Text: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

 “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly (evil desires) ; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple ….

“And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen,” –Romans 16 :17-20.
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There are many religions — which is right?

A great jangle of many voices meets the seeker for truth if he tries the TV on a Sunday. A deluge of contradictory literature further disheartens him. Then, if he looks beyond our shores, he sees vast companies of other religions.

We need a word from God Himself. How we do need it!

Most people around this country seek after and worship a God Whom they believe to be concerned about them. Now, such a God would not hide behind the clouds and depend upon the unfathomable voice of nature or the weak voice of conscience. A God of concern and love would and has given us His Holy Word — the Bible.  It is inspired and preserved by God.

The plight of today’s multitude of religions is nothing new. The Bible warns us to expect them and to watch out for them.  “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and four-tooted beasts, and creeping things.”-Romans 1:22,23.

Besides the confusion of pagan voices, there are those under the cloak of Christianity who preach a strange message.  Concerning the false prophets Jeremiah said, “They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord,” (Jeremiah 23:16).  Said Jesus, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them,” (Matthew 7:15,16).  “and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people,” (Matthew 24:11). He added that they will “appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect,” (Mark 13:22).

Paul took up the cry of warning, and in nearly all his epistles, he charges the churches to battle for truth.  The Apostle John declares that there is a spirit of error as well as a spirit of truth, and he advises, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world,” (I J0hn 4:1) .

The little book of Jude is almost wholly given to stirring up God’s people to contend earnestly “for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.  For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you,” (vss. 3,4).

In our main text, which we shall consider in just a moment, Paul says, “Avoid them” — meaning the false teachers and their religious views. There is then in Christianity an element of holy intolerance. Christianity does not put its arm around everybody and say, “We are all going to heaven in our own way.” That would not be Bible Christianity. And, I do not know any source of Christianity if the Bible does not present it.

Jesus always knew what He said, and said what He meant. His definite claims about Himself never wavered: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (These definite articles appear all three times in the original language.) Then He added, “No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6). In fact, this might be translated, “I myself am the way . . . etc,” for the language construction is emphatic.

There is no place here for such ideas as: “Truth is the shattered mirror strown in myriad bits; while each believes his little bit the whole to own.” Jesus was so sure of His message and so set upon His mission that He died for it — crucified by those who disagreed with His strong claims. Since that day, literally thousands have reddened earth’s soil in martyrdom for the one Savior Jesus Christ. Early Christians became flaming human torches rather than submit to emperor worship and pagan rites. They died rather than lower the banner of Christ to the level of other religions. Shall we today say it does not matter what one believes? Have we no clear, virile faith worth dying for!

There are three tests that will uncover the falsehood of a religion. These tests are suggested in our Bible text, Romans 16 :17-20: First, is the teaching according to sound, Bible truth? Second, what place has Christ in it? Third, what is its eternal future? Read the text verses 17, 19, 20, and compare other Scripture, and I believe you will agree these are valid tests. Thus, we shall use them as basic principles throughout this study.

1. NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS

The various non-Christian religions represent a great challenge to Christianity. Out of these nations steeped in darkness, idolatry, witchcraft, plagued by imaginary gods — out of these nations, missionaries of the Gospel are winning precious souls.

These degenerate forms of religion have existed from an early date. Christianity did not evolve from them.  They degenerated from true worship of the true God Who first made man and revealed Himself — showed Himself — to man. So today there are whole nations who must see their god. To them, he is an idol of stick and stone, or animal of flesh and bone, or perhaps one of thunder and lightning.

Back in the 6th century before Christ, about the time the Jewish nation was breathing its last breath of freedom, something important was going on further up in the civilized Mediterranean world. The Ionian philosophers were figuring out that this world is not just the playground of weird gods. In their wisdom they arrived at some facts about natural law, but they still failed to find the Almighty Who created this wondrous universe of order and beauty.

Later Greek philosophy grappled with the definition of “Good,” but they failed to gain direct contact with the One Who is good.

We could go on endlessly plowing through teachings of the great multitude of religions, but they leave the mind unsatisfied, the heart cold, the soul unforgiven, and the outlook dark.

Just before we launch into the various types of so-called Christian religions, we ought to mention the psychic religions. For the sake of simplicity, we include in this group those who stress mind against matter — evil being either matter or else being really non-existent. Such a system of ideas certainly is not obtained by direct Bible study.

