the Spirit Watch

The "Do Scriptures" Twisted By Gwen Shamblin : An 8 Part Bible Study

Genesis 4:7 and Genesis 6:22 Rightly Divided

By Rev. Rafael D Martinez, Spiritwatch Ministries

Father, thank you for the opportunity to gather again with my brothers and sisters as we seek your Truth in Thy Word. Thank you for visiting us daily, keeping us by your gracious mercy, and for every one of the daily blessings we receive every day, new each morning from your hand. Thank you Jesus ? praised be your Name! As we now consider more of your Word, and contrast it with error, help us see, understand and hide in our hearts Your truth and may you alone be glorified! In your holy Son?s Name above every Name we ask this, amen!

When we first started these Bible studies, we started off to examine all of the so-called “Do Scriptures” of Gwen Shamblin’s twisted theology. The misinterpretations of these Scriptures are used to hammer home her demand for compliance to her views on “total obedience.” These are listed in the WDA Workbook on page 68. We began with these because so many of you wanted them checked out first. They are Genesis 4:7, Genesis 6:22, 1 Kings 11:38a, James 1:22-25, James 2:18b-24, Luke 6:46-49, Mark 3:33-35, John 14:31 and Matthew 7:21-23. We’ve already studied the verses in James and Matthew as well as studied Romans 2:5-8 and Romans 6:1-2 along the way. Some of you brought up how these verses in Romans seemed to fit into Shamblin’s scheme of things concerning this list, so we delved into those briefly.

We’ll be looking at the Genesis scriptures. These are, according to her teaching, a portion of this list of verses in the Bible that are supposed to underscore her foundational teaching on “doing the will of God” as a necessary step to receive salvation and blessing from God.

As we’ve already been seeing, Shamblin’s hermeneutic (method of interpreting the Bible) is one built upon her ability to quote strings of Scripture verses and then stitch them together with anecdotal criticisms clearly meant to undermine any trust of orthodox Christianity. This cunning practice enables her to sound authoritative and Bible-centered even as she avoids any real exposition of Scripture text, thus enabling her to draw an audience with her biting commentary and winsome self reflection presented through the visage of a fashionable and confident woman in control of her destiny. In this study of Genesis 4:7 and Genesis 6:22, we will see even more examples of how “the Prophetess” substitutes her barrages of condemnation for sound intepretation of the Scriptures.

We will simply look into the Scriptures themselves and determine what, if anything, in Gwen Shamblin’s twisted commentary is relevant to a true and balanced interpretation of the verses. Her teachings on “total obedience” are those which Gwen Shamblin quite obviously wants to reinforce here. These verses supposedly are to establish that God expects those who truly fear and love him to “DO” what he requires, an “immediate or on-the-spot obedience.” (WDA Workbook, p. 6 ).

GENESIS 4:7

7        If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

GENESIS 6:22

22        Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

  WHAT GWEN TEACHES ABOUT GENESIS 4:7 AND GENESIS 6:22

(Gwen’s commentary on Genesis 4:7)

Abel did what God wanted him to do. Cain did not. Cain did what he wanted to do. Cain then killed Abel because down deep, he knew he wasn’t going to change first. He would try to change the system of approval first. In other words, change the laws and the grace of God. So he got rid of the person who was ruining the curve on the test. Abel was making the “A” while Cain was failing the test. But now with Abel gone, or so Cain thought, God would curve the test and let him get away with what he wanted to do. But no, God did not change the test. God told Cain that sin is crouching at your door and YOU must master it, and not let it master you. God will not change the approval system like the Bible says “He who does what is right is righteous.” ..

  Yes, Cain will change things. He got rid of the “A” student, but in the end what Cain and all the persecutors found out was that they could not accomplish their goal by killing righteous people. For their blood cried out. The martyrs became even more powerful and their testimonies spoke volumes. Evil people have hate in their heart because they want it both ways. They want God’s approval but they want God’s approval of them as a god, not a man. But take it from me, you can’t have it both ways.  (WDA Video, week 3)

The church run by the Cains of this world seems like the predominant church of the day, and it is the counterfeit church. Many gather each week to praise God and Jesus for ignoring the heart and seeing each person as sinless when each one is living in sin. I would jump up and down if that were true. But it is a lie.? (Rise Above, p. 292).

...  Look for the words “do the will of God”  because it’s only those who do the will of God who will be saved. ..

