Category: denominationalism

Educated Minds That Know Nothing

Sunday, October 23, 2011

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself” (1 Timothy 6:3-5 KJV).

Today’s Scripture uses some interesting phraseology:

  • “proud”
  • “knowing nothing”
  • “doting about questions and strifes of words”
  • “envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds”
  • “destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness”

These words perfectly describe most church leaders today! How did the Body of Christ ever reach such a sad, spiritually impotent state? For the past 20 centuries, much of its leadership has been teaching contrary to “the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ” (see today’s Scripture). “The words of our Lord Jesus Christ” does not refer to the “red print” (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:37: “…the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:1,2,15; 1 Thessalonians 5:27.

While many church leaders today boast of their seminary degrees, let us remember that “distinguished” Hebrew, Greek, and Latin scholars, are not equivalent to Bible scholars. After all, even Satan knows Hebrew, Greek, and Latin and he even knows the Bible better than Christians! Satan quoted Scripture (Matthew 4:6; Luke 4:10-11); he just quoted Scripture incorrectly, like most “Christian” leaders today. While they all quote the Bible, how many know what the Bible actually says? How many believe what the Bible says? FEW!

In today’s Scripture, God’s Word says that if any religious leader (pastor, priest, pope, theologian, et cetera) does not instruct you according to the Apostle Paul’s epistles (the “rightly divided” Word of God), you are to flee from that person. Regardless of how many degrees those men have, the Bible says that “they are proud, knowing nothing.” So much for education!

Is Everyone God’s Child?

Sunday, October 16, 2011

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19 KJV).

We often hear the expressions, “Everyone is God’s child” and “the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.” (HA!) Is everyone eventually bound to go to heaven? (This heresy is called universalism, by the way.) Today’s Scripture is one of many verses that explain everyone is NOT God’s child. “The Lord knoweth them that are his” is a restrictive clause: it indicates that some people do not belong to the Lord.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). We are God’s children only if the Holy Spirit has placed us into Jesus Christ (Romans 6:1-6; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:13). Yes, mankind has a common Creator, but most people are bound for hell (Matthew 7:13,14). If everyone is “God’s child,” then why does God cast some people into hellfire in Matthew 25:41-46, Mark 9:41-50, and Revelation 20:14,15? Jesus told Israel’s religious leaders “ye are of your father, the devil” (John 8:44). God was certainly not their Father!

“…The living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe” (1 Timothy 4:10). Potentially, everyone can receive salvation through Christ Jesus. The salvation found in Christ Jesus is available to everyone, extended freely through God’s grace. However, the salvation in Christ Jesus must be imputed to each individual by faith. When that person trusts in Christ Jesus as his or her personal Saviour, then and only then does God the Father apply (impute) salvation to his or her account and make the person His child. A person only becomes a child of God when he or she is reconciled with God through Jesus Christ via imputation (salvation).

Are you a child of God? Have been saved by trusting in the finished crosswork of Christ on Calvary? Jesus Christ “tasted death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9), so He died to save even you! Will you trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour?

The Ever-Luminous Beacon

Saturday, October 15, 2011

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105 KJV).

Life is sometimes a lonely, dark, confusing maze. During these disappointing and chaotic periods, where should we turn for advice? Today’s Scripture enlightens us. The Bible is a beacon shining brightly in the midst of life’s troubles.

Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” The Bible is “given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16): it came from His mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4). Scripture gives us God’s wisdom regarding marriage, the workplace, parenting, friendships, enduring difficult times, but most importantly, how to be saved from our sins and obtain eternal life through Jesus Christ.

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130). God never intended His Word to answer every possible question. Contrariwise, God gave us His Word to teach us what we need to know—information that is of eternal value. We need sound doctrine that will carry us through this earthly life and right into eternity. The Bible does not give us all the answers, but it does educate us about God’s purpose and plan for the heaven and earth. Furthermore, Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon teach us what God is doing today.

