Faith, Obedience, and Authority

The faith of the Roman centurion was so great that Jesus said it exceeded the faith of any Jew He had ever met. This commander of 100 Roman soldiers understood the matter of authority. He told Jesus that He did not have to go to his home to cure his slave, all He had to do was to give the command.

He understood this because he understood the nature of authority. He said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matt. 8:8-9).

It is amazing that so many have trouble understanding authority in religious matters. That soldier under the authority of this great man of faith could so readily figure out what his response should be. If the centurion told him to come, he would come. If he said go, he would go. If he said do this, he did it. When he heard the centurion’s command to come, he did not go. If the command was go, he did not come. If the command was do this, he did not do that! Isn’t it amazing how easily the matter was settled.

When it comes to religious authority, the principle is precisely the same. Jesus is truly our Commander-in-chief, for He has all authority in heaven and on earth. The fact that He has all authority leaves no authority for those of us who have committed ourselves to Him. The process is as simple as the arrangement in the armies in Rome. That soldier stood before his commander awaiting an order. When the order was given, he just did what he was told to do. Why is it that we struggle with this principle today? Like the Roman foot-soldier we stand before the Commander awaiting an order. When the order is given, we just do what He tells us to do.

If the command is believe, we believe. If the command is be baptized, we are baptized. If the command is to worship Him according to truth, we worship Him in that way. If the command is abstain from those lusts which war against the soul, we abstain. If the command is sexual purity, we live sexually pure. If the command is to not put asunder what God joins together, we do not put asunder. If the command is to not forsake assembling together, we do not forsake worship. If the command is to love or submit to our mates, we love or submit to them.

The basis of great faith is tied directly to understanding authority. Do I really have faith, if I do not obey?

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He Never Returned to Help

The reports from Haiti are so moving and touch the hearts of those who have compassion. It is impossible for us to fully understand the depths of despair the Haitians are enduring. We eat until we are full and sleep soundly in our houses, while there are those still buried in the rubble of that land who are crying out for help.

The morning news had an interview of a man who was rescued after being buried and trapped as a building collapsed around him. Unable to stand, he began shouting and discovered that seven others were nearby. They began to shout in unison and it was not long until someone came and responded to their cries. They were able to communicate with him and describe their condition. He said he would return with others to help them escape.

Then the impossible happened. They waited and waited for his return. Hours went by, yet no one came. Darkness approached and they spent the night wondering if when the sun arose they would be rescued. Still he did not return. They still had hope, but nothing happened. They shouted out again for more help, but there was none. Finally two days later another group discovered them and rescued them.

As I listened to that story I thought of how often it is repeated—almost daily. Around the world there are those who are trapped, not by rubble, but by the sin in their lives. As they are surrounded by the consequences of sin they begin to seek help, yet those who could so readily provide it seemingly are deaf. They may stop to listen, then walk away and get so busy with other things in their lives they forget about those who lie buried in the rubble of sin.

Before we become so judgmental of that man in Haiti who listened and then walked away forgetting to bring the aid he promised, think about all those around you who spiritually are crying out for our help. Have we heard their cries? Have we listened and heard compassionately as they described the problems they had in their lives. Have we thought, “If  you were just a Christians you could deal with these things because God would help you”? Then we walked away and became so wrapped up in our lives we never came back to help.

The world is lost. It cries out for help. Let us hear those cries and respond and get help to those who are lost. We simply cannot let the lost lie trapped in darkness while we walk in the light. God help us!

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The Sinner’s Prayer of Faith

Church History: The Origin Of The Protestant “ Sinner’s Prayer Of Faith ” For Salvation

(Did you know that NOT ONE Protestant Denomination in existence today, is more than 500 years old?)

  1. 1st Century:

A.)  Christ’s church foretold: Matthew 16:18-19

B.)  Christ’s church established with belief, baptism, and repentance as “terms of admittance”: Acts 2.

C.)  Christ’s church is His body and He only established ONE: Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:4-6; Colossians 1:18, 24; 1st Corinthians 12:12-27. He is its Builder (Matthew 16:18), Purchaser (Acts 20:28), Only Head and Sovereign Authority (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:23-32). His church is God’s church (1 Corinthians 1:2), to which God Himself adds the saved upon their hearing, believing, repenting, and by faith obeying the gospel (Acts 2:47)

D.)  Christ’s church named: Acts 20:28; 1st Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 12:23; Romans 16:16.

E.)   Congregations of Christ’s church all taught the same things: 1st Corinthians 4:17, 7:17, 13:33-34, 16:1-2, and that was the apostles doctrine (Acts 2:42; Romans 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 14:33-38; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

F.)   False teachers foretold: Acts 20:28-30; Galatians 1:6-9; 1st Timothy 4:1-3; 2nd Peter 2:1-3.

