Give Me Meat, Not Milk

Recently I spent most of the day at a Ladies Conference at my church. I will admit that I have never really enjoyed these kind of conferences, for several reasons. First of all, I am not big on large crowds of people and these conferences can sometimes pull in large numbers. I am much more a one on one or small group kind of person. I tend to have a few very close friends that I can count on rather than a slew of fair weather acquaintances. It is just my personality to prefer it that way. A second reason is that these conferences are usually geared towards subjects that specifically apply to  ladies, most of which tend to not be the most stimulating from an intellectual scholarly point of view. While I have no objection to these subjects per se, I am and have always been a scholar and prefer a scholarly presentation on some deep spiritual or theological subject rather than hearing for the umpteenth time "How to be a Woman of God,"with lots of personal stories, visual props, crafts, and entertainment. It seems that this is the recurring theme at every conference. It only varies in the presentation. To me there is very little difference between being a woman of God and just being a Christian who does their best to walk in holiness, and I long ago learned what the requirements of doing that were. It is now my responsibility to work on that knowledge, not to have it drummed into me at every opportunity, as if I am unaware of the requirement.  If I haven't learned it in the 60 years I have been a Christian, then obviously I am not going to learn it. That's not saying that other younger Christians don't need this lesson, but it would be nice if once in a while they geared the messages toward those who are mature Christians who learned all this long ago. The last problem for me is that these things often tend to deteriorate to an elementary school level entertainment production, as horrible as that may sound.

To demonstrate what I mean with that last remark, let me share what I experienced at my latest conference. As most of these things begin, we started with prayer and singing a hymn. So far so good. The speaker gave us handouts on the topic, which was Jeremiah 18. She was going to discuss the potter and the clay and all the lessons that can be learned from that comparison as to God's relationship with us and how God molds us. This is not the deepest spiritual lesson one can learn, as it is a rather basic lesson that one should learn as a new Christian. I call it a lesson from Christianity 101. She went over the basics of receiving salvation, and then our need for ongoing repentance and allowing God to bring into our lives what He does for our spiritual growth. It is most definitely one that should be taught to new Christians, and as this woman is actually what I would call an evangelist by spiritual gifting, I would expect that this would be the basic lesson that she teaches, no matter what Scriptures she might use to vary the presentation.

As she also seems to do these presentations with young people or children much of the time (being a pastor's wife), she has developed a method which she uses regardless of the nature of the audience. So, even though probably 85%  of the audience constituted people over the age of 55 in this case, we were treated to what would have been a very entertaining show for elementary and possibly as old as high school children. She put on the costumes of characters such as an old woman, and a haughty British schoolteacher (I understand she has other characters she uses from well-known children's books as well) and in those personas presented us with some elementary school science tricks. With each trick there was a spiritual application. e.g. colored water made clear by the application of some chemical shows us that Jesus washes us clean of our sins.  A bar of Ivory soap in a microwave (do not try this) will greatly expand, because Ivory is the only soap that has water in it. The application being that when we are indwelt with the Living Water of Jesus, we expand  with His love and grace. There were a number of such science experiments.  We also did a craft. We painted one of our hands with white paint and made a hand print on a black piece of construction paper, then put a red dot in the middle of the palm to make it look like Jesus' nail pierced hand, then wrote something underneath it such as "Paid in Full." I remember my children doing much the same type of craft in Vacation Bible School.

Now, there is nothing wrong with any of this, and I am not criticizing using these things in the proper venue. What my point in all this is, this is neither physically or spiritually age appropriate for women who are basically senior citizens, who for the most part claim a Christian walk with the Lord of decades in length. This should have been nursery school stuff for them. In other words like baby's milk. It was New Christianity 101, not Mature Christianity 501. It would have been excellent as a Vacation Bible School presentation for children. It was not what women of this age and supposed spiritual maturity should have been satisfied with as a spiritual learning experience, yet that is exactly how they responded. They were thrilled with the day and felt it was a such a wonderful spiritually enlightening experience. As awful as this may sound for me to say this, it should not have been. They should have walked away feeling a hungry for spiritual food instead of full. What was taught should not have filled a person who was spiritually mature and looking to learn something that would push their learning curve even further. They settled for milk. And unfortunately they settle for it week after week in church as well.

What disturbed me was not that this wonderful lady presented this, for this is her thing, but that this is all that these women expect or want in the way of learning. They were all impressed, and uplifted by it all, none of them seeming to see that it was way below what they should have been embracing in the way of spiritual education. By now, they should have long ago moved on from this kind of milk. We are told in Hebrews 5:12-14, 6:1-2 " For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment." And in 1 Corinthians 3:2 "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."

Continuing to teach Christians who are no longer classified as "new" Christians the same doctrines over and over of salvation, repentance, faith, baptism, the reality of a resurrection, and eternal judgment is not growing in the Lord. For some reason, pastors seem to think that these are the subjects that they should be teaching over and over and over instead of moving on to other things. These are the milk of our belief. These are the basic tenets which we should be taught at first, but then we should move on to other things. Scholarly things. When the Scriptures above were written, the New Testament was not formed. The epistles were merely letters that circulated among the churches. The gospel message was the milk. The meat of Scripture was the Scriptures which the people called the Talmud, or as we know it, the Old Testament. In other words, the Old Testament is the meat of Scripture. It is what, as mature Christians, we should be studying. The irony of this is that for the most part, a great many if not most of the clergy out there feel that the Old Testament is irrelevant and need not even be studied. As a side note, likewise they ignore the last book of the Bible, Revelation, as they also feel it is irrelevant to the Church as, at least in America, the Church does not think anything in that book applies to them. This despite the fact that God put a blessing on the book for those who read and heed it, so that they would be encouraged to study it.

While so many think the Old Testament has nothing to offer, God tells us  "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17. God considers the information in the Old Testament to be information which will 1) teach you correct doctrine, 2) offer reproof when needed, 3) correct your errors of behavior and understanding, 4) instruct you in righteous living 5) furnish you to be able to do the works God calls you to do, and as Hebrews tells us, also teaches us 6) how to learn to be discerning of good and evil, 7) to be skillful in handling the Word, rightly dividing it,  8) to be strong in righteousness, 9) to be a mature Christian, and 10) to turn you into a teacher of the Word rather than a babe, all which 11) perfects your faith which 12) teaches you how to know God better.

