Bad Apples .......... Parables 618

November 10, 1998 

If bad apples do not ruin the barrelful, they certainly make life miserable for the good apples. In our home, if I asked “who did it?” and one child lied, all were made to sit on the sofa until the guilty confessed. They told me their teachers did the same thing; if one student cheated, the entire class had to stay after school. In business, those who take home everything from pencils to expensive tools raise the cost of doing business. It affects their wages and the price of whatever that company produces.

Bad apples give religion a bad rap too. For instance, the French government took a good look at the activities of a certain group and denied them church exemption. They also slapped a lien on their property for $50 million including penalties and interest for past taxes. Obviously, something was wrong with this apple.

Even though it is unfair to assume every religious group or person is hypocritical or dishonest, Jesus did warn that people would claim to be Christian when they were far from it. These “wolves in sheep’s clothing” might talk the talk, but without faith, they do not live it out.

With a little help from the Bible, discerning people can separate true religion from false. This prevents being duped yet allows an honest exploration of genuine faith. Use these criteria.

False religions deify people. Acts 14 describes Paul and Barnabas healing someone only to have the crowd worship them. They protested, “Why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things (idols) to the living God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them.” Scripture clearly distinguishes humanity from our Creator. While He made us in His likeness, we are not God or gods. This lie echos Satan’s lie to Eve: “You can be as God . . . .”

Second, false religions demote God by denying His attributes: He is not holy, or not a God of love. Or, they claim many gods, or that God is in everything. They describe Him in human terms as if He does wrong or changes His mind. Although God took on human flesh when He came to die for our sins, He never stopped being God.

Third, false religions minimize sin. For them, sin either does not exist or is overrated. It has little to do with daily life and as long as a person does their best, a few sins will not affect their eternal destiny. God says otherwise. Only the first two people began life free from sin, and that did not last. Since then, He says we are born with a sin nature. The fact that children do not have to be taught to do wrong confirms it. Without His help, we cannot be righteous or obey Him.

False religions mess around with the Bible too. They change it, add to it, say it has errors and generally work on it until it suits their point of view. They interpret a different Jesus, a different salvation and a different Holy Spirit than the Bible describes. For them, Jesus is not God the Son, but rather a prophet or an angel or merely a son of God, just another god.

With that, they also dismiss salvation by grace through faith and replace it with a system of rules and leaders who dictate how to live. Most stop thinking for themselves. Many are ruled by fear and guilt. Further, reducing the Holy Spirit to an impersonal force leaves them without His guidance and power. To live right, Scripture must be interpreted and applied correctly.

Last, false religions are founded by a person or “prophet” who claims to be the only true spokesperson for God. This leader offers “revelations,” adding ideas to Scripture and claiming his way is the only true way. If you do not follow their organization (not Christ but them), you are without hope. Some go one step farther and teach that those who believe in biblical, historical Christian teaching are demonized.

A $50 million tax is staggering even for a large religious group. Yet who can put a price on the eternal cost of belonging to such a group? Without the truth of God’s Word, those caught in false religions stand in a dangerous place.