Iron Butterfly: "Slower Than Guns"

This song decries the pollution we end up breathing. Back in 1970, when it was recorded, pollutants were a real concern. These days, emission standards are much higher in North America and Europe.

Listen to this environmentally-conscious song here:

 What we who follow Christ need to be aware of is spiritual pollution. One form of that is a complaining attitude when we serve him. As Malachi 1:7 (Bible in Basic English) explains, "You put unclean bread on my altar. And you say, 'How have we made it unclean?' By your saying, 'The table of the Lord is of no value.'"

Furthermore, defecting from the faith is a form of pollution. As we read in 2 Chronicles 36:14 (BBE), Zedekiah's bad example infected all of Israel. "And more than this, all the great men of Judah and the priests and the people made their sin great, turning to all the disgusting ways of the nations; and they made unclean the house of the Lord which he had made holy in Jerusalem."

Disobedience is likewise a form of spiritual vileness. As Psalms 106:34 (BBE) witnesses against Israel, "They did not put an end to the peoples, as the Lord had said; But they were joined to the nations, learning their works."

Sexual sin is likewise a pollution which is worse than any toxin we might ingest. As Paul warned in 1 Corinthians 6:18 and 19 (BBE), "Keep away from the desires of the flesh. Every sin which a man does is outside of the body; but he who goes after the desires of the flesh does evil to his body. Or are you not conscious that your body is a house for the Holy Spirit which is in you, and which has been given to you by God? and you are not the owners of yourselves;:

One stern warning to fake Christians in Hebrews 6:4-6 (BBE) should make all of us nervous. "As for those who at one time saw the light, tasting the good things from heaven, and having their part in the Holy Spirit, With knowledge of the good word of God, and of the powers of the coming time, And then let themselves be turned away, it is not possible for their hearts to be made new a second time; because they themselves put the Son of God on the cross again, openly shaming him."

So if Christ hasn't come for us, his true disciples, by Thursday, I hope to post about a funny song regarding a battle.

The Meek Jesus Error

This might surprise some believers but Jesus wasn't always meek and mild. There were times during his earthly ministry where he became angry. For those who might doubt this, I'm pasting scripture verses below which show that he could exhibit righteous wrath.

The most famous example of Jesus' anger was recorded in Matthew 21:12 (KJV). "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,"

Jesus also told the shocked temple attendees why he did what he did in Luke 19:46 (KJV). "Saying unto them, 'It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.'"

Christ had no animus for lost sinners but the over-religious Pharisees. We see this in Mark 4:4-5 (BBE)which reads, "And he said to them, 'Is it right to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil? to give life or to put to death?' But they said nothing. And looking round on them he was angry, being sad because of their hard hearts; and he said to the man, 'Put out your hand.' And he put it out, and his hand was made well."

The harshest language our Lord used was directed against these religionists.  Matthew 23:15 (KJV) says, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."

Jesus also condemned those cities in Israel who witnessed his miracles but refused to believe he was their long-sought Messiah. Matthew 11:21 (KJV) quotes him as saying, "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes."

The final woe was pronounced on Jerusalem itself. After Jesus tore a strip out of the wicked Pharisees, he left the temple. Matthew 24:1-2 (BBE) records, "And Jesus went out of the Temple, and on the way his disciples came to him, pointing out the buildings of the Temple. But he, answering, said to them, 'See you not all these things? truly I say to you that here there will not be one stone resting on another, which will not be pulled down.'"

In A.D. 70, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Christ's prophecy came to pass as he foretold. When Jesus returns, as  2 Thessalonians 1:8 (KJV) records, he'll come  "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:"

I hope to complete a book soon called You Think You're Going to Heaven? So many professing Christians have never surrendered themselves to Christ. Like the ones in Hebrews 6:4-6, they have sampled the goodness but haven't yielded to the Master's will. May the Lord use my book to guide them to salvation.

I hope to post about the social justice error on Thursday.

The Unforgivable Sin Error

One of the biggest mistakes people make is fretting that they committed the unforgivable sin. Worse yet, some preachers teach this error as biblical fact. So, what is this unforgivable sin?

One passage trotted out is Hebrews 6:4 to 6. The Bible in Basic English renders it this way. "As for those who at one time saw the light, tasting the good things from heaven, and having their part in the Holy Spirit, With knowledge of the good word of God, and of the powers of the coming time, And then let themselves be turned away, it is not possible for their hearts to be made new a second time; because they themselves put the Son of God on the cross again, openly shaming him."

Some ministers teach that one sin can nullify a person's salvation. Cults, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, claim that people can't be baptized until they're on their death beds in case they sin afterward.

The problem is that they don't understand salvation and God's power to keep people saved until the Day of the Lord. Ephesians 1:13 (KJV) plainly states about our faith in Christ, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"
Paul likened our salvation in Christ to being married to a new husband after the old one died. And since God hates divorce, he won't disown those who place their trust in Christ's redemptive work on the cross. Romans 7:4 (KJV) says, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."
Ephesians 4:30 (KJV) shows that this seal will last until Christ comes for us at the last day. "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."(

I could write so much more of our assurance of salvation but I'll save it for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? I agree with John MacArthur that if we could lose our salvation, it would have happened a long time ago.

On my next post, I'll be writing about how we bring our sin with us wherever we go. There's no escape from it.

Can People Lose Their Salvation?

I've pointed out previously how Satan strives to sabotage the trust of believers in God. One of his attacks is on the matter of being truly saved. Some people fall into sin and the Devil convinces them that it means that they aren't really saved.

