Category: human viewpoint / human wisdom / philosophy

No Corrupt Communication #10

Sunday, March 10, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

“Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart” (Jeremiah 14:14). “Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:32). “For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 29:9).

In the above verses, preachers claim, “The LORD gave me a message for you!” However, the LORD avows He had nothing to do with it. They are pretending to be His spokesmen, trying to pass off their own opinions as “God’s words.” Go now to 2 Thessalonians 2:2: “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” Here is a forged letter—someone feigning to be Paul, someone claiming apostolic power, and using pretense (false information) to unsettle and lead believers astray.

Most of the “scholarly persuasion” reassure us it does not matter what Bible version we use—for, allegedly, one translation is “just as good” as the other. No one, they say, intentionally forges or alters Bible manuscripts for doctrinal purposes. They, being ignorant of the very Bible they profess to know, are nothing more than the blind leading the blind. This is harsh, but it pales in comparison to their disrespectful comments about what is and what is not the Word of God. One can easily search the Scriptures to find all sorts of verses about imposters or counterfeits—false brethren, false apostles, false prophets, false teachers, false Christs, and the like.

“Christian” books and sermons throughout history have been deliberately edited for doctrinal purposes….

No Corrupt Communication #9

Saturday, March 9, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

In the Scriptures, we read about false accusations (Luke 3:14; Luke 19:8; 2 Timothy 3:3; Titus 2:3; 1 Peter 3:16), false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13), false balances (Proverbs 11:1; Proverbs 20:23), false brethren (2 Corinthians 11:26; Galatians 2:4), false Christs (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22), false dealings (Genesis 21:23; Leviticus 19:11; Psalm 44:17; Jeremiah 6:13; Jeremiah 8:10), false divinations (Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 21:23), false dreams (Jeremiah 23:32; Zechariah 10:2), and false gifts (Proverbs 25:14).

Also, the Bible refers to false lips (Proverbs 17:4), false matters (Exodus 23:7), false oaths (Zechariah 8:17), false reports (Exodus 23:1), false sayings (Matthew 7:15), false science (1 Timothy 6:20), false swearing (Leviticus 6:3,5; Leviticus 19:12; Jeremiah 5:2; Jeremiah 7:9; Hosea 10:4; Zechariah 5:4; Malachi 3:5), false teachers (2 Peter 2:1), false tongues (Psalm 120:3), false visions (Jeremiah 14:14), and false ways (Psalm 119:104; Psalm 119:28; Jeremiah 8:10).

However, the most prominent mentions are false prophets (Jeremiah 5:31; Jeremiah 29:9; Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:11,24; Mark 13:22; Luke 6:26; Acts 13:6; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 16:13; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10) and false witnesses (Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20; Deuteronomy 19:16,18; Psalm 27:12; Psalm 35:11; Proverbs 6:19; Proverbs 12:17; Proverbs 14:5; Proverbs 19:5,9; Proverbs 21:28; Proverbs 25:18; Matthew 15:19; Matthew 19:18; Matthew 26:59,60; Mark 10:19; Mark 14:56,57; Luke 18:20; Acts 6:13; Romans 13:9; 1 Corinthians 15:15).

All the above references involve something untrue, deceitful, or counterfeit: they relate to dishonest businesspeople, lying religious leaders, and erroneous beliefs or messages. The two dominant themes—and note them well—are false prophets (people claiming to speak for God when they are not) and false witnesses (people arguing something is true when it is not). If the Holy Spirit dedicates so many verses about them, then it only stands to reason these passages about false witnesses and false prophets merit special attention. Yet, in the average “Christian” assembly or institution, little to no consideration is given them.

Let us see how false witnesses and false prophets factor into corrupt communication….

No Corrupt Communication #8

Friday, March 8, 2024

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29 KJV).

What is this “corrupt communication?”