  1. 150 AD: One elder elevated above the other elders in a congregation and given the title “Bishop”, or “Head Elder”. Soon, certain bishops were given authority over several congregations at once.
  1. 3rd Century AD: “Bishops” met in councils to discuss issues and decide doctrinal disputes.
  1. 312 AD: Roman Senate acknowledged Constantine as Emperor.
  1. 313 AD: Constantine issued “Edict of Milan” granting “toleration” of Christianity.
  1. 325 AD: “Bishops” convened the first “Worldwide Council” of bishops in Nicea, under Constantine. A new creed was issued (Nicene Creed) by the council, wherein “those who wrote expressed themselves as dissatisfied with the Scriptures”. From this meeting came a new party with a new name: “Catholic”. Constantine was also named “Pontifex Maximus” (high priest?) during this period.
  1. 334 AD: Christianity (that is, Christianity according to Constantine) became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
  1. 337 AD: Constantine baptized.
  1. 606 AD: Boniface III named “Universal Bishop” or “Pope”.
  1. 1054 AD: Roman Catholic Church divides into two groups; Roman Catholic, and Greek Orthodox
  1. 1517 AD: The date that Protestants claim as the beginning point of their movement, when German monk Martin Luther (1483-1546) posted for debate, a series of theses which challenged Roman Catholic doctrine on 95 biblical contradictions (in his opinion):

“Luther, an Augustinian monk and teacher of theology at Wittenberg, Germany, was troubled by the sale of indulgences and related activities to raise money for the Roman Catholic Church. He posted his ninety-five theses to the church door at Wittenberg for debate on theological topics on October 31, 1517” (1)

“As commendable as courageously challenging the Catholic Church was, Luther’s reforms did not take him all the way back to the New Testament because there were certain practices, such as infant baptism and state churches, that he wished to keep. How he would accomplish that would be done by adopting as a guiding principle of Bible interpretation that he could do whatever the Bible did not specifically forbid. (It would seem that this deficient principle is one thing modern denominationalism in general, and Lutheranism in particular has propagated from antiquity with little change.”

“Luther was to become a religious leader on the world stage. His efforts, very successful in many ways, fell far short of restoring the church to New Testament teaching. Luther was widely known for his translation of the Bible into German, for his religious leadership that ultimately gave birth to the Lutheran Church, for his voluminous tracts, books, serious treatises on Biblical themes, and controversial works of many kinds. Sadly, in spite of many good results of his efforts, his legacy included the Lutheran Church around the world as well as the denominational world arising from split-off groups of various kinds that issued from his efforts to reform the Roman Catholic Church.”

“Although Luther sincerely plead with his followers not to call themselves Lutherans, that was an aspect of his teaching with which they would not abide.”

  1. 1530 AD: Martin Luther produced a creed to explain his positions, known as the “Augsburg Confession”.

“Shortly after Luther’s death, February 18, 1546, his followers formed the Augsburg Confession of Faith (1555). Brother Shepherd wrote concerning this development:

‘The German Reformation was a vast stride from Rome, but it fell far short of a return to Jerusalem. About the best that can be said, is that the Reformation was a change of masters; a voluntary one no doubt, in those who had any choice; and in this sense an exercise, for the time, of their personal judgment. But as soon as the Augsburg Confession of Faith was written no one was at liberty to modify or change it, and those who did not conform to it were no less heretics than Luther had been when he failed to conform to the behests of Rome.’

Therefore, the first protestant or denominational church to branch off from the [apostate] Catholic Church was the Lutheran Church with beginnings in 1517.”

  1. 1534 AD: Church of England (Episcopalian) established by King Henry VIII.

“The term ‘episcopal’ points to the form of government consisting of a body of bishops instead of one pope. The Episcopal Church is also known as the Anglican Church and the Church of England…The Church of England began in 1534 when King Henry VIII was made its ‘Supreme Head’ by an act of Parliament…”

[NOTE: Jesus was made the Head of His church by an act of almighty God 1500 years earlier: Eph. 1:22-23]

“His brother, Arthur, had been married to Catherine of Aragon, and at Arthur’s untimely death their father, Henry VII, did not wish to return Catherine and her large dowry to Spain, so he petitioned Pope Julius II to allow Henry VIII to marry her, which he did in 1504. The break of the Church of England with the Roman Catholic Church was predicated upon two leading factors. One, eighteen years of marriage to Catherine had not yielded a male heir to the throne, and two, Henry VIII wanted to divorce Catherine and marry Ann Boleyn. Pope Clement the VII would not allow it. When Thomas Cranmer was made Archbishop of Canterbury in 1533, he immediately made void Henry VIII’s eighteen-year marriage to Catherine, and he legalized the marriage to Ann which had already taken place three months before the official pronouncement! The Pope excommunicated Henry VIII and England followed him as the new head of the new church…”

