2017-12-08
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I commented on how human-crafted philosophies are often empty deceptions. We need to look closer at some examples. 1) Asceticism: This is defined in theology as the systematic exposition or theory practiced by those, who think complete conformity with the Divine can be attained. This can be positive, such as natural and Christian virtues, or negative, such as rigorous self-denial or abstinence. This evokes a mental picture of a monk in his cell flagellating himself with a knotted cord in Medieval times. There is a certain quality of this rigorous life in cloistered orders of clergy, who deny themselves contact with laity and live lives of obedience and restriction in the practice of their faith. COL 2: 21, “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” are rules imposed artificially by people in authority. COL 2: 23, “Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
2) Angel worship. COL 2: 18-19 instruct us on exactly Who Jesus is. “Do not let anybody who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize (gaining eternal life). Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. And he has lost connection with Head, from Whom the whole body is supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews grows as God causes it to grow.” While it is stated in metaphoric language, the meaning of these verses is clear. There is only one God, Who has three personalities, and Christ is His second one. He and He alone is to be worshipped. We must remember that Daniel bowed with his face toward the ground, sharing his angst with the man standing before him- in a vision that came to this prophet after praying for 23 days. The arch-angel, Michael, explained his delay in coming and told Daniel not to be afraid. Then, he let Daniel know what God’s intentions were [DN 10: 15-19]. Daniel was told in (10-12) that he was esteemed by God and recognized for his humility.
3) Deprecation of Christ. COL 2: 3, 9-10. Verse 3 reveals that Christ in us is the mystery of God, and He allows us access to all the treasures of His wisdom and knowledge. Verse 9 reveals Who Christ really is and indirectly shows us why He should not be deprecated. “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, Who is the Head over every power and authority.” This information certainly supports God’s stated attitude in EX 20: 2-4 concerning idol worship, the sin He hates the most, and worshipping only Him. A review of the erroneous teaching of Gnosticism will show why it is human-crafted and sinful. It’s denial of Christ’s real relationship to God is something God abhors. God doesn’t keep secret knowledge only open to a privileged few [JN 15: 13-15].
4) Ceremonialism. This is the traditional practice of avoiding certain foods, ceremonies, which evoke idol-worship, and physical circumcision. Once the vision that Peter had on Cornelius’ roof, it was no longer necessary for people to obey the kosher (kasrut) regime of traditional Judaism. Certainly, this was true once refrigeration for perishable foods and the removal of Trichinosis organisms from pork became available. As for physical circumcision of males, it is still advisable for health reasons, but not as a requirement of one’s being a member of a religion. While we should respect the traditions of others different from ourselves, no ceremony should ever be practiced that tries to evoke the occult in any form. That is why God found it so detestable that Saul visited with the witch from Endor [1 SAM 28: 5-25]. Resulting from this effort to bring Samuel back from the dead, Saul was removed from the Israelite throne, and shortly thereafter, the Israelites lost the battle of Gilboa to the Philistines. Saul, his son, Jonathan, and others died there [1 SAM 31: 1-5].
PRAYER: O Lord, we worship only You, Your Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are Your wonderful personalities, designed and created to help us relate to you and to access Your wisdom and knowledge. Your command not to worship idols is, at times, hard to obey. However, we will resist the temptation to veer from Your word or to allow what was in the past for some of us to take us on wrongful paths. Your teaching was ordained to fulfill Your worthy goals for instruction, rebuke, training, and correction, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work [2 TIM 3: 16-17]. There is a chain, which connects Your will, Your word, Your presence and intervention in our lives, and Your grace with our gaining eternal life. It is our need to see and understand this chain and to live by it. We are often imperfect, but deeply appreciate Your patience with us and Your willingness to guide us and help us through our challenges. We offer You praise and thanks in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I have been commanded to continue with a discussion of unity in the church. It bears repeating that we should have a goal of living a God-centered, rather than a man-centered way of life. This may mean making hard choices, avoiding temptation to sin. On the other hand, we are likely, if we do this, to avoid a lot of heart-ache. We must be alert to deceitful efforts to sway our lives away from God. We must be alert to “wolves in sheep’s clothing” [MT 10: 16]. This is not always easy, but it is necessary. It’s a lot easier to write about what we should be doing than to always do it. However, when we reach a crossroads demanding a decision, we can always turn to God for His advice. He wants us to succeed in gaining eternal life with Him, a life of sweet fellowship and worthy pleasures. He roots for us to understand His teaching found in the Scriptures, for not only are we being given, through His grace, salvation and eternal forgiveness, but we are to set a good example for those who aren’t yet believers in Christ. We can reach out to them, and the Holy Spirit can give them faith through using us for this purpose. Our God is a loving and generous Deity, Who asks little when we compare it to what He is offering us. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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