Yahweh doesn't mind if you mix paganism with Christianity, then that popular interpretation also violates and contradicts other absolute truths in Scripture. It violates (Leviticus 23:1-3; Amos 3:7; Romans 15:4; Matthew 5:17-20; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; Deuteronomy 5:6-10; Proverbs 3:1; Deuteronomy 12:1-4, 8, 29-32; Ezekiel 36:25-27; John 15:10-15; 1 John 2:1-6; Revelation 14:12, along with virtually countless other Scriptures. The commonly approved interpretation of Colossians 2:16-17 contradicts so many Scriptures, that the popular interpretation of that passage cannot possibly be correct.
You will say to me, "But wait! It is written:

"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." Colossians 2:16-17 (NASB with NO emphasis added)

Note: Please notice that italicized words in English translation of biblical texts signifies that the italicized word was not found in the original manuscripts, but added by English translators for "clarity." That would mean in this case that the word "mere" does not appear in Greek manuscripts So one could read the same verse without the italicized words and be closer to an English translation of the Greek manuscript.
Yes, people do in fact use that passage and try to twist it to say that Paul was saying that we do not have to honor the Feasts of the Lord anymore. First, if he had been teaching this he would have been violating his own testimony about his ministry (Acts 25:7-8; Acts 28:17-21; Some twist these words to suggest that Paul is saying we can now celebrate God and Jesus Christ in any manner we wish. The problem is that in order to arrive at that conclusion you have to outright ignore verse 8, of the same chapter. For it is also written:
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (NASB - underline emphasis added)
According to verse 8, what was exactly Paul telling his readers to avoid? Was he telling to ignore the Sabbath instituted by God in Genesis 2? Was he telling them to avoid the feasts that God instituted in Leviticus 23? No, of course not! Paul was strictly addressing not being led astray by the traditions of men He is opposing human ordinances and tradition which were added to the Law, and working against the Lord's highest purpose by human intervention.
He was not opposing the Law of God, nor was he suggesting that believers should not honor what God instituted. He was speaking about not being led astray by the traditions of MEN . He said absolutely nothing encouraging people to disobey God's instructions . That is simply meaning that we have applied in to the text which is NOT what Paul said.
Was he talking about encouraging people NOT to keep the Feasts of the Lord that God instituted as an eternal ordinance in Leviticus 23? Not at all! He was speaking very clearly against philosophy, empty deception, traditions of men, and the elementary principles of the world. The Babylonian Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter we celebrate today contain far more of these aspects than ever did the feasts of the LORD, for pity's sake.
2nd, in order to make Colossians 2:16-17 apply in a manner that we are currently misusing it, we have to ignore the entire context of the time, place, and audience to whom Paul was writing.
The Colossian church was placed in the middle of a Roman province, NOT a predominantly Jewish city. So we have to ask, who is judging these Christian brothers? What are they being judged and criticized for? Judging by where they were placed and what comprised the dominant population, it is more likely that they were being criticized and judge by the pagan populace.
Among the Roman populace there were 365 deities that the Romans worshiped (one for every day of the Roman solar calendar year). It was extremely common in the Roman world to mix worship practices together. The worship of Solis Invictus for example was the combining of old sun-god worship in every pagan culture under one umbrella.
IF the people of the Colossian church had already implemented any of the pagan traditions and adapted those into their worship of Jesus Christ; If they had implemented Sun-Day worship, Roman Saturnalia and winter solstice (now called Christmas), practices and decorations, would anyone in the Roman province have noticed or cared enough to criticize them for it?
Most likely no one in Colossae would've noticed or criticized, because they would have already been doing what was commonly practiced and accepted in that area.
Do people generally criticize you when you are doing what is already popular and traditionally accepted and commonplace, or are people more likely to judge and criticize, when you are NOT doing the same thing as everyone else does?
If you look at it squarely in the context of the time and place and to the people to whom Paul was writing these words, the only scenario that makes any real sense, is that the Colossian church was in fact KEEPING the biblical feasts of Yahweh, and they were NOT DOING what was commonly accepted in their area. In that particular scenario they would mean facing criticism and judgment from both sides. The traditional pagan culture would be criticizing them for not practicing paganism anymore, and the traditional rabbinical Hebrew culture of the day would be criticizing them for keeping the feasts in the name of the Messiah which the traditional rabbinical Hebrew wanted to deny. If they were already doing what was commonly accepted, no one would have been criticizing or judging them, so Paul's comments would not have been necessary.