God has “magnified [his] word above all [his] name” (Psalm 138:2). “The word of the Lord endureth for ever” (Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:25). The Bible is “truth” (John 17:17). God’s Word is unlike any other book. The King James Bible is God’s preserved Word in English, so it should serve as your final authority in life. As we study God’s Word rightly divided as 2 Timothy 2:15 instructs—understanding what Scripture is written to and about us versus what is written to Israel—and place our faith in what we read, God the Holy Spirit will then take His Word and use it to work within us for His glory.

With the King James Bible in hand, we always have the (free!) counsel of God, the ever-luminous beacon, literally at our fingertips….

As We Stand Before God Our Saviour

Friday, October 14, 2011

“To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:13 KJV).

Every chapter of 1 Thessalonians concludes with a reference to the rapture, Christ gathering the Church that is His Body (1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:17; 5:23). Actually, today’s Scripture describes an event that will occur after the rapture.

Saints, one day (the rapture), the trump of God shall sound and we shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)! After the rapture, we will stand before “the Judgment Seat of Christ.”

The Judgment Seat of Christ is not where we answer for sin, but rather when Jesus Christ evaluates our Christian lives and spiritual maturity. Each of us will give an individual account to the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:9-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9,10). Jesus Christ will compare our spiritual maturity (the doctrine we believed) to Paul’s epistles. On this basis, the Lord will give us a role (a position in the government of the heavenly places) (Ephesians 2:6,7).

But, notice Christ’s coming in today’s Scripture is not His coming “for all His saints” (the rapture), but rather “with all His saints.” After the spiritual capacities of the members of the Body of Christ have been judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ, Jesus Christ will take us with Him to meet God the Father. Today’s Scripture describes when Jesus Christ will present us to our Father God. Wow!

God the Father will then appoint us to those positions of the heavenly government that Jesus Christ determined at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Remember that our individual roles (offices) are determined by how much sound doctrine we built up in our inner man. This is why dispensational Bible study, “rightly dividing the word of truth,” is so important. We do not want to stand before God “ashamed,” which will SADLY be the case for many Christians because they never studied the Bible God’s way (2 Timothy 2:15).

Be a Berean Bible Student

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11 KJV).

The believing Jews of Berea (verse 10) were certainly not like most professing Christians today. According to today’s Scripture, there are two defining characteristics of a Berean:

  1. “They received the word with all readiness of mind.” — A Berean will have a balance between an open mind and a mind that cannot be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). Lost people, and even some saved people, are so set in their ways they do not want to believe the Bible, especially if it contradicts what they have always heard in religion/church. We should be open-minded about what someone says, but we do not want to be swayed by every whim of religious leaders and hierarchies. What is most important is that we receive God’s Word—not “preacher talk”—“with all readiness of mind.”
  2. “They searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” — Here is man’s number one failure: he believes anything and everything except what God’s Word says. Even the average Christian is guilty of ignoring the testimony of God’s Word! Never depend on what the preacher says, and never depend on what I say. Rather than “going by what the preacher said,” these saints actually studied the Bible to determine if what the preacher said was really what God’s Word said. The Bereans compared what Paul said to the Old Testament Scriptures. God’s Word “rightly divided” is the standard whereby we judge the veracity or the dishonesty of anyone’s statements. Study the Bible “rightly divided” as 2 Timothy 2:15 instructs, believe the Bible “rightly divided” as 2 Timothy 2:15 instructs, and you will be a Berean Bible student… never mind you do not live in Berea! 🙂

“Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” (2 Timothy 2:7).

A Fair Shew in the Flesh

Sunday, October 2, 2011

“As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ” (Galatians 6:12 KJV).

The Galatians were pummeled with “another gospel,” a perverted works-religion version of Paul’s Gospel of Grace (Galatians 1:6-9; cf. 2 Corinthians 11:3,4). They had trusted in Jesus Christ and “received [God’s] Spirit” (Galatians 3:2), but Jewish legalists were teaching the Galatians they could not be saved unless they were physically circumcised and kept the Mosaic Law (Acts 15:1-5).

