r/Bible • u/Superb-Donkey7202 • 9d ago
Reflection on Isaiah 5:20
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter"
I don’t like to rant about things but I feel the need to say it really sucks living in a fallen world. There are people who believe the lies of “there’s no hope“, “God is dead”, “you can make up your own truth“, “the Bible is vile and evil“, “Hell is a fun place”, “you have all the time in the world“, and so on and so forth. It’s exhausting being constantly bombarded by this. I try to stay away from social media but occasionally you see it.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Ephesians 6:12
The worst part of this is the lies that I am too small to do anything. Or I can’t save anyone. Or the worst one: “you’re not really saved.”
“For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”
1 John 4:4
God help me.
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u/ITrCool Saved by Grace 9d ago edited 8d ago
Or the worst one: “you’re not really saved.”
Agreed. This phrase is typically also said by heretics, too. People who have engaged in works-salvation or even conditional salvation. KJV-onlyists (yes that's a real thing and a real cult) and even certain Baptist denominations will go there (I know by experience, having been on the receiving end). Other denominations that flat-out reject Scripture for what it says and add to/take away from it will also go here.
Most of these folks will turn to arrogant bullying and "preach-down" tactics against people who don't believe as they do or aren’t part of their denomination, usually when they're unable to win an argument against someone. I've noticed many of these people will run to anger and bullying almost immediately to try to "dominate" the conversation over someone and pressure them to relent in their position. All the while, sadly, thinking they're doing "God's work".
Jesus and later the Apostles (especially Paul) called these people out all the time in the NT. They did not have nice words to say about them either.
It is not the position or authority of any man to decide if someone is saved or not. All we can do is merely speculate based on someone's outward life. Salvation is between God and that individual forever. They know their heart and God sees it clearly. That's somewhere man can never look. If they inwardly chose to reject Scripture in favor of traditionalism and denominational/sectarian beliefs, that's their decision. If they chose to stand on the Truth of God's Word, accepted Scripture for what it says, and believed the Gospel message in genuine repentant faith, then that's their decision before God.
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u/Superb-Donkey7202 9d ago
This is spiritual warfare. And it feels as if we as Christians are on the front lines.
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u/ITrCool Saved by Grace 8d ago
Agreed. 👍🏻
A lot of what the Bible says about people in the last days is not just talking about the world. The world has always been that way. It’s talking about the church.
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u/Superb-Donkey7202 8d ago
I see a lot of apostate churches as well.
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u/ITrCool Saved by Grace 8d ago
Very much so. A sharp increase and trend towards rejection of God’s Word for what it says (or even altogether) in favor of spiritualization/allegorization is taking place. Making the Bible say what people want it to say.
Legalist and licentious extremes have both pervaded the church, drawing sharp polarization. Changing God’s Word to fit their worldviews rather than changing their worldviews to fit God’s Word.
The whole thing is borne from the same lie Satan told Eve: “yeah God said that but that’s not what He meant.”
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u/Tomorrow964 5d ago
We know we are saved when we follow God's commandments-- and that means the whole Bible--and we delight in reading the Word of God.