As any competent construction foreman or worker knows, the type and quality of the building material makes a difference. Furthermore, no responsible person erratically places components while erecting the edifice or building the site. Every piece has its proper place according to the blueprints, and only approved materials will pass the inspection. As believers in Jesus Christ, how much more careful should we be with regards to spiritual (eternal) matters?

The classic passage on this subject is 1 Corinthians 3:9-17: “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed [beware, be careful, exercise caution] how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

The Corinthian saints were being careless by embracing and exalting human wisdom—how unsaved people (such as heathen Greek poets or philosophers) thought about life. If you read both Corinthian epistles, you gain a sense of just how spiritually disoriented and debilitated these believers became once they fell into the trap of non-grace, non-dispensational, non-Spirit-filled thinking, corrupt communication….

The Centurions #7

Thursday, February 22, 2024

“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,…” (Matthew 8:5 KJV).

What are “centurions?”

A centurion was the commanding officer of a century, a group of 100 Roman soldiers. Such military men did not appear in the record of Holy Scripture until politically-fallen Israel was subjected to yet another Gentile world-power—the Roman Empire—in the years leading up to Christ’s birth. It is thus beginning in the New Testament that we read of centurions, from Christ’s earthly ministry (Matthew to John) and even until the very end of the Acts period (Acts chapter 28). Their presence in the land of Canaan indicates Israel is under “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24), dominated by Gentile global rulers until Christ’s Second Coming and subsequent Millennial Reign (when Israel will once again be the head of the nations, God’s chief nation in the Earth).

Even though the centurions were pagan Romans, they were not completely without spiritual light from Israel’s God. Some of them were even walking by faith in the Bible information they had. However limited their spiritual understanding was, they were thankful for that which they did have (which was in stark contrast to unbelieving Israel, who had more spiritual light but could not care less about it!). Recall Matthew 8:5-13 (today’s Scripture); Luke 7:1-10; Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47; Acts 10:1-4,22; Acts 27:1,3,31,32,43; and Acts 28:16. It is here at this second point that we can make personal application.

Truly, dear friends, we do not have all the answers because we do not know everything that can be known. This should not discourage us, however, since we still have access to the Holy Bible that teaches us what we need to know. If we are appreciative of the few sound Bible doctrinal truths we know, if we trust the sound Bible doctrine we have learned thus far, God will value that attitude and provide us with more light. Yet, if we decide to set aside the Scriptures rightly divided, and take up in their place the tenets of philosophy or vain religious tradition or theological speculations of men, we will be in a lot even worse than ancient unbelieving Israel was. Remember the (believing) centurions!

Something in Which to Glory!

Thursday, February 15, 2024

“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. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:12-14 KJV).

In what shall we glory? About what shall we boast? In what shall we find value?

Religion produces people who enjoy bragging all about their “dedication to God.” “Look what I did—the ceremonies in which I have participated, the many prayers I faithfully recited daily, how much I put in the collection plate, see how many pleasures I gave up to please God! Come, see how much I love Him!” Dear friends, the Apostle Paul found great value in something—but that something was not what he did. All that human flesh can accomplish pales in comparison to the work in today’s Scripture.

As Lent begins, the time when religionists temporarily (a mere 40 days) relinquish some pleasant food or activity, let us remember that our performance is often non-performance. Once we place ourselves on that treadmill of “do, do, do,” we are guaranteed to fail at some point. Human flesh is simply too weak to maintain 100 percent—that is sin! Even concerning one rule, we cannot keep it perfectly. We mess up eventually.

If ever we believe that our puny works are worth bragging about, let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul in today’s Scripture. While some boast in their religiosity (in the passage, the Judaizers applauding their rite of physical circumcision), and such denominationalists today urge us to obey their church’s instructions so they too may boast in our ability, let us eschew such foolishness. Being imperfect, all their works do not measure up to Christ’s finished crosswork. At Calvary, we find the only sacrifice that will ever please the God of the Bible. If we must boast, let us brag that He did what we could never, ever do!

