A Bible verse Christians forget exists at Christmas and Easter:
“…abstain from things polluted by idols…” Acts 15:20
Note: we are to abstain from X Mass and Easter.
Category: syncretism
Are you following pagan practices and calling them holy?
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. – Revelation 22:13-15
It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows. – Proverbs 20:25
On that day of judgment,” says the Lord, “I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah and all those following pagan customs. – Zephaniah 1:8
ECUMENISM … Where do you draw the line?
by Sandy Simpson, Deception In The Church, 1998
This is a short essay to illustrate, with some irony, just how unbiblical, subjective and relativistic Ecumenism really is. A few definitions first:
ecumenism – n : the doctrine of the ecumenical movement promoting cooperation and better understanding among different
religious denominations; aimed at universal Christian unity [syn: {ecumenicism}, {ecumenicalism}]
interfaith – adj : involving persons of different religious faiths; “an interfaith marriage”; “interfaith good will” (Websters Dictionary)
“Ecumenism” starts innocently enough. It begins with a tolerant perspective of other denominations. Then it moves on to acceptance of cults. Finally it ends in a desire for unity with other religions, evolving (my note: “devolving” would be the more apt word) into what is called “Interfaith”. This process is brought about by a wrong exegesis of Scripture, using verses such as the following out of context:
1Jo 3:11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
Mt 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Ro 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Heb 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no-one will see the Lord.
Tit 3:2 … to slander no-one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility towards all men.
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
1Co 7:7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another
has that.
Ro 11:32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Joh 12:32 But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”
Continue reading here.
What Fellowship Hath Christ with Belial?
The following discourse was presented as a sermon to the congregation of the First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Beaver Falls, PA on December 22, 1991. It was not an easy message to preach. It is never easy to re-examine practices and patterns of thinking that have been presumed and taken for granted for a lifetime. It is especially difficult when these practices are associated with intense emotional feelings and are bound up with deep-rooted family traditions. Such is the case with the subject of Christmas. To even call into question the annual celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ is inconceivable for most modern Christians. That anyone would even suggest that Christmas and its festivities have no warrant in the Word of God and should therefore be dismissed from the practice of God’s people seems the height of foolishness to our generation. The question which must be asked is, “Why?”
If the celebration we all know as Christmas is to be zealously upheld by the Christian Church, what is the reason? Do the Scriptures prescribe this annual Holy Day? Did Jesus Himself institute a yearly commemoration of the day of His birth to be kept by His disciples to the end of the age? Do the Scriptures even provide us with the date of our Savior’s birth?
All practices and patterns of thinking must be subjected to the scrutiny of the Word of God. If we are unwilling to lay our personal views on the table beside an open Bible, then we are indicating more than we may think about our openess to conform our lives to the teaching of Scripture. This sermon seeks to examine one of our most cherished traditions by the light of God’s Word. The question of the propriety or impropriety of any practice must always be decided on that basis alone, and never on the basis of subjective emotion. Emotion has often led well meaning people down the wrong road. God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. May God grant us the courage and character always to be willing to submit our personal viewpoints, on every matter of faith and life, to the scrutiny of His unerring Word.
Continue reading here.
The Nature and Danger of Contemporary Idolatry
This sermon by Bob DeWaay explains why the second commandment prohibits images for use in worship. God speaks authoritative words through His ordained spokespersons. Pagans create images to represent their deities but God’s people may not do so. Those who do are idolaters. The “host of heaven” are not merely stars and constellations, but spiritual beings under which God put the pagan nations. God’s people are to be directly under Yahweh.
DeWaay does not distinguish between God’s instructions to man for the making of certain images in the tabernacle and the brazen serpent and man’s own inspiration in making images of “Jesus.” My view is that one is practicing idolatry when they bow their heads in prayer to an image of “Jesus” that was created by man which he teaches on at about 38 minutes in, i.e., mental images .
God’s Word to the Churches
This morning I was thinking about the scripture, You shall have no other gods before Me. Many think it means having anything of more importance or attention than God. True, but it also means putting other gods in front of God’s holy face, like what is done in churches with their christo-paganism and pagan/papist traditions of men. Not unlike what is shown in this post as one example.
You shall not make a post idol of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD your God, which you shall make you. Neither shall you set up any image; which the LORD your God hates. Deuteronomy 16:21-22 KJV 2000
Matthew Henry’s Commentary:
Care is taken to prevent following the idolatrous customs of the heathen. Nothing belies God more, or tends more to corrupt the minds of men, than representing and worshipping, by an image, that God, who is an almighty and eternal Spirit, present every where. Alas! even in gospel days, and under a better dispensation, established upon better promises, there is a tendency to set up idols, under one form or another, in the human heart.
Be Zealous for Truth
“If we would hold fast that which is good, we must not tolerate or countenance any doctrine that is not the pure doctrine of Christ’s Gospel. There is a hatred that is downright charity: that is the hatred of erroneous doctrine. There is an intolerance which is downright praiseworthy: that is the intolerance of false teaching in the pulpit. Who would ever think of tolerating a little poison given to him day by day? If men come among you who do not preach all the counsel of God, who do not preach of Christ, and sin, and holiness, of ruin, and redemption, and regeneration,—or do not preach of these things in a scriptural way, you ought to cease to hear them. You ought to act upon the injunction given by the Holy Ghost in the Old Testament: ‘Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge’ (Prov. 19: 27). You ought to carry out the spirit shown by the Apostle Paul, in Gal. 1:8: ‘Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached, let him be accursed.’ If we can bear to hear Christ’s truth mangled or adulterated—and can see no harm in listening to that which is another Gospel—and can sit at ease while sham Christianity is poured into our ears—and can go home comfortably afterwards and not burn with holy indignation—if this be the case, there is little chance of our ever doing much to resist Rome. If we are content to hear Jesus Christ not put in His rightful place, we are not men and women who are likely to do Christ much service, or fight a good fight on His side. He that is not zealous against error, is not likely to be zealous for truth.” — J.C. Ryle
Christo-pagan Evil
2 Corinthians 6:14-16
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”
1 Corinthians 10:21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.
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