If they had implemented noticeable aspects of Babylonian Ishtar fertility goddess worship to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ as we do today, if they gave each other presents, put out baskets of eggs and gave each other rabbits, and baked hot cross buns, and they had called it a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and they did it on the first Sunday after the spring equinox, would anyone in their predominantly Gentile pagan city have made enough noise to be noticeable. No, they would not have even cared or been noticed if that were the case, because in Rome eclectic and adapted worship was normal. There would not have been any noticeable difference between them and a typical Roman citizen.
If this had been the case, the apostle Paul would've rebuked them himself as he did the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1), and Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
Moreover, if they had been doing the traditionally pagan practice of blending the worship of Christ with noticeably pagan things, most Israelites in the city would not have cared, because they just did not consider them legitimate Jews in any case. This would simply signify that it was a bunch of pagans acting like pagans, so if that is what they were doing, then who would noticed enough to criticize them? Absolutely no one.
The Colossian church would not have received enough any major criticism in the city to make any noise. They would simply have blended into what was a normal part of life for that city. So what made the Colossian church so noticeable in the Roman province? The Colossians church was criticized for not doing what was commonplace.
3rd, What called attention to these peculiar people, which brought criticism that was seeking to discourage them?
Colossians tells us what they were judged for: In regard to food or drink...... they were most likely keeping biblical kosher food laws which was not typical for Romans and thus would be very noticeable.
In respect to a festival or a new moon.... If they had been living like typical Colossians they would have been basing their feasts and festivals on the typical Roman solar worship system, but they apparently were worshiping according to the lunar calendar which is more biblical and very different from your typical Roman
Or a Sabbath day.... Apparently they were not worshiping on the venerable day of the sun, as was typical for a Roman province. Apparently they were not worshiping on the Roman Sun-day. They were keeping the biblical Sabbath. This made them stick out like sore thumbs. They were not fitting in and they were being criticized for being noticeably different and not blending into the culture.
The other possibility: On the other hand, they might have been being judged by the few Israelites that were in town because these first century Christians were ONLY keeping the written Old Testament, but they were NOT keeping any of the ORAL TRADITIONS associated with the various sects of Judaism.
That's possible (because first century Christians kept only the written Biblical ordinances but abandoned the traditions which the Pharisees and other sects had added to the law later). So some may have decided that these Christians were not Jewish enough), but this is not as likely. Some might have been saying that if you weren't going to be a Pharisee and keep our oral tradition, along with the Written Commands of God, then you're not allowed to keep any of it at all. Many Hebrew sects had this attitude in the first century, but such an attitude was directly against the written Law of God, and the teachings of Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 4:2; Leviticus 19:34).
Such a case would be no different than if all of a sudden the Pope decreed that no one could pray the Lord's prayer out of the Bible without first receiving permission from a Roman Catholic priest. Such an edict would neither be right or biblical. As biblical Christians, we would in righteousness be obligated to ignore such a ruling and pray the Lord's prayer anyway, by faith believing that we were only responsible for what was written in the Scriptures, NOT what had been decreed by the popes.
Conclusion: So then, we know that the 1st century Colossian church was either being criticized by the pagan cultures around them because they WERE observing the Biblical lifestyle and the Feasts of the Lord and it was so different from the pagan culture around them that they were being criticized and discouraged. Or they were maintaining the Biblical lifestyle and the Biblical Feasts of the Lord, and others who were engaged in traditional rabbinical Judaism objected and sought to discourage them because while they were observing the Biblical feasts, they were not observing any of the extra non-biblical Hebrew traditions of traditional first century Judaism.
In any event, they were being judged or criticized by people outside the faith of Jesus Christ. Either they did not seem pagan enough for your typical Colossian, or they were not seem "Jewish" enough for some, because while they were obeying the Biblical things they were not following the other additional Jewish traditions, which adding such traditions to the Law were in fact a violation of God's Law in Scripture anyway.
In both cases they were being criticized by those who were outside of the church, not by those who would have had concern for their spiritual well-being as Paul another Christian believers would have. In any event, do we see anywhere that Paul was advising these people to abandon God's eternally ordained Feasts? On the contrary, they were being encouraged to continue doing them and not let themselves be discouraged by the pagan world around them! Not only does this interpretation makes sense, but it also fits verses 8 and 17:

