The Bible Explained, part 24B/40: Church Matters: Church Traditions
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-----<front cover text>
THE BIBLE EXPLAINED
A Guide to the Holy Bible
for Parents and Teenagers
-----<back cover text>
Where did you come from?
What is your purpose?
What happens when you die?
These questions--and more--are answered in 'The
Bible Explained', which is based on the teachings
of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is a collection
of ancient books which claim to be the word of the
one and only God. This one and only God claims to
be the sole creator, owner, and sustainer of all
things; he further claims to hold the one and only
key to eternal life. Are these claims true? Get
the facts and then decide for yourself.
This document is meant to be understood by everyone,
and is therefore written in plain, simple language,
avoiding complex religious jargon.
Understand the Bible like never before.
-----<table of contents>
Introduction
Quest for Truth
The Holy Bible
Origin and Destiny
The Big Picture: Good and Evil
The Story of Man
The Purpose of the Earth
The Standard and the Test
Work: The Key to Success and Life
Pyramid Society
Failure of Man
Male and Female
Family Relationships
Marriage and Family
Sexual Immorality
The Value of Life
Multiplication and Overpopulation
Racism
Creation and Evolution
Government
Politics
Justice
Words, Speech, and Censorship
Church Matters
Monotheism, Jews, and Christians
Temptation
The Nature of Evil
Life and Death of Satan
Reincarnation
The Rapture
The End Times
The Near Future
Preparing for the Future
Groups and Labels
Understanding Judgement
Preparing for Death
Conclusion
Appendix A: Questions and Answers
Appendix B: The Ten Commandments
Appendix C: Marriage
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TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
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-----<excerpt from book>
Church Traditions
'Tradition' is defined as "a custom, opinion, or
belief handed down to posterity, especially orally
or by practice." [Oxford Dictionary]
Jesus and Traditions: Jesus said it is possible to
lose your eternal life by choosing to keep the
traditions of your church rather than the
commandments of God when those traditions
contradict the word of God: "This people honours Me
with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines
the commandments of men." [Mark 7:6-7] Do you keep
your church traditions over the word of God? Do you
worship God in vain, meaning you will not receive
eternal life from him?
The Weekly Sabbath: In the beginning, God created
all things in six days and then rested on the
seventh day, thereby setting an example for man to
follow -- the 7-day week: "Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and
do all your work, but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no
work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor
your male servant, nor your female servant, nor
your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your
gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens
and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD
blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it." [Exodus
20:8-11] Do you work on the first six days of the
week and rest on the seventh day? Do you know that
the seventh day of the week begins at Friday sunset
and ends at Saturday sunset? If your church changes
the commandment of God, who will you follow: God or
your church? God alone has the power to grant you
life eternal. What power will your church possess
in the Day of Judgement?
Sainthood and the Father: It is not for the church
to assign sainthood to any man; it is the office of
God to call the saints, for only God alone is
qualified to make such a judgement, since God alone
knows the contents of the hearts of men. In
assigning sainthood to men, the church shows great
arrogance and disrespect for the office and
authority of God. Would it not be an embarrassment
to the church if it assigned sainthood to someone
who is not among God's saints, or if the church
overlooks someone who is among God's saints?
Furthermore, there are those in the church who
would be addressed as 'Father', contrary to the
commandment of Jesus: "But you, do not be called
'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and
you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth
your father; for One is your Father, He who is in
heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is
your Teacher, the Christ." [Matthew 23:8-10] The
church was intended to be a brotherhood of equals,
not a hierarchy. See how far the church has strayed
from its foundation, and overstepped its authority?
Church Authority: The church which contradicts the
word of God effectively puts itself above God,
meaning it does not believe in God; for if a church
does believe in God, it will submit itself to the
word of God, knowing it will be judged by same in
the Day of Judgement.
The Trinity: There is only one God, not three: "For
there are three who bear witness in heaven: the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these
three are one." [1 John 5:7] Man is made in the
image of God: his brain is akin to the Father; his
body is akin to the Word/Son; his blood is akin to
the Holy Spirit. One element by itself can do
nothing; two by themselves can do nothing; only
when all three come together in harmony can work be
accomplished.
