Today: Proverbs 22:7-16; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Isaiah 20, 21, 22 & 23
2 Corinthians 11
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” 2 Corinthians 11:3-4
Some of the church today has been “led astray from…sincere devotion to Christ.” Let me back up a little bit first and say that there IS a lot of room for diversity within the church. There are many gray areas within Christian doctrine. And disagreement about those gray areas is why we have so many different denominations. Baptism by immersion or sprinkling? Alcohol or no? Predestination vs. free will… How about dancing? These are just a few of the endless debates that have splintered the bride of Christ.
Unfortunately we’ve allowed all the differences to cause us to fight amongst ourselves, and even to hate each other. How this must grieve God’s heart… especially the huge rift between Catholics and Protestants. I grew up being taught in Protestant churches that all Catholics worship idols and are going to hell. Pure Catholic doctrine says that all Protestants are hellbound. I am absolutely certain that neither is true!
I am wrong about many things; but I am not wrong about this: there is ONE thing that matters, only ONE thing that determines if someone is truly CHRISTIAN or not. That is the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus saves us, washes away our sins, and grants us access to eternal life with God. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO SALVATION.
Huge sects of people who claim the name “Christian” no longer believe this. Many people who still use this title of “Christian” have bought the lie of our culture that there are many ways to get to God. Anyone teaching that the blood of Jesus is not required for salvation is a false teacher of a different gospel than Christianity. Do not be “deceived by the serpent’s cunning.” That is not Christianity; it is not what Jesus said; it is not what the Bible teaches.