Colossians 2:17"These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. (ESV)

Here Paul gives them a one sentence reminder of why they are doing what they're doing. If they were not already keeping the Feasts of the LORD, or had no inclination to do so, a one sentence reminder would not be very helpful to them, would it?
So yes, Colossians 2:16-17 is Scripture, and it's absolutely true; but Leviticus 23:1-3 is also Scripture, and is also absolutely true, and so is Deuteronomy 8:3; Amos 3:7; Matthew 5:17-20, and every other Scripture is equally absolutely true. Every interpretation of Scripture must fit and be absolutely true with every other Scripture, or the interpretation cannot possibly be correct (Psalm 19:7-14).
Brother R Michel Lankford

A Summary of the whole case

The Biblical Test of the Prophet

By brother R Michel Lankford
 

There IS Absolute Truth

During the trial of Messiah, prior to His becoming the atonement for our sins, one of Messiah's judges asked one the eternally significant questions, "What is truth? (John 18:38)." Since humankind's fall into sin (Genesis 3), our societies have forever been struggling with the question, "What is truth?" Among those who refuse to acknowledge or submit to the authority of Yahweh Almighty God, and or the Messiah which Yahweh has sent and provided for us, many of these people are content to say that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Of course, in saying that, they deny their own assertion, because saying, 'There is no such thing as absolute truth,' is in itself an absolute statement, so they are claiming an absolute truth at the same time they deny that absolute truth exists.
There are others in our world who will not go so far as to make the foolish claim that there are absolutely no absolute truths, but they will simply claim that it is impossible to truly KNOW the truth. They will claim that the truth is not actually 'knowable.' All in all, this is a very convenient philosophy. It allows us to remain comfortably lazy. After all, why should we search? Why should we dig? Why should we diligently pursue truth once we have conveniently and comfortably deluded ourselves into believing that even if we found it, it would be impossible to know what we had? It's a very convenient lie that is also very comforting to spiritual laziness. After all, a person says to themselves; even if there is such a thing as absolute truth, surely the all-knowing all compassionate God can not and will not hold us accountable for not knowing and not doing what we have conveniently trained ourselves to believe was not able to be known.
This philosophy pretends to be open-minded but in reality it actively denies the truth of Almighty God who rewards those that diligently seek after Him (Isaiah 55:1-7; Hebrews 11:1,6; Proverbs 8:17; Matthew 7:7-8). It denies the truth of Almighty God who reveals Himself in nature and makes Himself known (Romans 1:17-20). It denies the truth that God reveals Himself to those who are willing to obey Him (John 8:31-32; John 14:21; 1 John 2:3-4). The philosophy that the truth cannot be known actually denies Jesus Christ Yeshua the Messiah who IS the living embodiment of the truth (John 14:6). The philosophy that the truth cannot actually be known actively denies a key function of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). This philosophy invokes the wrath of God (Romans 1:18).
The reality is that the truth can be learned. The truth can be known. The real reason that people want to claim the truth cannot be known is that they do not want to be responsible for diligently seeking and learning the truth. They do not want to be accountable for believing the truth. Most importantly, they do not want to be held responsible for obeying the truth once they are confronted with it.
The challenge of our age is that worldly and ungodly philosophies such as this one are infiltrating and becoming an infestation within the congregation of believers. The philosophy that absolute truth cannot be known for example is a key component within the seeker sensitive/emergent church movements which are so popular today. We are overwhelmingly within the age where people are refusing to hold fast the sound doctrine, they are heaping for themselves teachers which tell them what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:1-3; Isaiah 5:20-24; Isaiah 30:9-11; 1 Timothy 4:1)
In this climate where the age of deception is gaining strength, where people are constantly claiming to be receiving prophecies from the LORD; people are forgetting the biblical tests which are required to test whether a prophecy is truly from God or it's not.