Not only will studying the Old Testament do these things for you, the New Testament cannot be fully understood or rightly divided unless one studies the Old Testament, for many things in the New Testament refer back or reference things from the Old. We are told in 2 Timothy 2:15 " Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."  One has to study all of a subject to rightly divide it, and if you are leaving out the bulk of the information, how can one possibly divide it correctly? This is especially true of prophecy. Most of the end times prophecies are in the Old Testament. The book of Revelation cannot truly be understood without a massive amount of help from the Old. Not only the prophets, but even the Torah or Pentateuch as Gentiles tend to refer to it. These are Laws of God and Moses. The information contained in these five book, as well as the prophets, plays a large part in understanding Revelation. And prophecy is for the mature in Christ, not the babe.

In all the years I have attended church, and the many churches I have attended, including a number of different denominations, I find that with rare exceptions, the sermons always speak in some form or other of the milk of the Bible.  In fact, it is to the point of boredom. How many times can one go to kindergarten and get anything out of it? Once you learn 2 + 2 = 4, you need to move on to algebra and then geometry, and then trigonometry, and calculus, etc. You cannot just find a variety of ways to teach 2  + 2 = 4 and expect anyone to learn any more about math. Neither can you constantly teach salvation and repentance over and over, no matter how many stories, or ways, or Scriptures you vary to teach it and think that your congregation is going to grow in knowledge. God has a very serious warning about not growing in knowledge of Him and His Word. Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." 

The story of salvation and the First Coming is what we are told to take out into the unbelieving world, so that they might be saved. But once saved, we are to move on and quit looking back at the First Coming and look towards the Second Coming, which should be the primary concern of the saved individual for his own learning and growth. The First Coming is for unbelievers. The Second Coming is for believers, and we should put our attention on that subject matter and learn all there is to learn about it. That is exactly why God put a blessing on the last book of the Bible. But without the foundation of a solid knowledge of the entire Old Testament, you will miss a great deal of what that final book contains. That is why so many people find the book so extremely hard to understand. Of course it is under those conditions. If you have only learned 2 + 2 = 4, you cannot do calculus, can you. The reason God put it at the end is because He expected people to read the Bible from the beginning to the end, but if interested in the end at all, people skip through the book and read only the last chapter, as it were, to find out the ending. The problem is, without understanding what is going on, the ending will make no sense.


God tells us that in the last days, there will be a falling away from truth, or what we call apostasy. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" He asks if He will even find faith when He returns. Luke 18:8b "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"   He tells us that people will not want to hear the truth of His Word, because they have itching ears that they want to tickle. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 "For 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." This is exactly why the Church is in such apostasy. They do not study God's Word and therefore they do not grow, and they are unable to discern false teachings, because they cannot rightly divide God's truth.

The clergy for generations has been guilty of not teaching the people God's entire Word, and as a result, we now have a Church which does not even know what God's Word really says. Man has corrupted His teachings with all sorts of lies and perversions and nobody is the wiser. And the Church has watered things down to not just milk, but skim milk and that milk is sour. We treat mature adults as if they are kindergarteners, having them do finger paintings and watching elementary science tricks to teach them the basics of Christianity, which they should have learned the first year they were a Christian. What are we thinking? Not only do we do it, but if I have to judge from the response of the women at the conference I attended, we revel in it and think it is the utmost in spiritual heights. We should be attending the equivalent of college lectures, not vacation Bible school. How did we get so lazy? Why don't we even care?

My pastor made a comment in our Bible study that he has heard many pastors say that they are just too busy to spend time on sermons, so they throw them together on Saturday night. This explains a lot of why the teachings coming from the pulpit are milk. I know that most of them also get their sermons from reading commentaries rather than studying the Bible. And lastly I have heard that being so "busy,"  many pastors are now downloading pre-written sermons off the internet and giving them. Given that this is the state of a great amount of our clergy, does it not behoove us to get into the Scriptures ourselves to mature in God's Word, since you are most likely not going to get it at church? Technically aren't we commanded to do that anyway, so we can be Bereans? Pastors are not learning God's Word, and therefore they cannot rightly divide it and so are adopting all these New Age teachings, all these false doctrines, and allowing Satan into the sanctuary in a variety of ways,  The people don't study the Scriptures, instead letting the pastors teach them what they think they need to know, and so they have no discernment and are led into apostasy. Then, because they have no maturity themselves, they let the church train up (or more accurately not train up) their children. Now instead of merely adopting the lifestyle of their parents with an immature Christian life as in past generations, they are leaving the churches in droves, because they don't have a vital growing relationship with Christ, and so the problem isn't just perpetuating itself from generation to generation anymore, it is deteriorating to the point of no return.

So in conclusion, while it might seem that I am being very harsh in my criticism of a ladies conference, it is a symptom of a much bigger problem. A problem which is killing the Church. If we don't start getting into the Word, again as God warned in Hosea,  "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."  Not only will we be destroyed, and no longer be priests for Him, but He will forget our children. And the way our children are leaving the churches, this prophecy is coming true. 

When Tradition is Held in Higher Esteem than God's Word

One of the main themes of the musical Fiddler on the Roof is “tradition.” There is a song that begins with those words, “Tradition, tradition! Tradition!” In Judaism, tradition is paramount even over the Word of God. It was this with which Jesus had a serious problem. The Pharisees and scribes had over the years added their own traditions (supposedly oral instructions from God that Moses never bothered writing down), as well as pagan Babylonian Mystery traditions (learned during the Babylonian captivity) to the Word of God. Instead of studying the Tanakh or Old Testament, they chose to write down their own oral traditions and commentaries and then each generation studied those instead of strictly studying the Tanakh, as they felt one could not understand the Scriptures without the insights and teachings of the “great rabbis.” The Mishnah and the Talmud became more important than the Torah (the first five books) or the Tanakh.

Jesus had this to say about their traditions. [The following two passages relate the same event.]

Matthew 15:1-9 “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

Mark 7:5-13 “Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.”

Notice that the Pharisees themselves state that they expect Him (and everyone) to follow the traditions of men. Jesus replies that they are not only rejecting, but also transgressing the commandments of God by holding to their traditions. They are making God's commandments of no effect, or null and void by their traditions, and even worse they teach their traditions to the people as doctrine in place of God's Word. Their traditions have superseded God's commandments and laws. They have set themselves up as a higher moral authority than God. Jesus also uses Scripture, or God's own words to point out that God has said that their worship of Him is in vain, since they are only teaching man's laws, not His.

