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POPULAR HERESY TODAY |
WHERE THIS HERESY CONFLICTS WITH SCRIPTURE |
HOW THIS POPULAR HERESY AFFECTS YOU ... THE DIFFERENCE IT MAKES |
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Some falsely believe that: Different religions use different names for God, such as Supreme Being or Allah, but they all pray to the same God. |
"I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another" (Is. 42:8). "There is none other God but one" (1 Cor. 8:4). All gods of the nations are idols (1 Cor. 10:20; 2 Cor. 6:15ff.).
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Unless you pray to the true God of the Bible, your prayers will not be answered (1 Kg. 18:20-40, especially verses 27-29); Jesus stated specifically that all prayer requests must be made in His name (Jn. 14:13; 16:23-26). |
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Some falsely believe that: Any person can establish a saving relationship with God by deciding to "make a decision for Christ." |
No one can choose God (Jn. 15:16). We become "in Christ" totally through God's doing, not our own " (1 Cor. 1:30). God unites us to Himself through His miracle of Baptism (Rom. 6:5). Salvation is the work of God (Jn. 6:29), not a work of our own (Eph. 2:8-9). Our relationship with God does not depend on our will, but on God who has mercy (Jn 1:13; Rom. 9:16). |
If you try to connect yourself to God by your will, you will never have the blessed assurance of a definite relationship that only God can establish with you through His miracle of Baptism. Therefore, if you try to make a connection to God on your own, you will constantly try to seek verification of your faith through an emotional experience and revivalism. |
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Some falsely believe that: My parents went to church out of habit. I don't want my worship or prayer life to be a habit. |
Going to church regularly is a blessed and God-pleasing habit. "Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some" (Heb. 10:25). God is pleased when parents teach children habits that will help them later in life (Deu. 6:7-8; Pro. 22:6). |
The habit of going to church and Sunday School is one of the best blessings of God. If you have no positive spiritual habits, the devil will be able easily to tempt you to turn away from God. |
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Some falsely believe that: I don't have to go to church to be a Christian.
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The church is not a human invention. Jesus established the church (Mat. 16:18). Jesus is the head of the church (Eph. 1:22). The church is the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12ff. ). |
When you do not go to church, you are not functioning as part of the Body of Christ. You then do not receive the blessing of the rest of the body, just as a severed hand or leg cannot function on its own. |
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Some falsely believe that: The Bible can be understood in many different ways, depending on how you interpret it. |
When you speak or write to someone, you have a specific thing you want to say. God communicates in the same way. The Bible can be mistranslated in many ways but correctly interpreted and understood in only one way (2 Pet. 1:20). God's message is foolishness to those who do not believe (1 Cor. 1:18ff.). |
If you believe that God's Word can be understood in many different ways, then you can have no certainty about what God is saying to you regarding your salvation, and you will not have the peace of God spoken of in Rom. 5:1. |
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Some falsely believe that: I can listen to and even accept many different religious ideas, but they can't affect me. |
Jesus warned about the yeast or the likelike activity of false teaching (Mat. 16:6-12; Col. 2:8) |
If you permit ungodly and secular ideas to have free course in your mind, your mind will then be held "captive" and filled with empty deception.(col.2:8). But, if you focus on the Word of God, you will have the "mind of Christ," and you will be free (1Cor. 2:16). |