COMMON CURRENT HERESIES

I am more and more frustrated by Christian leaders who espouse heresies. Most of those heresies have been taught to them by pseudo-intellectual seminary professors, who, themselves, do not understand or believe the purpose or the meaning of Scriptures. Many of them stem from centuries of man-made tradition (something which is railed against in Colossians 2).

It is important to begin with the purpose and meaning of The Bible.

The Bible is God's revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.

Although the Bible is divided into two "testaments," the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is important to realize that what these testaments are about is two covenants God has made with His creation.

The first covenant is the Abrahamic Covenant, a covenant that pre-dated the Law of Moses and the covenant God made with Moses (not to be confused with or superseding the Abrahamic Covenant).

The Second Covenant was His fulfilment of the First Covenant through Jesus, Christ (the Greek word for the Hebrew "Messiah".

Old Covenant Jews get to Heaven the same way New Covenant people do: through faith in Messiah. Old Covenant Jews get to Heaven through faith in the promise of a coming Messiah. New Covenant folk get to Heaven through faith in the same Messiah (Christ) having come to fulfil the Old Covenant.

Every word, phrase, chapter and story of the Bible must be interpreted by asking the question: What does this word, phrase, chapter and story reveal about God's character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.

Failure to interpret any portion of Scripture by answering this question will result in an improper interpretation and application of that section of Scripture.

The pivotal verse in Scripture is John 3:16: "For God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten (to bring a child into existence by the process of reproduction, in this case, spiritual reproduction through Mary) Son, that anybody who believes in Him (His life, burial and resurrection) will not perish (die eternally), but will have eternal (timeless foreverness with God) life."

Every verse of Scripture must be liberally painted with this verse in order to be properly interpreted.

All of the Old Testament points to this verse.

All of the New Testament (including the gospels) expands on this verse.


Sadly, the majority of "preachers" today use Scripture to prove some theosophical point of theirs or to prove some philosophical position they hold.
 
That is called "proof-texting" and is an anathema to the Christian message.
 
In this series, I will expose many contemporary heresies, not for the purpose of showing off my own knowledge, but in the hope that someone will wake up and realize that we Christians have only one message and that its eternal repetition is not boring or unsophisticated, but that it is the very essence of who, what and why we are.
 
That message is that God's character is perfect and eternal, His love for His creation is unfathonable and His plan for the salvation of His creation is in, and only in, Jesus, Christ.

LEST WE FORGET

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-God of Wonders-Third Day

A Study in Deuteronomy Week 7

Deuteronomy Chapters 18-21


Chapter 18
Verses 1-2 – The tribe of Levi was totally consecrated to the “priestly office.” The priests were to be sustained by tithes, first fruits and other offerings at the altar.

Verses 3-5 – The priest were to receive the choice portions of the offerings: the “two cheeks” and the “maw” or stomach, deemed to be the greatest delicacy. (I Corinthians 9:13)

Verses 6-13 – Levies served in rotation.

Verses 14-22 – A repeat of the requirements of a prophet, that 100% of his prophecies be true. God reminds His people that "There is no need to consult with diviners and soothsayers, as I shall afford you the benefit of divinely appointed prophets.

Chapter 19

Verses 1-13 – The cities of refuge were a place of safety, comfort and forgiveness. They were to be easily accessed and the roads to them were to be kept in top-notch condition.

Verse 14 – Personal property, in the form of land, was of great importance (as it is in our Constitution).

Verses 15-21 – The rules of testimony in court required at least two witnesses. In other words, “he said-she said” was to be avoided. Perjury was punishable under the law and the perjurer received the same punishment as the condemned.

These laws were reflective of the forgiving nature and innate fairness of Christ in saving the condemned.

Chapter 20

Verses 1-18 – When Israel had to go to war, if it was a just war, they had the right to expect God to be with them and to favor them. What about war today?

Verses 19-20 – It is interesting that fruit bearing trees were to be spared in a war. This was in recognition of what was “sacred” in the environment and what was not. Fruit trees supported human life and were thus important. The environment is important, but it is required that we know the difference between that which is truly important and that which is not.

Chapter 21

Verses 1-9 – This deals with how to deal with an unsolved murder. Think “cold case.” Unsolved murders were not to be just let go, but a continuing effort to find the “perp” was made.

Verses 10-14 – There is a translation issue here. In the original and all other translations, the words are rendered "have had," ( V 13) referring to events that have already taken place. In other words, “hers that was hated," not "hers that is hated," evidently intimating that she (the first wife) was dead at the time referred to. Moses, therefore, does not here legislate upon the case of a man who has two wives at the same time, but on that of a man who has married twice in succession, the second wife after the death of the first

God's laws restructure the way a people act, think and live out their lives so they can live in conformity with their Holy God. The many rules and judgments listed here all ultimately point to Christ who is the only way to God. They were meant to lift His people up above all the other nations as they would live in God's holy presence.

Each generation is tested as to whether they will fully revolve their lives around Christ and His teachings. Great blessings follow the obedient, while curses those willing to disregard the words of Christ.

God clearly wants to get involved in our every day living. He wants to shape our decisions.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-That's My King-S.M. Lockridge

A Study in Deuteronomy Week 6

Deuteronomy Chapters 15-21

Chapter 15

Verses 1-11 – God’s poverty program is about kindness and reasonableness. There was a 7 year limitation on debt. Debts are to be repaid, but after a certain length of time, it is time to let go and forgive debts. After all, what kind of debt did Christ forgive you?

