Welcome back everyone and today we begin a new study. As I have been going about my daily activities I have listened to people talk about many things that are of interest to their lives. One main topic seems to be that of life and death and so-called 'godly' things. Many believe they are in good standing with God simply because they have a "belief system" that, at the least, points towards God. There seems to be a problem here if we are to be followers of God and what HE has already spoken in HIS Word.
The average person you meet from day to day believes that which church you attend really does not make any difference. He expresses that belief by saying, "One church is just as good as another!" That is really a sad statement for someone to say when we truly consider the things of God and HIS Word.
But even more sad is the fact that many church members believe that which church you attend really does not make any difference. They openly express their belief by saying, "One church is just as good as another. We’re all headed for the same place, we are just getting there in different ways."
What people really mean by the statement, "One church is just as good as another," is that what you believe really makes no difference. The reason they say that what a person believes makes no difference is because they, themselves, do not know the difference (Maybe they do not want to know either).
Show me a Christian who knows the Bible and I will show you a Christian who will say unashamedly, undeniably, and uncompromisingly that there is a vast difference between Methodist baptism and Bible immersion; Baptist salvation and Bible salvation; Lutheran Lord’s Suppers and Bible Lord’s Suppers; the Pentecostal Holy Spirit and the Bible Holy Spirit; the Church of God altar and the Bible Altar; the Presbyterian Eldership and the Bible Eldership.
But, the reason the average Christian will not say this is because the average Christian does not know The Bible, God's Holy Word. And, when a Christian does not know The Bible, he will try to cover up his ignorance of the Scriptures by saying, "It’s a matter of interpretation! It’s all in how a person looks at it whether baptism is necessary for salvation; the Lord’s Supper must be taken every week; a person can speak in tongues; a person can be "saved" when kneeling and praying a man-made prayer at an altar."
I agree! The interpretation of the bible is a matter of how a person 'looks at the Bible'! For example, suppose there were three people who wore glasses. On the nose of the first person was a pair of yellow sunglasses. On the nose of the second person was a pair of blue sunglasses. On the nose of the third person was a pair of green sunglasses. Each person was privately and individually taken to see the same letter, "A." After each person had seen the same letter, "A," he was asked to tell what he had seen. The first person says he saw a yellow "A." The second person says he saw a blue "A." The third person says he saw a green "A." They all saw the same letter, "A," but gave three different interpretations. Suppose a fourth person who has no glasses on his nose sees the same letter, "A," and says the letter is white. Who is right? The one who saw the letter, "A," just as the letter is, would be right!
Likewise is the interpretation of the Word of God. Interpreting the Word of God is a matter of how you look at the Word. If you look at the Bible with Methodist glasses sitting on your nose, you will believe that pouring and sprinkling are just as good as immersion. If you look at the Bible with Baptist glasses sitting on your nose, you will believe that a person is saved before he is immersed by faith. If you look at the Bible with Lutheran glasses sitting on your nose, you will believe the Lord’s Supper can be observed just a few times a year. If you look at the Bible with Pentecostal glasses sitting on your nose, you will believe that some people can speak in tongues today. If you look at the bible with Church of God glasses sitting on you nose, you will believe that a person can be saved through prayer at a man made altar. If you look at the Bible with denominational glasses of any kind sitting on your nose, you will believe that what a person believes really does not make any difference, that The Word of God can be changed here and there to fit your ideas and your group's man-made setup, and that one church is just as good as another. No group will get anyone into heaven, only obedience to God and His Word as it is written.
I am going to close here for today and we will pick up these thoughts next week. Feel free to leave comments and questions as I encourage each one to do only what is right in God's eyes. God is true, and man needs only to obey and follow HIM.
No comments:
Post a Comment