The Pope in Manila

UNHOLY SMOKE

Some nitwit writes that he was overjoyed at the Pope swinging his smoke bomb at a mass in Manila in 2014.

He writes, “In my Bible reading for today, in the eighth chapter of Revelation, I can see why they keep waving the incense while they are praying because that's what the angel did.”

It is so wrong for the Pope or a priest to do that.
 
In Revelation 8:3, we read that an angel - who is really Christ – is at the prayer altar in Heaven with the incense, offering the prayers of the saints before God.

We must remember that Christ alone (not the Pope, not Mary) is the mediator between God and man.  

In copying this act, the Pope usurps the authority of Christ, a blasphemous act on his part.

BEWARE OF THE WILLFUL SIN CULT

THEY POLLUTE THE 
GOSPEL OF CHRIST
 
There are two interesting Bible verses in Hebrews which, if misinterpreted, can cause chaos with our understanding of the eternal atoning blood of Christ.           

Hebrews 10:26 says, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.”

Hebrews 10:27 says, “But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” The bold face is mine.

Whether we want to apply the Hebrews’ verses to the Old or New Testament is irrelevant. It is to whom these verses are speaking is the key.

They are addressing God/Jesus rejecters; those who have heard of the redeeming blood of Christ but have never believed or accepted it. The Bible calls such people willful sinners. They have no hope of Heaven because they have never believed.

In verse 26 we see the phrase “received the knowledge” which means the hearers are aware of the truth. It does not say that they have accepted the knowledge which is fundamental for salvation,

Further, in verse 27 we see the word “adversaries.” An adversary is not a God follower; an adversary is an enemy of God, a rejecter.

Some twist the meaning of these verses into a hopeless scenario. They preach that if we willfully sin after we accept Christ as Savior, as in getting saved, it removes salvation through the sacrifice of Christ to a work’s based salvation by us.
 
Proponents of this wrongful teaching have recently invaded the internet chat program, Paltalk.

Some of them go by the nicknames “sheeponajourney,” a brash authoritarian in the first order and who describes herself as a spiritual mentor, Ester87_1, riversilver, FoolForGod,  FireOfTheHolyGhost, Mercyvessel, MakerOfRain,  Rain_to-Storm, Rain_to_Storm.

The snooping sin gang have over 50 nicknames in play to sniff around the chat rooms. They advance the heresy of a false Willful Sin Cult. Apart from their own chatroom, many of them, thankfully, are banned from many Paltalk Christian rooms.

So what is a cult?
 
Simply stated, a cult is a group led by a dictatorial leader or leaders who demands unquestioning adherence to his/their doctrines which are generally taken from the Scripture, but out of context.

Under the nickname sheep7, Barb reveals her stripes when she posted on ChristianChat.com that “Jesus' sacrifice does not pay for wilful sin.” (She misspells willful.)

She adds, “So if Jesus' sacrifice is not going to pay for wilful sins, who would have to pay for those sins? The answer: We would.”

“WE” pay for our own sin? YIKES! THAT IS BLASPHEMY. Even if one does not accept eternal security, salvation by good works is a far cry from what the Bible teaches.

We cannot pay for our own sins by doing good works or turning to anyone on earth as our mentor. The Bible says the blood of Jesus Christ is the only thing that washes away our sin. That is foundational truth of the gospel.         

Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are not saved by works, but by faith. He writes, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
 
No matter how hard we try, it is impossible for a Christian to never sin after we are saved. The Bible urges all Jesus believers to confess our sins daily, yes. But we are saved eternally, and saved once.

John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

JUDAS WAS A WILLFUL SINNERS
 
Judas Iscariot is the perfect example of a willful sinner that the verses in Hebrews address. He had knowledge of Christ, but he lacked true faith. No other rejecter of the truth had more or better exposure to the love and grace of God than Judas.

Judas may have been a professor of Christ, but his actions show he was not a possessor of Christ.

Once truly saved, we are forever saved. The Bible says over and over that we are saved by faith and not by good works and that, once saved, we cannot lose our salvation.

If being sinless has nothing to do with getting salvation, why should it have anything to do with keeping salvation? We ALL sin after we are saved.

FAILED BUT FORGIVEN SINNERS

Apostle Peter denied Christ three times, yet there is no suggestion in the Bible that he lost his salvation. Hardly! Peter became a zealot for Christ and was martyred for the Lord, choosing crucifixion upside down.

Jonah sinned when he ran from God’s order to preach the gospel in Nineveh. He then obeyed God, was forgiven, and did as instructed.
 
There are numerous examples of biblical saints who knowingly and willfully committed terrible sins.

All the fathers of the faith committed willful sin, including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So also did some of the best kings of Israel, like David and Solomon, who performed terrible deeds of darkness. But we fully expect to see all of these people in Heaven.