Remaining on the foundation of the word – challenge

Deutsch

To stand firm on the foundation of the written word, or to succumb to the narratives of the masses? The former becomes an increasingly greater challenge, while succumbing merely requires passively drifting along. Sooner or later, there would be no turning back from one’s cherished error. Here, it is crucial to nip it in the bud, highlighting the magnitude of Jesus Christ’s exhortation, “Let each one take up his cross.”

Vague or concrete truth?

There’s a significant difference between hearing something and simply believing it, and actually knowing it because you’ve discovered it yourself or verified a statement. This careless, uncritical credulity is one of the main causes of the many widespread misconceptions about the Gospel. Even when describing a situation, it’s advisable to immediately cite the corresponding Bible passage that supports your statement. However, this is usually forgotten. Alternatively, people selectively choose individual verses, or even just parts of a verse, which are then placed in the same false context.

The sheer number of circulating, sometimes stubbornly defended, misconceptions has grown into a seemingly impenetrable, enormous tangle of nonsense. This is particularly disastrous when someone has clung to a false doctrine for years, even with complete conviction, and then the truth is thrust directly in their face. In most cases, however, they reject the presented truth, along with all the evidence, declaring it utter rubbish and perhaps even feeling personally attacked.

Arguments quickly disappear.

The “small but crucial” difference is that someone who genuinely argues based on the Gospel can, for the most part, calmly and confidently present the supporting biblical statements in a broader, contextualized manner. However, someone who has fallen prey to a “chronic” error will quickly find their arguments slipping through their fingers, especially if, due to a lack of knowledge, they can’t even cite any biblical passages beyond a reference to a statement by a very popular preacher.

Anger, rage, and even plates being swept off the table are therefore not uncommon (trained emotional) reactions. Furthermore, facts presented that contradict one’s own differing views, such as attempts to steal one’s own “truths,” are perceived as personal attacks. The narrative of “one’s own truth” (relativism) has, after all, visibly and “fruitfully” fulfilled its purpose for years.

Becoming aware of one’s own language

It can be quite useful to take a closer look at the words we use in everyday life. This is especially true in the German language. “Please don’t disappoint me,” is a common phrase. Or, “You disappointed me.” We all want to avoid such a state of feeling bad. But what exactly does this word actually mean?

Disentchantment – ​​dis and entchantment. The prefix “dis” means “to remove, to take away.” What happens when the entchantment is removed? One “suddenly” sees the truth. Is this actually something to be avoided? Objectively speaking, nothing better can happen than being freed from deception. But we regularly express our desire to avoid this, saying, “Please don’t disentchant (disappoint) me.” We thus prefer to remain in this kind of deception and sometimes even try to prevent the curtain obscuring our view from being removed, sometimes by any means necessary.

This, of course, does not remain without consequences. “The pen is mightier than the sword,” as the saying goes. How true! But this is not a new phenomenon.

“The world wants to be deceived, so let it be deceived,” said Pope Paul IV (1476–1559), the Bishop of Rome, who initiated the extremely important Council of Trent (1545–1563). This council, which cemented doctrine, is one of the most important assemblies in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, held in conjunction with the beginning of the Reformation, and is still a point of reference for the current justification of its own teachings. If that wasn’t a blatant pandering to the wishes of society, what was?

When stubbornness occurs

There is indeed a “tipping point” that, once crossed, cannot be reversed, either by oneself or with the help of a third party (earthly). “The heart is hardened,” as repeatedly depicted in the Bible. This person can no longer be convinced of their error, let alone dissuaded. Rather, their own efforts are directed toward supporting their perceived error with further arguments. If this occurs in the presence of a large group of like-minded individuals, the inherent laws of mass psychology and their amplifying power come into play.

Pharaoh provides such an example regarding the Exodus of the Israelites, who vehemently rejected the demands of Moses and his brother Aaron to let the people leave, thus bringing about the tenth plague and, consequently, absolute catastrophe. But after the Israelites had departed, the ruler considered his decision a rash and impulsive act, reverted to his stubbornness, and pursued the migrating people with his army, ultimately meeting his final end in the Red Sea.

Only the power of God can help.

At such a stage, only the power of God, through the Holy Spirit, can bring about a remedy. This applies not only to the “Gentiles,” but also, and especially, to the people of God. This is also true for the last church before the grand finale, Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). This church is, in fact, the worst of all seven churches (see Info). For this church, Jesus Christ has no word of praise, but only rebuke, admonition, and the remedy: “Buy gold refined in fire and apply salve to the eyes,” as it says in Revelation 3:18.

These people are blind and delude themselves into thinking they don’t need anything anymore, since they already have everything and are therefore on the safe side. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” (Revelation 3:17). Clear words.

Continuous development

All of this, however, doesn’t happen overnight, out of the blue, but requires constant development. “Nip it in the bud,” as the saying goes. This requires prevention, constant vigilance, and above all, a certain degree of stubbornness—not conforming to the dictating current of the masses, thereby revealing an absolute uncompromising stance toward what is central to the Gospel. This means not deviating even a millimeter from the written Word of God, diluting it, or mixing or even replacing it with the compromising spirit of ecumenism.

AStaying on the true foundation

“The Bible says…”—this sweeping claim serves as justification for a presented, supposed fact, when in reality it is one of countless misconceptions. Where the Bible actually states this is usually omitted.

“The seven lampstands in Revelation 1:12 are the seven churches,” the Bible says. Where does it say that? The explanation is already contained in verse 20, “…and the seven lampstands that you saw are the seven churches.”

“The seven stars in his right hand are the angels of the seven churches,” the Bible says. Where is this described? In this case, also in Revelation 1:20, “The seven stars are angels of the seven churches…” It would be that simple: a claim, but also immediate proof based on Scripture.

“Those with tails like scorpions are false prophets” (Revelation 9:10). How do you know this? Where does it say that? The explanation of the symbol of the tail can be found in Isaiah 9:15:
“The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.”

It would be that easy to handle. However, it’s usually simplified and simply stated as a fact. One such example is:
“Those who know Jesus and die are with him. The Bible says that when you leave the body, you are with the Lord.“

Sandy ground for further heresies

A false claim, justified with “the Bible says.” End of story. The fatal flaw in this case, however, is that immediate arrival with the Lord after earthly death would presuppose an immortal soul. But humans do not possess such a soul. This also applies to other manifest errors such as the “eternal burning hell” (Info).

The immortal soul, one’s own morality, and the divine man (“indwelling, divine spark”) are the classic heresies and the foundation for countless further false doctrines built upon them (Info).

Resisting the mass narrative

This is precisely the basis for most Protestant denominations and especially the Roman Catholic Church. In other words, the “overwhelming” majority. This clearly shows that it takes a considerable amount of stubbornness to resist these narratives and simply hold fast to the written word of God, no matter the cost. This is precisely what “taking up one’s cross” is all about, as Jesus Christ spoke to those who want to follow Him, wherever He goes.

Bible verses from King James Version (1611)