However, in this non-technical classification, we mainly wish to consider modern spiritualism, Here we step right into the devil’s backyard. This is a specialty of his and always has been. Now, I am not decrying the moral merit of any who follow spiritualism, nor do I question their intelligence. There have been some prominent citizens who have gone into it. However, this religion is described, debunked and deplored in the Bible. It is clearly said to be of Satan and against specific commands of God.

In the modern sense, spiritualism is a belief in communication between this world and the next. This went on in Bible times, and some claim it had its birth in the United States “on March 31, 1844, when the phenomenon of spirit-rapping manifested itself to the Fox family in Hydeville, N. Y.” These mysterious mediums claim everything from table tipping and tapping to appearances of departed personalities from beyond the grave.

My own impression is that much we hear is hoax. However, there are some weird occurrences not commonly heard outside the select circle that seem to fit right into the Bible’s picture of necromancy, witchcraft, fortune-telling and the like. The Bible says, “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.  Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you,” (Deuteronomy 18:10,11,12).

Now, the sad part is that this group worms its way into Christian circles. Many do not wish to form distinct societies but prefer to work within the church. Yet, they invariably deny that Jesus Christ was the very Son of God. (Satan never could stand that glorious name!) “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son,” (I John. 2:22). “ For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,” (Romans 16:18).

II. DIVISIONS WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION

Looking at the New Testament picture of Jesus in the Bible, we read His wondrous teachings, see His perfect life, and view His loving death as a sacrifice for sin. When you look this over you will see the culmination and fulfillment of the Old Testament portion of Scripture. Back there, God chose the Hebrew people to be His special vessels for .revelation in effort to win back His world. To this people in Palestine, He first sent His Son Jesus Christ. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him,” (John 1:11). Since that time Christianity has been embraced mostly by Gentiles.

Now let us look into the big problem of the divisions within Christianity. In the first place, a variety of denominations does not mean a variety of religions. Many Christian denominations are agreed as to great fundamentals of their faith. Furthermore, just as differences in language and race have helped spread mankind over the globe, so denominational distinctives probably have hastened the good news of Christ in its outreach.  It has tended to challenge more types of people to come to the same Savior for the same salvation.  Also, these divisions have prevented, until now, an apostate, religious super-organization.

The unity of every true child of God was clearly stated by Christ in John 17:21 as He prayed, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” This brotherhood, according to the Bible, is a spiritual oneness, not a matter of outward organization.

Strangely enough, the people who clamor for a great, organized one-church often say they seek it on spiritual grounds. “We can get together because of our unity in spirit,” they say. Well, if there is already spiritual unity, then why organize? Can the flesh preserve the spirit! There are some far-reaching implications in the current echumenical movement.

When men let go the bedrock of the Bible, they drift on the polluted sea of human imagination. And what a variety of sects and ideas come up !

DIVINE HEALING CULTS

One modern example of those who let go the moorings of God’s Word is the group who make great public demonstrations of “divine healing.” These cults are invariably enthusiastic and naturally enticing since almost everyone has some kind of physical ailment. In their larger gatherings, great numbers of afflicted folk line up at the front to be touched and prayed for by the leader.

This emphasis on the body rather than the soul is not Biblical. Jesus and the Apostles did perform many miracles of healing. Hebrews 2 :3,4 explains that these wonders were God’s witness from heaven that their message was real. (See also Mark 16 :20). In other words, God used miracles “to gain a hearing for His Son  and to vouch for the Gospel message.

Now what about us today? Thumb through all the epistles of the New Testament. Where do you find any instructions to carryon such a practice? No place. And do not forget Paul, Peter, John and others laid down our marching orders in their epistles to the churches. In fact, James says that the sick man is to “call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord,” (James 5:14). Certainly this does not allow public performances by “healing evangelists” and the actual preaching of a new gospel. Invariably, this practice centers on human personalities, physical relief, extreme emotional ecstasy, and Jesus Christ is left in the shadows!

FORMALISM

Perhaps the two outstanding drifts within Christianity are toward the extremes of rigid formalism, on the one hand, and liberalism on the other.

Man’s desire for objective form in worship is about as old as man himself. It is not easy to worship by faith rather than by sight, yet that is what the Christian life involves. Do you find in your heart this tendency to lean on outward form of religion rather than a personal relationship with Christ? Better check it if you do! Let us look now at some of its basic dangers.

