The Doctrine of Blackout and Scar Tissue of the Soul.
Point 1. Introduction
It is an unfortunate reality that the majority of believers today are out of fellowship while living and functioning in a world of darkness, not of the physical realm but of the spiritual. It is a darkness that does not blind the believer from truth, but instead robs him of the power to operate or function in that truth. It is interesting to note that Satan, the god of this world, prior to the restoration of the earth could not operate or function when he was in total darkness; yet he expects the believer out of fellowship to operate and function in the darkness of his interlocking systems of arrogance.
The physical eye cannot function in the dark until it has time to adjust to that darkness, and then it is limited to only what it can see. The soul of the believer out of fellowship also adjusts to the darkness of Satan’s cosmic system. This soul can see and acknowledge doctrinal truth, but it is limited in that it has no power to practice or apply this truth.
1 John 1:6, If we say that we have fellowship with Him [God the Father] and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
The soul of the believer in fellowship, on the other hand, adjusts to the light of the predesigned plan of God. He can see and receive the truth, but the difference between him and the carnal believer comes through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. For the believer in fellowship, doctrine is learned and metabolized in the right lobe of the soul and is ready for application. In addition, the believer who is functioning in God’s predesigned plan has fellowship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:5, 7 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another,
1 John 1:3, What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
As long as the believer resides and functions inside the predesigned plan of God, he has fellowship with God and is enabled by the Holy Spirit to receive and metabolize Bible doctrine plus apply that doctrine to his life. But when the believer falls prey to the temptations of the old sin nature and continues to live and function in a state of carnality without naming and citing his sins to God the Father, 1 John 1:9, he is thereby saying NO to the Word of God and NO to the daily study of Bible doctrine. Having stepped out of the light and into the darkness of the cosmic system, the believer has gone from a simple state of carnality to being enveloped by the blackness of Satan’s system, a complete and total turnaround. God the Holy Spirit has made it clear that there is a distinct contrast between the light of God’s predesigned plan and the darkness of Satan’s cosmic system.
1 John 1:5-7, This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
How many times have you banged your toe in the dark, or hit your shin on the dresser or coffee table before your eyes were adjusted to the darkness? As you stumble your way through the dark, tripping and stubbing night after night, after a while you start to develop calluses. The soul of the believer is no different. After continuously stumbling around in the darkness of the cosmic system, the soul begins to develop something similar. The right lobe, or the thinking part of the soul, starts to harden or petrify when the volition of the believer turns negative toward God’s Word or toward studying doctrine on a daily basis. This is found in the Greek noun porosis in Mark 3:5 and in Ephesians 4:18.
Mark 3:5, After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness [porosis] of heart [right lobe], He [Jesus Christ] said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
Ephesians 4:17-18, So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness [porosis] of their heart [right lobe];
It is this darkness and hardness of the heart referred to in Ephesians 4:17-19 that we are focusing our attention on. We call this darkness and hardness blackout and scar tissue of the soul.
Point 2. Definition and Description
Blackout of the Soul.
Blackout of the soul is that state of mind in which the carnal believer continually rejects the grace function of naming his sins to God the Father, 1 John 1:9, and ignores the mandates to listen, learn, think and apply Bible doctrine on a daily basis. The constant flow of negative volition toward doctrine, along with the continuation of carnality, causes a vacuum to open up in the left lobe of the soul. This vacuum draws in false doctrinal concepts from the cosmic system.
Ephesians 4:17-18 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility [vacuum]of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart [right lobe];
The Greek word for vacuum is matatiotes, which in this text refers to emptiness or a void in the left lobe of the soul. This void draws in false concepts contrary to the Word of God. These concepts are referred to as doctrines of [from] demons, as in 1 Timothy 4:1(b). Satan’s demons function in this vacuum as communicators of evil and distributors of the fiery darts of doubt. In this way the dark modus operandi of the cosmic system is transferred into the darkness, or blackout, of the soul of the believer. If not treated, blackout of the soul will spread like a disease and result in the right lobe disorder referred to as scar tissue of the soul. There is generally a logical retrogression in which blackout of the soul precedes scar tissue of the soul, or is coterminous with it. What blackout of the soul is to the left lobe, which is the mind, scar tissue of the soul is to the right lobe, which is the heart. It all begins with what goes into the mind and then it ends up with a heart that becomes hardened toward the things of God.
