Does It Edify?

I often have people try to present some fantastic doctrine to me that just is not supported by the scriptures at all. Crazy stuff really, things that don’t have any edifying point to them at all. Whether it be evolution in the book of Genesis, or no devil or hell, or the serpent having sex with Eve, or there being four eternities, or a hundred worlds with the earth being the one that’s gone astray, or any other ‘wowie-zowie’ teaching that tantalizes the pride and intellect of the hearer; if it isn’t in the Bible, it’s just false religious fluff and needs to be shunned in favor of simplicity and truth that is consistently supported by the scriptures. Friends, if we choose to do so, we can read anything into the scriptures that we want, but that doesn’t mean that it’s there. It just means that it’s in our mind, or in our sectarian creed. And of course everyone wants to run to the Hebrew or Greek to prove their doctrine, but it’s just as easy to read something that isn’t there into the Hebrew or Greek language, as it is to read it into the English. Hebrew and Greek translation is great, and will never do anything but support the truth, unless you are adding to what is plainly there. It’s like science; it never does anything but support the truth of God unless you start adding theories to it. There is no scientific fact in existence that contradicts anything about the reality of God or the Bible, but there are plenty of folks who want to mix a little bit of fact with a whole bunch of theory to make a contradiction against God. Then they go and parade the result of “their heart discovering itself” as though it is all fact (Prov. 18:2). And for goodness sake, sometimes they don’t even mix any fact with it at all! The very same thing is true with these deep, dark, mysterious doctrines that are exclusive to many Pentecostal sects.

Let’s face the facts: Jesus died and rose to get us out of sin and it’s consequence, which is death (Rom. 6:1,2; Rom. 6:23; Heb. 9:13,14; I Jn. 3:3). This Gospel is about getting sin out of our lives, and keeping it out, so that we can inherit eternal life (Titus 2:11-14). The doctrine of Christ is comprised only of elements that contribute to that purpose and intent. Anything else is merely a distraction to get your mind off of the one eternally meaningful point of us keeping our hearts pure from everything that is contrary to God’s humility, love, peace, honesty, holiness, and all such edifying things (Mat. 5:8; Rom. 8:13). This is the “simplicity of the gospel” that the scripture admonishes us to not be turned away from (II Cor. 11:3). The reality and necessity of holiness is right in front of us all, but if Satan can influence us to have our eyes “in the ends of the earth,” then we can be thwarted from that one purpose of the Gospel, and consequently from the hope of our salvation (Prov. 17:24; Gal. 5:19-21; Heb. 12:14). The great apostle Paul wrote that we should “follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another (i.e. increase faith and holiness - Rom . 14:19). The same apostle said that "the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (II Tim. 4:3,4). And in reference to such things he also stated, ”… flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness" (I Tim.6:11). Friends, with honesty, faith, and humility, let’s “keep [our] hearts with all diligence,” and cast off all of the entertaining, mysterious doctrines that are not plainly supported by the Bible; so that we are not distracted from our one purpose in this life, and our one hope of eternal salvation (Prov. 4:23; Eccl. 12:13,14; Eph. 4:4; I Thess. 5:8). Amen and God bless.