(Reads Genesis 4:7 and Genesis 6:22 and the other “do” scriptures)

These are just a few of the passages that are found all over the Bible that have always commanded us to put God’s wishes and commands into practice. Only the mockers of God would turn His gospel into a simple mental acknowledgment of his existence. God’s directives are plain to those who want to do it, but it is confusing to those who resist it. If you are still binge eating, overeating, anorexic or indulging in sexual sins, you’re submitting to your own wishes and you’re rebelling against the will of God. You aren’t doing the will of God. Please heed the call of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who warns you that the only people who will enter the Kingdom of heaven are the people who “do the will of my Father in heaven.” (WDA Video, week 3)

Shamblin makes several observations here which define her view of what went on in the contention between Cain and Abel, which resulted in God’s rebuke, and Cain’s subsequent murder of his own brother. From her perspective, the implications stemming out of what she sees are entirely applicable to the spiritual needs of man today.

God rebuked Cain over his disobedience and rebellion against God’s commands to do good and not evil and to resist the pressure to sin. It was Cain’s subsequent twisting of what God set forth as his “approval system” that was the great sin of Cain. This “system” God established was based on the simple “law” of blessings for obedience and rebuke for disobedience, a system she likened to a test which could be “curved,” and one which Cain clearly failed at.

So, to beat the system, Cain rebelled against it’s clear provisions of “doing” well and in so doing, tried to change the rules God set forth that would have brought him condemnation. To Shamblin, Cain’s rebellion was an embracing of self-deification, of becoming a god over his own life. It resulted in his adoption of a hateful spirit that rejected God’s commands and led him to murder Abel. This has been echoed in the passion of godly martyrs across time. Murder is the fruit of Cain’s disobedience, of his desire to sow to his fleshly desire for self-will and not obedience to God. And at the bottom of this murderous mindset is a profound hate for the godly example of obedience and self-control.

Cain’s example has been emulated throughout history, and is seen in the towering apostasy of the “counterfeit church” that teaches all affiliated with it that they are sinless, that they can do what they choose to do, and that obedience is a legalism to be rejected and even hated. Such a rebellious attitude has led millions into the kinds of sinful behavior and lifestyle choices such as overeating, anorexia, and superficial changes of everything but the heart. All of this has come about in the Babylonian church due to the rejection of God’s fundamental principle of “doing” His will to find His approval, which, to Shamblin is what defines what true grace really is.

GENESIS 4:7 AND GENESIS 6:22 RIGHTLY DIVIDED

The most obvious feature of Shamblin’s writing and speaking here is her ferocious attack on her perception of the church as counterfeit. It is an unrelenting presentation of the Christian church as demonic and reprobate, painting with broad black and white brushstrokes a polarizing picture that presumes that all members are hypocrites, all preaching is false and idolatry of every sort can be found. You have to be able to look past her almost fanatical hatred of the Church to get to the core truth she sets forth hat is easily lost in the midst of her rhetorical barrage.

I couldn’t find anything in print on Shamblin’s interpretation on Genesis 6:22, and we will discuss that in context here in a moment. Our study of the one verse of Genesis 4:7 here is what we will look at. But one thing is certain: it truly amazes me how much rhetorical mileage Gwen Shamblin tries to get through the one passage of Scripture here. As I have said, that is in keeping with her warped hermeneutic. We'll address the last Scripture first.

Genesis 6:22 reads in the NIV that "Noah did everything just as God commanded him." This is, of course, recounting the obedience that Noah exhibited as he faithfully pursued God's commands. His example of obedience was plainly evident by his persistent course of action he took in light of God’s revelation that He was to destroy the world (Gen. 6:11-21). The reason why Shamblin raises the issue is, of course, quite obvious. Since personal righteousness is based upon personal deed, the parallel she wants to establish is between the example of Noah’s obedience and the compulsory obedience she is requiring of WDW participants to what she thinks IS the “will of God.” She wants her disciples to liken unhesitant commitment to her “Bible teaching” with the same kind of steadfast obedience to God’s commands that Noah exhibited. It’s a simple, yet effective way to urge those with wavering wills to adhere to “the message” no matter what: Noah did what God told him to do - wouldn’t you want to do the same?

The attention given to the deeds of Noah, if we are to believe Shamblin, is that his obedience (his “doing”) should be the chief focus, but that is not the case at all. This is a very important point to bear in mind. There are two subjects of the verse, both God and Noah, and that point alone brings an entirely different perspective on the Genesis account of Noah’s obedience. It would completely challenge Shamblin’s spin on the story of Noah that she uses to support her “do” theology.

Reading Genesis 6:8, we find summarized the central truths of the story:

Genesis 6:6-8

6        The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

7        So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-- men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air-- for I am grieved that I have made them."

