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From Here to Forever
But it may be readily seen whose children they are, whose example
they follow, and whose work they do. “Ye shall know them by their
fruits.”
Matthew 7:16
; also see
Revelation 12:10
.
The Truth Sanctifies
The great deceiver has many heresies prepared to suit the varied
tastes of those whom he would ruin. It is his plan to bring into
the church insincere, unregenerate elements that will encourage
doubt and unbelief. Many who have no real faith in God assent
to some principles of truth and pass as Christians, and thus are
enabled to introduce error as scriptural doctrine. Satan knows that
the truth, received in love, sanctifies the soul. Therefore he seeks to
substitute false theories, fables, another gospel. From the beginning,
servants of God have contended against false teachers, not merely
as vicious men, but as inculcators of falsehoods fatal to the soul.
Elijah, Jeremiah, Paul, firmly opposed those who were turning men
from the Word of God. That liberality which regards a correct faith
as unimportant found no favor with these holy defenders of truth.
The vague and fanciful interpretations of Scripture and con-
flicting theories in the Christian world are the work of our great
adversary to confuse minds. The discord and division among the
churches are in a great measure due to wresting the Scriptures to
support a favorite theory.
[322]
In order to sustain erroneous doctrines, some seize upon passages
of Scripture separated from the context, quoting half a verse as
proving their point, when the remaining portion shows the meaning
to be the opposite. With the cunning of the serpent they entrench
themselves behind disconnected utterances construed to suit carnal
desires. Others seize upon figures and symbols, interpret them to
suit their fancy, with little regard to the testimony of Scripture as its
own interpreter, and then present their vagaries as the teachings of
the Bible.
The Whole Bible a Guide
Whenever the study of the Scriptures is entered upon without
a prayerful, teachable spirit, the plainest passages will be wrested