Monthly Archives: April 2022

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Basic Doctrines, Bible Study, Christian Living

Sins of the Tongue

1 John 4:8b "...God is love"

The Bible says in Romans 15:2 “Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.”

To edify means to “build up” (see the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance with Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries #s 3619, 3624, and 1430 in the Greek dictionary).

Colossians 3:8 “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”


The Bible also says in Ephesians 5:1-7 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor
foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words:
for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.”

Right in the midst of a list of terrible sins in Ephesians 5:1-7, God deals with some sins of the tongue, and says that people who do these sins so much that they are known to have a filthy mouth (be an unclean person) are not saved. It says they have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ.

In addition, God says that jesting (teasing, bullying, joking, picking on people, etc) is a sin. And then God says later that His wrath falls on people for these sins!


As Christians we are to love others, not bully them and hurt their feelings.


Some Christians have a wrong belief that people must be thick skinned, and that it is immature for a Christian to get their feelings hurt.


They get this by not understanding the proper definition of the word “offend” in Psalms 119:165 “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

This verse does not mean that a strong Christian will not get their feelings hurt. The word offend in this verse means “cause to sin.” (see the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance with Greek and Hebrew Dictionaries #s 4383, and 3782 in the Hebrew dictionary).


This verse simply means that a strong, mature Christian will never turn away from God for any reason.


The truth is, it is not immature to get your feelings hurt, it is immature, and a sin, to tease and bully someone and hurt their feelings. Even a child knows this!

Our speech should always be wrapped in thankfulness to God, and the purpose of everything we say is to be to edify the person we are speaking too.


Even if we have to correct someone, who is doing wrong, our goal should never be to hurt their feelings, but to build them up by pointing them to a higher relationship with God.


Although when you correct someone, their feelings are usually hurt, because no one likes to be corrected.


The Bible says in Luke 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”

Sometimes this kind of speech is necessary, but our goal should still be to build them up to a higher relationship with God, not hurt their feelings.

Jesus commands that we love others the same as He loves us.

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

Jesus does rebuke us when we sin, but it is for our good. He does not cuss us out or just tear us down, and He is quick to forgive us, when we repent.

Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

Hebrews 12:5-6″ And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

Hebrews 12:9-11 “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The word confess in 1 John 1:9 means to to assent, that is, covenant, acknowledge, and it means to promise (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Greek and Hebrew dictionaries # 3670 in the Greek). Furthermore it roots back to another word meaning to remove and work (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Greek and Hebrew dictionaries # 3670 in the Greek).

Therefore, confessing your sins means that you acknowledge that you have sinned and you promise God that you will work to not do the sin again.

Confession includes true repentance. It is not asking forgiveness, and then going and doing the sin again and then asking forgiveness again. That kind of confession does not cleanse you from sin.

You must promise God that you will work to stop doing the sin. Yes, the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome sin, but it still takes effort on our part too.


As Ephesians 5:1-7 shows, God takes sins of the tongue very seriously, so we need to always think before we say anything.

Basic Doctrines, Bible Study, Christian Living, Communion

Church Discipline

The Bible says in:

Acts 20:28 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”


1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

This means that church leaders are supposed to guard and protect the souls of their people.

One of the most effective ways that is accomplished is through church discipline.

Church discipline not only keeps the people from falling into sin, but it also keeps the wolves out.

The proper process of church discipline.

Jesus gave us the proper process of church discipline in Matthew 18:15-17 “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”

  1. One person talks to the person in sin
  2. If they refuse to repent then 2 or 3 people go talk to them
  3. If they still refuse to repent, then they are brought before the whole church
  4. If they still refuse to repent, then they are removed from church membership. They lose any and all positions that they held in the church, they are not allowed to work in the church at all (including singing in the choir, helping to serve food, cleaning the church etc.), and they are not allowed to eat of the Lord’s Supper. If they eat of the Lord’s Supper God could kill them, because they are living in rebellion.

1 Corinthians 11:

26 “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

All work in the church should only be done by saved and holy people. To allow lost and backslidden people to work in the church makes them feel comfortable in their sin, and it allows for them to lead children and new Christians astray.

Pastors who refuse to implement Biblical church discipline are not protecting the souls of their people, they are feeding them to the wolves!

This same process is also to be used if a church member is overtaken by a sin.

Galatians 6:1 “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

1 Corinthians 5:
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.“

Church discipline saves souls

James 5:19-20 “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”

Just because someone is a church member does not mean they are saved. There are millions of church members around the world who are lost and going to Hell.

And the Bible teaches very plainly that a person who commits a really bad sin like the man in 1 Corinthians 5 is not saved.

That is why Paul commanded that the church cast him out and turn him over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so that his soul might be saved. Meaning maybe through his suffering he would repent and get saved.

Paul was saying that by committing that sin, the man had proven he was lost, and therefore must be cast out of the church, so hopefully he would repent and get saved.

Remember the Bible says very plainly that there are sins that a saved person cannot do.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

Pastors who do not implement Biblical church discipline are negligent in their duty to guard the souls of their people. They are allowing their own people to feel comfortable in their sin and go to hell, and they are allowing wolves to come in and destroy the children.

The Limits of Church Discipline

Kicking someone out of the church and/or removing them from leadership is as far as church discipline goes.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the church can kill, whip, torture, take land or possessions away not even indirectly through the government like the Catholic church has done.

The Bible says the church is supposed to turn the person over to the Devil for the destruction of their flesh in hopes that they repent, but no where does the Bible say that the church is supposed to help the Devil destroy the person’s flesh.

