The modern church often distorts the truth of God's Word by using a sentence to describe a concept or principle, even commands of God, rather than seeking to understand God's meaning as given in the rest of the Bible.
When a concept, principle, or command is taken out of context, a wrong interpretation is passed on from generation to generation. By the time someone challenges the false belief, the people are so entrenched in it that it becomes a cultural icon, causing people to resist the truth out of hand.
Some of our modern ideas, such as the nature of forgiveness, repentance, divorce and remarriage, hell, not forsaking the gathering of believers, which day to meet, what happens at the gathering, the holidays, and many other things that have been added to Christianity that God never intended or endorsed have reduced Christianity to a paganistic ideolization of phylosophies that fly in the face of God's Word.
Sadly, when this happens, the people follow more unbiblical cultural things than they do Biblical truth. In adding so many untrue ideas, they have little left of true Christianity. They have developed a "religion" that no longer resembles the faith in Christ or His Word, the Bible.
These wrong beliefs shape how people view Christ, salvation and even how one lives their lives. They shape entire cultures that claim to be Christian but have no desire to know the truth. They live according to their own false truth and are resistant to God.
Just recently, a "pastor" attacked a person on the street for heckling him and threatening his family verbally. Many in the cultural Christian camp applauded this as though it was the right thing to do, when it in fact violated much scripture for the conduct of any Christ follower.
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When the culture has been inculcated with Darwinistic psychology and standards of pagan religions we will miss the mark in the Christian life. And, perhaps those who do this, without interest in God's heart and mind, were never born again.
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.’"
Not everyone who has been deceived by false doctrine is unsaved, but most are not born again. This brings us to the tasks for born again believers, that is to warn people who have been decieved that they may not be saved even though they attend a church gathering, and to rebuke those who appear to be saved but are allowing the culture to guide them instead of God's Word.
The challenge is for each one to ask God to reveal truth to them, without the input of any other person, that Christ would show them. The prayer might include the request to show them nothing but truth untainted by men, so that they would be cleansed of the cultural traditions that have distorted God's Word.
Our walk with Christ is a witness to the world; the last thing we should want is to distort God's principles making people feel comfortable in their lost state.
Ephesians 5:15-20 "15 So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise,
16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord;
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;"
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