Have We Watered Down The Word?





Not every one that says to me "Lord, Lord"
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that does the will of my Father which is
in heaven. Many will say to me on that day,
"Lord, haven't we prophesied in your name,
and in your name haven't we cast of devils,
and in your name done many wonderful   
works?" And then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you; depart from me, you that
work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23

General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, said this:

"The chief danger of the twentieth century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and Heaven without Hell."

Does that sound like our world today? We can't even count all the religions in the world today, much less all the different sects within each religion. But salvation is not about RELIGION. Salvation is a real and personal RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. If any religion teaches anything else, it is a false religion, and the end thereof is death and damnation. (see John 3:18 and Prov. 14:12)

The Bible says there is only one true God, the Lord God Almighty; the Alpha and the Omega, the great I AM. (see Ex. 3:14; Is. 44:6; Is. 45:22; Is. 46:9, and Rev. 21:6,7 for starters)

The Bible says there is only one way to eternal life, and that is through Jesus Christ. (see John 14:6, and I Tim. 2:5) Jesus is the Son of God, made into a man of flesh and blood just like you and I. (see Phil. 2:6-8) He did this so that He might pay the debt of sin for us. (see Col. 1:14) He was born of a virgin, by the Holy Spirit; (Matt. 1:18) He lived a life of pure and perfect blamelessness; (II Cor. 5:21) He was crucified, buried, and resurrected to eternal life. (see Luke 24:7) He will also return one day, and we will all face the Judgment. (II Cor. 5:10) Any religion that teaches anything else is teaching a lie, and all lies are from Satan. (see John 8:44)

While we're are on the subject, let's be clear about the Word of God: The Holy Bible is the ONLY word of God; it was written by divine inspiration, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. (II Tim. 3:16)

No other books written by man are inspired of God Almighty. His book makes that clear when it says for no man to add anything to His word, or take anything away from it. (see Deut. 4:2 and Rev.22:18) Therefore, any man calling himself a "prophet" and writing a new book to supplant the Holy Bible is obviously, by God's own word, a false prophet. Whether he calls himself Mohammed, Mormon, or any other name, he is deceiving anyone who follows the religion he sets forth. We don't have to judge them; God already has! Be very careful not to accept such false teachings in the spirit of tolerance and "brotherly love". God doesn't accept them, and neither should we!

Do these seem like harsh words to you? I'm afraid we've watered down the word of God so much that we've forgotten some very simple truths of God. After all, we are all supposed to love one another, right? Yes, that's the commandment given to us by our Lord in John 13:34. But loving one another does NOT mean turning a blind eye to sinfulness; it does NOT mean accepting every religion and every belief as being good and true; it does NOT mean watering down the truths of God to keep from offending a sinner. In fact, we are to "speak the truth in love" to lead others to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. (see Eph. 4:14-15)

We cannot be misled into accepting all religious teachings as being equal. God will one day judge all things, and everything not of God will be destroyed:

"So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 13:49-50)

Ray Comfort has a song in one of his messages, to the tune of "Battle Hymn Of The Republic". The words are a sad warning to all Christians today: we have watered down the truth so much that we've forgotten about the terrible wrath of God awaiting the great judgment day. We must be willing to speak the truth of God's Holy Word, without watering down His message. Listen to these words:

Our eyes have lost the glory of the coming of the Lord,
We have watered down our message, now the gospel is ignored;
No longer is it warning of a swift and flaming sword;
That truth is almost gone.

The law is just and holy; it is perfect, right and good,
But the churches fail to use it as the Bible says they should:
It's to show how God is holy, and to reach them, every word;
That truth is almost gone.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat,
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him, be jubilant, my feet!
Such truth is almost gone!

My friend, I speak this truth with love. If you are following any religion or teaching that does not stand up to the light of God's Holy Bible, then you are following a lie. I beg you, don't just take my word for it;--- read God's word! Don't be led straight into hell because you follow a false prophet. If you are already a Christian, don't be deceived into thinking that all religions are good, or that as long as a person is faithful and pious their faith is enough. Don't be deceived into thinking that we must be tolerant of all religions and beliefs. We must all stand up and speak the truth in love to lead a lost and dying world to Jesus Christ.