Now, the church can handle civil suits between church members, but if the guilty party refuses to pay, then all the church can do is kick them out.

1 Corinthians 6:
1 “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?”

However, if an actual crime has been committed (like sexual assault) then the Church is to contact the civil authorities so civil justice can be done. Civil authorities are also ministers of God to punish criminals.

Romans 13:
1 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”

The Bible does not say anything about penance either.

Nowhere does the Bible say that a person must do some physical work to punish themselves (like walking around on their knees, or saying repetitious prayers, or whipping themselves etc in order to receive forgiveness and be restored back into the church.)

When the person repents, the Church is to receive them back

2 Corinthians 2:
1 “But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.
2 For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?
3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.
4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.
6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.
7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.“

Here the Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth to receive back the man that he had told them to cast out in I Corinthians 5, because the man had repented (turned away from his sin). If at any time penance would have been instituted in the Bible, it would have been here, but it was not. Paul did not command that the man do any kind of penance to be forgiven and received back into the church. He just commanded the church to receive him back, because he had repented. He had stopped doing his sin.

This is Biblical church discipline, and it must be restored or we will never see another world changing revival.

Basic Doctrines, Bible Study, Christian Living

Cussing Is A Sin!

Stop Cussing

I have started hearing so-called Christians and even preachers saying that the Bible does not say anything against cussing. And these people are saying really filthy words that if I had ever said them my Mom would have washed my mouth out with soap and whipped me! I might have even been grounded too!

Some of these people are even saying that what is commonly considered as taking God’s Name in vain is ok, because it is not really God’s Name.

God has many names and that is one of them. We are not to take any of God’s names in vain!

The Bible says in Colossians 3:8 “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.“

Christians are to have no filthy communication at all! So people who claim to be Christians and are saying filthy words had better repent!

Matthew 5:19 “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.“

Age Of Accountability, Basic Doctrines, Bible Study, Christian Living, Salvation, Water Baptism

The Purpose of Water Baptism

Baptism

Water baptism is an outward testimony to others that you have been saved, and the first act of obedience to Christ.

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Water baptism is a picture of salvation. It shows that we have died to sin, our old man of sin is buried, and we have been raised again to live a new life in Christ. Baptism should only be done by immersion, to show being buried with Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

However, since water baptism is the first act of obedience to Christ after salvation, then anyone who refuses to be baptized did not truly get saved, because in order to get saved you must commit to obeying Christ.

Therefore, baptism does not save anyone, but anyone who refuses to be baptized shows that they did not truly get saved.

That is why Jesus said in Mark 16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Some people, like the thief on the cross next to Jesus, never have the opportunity to be baptized, but he would have been if he had had the opportunity.

Salvation is of the heart not physical actions.

If someone, has it in their heart that they would be baptized, but never gets the opportunity, then God accepts the intent of their heart.

The Apostle Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 8:12 “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.”

Now I know that the Apostle Paul was not specifically talking about baptism in 2 Corinthians 8:12, but it establishes the principle that God does not hold it against us if we cannot do something, as long as our hearts are yielded to doing it if we had the opportunity. And that can be applied to baptism.

If people had to get baptized in order to get saved, then Jesus would not have told the thief next to Him that he would go to paradise.

Only saved people are to be baptized. The Bible never says that babies are to be baptized.

 John the Baptist said that people had to repent before they could be baptized, and Phillip told the Ethiopian Eunuch that he had to believe in Jesus with all of his heart before he could be baptized.

Acts 8:36-38 “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”

Even in acts 2:38 the Apostle Peter said “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

The word “for” in this verse means “backward” and “of” which means “because of”( Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries #1519 in the Greek.)

Furthermore, there is a comma after the word repent and the whole phrase “and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” is in between 2 commas. This means this is a parenthetical phrase. This shows that a person is baptized because their sins were remitted by the repentance. This means a person receives remission of sins when they repent (turning away from sin to obedience to Christ), and then they are baptized because they have already received the remission of their sins, when they repented.

It also shows that a person receives the indwelling of the Holy Ghost when they repent before baptism, because the whole baptism phrase is parenthetical. This means that if the whole parenthetical phrase about baptism is removed, it still shows that a person  gets saved (receives the indwelling of the Holy Ghost) when they repent.

In addition, the word baptism in 1 Peter 3:21 is figurative, not literal baptism in water (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries #908 in the Greek). This is speaking of baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is the same thing as being indwelt by the Holy Ghost.

1 Peter 3:21 “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Remember John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize people with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

Luke 3:16 “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:”

Salvation is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

Since a person receives the Holy Spirit when they repent and believe in Jesus, then they are saved when they repent and believe in Jesus. Water baptism is a picture of salvation. It does not save anyone.

People have to make the decision to repent before they could be baptized, and then them being baptized in water showed that they believed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

A baby cannot make the decision to repent and believe in Jesus, and all babies are protected by God and not held accountable for sin.

Therefore, there is no reason to baptize a baby, and nowhere in the Bible does it say to baptize a baby.

Salvation is a decision, those who have never been capable of making that decision are protected and not held accountable to God for sin. If they die they go to heaven.

Furthermore, children are not held accountable to God for their sins, only adults are.

You can learn more about this from my blog post “The Age of Accountability” at

http://shiningthelightministries.com/2021/10/11/the-age-of-accountability/

In closing, a person is not baptized in order to receive salvation, but to show that they have already received salvation,