Sacrificing to Idols
One of the more reprehensible practices of heathen worshipers was that of sacrificing their children to the God Molech.
2Ch 28:3 Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
Jer 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
Justly so, we are horrified to think that any person would have so little parental love as to give their own children as a sacrifice to a hunk of stone or wood. No such tangible idols can be found in OUR homes – and we think ourselves too civilized to engage in such practices. The sad truth is, that some of us are no better. Falling down before the god “money”, we focus on the accumulation of wealth and neglect the most valuable thing we have, our own family. In order to gain goods, we sacrifice the time, effort, and nurturing that our children NEED in order to become what they must become to save their souls. We often turn them over to the “hireling” care of a sitter, or deprive them of OUR time and energy because we are more concerned with earthly gain. If this is not making a sacrifice of them, it is hard to imagine what would. Or, we may worship the god “pleasure”– so involved in preparing for and engaging in sports, “nights out”, and other trivial pursuits that we fail to provide the essential care and active love that is their due. Many compound the offense by substituting “things” – toys, games, TV videos–for personal involvement, and so bring up children devoted to entertainment and lacking in spiritual concerns. At best, parenting is hard and time-consuming, but it is a responsibility we cannot delegate, and without which both we and our children will suffer greatly. Fundamentally, “sacrificing” involves giving up something which we value to demonstrate our devotion to that which we value more. Be careful lest the children we claim to value fall on the altar of our own selfish interests. -AcBelue
Editorial: But It’s Such A “Mystery”!
God’s purpose for us is to reach our minds with His truth, to inform us as to Him and His purpose, to motivate and persuade us to accept and obey Him–and to reward us with everlasting life. Knowing this, Satan seeks to defeat God by trying to come between man and the mind of God. 2Co 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”.
One approach he uses with great effect is to have his disciples portray God’s word as a “mystery”, beyond understanding unless guided in some supernatural way to uncover its meaning. True, God does speak of His gospel as a “mystery”, but He means something far different than the idea generally put forward. First, we need to realize that the Bible is a “revelation”, not a closed subject open only to teachers inspired from heaven. God WANTS it to be understood! It IS the product of men inspired from heaven. We also should know that the Bible itself claims that a reading of it will produce understanding. Eph 3:3-5--“How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
In 1 Cor 2:7-13, Paul explains the mystery of the “mystery”: The “mystery” was God’s wisdom, hidden from before creation so that it might be accomplished. Having been accomplished (Christ WAS crucified in spite of the efforts of evil), it is no longer a mystery (“God hath revealed...by His Spirit....we have received....which things we speak...in words which the Holy Spirit teacheth..”) And, as he said in the reference from Ephesians, “when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery...”
False teachers have a vested interest in keeping you ignorant of Bible truth. It is to their advantage if they can bring you to depend upon them, not the Bible, for your faith. “Be not deceived, lest your pure minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.!” God’s plan is for you to CHECK the teaching of such teachers by His word–NOT check the word by their teaching! “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God; for there are many false prophets gone out into the world...We (the apostles) are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” 1 John 4:1-6. The word from the apostles and other inspired men–the Bible–is the standard. Even the apostle Paul subjected himself to its measure (Acts 17:11–“they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were so..”) When you read it, you can understand, and discern between truth and error. Don’t depend upon men for your faith, and don’t let a man tell you he knows the truth and you can’t!–The Editors
Approaches to Theology #2: Systematic Theology
The impact of preconceptions and prejudice in shaping religious beliefs should not be underestimated. Just as some people cling to bigoted because of their upbringing and influences as children, many people adopt religious positions because of the way in which they have been taught to view the Bible prior to their study of it. Systematic theology is a way of describing an organized preconception of God and man’s relation to Him.
When I was a child, there would sometimes be a hidden message on the back of the cereal boxes my mother would buy. The message was enclosed in a frame that appeared to contain a colorful pattern but no words; however, when the secret decoding device was applied, the message that lay hidden beneath the pattern became visible. That is how systematic theology works. The Bible student is taught a view of God and religion; then he seeks to understand the Bible in the context of that belief system by filtering what he reads in the Bible through what he already believes.
Calvinism is an example of a systematic approach to theology. Calvinism, which is taught by most Protestant churches, teaches five basic tenets organized by the acronym T.U.L.I.P. Its five points of doctrine are: Total Hereditary Depravity (Man is inherently sinful thru Adam’s fall), Unconditional Election (God’s choice of the saved is unconditional), Limited Atonement (Christ only died for the elect), Irresistible Grace (The elect are brought to Christ by direct operation of the Holy Spirit), and the Perseverance of the Saints (Once saved, always saved). This theological perspective becomes the pattern by which the Calvinist interprets the Bible.
Systematic approaches to theology originate with the correct concept that, when properly understood, God’s law does not contradict itself. The careful Bible student must harmonize what is taught in one passage with the totality of revelation contained in other passages. For example, Exodus 20:8 commands, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” But Colossians 2:12-17 teaches us that the Old Testament law, including the Sabbath, was removed at the cross and is no longer binding upon Christians today. Systematic theologies attempt to clarify the fundamental truths of scripture so that one’s understanding is brought into harmony with God’s revelation.
The problem is, while systematic theologies seek to serve a noble purpose, in reality they do a disservice to the sincere disciple. Instead of allowing one’s beliefs to be shaped by scripture, the theologian ultimately allows his view of scripture to be shaped by his beliefs. Every Bible student faces the danger of doing the same by allowing his prior beliefs to cloud his discernment of what the text truly means. We must approach the Bible with open minds and honest hearts, devoid of preconception and prejudice. We must allow the text to speak for itself and be willing to recant our earlier understanding in the light of recent discoveries. What the Bible says must define what we believe instead of letting what we believe define for us what the Bible says. -JME
One Final Thought:
My Commitment As A Christian
I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.
I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me-my banner will be clear!
--penned by a young preacher in Africa and tacked to a wall in his house
Back to Newsletter Archive Home