  1. 1536 AD: John Calvin (1509-1564), native of France, was another who sought to reform the Catholic Church on several issues including the doctrine of predestination. Well-educated, his break with Catholicism came after studying with some Protestants in 1528.  In 1536 he issued the “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, which stated his theses, (but which was relentlessly and repeatedly revised until 1559) and the Presbyterian Church was later established upon them, although the actual recognized founder of the denomination itself was the fiery Scottish Reformer John Knox (1514-72) (2). Calvin’s five main doctrines can be summed up with the acronym T.U.L.I.P:

“Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints… Over the years…some of the doctrinal positions were re-shaped: Total depravity has remained the same, unconditional election has become salvation by faith only, limited atonement has been virtually set aside by most denominationalists, irresistible grace has become salvation by regeneration through the direct work of the Holy Spirit, and the perseverance of the Saints has been virtually abandoned as unworkable because of obvious spiritual failures of quasi-Calvinists”

  1. 1550 AD: Congregational Church established in England by Robert Browne:

“The Congregational Church was the forerunner of the Puritans who came from Leyden, Holland, to America on the Mayflower in 1620 and landed at Plymouth Rock. The Puritans were seeking religious freedom. In Norwich, England, Robert Browne became the minister for a large group of Calvinists who had arrived from Holland. The work he began there in 1581 was interrupted when he fled to the continent due to opposition from the English hierarchy. His system grew and spread in England and ultimately came to be known as the Congregational Church.”

  1. 1607 AD: Baptist Church established in Holland by John Smyth:

“The earliest historical beginnings of the Baptist Church may be found in Amsterdam, Holland, in the year 1608 with a preacher named John Smyth. The Church of England stood in opposition to separate Protestant groups, so Smyth moved from London to Amsterdam and started a new, independent church…

The Baptist Church, like other churches that were a part of the Reformation Movement, mirrored the political and doctrinal complexities of their day. Many of the leaders could see the wisdom and simplicity of New Testament Christianity, but did not seem able to free themselves of the sticky web of denominational entanglements. For example, a foremost Baptist preacher named Charles Spurgeon, whose building in London held a capacity of 10,000, made the following observation: ‘I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living. I hope they will soon be gone. I hope the Baptist name will soon perish; but let Christ’s name last forever.’”

17. 1643-1649 AD: At the request of the English Parliament, the Westminster Assembly was convened at the famed Westminster Abby (the British coronation church building dating back to 1220 AD). An assembly of so-called “Divines” (church leaders) and some laity, its purpose was to bring the Church of England into line with Calvinist theology. It produced standards that have continued to be foundational for Protestant denominations (divisions) to this day; all of which are of course, in and of themselves, anti-Scriptural (1st Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:4-6; Philippians 1:27-2:2), and all of which, in teaching any man-made doctrines not in line with Scripture, continue to mislead countless millions (Matthew 15:7-9; 1 Corinthians 4:6; Galatians 1:6-11; Jude 3; 2nd John 8-11, Revelation 22:18-19, etc.).

It’s most famous of deceitful doctrinal pronouncements was the “Westminster Confession of Faith”. This “ sinner’s prayer of faith for salvation sake ” is obviously not found in any New Testament example of conversion to Christ in the Bible, and was never taught by Christ, His Apostles, or His church. And yet, the “Westminster Confession” was the foundational confession of faith, upon which all the official Protestant statements of belief issued as standards of doctrine during the 17th and 18th centuries were based. Today’s “Confessions” or “Prayers of Faith” are but a melting pot of these, originating from this meeting, some 1600 years AFTER Christ, through Peter, told us undeniably, what God required for salvation and becoming a part of His one, blood-bought, N.T. church (Acts 2:38-47, 20:28).

“R. Brown, Minister of Victoria Drive Baptist Church in London wrote, ‘The (Calvinistic) Particular B Baptist Confession of 1677 (a modified form of the more famous Westminster Confession of 1647 and the Savoy Declaration of Faith of 1658) and the (Armenian) General Baptist Orthodox Creed of 1678 are typical of the theological variety not only within 17th Century English Baptist life, but also of later periods and other countries. (Brown, 75)’

Incidentally, one other prominent mark of Protestantism is their claim that humans are not saved by meritorious good works as 16th century people heard Catholics proclaim (which is true), but by “grace through faith-alone” (which is not true-Matthew 25:31-46, Romans 2:6-11, James 2:14 ff., etc). They deny the Scriptural essentiality of baptism specifically FOR the forgiveness of sins as God commanded (Acts 2:38, 22:16; 1st Peter 3:21), referring to it erroneously as a work (Colossians 2:8-14) instead of an act of faith as this passage proclaims, and as the Bible shows is essential (see Hebrews 11).

