Iron Sharpens Iron is an online Church of Christ Bible study resource dedicated to presenting the pure and simple gospel “message of truth” (Eph. 1:13) – the “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10, see The Path to Eternal Life).
It is for the “born again” Christian (John 3:7) who desires to:
- Be “obedient” (Acts 6:7; Rom. 6:17) to the true Gospel as given in Scripture (Jude 3; 2 Tim. 4:4; Gal. 1:6-9),
- Worship the Lord Jesus Christ “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24; Luke 18:8),
- “Grow in the grace and knowledge [understanding] of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:17-18),
- “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Php. 2:12),
- “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!” (2 Cor. 13:5),
- “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15) , and
- “Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all [time] handed down to the saints” (Jude 3).
IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
We are called to worship the Lord “in spirit and in truth,” not in spirit and the opinions, theories, schemes, conjurings, dogmas, false religions, fanciful interpretations, catechisms, rites, rules, rituals, ceremonies, “traditions of men,” “myths,” superstitions, mysticism, wild-speculation, and a myriad of sectarian and denominational divisions (Gnosticism, Montanism, Manichaeism, Monasticism, Docetism, Arianism, Sabellianism, Paganism, Nestorianism, Pelagianism, Rationalism, Apollinarianism, Monophysitism, Eutychianism, Adoptionism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Reformed Protestantism, Arminianism, Calvinism, Adventism, Modernism, etc. ad nauseam’ism), and dozens upon dozens of fake gospels, false prophecies, theological systems, and frameworks made up by man, committees, and institutions all piled up one on top of another and masquerading as so-called “Christianity,” obfuscating the pure truth of the gospel “that was once for all time handed down to the saints” (Jude 3) in Scripture. Whew!
If you will, we are “a voice of one crying in the wilderness” (John 1:23) of modern, liberal, corrupt, apostate, “lukewarm” (Rev. 3:16), dead, “hypocritical” (Matt. 23:29; 24:51) pretend “Christianity”: “make straight” (John 1:23) the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
DO NOT BE DECEIVED
I urge you, brother or sister in Christ, to not be ignorant of the truth as given in Scripture and thereby gullible and misled by the “wolves,” “vipers,” “false prophets,” and modern-day “Pharisees” (Matt. 7:15; 10:16; 23:29; Luke 10:3; Acts 20:29; Rev. 16:13; 20:10). Be on guard, so that no-one takes or deceives you out of your “crown of life” – (Rev. 3:11) – yes, Scripture warns that you can be “tricked” (“deceived”) out of your “crown of life” (Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10) by the false teachings of man (“carried away by the error of unprincipled men,” “deceived,” “led astray,” “taken captive”):
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. – Col. 2:8
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” – Matt. 7:15
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. – Hos. 4:6
I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.’” – Rev. 3:11
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. – 2 Pet. 3:17-18
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. – 1 Tim. 4:1-3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled [itching ears], they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths [false teachings]. – 2 Tim. 4:3-4
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived [tricked] Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully [i.e. you do not abandon the truth for the false teaching]. – 2 Cor. 11:3-4
We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. – 1 John 4:6
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! – Gal. 1:6-9
The way of a Christian is fraught with all kinds of perils, traps, pitfalls, and “snares” of man and Satan (Rom. 11:9; 1 Tim. 3:7; 6:9; 2 Tim. 2:26), which are laid up for you at each step of the way. You are literally surrounded by a pack of “ravenous wolves” (false teachers/prophets, Matt. 7:15) trying to trick and deceive you, for we’ve had nearly two thousand years now of man-made false teachings and a myriad of sectarian and denominational divisions all being taught, preached, published, and masquerading as so-called “Christianity” as the minds of man have twisted and distorted the gospel almost beyond recognition. The false teachings of man lead many to have a false sense of security; in reality, many will therefore be led to destruction. Do not succumb to the “spirit of error” (1 John 4:6), as it is your own eternal salvation that is on the line!
Compounding all this are the “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3) (of modern American Christendom in particular) which gravitate towards “easy faith,” trying to take the easy way to heaven, using “feel-good” religion with a (very) large number of professing “Christians” today believing that simply saying a little prayer (the so-called “sinner’s prayer”) at one instant of their life saves them for all eternity, with nothing else whatsoever required of them! I challenge those who teach, preach, and believe that to go resurrect one of the martyrs from The Acts & Monuments of the Christian Faith (i.e., Foxe’s Book of Martyrs) and ask them what they believe – after having sacrificed their lives for Christ, often being beheaded, torn in pieces, sawn in half, tortured and mutilated or burned in flames at the stake for their faith. Those true saints of Christ were not looking for the easy way or a feel-good form of Christianity – they were truly devoted Christians willing to sacrifice anything and everything, even their own lives, for Christ.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
So, on Iron Sharpens Iron, it’s time to wield the sharp “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (i.e., in truth, Eph. 6:17) to cut through the absolute rubbish and nonsense that passes for “Christianity” today in modern, liberal, and even so-called “reformed” churches – so we can stand firm in the “faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints” (Jude 3) in Scripture.
Amen.