With each passing year, witchcraft has grown more acceptable in the eyes of man, yet God has not wavered concerning His thoughts on these matters.
Christ was no thief, but He allowed Himself to be crucified with and for thieves. Why did He allow this? Love compelled Him to bear the sins of many.
Scripture provides examples of specific sins; however, no example DEFINES sin. John's first epistle defines it as the transgression of the law.
The Bible often defines words through their associations. For instance, the words salute, saluteth, and salutation involve a greeting.
Christians will, at times, desire to hide from the ones to whom they have been called to minister. Even Christ had times when He desired seclusion.
Peter knew that the Gentiles were no longer to be considered unclean (Acts 10:9-16), and he demonstrated this by eating with them. However, when some prominent Jews arrived, Peter “withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.” He knew better but allowed fear to cause him to rebel against the clear teachings of the Lord. As such, Peter “was to be blamed” (Galatians 2:11), and Paul had to rebuke him. It is one thing for a man to sin against the Lord through ignorance, but Peter knowingly, purposely, and openly violated God’s word. In like manner, believers today must bear the blame and the shame when they sin against the clear teachings of scripture.
Since God is the rightful recipient of man’s sacrifices, then, by necessity, He is the only One who can rightfully provide the rules for the administration of the sacrifices. In the Old Testament, God established rules about the place (Joshua 22:29) and purity (Malachi 1:8, 14) of man’s sacrifices. Men who violated these rules, choosing rather to adopt their own rules of sacrifice and worship, often suffered harsh consequences, including death. The sacrifice of Christ for sin has changed many details of God’s demands for sacrifice; it has not, however, changed the fact that man must do things God’s way. God’s rules for sacrifice whether performed in the past, present, or future are to be dictated by scripture.
Man’s opinion concerning the sinfulness of sin very rarely reflects God’s holy, perfect, and righteous declarations. This is because man does not think like God. The Lord expressed these sentiments in Isaiah 55:8-9 when He said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, . . . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Even a cursory study of rebellion verifies these truths as a man generally thinks of it more lightly than he ought. Man describes rebellion as strong willed or independent; however, God provides an accurate description as He states that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Because God likens rebellion to witchcraft, the Old Testament punishment for rebellion was likewise death (Deuteronomy 21:18-23). There can be no doubt as to the seriousness of this sin from God’s perspective.
Men get into trouble when they begin to think too highly of their own thoughts. If they are not careful, these opinions will become the driving force in their decision making. This will mean that the word of God finds itself in competition for the seat of authority. The sad truth is that men often fail to notice within themselves this substitution of authorities. While their mouths may falsely testify of a loyal submission to the scriptures, their actions testify that their opinions are instead leading the way. The Devil works subtly because he knows how to gradually lead men astray by keeping them from noticing any abrupt changes within their hearts and outward deeds. By the time rebellion is detected, the Devil has a stronghold only broken by prayer and heartfelt submission to God.
The Bible depicts the hypocrite as someone who may work hard. Yet, their efforts are directed toward the wrong things. The Lord Jesus pointed out that the hypocrites would “compass sea and land to make one proselyte.” This conveys hard work. Think about the difference that Christians could make by labouring that hard to win “one” soul to the Lord! The hypocrite promotes unholy things contrary to the will of God. Believers need to take the right lesson away from studying the hypocrite. Each of us should be working hard to lead others to Christ and then to teach sound Bible doctrine. Yet, we should spend a lot less time finding fault in others. If we did, churches would be full of converts growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
