|
|
Coupon Religion We all get
coupons and sometimes we actually use them.
At times they can save us money and/or get us to buy something we would
not normally purchase. A while back
we got some coupons for a particular fast food place in town.
Among the various deals were some $1.00 off coupons off their meals.
This place which will remain un-named is a place we go to from time to
time, so we decided to use those coupons. Getting
to the place we noticed the fine print which pointed out that you can only use
one coupon per visit. To get around
this limitation we, read in here Dennis, decided we could order individually.
Therefore, we would get one dollar off 4 times (no Eli was not with us).
Then we noticed that the dollar off was good only on their “regular
meals” and not off their value meals. After
ordering and comparing what we spent versus what we normally spend at this
place, we discovered that it actually cost more to eat this time than it
normally cost. Those coupons were
not that good of a deal after all. This got me to
thinking that Satan uses the same strategy.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
The word “wiles” is translated as “schemes” in most translations.
We understand the devil is a tricky fellow, as he will try to deceive us
into sinning against God. Jesus
describes the character of the devil in John 8.
“You
are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own
resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44) Most of us are
smart enough to not trust a murderer and a liar so Satan must transform himself
in order to trick us. “For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into
apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into
an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
So what are some of the “coupons” that Satan uses to deceive the
majority of people? How about the
coupon of “moral relativism”? This
is another way of saying situation ethics. According to those that espouse this
philosophy, there is no such thing as absolute truth.
Morality is dictated by social and cultural norms.
Therefore, our culture becomes the standard of right and wrong.
This leaves God’s word out of the picture.
Homosexuality, lying, idolatry, fornication, and a host of sins become
acceptable if our society views these activities as acceptable.
This is as wrong as wrong can be. The standard of morality and truth is
not determined by society or culture but God’s word.
“Sanctify them by Your truth.
Your word is truth. As You sent Me
into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified
by the truth.” (John 17:17-19) We
will not be judged by our culture, but God on the Day of Judgment.
Satan will not tell us that but that is what will happen. Some people
have tried to use the coupon of “blame others for our sins”?
This is often called copping out. We
do something wrong and then blame others. I
don’t know how many times I have talked to a person who has quit serving God
only to be told that it is someone else’s fault.
They will tell you they quit because of the preacher, elders, Bible class
teachers, or other Christians. I do
not pretend for a minute to have been perfect in dealing with everyone over the
years, but even if I did hurt some people’s feelings it does not give them the
right to quit serving God. Each one
will stand before God to give account for what they have done whether good or
bad, 2 Corinthians 5.10. I will
answer for my sins and you will answer for your sins. Then there is
the coupon of “wait until tomorrow”. There
are a lot of people that tell me they intend to obey the Gospel or come back to
the church “one of these days.” Obviously
this means they are content to remain in and be a slave to sin today.
This is not a noble idea but shows the person to be intellectually
dishonest. A person that knows the
right thing to do and does not do it is intentionally rebelling against God.
“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it
is sin.” (James 4:17) Even if a
person really does intend on obeying God in the future they are still risking
their soul. We do not know how much
time we have in this life. Perhaps one of
the most used coupons Satan has deceive us with is the coupon of “one religion
is as good as another”. This goes
hand in hand with the spirit of compromise.
We should not be dogmatic on any particular subject because it really
does not matter. Therefore, we can
have all the denominations teaching different doctrines, practicing different
manners of worship, using different names, and having different methods of
salvation and they all be correct. That
is not what the Bible says! Paul
warned the Galatians of those proclaiming a “different Gospel”, Galatians
1.6-9. He also explained that
different Gospel is really not a different Gospel, meaning it is false doctrine.
If one religion is as good as another Paul should have those practicing
idolatry to just keep on keeping on. But some will say that the religion must be
Christ oriented. Why is that so?
Why is it Hinduism, Buddhism, and other non-Christian religions are not
acceptable? Is it because they
contradict the Bible? If those
religions are wrong; then the premise of “one religion is as good as
another” is also wrong. The only
religion that will get us to heaven is the one established by Christ.
In that case we must do what Christ says, worship in the way prescribed
by Him, obey His Gospel, and wear Christ’s name.
It is one
thing to be tricked by a coupon to a restaurant and another to lose our soul.
Let us beware of these tricks and be steadfast in our obedience to the
Gospel of Christ. Dennis Tucker |