Scar Tissue of the Soul.
Scar tissue or hardness of the heart is the next logical step in the mindset of a believer or unbeliever who is perpetuating his state of carnality in the cosmic system.
Ephesians 4:18 Being darkened [scar tissue of the soul] in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness [porosis] of their heart [right lobe];
The Greek word porosis means to petrify, to harden, to render stupid, to become callous, and to cause blindness.
Hardness of the heart is to become stubborn, obstinate and callous toward God and toward learning Bible doctrine. You want to do it your way and not God’s way. It is becoming stiff-necked in arrogance and not allowing Bible doctrine to provide you with the flexibility needed to live the Christian way of life. While negative volition toward the things of God can cause the left lobe of the soul to be blacked out, scar tissue will eventually blind the right lobe and render the believer stupid, becoming a spiritual moron and a loser in the predesigned plan of God.
1 John 2:11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Scar tissue of the soul has a detrimental effect on every part of the soul. The reason is because involvement in the cosmic system always stimulates the emotions. Therefore, scar tissue of the soul results in loss of perceptive ability in the frame of reference. A believer with scar tissue of the soul can listen to Bible doctrine every day and still react and remain in ignorance. In his memory center, he forgets what doctrine he has learned and therefore cannot apply doctrine. His momentum is stopped and he is taken captive by the kingdom of darkness. In his vocabulary storage, all technical language related to perception and application is gradually destroyed. In his categorical storage, scar tissue of the soul destroys categorical doctrinal understanding, such as the rationales used in the faith-rest drill. Scar tissue of the soul destroys the norms and standards related to the different categories of truth, thus wiping out the conscience.
The loss of norms and standards motivates the believer to function under the plan of Satan. Scar tissue of the soul is also a guarantee of the destruction of true love. Personal love cannot survive without the integrity of impersonal love. Therefore, scar tissue of the soul is that spiritual disorder of involvement in the cosmic system resulting in total loss of momentum, and eventuating in the most awful discipline from God. In addition, there are numerous illustrations in Scripture of unbelievers who departed from this life unsaved because of scar tissue of the soul. One example is Amenhotep II, the Pharaoh of the Exodus, whose heart was hardened through consistent rejection of the salvation message he received from Moses and Aaron, Exodus 7:22, 8:15, 8:32, 9:34.
The Jews of Our Lord’s day followed the same pattern. They rejected Jesus as the Messiah, despite overwhelming evidence of His identity, which was clearly revealed in His messages, John 7:46; in His fulfillment of prophecy, John 1:45; and in His miracles, Mark 6:52, John 12:37. Their own stubborn negative volition blinded them to the truth, and instead of accepting grace, the Jews continued to bow down to the human works of religion. They chose the darkness of Satan’s cosmic system over the light of John 12:36.
Point 3. Relationship between Blackout of the Soul and Scar Tissue of the Soul
This is also found in Ephesians Chapter 4 as previously mentioned. A better translation would be as follows: Ephesians 4:17-19 (corrected translation) Therefore, I explain this and make an emphatic demand by means of the Lord, that you no longer walk as Gentiles walk, in the vacuum of their mind [blackout of the soul], having become darkened in their understanding [scar tissue of the soul], having been alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the scar tissue of their right lobe. And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
For the unbeliever, negative volition toward the laws of establishment and the salvation work of Jesus Christ on the cross will set up the vacuum of the mind that brings darkness or blackout to the soul. For the believer, it is negative volition toward the daily perception and application of Bible doctrine. As the darkness spreads and cosmic thinking begins to infiltrate into the right lobe, the heart becomes hardened or callused. Scar tissue has now formed in the soul. And the believers in this state are actually excluded from the life and plan of God because they have entered and advanced into the various stages of reversionism. The growth of scar tissue then is directly related to how far the blackout of the soul has advanced. The more the soul is enveloped into darkness, the more scar tissue is formed. The more scar tissue is formed, the more the soul of the believer is motivated toward moral or immoral degeneracy. Scar tissue of the soul precedes that degeneracy.
