The Salvation that is being taught by the Bible
ARE YOU AWARE THAT from the enemies may emerge a very good friend? Like what a popular saying says, “The worst enemy is he who was once a friend.” And it could also work the other way around. One’s best friend may later on become his most bitter enemy.
Just like what happened to Apostle Paul. His opposition against our Lord Jesus Christ was so strong, to the extent that he wanted to kill the Christians. Let us read a particular verse from the Holy Scriptures. Acts 22:4 says--
“And I persecuted this way unto the death …” …”
Paul’s style of persecution is different from today’s kind of persecution. That time, persecution in religion was stiffer. The Christians were being killed. As St. Paul said, “And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.”
Just imagine how stiff it was? Even the women were not spared. Normally, in times of dissention, only the men get involved. But in the case of St. Paul, in his effort to persecute the early Church, both the men and the women were bound and delivered to prisons. It only shows the extreme persecution that Jesus experienced in the hands of St. Paul, who, at that time, was a leader of the Pharisees. The extent of persecution that St. Paul did may be read in Acts 22:6-7--
“And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecute thou me?”
He heard the voice of our Lord Jesus, who appeared to him at about noon. He asked him, “Saul, Saul, why persecute thou me?” And Saul answered. What did he tell Him? Acts 22:8--
“And I answered, who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.”
Jesus answered him: “I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.” Up to what extent did Paul persecute the Christians? Until death! In fact, this is what Galatians 1:13 says--
“For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it.”
He said, he persecuted them beyond measure, and he worked for the annihilation of the Church of God. But when the time came that Paul was called by God, and was converted, they became the best of friends.
There was even an instance that he made this confession that we can read in Galatians 2:20--
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me; and gave himself for me.”
I told you, the worst of enemies could be the best of friends; in the same manner that the best of friends can become the worst enemies. That is why I don’t really get offended if some people are against me. I do not prejudice people. In the first place, people are bound to change; they can be transformed. It is possible that an insane becomes sane; an enemy can be transformed into a friend. And only God can do all those wondrous things, thru His words.
This is the reason why we are going to talk about the word of God. We did not come here to gossip, or to do some acting here, or wave our hands. No! What we are going to do is, open the Bible, and discuss with you a topic that is frequently requested by many for me to tackle. It is all about SALVATION. That will be the core of the study that we are going to make. We will talk about SALVATION.
Not that I am undermining your respective pastors, but I am presuming that all failed to make you realize that SALVATION IS AN EXACT THING What I mean to say is it is not a “trial and error” thing; it is not a question of chance, or luck, like a lotto game. No! That is not God’s style. The God of the Bible, who offers salvation to all people, is a God of love. And He is offering salvation to all. Contrary to the claim of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) of Mr. Felix Manalo that only they who will be saved; and there is no salvation to those who do not join their church. As if they had bought salvation, on wholesale or as if Manalo had purchased it wholly, so that only they have the exclusive right to it. That is not true! To teach that those who do not join their church will not be saved is a cruel and heartless doctrine. Actually, the grandfather of Manalo did not even become a member of the INC. He was already dead at the time that the INC was established in 1913. If they claim that those who did not join their church will not be saved, that would mean that they had sentenced Manalo’s grandfather to be tormented in hell! That is cruel! That is not what the Bible is saying. Let us read II Peter 3:9--
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish …”
God does not want anybody to perish, or to be led to destruction. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering and not willing that any should perish. God does not want any man to perish. What does He want for them? In II Peter 3:9, we could read--
“… but that all should come to repentance.”
It is necessary that a person be led to repentance for him not to perish. As far as God is concerned, He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed or to perish. But if you are going to ask the INC, they will tell you that those who would not join their church will be roasted in Hell. Obviously, the INC is opposing what the Bible says. God doesn’t want anyone to be led to destruction, and being so, what must we suppose to do? Let us ask God. “God, we do not want to be punished, so what must we do? How can we be saved?” That is our topic today. And this concerns all of us. It involves all of us, irrespective of our religious affiliation. Even if you have grown old and gray in Catholicism, you still are involved in this study. I will discuss with you the salvation, which is spoken in the Bible. I repeat, salvation is an exact thing. And when I say salvation is exact, it means, it is not based on chance. And since salvation is exact, one can neither add nor deduct anything from it. One need to abide by the Lord’s commandments completely – no more, no less!
