By David Bragg
Her voice is pleasant, but
authoritative, as she leads countless people every day
to their destinations. "Bear right." "Turn left."
"Stay in the left lane." "Make a u-turn." Even when it
goes against our better judgment, the temptation is
always present to blindly follow her.
Perhaps that is precisely what an
Illinois man was thinking in 2015 as he and his wife
were traveling through Indiana. Authorities admitted
that the driver was so focused on his GPS device that
he ignored barricades, orange barrels, cones, and
large signs declaring that not only was the road
closed but the bridge no longer existed (it was
demolished in 2009). Still the 64-year-old driver took
the ramp up and off what formerly was the Cline Bridge
(cnet.com). While he survived the 37 foot plunge, his
wife was not so fortunate.
As we navigate life it is crucial
for us to know who it is that we are following. In
every generation much heartache and loss could have
been avoided if only people had not blindly followed
the crowd. Yet, people still suffer for the "everyone
is doing it" mentality.
The danger is prevalent even today.
We are encouraged by the crowds to ignore the
old-fashioned commands to high moral standards of
Christianity. Yet the Bible admonishes us to stop and
consider who it is that we are following and just
where are we being led (1 Cor. 11:1Eph. 5:1-2; 1 Peter
2:21). God has warned us through the inspired writers
of the New Testament that, when it comes to our
spiritual journey, be careful who you follow.
- David Bragg serves as one of the ministers at the
Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC and is
co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through
the congregation's website.
By Lance Cordle
I
recently received a letter in the mail that promised
me a large sum of money. It was sent by air mail. It
was written on official-looking stationery and bore an
official-looking stamp. It bore the logo and name of
an attorney. It said that I had been appointed
trustee, executor and beneficiary of a woman’s estate.
It said that I could use the money for my personal
needs as well as for my ministry. It also said that
all I had to begin this process was to respond via
email and give them my phone number.
Before
going any farther, I have a question: Do you think I
am going to respond to this letter? If you
do, you must think I am very gullible. I will not
respond because of the following.:
•
Though I have not received a hard-copy letter quite
like this, I have seen letters like it sent via
email.
• It is
from a foreign country, from some “law firm” about
which I have no knowledge.
• It is
about a person, with which I have had no relationship.
• The
stamp is not an official, “raised-letter” stamp, but a
copy, with very unofficial language on it.
• There
is the very impersonal address: “Attention
Beneficiary.”
• It
proposes an exorbitant amount of money ($5,000, 000)
to me and my ministry.
As you
might have guessed this is almost certainly an attempt
to retrieve personal information
from me in order to steal my identity. I think most
people would agree with me and would not take
the chance and respond.
However,
some of the people who might not respond to such a
“phishing” attempt, might follow a religious teacher
who does some of the same types of things. That
teacher may use the Bible to teach a false doctrine.
That teacher may propose something as appealing as
$5,000,000—eternal life (or at least, great happiness
in this life). That teacher may “package” his
false message in persuasive words and a well-spoken
presentation. That teacher may “prove” his points by
emotional appeal and popular opinion. That teacher may
give you permission to live or worship in a way you
believe to be wrong. (Read Galatians 1:6-9.)
That teacher may tell you that your previous teachers
were old-fashioned and unenlightened.
The way
to avoid such deception is to test the message and the
sender. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see
whether they come from God, for many false
prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1,
ESV). There is an old saying: “If something
sounds too good to be true, it usually
is.”
- Lance Cordle preaches the Calvert City Church of
Christ in Calvert City, KY. He may be contacted
through the congregation's website: http://www.calvertchurchofchrist.com
By Brad Harrub
We live in a time dominated by secular
humanism. Religion is dismissed as being of little
value and only useful for the weak-minded of society.
In the mind of someone who has no sense of humility before a
Higher Power, self is king, and the pursuit of personal
desires is all that such a person has to occupy his
time. So many people seem to believe that the key to a
happy life is to choose success as defined by the secular
humanist culture. We, as Christians, know that a life
built on that foundation will never lead to true joy.
We know it, but do we believe it?
The only true joy to be found in this
life comes from full self-denial. When we bring our
lives under submission to what the Lord wants for us, we can
remove the fear and stress that plague so many in this day
and age. Brethren, we must keep this in mind when we
prioritize our lives. Do we allow entertainment, work,
sports, education or any other personal activities to take
first place in our lives over discipleship? We can see all
throughout the Bible, and especially in Luke’s Gospel
(9:57-62; 18:18-22) that God doesn’t ask us to follow Him
part-time.
