Be Ever Vigilant!

We must always stay on our toes. We can not rest on our laurels and just accept teachings. I urge you to always filter any teaching through The Bible. We are under attack everyday. Don't fool yourself into thinking everything is just fine. Your enemy is always seeking to deceive you. There are so many people that have been fooled and are out there teaching these false doctrines. Some of the most dangerous are the ones that fall under the umbrella of "new age". The most recognizable lately was the ever popular Oprah Winfrey. She came to believe, and the to spread the new age teaching of Eckhart Tolle. The deception here is subtle. At a glance at one of his books you might think "well this is good, it's Christian, I see Bible quotes". But do not fall into this trap. He is quoting The Bible, but then he interprets the text all wrong. I personally avoid reading any of these false doctrines, but I have heard that he changes John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. around and twists it until he claims that means each person is the way, the truth, and the life. I don't know about you, but to me John 14:6 is one the easiest to understand, most straight forward verses in The Bible. There are some things Christians can disagree on and still recognize the other as Christians. But on the other hand there are some principles that I can not waiver on. A popular one is salvation through works, but this is incorrect. Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Another I can not compromise with is the trinity. This one is a little odd because the word trinity is not in The Bible. A sound understanding of The Bible tells that God exists in three states. God The Father, Jesus Christ The Son, and The Holy Spirit. But they are all one being. This is a tricky point to understand. All three were present at creation. They are all equal. Three facets of one eternal, all powerful, omnipresent being. Some other religions teach Jesus was a created being, or that God takes each form, but they can not appear together at the same time. They could all be present. My understanding of the trinity I can best explain like this: Man was created in the image of God. We have a body, a soul, and a spirit. When we die, they bury our body, it decays, and our soul goes on to Heaven. The spirit I am not sure what becomes of it, perhaps the soul and spirit become one while waiting for our glorified body in Heaven. I digress. Just when you take in a teaching, check it against The Bible. If you use a more modern translation, such as NIV, you might want to keep a KJV handy to double check. The Bible will never lead you wrong, remember it is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. That is another common doctrine that is wrongly taught. Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.