18. 1739 AD: Methodist Church established in England by John Wesley:

“In 1729, John Wesley (1703-91) ‘returned to Oxford at the request of Lincoln College and soon became spiritual leader of the small group of students his brother Charles had gathered’ (Albin, 719). For the first time in history men were known as Methodists. They were called “Methodists” because of their strict conformity to the Book of Common Prayer. They were, however, members of the Church of England…There was never any formal declaration of separation of the Methodist church from the church of England, but in 1795 the Methodist conference declared that it had power to confer priestly functions upon its ministers which amounted to a declaration of separation from the hierarchy…

Although Wesley is the recognized founder of the Methodist Church, shortly before his death he said ‘I hold all the doctrines of the Church of England, I love her liturgy [worship] and approve her plan of discipline and only wish it could be carried out…” Yet John Wesley saw denominational division as a barrier to the unity and fellowship heaven desires because he said, ‘Would to God that all party names and unscriptural phrases and forms which have divided the Christian world were forgot; that we might all agree to sit down together as humble, loving disciples at the feet of the Common master, to hear His word, to imbibe His spirit, and to transcribe His life into our own…”

19. 1830 AD: Mormon Church established in America by Joseph Smith.

20. 1831 AD: Seventh-day Adventist Church established in America by William Miller.

21. 1866 AD: Christian Science Church established in America by Mary Baker Eddy.

22. 1872 AD: Jehovah’s Witnesses established in America by Charles Russell.

23. 1880-1900 AD: Methodist Church fractured. Several prominent denominations resulted from the ensuing chaos including: the Church of the Nazarene in 1894, as well as the Church of God, the Assembly of God, and the Pentecostals.

24. 1880-1910 AD: Within Christ’s one, non-denominational, New Testament church, a dispute arose, instigated by those more liberal components within, who, seeking a closer fellowship with the denominational world, sought to introduce instrumental music in worship, and supported the “Missionary Society.” Eventually, this led to yet two more liberal denominations and departures from Scripture: the “Disciples of Christ,” and the “Christian Church.”

25. 1980-Present: Several sects and factions from within the Church of Christ (as Christ established it through Peter on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2), still continue to rebelliously divert from the truth, and splinter off into apostasy, seeking to please men rather than God. Seeking more female church leadership (despite 1st Corinthians 14:33-34, 1st Timothy 2:11-12), instrumental music in worship (despite the Divine pattern of Ephesians 5:19, and Colossians 3:16, etc), and false fellowship with those not baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and hence without the Holy Spirit and thus not belonging to Christ according to His own Word (Acts 2:38, Romans 8:9-14) which is what will judge us all in the end (John 12:48-50), they seek to emotionally seduce as many as possible into apostasy with them, as all such false teachers do (Acts 20:26-32; 2nd Timothy 3:1-9; Titus 1:10-16; and 2nd Peter chapters 2 & 3 for example).

When it comes to the ultra liberals of this so-called and self-absorbed “change-agent” movement which is ravaging the Lord’s church today, spreading out their satanic tentacles and Bible-denying doctrines from many of our once-faithful, but now fallen brotherhood schools, history will inevitably record their denominations and departures from the truth (John 17:17) that these apostates have and will continually spawn, just as it has done in every other age and time that such has occurred. The “Community Church” movement, which has already swallowed up Max Lucado and the Oak Hills Church (which used to belong to Christ, but now belongs to the community according to its own name change, being apparently ashamed of the Name “of Christ” – see Matthew 10:32-33!), stands as a stark testimony to the fact that this has already begun and is now in full swing. All of this, while The Lord’s one, true, New Testament church will stand forever, in accordance with God’s Word (Daniel 2:44, Matthew 16:18).

The only questions that remain are:

What has history taught us?

Who do YOU follow?

Who do YOU trust to save YOU?

Whose church (saved group) are YOU in? (There’s only really one)

Do YOU wish to be the kind of worshipper that God seeks (John 4:23-24)?

Do you love the Lord – according to His definition (John 14:15, 15:14), or yours?

To those who would claim to follow ONLY Christ, hear His Words well:

“If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when He prophesied about you: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’…Every plant that My Heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

(John 14:15, Matthew 15:7-14; emphasis-mine).

May we all truly and completely seek the Lord with all our heart, that we may be with Him for all eternity…

In the Love of God and His Eternal Truth; your servant for His sake; Douglas E. Dingley;

Blessed to be the evangelist for the still faithful and Bible-believing and preaching

church of Christ (Romans 16:16) in Cleveland, Oklahoma (918-358-3952)

A very special “thank you” goes out to the Spiritual Sword publication produced by the Getwell church of Christ in Memphis Tennessee for the vast majority and body of work contained in items 11-18 above, which was taken directly from the July 2005, Volume 36, No. 4, issue of this magnificently-sound publication, with the theme: “The Church, The Falling Away, and The Restoration”, and specifically the 2 articles on pages 31-40:

“The Protestant Reformation”, by brother William Woodson, and,

“The Emergence of Denominationalism” by brother Gary McDade.

by Doug Dingley


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The Divinely – Defined Sin of Homosexuality

Genesis 2:18-24:
And Jehovah God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.” And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him. And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Genesis 19:1-7:
And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth; and he said, “Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way.” And they said, “Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.” And he urged them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; they called unto Lot, and said unto him, “Where are the men that came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. And he said, “I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.”