The Virgin Mary: Those who worship Mary -- the
mother of Jesus -- are guilty of idolatry, which is
the transgression of the first and greatest
commandment: "You shall have no other gods besides
Me." [Exodus 20:3] Mary is a dead woman; the dead
can do nothing. If you wish to inherit life
eternal, serve the living God by keeping his Ten
Commandments. If you worship Mary or pray to her or
in her name, she will rise up in the Day of
Judgement and condemn you for the sin of idolatry.
Therefore, pray only in the name of the LORD God,
as Jesus instructed: "In this manner, therefore,
pray: Our Father in heaven,..." [Matthew 6:9]
Unless you address your prayer to your heavenly
father (creator), he is not obligated to
acknowledge it. Praying to a dead person, or in the
name of a dead person, is an insult to the living
God -- if indeed you count yourself a servant of
God.
Baptism: Baptism is a religious ceremony in which a
person is fully immersed in water for a moment of
time as a public declaration of his intention to
live the remainder of his life in accordance with
God's Ten Commandments so that he may receive life
eternal in the presence of God. Baptism is not
necessary for the receiving of life eternal; if you
desire life eternal, speak this simple request:
"LORD God, from this day forward I will keep your
Ten Commandments so that I may receive life eternal
in your presence." If you desire to be baptized,
feel free to do so; however, God does not judge
ceremonies; God judges works: "The sea gave up the
dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered
up the dead who were in them. And they were judged,
each one according to his works." [Revelation
20:13]
Speaking in Code: If you watch certain preachers on
television, you may think they're speaking foreign
languages when they make such utterances as: 'Are
you saved? Have you received Jesus? Believe on the
Lord, and you will be saved. Have you given your
life to Christ? Are you born again? Do you believe
in Jesus?' All these expressions have one thing in
common: Jesus. The question then becomes: 'What is
Jesus?' We don't have to guess, since the Bible
tells us: "In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth." [John 1:1,14]
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me.'" [John 14:6] Thus, we see that Jesus was the
Word (Torah/Law) of God in flesh; and he is the one
and only path to life eternal (heaven). With that
in mind, I will explain some common church
expressions:
Are You Saved: What does it mean when someone says:
'Are you saved?' Saved from what? Saved from death.
Every one of us will die -- unless we choose life
instead. How do you choose life? By requesting it
from God and then preparing yourself for eternity
by living the remainder of your life in accordance
with God's Ten Commandments as a testimony to your
decision.
Have You Received Jesus: 'Have you received Jesus?
Are you born again? Have you given your life to
Christ?' All these expressions mean the same thing:
You've freely chosen to yield control of your life
to Jesus the Christ, so that you no longer do the
things you want to do, but rather do the things
Jesus did -- keep the commandments of God, so that
you may obtain life eternal. Look at it this way:
Suppose you have a computer running a program
called 'sinner', which you choose to replace with a
program called 'saint' -- the computer is the same,
but it does different things, having received new
instructions. What are the new instructions? Jesus
the Word/Torah/Law of God.
Believe on the Lord: In the Day of Judgement, God
will separate the living from the dead and will,
therefore, need an absolute standard by which to
perform this task -- the Ten Commandments. You may
have heard it said: 'Believe on the Lord, and you
will be saved.' But what does it mean? 'Saved'
means 'saved from death'; 'Lord' means 'Jesus the
Christ', which is the Word/Law of God. But what
does 'believe' mean? When you believe something,
you accept it as truth; you trust it; you have
faith in it; you act on it. Thus, 'believe on the
Lord, and you will be saved' means 'act in
accordance with the Word/Law of God, and you will
be saved from death.'
Holidays or Holy Days: 'Holy' means 'that which is
ordained or sanctified by God'. Many so-called
Christians believe such holidays as Christmas,
Easter, and Halloween are ordained of God, however,
they are not; they are pagan holidays which have
been plastered with Christian labels in an attempt
to bring pagans into the Christian fold. God warns
his followers not to prostitute themselves with the
practices of other faiths: "Do not inquire after
their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve
their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not
worship the LORD your God in that way."