8        But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Noah, it is said, “found favor” in God’s sight in the midst of a wicked and corrupt planet. The KJV observes plainly that “Noah found GRACE” in the sight of God. Without God’s grace, Noah would have been among the thousands who died in the Flood. The point of the story of Noah and the ark he built is not what Noah did as much as what God Himself did as the earth teetered on the brink of global destruction. He chose to show undeserving kindness and mercy to Noah by his explicit warning to Him that He would punish the ungodly world order by its destruction.

This is what Peter, in writing about Noah’s salvation through the Ark, was referring to when he wrote that “the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment” in 2 Peter 3:9. It is God’s mercy that saves us, not what we do. In the day of wrath, God will always spare the righteous at his merciful initiative and lovingkindness.

The issue then centers upon God’s mercy - not our “doing” anything. By my asserting this, I am not saying that we are free from responsibility to live in an upright and holy manner (and that is just what Shamblin would complain about those who don’t “get it”, leading people to a “false grace” easy-believeism that makes no demands on you). I am simply pointing out just what the focus of the Scripture is - not man’s feeble efforts, but God’s divine power. As Gwen might say, in this case, it really isn’t all about us .. it is God’s mercy alone that spares and blesses us.

And Hebrews 11:7 then shows how Noah responded to the warning of God of a judgment to come: in so doing, we learn about just what it was in the heart, mind and soul of Noah that turned him to embrace over a century of hard labor and harder preaching: “BY FAITH Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. BY HIS FAITH he condemned the world and became heir of the RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES BY FAITH.” Again, the wonderful concept of purifying righteousness that comes through FAITH is again upheld by the example of Noah himself! How wonderful to see God’s Word come alive! Again, we see the heart of the grace that Noah found in the sight of God came from God Himself, a grace that rescued him out of the depths of a doomed planet.

Noah’s response was to actively BELIEVE God and TRUST in His counsel. It was THEN that he decisively acted upon his faith by an obedience that we are all quite familiar with. Noah went on to build the vast Ark, provisioning it for the care of every living animal on the earth all the while preaching to the wicked for over a century, awaiting the time of judgment. What we must pay close attention to is not any of Shamblin’s short-sighted obsession with what Noah “did,” but what Noah first BELIEVED which led him to then act. Faith preceded the obedience, and the writer of Hebrews very intentionally pointed to faith as what moved Noah to take the stand he did.

So therefore, while part of the focus of Genesis 6:22 is rightfully highlighting Noah’s obedience, it would be a grave mistake to overlook God’s central role behind the blessings of obedience, and to fail to realize that Noah’s faith in God made him righteous, not his obedient works, which were a practical outworking of that same faith.

GENESIS 4:7

7        If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

We begin here with the words uttered by Yahweh, in all of his glorious and convicting presence, in direct confrontation with the rebellious rage of Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. In verses 3-4 of Genesis 4, we read that Cain and his younger brother Abel began to make offerings to God, the first ones recorded in Scripture that were sacrificed to Him. These were acts of worship rendered that resulted in two sadly different outcomes.

God’s response was to look with favor upon Abel’s offering while he apparently was displeased with Cain’s. Cain’s anger was quite evident in his downcast features, so much so that God had to challenge him to consider just why he was so angry and his face so crestfallen. His reaction to God’s displeasure wasn’t one of humility, repentance or conviction. It was a rage smudged with a self-pitying pride, one that was evident in his body language. The rebuke God Himself gave to Cain establishes a very clear principle that is easy to understand but which can require a lifetime to master in our lives: obedience to God requires that we willfully commit to doing what He has commanded us at all times.

And his offering then became a direct affront to God’s holiness and Lordship since it was coming not out of obedient love and worship, but out of a spirit of rebellious self-righteousness. I have heard much speculation over what made his offering unacceptable to God. One perspective points out that the offering of vegetables from the earth instead of the animal sacrifice that Abel offered displeased the Lord because he had commanded a blood sacrifice (a foreshadowing of the atonement of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice of sin prophesied to their parents) and Cain instead offered something from the earth He had already cursed. One thing is for certain: over God’s clear commands, Cain boldly made his offering religiously, but not in true faith. Such arrogant presumption displeased God enough that He would not accept it.

Verse 7 then spells out the Lord’s direct rebuke we read of here. He chastises Cain for his sinful disobedience and reminds him that if he would only master his rebellious sinfulness and do what He commanded of him, he would be acceptable in His sight. Again, God’s doorway of grace as extended to sinful Cain is wide open. Had he made the offering in faith and purity of heart, God would’ve accepted it, but Cain’s sin is described as a crouching predator seeking to capture and possess him. Yahweh’s command that Cain master himself makes clear that the struggle was within his ability to tackle.