Verses 12-18 – Slaves are not to be in servitude forever. Every soul longs for freedom. The highest form of freedom is slavery to Christ.

Verses 19-23 – No matter how dear the sacrifice, it is never sufficient to forgive sin. The only sacrifice that can forgive sin is the sacrifice of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

Chapter 16 There are three main feasts for the Jews: Passover; Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. All males were required to attend the feasts.

The period from Passover to Pentecost is a time of great anticipation. Each of the days is counted from the second day of Passover to the day before Pentecost (Shavu'ot), 49 days or 7 full weeks, hence the name of the festival.

The counting reminds Jews of the important connection between Passover and Pentecost: Passover freed them physically from bondage, but the giving of the Torah on Pentecost redeemed them spiritually from their bondage to idolatry and immorality.

Pentecost is also known as Pentecost because it falls on the 50th day; however, the Jewish The Jewish Pentecost is not really the same as the Christian holiday of Pentecost, which occurs 50 days after Resurrection Sunday.

The Feast of Tabernacles comes on the fifteenth of Tishri (September-October), the seventh month according to the Jewish calendar. This was the third feast that required a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship in the Temple and offer sacrifices and offering to the Lord.

Chapter 17

Verses 1-7 – These are some basic principles about testimonies in court and the importance of due process (something from which our judicial system is spawned).

Verses 8-13 – There was to be a “supreme” court to settle what lower courts could not.

Verses 14-20 – Your leader should not seek power and self-aggrandizement, but should live in a way that is not above the people.

It is so interesting that Deuteronomy emphasizes the heart involvement with following God’s Ten Commandments.

It is also noteworthy that the “sub-laws” regarding civil behavior are also connected to love of God and His love for us.

See, the Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Jesus Never Fails-Truth

A Study in Deuteronomy Week 5

Deuteronomy Chapters 8-14

Chapter 8

Knowing the history of God’s dealings brings assurance of His grace for the future. Verses 1-9 – Observing the Law out of love for God is a natural response to His love for us in christ.

Verses 10-20 – We are prone to self-satisfaction, self-congratulations and to failing to give God the credit He is due.

Chapter 9

Verses 1-6 – God knew Israel, and their past was not that good. God did not promise them the land of milk and honey because of their righteousness, but because of His.

Verses 7-29 – We have a tendency to allow idol worship to enter our lives.

Chapter 10

God allowed Israel to be enslaved in Egypt, and God brought them out of Egypt.

We all know the story, and it is a story of God’s grace, and how serious it is to ignore Him.

Chapter 11

The Promised Land was not like Egypt. In fact, it was virtually the opposite from Egypt.

Chapter 12

Israel has only one place to worship in the land.

Verses 4-14 – There is to be a place where everybody meets together for worship. It is not acceptable for each one to do as he pleases and to exercise his own ideas and opinions. This is to be a God centered place, not a man centered place.

Chapter 13

This is another warning against false prophets and how to spot them. This chapter reinforces the admonition against idol worship.

Remember, if God says something once it is important, if He says it two or three times, you would do well to pay attention.

Chapter 14

Here we see the diet for Israel and the Old Covenant pattern for giving.

Verses 1-21 – God knew what was good for us long before nutritionists.

Verses 22-29 – The tithe was 10%, by definition. The tithe in this case was grain and was to be eaten by the tither at God’s chosen place of worship.

There were all kinds of rules about the circumstances of tithing.

Aren’t you glad that we who have received Christ live under the New Covenant?

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Praise You in the Storm-Casting Crowns

A Study in Deuteronomy Week 4

Deuteronomy Chapters 5-7

Deuteronomy 5

Verses 1-5 – The covenant in Horeb (Genesis 17:9). This was God’s promise to Abraham and His people, Israel.

Verses 6-21 – The Ten Commandments are repeated and given commentary.

Question: Which of the Ten Commandments requires Sabbath worship services?

Question: Which of the days of the week should we NOT keep holy?

Question: If you keep Commandment #1, which of the other Commandments are you most likely to violate?

Verses 22-33 – The request of the people that the law might be delivered through Moses.

Deuteronomy 6

Verses 1-3 – Obedience out of Love. Moses taught the people what God told him to teach them. Christ’s ministers are to teach all He has commanded them to teach (Matthew 28:20)

Verses 4-12 – God is God and we are to follow Him. We are also to teach our children to follow Him.

Verses 13-19 – We are to love God with all that we are. We are to love Him with a sincere love, a strong love, a superlative love, an intelligent love and a complete love.

Verses 20-15 – Our obligation is to let our children know our history, the history of our faith and the history of the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 7

Verses 1-10 – We are to be very cautions about who our friends are, who we fellowship with and whether they serve idols or are idolaters. Those who have communion with God are not to have communion with the works of the world’s darkness. Spending time with worldly people is not likely to raise them up to a righteous level, but is more likely to bring us down to a less holy level. As Christ said, we are not to be unequally yoked, a reference not only to marriage, but to all forms of associations.

Verses 11-26 – Proper obedience, that is obedience born of great respect and love for God, brings with it the promises of God to know Him better, to serve Him better and to have His assurance of the best that He has for us.