Uncovering the Manipulation of Christology
For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. (The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), 2 Co 11:4–5.)
2 Corinthians 11:4-5 has something to say to us. The COGR, like the Corinthians, had focused on Jesus in the past, but that has changed. Unfortunately, they succumbed to the temptation to focus on power and self, resulting in heresy. As with all cults, they have been blinded to their error. They plunge ahead, super-apostles bent on destruction.
Listening to the teaching of Ray Tinsman, I realized he was misleading those following him, and he was twisting the meaning of Scripture, and it was clear that Ray Tinsman was presenting a distorted view of Jesus. This is a serious matter.
Much of the COGR’s erroneous teaching involves the diminishing of Jesus and the elevation of the “Apostles.” They have chosen to do this by conflating Jesus with the Church. Because the Apostles are ostensibly the head of the Church, they now speak authoritatively for Jesus because he is now Jesus in the flesh, manifested through them. It is helpful to understand that this is not an innocent error.
One example of Ray Tinsman misleading his congregation occurs in the 2019 Revelation Series. (Video 4-00:31:23:22) Ray Tinsman mentions the Seven Golden Lampstands and reminds people that this is a Revelation of Jesus Christ, which portends where the teaching is headed. He mentions John turning and seeing the lampstands and then emphasizes that Jesus is “in the midst” of the lampstands. He then reemphasizes the apparent mingling of the two. He states, “But really the wording of the revelation shows him a part of in the midst, in the middle, mingled in a part of.”
Is that true, however? It is not. The word “ἐν” (en) means “in” or “among,” indicating location or position. It signifies being within a particular space or context. The word “μέσῳ” (meso) means “midst” or “middle.” It refers to being in the middle of something or among a group of things or people, and it can imply a central or prominent position. So, “ἐν μέσῳ” (en meso) together can be translated as “in the midst of” or “among” to convey the idea of being positioned or situated among a group. Therefore, in Revelation 1:13, the phrase “in the midst of the seven lampstands” indicates that the figure, who is described as “one like a son of man,” is situated among the seven lampstands without being part of them, signifying his presence and authority over the churches.
If John desired to show that Jesus was commingled with the lampstands, he could have used the Greek word μίγνυμι (mignymi). The Greek word μίγνυμι (mignymi) is a verb meaning to be mixed with or to mix in. This word can describe situations where different elements or entities are combined or fused, making distinguishing or separating them difficult. The fact that John did not choose to use this language indicates that he understood the vision of showing Jesus among or in the middle of the lampstands and not mingling with them. No commentator I have read understands Jesus being mixed with the lampstands. Even F.G. Smith, who often sets the tone for COG’s understanding of Revelation, does not support Ray Tinsman.
Ray Tinsman reminds his audience, whom he just misled, this is a revelation of Jesus Christ, but it is not the Jesus of the Trinity. He acknowledges that some people believe they would be the same, but he clarifies that this is false.
That is a problem. The Jesus “of the Trinity” is the one who bears the nature of Jesus, and Jesus cannot be separated from his nature. He is part of the Trinity because there is a unity that does not allow His separation from the Father or the Holy Spirit. We are told he is seated at the Father’s right hand, indicating power and authority. So, who is he if Jesus is not the Jesus of the Trinity? We certainly can’t have two Jesus’, can we? If we have only one Jesus and that Jesus is not the Jesus of the Trinity, what happens with the Trinity? Is the COGR non-Trinitarian? I don’t hear any answer to what seem to be obvious problems. What does seem sure is that we have another Jesus, and this other Jesus is brought to us by Super Apostles. 2 Corinthians 11:4 seems quite applicable.
Ray Tinsman then engages in a teaching exercise, twice asking, “Whom did the people see (Golden Candle Sticks), and who did they hear (Jesus), with the clear implication that Jesus looks like the Candlesticks. The Church then speaks for Jesus, and he follows up on that by pointing out that this vision is who Jesus is now. He is no longer the Jesus of the manger, cross, or resurrection. He is the Jesus of the Lampstands (or church).
Ray Tinsman points out that the passages state that Jesus has the Keys to hell and death. He points out that Peter also has the keys. Since Peter represents the Church, the Church, and Jesus must be the same. However, that is raw speculation. In addition, if one looks at the passages, the keys are different. Jesus holds the keys to hell and death, while Peter is given the kingdom’s key. Ray’s hermeneutic is driven by his need to prove a predetermined theological concept that will elevate the Apostles. He is not seeking to understand Scripture but to manipulate it for his benefit.
He almost immediately conflates Jesus and the church again, saying you cannot separate the Church from Jesus. He quotes Genesis 2:23 in part mentioning bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, but the verse in context doesn’t make his case. In context, it says, “23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” While there is a sense that the fullness of Jesus infuses the church, it is not an organic unity. Jesus is not the church; he infuses the church. The verse from Genesis seems inappropriate. We are not “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” In what sense is that possibly true? God created humankind, and it was other than God. The woman was created out of man, so she had an organic unity with man. Further, how does this apply to the church? The church comprises those who believe in Jesus, who saved them. Jesus is not the church but does infuse the church. Another Brother believes that Ray refers to Ephesians 5:30 when he speaks of the church being Christ’s flesh and bones. But here again, our bodies are only members of Christ when we join Him in a spiritual union (1 Cor. 6:15-17). This union identifies us with Christ, like a marriage relationship identifies a wife with her husband. A wife does not become the personage of her husband when she becomes “one flesh” with him. She is still her person, and her husband is still his person. Yet the wife identifies with her husband if faithful to her marriage covenant. It is the same with Christ and the church. If we remain faithfully united with Him in a spiritual covenant relationship, we are members of Him, of His flesh and bones, but we are not him!
Finally, in this last section, Ray Tinsman concludes with the following quote, “So again, it’s very important, all of you, and especially you young people, to remember, is very important that we understand the blending together of Jesus Christ and the seven golden candlesticks. And what you’re going to find throughout the scriptures it’s going to be a revelation of Jesus Christ in the church, not the second person of the Trinity, not some wild government Powers. It’s going to be Jesus Christ as he is in the seven golden candlesticks.”
The quote in the paragraph above is a good summary of the issue. Ray again degrades the concept of the Trinity and presents Jesus as being merged with the Church. This reinterpretation of both Scripture and theology is meant to develop and reinforce teaching that elevates the position and power of the Apostles while degrading the authority of Jesus. This set the stage for what we currently see. Apostles have become Jesus in the flesh. All of this is, of course, error and heresy.
One of their Apostles earlier explained how they teach. “Tell the people what they should see, and they will see it.” That is quite different from anticipating that people will read the Scripture and come to an accurate understanding of what the Bible itself teaches. Jehovah’s Witnesses are famous for that same approach. They tell their followers what Scripture means, and no deviation is acceptable. It is no different from the COGR.
This is not a group following and elevating Jesus; it is a group presenting error that moves further and further from the truth. If you have any association with the group, isn’t it time to move away from error and embrace Scripture and Jesus? You can do better. Leave. Your salvation isn’t dependent on belonging to the COGR. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Staying may cost the very thing you seek.
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