In this particular passage, as an example of their hypocritical heart condition, Christ relates their tradition regarding the care of their parents, for the Pharisees had by their traditions given themselves a loophole to taking care of their parents, as God had commanded. They would “consecrate” their goods to the temple as Corban which meant it was designated as a gift for the treasury of the temple and thus could not go elsewhere, but they arranged that they could hold onto it as long as they wanted and give it when they wanted, for there was no prescribed time limit to have to fulfill the vow. So essentially they could have it done upon their death or if preferred, the gifting could expire upon their death, making it null and void, so that it could become an inheritance. This enabled them to keep their money, and nobody could say anything to them about it, for there was (deliberately I assume) nothing forcing them to take action upon their word. It was a phony promise to the temple and a way of ignoring their parents' needs. It is kind of like our politicians today. Plenty of promises, giving themselves raises and nice retirements, etc. and keeping what they owe the people they represent, from the people. History repeats itself.

Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites over and over for their multitude of traditions and man-made laws which they inflicted upon the people. Note the verse above in Matthew 15:7-8 “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” There are many more verses where He is referring to them either directly or indirectly as hypocrites.

Matthew 6:2 “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

Matthew 6:5 “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

Matthew 6:16 “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

Matthew 16:1-3 “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?”

Matthew 22:15-18 “Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.......But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?”

Matthew 23:13-15 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”

Matthew 23:23-29 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,”

Matthew 24:51 “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Luke 11:42-44 “But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.”

Matthew 16:3b-4 “O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas ”

Luke 12:56 “Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?”

Luke 13:15 “The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?”

Jesus had a few other choice names for the Pharisees and scribes other than hypocrites. He also calls them vipers, fools, and He says how they are blind and an evil and adulterous generation and wicked within.

Matthew 3:7 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

Matthew 12:34 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

Matthew 12:38-39 “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: ”

Matthew 23:16-17,19 “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?... Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?”

Matthew 23:33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

Luke 11:37-40 “And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?”

John 9:40-41 “And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”

Lawyers also tempted Him and came under condemnation, although many if not most of the lawyers were also Pharisees. He accuses them of laying burdens upon people that were too great for them to bear, while they themselves did not practice what they preached. He also accused them of taking away the key to God's knowledge and while not studying themselves, they also prevented those who would study from studying.

Matthew 22:35-36 “Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Luke 7:30 “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.”

Matthew 10:25 “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Luke 11:45-47 “Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.”

Luke 11:52 “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

The Pharisees were always looking for a way to find fault with Jesus or tempt Him in some way. They sought to trip Him up so that they could accuse Him and put Him to death, as He was a thorn in their side with His flaunting of their traditions and showing the people that they were not the righteous leaders they claimed to be. It undermined their authority.

Mathew 9:10-11 “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?”

Mark 2:16 “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?”

Luke 5:30 “But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?”

Luke 15:2 “And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.”

Matthew 11:19 “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.”

Luke 7:34 “The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!”

Matthew 9:34 “But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.”

Matthew 12:24 “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.”

Matthew 12:2 “But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.”

Mark 2:24 “And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?”

Luke 6:2 “And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?”

Matthew 12:10 “And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.”

Mark 3:2 “And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.”

Luke 6:7 “And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.”

John 9:16a “Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day.”

Matthew 12:14 “Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.”

Mark 3:6 “And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.”

Matthew 19:3 “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?”

Mark 10:2 “And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.”

Luke 7:30 “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.”

Luke 13:14 “And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. ”

Matthew 21:45-46 “And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.”

Matthew 22:15 “Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.”

Mark 12:13 “And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.”

Luke 11:53-54 “And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.”

Matthew 22:34-35 “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him,”

Matthew 16:1-3a “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring.”

Mark 8:11-12 “And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.”

Luke 5:21 “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

Luke 16:14 “And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.”

John 7:32 “The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.”

John 8:3-6a “And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him.”

John 8:13 “The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.”

John 11:47, 53 “Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles..... Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.”

John 11:57 “Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.”

Matthew 20:18 “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,”

Matthew 26:65-67 “Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,”

The Pharisees wielded a lot of power over the people, and disagreeing with them meant making yourself a target and outcast. Because of this many people, including some of the chief rulers and Pharisees who believed, were afraid to confess Jesus.

John 12:42-43 “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

John 7:47-49 “Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.”

Jesus warned His disciples about the Pharisees and their traditions and teachings.

Matthew 16:6, 11-12 “Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.,,,,How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.”

Mark 8:15 “And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.”

Luke 12:1 “In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

Matthew 23:2-7 “Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.”

Luke 18:11-14 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

As can be seen from the many passages above, Jesus had absolutely no use for the traditions of men and those who upheld them as being higher than God's laws, commandments, or Word. This should be a warning to us, but it seems that many have not learned the lesson. Today a great number of churches and denominations teach their traditions, some of which are actually transgressions against God, in place of God's Word, yet do not see the parallel between themselves and the Pharisees. They mock the Pharisees as being blind and full of sin, yet are as blind and as full of sin themselves, putting the traditions of men before the Word of God. Just as the Pharisees measured a man's spiritual life as a Jew by how he kept their traditions, far too many churches, pastors, and just regular Christians measure a person's relationship with God through Jesus Christ by how well they observe the traditions of the church, even when the tradition might be a transgression of God's Word. Or they do the reverse and take freedoms that God has given as a blessing and turned them into sins. They call evil, good and good, evil just as the world is doing, yet are completely oblivious to it.

Recently I came across a saying which I cannot remember the quote exactly, or who said it, so I will paraphrase what I remember and add to it what I feel is needed to complete the thought.

When you find that your favorite and strongly held views clash with the Word of God, do not start debating it. If you do, a sense of self-righteousness will emerge and pride and hypocrisy may be the end result, rather than a learning of the truth.

Over the years I have attended a variety of different types of churches, whether as a visitor or congregant. The one thing that seems common to all of them is that each has their own traditions. Whether it is the liturgical church with all of the pomp and ceremony that goes with the ecclesiastical times of the year, a non-liturgical church which has no formal order to the worship service at all, or anything in between, they all still have their traditions or things which they feel are a necessary part of being a Christian and without those things, you either aren't a good Christian or aren't a Christian at all.

