Seven Unders That Will Put You Over
by Rev. Tony Cooke

Introduction

People are continually looking for that special something that will give them an edge in life. They are looking for an advantage, something that will raise them to a higher level of living. People don’t want to be “under the weather,” “under pressure,” or “under the circumstances.” People want to rise above the challenges and the pressures of life and enjoy God’s blessings and the victory he offers His children.

In Deuteronomy 28:1, Moses told God’s people that if they would diligently obey His voice, and observe carefully all of His commandments, that He would set them on high above all nations of the earth. In verse 13, Moses said, “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.”

Following are seven principles from Scripture that all convey some concept of the term “under.” Each of these, when practiced by the believer, will result in that particular Christian “going over the top!”

1. Stay Under the Shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1-4
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Psalm 17:8 8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of your wings…

Psalm 36:7 7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

Thought: In times of trouble, there is no safer place to be than in the perfect will of God. When situations seem threatening, the believer can look to the protection and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Remember that “the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). Look to God! Remember His promises! Trust in Him at all times!

2. Stay Under Grace.
Romans 6:14-15 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Thought: Grace is not Divine permission to do wrong. Rather, it is Divine empowerment to do what is right! The Christian was never intended to be a slave of sin. The law never game man power to overcome sin. It merely defined sin and revealed to man that he was already a sinner. When God’s grace came through Jesus, it not only liberated man from sins that had already been committed, but it empowered the believer to rise victoriously above not only the penalty, but also the power of sin.

3. Keep Satan Under Your Feet.

Romans 16:20
20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Ephesians 1:22-23 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Thought: The believer should never see himself or herself as being under Satan’s power and dominion. The believer is “in Christ.” The believer is a part of the body of Christ. All things, all powers, all principalities have been conquered by Jesus. They are all under Him. Since we are in Christ, we have authority and dominion over all of Satan’s power through Jesus.

4. Keep Your Flesh Under.
1 Corinthians 9:27

27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Thought: Your body is not evil. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are to present our bodies “a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God.” Paul calls this our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). However, your body was never meant to rule you. Your body is your servant, not your master. In Galatians 5, we see there are two routes we can take as a Christian… we can yield to fleshly dominance or we can yield to our spiritual nature. God has clearly called us to be spiritual, to be governed by the Word of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit. In doing this, we must often keep our body under and bring it into subjection.

5. Stay Under Authority.

Matthew 8:5-13

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Thought: Some people are very rebellious. They don’t want to be submitted to anyone. Even if they put on an appearance of submitting outwardly they continue to carry inward rebellion. Pride and rebellion cause people to be at odds against all types of authority. Being properly submitted to civic leaders, to employers, and to spiritual leaders does not bring bondage. Rather, it brings blessing into the life of a believer.

6. Stay Under the Blood.
Exodus 12:23

23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

1 John 1:7

7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Thought: We should never neglect to be thankful for the continual influence of the blood of Jesus Christ. The old song says, “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.” Another song reminds us that the blood shall never lose its power! While we should strive to live righteously before God, we should never fail to be thankful for the continual cleansing that is available to us through the power of Jesus’ blood.

7. Stay Under the Mighty Hand of God.
1 Peter 5:6

6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

Thought: Augustine said, “There is something in humility which strangely exalts the heart.” In one sense, Christianity is a paradox. We go up by going down. We go over by going under. One who does not trust in God or acknowledge Him may strive relentlessly to reach the pinnacle of success. However, without God’s help, he will ultimately fall. The man who honors God and acknowledges Him in all things will have God’s help, aid, and assistance. Always remember that God is interested in lifting you up. Maintain a humble attitude in all things. Be sure to give God credit and glory for all of the good that comes into your life. Even though your efforts may have been involved in whatever blessings you experience, just remember whose air it was you were breathing while you were working, and remember who gave you the strength, the knowledge, and the gifts to make your success possible!

Conclusion

God wants to put you over in life! He wants you to be the head and not the tail. He wants you to be above and not beneath.

You have a part to play in your position in life. God has told you specific things that you can do in order to be raised up to the level of life He wants you to enjoy.