This is why Ephesians 4:19 says, And they, having become callous [calloused, scar tissue of the soul], have given themselves over to sensuality for [licentiousness, resulting in] the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness [immorality and insatiable lust].
Scar tissue of the soul is motivation and function of both moral and immoral degeneracy. Three categories of immorality are referred to in this passage. The first is normal immorality, which includes adultery or fornication. Adultery is defined as the voluntary sexual intercourse of a married person with someone other than his or her spouse. Fornication is voluntary sexual intercourse between unmarried persons. Abnormal immorality is also in view here and that includes homosexuality, which is sexual activity between individuals of the same sex, incest, which is intercourse between members of the same family, voyeurism, which is sexual titillation from observing the sexual acts of others, and masturbation, which is sexual self-gratification. Criminal immorality is also in view and includes rape, which is forcing a person to have sex against his or her will, pederasty, which involves an adult male having sex with an underage boy, molestation, which is the sexual abuse of children, bestiality, which is sexual relations between human beings and animals, and finally, necrophilia, which is erotic attraction to or having sex with a corpse. Only the problem solving devices of the predesigned plan of God can solve the issues of immoral degeneracy.
Point 4. The Divine Commission Regarding Scar Tissue
Throughout the Scripture the believer is given two commands: (1) reside and function inside the predesigned plan of God, living the Christian way of life in bounds and on the playing field; and (2) stop loving the cosmic system and the ways of the world. 1 John 2:15, Do not love the world [cosmic system] nor the things in the world. If anyone loves [keeps loving] the world [cosmic system], the love of the Father [personal love toward God, impersonal love toward man] is not in him.
2John 8-9, Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what [momentum] we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far [out of bounds] and does not abide in the teaching [doctrine] of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching [doctrine], he has both the Father and the Son.
We are commanded to walk or function in the predesigned plan of God and not in the darkness of the cosmic system.
2John 6, And this is [virtue] love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it [predesigned plan of God].
1 John 1:6, If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
We are told to reside in the sphere of His love and not participate in the ccosmic system.
John 15:10(a) “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love [reside in the sphere of the predesigned plan of God];
Ephesians 5:11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness [cosmic system], but instead even expose them;
We are told to keep on being strong by means of the predesigned plan of God and Bible doctrine.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Point 5. Causes for Blackout and Scar Tissue of the Soul
The Ten Commandments are usually all that the common Christian adheres to for the dos and don’ts in his life. However, this is not what the Bible teaches. There are hundreds of mandates and commands in the Word of God. To go against any one of them is a sin that can only be corrected by naming and citing it to God the Father and making correct decisions from a position of strength inside the predesigned plan of God. Continuous sinning against any of these mandates results in our topic, scar tissue and blackout of the soul. To do a complete and thorough job listing the causes for scar tissue would involve a detailed study of the subject of sin. So we will concentrate on two of the main causes – bitterness and jealousy. According to the Word of God, bitterness is a serious problem that we should do all in our power to avoid. A close companion of bitterness is jealousy; these two often go hand in hand. When a believer allows bitterness and jealousy to fester either inwardly or overtly, they act as an infection, poisoning every facet of the right lobe and causing self-induced misery. Then, through sins of the tongue, the believer spreads the infection to others.
Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
According to the Word of God, bitterness is a serious problem that we should do all in our power to avoid. A close companion of bitterness is jealousy; these two often go hand in hand. When a believer allows bitterness and jealousy to fester either inwardly or overtly, they act as an infection, poisoning every facet of the right lobe and causing self-induced misery. Then, through sins of the tongue, the believer spreads the infection to others.
Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
One of the foremost characteristics or side effects of this infection is a complaining attitude. A bitter, jealous believer complains about everything, making himself and everyone around him miserable. What does it actually mean to become bitter? Bitterness is an expression of disappointment and misery toward one’s life. It means to be sarcastic or caustic because of painful inward affliction and deep mental pressure or pain. Bitter people cannot have satisfaction in any system of values, nor can they have peace in any type of human relationship. The Bible teaches that bitterness results in hatred, cruelty, antagonism, implacability, vindictiveness, vengefulness and inordinate ambition. The Greek noun pikria refers to animosity, jealousy, hostility, harshness and anger. The basic word for bitterness in the Hebrew of the Old Testament is marah, which means angry discontentment or angry frustration; it also means to poison with a painful, piercing irritation.