I recall, after moving to our present home, something that I saw when searching for a church to attend. I walked into the foyer of a local church and a huge sign over the door into the sanctuary said, “Visitors welcome, members expected.” And indeed they were. Members expected, that is. They had Sunday morning worship service and Sunday school, youth group, and Sunday evening services on Sunday, mid-week prayer service on Wednesday, revival services yearly, choir rehearsals weekly, meetings of all sorts, conferences, retreats, etc., etc., etc. The church was a constant flurry of activity, as was the day of worship. No rest for the weary. And the members were expected to attend all services or meetings which were universal, as well as those which were specific to them. In fact, church took up their whole life. Church was and is their spiritual life, their social life, their family life (or in some cases replacement for family), their financial dictator, their babysitter, their substitute for their parental duties toward their children's spiritual education, their substitute for personal evangelism, and in whole, their entire life. This particular church also had an academy, so the school sports meant that members should, as much as possible (to support the school) show up for those games, so it was their recreational life as well, not only with the school games, but with inter-mural church games. It also provided their entertainment in the form of school concerts and programs. It took a grave (pardon the pun) excuse, for instance death, to have your absence overlooked and not have it brought to your attention as a lapse. But I also noticed that most of the members were content to have their entire lives be controlled by and revolve solely around the church. It provided a safe haven for them to not have to extend themselves to reach out to the world. They barely interacted with the community at all. It was as if they were a closed and gated community. Visitors were really only welcome if they were ready to embrace the church and let it control every aspect of their lives. There were other understood requirements as well as the attendance requirements. No socializing outside of the ranks with the heathen, no attending non-approved colleges, and absolutely no participating in unapproved activities. Things such as no alcohol, no dancing, and other such rules were unwritten, but known to be the standard by which a person behaved or they were outright said to not be Christian and became outcasts of the membership. It did not take me more than one visit to decide I was not going to attend that church as a congregant.

I have heard from the members of this type of church, that the reason for these extra man-made rules is not only to prevent people from sinning, but that they believe the forbidden things are actually sin (which they aren't). They are under the impression that to do these things, which are not forbidden by God (such as have a glass of wine with dinner, go ballroom dancing, or women wearing slacks for example) will without question lead to abuse of the privilege, and therefore sin (such as drunkenness or lasciviousness), as of course people cannot be trusted to use their own judgment on the matter or have self-control. So the freedom was removed and rules were created and enforced to make sure that people did not ever get close to the sin about which God did warn us. This did not occur with this generation, this occurred many years ago and has been handed down as the doctrinal truth or position of this church denomination. Is this not exactly the reason the Pharisees of Jesus' day gave for their traditions? They added numerous and onerous rules on top of God's rules making people's lives miserable, and taught them generation after generation. And if people did not keep the rules, they were not in good standing with the clergy or considered a good Jew. It didn't matter that these Pharisees were, as Christ put it, white-washed sepulchers themselves, and doing sinful things behind closed doors. They lorded it over the populous and held themselves up as righteous (self-righteous) examples. So too do the churches of today.

It is not just the type of church I described above that has this problem. As odd as it sounds, that church says that salvation is by faith through grace with no works required, yet they have all these works and rules that they insist upon. There are other denominations which do not preach born again salvation, they preach works, and so people's lives are tied up with attending services, observing all the ceremonies of induction into the mysteries of God, doing the works the church offers or approves, praying the prayers that they are taught to pray for penance, making sure they give the required amount of money, and etc. etc. etc. It seems that at either end of the spectrum, as well as in between, the traditions of the church tend to be the most important thing. Reading, studying, knowing, and obedience to God's WORD seems to be, if not irrelevant, at least not all that important.

What is also of interest is that while the churches teach that if you do not adhere to their traditions, you will not only not be a good Christian, but you will be a bad witness, it is not the unbelievers outside of the church who look upon you as being a bad Christian or witness. It is the people within the church that judge you so harshly. I have found that by following God's rules alone, that when I witness I have more respect from people for not being a hypocrite, by not having added a bunch of rules of my own. They are presented with a God who is not the hyper straight-laced and joy depriving God that He is presented as being. They learn that He wants self-control and obedience, but that His yoke is easy, not burdensome when it is understood correctly. I never compromise God's Word by saying that a sin is not a sin, but I show why the sin is detrimental to their lives and why God forbids it. It is a much harder thing for a person to defend their traditions through Scripture, (since they are not defensible) and so that leaves a bad witness behind as them being a self-righteous hypocrite, for nobody is sin free, and people watch you to see what your life presents. If you have sin in your life, but hold yourself up as morally superior to God, you will not make a great impression. Self-righteousness is not something that impresses unbelievers.

God wants love, mercy, and obedience. While that may sometimes include taking a Christian to task for a bona fide sin that is taught in Scripture, it does not mean that we have the right to judge a person's relationship with Christ by our own traditions and viewpoints. God's Word is clear about sin and how to deal with it in the body. Beyond that, we should not judge others freedom in Christ, nor should we expect them to live up to our own man-made rules. Nor should we make our churches into social clubs and gated communities. We are to go out in the world and spread the gospel. That means we have to interact socially with unbelievers, as Christ did. We should not partake of their sins (and there is a distinct difference between sin and freedom in Christ) any more than He did, but we should be befriending them, so that they get to know our relationship with Christ, so that we can lead them to Him. We should not be accusing the brethren who are doing this of not being Christians, because they don't adhere to our traditions.

As an example of this, I know a pastor who decided to hold a Bible study at a VFW. The church had strict rules against alcohol, and this VFW had a bar (of sorts). Well, the pastor came under condemnation for being in the building. Seriously people? You condemned a pastor for trying to bring the gospel to our veterans just because he was in a building that housed some alcohol? It wasn't like he was serving it nor was it even available at that time of day. (Not that serving alcohol is a sin anyhow. Only drunkenness and alcoholism are the sins that would apply here and they didn't in this case.) It was a ridiculous accusation against him and it wasn't long before he gave up the Bible study. I don't know if that was because of the controversy and condemnation or the lack of interest, but no matter, it was wrong to condemn him bringing the gospel to the world. This is what bad traditions do. They get in the way of salvation.

Now that bad traditions have been discussed, it is important to recognize that there are God's traditions and rules, and they must be kept. We have only two ordinances or traditions. Baptism and the Lord's Supper. We should be observing those traditions, because God has told us to.