Genesis 18:20:
And Jehovah said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous…”

Jude 6-8:
And angels that kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation, he hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities.

Leviticus 18:22-30:
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out from before you; and the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye therefore shall keep my statutes and mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you; (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled) that the land vomit not you out also, when ye defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore shall ye keep my charge, that ye practice not any of these abominable customs, which were practiced before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am Jehovah your God.

Leviticus 20:13:
And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Romans 1:18-28:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness; because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse: because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves: for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due. And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting…

1st Corinthians 6:9-11:
Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [Some versions translate the Greek: “male prostitutes”], nor abusers of themselves with men [Some versions translate the Greek: “homosexual offenders”], nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19-20:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:3-7:
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

Revelation 21:7-8:
He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.

John 8:10-11:
And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, “Woman, where are they? Did no man condemn thee?” And she said, “No man, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.”

That homosexuality is a “wicked”, “very grievous”, “fornicational”, “flesh-defiling”, “ungodly”, “abomination”; an “inexcusable”, “vile passion”, of a “reprobate mind”, against God’s “natural order”, and is “punishable by eternal fire” when God’s “wrath” is brought to bear, is abundantly clear in the Scriptures. Nowhere is it acceptable or excusable if continued in. Nowhere. Just as clear in fact, is the fact, that it is not hereditary or genetic, but can be – and must be – repented of if one wants to go to heaven! Although many will “be deceived” by human’s excuses, they will not be delivered by Heaven’s edicts!  (Matthew 7:15-27; Luke 6:46-49; John 8:31-47, 12:48-50, 14:15)

Both the preceding as well as the following article are both available on our website at www.clevelandcoc.com where the following introduction is given of the following article…
Are you tired of being made a mockery of by liberal lawmakers and the mainstream media when it comes to so-called “Hate Crimes” legislation? In a world where “good is considered evil and evil is considered as good” (See Isaiah 5:20-21), this eye-opening study blows away the misconceptions of who truly loves – and hates – homosexuals, and why. See for yourself why the premises of this study ought to be adopted by anyone and everyone ever charged with a “hate-crime” for speaking out against the heinous and soul-destroying sin of homosexuality:

We Love Homosexuals!

We absolutely love homosexuals! God absolutely loves homosexuals! So does Jesus Christ! He actually went so far as to die a fantastically brutal and horrifying death for each and every one of them (John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8; 1st Corinthians 6:11).
And we love them too – so very, very much, that we want to see each and every one of their souls get to heaven – bar none; that‟s what Jesus wants too! We love them and their souls in the same way, and to the same extent, that we love everyone else‟s soul that Jesus died to redeem from the power of sin (and that‟s all of us folks, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23). We love homosexuals with the same love that we love other sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, revelers, swindlers, liars, gossips, slanderers, the boastful, proud, antagonistic, arrogant, and even the atheist with! We show neither prejudice nor favoritism! We love them all the same godly way that God loves us! This is an “equal opportunity” love that all true Christians have partaken of, and must possess; “For God so loved THE WORLD…” (John 3:16a; capitalization/emboldening/italicizing mine).

As a Christian, I am to love all mankind – including homosexuals – or I am not living the life my Lord and Savior desires. Because I am to love all mankind as Christ loves me, I must stop at nothing, to see that all sinners – including homosexuals – who want to do so, make it into Heaven; in other words, carrying out the same sacrificial mission, and following in the same fervent footsteps of my beloved Lord, Master, and only Savior, Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). Anything less, simply is not love.

But the current crop of Christophobic, Bibliophobic, unloving politicians (whom I also still love deeply, despite their ignorance, lies, and lack of any kind of real love for homosexuals) who are presumptuously promoting and pushing for the passage of “hate crimes” legislation, and who were recently responsible for the passage of yet more “sinful union” laws, are definitely, although probably quite ignorantly as usual, fighting against the very homosexuals they claim to support!!! (Pray for them, they surely need it.) I only wish these politicians loved homosexuals as much as they claim to, and as much as true Christians obviously do, but apparently such is sadly not the case.

Every single politician who votes for any such total and reprobate legislation as the “sinful union” laws in NH, should be immediately charged with “hate crimes” against homosexuals, just as should their Hollywood allies: T.V. and movie producers who so
proudly and publicly display their hatred of homosexuals by repeatedly producing program-ming that promotes participation in the perverse practice of soul-damning homosexuality. They should all be charged with a flagrant violation of the laws they have so hypocritically sanctioned, and be immediately prosecuted to the fullest extent of those laws – and then some; because they obviously harbor such deep and abiding hatred of homosexuals whom Jesus loved so much He died to save, and whom I love so much I am willing to try to teach how to get to Heaven; the very thing these particular politicians are working so hard to prevent with their new laws. Shame on them!
You see, it is not love at all, when you see someone engaging in a behavior that will surely destroy them, and you decide to militantly advocate, encourage, and promote it, particularly with legislation that will supposedly stop them from: 1). recognizing their plight 2). realizing their sin, & 3). repenting thereof!