[Deuteronomy 12:30-31] In the Pentateuch, God
ordains several holy days and feasts, which are to
be kept at specific times and in specific ways;
however, the observance of these holy days are not
necessary for salvation. God's holy days give his
followers occasional breaks from day-to-day living
and also provide insight into his plan for mankind.
When the Messiah comes, his followers will observe
the weekly (seventh day) Sabbath and the feast of
Tabernacles, since the Messiah will tabernacle
(encamp) with men on the earth during the
Millennium: "And it shall come to pass that
everyone who is left of all the nations which came
against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to
worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep
the Feast of Tabernacles." [Zechariah 14:16]
Warning to Believers: If you believe in God, you
must be careful not to adapt the practices of
unbelievers, lest you compromise the word of God
and thereby lose your place in eternity: "Do not be
deceived: 'Evil company corrupts good habits.'" [1
Corinthians 15:33] "Do not be unequally yoked
together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has
righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion
has light with darkness?" [2 Corinthians 6:14] As a
firm believer, feel free to teach the pure word of
God to unbelievers; but be careful not to adopt
their ungodly practices, lest you become corrupt by
their evil ways and consequently lose your life.
Fire and Brimstone: One of the surest ways to drive
people away from God is to utilize fear tactics,
such as proclaiming that unbelievers will burn
forever in an eternal fire. Trying to scare someone
into the arms of God is foolish and futile, since
God accepts only those who turn to him in love --
love of the truth, for God is truth. Fear tactics
cause unbelievers to hate God and drives them even
further away from him. Who can love an "unjust" God
who punishes someone forever for committing a few
short years of sin? "For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life." [John 3:16] Notice the contrast
between 'perish' and 'everlasting life'. To perish
is to go out of existence forever, not to be
tormented forever in fire. The teaching that God
will punish unbelievers forever in eternal fire is
utterly distasteful, a complete lie, and an affront
to the character of God. Those who hold to this
teaching are doing a great disservice to God and
his kingdom.
Misrepresenting God: Well-meaning -- but
scripturally-deficient -- Christians have painted a
foul image of God, causing non-Christians to reject
him or even become hostile towards him. If you
consider yourself a Bible teacher, you ought to
take heed that you do not teach scripture until you
are properly prepared to do so: "Be diligent to
present yourself approved to God, a worker who does
not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth." [2 Timothy 2:15] Before giving
instruction to another, the Bible teacher must
first know and understand all scripture: "All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness, that
the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped
for every good work." [2 Timothy 3:16-17] Beware
that you do not interpret one passage of scripture
in isolation of the rest.
The Absurdity of Hell: If you believe hell is a
physical place of eternal fire, then you have some
difficult scriptures to reconcile with your
conviction: "And the devil, who deceived them, was
cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the
beast and the false prophet are." [Revelation
20:10] Casting the devil -- a spirit being -- into
a physical lake of fire is ridiculous, since
spirit, being immaterial, is not subject to
physical phenomena. "Then Death and Hades were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
[Revelation 20:14] Casting death -- a state (not an
entity) -- into a physical lake of fire is likewise
ridiculous. The scriptures dealing with hell makes
sense if hell is simply death eternal -- to be in
hell is to be out of existence forever.
Eternal Separation: One may argue that hell is
eternal separation from God, but why would God do
such a thing? What purpose does it serve? And how
can one be separated from God if he is everywhere?
"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I
flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven,
You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold,
You are there." [Psalm 139:7-8]
-----<availability>
The above book is available for purchase at:
http://www.amazon.com
Search for:
TITLE: "The Bible Explained"
AUTHOR: "Arrant Knave"
ISBN-10: "1468197061"
ISBN-13: "9781468197068"
Or try this direct link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bible-Explained-Parents-Teenagers/dp/1468197061
-----<copyright notice>
The above excerpt from 'The Bible Explained' is copyright
2010 by Arrant Knave. All rights reserved. No part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means without the
prior written permission of the publisher, except by a
reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be
printed in a newspaper, magazine, or journal.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are
taken from the New King James Version (R). Copyright (C)
1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
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