Don’t Let Bad Company Ruin Good Doctrines

    I was preaching in a certain place years ago and brought a message on “Election.” After the service we went to a home for coffee and cake. A gentleman said to me, “That election you preached tonight is Primitive Baptist doctrine, and I don’t hold to the Primitive teachings.”

    The fact that election is a precious truth of God’s word made no difference to this man. He cared not to look into it because it was a doctrine taught, and perhaps focused on, by a particular denomination. Could it be that a subtle Satan uses these tactics to turn men away from other precious truths?

    Predestination; that’s Presbyterian doctrine. The priesthood; that’s Catholic doctrine. Water baptism; that’s Church of Christ doctrine. The baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit; that’s Pentecostalism. Soul winning and witnessing; that’s fundamentalism. Freedom from the law; that’s antinomianism. Obedience and outward godliness; that’s legalism. Absolute sovereignty; that’s hyper-Calvinism. Responsibility; that’s Arminianism.

    What have we here? I’ll tell you; it is the evil device of Satan (and it is effective) to persuade men to deny the truth of God by associating it with error of spirit, conduct, or practice. Seven times in Matthew 5 our Lord said, “You have heard it said… but I say unto you.” Let us therefore forget what men have said about these things and listen to what he says! Forget the “isms,” the denominational traditions, the positions formerly held, and study his Word. God said; that settles it, whatever men may believe about it!