A “Cute” doctrine is one that appeals to the carnal nature of man, provides an easy way out of God’s revealed will, and does not call for self-denial in any way. It is also cunningly constructed so as to incorporate one or more scriptures, to try to give it credence, and it has the effect of lulling its subscribers into a false sense of security.
In other words, cute doctrines offer the best of two worlds, for they permit people to do as they please, while expecting to enter God’s kingdom. Eternal life is guaranteed to all, regardless of one’s choices and actions and the name of Jesus is often used as a sort of umbrella, to give a veneer of righteousness.
Many cute doctrines have been concocted over the years with the sole purpose of indulging the people in what they want, not what they need. Especially in our day, when divergent forms of Christianity have emerged and where anything and everything is now huddled under the banner of Christ, we are warned in the scriptures not to subscribe to smooth words, which will subject the adherents to the most serious disappointment.
The word of God must not be twisted and turned, or deliberately taken out of context to suit what the masses of people clamor for, for those pastors and evangelists who engage in such activity are giving the people erroneous concepts of God, and because people usually act on what they believe, the actions and lifestyles which follow such teachings, draw the people further and further away from God’s ideals.
We are warned in the scriptures to be vigilant and sober, for the enemy walks about seeking whom he may devour. Thus, in every instance where any cute doctrines are disseminated, we would find that the same Bible is used in such a manner as to justify the erroneous teachings, and once preachers read the so-called verification from the scriptures it becomes etched into the minds of those who desire smooth things.
The following are just a few examples of which we are referencing, and we will discover that the many, divergent forms of doctrines in Christendom today, are for the most part certified with scriptures, when used to suit the clamors of the masses. To put it in plain words, if people want to do wrong, there will always be a scripture that seems to support it.
[1] The cute doctrine of eating anything, clean or unclean.
Romans 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men.
1st Timothy 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
[2] God’s law has been nailed to the cross, and therefore it is no longer obligatory upon men.
Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
[3] The Sabbath is no longer the sacred day of rest.
Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.
Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
[4] The natural immortality of the soul.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
Luke 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: more-over the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.
[5] Once saved always saved.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my
Father's hand.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This particular doctrine of once saved always saved, which was concocted in the depths of hell, proposes to guarantee eternal life to all those who have been saved by God’s grace. But the issue is not whether we are saved, but rather, are we continuing to be saved. All of the Hebrews were baptized, and saved, but their after-history demonstrated that this would not continue to be the case with the majority of them.
After being saved, it is incumbent upon us to submit to the daily process of obedience, by which growth in righteous, and spiritual maturity take place. Even when the genuine work of The Holy Spirit is being accomplished in our lives, we are not guaranteed salvation, if we do not continue in The Lord. In fact, here’s what the Bible has to say on the matter. Let’s read:
Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame.
1st Peter 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
Hebrews 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
1st Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Thus, with every false doctrine introduced to the masses, there are scriptures, misinterpreted, and perverted, taken out of context, to try to support the erroneous belief. In fact, as was stated before, almost every evil that men want to do, they would find a scripture that may, on the surface seem to support it.
Thus, in almost every instance where false doctrines are introduced, the Bible is used as the foundation. Now, some may be wondering why this is the case, if indeed it is God’s word. The same Bible gives us the answer. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
These “ministers” here mentioned do not generally advise people to do bad things per se. In fact, they encourage good things that are not God’s will, and here is where the difficulty lies, for many people are at a loss to recognize them for who they really are.
Going to church regularly is a good thing, but there is a right way, and a wrong way to do it. Eating fruit is good, if we ask any dietitian, but there is a right way to eat fruit, as Adam and Eve later found out. Similarly, the one who stands in the pulpit with the Bible in hand isn’t necessarily a minister of God, as some will find out all too late. Let’s read:
[The story of redemption pp 24] Satan is a diligent student of the Bible and is much better acquainted with the prophecies than many religious teachers. He knows that it is for his interest to keep well informed in the revealed purposes of God, that he may defeat the plans of the Infinite.
However, the cute doctrine we are going to deal with today, is the one that teaches its adherents that God is too good to punish transgression. And as a direct result people go on sinning and sinning with no fear of consequences. God’s great mercy is held up to the multitudes as a sort of weakness on His part, that precludes any justice from being served.