One of the biggest problems evident in
the church today is the fact that we have become
distracted. We must each examine ourselves to see
where we have allowed our own comfort to come between us and
God. If we truly want to be happy we will put Christ
first in our lives and spread His love to all those around
before concerning ourselves with selfish priorities
first. It’s time to remove the distractions and focus
on the purpose for which we’ve been called.
- via THE SOWER, a
weekly publication of the Arthur Church of Christ, Arthur,
IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be
contacted through the congregation's website:
http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
By Ron Boatwright
The many errors promoted by the deadly TULIP theology in religion
have led many people away from the truth of God’s word. This system is
deadly because it changes the means by which God saves man. The system
is also known as "Calvinism" because John Calvin in the 1500’s was
credited with developing it. Calvin did not originally develop the
system, but Augustine of Hyppo in the fifth century came up with this
false doctrine. Agustine tried in vain to live a celibate life but
because of his many sexual and other sins he concluded that man was
totally depraved from birth. Since he chose to lead a sinful lifestyle
he tried to justify himself by developing a theology to substantiate it.
John Calvin took Agustine’s theory and developed it into a system
of five cardinal points that is defined by the word TULIP. There is no
connection with the flower, but all five points are contrary and
contradictory to God’s plan of salvation in the Bible. Calvin’s five
cardinal points are: T= Total Depravity, U= Unconditional Election, L=
Limited Atonement, I= Irresistible Grace, P= Perseverance Of The
Saints. All five points of Calvin’s theory either stand or fall
together.
Total Depravity is false because it teaches that every person
inherits Adam’s original sin at birth and comes into this world totally
depraved. This doctrine is false because even though one is born into a
world of sin he does not become a sinner until he reaches the age of
accountability. We do not inherit sin but we are responsible for our
own sins when we become accountable. God says, "The son shall not bear
the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The
righteousness of the righteous shall be on himself, and the wickedness
of the wicked shall be on himself" (Ezekiel 18:30).
Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and
become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of
heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Rather than condemning little children as
sinners, Jesus commends them as examples of innocence. A little child
is so pure; he already possesses the kingdom of heaven. Even though
children are born into a world of sin, they have no knowledge of sin.
"Moreover your little ones and your children…who today have no knowledge
of good and evil" (Deuteronomy 1:39). Only when children grow up and
become accountable do they transgress God’s law and begin to sin. "You
were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity
was found in you" (Ezekiel 28:15). We do not inherit sin, but we commit
sin. "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is
lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). Total Depravity contradicts the free moral
agency of man and infers that no person can serve God of his own free
will. This will end up causing many people to be eternally lost.
Unconditional Election is a damnable doctrine that teaches that God
has arbitrarily chosen those He is going to save, even before they are
born and everyone else is going to be eternally lost. It says that
nothing a person does has any bearing at all on his salvation. They
contradict themselves with their "faith only" doctrine by saying a
person must "accept Jesus as his personal saviour" and say the "sinner’s
prayer" to be saved. Even though "accepting Jesus as your personal
saviour" and saying the "sinner’s prayer" to be saved is false, is this
not doing something? Unconditional Election says that God predestined
the salvation or damnation of every person without any regard to the
good or evil he may do.
But the Bible says, "The Lord…is not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:4). God wants all
people to be saved and does not predestine anyone to be saved or lost.
The only thing that God has predestined or predetermined is to save
those who are obedient to His commands (Hebrews 5:9) and to punish those
who are disobedient (2 Thessalonians 1:8). Unconditional Election
accuses God of being partial and showing favoritism. But God’s word
says, "that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears
Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him (Acts 10:34-35).
This false doctrine makes every command, every warning, and every
admonition of God useless. With Unconditional Election there is no
reason to try to teach anyone the gospel of Christ if God has already
arbitrarily decided who is going to be saved and who is going to be
lost. This makes no sense. But Jesus says, "Go into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). God’s offer of
salvation is available to everyone, but each must choose whether he will
accept or reject it.
