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False doctrines proclaim that one religion or
faith is as good as any other or that many faiths are acceptable to God.
On the face that sounds good since it allows anyone to believe whatever
is popular to believe and proclaim that it is of God. Nothing could be
farther from the truth and again the Bible declares those beliefs false.
Paul so states in Ephesians 4:5-6 One Lord, one faith, one
baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all,
and in you all.
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The false ideas of religion must be
addressed. The truth is that God, Jesus and the apostles didn't teach what the
modern day calls religion. The word religion is found in the New
Testament 5 times in 5 verses. Four uses refer to a belief, and the 5th,
James 1:27 gives the second definition of the word: Pure religion
and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless
and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the
world. That verse by necessity declares that there is a false
nature to religion including the other four uses of the word.
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The first occurrence is in Acts 26:5 where
Luke recorded Paul’s words Which knew me from the beginning, if
they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I
lived a Pharisee. Next is Galatians 1:13 and 14 For ye
have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how
that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 14
And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own
nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.
Then last, is James 1:26 If any man among
you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his
own heart, this man's religion is vain. Each of the four verses
refer to an outward keeping ritual of organized belief, in this case the
Law which the Jews followed. Verse 26 has the word religious which means
the ceremonial service or external observance not necessarily in a good
sense. That is revealed in verse 14 where Paul said he persecuted the
assembly (church) in the pursuit of the Jew’s religion.
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All four verses have two commonalities that
isn’t shared with James 1:27. The first four are about external keeping
and the self doing religious rituals, whereas James says that pure
religion is looking after others in need and keep from being soiled by
the sin in the world. To be free of engaging in the sin of the world,
one need only to do the good works that are taught by Jesus and the
apostles. By so doing, Satan can find no place in your life since it is
impossible to do good and bad at the same time. The only conclusion that
can be drawn is that there are false religions that do not help anyone,
and if the belief isn’t directed to helping others, then it is vain.
Verse 26, means foolish, idle, useless and empty. It serves no purpose
for God or anyone else except Satan.
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Since the scriptures do not give a favorable
light to any religion or religious ritual keeping, there has to be
something else to what people claim the Bible contains. James 1:27 and
many other verses give us the truth: it is pure religion. The truth is
that the Bible isn’t about religion or ritual keeping. The message is
one that instructs us to live a new life through obedience to Jesus
Christ, which inspires each believer to do for others from the heart,
and in the process, they will be honoring God and serving Christ as seen
in James 1:27. False religion helps no one since it is nothing but the
self-righteous doing of doctrines in an attempt to impress God and
perhaps others.
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Jesus castigated the Pharisees concerning
their ritual keeping. This people
draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips;
but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
(Matthew 15:8-9) Worship of God
must be from the heart or it is vain. Yet, many believe that an outward
keeping of doctrine and rules will somehow bring salvation without
following the truth of the scriptures. Luke recorded the words of Paul
in Acts 20:29-30: For I know this, that after my departing shall
grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of
your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them. In this day, we hear and read of those
who proclaim various doctrines and they are all false when compared to
the Bible teachings.
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© 09-05-2010 DEC
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Next False Doctrines Versus
the Truth Part III |
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