Some say “God, You Are Not Good Enough”

(Part 2)

 

8.  God, your plan of salvation is not good enough for us, we don’t think someone should have to be baptized to be saved, we think people should just be able to repeat the “sinners prayer” dictated to them by some preacher and be saved.

Mark 16:16 ─ He who believes and is baptized will be saved;

 

And for those of us who do practice baptism, we think any form of baptism like pouring or sprinkling is OK -  immersion should not be the only form of baptism that you accept. After all water is water.

Matt 3:16 ─ When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. u Jesus did not need to be baptized – he did it as an example, just as he washed the apostles feet, and taught the truth even under the punishment of death – he did all of these things as examples for us. 

Romans 6:4 ─ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Furthermore we think that people of any age (infants, small children) can and should be “baptized”. 

u There are no examples of infants or children getting baptized, because they do not have the ability to do the other requirements in the Gospel Plan of Salvation (hear, believe, repent, confess)

Heb 5:9 ─ And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 

u If Jesus is the author of eternal salvation, why would we want to follow any other man’s abridged plan of salvation. Is Billy Graham the author of our salvation, is Joel Osteen the author of our salvation?

 

 

9.  God, we don’t think we should have to meet on the first day of the week - if we want to assemble on Saturday that should be fine with you – what difference does it make?

Acts 20:7 ─ Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

u Several so-called Christian denominations meet on Saturdays – 7^th day Adventists, Catholics. What scripture do they use to authorize that?  

 

 

10.  God, we don’t think we need to partake of the Lord’s supper every week, we want to decide what is the most convenient and meaningful for us – once a month, once a year, as long as we do it, why should you care about the frequency?  

Act 20:7  see above #11 -  “came together to break bread”

u People have come up with various different excuses for observing the Lord’s Supper each week, even though it is commanded in God’s Word. Does God accept their excuses? – did God accept people’s excuses in the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14 (purchased land, bought five yoke of oxen, married a wife). No in fact the master of the banquet said “none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper”     

u It’s interesting that those same churches would never dream of taking up a collection only one a month or twice a year!

 

 

 

11.  God, we don’t want to have to give as we have been prospered, a few bucks in the collection plate should be okay with you, after all what use do you have for money?

1Cor 16:2 ─ On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

■ 2Cor 9:7 ─ So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

u People who do not give as the bible commands need to recall the words of

Malachi 3:8 ─ Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way

have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings.

u Do you want to be accused of robbing God – who gave you everything?

 

 

12.  God, the one church your son built is not enough – we think you should accept many different churches regardless of what doctrines they teach.

Matt 16:18 ─ And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 

Eph 4:4 ─ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;

u How pleased would Jesus be if he were to walk around Jacksonville today and see the hundreds of different churches all teaching something different that what the bible says?

 

 

13.  God, we don’t believe it is nice to withhold fellowship from an erring Christian or denomination that refuses to repent and change. We don’t want to hurt their feelings or damage their self-esteem. And we don’t want to cause strife in our congregation.

Eph 5:11 ─ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 

2John 1:9-10 ─ Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;

u Any parent knows that not disciplining a child only empowers him to repeat the same bad behavior, and left unchecked, those behaviors can escalate into even worse ones.

u The same is true for people causing strife or division in the Lord’s church. At some point, if they refuse to repent and comply with God’s word, they must be shown the door. Otherwise the pure doctrine of Christ can become polluted.

 

 

14.  God, we think people should be able to get divorced for any reason, after all you want us to be “happy” don’t you? 

Mat 5:32 ─ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

u God’s rule for divorce and remarriage is deemed outdated and totally disregarded by most of the world. Multiple marriages and divorces for any and all reasons are nowt sadly commonplace.

u To those who say God’s word in this matter is outdated I offer only one verse:

      Malachi 3:6 ─ For I am the LORD, I do not change…

 

 

15.  God we think you should accept people of any sexual orientation into heaven, after all aren’t you a forgiving God?

1Cor 6:9-10 ─ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

CONCLUSION

 

▶ What all these statements boil down to is:  God, you’re not good enough for us, you are two harsh and inflexible, we think we know better. Your words are just suggestions, we should be free to update them as our culture and viewpoints change. 

 

▶ Did you notice how may times the words “you should” appear in men’s opinions.  Can you grasp the absurdity of this point of view? Where men tell God what He should and should not do? Where the creator is not good enough for the created? Where the created thinks he knows better that the creator?

 

▶ Solomon in his wisdom, stated it well:

Proverbs 20:6 ─ Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man? 

u Who can find a person who is willing to forgo his own desires and submit to the will of God?    They do exist, but they are few and far between.

 

▶ If only we could all be as wise as the prophet Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 10:23 ─ O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. O Lord, correct me, but with justice;

 

▶ How much better off would humanity be if we shed our own selfish desires and looked to God for guidance?