Teaching the commandments of men

I have stated many times that I grew up in and out of ‘church’ buildings. I think my first memories of being in ‘church’ were when I was about seven. Before that I know we were much involved in a ‘church’ because when I was four the ‘church’ we went to bussed all it’s kids of school age to another town about two hours away to go to a ‘christian’ school at another ‘church’. I don’t remember that time but I grew up hearing the stories of how the preacher and others tried to convince my mother to send me to that school. She refused because of the distance and because of my age.

That refusal…by the Lord’s hand…protected me from what wound up being a horrific accident that cost the lives of every one of the children in that ‘church’ that was attending that ‘Christian’ school when the bus was involved in a head on collision.

The only thing I remember of that ‘church’ experience was being at one of the members’ homes and listening to the lone survivor of the accident…a girl I believe was six years old…scream in the other room.

If there was ‘church’ in my life before the age of four I don’t remember it. How often we attended and how involved we were in that ‘church’ I don’t remember. I can’t even remember going to ‘church’ then. I only remember the screams of the little girl and the stories I grew up hearing.

My memories of actually going to ‘church’ start when I was seven. As with most things from that time in childhood I remember nothing of what I learned in ‘church’. What I do remember is that the ‘church’ started a school and I was enrolled. I remember the other kids. I remember having to raise a flag on my little cubicle desk when I needed the teacher. I remember being allowed to sit on the tables anytime we wanted except when class was in session. I remember coloring in my Bible. I remember the pockets on the uniforms my grandmother made for me.

I remember too that I was ‘saved’ that year…that the preacher gave me a Bible when I was ‘saved’…and I remember being baptized in my school uniform.

I don’t remember anything I was taught at ‘church’ about being ‘saved’ but I remember my mother helping to say the ‘prayer’ and ‘invite Jesus into my heart’. I remember that.

I remember that that very concept was taught in every ‘church’ I ever attended. I remember all the importance placed on the act of ‘choosing Jesus’. I remember how every one of those ‘churches’ taught that your very salvation lay in that ‘choice’ and in that ‘prayer’.

I have only ever been in one ‘church’ that didn’t teach the sinners prayer…and that ‘church’ taught baptism as most use the sinners prayer. I know little about the beliefs and doctrines of that ‘church’ because I only ever visited it once.

What I do know is that you can pick pretty much any denomination and with only a little research you can find out what they believe. I have never done any in depth studies on different denominations. Denominations, like other religions, are something I don’t feel the need to understand what they believe. I know a few basics about a few denominations and it’s more than enough for me.

I recently found myself in an ongoing discussion with someone about Christ and Scripture. This discussion eventually got to the point where I told this person that we may need to just agree that we both believe in Christ and let the rest go. Not long after that my husband had a conversation with someone he had recently met. During the course of that conversation this man revealed to my husband that he basically believed that all sincere belief, no matter the religion, leads to heaven.

In no way does the conversation I had resemble the one my husband had. The only reason I use them together is because there are people, whole ‘churches’ full of them that believe that any belief in Christ…usually referred to as a belief in Jesus…will get you to heaven.

It’s as simple as that.

In every ‘church’ I’ve ever been in, no matter the denomination, they taught that if you believe in Jesus you go to heaven. There was the simple matter of needing to say a short two minute prayer but the important part was that you believed in Jesus.

Belief in Christ is the basis of salvation. But it is not the guarantee of salvation. For one thing there are different levels of beliefs.

This people honors me with their lips,

But their heart is far from me;

In vain do they worship me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Matthew 15:8 esv

That verse tells us that we can claim a belief that our hearts do not share. In other words our minds can hold to one thing, while our hearts do something else. But it goes further than that. It tells us that men worship Christ in vain. They worship Him for…nothing. It gains them nothing.

Why?

Because they teach the commandments…the rules…the ideas…of men as if they are doctrines.

Sound anything like the denominations we know today?

There was a time that I had an interest in the Amish beliefs and lifestyle. As a result I read what I could on them, even visited their communities and spoke with them as much as they would allow.

During that time I learned that among the Amish ‘church’ they have what they call the Ordnung. It is a set of rules or regulations that the ‘church’ and therefore the Amish community must live by. As I understand it that is where they get the rules of how they are to dress, act, and live out their lives. They, as I understand it, often follow those rules to the exclusion of the Bible.

That sounds very much like the teachings of men’s commandments to me. The Amish aren’t alone in their teachings of men’s commandments.

The sinners prayer alone is proof that many ‘churches’ teach men’s commandments. And it’s proof that many worship in vain. If anyone places their salvation in the sinner’s prayer, they are placing their salvation in something that isn’t in the Bible. Nowhere does Christ teach that if we will only say a certain prayer that He will give us eternal salvation.

Pick your ‘church’ building and dig deep enough to find out what the basis of their beliefs are…then look to Scripture to see if they are Biblical.

One such teaching is tithing. I have never been in a ‘church’ that didn’t encourage it in one way or another. Most of them pass a little plate or bucket around with the absolute understanding that those in attendance are supposed to place money in it. Tithing isn’t Biblical.

It was taught in the Old Testament but it wasn’t the tithing that is being taught in the ‘church’ buildings today…and it isn’t taught in the New Testament.

Most of the doctrines taught in ‘churches’ today could be proven to be the doctrines of men if they were examined in light of Scripture.

But too many either don’t know the Truth in Scripture or they ignore it in light of holding to their own ideas of what Scripture is or should be.

You leave the commandment of God, and hold to the tradition of men. Mark 7:9 esv

Even the idea of ‘church’…as held in our country…comes not from what is taught in Scripture but from the teachings of men. It is men that teach that ‘church’ is a building. Its men that teach that the attendance of such a ‘church’ is mandatory. And it’s men that put any number of other teachings in place and then stand before untold numbers of people and teach those very things as gospel. They lead their ‘flocks’ by those teachings. And the ‘flock’ follows along because the preacher and those in charge continue the cycle.

And…

…In vain do they worship me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

Matthew 15:8 esv