Clever Arguments (7 x 13 = 28)

, NLT

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group or by human authority. My call is from Jesus Christ himself and from God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead. All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending greetings to the churches of Galatia. May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. That is why all glory belongs to God through all the ages of eternity. Amen. I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ. Let God's curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. I will say it again: If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God's curse fall upon that person.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

There is a saying that a lie, no matter how absurd it is, no matter how obviously false and foolish it may be, will be accepted as truth if it is repeated enough. It also seems that if many people claim something to be true, then we are likely to accept it as truth. There are so many people who claim to know the truth. They have ALL the answers. Just listen to them. Watch their television programs. Buy their books. They will help you find meaning and purpose for your life.

Of course, there are the people who refuse to believe in God. Only fools believe in God. Everything is here by chance. They show us fossils and ancient skeletons, and they tell us the history of the earth. They use their machines and calculate how old the earth is. And of course, they have their diplomas and certifications from prestigious schools and universities. Therefore, they are qualified to say that they are teaching fact and truth. Everything is as they say. Forget the Bible. We have rocks and bones! That should be enough! But our young people here in this service can tell you how difficult it is to sit in their classrooms and listen to these teachings. It sounds very factual. It sounds like it makes sense. There seems to be so much proof! We have to stand strong against the clever arguments.

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

Then there are those who believe in God, but they interpret the Bible according to their own desires. According to these people, the Bible is outdated. They don’t believe it is the inspired word of God. They pick and choose which parts of the Bible are God-inspired, and which parts are just stories. How smart they must be, to be able to tell what God did and did not put into the Bible! And how convenient is it that the parts that must not be true are the parts they don’t like. Forget what the Bible says about judgment. A loving God would never send anyone to hell. As long as you aren’t hurting anyone, then feel free to do what you want! I remember hearing one man talk about God. He said, “I just try to stay out of God’s way, and I hope he stays out of my way.” They say there are no absolutes in this world. As long as you try to be a good person, that is enough.

As long as you aren’t hurting anyone, then feel free to do what you want! I remember hearing one man talk about God. He said, “I just try to stay out of God’s way, and I hope he stays out of my way.” They say there are no absolutes in this world. As long as you try to be a good person, that is enough.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

The world says there are many ways to reach God. All religions are the same. It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you sincerely believe it. Isn’t that just wonderful! You believe in Jesus? Great! Allah? OK! You think you’re coming back in the next life as the Easter Bunny? Fantastic! And of course this is all nonsense! Some years ago, my mother’s brother had a stroke that stole his memory and caused him to imagine things. He was convinced that he was in the 1950s during the Korean War. He believed the hospital where he was staying was a prison, and he was a prisoner. He thought his own sons were prison guards. He kept telling people, “I don’t know what I did wrong, but I promise to be good if you just let me go.” As much as we tried to help him understand what was happening, my uncle was certain that he committed a crime and was in prison. But even though my uncle was convinced that he was a prisoner, he was really just a confused patient in a very nice hospital. Believing a lie does not make it true—it only makes you deceived. The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God.

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

nama je jedan Bog, Otac, od koga je sve, a mi za njega; i jedan Gospodin, Isus Krist, po kome je sve, i mi po njemu.

How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?

There are those who would tell you that being a Christian is all about following rules. For these people, the most important thing is that you act the correct way, dress the right way, have the right hairstyle. As long as you LOOK holy, then you ARE holy and acceptable to God. But these people are actually just like the ones who say that just being a good person is enough. They look at salvation as something we can earn through our actions. What does the Bible say?

“There is no one righteous, not even one.”

If we could earn salvation through our own actions, then Christ would not have needed to die on the cross. This is why Paul wrote to the church in Galatia:

Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.

There are many people who claim to be prophets of God. God has given them a special revelation of how to interpret the Bible. And they say things that sound so good and inspiring. Don’t focus on sin and judgment—God just wants to bless us all! If you are sick or injured, you just have to discover the right way to pray and you will be completely healed. They make Christianity sound like a math formula. If you say the right words in the right way with the right actions, God HAS to do what you want! There is only one problem with this way of thinking. There is a word that describes the attempt to manipulate or control supernatural forces through words and rituals: magic. Anyone who tries to tell you a guaranteed way to get God grant your wishes, that person wants you to practice magic. God is not ours to control.

This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the LORD. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word. But whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man, and whoever offers a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig's blood, and whoever burns memorial incense, like one who worships an idol. They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations;

In the Book of Revelations, Jesus gives a message to John to give to the church in Thyatira.

“But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering,[c] and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.

22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering,[c] and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. Paul had written in

A woman had risen up in their church, basically taking the concept of freedom in Christ to mean that there was no longer such a thing as sexual immorality. This woman was leading believers into sin, and the church was allowing this to happen! They didn’t want to stand up against someone who claimed to be a prophet. And God was condemning the church for not fighting for truth.

But just like Paul had written in ,

Brothers and sisters, we have to know this word of God. We must study it daily. It must get into our hearts and our minds.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

This is the only way that we can stand strong against the lies of this world. Remember that we have an enemy, the devil, who wants to destroy us and separate us from God. In the Book of John, Jesus calls Satan the father of lies. We must not allow Satan to deceive us. We must stand strong in the truth that Jesus Christ has given us. We cannot let movie stars, musicians, politicians, or even theologians convince us what to believe. We must listen carefully, and then look to the word of God. If their statements do not match what this book says, then beware!

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there is a deceiving spirit in this world, and he is powerful. He will do everything he can to twist our understanding of God’s word and draw us into a false gospel. If we are not careful, he will get us to believe that 7 x 13 =28! So we have to be getting into the Word daily. We have to be praying daily. We must be clearly teaching God’s truth to our children so that they don’t get deceived. But we have this promise from God:

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Clever Arguments (7 x 13 = 28)

Opening