We also have rules for obedience. We should give of our money to the Lord (although each person is to determine in their heart what to give) because we are told to by God. We should gather with other believers for fellowship and worship, especially as the Day of the Lord approaches, but nowhere did God specify that it had to be in a church, or on a Sunday (I will get to this problem in a minute), or that it had to have a certain kind of order of service, or had to be multiple times a week. He just said to gather with other like-minded (that's a hard thing to find) believers to give us fellowship, corporate worship of Him, growth in knowledge as we study, and to support and help one another. We are to pray, and when two or more are gathered in His name, He is there too, but nowhere does it say that we have to attend the weekly prayer service on a particular night of the week. We should pray without ceasing. What pastors should be teaching on prayer is not the traditions of attendance, but the need to have a relationship with God where praying is akin to breathing. You do it automatically all the time without even thinking about it. It should be that effortless and continual. Prayer times with others is a bonus, but not a weekly mandatory requirement. The more you learn to make it a part of your life like breathing, the more inclined you would be to gather with others to pray. And you would not have to beat people over the head to put in an appearance for the sake of appearances. That is not being there because of a heart desire, it is merely fulfilling an obligation.

We have many other things we should be doing – witnessing, using our talents, working on bearing the fruits of the spirit, confessing our sins, and other things which God has told us to do. We are to be obeying the Ten Commandments. Now as mentioned above, I want to address one of those things. Most if not all Christians will agree that nine of those ten are things we absolutely should or should not be doing. We should have no other gods before Him, we should not take His name in vain, we should not make graven images, we should not kill, or commit adultery, or steal, or bear false witness or covet. We should honor our parents, and lastly the one commandment that tradition has taught us to sin against for practically two millennia, we are to keep the Sabbath holy. Man's tradition, NOT God's Word has said that we are to forsake the commandment of God (which is an eternal covenantal sign as well as a commandment) and adhere to man's tradition instead. If you do not believe this, then read my article on this here https://bibleconundrumsandcontroversy.blogspot.com/2011/02/sabbath-or-sunday.html. Man took a commandment of God, just as the Pharisees did, and rejected it and transgressed it replacing it with their own tradition and then made it into a doctrine.

The argument is made that people cannot be trusted to not sin, therefore rules must be made to create a hedge for people. This takes away the instruction that God gave us to learn to have self-control. How can a person learn self-control if they are never challenged to have to exercise it. These traditions keep people from growing. Then instead of preaching and teaching self-control, to work at a relationship with God that is so part of one that one doesn't know a moment without His presence, they preach against the objects of “sin”, such as alcohol, or dancing, or slacks on women, or buttons, or electricity, and the “sin” of not attending services or praying the requisite prayers for penance or whatever the so-called “sin” is. What they need to teach is how to grow in the Lord and study His Word, not just read it through a hundred times. Preaching rules only gets outer conformity to traditions. Preaching how to grow in a relationship with Christ teaches how to not sin against God's commandments by the heart's choice.

Should We Use the Greek Text When Studying the Bible?

In the past two days, I was told by no less than five different unrelated people that one should not look to the Greek for help when one is in need of further enlightenment about a word or phrase that might be ambiguous or need further clarification. In fact, I was told by several of those people that God meant for us to rely only on the English version. Further comments told me that it cannot be trusted, and it cannot be understood unless you are a scholar who has studied it, therefore you are better to leave it alone, and other such comments. I have heard it jokingly said that there are people who say, “The King James Bible was good enough for Paul, so it's good enough for me.” Sometimes I think people really are that lacking in knowledge, when I hear some of the comments they make.

First of all, to say that the Greek cannot be trusted seems to be a ludicrous statement. The Bible in English is a translation of the Greek, so if the Greek cannot be trusted, how can the English? Secondly, one does not have to have a degree in ancient Greek in order to pick up an interlinear Bible and a concordance and look up what the word is in Greek (or Hebrew for that matter) and its definitions. Why should we leave it alone as a study tool, as if it were a forbidden book, when it is so available to enhance our studying? Can it be misused by wolves who want to teach heresy? Of course it can, and so can the English. Most people are so unfamiliar with their English Bible that they can be fooled without ever having to go to the Greek to convince them of something, as they never check what information they are being fed against the Word of God.

Is it really necessary? Can't one get the full intent of something from just the context and grammar? Well, most of the time you probably can, but there are times when you miss something, if you don't look to the original language. Let me give an example. Let us look at John 21:15-17 in the English. “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

I have heard sermons on this passage, with all kinds of speculation as to why Peter was grieved and why Jesus said it three times. One is that Jesus knew Peter was going to deny Him three times, so He asked him if he loved Him three times. Another says that Jesus wanted Peter to understand the importance of preaching the gospel so He emphasized it three times by telling him to feed His sheep. I don't know that I ever heard an explanation for why Peter was grieved, except that Christ asked him three times. Now let us consider the Greek. We only need to look at one word, the word “love.” In English we have only one word for all kinds of love. In the Greek there are at least four - “Agape” the kind of sacrificial love that God has for us and we as Christians should have for God and others, “philia” brotherly love (hence the city of Philadelphia being the the city of brotherly love), “eros” sexual love, and “storge” the kind of affection families have for each other. In this case we are going to focus on the words “agape” and “philia.” When we rewrite this passage substituting the appropriate Greek word, we find that the passage reads like this.

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, agape thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I philia thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, agape thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I philia thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, philia thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, philia thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I philia thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

Now let us look at it the way Christ might have said it in today's English. “Peter, do you love me? Yes, Lord, you know I love you like a brother..................No Peter, I mean, do you really LOVE me, like you'd die for me? Lord, you know that I love you just like a brother.....................Peter...... so...... you love me like a brother then.” And Peter was grieved that Jesus accepted and acknowledged that he loved him like a brother, but not to the point of sacrificial love. And Peter said, “Lord, you know everything there is to know, so you know that I love you like a brother.”

It makes much more sense to understand why Peter was grieved, when you understand that Christ had changed the word from agape to philia, for it was a downgrading of the relationship on Peter's side that Christ was acknowledging. It was a disappointment. You would never get that from the English. And it does not take a degree in Greek in order to gain that knowledge. Merely a copy of Strong's Concordance.

