Recently I have heard a Catholic say that something in the Bible was no big deal if someone didn't follow it. Clearly, this person didn't know and can't know that Jesus Christ is the Author of the Bible. He didn't realize that not everything was written to us but everything was written for us. He didn't realize he will not be able to believe the Bible until He repents and becomes born-again.
Some things in the Bible were written to the Jews and were pictures of prophecy to come. Now those pictures have been fulfilled and the Church no longer follows the rituals for shadows of things but we believe the fulfillment of those shadows. We have dropped the rituals that were shadows and pictures to celebrate the real thing that has been fulfilled. Now we celebrate the new covenant of grace.
Disobedience to God's Word on any level is a serious issue.
Jesus Christ is the Author of the Bible everything He said in it is true. Only through His Holy Spirit living in born-again believers can we correctly interpret things according to Jesus' teaching.
John 16:13-14 " 13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.…"
Not all of Scripture was written to us but it was all written for us to follow. No one will be able to think on his own through the leading of the Holy Spirit until you become born again.
Another significant passage is when Christ said; "there is only one mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus." We have no priest or pope who is the mediator between us, only Christ Jesus who lives in those who have become born again.
If anyone desires to know how to become born-again so that you too can understand the scriptures I would be happy to tell you.
Following man's rules does not get anyone to heaven, being in a particular "denomination" or "religion" does not save anyone. Only trusting what Christ did on the cross will save anyone. Also, one must confess their sinful nature to God and desire to be changed by Him to be born again. Just following rules doesn't get anyone to heaven.
Matthew 7"21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Those who depend on their own good deeds or which gathering they attend will not be saved. Those who place their trust in the "pastor" who stands up front will not be saved. One who refuses to seek the Lord through prayer and scripture reading will not be saved.
Many people think they are going to heaven by being in the right group or listening to the right preacher are on their way to hell because their trust is not in Christ but in "a form of religion" as 2 Timothy 3:5 says:
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Difficult Times Will Come
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
It is those who are arrogantly believing they are superior full of wicked character traits who think they are godly but are not, that we should avoid. The world is full of these types, more than those who have trusted Christ authentically. We can expect to be alone more than ever before as the days march quickly to the end of the end of the church age.
Do not let this discourage you, rather be encouraged, we are going home soon and we have no obligation to spend our time with those who don't want our God.