But Cain instead gave in to a sinful impulse that led him to offer up a sacrifice God refused to receive. His disobedience revealed the true nature of Cain’s heart and motives, which was what God was most concerned with. And Cain was unconcerned with following God’s direction and attempted to establish as pleasing before Him a religious rite that wasn’t based upon obedience to Him. The offerings for such a twisted spirituality based upon self-will were defiled by this sin, and God would have nothing to do with them. Instead, he rebuked Cain in this memorable admonition.

In the writings of the Hebrew patriarchs, scribes, prophets and psalmists who brought forth the Old Testament, this literary device of contrasts is used frequently again and again (read Psalms 1 and see how there is the contrast between the righteous and the wicked as an example). And at this terrible time in human history, this is the first time that the Bible records such a contrast. It is the result of the fall that Genesis 3 had recorded, a consequence of the rebellion of Adam and Eve and such a consequence that needed to be remembered.

And in this verse, as in Genesis 6:22, God is making abundantly clear to us that if we will but do as He commands that His mercy and grace will be extended to us. But this is a mercy that comes out of HIS prerogative, HIS mercy, HIS goodness and HIS forebearance. And the writer of Hebrews describes Abel’s pure worship in the same terms as Noah’s exploits as nothing less than an act of absolute trust and adoration of God. Prompted by faith made manifest through his works, Abel became an example we should follow, but not in the way Shamblin would have us commemorate him: let that unknown writer of Hebrews describe it in typically concise yet profound terms: “By FAITH Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By FAITH he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by FAITH he still speaks, even though he is dead.” (Heb 11:4 NIV)

Hallelujah! No matter how much Gwen Shamblin wants us to see these verses as compelling a theology of “doing? that she is so sure will render one righteous before God, His Words will not allow it, and she cannot get around this. God’s holy Word is plainer than the noonday sun: no human instrumentality apart from simple faith in His merciful call to believe upon His Son will render us righteous. While our obedience is vital, it is simply a response to His mercy and grace that in and of itself can never sanctify or purify. Only our setting apart God’s commands in our lives will bestow the beauty of HIS holiness, his imputed righteousness bought at Calvary, upon us. No proscribed manner of eating, drinking, speaking, company-keeping, dressing, talking or acting will do so. The Glory of God will not admit to anything else.

So the examples of Noah and Abel are meant to help us see one thing, according to the writer of Hebrews: it is God’s unbound and astonishing mercy that we can come to in Christ for the healing of our sin-sickened souls that we must throw ourselves upon. It is far easier to simply hear the Word of God on this than live a life of driven compliance to standards of living meant to keep you on an endless treadmill of “doing” that can never purify or sanctify or save. It is the height of self-deception in the light of God’s Word to declare yourself free of sin, free of the idolatries of worldly passions and impulses, only to find yourself nevertheless submitting to newer and deeper levels of tortuous self-examination and shaming meant to help you “get it,” only to find you still aren’t pure enough.

That’s what we are meant to see in Genesis 4:7 and 6:22, not that our “doing” brings us God’s acceptance and grace, but our faith in His promise that we act upon in well doing that brings forth a harvest of praiseworthy glorification of God in Christ by the Spirit – through our very lives!

IMPLICATIONS

Gwen is RIGHT when she places attention on our need to ensure that our language backs up our lifestyle and that we follow through with doing what we know should be done to please God.

Gwen is WRONG when she keeps insisting that “doing” saves, that “obedience” in and of itself apart from faith in Jesus alone has the power to cleanse and sanctify.

Gwen is RIGHT when she reckons that actions and deeds (“doing”) are vital clues to where we are spiritually.

Gwen is WRONG when she compactly reinterprets this “doing” to being the only way to tell that one is in what she calls a “total obedience to God” that clearly separates just who is in “the great prostitute church” and the “Remnant.”

And Gwen is RIGHT to point out that the Lordship of Jesus commands us to live soberly in an world of ease and compromise.

But Gwen is WRONG when she presumes to speak of the Body of Christ as the Great Prostitute and reckon Remnant Fellowship in a perfection that cannot be compared to any other “restoration” anywhere else: if Remnant is so perfect, why the eager and endless hunt, discovery and renunciation of idols among so many in her group?

  I am getting right to work on the next study, Mark 3:33-35 .. so I hope this study really does contribute to your decompression from the RF bends you may still be struggling with. I hope to have that done later this week. As I said, I am committing to focusing my energies on this. Please pray for me that God enable me, with the mad schedule I have, to continue to present these studies to you to be a blessing and encouragement for you.

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