"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation."
In the first part of today's quote, Paul predicted the inevitable falling away of some from those who professed Christ in the beginning. He also predicted the coming of false doctrines such as Catholicism, Mormonism, along with the hundreds of other heretical "faiths" that have come to be in modern times.
Paul said, "in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." There could hardly be a clearer description of what would, at that time become and now is, the Roman Catholic "Church".
Herein, Paul warned of the very things that would become the basic tenets of Catholicism et al. For many years they forbade the eating of meat on Fridays, and still refuse to allow priests and nuns to marry.
As is evident within today's text, even as early as the time of Paul's ministry, Roman Catholicism had begun to distort the gospel truth by forwarding Satan's ambition to undermine and destroy the efforts of the one true church.
It is the Christian duty of every child of God to point out the wisdom that Paul demonstrated in this lesson. It is also our obligation to point out and teach others to beware of, not only Catholicism, but all of the many false doctrines devised to steer lost souls away from the saving grace of God.
Remember, Paul and Silas were asked; "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16:30-31 in part.)~
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