ACCESS DENIED!
Holy Brethren,
disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ! Do
you search the Scriptures to verify what the preacher said is true or do you
just take it at face value because he's the preacher? He's been to Seminary? He's a DR, DD, he's been saved for 50
years he knows what he's talking about?
That's all commendable, but all that doesn't make it truth! "The simple believeth every word:
but the prudent man looketh well to his going." (Prov 14:15) "These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and
searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts
For a quick example of how people don't check out what is being said, let's look at some of the most commonly misquoted Scriptures and see if they sound familiar:
Take the time to look up those verses for yourself and see what is left out! Typically what is left out, is what they don’t want you to find out, and is what contradicts with their denominational point of views! However, the one I want to focus on is perhaps the most misquoted and misapplied Scripture that I've ever heard, even sometimes by true men of God. Anytime you hear it, whether on TV, radio, CD, cassette, your pastor or whatever; even if you know it by heart, please pick up your Bible and turn to it to see whether those things were so! Make it an automatic to turn to Holy Writ so that the truth may be known! That passage is: 2 Timothy 2:11-13. Statically, if I was keeping stats, 95% of the time or even more, you'll hear it quoted like this,
"It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him,__________________ yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself."
And when you hear it sounds good, it sounds like the Bible. But it really spins off a whole different meaning to the text, the context and Scripture rightfully divided!!! 2 Timothy 2:11-13 really says,
"It is a faithful
saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer,
we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not,
yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself."
The misquoted version is popular with "Once Saved Always Saved" advocates because it
teaches their followers that even if you deny the Lord Jesus, He’ll never deny
you, so repentance is really a non issue!
But the FACT is that IF we deny Jesus, He will deny
[arneomai (ar-neh'-om-ahee); to contradict, i.e.
disavow, reject, abnegate: KJV - deny, refuse] us! Jesus said in
Matt 10:32-33 "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Access is denied, you don't go to heaven IF you deny the Lord!
"It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we
shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we
deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself."
What the latter
part of this verse teaches (don't get it confused with " if we deny
him, he also will deny us") is that IF we turn back unto perdition and
cease putting our faith and trust in God He IS STILL FAITHFUL to save whosoever
that shall call upon the name of the Lord!
Romans 3:3 says, "For what if some did not believe? shall their
unbelief make the faith of God without effect?" Stretch out your arm
to somebody and have them stretch their arm to you, IF you take your arm away
(if we believe not) though you pull yours away God is still faithful to anybody
else who will stretch out their arm to Him cause He keeps His arm stretched out!
Please pick up your Bible and let God be true and everyman become the liar! That truth (the Bible / the Word) will stand forever and is what we will give an account and be judged by, I don't care if it's Billy Graham who is quoting that verse, we need to subject it all and everybody to the fire of God's Holy Word!