One verse which many people misuse to supposedly prove that Christians can lose their salvation is in Hebrews 6:4-6  (BBE) which says, "As for those who at one time saw the light, tasting the good things from heaven, and having their part in the Holy Spirit, With knowledge of the good word of God, and of the powers of the coming time, And then let themselves be turned away, it is not possible for their hearts to be made new a second time; because they themselves put the Son of God on the cross again, openly shaming him."

One good example of an unsaved follower, perhaps the best one, is Judas Iscariot. He was chosen by Christ and worked with him and his disciples for three -and-a-half years. But look at what John 6:70 (KJV) says. "Jesus answered them, 'Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?'"

Judas tasted, sampled, the world to come and the power of the Lord but he never gave his life to Christ. Look at what John 12:6 (KJV) says of him and his objection to the woman pouring that expensive perfume on Jesus. "This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein."

Jesus said, regarding those who claim to be Christians, in Matthew 7:21 (KJV)that, "Not every one that saith unto me, 'Lord, Lord,'shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

And what is that will? We read in 1 John 3:23 (KJV) "And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment."

I'll be explaining more about this implicit trust in Christ's atonement in my book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Unless people surrender their wills and lives to Christ's control they will have no part with him. No amount of good works and kind words will ever gain anybody eternal life in heaven; period.

Jehovah's Witnesses and Works

One mark of a cult is the use of fear to keep members in line. In the case of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, they use the fear of members losing their salvation and being annihilated during Armageddon.

But we can easily find in the Bible that we need not worry about God abandoning us if we don't work hard enough to please him or some human institution. Hebrews 13:5 (KJV) reminds us to, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'"

But some folks will mention Hebrews 6:4 to 6 which says, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."?

The writer of Hebrews referred in that passage to those who weren't serious about their faith in Christ. These are those who were mentioned in 1 John 2:19 (KJV) which says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

We need not worry about losing our salvation if we truly repented and yielded our lives to Jesus. Ephesians 1:13 (KJV)reminds us that Christ, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"

I could list many more verses which show that we can't be snatched out of Christ's hand but I'll save them for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Along with those who have a false assurance of eternal life, some live under the burden of fear that they won't be in paradise. I want people to be sure of their place in heaven.

Salvation Assurance in the Bible Vs. the Qu'ran

Since our heavenly Father loves us and sent Christ to die and save us, we can rest assured regarding our eternal home in heaven. Better still, we're sealed for that day with the Holy Spirit.

And though we mustn't grieve him with our rebellious actions and thoughts, we're still guaranteed to be eternally with the Trinity. Ephesians 4:30 (KJV) promises, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

But this is what the Qu'ran says will happen to the believers of Allah. Sura 39:61 claims, "And Allah will save those who maintained righteousness to their place of salvation. No harm will touch them, nor will they grieve."

Some Christians also believe that we can lose our salvation. They quote Hebrews 6:4-6 (KJV) which reads, " For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

The people mentioned in this passage aren't born-again believers but those, like Judas, who were mere seekers of the good things Christ offers. We read in 1 John 2:19 (KJV) that, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."

It truly is a blessed assurance that we are saved forever. We do stray, as sheep are wont to do, but we're still in the Good Shepherd's flock.

I'll emphasize this in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? People need to understand fully that their salvation depends on the finished and irrevocable work of Christ on the cross.

THE LORD'S SUPPER: MEMORIAL OR MAGIC RITUAL.

Whether it's called the Eucharist, communion, or the Lord's supper, the ordinance that Jesus Christ instituted on the evening before his crucifixion remains controversial. Why must this be such a hotly-debated subject? On the other hand, why do some churches serve it only a few times each year? These questions used to bother me but they don't now.

I've written in the past about the house church I attended for fifteen years and their unbiblical beliefs. One of them was that only real wine and unleavened bread could be used. Brother Herald, the house church's self-appointed minister, believed that the elements had to be exactly the same as what Christ used. In his diatribe against grape juice-serving churches, he said he'd throw up if he drank Welch's if it was served to him for communion.

Though Brother Herald, as I've named him in my How I Was Razed memoir, considered the Catholic Church to be the beast on which the antichrist woman would ride on, he readily accepted their belief that the elements of the Eucharist actually became the body and blood of Christ. To spill any of the wine or drop the bread was considered a terrible sin by the church elders.

Brother Herald also twisted Hebrews 6:4-6 which says, "As for those who at one time saw the light, tasting the good things from heaven, and having their part in the Holy Spirit, With knowledge of the good word of God, and of the powers of the coming time, And then let themselves be turned away, it is not possible for their hearts to be made new a second time; because they themselves put the Son of God on the cross again, openly shaming him." Instead of it meaning the pretend Christians who abandoned the faith, he figured it meant defiling the communion.

What the Lord's supper really means is a memorial of Christ's sacrifice. When he said the bread was his body and the wine was his blood, he used metaphors which would be memorable to his followers. The materials used in the ordinance had no miraculous power and neither did the words spoken over them. Christ intended believers to keep his sacrifice for their sins foremost in their minds.

One concern I had for decades was that churches served grape juice and leavened bread during their communion services. I now understand that they didn't want to start former alcoholics back on their destructive paths by tempting them with wine. That makes perfect sense now that I'm free of Brother Heralds legalistic beliefs. Neither did serving leavened bread nullify the effectiveness of the Lord's supper since it was the memorial that mattered.

I wrote extensively about that house church in my newly-published memoir, How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity. Please check it out at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual Bookworm.