A Biblical example of a cause for bitterness is God’s nation Israel. The Israelites were at times a stubborn and obstinate people that often fell under the firm hand of divine discipline; this was especially true of the southern kingdom of Judah. Their reaction to this chastisement was to become bitter, which further confirmed their weakness and failure as a people. Soon they were a nation in complete disarray with no spiritual backbone and no moral compass. This raises a question: Did bitterness cause the nation to crumble or did the nation become bitter because it crumbled? Actually the answer is, the bitterness came first. The people were unhappy and bitter, and as a result their spiritual lives were destroyed. This destruction of the spiritual life resulted in very few spiritual champions being developed, which in turn resulted in divine discipline manifested by Israel being led into captivity.
2 Kings 14:26 For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, which was very bitter; for there was neither bond nor free, nor was there any helper for Israel.
The nation of Israel brought upon themselves their own destruction, and it was because of their own bitterness. They refused to heed the many warnings of God to name their sins and live righteously. They continually ignored divine teaching, to instead follow their own destructive path. As a result, they chafed under the discipline of the Lord, thus causing themselves misery and suffering. The disasters they had to endure were the direct result of the bitterness that developed in their souls. People of God who do not have a relationship with Him as their number one priority in life cannot understand doctrinal principles, and as a result, they often cannot see that God uses suffering to wake them up and get them back on course. If their reaction to this discipline is bitterness, they are doomed to destruction.
Deuteronomy 32:24 They will be wasted by famine, and consumed by plague and bitter destruction;
An example of Israel’s negative reaction toward the reprimand of the Lord can be found in the writings of Jeremiah, who was instructed by God to give a stern message of admonition to the people of Israel.
Jeremiah 2:19 “Your own wickedness will correct you, and your apostasies will reprove you; know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God, and the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord God of hosts.
Jeremiah 4:18 “Your ways and your deeds have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!” [declares the Lord]
What was the response of the Jews to these reprimands? They reacted with bitterness, which caused them to ridicule Jeremiah and the message that he gave. The people chose to reject the message from God and therefore, bitterness filled their souls. Their minds and right lobes had become scarred as a result of their disrespect toward God. In frustration they made up derogatory songs, saying Jeremiah has “filled our lives with bitterness”.
Jeremiah 3:14 I [Jeremiah] have become a laughingstock to all my people, their [mocking] song all the day.
The application of this lesson for our lives today is the inevitable principle that when Bible doctrine is taught by your right pastor-teacher and rejected, there is going to be a reaction of bitterness in the soul. Following are other illustrations from the Scriptures of the negative response that Israel displayed toward God and His Word:
2 Kings 17:14 However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.
Nehemiah 9:16-17 But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly; they became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments. They refused to listen, and did not remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them;
Jeremiah 17:23 “Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction,”
Jeremiah 19:15 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to heed My words.”
Closely associated with the poison of bitterness are the problems of arrogance and self-absorption. In fact, bitterness and arrogance are simply two sides of the same coin. Arrogance is born from an inordinate preoccupation with self, and people who become preoccupied with self inevitably become bitter, jealous and vengeful. Once bitterness, arrogance and self-absorption are in the soul, self-deception and self-justification are following closely behind. The believer in this state has these three arrogance skills circulating in his soul and becomes locked in a deadly cycle of pride. An example of this lethal combination is recorded for us in the story of the Apostle Peter and Simon the sorcerer.
Acts 8:9-23 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great; and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God,” and they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
Simon passed himself off as a spiritual giant and a person who could do great wonders on behalf of others. However, when he saw the power and effectiveness of Peter’s ministry, he became filled with bitterness and jealousy. Peter noticed the symptoms immediately and issued a stern warning to Simon that is recorded in verses 20 through 22. Why was Simon jealous and bitter? Because people were leaving his sideshow and going to hear the Apostles teach the real truth. He was not interested in people hearing and receiving the truth; he was only interested in himself, and in being the center of attention.
The book of James also gives us a wonderful lesson regarding bitterness and its opposite number, positive mental attitude.
