False
Teachers Say…
MEN CAN DO AS THEY PLEASE
The
churches of
Christ Greet You (Romans
1. Customs can change.
2. Laws can be changed only by the lawgiver.
3. Principles never change.
LET'S LOOK AT A FEW EXAMPLES:
What about marriage, divorce and remarriage?
God's law says:
Matt. 19:3‑9, “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery. And whoso marrieth her who is put away doth commit adultery."
1. Customs can change.
2. Laws can be changed only by the lawgiver.
3. Principles never change.
4. Therefore God's law on marriage, divorce, and remarriage does not change.
What about drinking alcoholic beverages in moderation?
God's law says:
a. Prov. 20:1, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."
b. Prov. 21:17, "He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich."
c. Prov. 23:29‑30, "Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine."
d. Rom. 13:13, "Let us walk honestly, as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying."
e. Gal. 6:21, "Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God"
f. 1 Cor. 6:9‑11, "Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived
neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of
themselves with mankind, "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
1. Customs can change.
2. Laws can be changed only by the lawgiver.
3. Principles never change.
4. Therefore drunkenness to any degree is still wrong.
What about secret orders like Free and Accepted Masonry?
God's law says:
Matt. 4:8‑10, “The devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
1. Customs can change.
2. Laws can be changed only by the lawgiver.
3. Principles never change.
4. Therefore one cannot be a Christian and a Mason at the same time anymore than he could be a Catholic and a Christian at the same time.
Should a Christian attend every service of the church to please God?
God's law says:
Heb. 10:24‑26, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.”
1. Customs can change.
2. Laws can be changed only by the lawgiver.
3. Principles never change.
4. Therefore it is a sin to willfully forsake the assemblies of the saints anytime.
Do we have to pay taxes, is it OK to cheat just a little?
God's law says:
a. Luke 20:22, 25, "Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?... And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's."
b. Rom. 13:6‑7, "For for this cause pay ye
tribute also; for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon
this
very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute
is due,
custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour.
1. Customs can change.
2. Laws can be changed only by the lawgiver.
3. Principles never change.
4. Therefore we must pay taxes.
Do we have to give on the first day of every week?
God's law says:
a. 2 Cor. 9:7, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."
b. 1 Cor. 16:1‑2, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
1. Customs can change.
2. Laws can be changed only by the lawgiver.
3. Principles never change.
4. Therefore Christians must give on the first day of the week.
Is it sinful to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with an instrument of music?
God's law says:
a. Rom. 15:9, “For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name."
b. 1 Cor. 14:15, "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."
c. Heb. 2:12, "Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. "
d. James 5:13, "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms."
1. Customs can change.
2. Laws can be changed only by the lawgiver.
3. Principles never change.
4. Therefore since God's law says sing, to do otherwise would be in direct violation of God's law. We must sing without mechanical intrumental accompaniment to please God in our worship to Him.
What saith the Scriptures?
1. Proverbs 12:15: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise."
2. Proverbs 14:12: "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
3. Proverbs 21:2: "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth (i.e. knows) the hearts."
4. Isaiah 30:10: "Which say to the seers, See not and to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits."
5. Acts
6. Ephesians 6:1: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."
7. Colossians 3:25: "But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons."
CONCLUSION:
How we see and do things may not always be right. The only thing that is 100% reliable is God's word, not any man's word because "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). The problem in religion is that people don't want to change their minds about what they believe as opposed to what the Bible says. Or as some put it, "What was good enough for grandpa and grandma is good enough for me." It has always seemed strange that that principle doesn't work in every area of our lives, just in matters religiously. If wood cook stoves were good enough for grandma, is it good enough for you? If a model A Ford was good enough for grandpa, is it good enough for you? "That's different!" you say. We ask, what is more important, your soul or your physical comforts?