For example, let‟s say you are walking down the sidewalk of a very busy city street, and you see a small child wandering directly toward the wildly speeding traffic. What in the name of love do you do? Which of the following options would any reasonable, rational, respectable person clearly consider to be the most loving to take? And which would obviously be the most heinous, horrible, and hateful?
A.) To silently stand by and just let the child continue unhindered into certain disaster?
B.) To perhaps even encourage them into the street by throwing a ball or some other toy into the traffic lanes so that they will be better able to focus unhindered on the object of their affection while being further blinded to the imminently approaching danger of death and destruction?
C.) To shout a warning informing them of the danger, maybe even having to intervene and restrain them physically from certain disaster, despite their destructive desire to continue in their pre-chosen path of destruction to their deadly destination?
Certainly any parent, or concerned citizen, with any semblance of love in their heart at all, could select no other option than “C” above. This is an illustration of what Jesus did for all of us. He proclaimed the truth, thus putting Himself on the line and in harm‟s way for all of us (See John 15:18-25). And the same should be true for any of us who truly love those who practice sins such as homosexuality as well.

We cannot choose “A”; and any politician who would vote for a law to silence us from warning these little children headed for certain doom, should be immediately removed from office! We cannot simply stand silently by while anyone continues down a path of certain destruction – not if we truly love them. And similarly, God has made it abundantly clear that eternal destruction is exactly what will happen to those who personally choose to continually engage in the specific kind of sinful behavior known as homosexuality:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the Kingdom of God.” (1st Corinthians 6:9-10).
How much simpler could it be? How much plainer could God put it? They will not go to Heaven if they continue in that direction. It‟s that simple. God said so. To truly love them is to try warn them. To truly love them is to try stop them. And not just “them”, but all those who perpetually practice and even promote all those things listed, just as in Romans 1:18-31; Galatians 5:19-21; etc. After all, we want everyone – all sinners – to go to Heaven. That‟s what God wants (2nd Peter 3:9)! Therefore we cannot afford to be prejudiced. We must preach and teach, and warn and exhort, and encourage and inform, about all the behaviors that God said will lead to destruction, and intervene with the truth of the Word to change the direction of those so headed (See 1st Corinthians 6:11) so they can be saved. Real, true, legitimate, and sincere Godly love, can simply do, nothing less. „Never has, never will: Love “…does not rejoice with wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6)

That is why those who choose to encourage said destructive behavior – whether by throwing the enticing toy into traffic, or by seeking to promote and encourage that which will deceive and destroy, such as the perpetual practice of homosexuality (hence choosing “B” above), ought to be rightfully and immediately charged with the hate crimes they are so incredibly and clearly guilty of. They are obviously, even if ignorantly, out to see that homosexuals are destroyed by God; they don‟t want them warned; they don‟t want them stopped; they don‟t want them saved. They obviously just want them destroyed – despite their disclaimers to the contrary. And folks, THAT is both a hate crime, and a crying shame! Jesus died for us all; and yes, that includes even these homosexual-hating politicians that seek to silence God‟s word and plan to warn, seek, and save homosexuals from their sins through their subsequent obedience and repentance, and His amazing grace!

And so, it is up to those of us true Christians, who truly love sinners – from those who practice homosexuality, adultery, immorality, impurity, to every other sin – to lovingly, honestly, and straightforwardly, tell them how much God loves them and wants to save them; how said salvation comes only through God‟s grace as expressed in Christ Jesus, and is obtained through their choice to humbly and obediently repent, by faithfully submitting and surrendering their lives to the will and Word of Almighty God as did the FORMER homosexuals of 1 Corinthians 6:11! Only such love from God, and of God, accepted on His terms (Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 7:8-11), has ever, or will ever, save such sinners.

To truly love them, is to tell them the truth. To truly love them, is to righteously warn them. To truly love them, is to help them change direction and head towards Heaven. To truly love them, is to try to help lead them to eternal security and safety – snatching them from the fire (Jude 20-23). On the other hand, to promote and encourage their destructive direction without intervention, as so many of our current crop of Christophobic politicians and Bibliophobic movie producers are want to try to do, or to remain idle and stand quietly by while their souls are on the line, is certainly far, far, less, than anything even vaguely resembling, Godly love.

To tell sinners the truth, which is the Word of God (John 17:17), is not judgmentalism; it is not “hate-speak;” it is simply Godly, Biblical, love:

“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments…” (1 Jn 5:2-3).

