Two Voices

Each of us speaks with two voices.

Most of us have heard of the "voice within the voice." It's a concept in Christianity that indicates that Yahweh can speak to you through another person. Normally I hear it used when talking about when Apostle releases a word. There's always that deeper voice inside of what He is saying to the ecclesia as a whole that is Holy Spirit speaking to me specifically about my life and how He is working in it. It is because of this that each person who listens to a message that Apostle preaches can hear something slightly different, tailor-made just for them. His voice is speaking, but underneath it, the Word of Yahweh is speaking, too. 

The secular world has this concept as well. Usually it is talking about how someone can say one thing but mean another. Sometimes, they don't even realize they're doing it. It's that inner thought that prompts what is spoken. "I like your dress"  might be true, but it might have an underlying thought of "She can make anything look good" or "I wish I were that pretty." Others are less honest, deliberately saying one thing while meaning another. 

There is a verse in Hebrews which says "An oath of confirmation puts an end to all dispute." Another verse says that every matter must be established by two or more witnesses. There are always two voices.

It can be difficult to understand when the two voices don't line up. Many people... or maybe it's just me... find myself confused when what is presented to them at face value--the first voice--and what they sense underneath--the second voice--are not in agreement. If we're lucky, we will realize the source of the confusion and go looking for the truth. If not, we will begin to believe the lie or disbelieve the truth and eventually decide that the "first voice" is not a trustworthy source. 

So it is with religion. Religion's face-value voice says "God loves you" but underneath it tells us that He hates us. Sadly, people begin to disbelieve the truth that Yahweh loves us because they sense the disconnect between the two things religion is telling us. 

Well-meaning Christians are not to blame for the lies of religion. Since the days of Constantine and the beginning of the Roman-Catholic church, religion has been a mixing of the seed. Yahweh's Truth was mixed with pagan ideas and rituals in order to win more converts and escape persecution. The enemy had an inroads then, and he became one voice of the religious church while Yahweh's Truth was the other. As these two voices are dichotomous, it is easy to see the disconnect between the two voices. 

Religion spends all of its time telling us that we are horrible, horrible sinners who deserve Hell and all that's coming to us and that Yahweh only spared us out of His great and infinite mercy and grace. The focus on our sinful state speaks of a contrary concept to Yahweh's unconditional love. People become confused because once we are saved and have received Yahweh's unconditional love, we are no longer sinners. Our hearts are freed and lined up with Yahweh, and when we occasionally make bad decisions, they are temporary mistakes that have already been forgiven. As long as we keep submitting to Holy Spirit and His wisdom and power, Yahweh will help us grow out of these bad decisions. If we are not submitting to Holy Spirit, I would venture to question our salvation at all. 

I understand why well-meaning Christians want to talk about sin, Hell, and salvation. Firstly, it is technically true. We were sinners and Yahweh did save us out of His love and grace. However, once we are saved we should not focus on sin, but focus on the Savior. Secondly, they are trying to knock down pride or any idea that we could have earned salvation, and let me be clear, we cannot earn salvation. They are also trying to ensure that we value Yahweh and all He has given us. Often, they are speaking to people who are not saved and people who are saved at the same time. It can be hard to tell one person in a public setting that he is a sinner who needs salvation and another person in a public setting that he has already been saved so is no longer a sinner.

Nevertheless, religious Christianity has a problem. It is confusing for people as they sense the disconnect between "God loves us unconditionally" and "You should go to Hell for all the evil that you've done, worm." 

It is difficult to mesh the concepts of mercy and justice in the minds of man. It is hard to say, "God loves you unconditionally but does not accept the evil thoughts/actions that you are participating in." People have decided that they are what they do, and this is not true. 

The truth is, "Yahweh loves you unconditionally and therefore He has better things for you than the evil thoughts/actions you are participating in." He wants more for us than we want for ourselves. C. S. Lewis once said that we are far too easily pleased. 

So people are fleeing religion in droves because they sense the disconnect between the two voices of religion. Unfortunately, they are seeking Truth in places that it will not be found. Babylon, the secular world, has nothing better to offer them, but sometimes because it has two voices that are more in sync, it can look appealing. Just because the two voices are in sync doesn't mean they are speaking Yahweh's Truth. Just because two voices are out of sync doesn't mean that one of them is not true. 

We need to discover the Truth and then discover integrity. Integrity means being completely, 100% of a thing. When we have integrity, our two voices are in sync. When we have integrity, one voice is ours and one voice is Yahweh's. An oath of confirmation puts an end to all dispute, and each matter is established. 

Let me be clear again. Yahweh does love you unconditionally. He also does not love sin. There is no disconnect between these two concepts because you are not your sin. This is the very reason He came to save us and, I would venture to say, the definition of salvation. Salvation is when Yahweh came and separated us from our sin. Thus He can destroy sin without having to destroy us, whom He loves. 

Yahweh is love and He loves all that He called into being. This is true, voiced by Yahshua Himself when He died on a cross as confirmation of the original Word that Yahweh spoke when He brought creation into existence: I love you.

So Yahweh became His own voice of confirmation and that ends all dispute.