Limited Atonement means that only certain ones have been elected to
salvation. If this is true, which it is not, then in John 3:16, "God
so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son" would not be
true if God only loved part of the world. It is God "who desires all
men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy
2:4), not just some men to be saved. This doctrine falsely teaches that
Christ died only for those He elected to save, but the Bible says
concerning Christ, "that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for
everyone" (Hebrews 2:9). Limited Atonement basically teaches that the
blood of Christ is not available for all men. "And He Himself is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole
world" (1 John 2:2). Christ died for the whole world, not for just
some.
Irresistible Grace falsely teaches the direct operation of the Holy
Spirit on the hearts of those God has chosen to save. One error leads
to another. If one who God has predestined to save is "Totally
Depraved" and incapable of doing right, then how can his conversion be
accomplished? They have come up with the false doctrine of
"Irresistible Grace" involving the miraculous direct operation of the
Holy Spirit which operates on the heart of those whom God has chosen to
be saved so they cannot resist the salvation that God has
unconditionally provided. If this is true there would be no reason for
preaching, teaching, and mission work. But Jesus' command is to "Go
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark
16:15). The erroneous notions of Irresistible Grace contradicts what
God’s word says. "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, ‘Of a truth I
perceive that God is no respecter of persons’" (Acts 10:34). The
man-made doctrine of Irresistible Grace makes God a respecter of
persons. But God "desires all men to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4), and "is
not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9), since Christ has
tasted "death for everyone" (Hebrews 2:9).
Perseverance Of The Saints is also stated as "once saved, always
saved" or "the impossibility of apostasy". This false theology says
that a child of God cannot fall from the grace of God and be eternally
lost. This is just another lie of Satan to lull one into a state of
complacency. But the Bible says, "you have become estranged from
Christ, you who attempt to be justified by the law; you have fallen from
grace" (Galatians 5:4). Isn’t it strange that people who say they
believe the Bible also say that we cannot fall from grace, when the
Bible so plainly says we can? How much clearer could the Bible have
said this?
We are warned, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed
lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Why such a warning if it is
impossible to fall from grace? The apostle Paul says, "But I keep under
my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I
have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Corinthians
9:27). Even the apostle Paul knew it was possible for him to become a
castaway and be lost.
Again we are warned, "Beware, brethern, lest there be in any of you
an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God" (Hebrews
3:12). The word of God says that a Christian can depart and leave God
if he develops an evil heart of unbelief. The Bible also says, "Now the
Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the
faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons" (1
Timothy 4:1). By believing "once saved, always saved" one is deceived
by "giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons".
The Bible says that some, "Having condemnation because they have
cast off their faith" (1 Timothy 5:12). They were once saved but are
now condemned and lost because they had cast off their faith. If one
cannot lose his salvation then why are the Christians at Philippi urged
to, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians
2:12)?
The deadly TULIP theory will destroy many souls of men in Hell by
people following this doctrine "because they did not receive the love of
the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send
them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all
may be condemned who did not believe the truth" (2 Thessalonians
2:10-12). The sad thing is that many sincere people have believed this
lie of Satan and will be spending eternity in Hell with him.
- You can visit additional resources from Ron Boatman at
http://www.netbiblestudy.net/bulletin/
By John Gipson
From the way the apostle Paul used the word “peddler,” it seems apparent that in the Mediterranean world of the first century the peddler had a reputation for cheating and misrepresentations in order to secure some benefit for himself.
Sincerity was not high on the huckster’s list. He was prepared to say anything to make a sale. For example, there is the story of the oft-fooled bald-headed man who asked the peddler, “Can you prove this is a good hair-restorer?” To which the peddler replied, “One lady customer took the cork out of the bottle with her teeth and twenty-four hours later she had a mustache!” So much for sincerity!
Some folks are willing to say almost anything if it works to their advantage. It reminds me of the two years I spent in collegiate debating. One day I would be arguing for the proposition and the next day against it. You were out to win the debate no matter whether you believed what you were saying or not.
The apostle Paul was not that sort of person. In writing to the Corinthians, he said, “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:17 RSV).
Many, unlike Paul, were “peddlers of God’s word.” They were lovers of self and lovers of money, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Paul calls them “men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith,” and men “teaching for base gain what they have no right to teach.” Their tribe is still alive and well in the 21st century. Avoid them! Read the warnings in 2 Timothy 3:1-29 and Titus 1:10-12.
Give us men of sincerity! Men who can say, ‘Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed, and so I spoke,’ we too believe, and so we speak” (2 Cor. 4:13).
-John Gipson, Little Rock , AR; via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
