How to Create a False Doctrine in Christianity

Find anywhere between 0-6 (yes zero is possible) verses from the bible. It is much easier if you look for verses with imperative statements. Never consider what the verse(s) means in context. You don't need the whole verse, you don't even need the entire sentence, you can just use a phrase.

For example, the "you must go to a church building every week" doctrine uses a sentence fragment from Hebrews 10:25, "forsake not the assembling." Remember if you use a sentence fragment to never quote the rest of the sentence or verse or it could screw up your whole doctrine. Hebrews 10:25 also says, "Encourage one another" & the previous verse says to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." These things define what "assembling" is, something that each & every person participates in or is free to participate in. They also go against the idea that frequenting a building as an audience member is what is in view. So you can see how context & even full sentences work against your false doctrine.

If you're using more than one verse you can even get away with only pointing out a single word as long as a similar word appears in the other verse(s).

Now that you've gotten your scriptures just make up whatever you want. You can also do this in reverse, make up whatever you want & then find verses that seem to back up what you've made up. Also, if you are a preacher or a church leader some people are certain to swallow your false doctrine. Its that easy!


Related
In Context: "Forsake not the assembling.."
In Context: "Forsake not.." & "I can do all things.." Revisited
Leadership page

Better to Be Single or Married? OR Why I Don't Believe Much of 1 Corinthians 7

Get ready to shoot me because in this post I criticize something written by Paul the Apostle & challenge the idea that everything in the NT is true. Time to crack the head of the whole 'Paul said it was better to be single' thing in 1 Corinthians 7. Several times Paul says he is only expressing his opinion on the matter.

V6 Paul said, "I say these things by permission" Meaning God gave him the freedom to say them but did not command him to say them.
V7 Paul says, "I wish that all men could be single as I myself am."
V12 Paul says, "I'm saying this, not the Lord.."
V25 Paul says, "I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion.."
V32 Paul says, "I want you to be free from concern.."
V40 Paul says, "In my opinion a woman is happier if she remains unmarried"

I'll be honest, in this chapter Paul uses some very non-relational language particularly in verses 23-25. Those of us who are happily married & have children may find what he says distasteful, upsetting, & sad. At the end Paul says, "this has been my opinion but I think that I also have the Spirit of God." You sure do Paul, that's why God had you make it clear that you were expressing your opinion rather than His. God loves marriages & children. He loves us through them & even pictures His relationship with us as both the Father's children & Jesus's bride.

In verse 7 Paul says His singleness is a "gift from God" & that other people have different gifts from God. Of course a good wife or a good husband is a gift from God as well (Proverbs 18:22). Romans 12:6 says, "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us." Grace means "favor." Grace is God's love for you. "We have gifts that differ according to the love given to us by God." This means God looks at who we are & what we like. As a lovingly wise Father He gives gifts to His children according to their personalities. Because God's children are not all the same He loves each one of us differently for our benefit & enjoyment. So it is not better to be single but neither is it better to be married. What is best is what is best for you & your Father knows what is best for you. Despite the insistence of religion God doesn't force you to be something you don't want to be. If you trust God you'll get what you want whether to stay single or get married..

If you're a romantic that wants to ruffle some one's feathers, next time someone asks you if you believe in the whole bible or that the whole bible is inerrant just say, "No. I don't believe in parts of 1 Corinthians 7." I sure don't. So while this is a portion of scripture not written by the Holy Spirit at the same time it, to me at least, verifies that the Spirit wrote through Paul at other times. Why do I think this? Because Paul on his own had a very low opinion of marriage making it sound as if loving your spouse was somehow not also loving God at the same time, or that it limited how much you could love God. Yet later on in Ephesians 5 Paul writes by the Spirit about the eternal parallel of marriage & the relationship & love Jesus has with His people. Regarding that relationship He speaks of self-giving love, seeing each other as perfect & pure, voluntary cooperation, healing, respect, regard, rejoicing in the truth together, caring for one another & cherishing one another.

1 Corinthians 7:32-35, "One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided. The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord."

Surprisingly Paul gets super religious here. Paul was wrong. He was short sighted, perhaps because he wasn't married at the time he wrote this. It DOES please the Lord for you to please your wife or your husband. Pleasing the Lord & pleasing your spouse aren't two separate things, they aren't divided into different categories. In chapter 13 Paul writes "love is not self-seeking." We know that God is love. Thus "things of the Lord" regard loving people. His #1 desire is that we trust Him & love one another. That is why Jesus repeatedly prayed for us in John 17 to be one as He & the Father are one. In marriage two become one. It is the ultimate relationship to accomplish the mutual love for one another that Jesus desired we have.