It is what is in the Word of God that will judge us all on the last day (John 12:46-48). Christians are commanded by Christ, to righteously judge (John 7:24); this, contrary to those who say we must not judge anyone for anything. Those who want to continue down a path of personal destruction unhindered, often suggest that Matthew 7:1 is proof that no one has the right to “judge” their abhorrent and self-destructive behavior, but they fail to read the next 5 verses which explain His point: which is that we are to be careful and cautious, but are to then thus go and “take the speck out of our brother‟s eye.” We are to judge, just carefully (Jesus even then goes so far as to “judge” some people as “dogs” and “pigs” in vs. 6)

Christians are called to use the righteous Word of God, to carry out Christ‟s commands, to righteously judge, the actions and sins of men (1st Corinthians 5) in order that they might turn and be saved. It is those who refuse to love and obey that truth, who will perish, plain and simple, according to the Word of God; for instance, 2nd Thessalonians speaks of all “…the wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

It is NOT those of us who proclaim honest, Scriptural warnings, that are, or will, stand guilty of judging anyone; those who reject the Word of God we bring, JUDGE THEM-SELVES UNWORTHY OF ETERNAL LIFE (SEE: Acts 13:46). We have no choice but to lovingly try to warn them, turn them, and save them. If they choose not to listen to what God said, that is up to them, but we still must warn them if we truly love them (Ezekiel 33:1-20). And then, at that point, it is not we that warn them, but they who continue in such sin, that judge themselves as unworthy of eternal life, according to what Paul told the riotous, divisive, closed-minded and hate-filled liberal leadership of his day (See Acts 13:44-46).

Anyone who would stand idly by, or God forbid, promote the destructive behavior of a determined child, in a situation similar to the one described above regarding the “tot in traffic,” would be open to criminal prosecution for negligence at the very least. The same should certainly be true, for those who seek to stifle the warnings, and support the behavior, of those who are rushing hell-bent into eternal destruction by their continued promotion of, and/or practice of homosexuality. Theirs is a “hate crime” of the highest order. And those of us who truly love homosexuals and all such sinners enough to try to stop their self-destructive behaviors which will prevent them from going to Heaven forever, must certainly demand and expect nothing less, as we continue to sound the warnings and seek to carry on with this God-given labor of true love: seeking to save the lost, by calling sin…SIN, and showing them how to be sanctified through obedience and repentance as our God‟s Word truly teaches!

~In the Love of God and HIS Eternal Truth; Douglas E. Dingley; evangelist~

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Gossip and Slander

Gossip and Slander… Versus “Speaking the Truth in Love.”

There seems to be an inordinate amount of confusion in the church today regarding what does – and what does not – constitute the sins of gossip and slander. Make absolutely no mistake about it, gossip and slander are equivalent in God’s sight to all unrighteousness, wickedness, murder… and even hating God Him-self (Romans 1:29-32)!

Conversely though, we are commanded to expose the evil deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11); to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:16); and to judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24) even those within the church, so that we can avoid their false and soul-destroying doctrines of demons by identifying, naming, and avoiding those who perpetuate them (Romans 16:17-18) through their perverting of the gospel (II Peter 3:14-18); and also so that we can expel any wicked, sexually immoral brother or sister from amongst us if and when need be (I Corinthians 5:1-13).

But how do we submit to God’s instructions and commandments involving “speaking the truth in love,” without transgressing His instructions and commandments not to gossip and slander? How can we obey the command to speak about the evil someone is doing without gossiping and slandering them in the process? Is it possible to carry out both commands simultaneously while contradicting neither even peripherally? Of course! Because while seeming to be somewhat contradictory in nature at times, these two actually act in perfect har-mony, as their author is God. Our obedience to the will of God in these matters therefore, requires only a better understanding of what gossip and slander truly consist of, as well as from whence they come. It is this clearer understanding and subsequent reconciliation of these two commands which this study seeks to provide.

“The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary” lists the following under “SLANDER”:

  1. The rendering of the Heb. Diblar, “a defaming, evil report” (Numbers 14:36, KJV; Psalms 31:13; Proverbs 18:18). In I Timothy 3;11 the KJV translators render the Gk. Diabolous “slanderer” in reference to deacons’ wives.
  2. The rendering (Psalms 15:3) of Heb. Ragal, to “run about” tattling… In the NT the Gk. Katalaleo is to speak evil of, to malign (Romans 1:30, 2 Corinthians 12:20). This sin is warned against as being destructive and utterly unworthy of the believer. KJV renders “backbite.”

The “Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words” defines SLANDERER as:

Diabolos …an adjective, “slanderous, accusing falsely,” is used as a noun, translated “slanderers” in 1 Timothy 3:11, where the reference is to those who are given to finding fault with the demeanor and conduct of others, and spreading their innuendos and criticisms in the church; in 2 Timothy 3:3, RV (KJV, “false accusers”); Titus 2:3 (ditto): See ACCUSER, DEVIL.