See our archived Bible Q&A: “Should Christians observe Lent?”

A Book That Will Teach

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone we can trust to teach us God’s truth!

Once, I heard a minister give his self-proclaimed “prophetic” message about top headlines that would appear in the coming year. While he reassured his audience that he received this information directly from “the Lord” (?), he gave a disclaimer: “I do not know, but at the end of this year, we will see if what I say came to pass.” Unlike the inner impressions and hunches of this “Christian” preacher, the Holy Bible is infallible, and we can trust its information completely.

Long, long ago, God Almighty wrote a Book, and He preserved it through history through a multiplicity of manuscript copies, so that it could eventually be translated into English, so we could read it even today! (Of course, Satan, the master counterfeiter that he is, most certainly had his own manuscripts—they still circulate today as corrupt Bible translations.) God promised to preserve His words forever (Psalm 12:6,7; Isaiah 30:8; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25). Consequently, every person will stand before Him one day to give account as to what he or she did with that Bible. Did we reject it in favor of counterfeits? Did we re-translate it to fit our denominational beliefs? Did we apply it to life by faith? Did we even read it at all?

As English-speaking people, we understand—or, at least, we should understand—that we can trust the 400-year-old King James Bible. Sadly, even in many church circles, we are often cautioned not to trust God’s preserved Word. Unfortunately, footnotes, study notes, and seminarians usually attempt to claim that authority by offering “better” readings or “better” manuscripts. Beloved, we can do without unbelieving textual critics and their “scholarship.” God does not need lost people to explain His Word to His children; He never did and He never will (1 Corinthians 2:14). Never forget that!

The Holy Spirit will teach us the King James Bible if we “read” (Ephesians 3:4), “study” (2 Timothy 2:15), and “consider” it (2 Timothy 2:7)!

NOTE: This is the 4600th devotional of “333 Words of Grace!” A special-edition study will be presented once our New Year’s devotionals have run their course.

Redeem the Year!

Monday, January 1, 2024

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17 KJV).

What great advice for 2024!

Despite 2,000 years of Bible schools and seminaries, 2,000 years of a completed Bible canon, 2,000 years of Bible reading in churches, several decades of “Christian” television and radio, and a decade-plus of widespread use of “Christian” websites, how sad that Bible ignorance is still quite extensive (it is as if God never gave His Word to start with!).

Frankly, the Church the Body of Christ needs to wake up! The verse previous to today’s Scripture says, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (verse 14). Paul, loosely quoting Isaiah 60:1, reminded us that the spiritual ignorance that gripped Israel in Isaiah’s day seized Christians in his day—and it still grips Christians 20 centuries later. Feel-good sermons, enjoyable “worship” services, and rites, rituals, and ceremonies will NOT solve this problem—they exacerbate it!

“[God] will have all men to be saved…” (1 Timothy 2:4a). Do you want this New Year to count for God’s glory? First, you need to get saved from sins and hell! You need to become a Christian by trusting in and relying on Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as sufficient payment for your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). That is only part of God’s will for you, for 1 Timothy 2:4b continues, “[God] will have all men… to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Now, God’s will for your Christian life is daily, personal Bible study to renew your mind, so your faith in those verses can cause God to work in your life—it will be His life, thus making you “perfect [spiritually mature], throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Today’s Scripture urges us to buy back the time Satan has robbed from God (time created for God’s glory). By faith, we need to make that time glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by applying His Word, particularly Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon, to our lives. Have a good year in Christ! 🙂

You can download our free “One-Year Bible Reading Schedule.”

See our archived Bible Q&A: “What Scriptural advice can you give me for the New Year?”

The Person of the Year

Sunday, December 31, 2023

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Philippians 2:9,10a KJV).

Let us praise the 2023 Person of the Year—our Lord Jesus Christ!