Paul makes it sound like it is impossible to be as "devoted to the Lord" while being married. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 gives us many reasons why "Two are better than one" & that "a cord of three strands is not quickly broken" referring to two people & the Lord. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). Marriage itself & loving your children are ways to be devoted to the Lord. Your family is not distractions to the Lord as Paul so inappropriately says they are. They are an avenue to His fatherly heart. I'm very surprised that, at this point in his life, Paul thought that people we love stand in the way of our devotion to the Lord. The fact is devotion to the Lord is devotion to people.

In V34 Paul even seems to suggest that a married woman's body is "less holy" than a virgin's. Wow.. Thankfully God only let Paul's opinions loose in this one place & by considering that fact we can learn a few things.

The Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11: Dangerous or Delightful?

"Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:27).
People who profess salvation through partaking of communion yet do not possess it, because true faith is not present, become guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Those people will not be able to claim ignorance when they stand before God. The Lord's Supper clearly proclaims the Gospel.

Christians are never guilty of the blood of the Lord, they are never condemned, & they are always worthy. This scripture cannot be about them. But some might say, "This was written to the assembly at Corinth. That means this scripture must be addressed to Christians." Paul wrote to the Corinthians again and said, "Examine yourselves to see whether or not you are in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Paul said the same thing here, "Let a man examine himself" (v28). Why would he write that if he did not have reason to think there were non-Christians among the assembly at Corinth? He wouldn't, thus it is ignorant to think that everything in Paul's letters must apply to Christians or only addresses Christians.

"He who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep." (1 Corinthians 11:29-30).
God is not cursing, condemning, or killing off Christians in this text. When we see "the Lord's body" Paul is not making the body analogy referring to God's family because the Lord's supper is specifically about the broken physical body of Christ. It says the people spoken of here are unworthy because they are "not discerning the Lord's body." If you don't discern the Lord's body you cannot be saved because the Lord's body is what brought salvation & new life. His body is also what brought physical & emotional healing. By the stripes on the body of Christ we are healed. The passover bread had stripes & piercings baked into it. These people were sick because they did not recognize the body of Jesus our Lord thus they did not have the power to be healed. Those who do not recognize the healing Christ's body obtained sentence themselves to weakness, sickness, & death.

"If we would discern ourselves, we would not be judged." (1 Corinthians 11:31).
Those who recognize themselves to be a sinner and put trust in Jesus experience salvation, and they will not be judged. This entire portion of scripture is aimed at the tares/goats (non-Christians) who are among the wheat/sheep (Christians). This entire scripture is not about Christians becoming sin conscious & examining their flesh. It is certainly not about God condemning & pouring wrath on His children. And it is absolutely not about Christians losing their sonship/salvation. If it meant these things it would go against the intent of Christ's sacrifice which is what The Lord's Supper reminds us of! God didn't set this up as a potential death sentence to abort His children's salvation if they have unconfessed sin in their lives & take the bread or wine. The Lord's supper wasn't given as a somber time to examine our flesh (which is not our identity in Christ) & remember sins but was given as a reminder of the fact that our sins are taken away because of the bloody, beaten, & broken body of Christ our Lord.

What? You mean the Lord's Supper serves to point solely to Christ on the cross & not me, my sin, & my works? Sounds like the love of God to me. The unworthy are the unsaved. When you are saved Christ makes you worthy forever! He doesn't see you or judge you by the actions of your flesh. He only sees your sinless spirit made in the likeness of God which is one spirit with Him! <Don't believe the last two sentences? See the scriptures below.

"Now we, along with God, recognize no one according to the flesh" (2 Corinthians 5:16).
"Once the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in the flesh but in the spirit" (Romans 8:9).
"Your spirit is created in the likeness of God in pure righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).
"Your spirit, which is born of God, cannot sin. You are not able to produce sin" (1 John 3:9, 5:18).
"The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17).

Jesus Goes to Prepare a Place in His Father's House † We Live in The Father

This is part 2 of a series. Click here for Part 1.

“Let your heart not be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in Me. In My Father's house there are many rooms. And if not, I would have told you. For I go on to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and I will receive you to Myself, that where I am you might also be. And you know where I am going and you know the way.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how are we able to know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, if not through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from this time you have known Him, and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “I have been with you such a long time, and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, ‘Show to us the Father?’ Do you not trust that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak to you, I do not speak from Myself, but the Father Who is abiding in Me does the works. Trust Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me. And if not, trust because of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, he who trusts in Me, the works that I do, he will also do, and he will do greater than these, because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, I will do, so that the Father would be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name I will do it.” (John 14:1-14)

The first portion of this is usually taught as referring to Jesus' ascension & His preparation of a mansion for His people. That interpretation is wrong and ignores the context. Firstly Jesus says "I go away so you can be where I AM." Where is Jesus? He is not in heaven. He is in the Father. At one point Jesus outright says, "I am in the Father" & later says, "I go to the Father." Jesus is saying that He is going to the cross which will, in death, take Him to the Father. His work of salvation on the cross "prepares a place" in the Father for those who trust Him.

