(All Passages from Biblos.com and Verses are from the ESV Bible)
Isaiah 44: 9-20
9All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. 14He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
The question might be,”Why is this a relevant passage?” The answer is simple; we do the same thing with scriptures that other people have done with wood, stone and iron.
II Peter 3:14-17
14Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
Jesus reminds us of the idolatry doctrine and ideas contrary to him. Remember the Jews did not erect images in the likeness of God, they created doctrines that replaced visual idolatry with mental constructs that hinder God’s ability to reach his people. These schemas created and inverse relationship that limited God’s authority while increasing the flock’s dependency on the religious figures of the day, giving rise to man’s spiritual authority.
Matthew 16:5-12
“5When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
And so we stand at a crossroads in our faith. Will we create or own doctrines that come from our flesh and erect doctrines of deceit, fueled by demons?
I Timothy 4:1-5
“1Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
Saints we live in an age of deceit and redefining. Everything is subject to new interpretation and many are enamored with both the natural and social sciences of this age. But speculation and truth are not the same. The truth will set us free from delusion. Christ promised that the Holy Spirit would “…guide you into all the truth…” (John 16:13)
The reality is that it is so easy to be deceived and in a state of delusion about many things. Often we are unaware of our dependency on the thoughts of others that have permeated our thinking. It does not matter whether it’s politics, culture, religious tradition or our pet scriptures. We become dependent on these mantras during times of crises for solace and comfort – hoping to find God’s presence in the repetitive practice. This is the snare of religion and relgiousity. In the end, the doctrines, well, they enslave us.
Colossians 2:8
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Here’s the great news. You don’t have to go to God with your preconceived ideas and schemas to win favor. You don’t have to go through and earthly mediator. God has made a way for you to leave the precepts of dead works and manufactured approaches behind. His love is the route you take, trusting solely in that and his election of you. You have a representative in heaven praying for you now. He is your high priest, God himself in the flesh – Jesus.
Hebrews 7: 18-25
“18For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19(for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
20And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, 21but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:
“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’”
22This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
23The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermostb those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
Do not let anyone make you insecure in the price that was paid for you. We have been saved from wrath, but Christ is also able to save us “to the uttermost” This means our delusions, our fears, self imposed wounds and pride. Will you let him?
If not heed the words of Paul:
1 Corinthians 3: 11-15
“11For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
I hope your work stands, truly I do.