James 3:13-16 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
Verse 13 exhorts us to let our behavior be motivated by the Bible doctrine that is resident within our souls. Verse 14 is the stern warning against bitterness and jealousy. It means that if you harbor these emotions you deny the truth. Don’t let the lie created by Satan and his cosmic system infiltrate your heart, the place where you do your thinking. This attitude of bitter jealousy is not from above, but is earthly and demonic. It is the thinking of Satan, and he will do all in his power to promote this mindset within as many weak-minded believers as he can.
Bitterness can also be a form of blasphemy as is taught in the book of Job.
JOB 9:17-18 For He bruises me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause. He will not allow me to get my breath, but saturates me with bitterness.
Job was allowing himself to become bitter because of the severe test that God asked him to endure. As is so often the case, this bitterness led to complaining, which is simply the outward manifestation of an inward sin. Bitter people love to complain. Job’s blasphemy occurred when he accused God of wounding him without cause. God would never do such a thing, since everything He asks us to endure is ultimately for our own good and His glory. There was a great purpose to Job’s rigorous testing; he was being entered into the appeal trial of Satan as a witness for God. But Job was being too shortsighted to see the real purpose behind his trial; he only saw the immediate discomfort. He was so disoriented that he blamed God for his problems, saying, “Why did God allow this to happen to me?” When a person reaches this point in his thinking, bitterness is right around the corner. If permitted to continue unchecked, bitterness could lead to insanity and then eventually to the sin unto death.
Once bitterness, jealousy and complaining are manifest in the life of a believer, the offense of gossiping is almost sure to follow.
Psalms 64:2-4 Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, from the tumult of those who do iniquity, who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrow, to shoot from concealment at the blameless; suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.
In this passage, bitterness is revealed by sins of the tongue. This passage teaches us that bitterness leads to gossip, maligning and judging. Since bitter people never take responsibility for their own decisions, they resort to running others down, and the result is destroyed relationships, friendships and even marriages. Bitterness can spread like wildfire through a local assembly if it is not nipped in the bud. Bitter people encourage one another in their evil purpose. They develop plans and conspiracies as they talk of laying secret snares. To conceal their intentions they scheme behind the scenes, plotting how to destroy the objects of their bitterness.
Psalms 64:5-6 They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, “Who can see them?” They devise injustices, saying, “We are ready with a well-conceived plot”; for the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.
Psalms 64:7-9 tells us how God deals with such evildoers: But God will shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly they will be wounded. So they will make him stumble; their own tongue is against them; all who see them will shake their head. Then all men will fear, and they will declare the work of God, and will consider what he has done.
Grace orientation, doctrinal orientation, and bitterness cannot co-exist. Bitterness is one of the quickest ways to destroy one’s spiritual life. The sure way to keep oneself from the curse of bitterness is to stay with Bible doctrine and the principles of God’s grace.
Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
It is important to understand the wonders of grace, especially as they relate to rebound and recovery. There is nothing you can do that will shock God or cause Him to forsake you. So when you mess up, take advantage of God’s great mercy and recover the filling of the Holy Spirit through naming and citing your sins. Don’t get down and don’t get discouraged, and if God uses discipline to prod you back onto the straight and narrow, thank Him for His love and concern. Always remember that God’s grace and love are ever available to deliver us from the bondage of bitterness.
The arrogance of bitterness and jealousy along with all other unconfessed sin will force the believer into prolonged residence and function inside the cosmic system. And the continuous negative volition toward 1 John 1:9 and the daily perception, metabolization and application of Bible doctrine has placed the left lobe of the soul into total darkness. With the left lobe of the soul now blacked out, the matatiotes vacuum is now formed and false concepts from the cosmic system are drawn into it. These false concepts or doctrines from demons are now accepted as true, and Bible doctrine is rejected. The rejection of Bible doctrine has now caused the believer to become stubborn, obstinate and callous toward any perception and application of doctrine, and his right lobe has become hardened with scar tissue. As the effects of blackout of the left lobe increase, scar tissue on the right lobe also increases, which eventually overlaps and causes both lobes of the soul to be blacked out and laden with scar tissue.