Secondly Jesus says, "I will come again" If this was speaking of His second coming, as most assume it does, then Jesus would have carelessly been ignoring the plight that came for His disciples while He was arrested, crucified, & in the grave. His promise to come back again speaks of the resurrection! Jesus said, "I will receive you to Myself." He received His disciples to Himself after His resurrection and gave them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).

What Jesus later says in John 16:16 further confirms this, “A little while, and you will no longer see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” Jesus said it would be "a little while" before they would see Him again after He had gone away. This again confirms that He was talking about His resurrection because He was in the grave only a little while, especially when compared to the thousands of years & counting we are waiting for Him.

Thirdly, the thought of going to heaven wouldn't haven been encouraging to His disciples because, while He was dead, they would be doubting that Jesus was who He said He was and that He spoke the truth. Jesus was speaking of the resurrection, His return in a "little while." None of them trusted in the resurrection until they saw Him. Why would Jesus be trying to encourage them about going to heaven when they die or about His second coming if they were facing His imminent death which seemed to invalidate Him & everything He said?


Being in heaven is nothing compared to being in the Father! Those who are not in the Father will go to heaven for judgment and will not rejoice about it. Those who are already in the Father have endless reasons to rejoice right now! A place in the person of the Father is more important than the place of heaven. We are in the Father's house. We have been received by Jesus. We are with Him in the Father.

"You have been raised to life with Christ, so think about the realities of heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right hand of God. Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Christ is your life, your real life. When He appears, then you too will appear with Him and share His glory!" (Colossians 3:1-4)


This Side of the Cross:  The Night of Jesus' Arrest
1. Intro
2. Jesus Goes to Prepare a Place in His Father's House † We Live in The Father
3. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments † I Will Love You So You Will Trust Me
4. Remain in Me † You are in Me

This Side of the Cross: The Night of Jesus' Arrest Intro

In John chapters 13-16 we hear Jesus talking to His disciples just before His betrayal. Before morning Jesus would be arrested and soon on His way to the cross. Knowing that is crucial to truly understanding what Jesus is saying here. Jesus says things referring to the tumultuous time coming to help His disciples get through the next few days.  He says things like, "I will be with you only a little longer, Do not let your hearts be troubled, Trust in God and in me."

John 13 starts with, "Jesus knowing that His hour had come, that He would depart from this world to the Father (this refers to His death on the cross not His ascension), loving His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." During everything Jesus says and does in these chapters Jesus is keeping in mind that He is going to die on the cross and be in the grave for 3 days. Everything He says and does here is to show love to His disciples. He wants them to see Him risen and to receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus explains in John 13:19 that He will be telling His disciples future events so that when the events happen they would trust in who He is. Here are some things Jesus says to them speaking of His coming death, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer,” "My body is given & broken for you," "My blood is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins," "You will all fall away because I will be stuck down," "After I have been raised..”  Jesus also predicted Judas' betrayal, Peter's denial, & Peter's return.

At the end of John 16 (v29-33) Jesus' disciples said to Him, “Now we know that You know all things. In this we trust that You came from God.” Jesus answered them, "Now do you trust? Behold, there is coming an hour, and it has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and you will leave Me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that you might have peace in Me. In the world you will have trouble. But take courage, I have overcome the world." John 13-16 begins and ends with the same idea. Jesus loved His disciples. He spoke to them knowing His death and burial was soon to come. What He said to them was intended to give them peace, courage, & confidence in Him while He was arrested, on the cross, & in the grave.

Almost everything I've heard taught about these scriptures utterly leave the context behind and apply whatever is said to all Christians for all time. Jesus is speaking to a unique group of people at a very unique time. His disciples have not yet received eternal salvation because Jesus had not yet made it available through the cross. While we can benefit from any scripture not everything that is said should be applied to us. Even though not all of the commands Jesus said are for us today we can still benefit from the fact that Jesus cares enough about His people to prepare them for hard times. God did this for me the day my dad died before I was even aware of his death (see this post). Likewise Jesus did this for His disciples shortly before He was put to death.

In this series I will show that Jesus wasn't laying down miscellaneous instructions & commands to hopelessly burden all people for all time but instead sought to give His disciples hope even as they face their Master's crucifixion. This was the biggest event of their lives and the biggest event of all time. Jesus' words to them spoke to their upcoming situation. Removing these scriptures from context ignores the importance of the cross & the magnificent change it has made. Religion, Satan, legalism, & shame all point to man's behavior. God & the gospel always points to God and His behavior on our behalf, His love.