Today, Christendom’s hang-up is not physical circumcision, but rather everything else from Israel’s program—tithing, water baptism, gift of tongues, and Sabbath day keeping. While most church leaders today condemn Galatia for being so deceived, those church leaders are oftentimes equally deceived by denominationalism (church tradition)!

Ever heard of “walking the aisle for Jesus?” Making a “profession of faith” before a church congregation? Being water baptized? “An ‘outpouring’ of the Holy Ghost?” Today’s Scripture exposes these activities for what they really are—“a fair shew in the flesh,” performances that draw attention to and glorify man’s works and boast in what you did (Galatians 6:13). Our performance is NOT the issue.

Christ defined “a fair shew in the flesh” in Matthew 23:5: “But all their works they do for to be seen of men….” Christ is describing the activities of the scribes and Pharisees. They had a nice outward appearance—a nice “shew”—but it was all vain, worthless, faithless religion. Christ continued: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (verse 15).

Like the Pharisees and scribes, many denominational churches just seek membership, not a person’s salvation. As long as the individual walks an aisle, gets water baptized, and gives money, that is good enough. Is it? No. Salvation is not based on what we do for God, but what Jesus Christ did for us.

Beware of the “fair shews in the flesh” and avoid them!

The Bible is the Final Authority

Friday, September 30, 2011

“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3 KJV).

Most church members view their denomination/pastor/priest as the final authority. Satan uses religion to indoctrinate people with the “tradition of men” (Colossians 2:8). If the church says it is right, then it must be right. Right? WRONG! The written Word of God, not church tradition, is the standard by which we should measure spiritual things because the Bible alone speaks with God Almighty’s authority. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16).

In Isaiah 8:19 the prophet mentions “them that have familiar spirits” and “wizards that peep and mutter”—evil spirits and false prophets. God urged Israel to distinguish Satan’s false prophets from His holy prophets by comparing their teaching to His written Word: “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (verse 20).

Even in Isaiah’s day (~2,700 years ago), God’s written Word was the standard by which everything was judged. The Bereans were notable for comparing their leaders’ teaching and preaching to the Old Testament (Acts 17:10,11). The Bible alone teaches God’s truth, so any contrary teaching was thereby exposed as satanic deception. According to Acts 17:2, the Apostle Paul always appealed to the Old Testament Scriptures when evangelizing Jews (recall no New Testament had been written yet).

The Lord Jesus quoted the Old Testament: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus Himself even read from the Bible in Luke 4:16-21! The New Testament quotes the Old Testament over 200 times (i.e., “as it is written…”).

According to the Bereans, Jesus Christ, the prophet Isaiah, and the Apostle Paul, the Bible is the final authority. God’s authority lies in the Holy Scriptures, not in any church hierarchy. No pastor, priest, or pope shares the Bible’s authority. The King James Bible is always the final authority, not religious tradition (Matthew 15:6; Mark 7:13).

Separate Unto Truth, Do Not Unite in Error

Sunday, September 25, 2011

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV).

As the years pass, there is an increasing cry for unity among all (38,000+!!!) “Christian” denominations. The goal of the “ecumenical movement” is to have all “Christians” of every denomination ignore their doctrinal differences, and fellowship! Today’s Scripture screams against such foolishness. (Actually, the ecumenical movement is preparing society for the one-world religion of Revelation chapter 17.)

Opposed to the ecumenical slogan, “Come as ye are, we accommodate all faiths!,” Scripture declares: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” (2 Corinthians 6:18).

Now, please understand that the Bible says God loves all people: Jesus Christ shed His sinless blood to pay for the sins of the world (1 Timothy 2:3-7; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Peter 3:9; et al.). However, most of them are lost, never having trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary. Instead, the world’s religious people make every attempt to please God with their own “good” deeds, thereby ignoring Christ’s finished cross work.

