Is your filter the Truth or a lie?

So I generally avoid talking on my blog about the religion that I was raised in. But the past few days I have gotten in to some interesting discussions. Then this morning my pastor spoke on some of the same things, so it's just calling to be blogged about.

I had been discussing the distorted theology that states that Eve had sex with the serpent (who was the devil) and Cain was their offspring. Only later did Abel come, the offspring of Adam. The Serpent Seed is the name of this unbiblical doctrine.

Interestingly enough, my theologically sound pastor was preaching out of Genesis 3 this morning. This is one chapter before the birth of Cain and Abel. He said some quote worthy things that I wrote on the back of my bulletin.

"Half truths are ultimately a lie. It's the true parts that get us to believe the lie."

Eve actually stretched the truth when she told the serpent that they weren't allowed to eat the fruit or touch the tree. God had only instructed them not to eat the fruit. After hearing her complaint, the serpent tells her that "You shall not surely die." What was said next made me thing soooooooo much about our 'prophet'. He supposedly had these amazing revelations from God that explained things in the Bible that we couldn't know on our own. Sadly, many things are unscriptural and false. But this is what my pastor said, "The Devil wants us to think that God is hoarding his Godness, that we deserve more and can know these secrets. His key goal is this cosmic struggle is to separate us from God."

That last statement made me think of what I have told people in sharing my testimony. The devil doesn't want to turn us in to murdering, drug dealing, thieves. He just wants us to get off the straight and narrow path a little bit.

But what does this 'knowledge' lead us to? Francis Schaffer said: "The experience of sin is knowledge gained. But it is horrible, useless knowledge." Kind of like when you are told as a child not to touch the oven door when it is hot. You touch it anyway and suffer burns that cause your hands to blister so you can't crawl for a week. Yes, this really happened to me. But it could be even more severe and be something that results in permanent injury or even death.

"When you believe the lie you can't believe the Truth because there is a filter (the lie) and the Truth can't get through." Interestingly, when my pastor said this, I thought immediately about my time at Mission Training International. We learned a lot about filters. In that context it was either our original culture, our conflict resolution style, or something like that. But really it can be applied to all areas of life. Here is the chart from our class:




So this is why it is so difficult to witness and reason with people still in my childhood religion. They have the filter of the 'prophet' that they run everything through. My pastor laid it out very plainly by reading John 8:43-47 "Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

So how does one break through the filters of lies? That is a good question. Though my note taking on the back of my bulletin didn't end when the sermon ended. Our Sunday school class is going through apologetics on Islam.

One bit of Islamic literature that was quoted really resonated with me:

"O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Now has come to you Our Messenger (Muhammad SAW) making (things) clear unto you, after a break in (the series of) Messengers, lest you say: "There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no warner." But now has come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a warner. And Allah is Able to do all things." (Surah 5. Al-Maeda, Verse 19)

Interestingly enough, this sounds like the claims made by the followers of the prophet I was raised to believe was the one who finally came to make things clear. So who should I believe? Who should I follow?

As my pastor said in closing, "we need to rededicate ourselves to learning God's Truth. Not by reading books about the Bible, watching videos, or listening to sermons, but by reading the Bible."

How many of you have read the Bible cover to cover and read the Bible every day? There is sooooooo much in there to learn.

Like the Sunday School discussion today of Islam's beliefs on hell, which interestingly match up with what I was taught growing up. Hell isn't really eternal. It isn't going to last forever, it will end eventually. The argument is as follows: "In Matthew 25:41, it says that "everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels." Now if it was prepared, then it wasn't without a beginning. If it had a beginning then it can't be eternal."

BUT... they stop reading there. If you read in context you will also read verse 46. "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

καὶ ἀπελεύσονται οὗτοι εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον

Interestingly, the same exact word is used for eternal. But I don't know many people that will argue that eternal life is going to end any time soon. Strong's Concordance #G166 is used both times.

1) without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be
2) without beginning
3) without end, never to cease, everlasting

English (NASB)		Strong's	Root Form (Greek)
"These		g3778	οὗτος houtos
will go away		g565	ἀπέρχομαι aperchomai
into		g1519	εἰς eis
eternal		g166	αἰώνιος aiōnios
punishment,		g2851	κόλασις kolasis
but		g1161	δέ de
the righteous		g1342	δίκαιος dikaios
into		g1519	εἰς eis
eternal		g166	αἰώνιος aiōnios
life."		g2222	ζωή zōē

*blueletterbible.org

So looking through the filter of the lie, it could seem plausible when reading Matthew 25:41 that hell is going to end. Even several other Scriptures that are some times cited. But PLEASE, look for the Truth without the fog of the filter.

 Do you want to believe a lie or the Truth? Are you clinging to something and afraid to look beyond it because it might end up being false? Sometimes our human pride will cause this and you really aren't wanting to believe the ultimate Truth, you are wanting to believe what you believe no matter what.

"Half truths are ultimately a lie. It's the true parts that get us to believe the lie."

READ YOUR BIBLE IN CONTEXT!!!