This Side of the Cross:  The Night of Jesus' Arrest
1. Intro
2. Jesus Goes to Prepare a Place in His Father's House † We Live in The Father
3. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments † I Will Love You So You Will Trust Me
4. Remain in Me † You are in Me

In Context: "Forsake not.." & "I can do all things.." Revisited

There were no chapter or verse separations in the original texts of scripture. The presence of these separations cause us to read a chapter or memorize a verse yet have no understanding of the story and the context.

Many bible studies are based around "reading a chapter" when the next chapter often in the first few verses clarifies what the previous was about. I have come across places in scripture where chapter breaks the context and where verses break the sentence. Many of those places are very popular such as:

Hebrews 10:24-25

"Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

A small portion of this text is used to get people to frequent a church building when the meeting doesn't even involve the "one anothers" mentioned not just in the context but in oft quoted verse itself. "One another" means "each and everyone involved." In a typical church service a few perform in front of many and the many have little to no interaction with anyone. The modern church service bares almost no resemblance to the assembling that is being talked about here in Hebrews. Today there are a few big mouths talking to a multitude of passive ears. Is an impersonal and non-interactive monologue (sermon) the same thing as everyone "encouraging one another"? Obviously not. Yet "forsaking not the assembling" as it is taught has ignored the context and come to be taught as "You must sit in the audience at church every week or you are in sin."

Philippians 4:12-13

"I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Of course "all things" is still "all things" but I find it interesting that contentment, one of humanity's most elusive features, is the context in which Paul says "I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This is often taken as a license to follow my own selfish ambition in God's name and chase after "greatness" rather than God enabling me to be content with wherever He has me right now.



Read The First Visits:  In Context: "Forsake not the assembling..", In Context: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

In Context: "Forsake not the assembling.."

What is often said:  "Forsake not the assembling"

What the Bible actually says:
"Let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another." -Hebrews 10:24-25

This is almost always used as a verse to point out that we are supposed to go to a church weekly. This isn't only taken out of context but it isn't even the entire verse or sentence as it appears in scripture.

This text doesn't simply tell us not to forsake assembling together, it tells us what to do when we assemble. We are to stir one another to love and good works. We are to encourage one another. One another means each other, it indicates that action is given and received by each person involved. I encourage you and you encourage me.

So given that this text is used to tell us to go to a church, how in a typical Sunday morning church service can we practically encourage one another and stir one another to love and good works? Church services are spectator events. The professionals perform and the audience sings along or says "Amen!" There is no "one another" involved or even allowed. Forsaking a weekly church service does not equate to what this scripture speaks of. In fact you can forsake biblical fellowship, which involves participation & contribution, while still going to a church service every week! Don't let anyone pressure you into being in a church building on Sunday morning with this verse.

See this post for more:  In Context: "Forsake not.." & "I can do all things.." Revisited

In Context: "The truth will set you free."

What is often said: "The truth will set you free"

What the Bible actually says:
To the Jews who had trusted him, Jesus said, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." -John 8:31-32

So the truth just doesn't set me free.. I have to know it?

Well what is God's word?
God's word is truth -John 17:17

Well what is truth then?
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6
So God's word is truth & Jesus is truth!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. -John 1:1,14
And Jesus is also the Word of God!

So If I continue in God's word/Jesus, then I am truly a disciple of Jesus; and I will know the truth (God's word/Jesus), and the truth (God's word/Jesus) will make me free.

What does that mean though?
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:4
So if my delight in the Lord my desire will be for more of Him.
So then continuing in God's truth allows me to know God more.

Let us look at this again
To the Jews who had trusted him, Jesus said, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." -John 8:31-32

So this was written to those who trusted Jesus. So I can't continue in His word if I don't trust Him & I can't be His true disciple if I don't continue in His word. If I don't trust Him that means I don't trust the truth and if I don't trust the truth which is God's word I will not continue in it & I can't be His true disciple and won't be set free.
It's like a big circle. I can't trust God if I don't know the truth & if I don't know the truth which is God's word then I won't continue in it but if I don't continue in it I won't know the truth.

So those who trust Him will continue in His word & be His true disciples & those are the only ones who are set free.

Free from what?
The wages of sin is death -Romans 6:23
Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." -John 8:34-36

Ok free from being slaves to sin but how?
He Himself (Jesus) bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. -1 Peter 2:24

But is that it just being free from being a slave to sin?
Now that you have been set free from sin and have become servants to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. -Romans 6:22

In Context: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

What is often said: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

What the Bible actually says:
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." -Paul, from Philippians 4:11-13

I can be content through Christ who strengthens me! =O

See these posts for more:  Contentment and Disappointment, In Context: "Forsake not.." & "I can do all things.." Revisited