What initially brought on this entire discussion was a disagreement over, of all things, the word “men.” Now who would think that the word “men” would need to be defined, but it did. The verse in question said that “they were redeemed from among men.” Now I had always taken that in the English to mean that the word “men” meant from among all of mankind. The other party was of the opinion that the word literally and specifically meant adult males. So to answer the disagreement, I went to the Greek word in the concordance and looked it up. In this particular case, the Greek word was “anthropos.” Now that word should be recognizable as the root word of our word “anthropology.” I am very familiar with the word, because my one son is an anthropologist. Anthropology is the study of humans, as in mankind. And the Greek definition of the word was “human beings,” not specifically adult males. So going to the Greek proved that I had indeed interpreted the phrase correctly that they were redeemed from among mankind or human beings. Unfortunately this person was one who fell into the category of people I mentioned at the start. The Greek was not trusted, therefore my going to the Greek did nothing to end the debate.

One of the arguments given to me by one of the aforementioned group of five, was that the original manuscripts were inspired by God and without error, but the copies were merely that, copies that were suspect as to accuracy, but God has told us that He would preserve His Word (the intent more or less) so the KJV was the Bible we are to use and God will tell us everything we need to know through that, as since we don't have the original manuscripts, this is as good as you can get. I would take issue with that. Jesus said that not one jot or tittle would pass from the law until all was fulfilled. Now the law is the Masoretic Hebrew text which is far, far older than the Greek New Testament. Yet here is Christ telling us that a copy (as they probably did not have the original either) of the Old Testament is still perfectly preserved word for word, even to the jot and tittles on the words (Jots and tittles are the equivalent of the dots over the “I's” and crosses on the “T's”.) and it would continue to be until all is fulfilled. If God could preserve that, and continues to, why could He not preserve the Greek New Testament as well even in its copies. In this case, the copies that I would say are the accurately preserved ones are the copies of the Received Text, which was circulated around the area of Antioch and Byzantine. They are very different from the Alexandrian texts, which were found in Egypt. For more on this and why the difference, read my article on the KJV Bible. https://bibleconundrumsandcontroversy.blogspot.com/2011/01/king-james-version-only-controversy.html

The copiers of the original manuscripts were very exact in how they copied it. They checked in every way possible to make sure that there were no mistakes. And the large number of extant manuscripts that we have of the Received Text show extremely little differences, meaning that they kept any mistakes to a bare minimum. Any mistakes have been easily caught by seeing upon what the greater number of manuscripts agree, thereby giving us a very accurate Greek version of the New Testament. The same can be said of the Masoretic Hebrew texts as well. So while we may not have the actual originals, just as we may not have the originals today of some things, but copies made from a computer or copier machine, the content is just as accurate as the original. Therefore it can be trusted. And as pointed out at the beginning, if you cannot trust the Greek, how can you trust a translation of it, when no translation is perfectly word for word, although the KJV does that as much as a translation possibly can. There is a slight loss of information though, to a certain extent, as pointed out in the passage of John that I quoted above, as English does not have as precise a language as Greek had. To be able to check into the Greek can only bring greater understanding, unless it is your deliberate intent to want to make a passage say something other than it intends, because you want to try to push a theory or private interpretation which is not actually taught there. And there are people who will do this. But they do that with the English as well. It requires being studious, discerning, and a Berean, and checking what people teach against the Scriptures to catch things like that. And for the record, yes, I encourage people to check anything that I write against the Word of God. I want people in their Bibles learning what it says, and I am not afraid of being challenged, as so many who want to deceive are. If everybody were in their Bibles as they should be, I could quit writing.

So, in conclusion, while true understanding does come from the Holy Spirit teaching you, it makes His job easier if you use all the tools at your disposal. If you want to get a little deeper into your study of the Scriptures, by all means, get yourself a KJV Bible, Greek interlinear Bible using the Received Text, a Hebrew text (Masoretic) , and a good concordance, along with a good Bible dictionary, lexicon, maps, and etc. Don't listen to those scholars who say that you can't possibly understand how to use them. They just don't want you being able to study the Bible on your own without their input. You might find out that they aren't always right, and that might put them out of a job.

Can a Christian Have a Tattoo or Body Piercing? What Does God Say?

Of late tattoos seem to be in your face everywhere you turn. It isn't just the usual and expected people that have them, (military, gang members, etc.) but now, because it is a fashion trend, all manner of people from all walks of life are getting them, including Christians. Many men and women are getting entire legs and arms tattooed with tattoo sleeves, as they are called. Some of these tattoos seem innocuous, but some of them seem very demonic in nature. Christians who are getting them seem to be giving the excuse that they are honoring the Lord or somebody important in their lives, so therefore it is okay with God. In fact, I am seeing over and over, articles on how it is perfectly okay for a Christian to get tattoos, but is that true? Does God not care, or does He have an opinion on the matter? From strictly a personal opinion, God's Word aside, I find all of them unattractive, regardless. That's just my personal opinion. I also see the body piercings that way, but I will deal with those later on in this article. The reason that I do find them unattractive is that it reeks of pagan ways and customs, and it simply seems very unattractive to me, the way far too much makeup or jewelry, or especially hideous attire detracts from a person's attractiveness. It is distracting and the demonic tattoos especially seem to desecrate the image of God in which we were created. It just seems wrong by nature. But my personal taste and opinion are not the ones that matter. It is God's opinion that does, and so it is God's opinion that we must look to as the determining factor as to whether or not these things are acceptable for a Christian to have.

Well, as much as some may not like it, it seems that God does have an opinion on the matter. Leviticus 19:28 says, “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.” We are told that God does not want us marking up our body by making cuttings (which people did for mourning), carving things into it (which some tribal cultures do to mark their bodies for various reasons) or to get tattoos (marks). And it not just that we should not do it to honor the dead. He apparently does not approve for any reason. “Ah,” but the opposition says, “that is the Old Testament, and those laws were done away with.” Were they? Were they really? All of them? Many of them were reiterated in the New Testament. The Ten Commandments still stand, as do all the moral laws. A discussion of that issue can be found in another of my articles, but suffice it to say, if God gives us some indication in the New Testament that an Old Testament mandate still stands, we should pay attention.

