1st Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
This passage of scripture encourages us as Christians to speak and teach the same truths delivered us by God, in order that we may avoid the many schisms and divisions which characterize Babylon. The are no divisions within the God-head, neither should there be any within the body of Christ, yet we have presently a situation where many of the churches and denominations of modern Christendom teach and practice very different doctrines, and as a result we have many confused minds as it pertains to what is truth, and what is the will of God.
For instance there are Christians who believe that snake-handling is an integral worship, while there are others who believe that speaking in tongues is a definite manifestation of The Holy Spirit. Others believe that we can eat and do anything we like, once we believe in Christ, while many others believe that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday, because of the resurrection of Jesus. And so we now have a plethora of conflicting beliefs and theories which threaten the very existence of true Christianity, and it was because of this why Christ asked the following question. Let's read:
Luke 18:8 "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
These divisions which are primarily introduced by the adversary of souls, occur because there are other "gospels" being preached presently, and there is another Jesus being followed, other than the Son of The Living God, and according to the Bible, there is also another "spirit" that has taken possession of many churches, leading precious souls in a completely opposite direction than that which God has ordained. Let's read:
2nd Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
There are currently about 33,000 distinctly different Christian denominations and religious groups worldwide, and because of these many divisions, great confusion exists as to what constitutes the true gospel, and what is the "Truth" we should all be adoptng as Christians. The problem arises from different interpretations to the truths given in God's word, which have been espoused, and in many cases, distorted over the years, and so we have come to a period where there seems to be no absolute truth any more. The word "Babylon" describes the confusion which currently exists in the thousands of different Christian churches, and the only way that these contradictions can cease, is by returning to the plain utterances of God's word, without the use and additions of any private interpretations.
The method of interpretation adopted when studying the Bible ultimately determines what we will believe and if we are not very careful to follow the stipulated methods of interpreting scripture, we will arrive at very destructive doctrines of devils. For instance, when one passage of scripture is used to build a doctrine, we will almost certainly end up with something entirely different than what God originally intended. Let's take for example the following passage of scripture.
Genesis 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
"Every moving thing" when taken literally and out of context will mean, every moving thing, including live crabs, frogs, fish, rats, roaches, snails, bats, worms, human beings and last but not least, the favorite family pet, because according to the one text method of interpretation, "everything that moves" means everything that moves. But if we were to read on in Leviticus chapter eleven, we will see what "Everything" really means, for The same God gives a detailed list of what and what not to eat. Let's read:
Leviticus 11:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. 3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat. 4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. 7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
Again the habit of taking one passage of scripture to make a doctrine or creed is seen to produce religious extremists in Christianity, for if the "line upon line" method is not implemented, satan will drive us to the very edge of extremes in our beliefs. Let's read:
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe" ...... 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them".......
And it's because of a literal, one verse method of interpretation why we now have snake handling as an integral part of worship services in some professedly Christian churches. But God is now calling all sincere Christians everywhere back to the study and correct interpretation of the scriptures, so that the many vagaries which ultimately produce schisms within the body of Christ can be averted or corrected. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to exercise wisdom and discretion when studying the word of God, for the true gospel, when adopted and applied according to scriptural guidelines, has the effect of bringing balance and harmony to the body of Christ, instead of driving us to extremes in any and every direction. Let's read:
2nd Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
May God add His blessing to the study and correct interpretation of His every word, for our salvation and sanity depends on it. "Good night" and God bless!