A first danger of this inclination is to substitute mere form of worship for real heart-obedience. Jesus said that to love God with all our might is more than all religious rituals, (Mark 12 :33). Those who substitute the lip-service for the life-service may have a form of godliness but they deny the power thereof. (See II Timothy 3:1-5).

This leads on to a second danger — that of substituting the flesh for the spirit. Paul says this is a departure from the faith, and he warns against those who are “forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth,” (l Timothy 4:3).

Nor does this drift into formalism stop here. It eventually substitutes men’s traditions for God’s Word. “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!” (Mark 7:6-9). Friend, do you neglect the Bible, God’s Word?

Finally, in these religions of great form, there is an elevation of the leaders to positions where God alone has right to be. Jesus said to “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most everely,” (Mark 12:38-40). The practice of exalting the clergy above the laity is against plain teachings in the Scripture. When people did obeisance to Paul, he rent his clothes and cried out, “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you,” (Acts 14:15). When a man bowed at the feet of Peter, the Apostle said, “Stand up…I am only a man myself,” (Acts 10:26). Even the angelic being of heaven forbade John to bow before him, (Revelation 19:10).

Oh, you that worship in fashion and form only — so empty! Have you missed God Himself? Do you not wish Jesus Christ to be your personal Savior and constant companion?

LIBERALISM (MODERNISM)

Paul the Apostle wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as his epistles show. One is especially impressed with the closing chapter of his last letter. Just before the aging, battle-scarred saint laid down his inspired pen for the last time, he wrote this warning:

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths,” (II Timothy 4:3,4).

Now the great danger of these false teachers is that they travel under the cloak of Christianity. They enter the pulpit of the church, say nice things that people want to hear and “by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people,” (Romans 16:18). Paul warned, “Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:7-8).

This modernized type of Christianity always takes a weak, uncertain view of Christ. It leaves one uncertain as to whether Christ was just a good man or the very Son of God, as He claimed. Never forget that there is an infinite difference between believing Jesus is the best of men and believing Jesus is God the Son. Little hope it would be to me if I worshipped the ashes of a dead martyr, buried somewhere in Palestine. No! God raised Him from the dead and has highly exalted him! I serve a risen Savior.

In its full bloom, this fouled type of belief lays its emphasis upon the divinity of man and the humanity of Christ. Search the Bible for yourself. You will find God lays the emphasis in the exact opposite direction: the sinfulness of men and the Deity of Jesus Christ. “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God,” (II John 9). Truly, this is a religion without God and without hope!

You see then, just claiming to be “Christian” is not enough. Do you believe the faith once given unto God’s people? In contrast, modernism always degrades a firm belief in the Bible. It has great trouble believing that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” (Il Timothy 3:16). It is significant that the last chapter of the last book of the Bible gives this final warning:

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll,” (Revelation 22:18-19).

Marcus Dods, the younger, was a well-known theologian who gave in to destructive criticism of the Bible. What a price he paid! Before he died in 1909, he admitted he even had lost the desire to pray.

CONCLUSION

Right now, Friend, test your own beliefs by answering an all-important question: What hope have you for eternity?  What is your great destination?

Certainly “the mystery of iniquity does already work,” leaving many in doubt and spiritual perplexity. But as our text promises, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet,” (Romans 16:20). Then the doom will be sealed for all those led astray “because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (See II Thessalonians 2:7-10).

Deep down in the human heart there is that insatiable concern about the great rendezvous in eternity:  “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27).

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)

Have you — in all your religious practice — personally called upon Jesus Christ to be your Savior?

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” (Romans 10:13 ) .

This simple repentance opens the door into the wonderful, new life of Christianity. (II Corinthians 5:17). The struggle to pay for our own sins ends when we learn “Jesus paid it all.” The toil to win God’s favor ceases when we find that it is “not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5).

Do not seek to live this life without the life to live. Once the heart of child-like faith has passed through the crisis of true, complete repentance, God will bless and fill the life. On earth your life will be the best, and in heaven your portion will be rest.

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” (Psalm 23:6).

May God lead you through the maze of religious by-ways into the light. Get alone with God in prayer. Meditate on the verses listed above and surrender your life to Jesus Christ!

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