Point 6. Scar Tissue of the Soul is the Enemy of Evangelism
2 Peter 2:22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, to wallowing in the mire.”
The unbeliever functions inside the cosmic system and eventually hears the gospel. However, he rejects the gospel like the dog returning to his vomit. This phenomenon is the function of scar tissue of the soul. The convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit pulls the unbeliever out of the cosmic system for the moment. They hear the gospel outside of the cosmic system. If they say no to the Gospel, they go back into the cosmic system and the latter stage is worse than the first.
Scar tissue of the soul is what motivated Judas in Matthew 27:3-10. After so many chances at salvation, he finally went to the ultimate in arrogance, suicide. The scar tissue built up in his soul until he expressed it in maximum arrogance. Blackout of the soul and scar tissue of the soul combine to reject all forms of truth. In 2 Peter 2:22, vomit includes socialism, communism, the welfare state, redistribution of wealth, social equality, and being saved by anything except faith in Christ.
John 12:40 (corrected translation) “He has blinded their eyes [blackout of the soul], He has hardened their right lobe [scar tissue of the soul], lest they should see with their eyes, and perceive by means of their right lobe, and receive conversion, and I restore them [Israel].“
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 And with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence [blackout of the soul and scar tissue of the soul] so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
Point 7. Scar Tissue of the Soul Does Not Hinder Salvation
This is illustrated by Nebuchadnezzar, the second king of Babylon of that name, who is best known as the king who conquered Judah, destroyed Jerusalem, and brought the Jews captive to Babylon. Of all the heathen monarchs mentioned by name in the Scriptures, Nebuchadnezzar is the most prominent and the most important. The prophecies of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, and the last chapters of Kings and Chronicles centered on his life. He stands preeminent, along with the Pharaohs of the oppression and the exodus, among the enemies of the kingdom of God. He was an unbeliever in the cosmic system and a genius. However, he became psychotic in the cosmic system.
Daniel 5:20-21 “But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.”
Scar tissue of the soul and arrogance caused Nebuchadnezzar to be deposed of his throne. However, later on he became a believer and his throne was restored to him. Nebuchadnezzar was positive at God consciousness, which was the key to overcoming scar tissue of the soul, resulting in salvation.
Point 8. Scar Tissue of the Soul Leads to Divine Discipline, Loss of Blessing, and Sin Unto Death
This principle is illustrated by the exodus generation. God warned the Jews throughout their history by saying, Psalms 95:8-9, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they had seen My work. The Jews were witnesses of many miracles in the desert; however, miracles are unimpressive to the person with scar tissue of the soul. In Exodus 17:3, the same people complained against Moses because of lack of water. Exodus 17:1-3 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of sin, according to the command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
They ignored all of the logistical grace provided for them. Why? It is because scar tissue of the soul doesn’t respond to grace, only to discipline. In Numbers 11:10, their scar tissue of the soul caused them to weep all night. They only stopped when they found out their discipline, i.e., that they would not go into the Promised Land. In the same book, there was another revolution by the same generation. Therefore, the apostle Paul tells us that most of that generation died the sin unto death. 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.
We also have the failure of the last king of Israel, Zedekiah, as an illustration of scar tissue of the soul, loss of blessing, and the sin unto death. 2 Chronicles 36:12-13 He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear [allegiance] by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel.
The result of this was the administration of the fifth cycle of discipline to the Jews in 586 B.C. Zedekiah was blinded, put in chains and marched to Babylon. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy found in Ezekiel 12:13, “I will also spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, though he will die there.”
Next we have Pharaoh Thutmose III. In Romans 9:17 we are told, For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” Pharaoh represented all the power of human rulership, but God demonstrated that this did not even compare to His own power. This evangelized the entire world. Joshua 2:10-11 tells us that Rahab the prostitute was converted through the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart.
Joshua 2:10-11 “For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in Heaven above and on earth beneath.”
Human resistance to the will of God always reveals the power of God in some way. In the first five plagues, Pharaoh hardened his own heart. After these, God permitted him to live for the next five plagues. Pharaoh had many opportunities to change his mind but he did not listen to all of the warnings given to him. He said “no” to God five times, a world record for scar tissue of the soul. He should have died earlier, after the first five plagues on Egypt, but god extended his life for five more plagues. So when Scripture says that God hardened his [Pharaoh’s] heart, it means that God let him live to express his scar tissue of the soul far beyond what anyone else had ever done in the past. God did not violate Pharaoh’s free will. Exodus 9:12-16 explains that the last five plagues would include intense anguish to the soul. Exodus 9:12-17 And the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve Me. For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. Still you exalt yourself against My people by not letting them go”.'”
