7 Popular Misconceptions about Jesus & the Bible, Part I
The world is full of lies being perpetuated as “Bible” as the Kardashians would say, but it couldn’t further from the truth. And the truth is, people have tainted and twisted their what the Bible says to suit their various “truths” and agendas. But we were warned about this long ago:
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
There you have it. Those with “itching ears” are attending to fables a.k.a. seeker-friendly “gospels” and thrown out the real one. Here are seven misconception these itchy-eared people have.
Bishop Carlton Pearson, the first black televangelist, former minister of the Gospel of the Kingdom, now ministers of the "Inclusion Gospel."
1) Jesus didn’t have a problem with homosexuality.
First of all, this is a lie. Jesus would never not condemn what God condemns, not hate what God hates. And really, this is just part of a greater rouse to say...
2) If Jesus didn’t say it and, thus, I don’t have to live by it.
Here’s something Jesus DID say.
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Furthermore, the Word says this:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Thus we may safely conclude that:
The Word of God was from the beginning.
The Word coincided with God from the beginning.
The Word literally WAS God from the beginning.
And lastly, that Word, which was God from the beginning, is, in fact, Jesus the Christ, Son of the Living God.
Therefore, if you take issue with the Words of the Bible, you take issue with Jesus Himself, not some perceived, over-zealous religious sect.
And I hate to break it to you (not really), but you ABSOLUTELY NEED the WHOLE Word of God:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
I would also like to point out that if you only pay attention to the "red letters" then you have less than four books out of 66 in the Bible that you are meant to live by. (Then again, maybe that's what some people want.) Then again, the people making this argument usually don't adhere to ALL the red letters; just the ones they like.
3) The only thing that matters is loving people.
Loving people absolutely matters. HOWEVER, part of truly loving people is telling the the truth of God’s Word. In love. The Apostle Paul said:
“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…”
4) Identifying sin is being judgmental.
People can’t handle it these days when you reference sin. Gay lifestyle, sex outside of marriage, getting drunk...you name it. People don’t want to hear it. They take the grace of God to extremes it was never meant to reach (i.e. Hyper-Grace). They want to hear “Jesus loves me!” but they don’t want to hear, “be ye holy as I am holy.” But here’s the truth: sin is already judged. And if you sin and sin unrepentantly then you judge and condemn yourself.) And in fact, the very Spirit of God point out sin and cause one to “feel bad” about it.
“Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
And these who don’t like to feel bad equate godly sorrow (conviction) to the condemnation of Satan (worldly sorrow) and these are NOT the same.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