Society’s most stressful time of year, the Christmas Season, is winding down. The year 2023 is nearly over, and a new year, 2024, will dawn soon. At this time every year, various groups and publications feature their particular choice for “Person of the Year.” Whether a chief of state, a philanthropist, a religious leader, a distinguished author or scientist, a television or radio personality, or some other “professional” who impacted society in a negative or positive way the most during the past year, they are all still people with limitations and frailties. One can accomplish all sorts of praiseworthy, generous, and awe-inspiring feats. However, what carries the most weight is the attitude, the heart, underlying the action, not the action. Was it Jesus Christ, or simply the flesh?

The one single event in history that pleased God the Father most was when His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, went by faith in His Word, to an awful Roman cross to suffer the worst possible and most graphic death a human ever experienced, to pay for our sins. “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). It is through that finished crosswork of Jesus Christ that He is still doing mighty works, 20 centuries later. How our Lord Jesus Christ has saved countless souls from sins and hell this past year, and how He has saved innumerable Christian souls from false doctrine and spiritual ruin.

Jesus Christ, who in death defeated His greatest enemy (Satan), was raised by God the Father and is now the ascended and glorified Lord Jesus Christ (today’s Scripture). Saints, may we ever thank and praise our Saviour Jesus Christ for what He has done for us, what He has done with us, and what He will do with us next year… and all the countless ages thereafter….

NOTE: Saints, believe it or not, we close yet another year of grace ministry. Thank you for your continued prayer and encouragement these last 12 months. We surely needed it. While we have come so very far, we still have so much more ground to cover, so much more sound Bible doctrine to learn and believe, and we look forward to serving you here for at least another year (provided our Lord Jesus Christ wills it). So, with that, I sign off for 2023. See you in 2024! 🙂

Joy to the World! #2

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

“Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity” (Psalm 98:5-9 KJV).

The second verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.”

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world, and death by sin (Romans 5:12), plunging creation into suffering. What God had intended to last forever was now languishing away and dying off! “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth together in pain until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit…” (Romans 8:22,23).

We humans, pinnacles of God’s creatures, are so ungrateful to our Creator. Even in such a fallen state, our universe is amazingly complex and it is a miracle it even functions at all with its abounding impediments! Rather than praising our Creator for giving us life, we complain about our “problems” and then write books, display billboards, and give lectures about His “non-existence.” We mock His name, laugh at His Bible, stick out our tongues at Him, and wag our fingers in His face. Newsflash—God will not tolerate that forever!

In His own time, Almighty God will make all things right. That means getting rid of that which (and who) is wrong/evil. As 1 Timothy 6:14,15 say: “…the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;” No matter what mankind does—cooperate with Him by faith, or protest by throwing a tantrum in unbelief—God has already determined what He is going to do. Jesus Christ, whether people like it or not, will be King over all creation!

Your Right to Eat Meat

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4,5 KJV).

Before we advocate animal rights, let us understand that we have a God-given right to eat them!

An animal rights activist once appeared on television to complain about the consumption of turkeys on Thanksgiving. He argued that turkeys “feel pain” when they are slaughtered, and thus we should not eat them. His line of reasoning was, “If we would not eat our pet dog, then we should not eat turkey.” Such people, despite their sincerity, are ignorant of today’s Scripture.

Originally, all people and animals were herbivores; they only ate vegetation. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so” (Genesis 1:29,30).

Then, sin entered, and God incorporated meat into the human diet: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Genesis 9:3,4).

When we ignore the fact that God gave us animals to eat, and we demand that others must also abstain from meat for religious (nature-worshipping) purposes, that is a “doctrine of devils” in this dispensation (1 Timothy 4:1-5). The creature should not be worshipped; only the Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, should be worshipped (Romans 1:25). As long as we thank the Lord for whatever creatures we eat, consuming animal flesh is acceptable and godly. It does not sit well with the pantheists—who exalt nature as God—but it is approved of the living God, and that alone ultimately matters.