A person can hear and see the truth through miracles, but because of scar tissue of the soul, it makes no impression. Even the believer in the cosmic system is not impressed with miracles; he is only impressed with the lie. So God didn’t coerce Pharaoh’s volition; Pharaoh was a free agent. In fact, his life was extended by divine decree. This is because God uses the wrath of man to praise Him, Psalms 76:10, For the wrath of man shall praise You; with a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself.
Pharaoh even acknowledged that he had sinned. He faced this reality because of the pressure, but this did not save him. Therefore, the allegation of supralapsarianism must be rejected. Supralapsarianism is hyper-Calvinism. It is the teaching that God elected some to be saved [a false position] and to reprobate all others. This is double predestination and heresy. It also teaches that God only provided salvation for the elect, which is the basis for limited atonement. God did not create evil in Pharaoh, but Pharaoh made his own evil through his volition. God used Pharaoh’s evil to evangelize the world. The divine plan therefore in hardening Pharaoh’s heart was threefold:
1.Liberation of the Jews from slavery, in order to form a client nation to God.
2.Evangelization of Egypt, Exodus 7:3-5.
3.Evangelization of the world, Exodus 9:16.
Paul compares the Jews of the first advent and Church-age with Pharaoh, to demonstrate that their negative volition and hardness of heart at the time of our Lord’s dispensation broke Pharaoh’s record. Religions apostasy is locked-in religious degeneracy. This occurs through rejection of Christ as Savior or rejection of the grace of God once a person has been regenerated. In the self-righteous moral degenerate, blackout of the soul plus scar tissue of the soul equals religious degeneracy. The Jews were seeking the fulfillment of the unconditional covenant, which for them would be political deliverance from Rome, but they were not seeking salvation. They wanted the crown without the cross, the kingdom of God without faith in Christ.
Romans 11:7-12 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not, down to this very day.” And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, and a stumbling block and a retribution to them. Let their eyes be darkened to see not, and bend their backs forever.” I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!
Compassion is the only Christian attitude toward Jewish scar tissue of the soul. The unbelieving Jews have their final holocaust at the Second Advent, the baptism of fire. The Jewish unbeliever has ritual without reality; therefore, he cannot see the importance of the cross before the crown. The Jews who reject Jesus Christ as Savior hold the world’s record for scar tissue of the soul.
Isaiah 29:9-14 Be delayed and wait, blind yourselves and be blind; they become drunk, but not with wine, they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep, He has shut your eyes, the prophets; and He has covered your heads, the seers. The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, “Please read this,” and he will say, “I cannot read.” Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned, therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”
In verse 10, shut your eyes is a synonym for negative volition toward Bible doctrine and a willingness to listen to false doctrine. The phrase, covered your heads, refers to scar tissue of the soul. The Jews drew near to God with their mouths by saying the Shema, but the words are meaningless to them. Ritual has no meaning apart from understanding of Bible doctrine. In verse 13, they remove their hearts far from Me is scar tissue of the soul. Scar tissue of the soul worships God by traditions and rules learned from men and passed on to each generation. Scar tissue of the soul never has a historical future. Blackout of the soul is the beginning of religious degeneracy. Scar tissue of the soul is the perpetuation of religious degeneracy.
Point 9. Results and Effects of Scar Tissue of the Soul and Hardness of Heart
1. Stubbornness, Exodus 4:21, The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.”
2. Selfishness, Deuteronomy 15:7, “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother;
3. No Respect for the Lord, Isaiah 63:17, Why, O Lord, do You cause us to stray from Your ways and harden our heart from fearing You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
4. Self-Destruction, Exodus 4:18, Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
5. Rebellion, 2 Chronicles 36:13, He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear [allegiance] by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel.
6. Slander and Speaking Evil, Acts 19:9, But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
7. Lack of Perceptive Ability, 2 Corinthians 3:14, But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
8. Arrogance, Nehemiah 9:29, And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your law. Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances, by which if a man observes them he shall live. And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.