He instructed each of us to:

1. Stay Under the Shadow of the Almighty.
2. Stay Under Grace.
3. Keep Satan Under our Feet.
4. Keep our Flesh Under.
5. Stay Under Authority.
6. Stay Under the Blood.
7. Humble ourselves Under the Mighty Hand of God.

I know that when we do our part, that God will do His part.

Three Questions Regarding Confession and Forgiveness
Tony Cooke

Last months article—Why You Don’t Have to Confess Sins (You Didn’t Commit)—evoked some questions, and I thought it would be good to address those as a follow-up.

Question 1: If Jesus already died for our sins (past tense) and they’re already forgiven, why would need to confess sins (present tense)?

Answer: Some reject the idea that 1 John 1:9 could indicate a "present tense" or "right now" forgiveness since we were already forgiven 2,000 years ago. However, if you reject 1 John 1:9 as applying to believers on that basis, you really need to be prepared "reassign" to unbelievers other Scriptures as well that point to a "present tense" receiving of forgiveness.

When we talk about a believer receiving forgiveness, we’re not saying that their forgiveness hasn’t already been provided for. However, forgiveness is freshly received, realized, and applied when we appropriate our faith afresh and anew in the light of acknowledged sin.

James 5:15 says, …And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James did NOT say, “he was forgiven 2,000 years ago,” he said “he will be forgiven.” Legally, Jesus paid the penalty for his sins 2,000 years ago, but experientially, the person was receiving forgiveness at that time.

2 Corinthians 7:1 says, Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Again, legally, the cleansing was procured 2,000 years ago. Experientially, we receive it and experience it as we yield to, cooperate with, and trust in God.

Peter’s admonition to Simon indicates that the receiving of forgiveness occurs in the present tense. Keep in mind that Acts 8:13 says, "Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized…”

Acts 8:18-23
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,  
19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!  
21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.  
22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.  
23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” 

Peter did not tell Simon that he was already forgiven, but sternly admonished him to seek God in this matter.

The fact that grace has provided forgiveness does not mean that Christians have automatically received that forgiveness. I believe it’s in this light that John said, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Legally, our sins were forgiveness 2,000 years ago. Experientially, we receive cleansing and forgiveness as needed by faith. This may also be why Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." The price for us to receive mercy was paid for 2,000 years ago. We receive that mercy experientially and progressively by faith.

To me, this is similar to a child being born into a family. He is 100% a child of his parents. He has their DNA, and everything about him is "family." When he’s five years old, he may go out and fall in a mud puddle. That doesn’t make him any less a child of his parents, but he does need a good bath to get the dirt off. 1 John 1:9 is that good bath, and I believe with all of my heart it does apply to Christians.

Question 2: What happens to a Christian who dies with unconfessed sin?

Answer: In one sense, I could answer that by saying, "Who HASN’T died with unconfessed sin?" The purpose of 1 John 1:9 is not to say that if a person committed 324,689 sins in their life, they’d better have confessed every single one of them or they’re not going to heaven. If that were the case, I think heaven is going to be a pretty empty place. Further, if a Christian thinks it’s their job to spend their life on an endless excavation project trying to think of and confess every single thing they’ve ever done wrong, that is a huge misdirection of time and energy, and shows a lack of understanding of both Scripture and God’s plan for our lives.

The confession that brings us into relationship with God is not 1 John 1:9, but Romans 10:9 (…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved). 1 John 1:9—confessing a sin—is not what causes a person to be saved to begin with, and I don’t believe that committing a sin causes a Christian to lose their salvation. James 3:2 says, "We all stumble in many ways…" I’m sure there are many things I’ve done wrong that I’ve forgotten about, and probably several mistakes I’ve made that I was oblivious to. That’s why 1 John 1:7 is so precious. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. "

In "Three Big Words," Brother Hagin spoke of a time when he had inadvertently missed it, and said, "…you see, I was walking in all the light I had, and there was a continual cleansing of the blood for me as I walked in that light. We have all sinned and not realized it, but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin."

