New Antioch Church of Christ
Modernism
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Modern Revisions to
the 10 Commandments
1. "I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other Gods before me "-unless you have an inordinate love for money, are a sports fanatic, or would like to be more worldly celebrities than the Lord. 2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image "-unless it looks really nice, you could make a tidy profit on it, your religion says it's really okay, or it makes a pretty necklace. 3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord God in vain "-unless you're an actor, politician, athlete, feminist supervisor, or want to show how macho you are! 4. "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" (first day of the week in the Christian dispensation) - unless you can make double time for working. 5. "Honor thy father and thy mother "---except when you disagree with them. 6. "Thou shalt not kill" - unless you are rioting to protest an unjust jury verdict, your mother drank, she smoked, she ate too many fatty foods, you were brought up in a rough neighborhood, you didn't get enough attention as a child, you got too much attention, there was not enough discipline in your home, there was too much discipline, or you just want to send a message to society. . 7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery "-unless you're homosexual, tired of your wife or husband, you feel that a sexual liaison would be good for your marriage, you and your mate don't communicate well, your wife is not as responsive as you would like, or you just want a little variety in your life. 8. "Thou shalt not steal" - unless you are poor, do some looting during a riot, are mad at your employer, you have to pay too many taxes, the world has been unfair to you, or you are just too lazy to work. 9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness" - unless you want to get even with sexist men, want to attract some attention to yourself, one of your peers is doing better than you, you want to make a little more money, or are just mad at the world. 10. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife" -unless she dresses provocatively, flirts with you, her husband is away, you’re tired of your wife, you think you could have a truly meaningful relationship with her, or your wife doesn't understand you and her husband doesn't understand her...Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods"-unless he has more tools than you.
The Plea To Return To The Bible
Is Sincerity
Enough? Many people live by the philosophy "it doesn't matter what one believes just so he is sincere ". Many will die holding to that philosophy and be lost by it as well. Jesus said, "Ye shall know the troth and the troth shall make you free ". When I hear someone voicing their belief in such a philosophy I recall the story of two scouts talking. The tenderfoot asked the second class scout:' "How can I tell the difference between mushrooms and toadstools?" The scout replied: "Eat some before you go to bed. If you wake up the next morning they're mushrooms" That type of reasoning is both ridiculous and juvenile. We would conclude that risking one's life is a foolish way to determine the difference between mushrooms and toadstools. Even so, risking one's eternal soul is an even more foolish way to determine the difference between truth and error. Yet many folk simply adopt the attitude: "Go ahead and believe anything you like, It really doesn't matter so long as you are sincere. If you happen to be wrong, then you will know about it in the judgment but the Lord will be merciful toward you because you were sincere". There is a question that arises when pondering such attitudes. It is: "Does sincerity make a thing right-even false doctrine? Does sincerity make false doctrine pleasing and acceptable to God? The answer is NO! To the churches in Galatia Paul expressed amazement that they had turned from the true gospel to a false one and pronounced a curse upon any who would preach a perverted gospel, even if he were an angel from heaven! (Gal. 1:6-9) Paul exhorted the Galatians to stand fast in the liberty they had gained through the gospel of Christ, showing them they were wrong in turning to another gospel. Were the Galatians sincere in what they were doing? Surely they were sincere. But their sincerity did not make them acceptable to God. Paul the apostle, formerly Saul the persecutor, is another example. On the road to Damascus he saw the risen Lord. He was instructed to go into the city and someone would tell him what was expected of him if he was to be saved. While Saul was blinded and praying, one Ananias came to him to tell him what he must do. Now if "sincerity" was all that mattered, then Ananias was not needed, the gospel was not needed and not even Christ was needed! Saul of Tarsus was sincere in what he was doing. But sincerity was not all that was need then nor now. One must know the truth and be obedient to it. By Allen Webster Time is changing. The new soon becomes old; the modem becomes ancient; the technological breakthrough becomes yesterday's news; the popular becomes lost in the latest; and the up-to-date is soon out-of-date. Eternal truth never changes. It reads the same today as yesterday and as it will tomorrow. It is "once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Those who would change it become "accursed" (Gal. 1:69) and find that it will meet them in judgment unchanged (Rev. 20:12). Modem man feels he has outgrown the ancient gospel. He thinks an absolute standard is obsolete. Exaltation of self and sensuality replace the idea of sin and spiritual death. He ridicules blood and the need for forgiveness. He scoffs at the virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death, and miraculous resurrection of Christ. He regards these as myths of a bygone era. Has Man Outgrown the Gospel? Never! The only way man can outgrow the gospel is to conquer sin. He has not. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" was true in Paul's day and is true today. Sin is still the transgression of the law of God (I John 3:4), which can include violating one's conscience (Rom. 14:23), omitting a duty (James 4:17), and lawlessness (I John 3:4). Never! God, not man, determines what is sinful; sin will not change. Men may call sin by another name, but that will not alter what it really is. Forgiveness is still the most basic spiritual need that man has (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). The only way a person can be forgiven is through the gospel (Rom. 1:16). Never! The gospel is the power to overcome temptation (Eph. 6:17), and man needs its power because temptation is still with us. Mankind has not conquered carnal desires. He still gives in to the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (I John 2:15-17). He cannot overcome without the power of the written word (Heb. 4:12). Never! The devil is still "as a roaring lion" walking about "seeking whom he may devour" (I Pet. 5:8). Man is still in danger; therefore he needs the unchanged gospel, for it is God's great power to save. When humans can defeat Satan without the truth, then they will no longer need the truth. They cannot. No one is strong enough to conquer the Evil One without an "it is written" (Matt. 4:1-11). Never! The soul of man needs food. If man could invent a substitute for "soul food," he would not need the gospel, but he has not. Peter stated that the soul feeds on the "sincere milk of the word" (I Pet. 2:2), and Paul wrote that he could progress to eat "strong meat" from the hand of God (Heb. 5:12-14). The gospel fills those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matt. 5:6). Never! Man still needs a map to heaven. Men try to invent a roadway to heaven, but these maps will only get one lost. If we follow the road of "faith only" or the lane of "direct operation of the Holy Spirit" or the path of "once saved always saved," we are traveling a broad way that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14). Only Christ and his gospel can lead one to heaven (John 14:6). "I must needs go home by the way of the cross; there's no other way but this." Jesus plainly stated the conditions by which men can reach much needed salvation. A sinner must believe in Christ (Mark 16:16), decide to change his sinful life (repent) (Luke 13:5), confess the sweet name of Christ (Rom. 10:9-10), and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:4). We can choose to heed these scriptures or harass them, to read them or reject them, to respect them or ridicule them. Still, the same ancient gospel is the cure for all the spiritual ills of men! Why not obey today? -Firm Foundation Website http://www.bible-infonet.org/ff/
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Presented by the New Antioch Church of Christ. |