Skip to main content

Wolves in Sheeps's Clothing





Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. (Jude 1:3-6)

            I'm going to take a brief break in the discussion of prophecy. Closer to Easter, I'll touch on it some more. A few items have come to my attention that make this passage a good one to consider. The first item is the ongoing excuse people use that they don't like to go to church because the church is full of hypocrites. First, I happen to think that is precisely where hypocrites should be, so that they can learn the error of their ways. They certainly won't learn integrity from the world. That being said, Jude warned us a long time ago that people would sneak into the church. They will misuse God's grace and they will deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. So, yes, there are hypocrites in the church, and departing from the church is precisely what the Devil wants to use them to cause you to do. It hurts you, it hurts the Church and it hurts God.
        The other item was a video in which a pastor of a church that is hemorrhaging members in which said pastor says "Who cares what the Bible says?" This is another of the sorts of wolves in sheep's clothing. I misplaced the meme before I could respond to it, but my question then and now is, "How do you determine which parts of the Bible are God's Word and inviolate, and which can be thrown out to suit your purposes?"
        Now, I know that no one applies Scripture perfectly. Some people would suggest that my eating pork is a violation of Scripture. To them, I would say that the Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15 makes it clear that Gentile Christians are not bound by Mosaic ceremonial cleanliness laws. There are others who might make the charge that my not wearing a head covering to show submission or respect is a violation. I would agree with them if my wearing of a veil or hat were understood to show submission or respect. In today's society, it would not communicate those things. I still endeavor to show respect and submission by wearing clothing that covers those portions of the body that in our disrespectful culture tends to uncover. I make sure the top and bottoms of my tops and bottoms are high and low enough to cover those parts of my body that need to be covered for decency and respect. Those things are not quite the same as saying that what the Bible says doesn't matter or as saying that what both the Old and New Testament specifically state as sinful isn't.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more