9. Refusal to Receive Correction, Jeremiah 17:23, “Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.”
If you feel yourself becoming bitter and arrogant, and if you feel yourself becoming insensitive to the things of God, it is time to take stock of your life. Be courageous and humble, and don’t let pride get in the way. Confess your sins to God and start back on the road to recovery. God is always waiting for the wayward child to come home to Him. His arms are ever open to embrace you, and His Word will always be the lamp you can follow to find your way back home.
Point 10. A Synonym for Scar Tissue of the Soul in the Old Testament is “Stubbornness or Stiffness of Neck”
This phrase emphasizes lack of enforced and genuine humility and rejection of authority, as in 2 Kings 17:14, Nehemiah 9:16, and Jeremiah 17:23 and 19:15. 2 Kings 17:14 However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.
Nehemiah 9:16 “But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly; they became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.”
Jeremiah 19:15 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the god of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to heed My words.'”
Point 11. Recovery from Blackout and Scar Tissue of the Soul
Before the Holy Spirit can empower the spiritual life and doctrinal intake can resume, the sin nature must be brought under control, and the former manner of life inside the cosmic system must end. Romans 8:7-8 Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Ephesians 4:22 That, in reference to your former manner of life [blackout and scar tissue of the soul], you lay aside [through rebound] the old self [old sin nature], which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
While the sin nature can never be eradicated in this life, its control is instantly halted by the use of the rebound technique. Rebound sets in motion once again the wheels of perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine. The daily intake of Bible doctrine alerts the believer to the use of rebound as soon as it becomes necessary. The rebound technique is found in five basic steps:
1.Name your known sins to God the Father privately, 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2. Isolate the sin to avoid any bitterness, Hebrews 12:15, See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
3. Forget the sin, Philippians 3:13(a), Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind [past sins and failures]
4. Move on and go forward, Philippians 3:13(b)-14, and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
5. Stay on the playing field, 2 John v. 8-9 (corrected translation), Look out for yourselves that you may not lose your momentum which you have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. No one has fellowship with God who keeps advancing out of bounds and does not remain on the playing field through the doctrine of Christ.
Once recovery from the cosmic system has been established through the rebound technique, the believer is commanded not to conform to the cosmic way of thinking, but instead transform his thinking to divine viewpoint by the renewing of his mind, Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world [Satan’s cosmic system], but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
The believer renews his mind by the daily intake of Bible doctrine from his right pastor-teacher, Hebrews 3:15 (New Living Bible translation), But never forget the warning, “Today you must listen to His voice [doctrinal teaching from one’s right pastor-teacher]. Don’t harden your hearts [right lobes] against Him as Israel did when they rebelled.”
The believer listens to the doctrine taught and through positive volition submits to the authority of that doctrine and applies it to his life.
Proverbs 22:17-19 (New Living Bible translation) Listen [consent and submit] to the words of the wise [Bible doctrine], and apply your mind to My knowledge [application of doctrine]; for it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind [believing doctrines]; your lips will be accustomed to [confessing] them. So that your trust [belief, reliance, support and confidence] may be in the Lord, I have made known these things to you today, even to you.
There is no recovery from the cosmic system without the daily use of the rebound technique and daily perception and application of Bible doctrine. Rebound is the key that gets you into the predesigned plan of God, but it is the daily intake and application of Bible doctrine that keeps you there. Without the consistent daily intake and application of Bible doctrine, there is no spiritual growth. Where there is no spiritual growth there is blackout of the soul. Where there is blackout of the soul, there is scar tissue of the soul. Where there is scar tissue of the soul, there is cosmic involvement. Where there is cosmic involvement, there is loss of blessings and rewards for time and eternity, and the believer becomes a loser in the Christian way of life.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (Amplified version) But if anyone builds upon the Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver precious stones, wood, hay, [or] straw, the work of each will become [plainly, openly] known [shown for what it is]; for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done. If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever survives this test], he will get his reward. But if any person’s work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire.
Therefore, recovery from blackout and scar tissue of the soul is a must if the believer is to grow spiritually, become a winner in the Christian way of life, and glorify God in time and eternity…