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We talked before in this series about a straight stick and a crooked stick. Abel and Cain. Good religion, bad religion.
In the late 40's, a young non-practicing but still obedient Roman Catholic mother took her little Bobby to the priest at St Gabriel Church in Columbus, Ohio. She was fulfilling a promise she had made to the System to have the children initiated into Rome's rites, though she had married "wrong."
The priest splashed water in Bobby's face and the church was certain that at that point he was born again, ready for Heaven.
That religion had taught such things for centuries. Looked at alone, explained by the priests, you'd think maybe it was the truth. But such practices are an example of the crooked stick. And a full one-sixth of our world believes it.
To the great masses of earth (no pun intended), salvation is by ritual, by edict, by works. Something I do to earn the free gift of God. Sounds good? Sounds right?
Place the straight stick next to it: John, a Spirit-filled apostle of Jesus Christ, said that he that is born of God does not sin. He cannot keep on sinning, because the very seed of God is in him, and, well, he's born of God. He says that the one who keeps on sinning is of the devil.
As Bobby, that would be yours truly, grew up in Columbus, and participated in the educational and recreational culture of that city,he began to sin quite a bit. But according to the crooked stick, he was born again and safely en route to Paradise.
That was my first encounter, totally against my will, with false religion. An outer symbol, water baptism, which for me signified nothing. The whole inner part missing. Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Lay the straight stick of God's Word next to the religion you now practice. Does it line up?
About this Author
Look for Bob Faulkner's creations on http://professorenglish.org There you will find a variety of Scripture studies, including a through-the-Bible course, in video, audio, and text. There are works about the Christ, the antichrist, the rapture, and more.
For those who love North Korea, I have created [http://chosunhouse.com].
As for me, I'm a man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving in tentmaker style with my wife and my local church in Chicagoland.
Contact me at diakonos3@gmail.com
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