That is what God wants us to do: Obey His commandments as exactly as He had commanded them – no more, no less. The question is, If He had prohibited us from adding to it and deducting anything from it, will be fine with Him if we will add just a little and deduct just a little also? Will He permit us from doing that? For example, Deuteronomy 22:5 says--
“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”
Nowadays, it is quite hard to abide by that commandment, because, today, women prefer to wear men’s garments. And there are also men who do not simply use women’s garments, they also pluck their brows like women do. Could we possibly discard that commandment? Can we possibly make a bargain to God, and tell Him, “God, can I delete this particular part, although you said, whatsoever you have commanded must be observed without adding or deducting anything from it? Your commandment said that, a man must not put on a woman’s garment, and a woman must not wear a man’s apparel, and whoever does this is an abomination to the Lord, but can I make an appeal that this particular commandment be set aside? If you will notice, it’s a trend today that women wear pants and sport short hair, while it is fashionable among men to wear long hair.” Do you think God will grant your petition? Let us read Revelations 22:18-19--
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” .”
Therefore, God is not approving the petition. If any man shall add (to what had been written), God shall add unto him plagues. If any man takes away, God shall also take away his part in the book of life and out of the holy city, and from the things that had been written in the book. What, for example, if it’s going to be a smaller item like eyebrows, for instance. “God, it’s just an eyebrow. Will you agree if I shave it and draw another? I do not have a beautiful pair of eyebrows; I want them a little higher.” Do you think God will allow you to do that? Let us ask Him. Listen to what Matthew 5:19 says--
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so …”
Please note of Christ’s warning. “Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments …” Does God allows you to disobey even the minutest of the commandments, and teach the others to do the same? In Matthew 5:18 it says--
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
So, you should not shave your brows. He commanded that neither one jot nor one tittle “shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” God is very specific. We are not in any way wiser than Him, that we should delete, or add, anything to what He wants. Let us learn how to obey, my fellowmen. I am calling your attention. I am challenging you. You may get angry with me if I am not telling the truth!
Isn’t it that when the doctor tells us to take one tablet, three times a day, we comply with his orders? Why is it that we are abiding by the doctor’s prescriptions? Why is it that when it comes to religion, we are altering (to our favor) what God wants us to do? God said--
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.”
But what did you do? You made a graven image! Don’t get offended but I will read it from a Catholic bible . This was signed by Rufino Cardinal Santos, Archiepus Manilensus, and it has a Nihil Obstat by Mario Baltazar, and with an Imprimatur by Rufino Cardinal Santos. This is what Deuteronomy 5:8 says--
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image in the likeness of anything in the heaven above, or the earth beneath, or the waters beneath the earth. Thou shall not vow down unto them nor shall worship them. For I am the Lord thy God am a jealous God.”
This is a prohibition coming from God. But why do we keep on doing still what God has prohibited us from doing? When the doctor prohibited you from eating pork, liver, and other internal organs because you are suffering from high blood pressure and arthritis, you immediately ordered your wife not to cook pork anymore. The doctor ordered you to stop smoking because it could trigger high blood pressure. You agreed right away. In fact, you even thanked the doctor before you left his clinic. But remember that, God is also prohibiting you from smoking, but you ignored his commandment. It seems that you revere and believe your doctor more than God because you followed exactly what he ordered you to do – no more, no less. It would be fatal if you take more than what the doctor prescribed. You religiously obeyed every doctor’s order. For you the doctor is very powerful. How about God? Perhaps, many consider Him as the most powerful of all, but not for you! You do what you want to do, but not what God wants you to do! That is what you are showing.
That is why, if we are going to study religion, or about salvation, the foremost thing that we need to understand is the salvation that God teaches is for all. Not for them to delete, or add, anything but for them to observe to the fullest. No more, no less. How does the Bible call those who deduct and add to what God had taught us to attain salvation? In Proverbs 30:6 it says--
“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
Those who add to the words of God are liars. God said, do not add and do not take away. “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall also take away his part out of the book of life...” ...” These verses prove how exact salvation is because God is an exact God. Perhaps, some of you might ask, Are we a part of salvation? God doesn’t want any man to perish. He doesn’t want anyone to perish; He wants you to be one of those who would be saved. I Timothy 2:4 says--
“Who will have all men to be saved …”
Are we included there? “Who will have all men to be saved.” Are you a man? If you are a gorilla, then, you are not included. But if you are a human being, God wants you to be saved. Whether you are a lesbian, a homosexual, a harelip, cross-eyed, obese, skinny, rich, poor, or illiterate, God wants you to be saved, but not Manalo! They claim that, if you do not join their church, you will go to hell.