In 1 Cor. 6:19-20 we read, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” We are to glorify God in our body. But the opposition says, “But that is what we are doing. We are glorifying God by our tattoos.” But that begs the question, are you glorifying God when you do what He has already made clear that He does not approve? How exactly can you glorify God by disobeying Him? Clearly He does not like tattoos, and one of the reasons is that it imitates the pagan nations. Leviticus 20:23 “And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.” God has said that we are not to emulate the customs nor behave as the pagan or unsaved world does, and the unsaved world loves their tattoos. So do we have permission to do it to honor God or some other person in our lives? No, we don't. 1 Corinthians 10:3 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” If God does not like tattoos, if for Him they represent your alignment and compromise with the world, can you really say that you are doing it for the glory of God? No, you can't. You are doing it for yourself.

The truth is that most people do it, as it brings attention to themselves, or they believe it makes them cool and trendy with the world. Some even have the erroneous idea that it makes them more attractive. In other words, they want it because their flesh lusts after it. For the unsaved, that might be a reason that can work for them, for they have no concern with glorifying God and they live for the flesh, but Christians are supposed to live for God and deny the flesh. To desire a tattoo for vanity's sake is to live for the flesh. Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” If you feed the flesh, you deny the spirit. They are in opposition to each other. How can feeding the flesh glorify and honor God? It can't.

Are there any other concerns that should make a Christian stop and really consider taking this very permanent step of getting a tattoo? Yes, a very dangerous one that virtually no Christian seems to understand or know about. Tattoos were used by pagans for a very specific reason and purpose. One that should frighten Christians, and it is the real reason why God forbad them. Tattoos were and are used by pagans to bond themselves to a demon overlord or spirit guide, as we call them today. They would take the sign or name of the demon on their body by tattoo, which was a lifetime commitment to this demon, and in return the demon bonded itself to them, controlling or helping them as it desired. Now, Christian reader, if you have a tattoo, think about that for a minute. Have you bonded yourself to a spiritual entity without your knowledge? Have you give a demon oversight over some parts of your life without realizing it? You may answer, “I tattooed a Scripture verse on myself so how could it be demonic?” It is there by disobedience, and what verse did you choose? Is it one you are twisting for your own benefit? I know someone who has “Judge not lest ye be judged” on her neck. But she has no idea what the verse truly means and has twisted it to mean that nobody should judge HER for her sins, while she hatefully berates anybody else who takes a stand on God's Word against sin, as being hateful and bigoted. Irony at its best.That is how Satan uses Scripture.

Have you had guilt over getting a tattoo? The Holy Spirit is telling you to repent. Have you had problems that you can't explain since getting it? Maybe you got a demon along with it. Or maybe God is trying to make you aware that you disobeyed and need to repent. So what do you do, since tattoos are permanent? (short of very expensive laser removal, which can leave scars) You do the only thing you can do at this point. You repent, and you renounce the demon that came with your tattoo. You cast them away in the name of Jesus. And then you tell every Christian you know to not get one, because of this danger it poses. You become a poster boy (or girl) against this sin.We all have regrets for sins we have committed, and some of them come with lifelong consequences. This is one of those sins.

Why should it be so important to warn others? Well, the answer to that comes, in not just avoiding demon overlords, but in a verse in Revelation. Chapter 13:16-17 “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” While most of the Christian world has come to the hypothesis that the mark is a chip under the skin, and I won't say it isn't possible, there is a slight problem with that and Scripture. First of all, the word “mark” is in Greek “charagma.” This word means an etching or scratching in the skin as a badge of servitude. Clearly this is speaking of a tattoo, not a chip under the skin. The argument is that John didn't know what a chip was, so how could he designate it as such. The only word he could use was “mark.” While that could be true, the next problem is that a chip comes in one form. It would contain all the computer knowledge needed to transact business, not merely be a mark, a name, or a number. This mark comes in three forms. One is just a mark, possibly a logo or sign representing the beast, the second form is his name, and the third is the number of his name. There are three “tattoos” from which to choose, if we read it just as written. What may transpire is that to get a chip, whether implanted or in a smart card, so that one can transact business, one must take the mark or tattoo to bond themselves in servitude to the beast first.

For those who have read my endtimes blog, you will know that I believe Hitler was the last incarnation of the beast. And what did he do? He tattooed all the Jews with a number. To this day, we know what and for whom that number stood and represented – Hitler -  the seventh head of the beast of Revelation. And those who took it could not buy or sell. They were rounded up and put to death. History has a way of repeating itself, but this time it is sort of in reverse. Taking the mark saves your life and allows you to buy and sell. However, also this time taking the mark is an eternal death sentence, not an immediate physical one (I won't speak to the eternal state of the Jews who died), so I believe people will have a choice, die or take it. Revelation 13:15 “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Those who refuse to take the mark of servitude, bonding themselves permanently (eternally) to the beast, will be killed. By God's grace and forgiveness, you may be able to unbond yourself from any demon you might have acquired unintentionally through taking a tattoo now, but you will not then.

Leaving aside the spiritual significance of doing this, let us take a look at the health issues involved. Getting a tattoo can be dangerous to your physical health.

Below is a list of health issues that can occur when getting a tattoo.

• Allergic reactions – tattoo dyes can cause allergic reactions even years after getting the tattoo. The reactions are due to the dyes used. Some red inks used for tattoos contain mercury, while other reds may contain different heavy metals like cadmium or iron oxide. These metals have been known to cause allergic reactions as well as eczema and scarring, and can cause sensitivity to mercury from other sources like dental fillings or consuming some fish. While red causes the most problems, most other colors are also derived from heavy metals including lead, antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt nickel and arsenic. These metals can cause further damage when one gets an MRI. The metals may cause swelling and burning in the tattooed area during an MRI exam. The pigments can also interfere with the quality of the image.
  
  
• Skin infections – skin infections, if bad enough, can result in serious procedures, like removing the area of the tattooed skin to stop the spread of the infection, which will result in a deformity where the skin has been removed. Worse, one can get a staphylococcus infection which could lead to death. There has been at least one person who died from an infection caught while going swimming, after having a tattoo instead of waiting for it to heal.
  
  
• Blood-borne diseases can be caused by contaminated needles. The diseases that one might contract are Hepatitis B or C, HIV, tetanus, syphilis, mycobacterium, tuberculosis, malaria, leprosy, and some of these can lead to liver cancer.
  
  
• Other skin problems are bumps called granulomas which form around the tattoo ink, or keloids, which are raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue.