As King James Bible-believing Pauline dispensationalists, we cannot unite with religionists and denominationalists because they deny the clear teachings of the Holy Bible. We refuse to embrace man’s “wisdom” and church tradition. Paul continues in 2 Corinthians 6:15: “What concord [agreement] hath Christ with Belial [Satan]? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel [unbeliever]?”

God does not want us fellowshipping in any religion or any denomination. Religion is satanic and anti-grace. If you compromise God’s truth and unite in error, your Christian life will be polluted and destroyed.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). As grace lifers following the Apostle Paul as he follows Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), we have unashamedly chosen to separate unto truth, and we unapologetically refuse to unite in error.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive?

Friday, September 16, 2011

“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23,24 KJV).

Unanswered prayer is confusing. Have you ever prayed to God for something, and yet you never received it? Why did today’s Scripture not work? Did God lie? Not at all. Dispensational Bible study dispels confusion and doubt: today’s Scripture was not spoken to us. Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry spoke exclusively to Israel (Matthew 15:24; John 4:22; Romans 15:8).

Faith healers and prosperity preachers enjoy Matthew 18:19: “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” This too has nothing to do with us Gentiles: it belongs to Israel’s apostles.

If you pray according to today’s Scripture (or Matthew 7:7; Matthew 18:19; etc.), and do not receive what you prayed for, it is not because the Bible has mistakes, or because God does not love you, or because you had too little faith. God demonstrated His love for us, fully and clearly, at the cross of Calvary. These verses do not work today because God did not speak them to us. God is not doing today what He did with Israel in time past.

When our Apostle Paul prayed three times for the Lord to deliver him from his “thorn in the flesh,” Jesus Christ answered “No” three times (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Why did today’s Scripture not work for Paul? Again, today’s Scripture was spoken to Israel, not to Paul and us in this Dispensation of Grace.

Saints, while God will not answer our prayers in the same way He answered Israel’s prayers, He does hear our prayers. Regardless of what happens, we have “the peace of God which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:6,7).

Remembering the 10th Anniversary of 9/11

Sunday, September 11, 2011

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18,19 KJV).

It is difficult to fathom that today marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On that dreadful day, over 3,000 Americans perished. Amidst the heartache, I recall many preachers piously screaming, “God’s judgment and wrath has come on America!” God’s promise to Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14 was flippantly quoted as though it were God’s message to America. Sinful men, not God, orchestrated the events of 9/11.

All nations, not just the United States, abound with greed, dishonesty, unbelief, violence, and fornication, and all are worthy of God’s wrath. However, today’s Scripture says that, in this the Dispensation of Grace, God is “not imputing [applying] their trespasses unto them.” Today, God’s attitude toward the world is “grace and peace,” not wrath and war. This is why Paul’s epistles open with “grace and peace.”

God in His grace is postponing His wrath (2 Peter 3:9), but the day is coming when this dispensation will conclude. Only then will God pour out His wrath on unbelieving mankind. Thankfully, we Christians will be raptured out before that period of wrath begins (1 Thessalonians 1:9,10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Currently, God is not condemning the world for their sins. Rather He extends His grace to all the world through Jesus Christ, His shed blood, His death, His burial, and His resurrection (Paul’s Gospel, the Gospel of Grace; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Through Christ’s shed blood, God in His grace offers His forgiveness to everyone (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14). But, only when we trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour does God apply (“imputes”) His righteousness and salvation to us. How many of the 9/11 victims were ready to die? Few.  Do not put off salvation; you are not guaranteed tomorrow. Please trust in Jesus Christ today.

-IN MEMORIAM-
The victims of 9/11/2001

-IN DEDICATION-
All those affected by 9/11/2001

*This is excerpted from a larger Bible study titled “September 11, 2001: The 10th Anniversary.” The Bible study can be read here.