I think it’s safe to say that every believer has died with some unconfessed sin in their life, but our faith should not be in our perfection of confessing, but in the perfect work of His mercy and His blood. When a sin is not inadvertent but is known and realized, this is where 1 John 1:9 applies. When I refer to confessing a sin, I’m not talking about dwelling on it, wallowing in it, hashing and rehashing it. I’m not talking about walking in "sin consciousness” as it is often called. I’m simply referring to acknowledging and conceding to the truth of the word—saying what God says about it—and receiving the mercy that God has always had available to us, and moving forward with God.

If I’ve missed it, I don’t confess (acknowledge) it so that God will love me again or so that I can re-gain my salvation. God never stopped loving me, nor had I lost my salvation. Let’s illustrate this with a practical example. Let’s say that Joe Christian is driving down the road. He has trusted Jesus as his Savior, he is born-again, a new creation, etc. As he’s driving down the road, he drops something and takes his eyes off the road as he reaches down to pick it up. When he looks back up, he’s swerved into the other lane and he sees himself heading right into a semi-truck. In the split second before impact, he panics, says a cuss word, and is immediately killed before he has a chance to confess his sin.

Does Joe go to hell because he didn’t have a chance to "make things right" before he died? For whatever my opinion is worth, I say absolutely not. He was a child of God who trusted Jesus as his Savior. His salvation was never based on his perfection or his performance in any way, shape, or form. Confession (being honest with God) is not a last second "delete" button to make sure all of our sins are forgiven right before we die. It is a lifestyle that involves being honest with God, acknowledging truth, receiving his mercy and forgiveness as needed (the very forgiveness He procured for us 2,000 years ago), and moving forward with God.

I am not going to reject the healthy, biblical practice of being honest with God and making adjustments when I’ve missed it just because someone died with unconfessed sin. Likewise, I’m not going to do away with the doctrine of water baptism just because the repentant thief on the cross didn’t have a chance to get water baptized before he died. There are people who turn "confession" into a religious work whereby they are trying to earn something that can only be received by faith, but there are others who want to completely reassign 1 John 1:9 away from believers. I reject both extremes and am endeavoring to walk in (and to teach) a healthy biblical lifestyle that honors God’s word and Jesus’ wonderful redemptive work on our behalf.

Question 3: If a Christian is struggling with sickness, we don’t tell them to confess their sickness, but to confess healing. If a Christian is struggling with lack, we don’t tell them to confess their lack, but to confess abundance. Why, then, would we tell a Christian who has sinned to confess his sin? To be consistent, wouldn’t we tell them to confess their righteousness in Christ?

Answer: If "confess" means to "dwell upon, wallow in, hash and reshash," then I would agree completely that we’ve got a problem. Unfortunately, for some, that’s what confession of sin has meant, especially those that don’t understand their right standing with God based on the grace of God.

However, if "confession" means "to acknowledge, to concede, or to admit"(along with "saying the same thing")—which is what it means—then it makes perfect sense. A sick person usually acknowledges they’re sick before trust God for healing (Mark 2:17). A person dealing with lack usually acknowledges they have need of provision before making a concerted effort to receive provision. A Christian who has sinned, according to 1 John 1:9, acknowledges their fault as they receive forgiveness.

If we look at this domestically, if I offend or hurt my wife in some way, I don’t simply "confess my marriage." Common courtesy and love requires that I say, "Honey, I’m sorry I hurt you." All the while, I can realize that she is my wife, that I have a covenant with her, that we are life partners, etc.

Likewise, if I sin against God, I can acknowledge my error and turn from it, all the while acknowledging that God continues to love me, that I am His child, that I am in covenant with Him based on the blood of His Son.

Acts 19:18-20 says, "…many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed."

Again, confession doesn’t mean wallowing in the problem or not being "righteousness conscious." It simply means that you acknowledge that there’s a problem that needs to be turned from. There’s an old saying that, "You can’t fix a problem you don’t have."

The Apostle Paul wrote the Corinthians a very sharp letter addressing an ongoing problem of sin in their lives, and when they repented, he said to them, "For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:8-10).

If a Christian sins, it is perfectly scriptural and logical to acknowledge it (confess it), turn from it, enjoy the forgiveness of God that was procured 2,00 years ago, and also receive empowerment from the grace of God that teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age" (Titus 2:12). By the way, I’m all for confessing and celebrating our righteousness in Christ, and there are many Scriptures that support that as well.