But before we unpack this cute doctrine, there are some things we need to be aware of. God starts off as King and Creator of the universe in Genesis [1], He transitions to The Savior in the gospels, and He returns as King and Creator in Revelation. The three angel’s messages were designed and intended to prepare us to meet the King, not the Savior.
It is true that God takes delight in mercy, and He is not pleased when people perish, but His grace and kindness in no way inhibits the execution of justice when it is warranted. What we’re now seeing in the public square currently is that people in high places are sinning without apparent impunity, and because justice is deferred, men are emboldened to go even further. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
Thus, those who present a one-sided God of mercy and grace, with no justice, are preparing people to meet a savior of their own choosing, and who the cap fit will wear it. Let’s read:
[G.C 624] As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Savior's advent as the consummation of her hopes. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation.
The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air, “Christ has come! Christ has come!” The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands, and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed his disciples when he was upon the earth.
His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Savior uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed.
Thus, the cute doctrine that teaches its adherents that God is too good to punish transgression, that His great love for us effectively precludes Him from administering justice, is a false doctrine that has to be corrected by the scriptures for mercy and grace do not invalidate justice in any way shape or form. Let’s read:
Leviticus 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.
2 And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.
5 So they went near and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.
6 And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled.
7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.
8 And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying,
9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.
There are several important points for us to note in this narrative. Aaron had led the Hebrews into gross idolatry, instead of standing up for the right, even if it may have cost him his life. At that time, he had manifested a very pliant and gentle attitude, which had garnered for him the sympathies of the people.
This was in stark contrast to Moses who manifested righteous indignation at the sight of the “carnival” that was taking place at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Moses in his hot anger had broken the law of God to pieces but Aaron’s demeanor was much more palatable to those who had sinned, and in their minds, Aaron was the better. Let’s read:
[P&P pp 323] Aaron endeavored to make the people responsible for his weakness, but notwithstanding this, they were filled with admiration of his gentleness and patience. But God seeth not as man sees. Aaron's yielding spirit and his desire to please had blinded his eyes to the enormity of the crime he was sanctioning. His course in giving his influence to sin in Israel cost the life of thousands.
And Aaron’s pliant attitude also led him to overlook wrongs in his sons and like Eli his offspring, he made the fatal mistake of believing that his sons would eventually outgrow their natural tendencies to evil.
Therefore, instead of exercising parental authority, according to God’s order, He allowed serious evils to grow and strengthen, until they lost all sense of holiness, and became incapable of differentiating between right and wrong.
Thus, over a period of many years, his sons, Nadab and Abihu became ripe for destruction, and the way in which judgement was executed against them is a signal to us that God is no respecter of persons, and the narrative should be studied very carefully, lest some, inadvertently suffer the same fate, while they erroneously believe that God is too good to punish.
God is not in the business of reversing the results of every wrong that has been committed. The doctrine of free grace, whereby nations, and individuals are let off the hook after deliberately indulging in sin for many years is false and will cause disappointment to its adherents. It is in very rare instances that God will intervene to entirely reverse the laws of cause and effect.
If He was to continually do this, then the teeth of the law would be extracted, and persons would be led to sin with impunity. Forgiveness is guaranteed to all who confess, repent, and forsake, but in the temporal realm, the effects of a sinful course will usually have to be borne by the transgressor, at times for many years. Let’s read:
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
In our day we are seeing with our own two eyes, and hearing with our own two ears, some of the worst sins, and wrongs taking place. Lying is the signature characteristic of satan, and yet, lies are being told on a daily basis. Inhumane practices are being practiced, and every type of fraud, scandal, and injustice is being done.
Also, the constitution of the United States is being challenged for its constitutionality, and to many it may seem as if God is asleep or has left iniquity and sin to run unbridled without impunity. All of this will soon come to a screeching halt for even though God may extend mercy and grace for many years, there comes a time when He will say, “Thus far and no further.
It is of critical importance then for us not to be deceived as to what is transpiring across the land. When the red line is crossed in heaven, God will act as He has done in times past, and retribution for sin that has not been confessed and forsaken will begin and not cease until the claims of the law have been satisfied.
Therefore, those who currently believe that God is too good to punish will be alarmed at the severity of His judgments, and because of this, persons are counseled to cultivate balanced views of God. He is merciful and just at the same time, but He will in no case spare those who persist in sin. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that confirms this.
Isaiah 28:21 For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
22 Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong: for I have heard from the Lord God of hosts a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.
God Bless!