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1, HCSB)

“Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22, HCSB)

So We should test Prophesy and Doctrine, but how?

The Biblical Tests of Prophets and Prophecies

Keeping the scriptural mandate in mind, it is critical to remind ourselves of the biblical tests with Scripture requires so that we can tell whether a prophet is truly speaking God's words or not.
1) A true prophet does not lie. His predictions will be fulfilled. (Jer. 28:9, "But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true.")
2) A true prophet prophesies in the name of the Lord, not in his own name. (2 Pet. 1:21, "For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.")
3) A true prophet does not give his own private interpretation of prophecy. (2 Pet. 1:20, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.")
4) A true prophet points out the sins and transgressions of the people against God. (Isa. 58:1, "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.)
5) A true prophet is to warn the people of God's coming judgment. (Examples of judgment such as portrayed in Isa. 24:20, "The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls --never to rise again." and Rev. 14:6, 7, "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth --to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.'").
6) A true prophet edifies the church, counsels and advises it in religious matters. (1 Cor. 14:3, 4, "But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.")
7) A true prophet's words will be in absolute harmony with the words of the prophets that have preceded him. (Isa. 8:20, "To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn."). His prophecies will be in complete agreement with God's Laws and Commandments.
8) A true prophet recognizes the Physical Incarnation and resurrection incarnation of Jesus Christ. (1 John 4:1-3, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.")
9) A true prophet can be recognized by the results of his work. (Matt. 7:16-20, "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.")
10) A true prophet acts in accordance with the will and approval of God. (Deut. 18:19, "If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.")
Let's expand two of the more significant passages above:

Deut. 18:15-22. [Moses said to his people] "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. . . . The LORD said to me: 'What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.' You may say to yourselves, 'How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?' If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him."

Isaiah 8:19-22, "When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness."

 

 

Conclusion:

To summarize, in order to be a true prophet of Almighty God the following things must be firmly in place:
1. The prophet MUST speak in the name of the LORD and NEVER in his own name.
2. The prophets MUST speak the word of the LORD and NEVER give his own private interpretation
3. Absolutely everything that the prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, MUST come to pass as the prophet previously foretold it would (Deuteronomy 18:15-22). If it does not, he is a false prophet, and he is not to be listened to or feared.
4. Absolutely EVERYTHING that the prophet prophesies must be in complete agreement with other prophecies of Scripture, and it MUST also be in complete agreement with the LAW which God gave to Moses. If it does not, the light of dawn is NOT with that prophet or with his prophecy, (Isaiah 8:19-22).
5. God's written Law even trumps and supersedes prophecy. Why do I say that? I said, because Yahweh Almighty God declared it. Even if what a prophet declares comes true, but what he says contradicts the Law that God gave to Moses, we are NOT to follow him. He is a false prophet, which God is using to test us, and we are to follow what God has already said (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).
6.  A key part of what makes us vulnerable to being deceived is the culture of disregarding God's Law, Commandments, and Instructions in the church, because we have believed by tradition of men that Jesus Christ made obeying these things obsolete with His death on the cross. It is this fundamentally false doctrine which has opened many believers and congregations to being greatly deceived. Why do I say that? Years after the resurrection of Messiah, God gave the word to the apostle James:

“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (James 1:21–22, NASB95)

Chronologically speaking the book of James was the first book of the New Testament to be written. So when James was writing to Christians instructing them to be DOERS OF THE WORD and so avoid self-deception, he obviously couldn't have been talking about DOING the New Testament, because there was no New Testament at the time. So when James wrote that we as Christians should be DOERS OF THE WORD, he was specifically instructing us to be doers of the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi. God further used James to tell us that if we did not follow the instructions of the First Writings of the Whole Testament, we would in fact be deceiving ourselves. We open ourselves up to great deception whenever we decide any part of the Word is obsolete, and can be disregarded (Romans 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1-6).
Brother R Michel Lankford