A careful examination of the above reveals much about the true nature of slander. (Is it any wonder from whence we get the word “diabolical?”) It is an “evil report,” a “defaming report.” It is “to malign,” to “accuse falsely,” to spread “innuendos and criticisms in the church.” (It is similar to Absalom’s self-serving actions and attempts to undermine and treacherously erode David’s authority in order to take His place as the head of the kingdom: 2nd Samuel 15). God has always hated this type of behavior (See Proverbs 6:12-19), because it reveals a rotten, sinful, evil, arrogant, self-seeking, self-serving, and selfish soul-destroying heart (Matthew 15:15-20).

Slander then, is either to lie about someone, or to say things about them (even if true) with, and born of, an inward and heart-felt desire to defame or destroy their reputation and standing in the eyes of others, often times to elevate self istead.

This is why James has so much to say about controlling the tongue (James 3:3-10). However… almost immediately thereafter, James goes on to call his audience “Adulterers and adulteresses” (James 4:4), and “sinners” and “double-minded” (4:8)! How can this be? Is James contradicting the very Holy Spirit inspired instructions he’s just given? And furthermore, he then immediately reverts back to his “former” topic in verse 11 when he states, “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren…?” Did God know what he was talking about when He led James to pen every word he wrote (John 16:12-15; II Timothy 3:16-17)? Absolutely! So is there a contradiction here? NO. You see, James was not slandering his audience in any way, shape, or form by calling them these things. He was not uttering falsehoods or half-truths designed to destroy them or their reputations, but absolute facts designed to lead them to repentance and salvation! He was not saying what he did motivated by hate, but by love! Not to hurt but to help! His intention was to stop them from heading down the road to ruin by identifying their direction in terms they could understand and so turn them back towards the road to a home in heaven! But in order to accomplish that, he had to identify the danger and direction they had taken; and he had to then speak that truth in love. This is a mission which must of necessity include no compromise of the truth, the facts, or honesty in his efforts to love them back towards heaven.

Intentions are everything! INTENTIONS from within one’s heart are what separate and make the difference between whether or not words spoken to and/or about others are gossip and slander, or speaking the truth in love in the eyes of God. Did Jesus love the Sadducees and Pharisees? Yes. Absolutely. Enough to tell them the truth in love about their sin in hopes of causing them to repent and be saved (Matthew 22:29, 23:13-39). And Jesus not only told the Pharisees the awful, cold, hard truth about themselves, but also, honestly and in love – a love that was willing to warn others by holding up the Pharisees’ actions as the example of how not to get to heaven – told others as well (Matthew 5:20, 23:1-7). Was Jesus guilty of gossip and slander at that point? No.

And the apostle Paul led by direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit – as was James – even named names (I Timothy 1:18-20; II Timothy 1:15, 2:17, 4:10). Was the man who penned Romans 1:29-32, Galatians 5:13-21, and other similar passages, now gossiping and slandering about his brothers Hymenaeus, Alexander, Philetus, Phigellus, Hermogenes, and Demas? After all, he placed their sins – and their very names – in the eternal record! What about when John, the so-called “apostle of love,” spoke and wrote similarly of the sins of Diotrephes (III John 9)? Were these very apostles of God guilty of gossiping and slandering? No; absolutely not! They were simply speaking the truth in love. Their intentions were totally based on love, being divinely directed by the Holy Spirit Himself. They did not seek to demean these brethren, but simply to warn them in hopes that they might repent and be saved… but if not, then out of nothing but the purest of loving intentions for others’ souls, they also understood that many others who might otherwise be led astray by these, had to be warned to stay away from such self-destructive and truth-denying people (Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:9-10). And so, these apostles “spoke the truth in love” as they were commanded to do, and avoided at the same time, any gossip and slander: because their intentions were pure. And that is what has always, and will always, separate the two in God’s eyes.

We must never stand guilty of the sin of gossip or slander – ever. Conversely, we must also never stand guilty of failing to expose the evil amongst us (Ephesians 5:11), or of the sin of NOT speaking the truth in love either (Ephesians 4:15); that is, of failing to ascertain, assess, confront, and communicate the facts, motivated by love for their eternal souls, when a brother or sister’s soul potentially hangs in the balance due to their sin (I Corin-thians 5:1-13). Let’s make sure we study this until we understand the difference, by gaining a discerning heart, and putting that understanding into action always, making it a part of our being (Matthew 15:10-20). After all, if we aren’t willing to love someone enough to discuss the sin they are in in hopes of saving their eternal souls, then how can we say we sincerely and wholeheartedly love them as we are commanded to do (I Peter 1:22-24)? How can we claim to love them like Christ, if we fail to be concerned enough for their eternal souls’ destinations to discuss their sin with them, and/or with those who might otherwise be affected by it, simply out of a heart-felt love for all?

by Doug Dingley

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