According to a research group, about 1 in 10 people who get tattoos experiences problems with the tattoo, including infection, itching, swelling and redness, according to a small study in the June issue of the journal Contact Dermatitis. The study showed that many had complications that lingered for years after the tattoo was inked. To understand how common these complications were, the researchers randomly chose about 300 tattooed people in New York’s Central Park and asked them whether they’d had any problems with their tattoos. About 10 percent of the people said they’d had some complications. For some, these complications were short-lived, such as bacterial infection right after the tattoo was inked, or temporary swelling and itching. But of those who had complaints, six in 10 suffered from chronic problems. And many had suffered from unpleasant itching or swelling for years. Their conclusion after talking to people on why they get tattoos was that they don't do it thinking about being worried about safety, they do it because it is a way of showing rebellion against our society. (For a Christian, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. 1 Samuel 15:23a "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.")

More current literature and studies have shown that more serious tattoo-induced skin disorders are showing up such as sarcoidosis, lichen planis, and a disease that resembles lupus. These are more long-lasting diseases and leave permanent scarring. Of interest is that laser tattoo removal services are rapidly growing across the nation, becoming a multi-million dollar business with great potential growth. This seems to speak to the regrets of people's decisions to get these tattoos.


As for body piercing, the Bible talks a little about piercing. Exodus 21:5-6 “And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.” Having one's ear (one only) pierced (assuming that to keep it open one had a ring put in it), was a way to signify that a servant did not want his freedom, but wanted to continue to serve his master for life. Other than that, there are many references to the women wearing earrings, which also would most likely have been via pierced ears. The Bible seems to be fine with having one's ears pierced. There is one verse that mentions nose jewels, but it is in chastisement for the way the woman are presenting themselves and behaving, which does not leave the impression that God is approving this particular decoration. So basically the only piercings mentioned are for women's ears for earrings, and a single earring to designate a lifelong servitude.

As for piercing the other parts of the body, we have to refer back to the verses used for tattooing. The pagans pierced various parts of their bodies, and we are told that we are not to emulate the pagans, so it would seem that doing this is not going to please God.

As for the health issues, these can be very bad.

• Infection - Piercing the skin can cause bleeding and open wounds which can get infected. Infections at the pierced site can cause permanent deformity, scarring, severe illness, and even death if the infection is a staph infection. There are serious infection concerns related to piercing some parts of the body (e.g., ear cartilage, tongue, eyebrows, nipples, navel, genitals). There is an increased possibility of infection when cartilage is pierced because the blood supply is less. While ear lobes are fine, further up the ear there is cartilage which can cause a problem. Noses are also cartilage. A bacterial infection can develop into an abscess. This pus-filled mass can develop around the piercing. This is a serious side effect. If left untreated, there’s the risk for sepsis or blood poisoning. Sepsis is a life-threatening response to an infection that can result in organ failure and death. Symptoms of blood poisoning include a high fever, chills, a fast heartbeat, and rapid breathing. Infections are more common with mouth and nose piercings because these areas contain more bacteria.
  
  
• Blood-borne diseases – the lack of cleanliness of the equipment can lead to Hepatitis B and C, HIV, tetanus, and tuberculosis.
  
  
• Mouth piercings can be very dangerous. The mouth is a home to a huge amount of breeding bacteria and an ideal place for an infection to develop. If not treated promptly, an infection here can become life-threatening. An oral (mouth) piercing is a small hole in your tongue, lip, cheek, or uvula (the tiny tissue at the back of your throat). Your mouth is filled with bacteria that can lead to infection and swelling. A swollen tongue can block your air pathways, making it hard for you to breathe. In some people with heart disease, bacteria can lead to a condition that can damage your heart valves.
  
  
• Tongue piercings also can put you at risk for bleeding and blood loss. You have a lot of blood vessels in the area. You may also have trouble speaking, chewing, swallowing and may end up drooling from increased saliva production.
  
  
• The jewelry can cause issues as well. It can break off in your mouth and be swallowed or make you choke. You can chip, scratch, or crack your teeth or make your teeth sensitive from it while you eat, sleep, talk, or chew on it. If the break goes deep into your tooth, you can lose it or need a root canal to fix it. It can make it hard for the dentist to take X-rays of your teeth. It can also damage your fillings and gums, leading to gum disease. And finally it may lead to an allergic reaction to the metal in the jewelry.
  

• Nerve damage is possible. After a piercing, you may experience a numb tongue that is caused by nerve damage that is usually temporary, but can sometimes be permanent. The injured nerve may affect your sense of taste, or how you move your mouth. 
  
  
• Nipple piercings have been associated with partial removal of the breast due to infection. It can also scar the breast tissue limiting the ability to breast-feed later on. 
  
  
• A genital piercing can cause painful sex and urination. The risk of complications is higher if you have other medical conditions like: diabetes, allergies, (especially if you’ve ever had a reaction that caused breaking out in red bumps, swelling of the throat, or difficulty breathing), skin disorders (such as eczema or psoriasis), and a weak immune system. Jewelry in the genital area may cause injury to you or your sex partner. It also can cause condom breakage, increasing the risk of pregnancy and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. Piercings in the penis can decrease a man's ability to get or maintain an erection.
  
  
• The skin can be split or torn which would cause scarring, not to mention being painful and can lead to a bad infection.
  
  
• Jewelry in the navel can get caught on clothing and linens. This constant irritation can delay healing. Navel piercings can take up to a year to heal completely.
  
  
• Piercing can easily cause keloids, greatly enlarged scars that project above the surface of the skin.
  

Unlike tattoos, piercings can easily be reversed by merely removing the jewelry, which allows the hole to close. There may be a small scar, but it shouldn't be that noticeable, as long as there has not been an infection causing scarring. As for the statistics on infections, they are pretty common. Some reports have 20 percent of patients reporting infections. Most of these are smaller infections. In that case, maybe you’ll see a little crusting around the piercing site, some erythema or redness. However, there are reports of infections that have spread to the whole body - distal infections, severe infections, systemic infections, life-threatening ones. So piercings can also be very dangerous.

So as it can be seen, God has a good reason for not wanting us to tattoo ourselves, nor should we pierce ourselves all over our body, if only for health reasons. Tattoos, though, carry an added spiritual dimension that is very concerning. As a Christian, one should want to live according to God's Word. If one already has a tattoo, then repentance and making sure you do not have a demon is the thing to do. Then as Christ said, “Go and sin no more.” And pass on the lesson learned to others who are considering sinning against God.