That is why having enemies in faith is inevitable. How about you, are you not mad at me yet? You may react if you are already mad at me. The truth should be straight and exact! And if we are going to talk about salvation, let us always remember that God wants all men to be saved. He doesn’t want anyone to be led to destruction. However, God wants us to obey His will completely and wholly. God does not want us to obey only the commandments that we want to obey. He doesn’t want us to get engaged in a religion whose doctrines are mere inventions. There are people who get in shameless religions.
There are religions, which believe that God is in heaven, on earth, and in every place. In other words, they believe that God is everywhere. Isn’t it that that is the common belief? That is the common belief of many religions but not I! I have a different belief. If you will follow their line of thinking, that God is everywhere, you will eventually realize that, they, themselves, contradict their belief. Why? Let me give you an example: “Our Father, which art in heaven.” Where is God? That part of their prayer said, God is in heaven, but why are they saying that God is everywhere? Whenever you pray, you say, “Our Father, which art in heaven, Hollowed be thy name.” “Nuestro padre de el cielo”; Ama namin, nasa langit ka.” Where is God? He is in heaven! After a while, another prayer is recited. “Hail Mary, Full of grace/ The Lord is with thee.” Where is God, this time? Which is true now? Is He everywhere? Is He in heaven? Or, is He in Mary? You are fooling yourselves!
If you are claiming that God is everywhere, it follows that He is also in cabarets, night clubs, sauna baths, and gambling dens because your God is everywhere. But why is it that when you pray, you say that He is in heaven? But what is worse is that when you say another prayer, you now say that He is in Mary! You are not sure anymore where God really is!
Perhaps, it would be better if you say, “Our Father, who is everywhere!” And do not lift your eyes to heaven anymore, and do not recite the other prayer anymore. Do not say, “The Lord is with thee.” You have said it right when you said that, He is in heaven. But it is not true that God is everywhere. I will give you an example. You called on your child, and you told him, “Child, please hang the laundry in the clothesline in our backyard because the sun is there.” Is that right, or wrong? That is wrong! It is not true that the sun is in their backyard. If that is so, then, their house could have been burned and reduced to ashes already. Where is the sun? The sun may be about 92 million miles away from the earth. But despite the distance, the rays of the sun could reach even the farthest part of the world. The same thing is true with God. God is in heaven, but He could go wherever He wants to go. But it is wrong to believe that God is everywhere. This is what Acts 17:24 says--
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.”
The God who made the world and all the things therein … the Lord of heaven and earth does not dwell in temples made by hands. He does not dwell in temples made by men. Does God dwell in temples? The Bible said, “NO!” However, the Iglesia ni Cristo, in the August 1969 issue of their "Pasugo" said “We are summoned by the Lord God to serve him in the body, or the Church of God,. We have to worship him in the house where his spirit dwells like the modern house of worship pictured above.”
They said, we must worship God in the Church of God or in a house of worship, where his spirit dwells. Obviously, the INC is opposing Christ. Through Paul, Christ said that God does not dwell in temples made by men. For the INC, their god dwells in their chapel in Roosevelt. For the Catholics, God dwells in their churches, but in reality only the priests is dwelling there. How can we be saved when the teachings that we received were all contradictory to what the Bible teaches. You may get mad at me for telling you this, but I don’t care! I am ready to endure your anger, just for you to be saved.
So, if we really want to study salvation, we must not forget that, salvation is an exact thing. But, where can we find salvation? Where are we going to base our belief, our obedience? Who are we going to obey? What must be our basis, if we want to be saved? Romans 1:16 says--
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”
Are we included there, brothers and sisters? Yes, we are. However, before we can be included, please note of what St. Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel …” Therefore, if we are going to study about salvation, we need to be guided by the Gospel. If St. Paul said that he is not ashamed of the Gospel, the more we should not be ashamed of it! I am not ashamed of the Gospel. With my head up high, I will shout to all that, salvation is in the Gospel. I don’t care if other people get mad at me. The Gospel is more reliable than hearsays. There are a lot of beliefs out there which you could not be proud. According to the Mormons, God is of flesh and bone, and the reason why God begot many children is because he espoused many women. In “Doctrines and Covenants” section 120, this is what verse 122 says, “The father has a flesh and bone as tangible as man is.” They had made God like a human being that has flesh and bone. And since he is just like a man, he could also marry and beget children. And how many wives are they entitled to have? (132:61-62):
“And again as pertaining to the laws of the priesthood – if any man espoused a virgin and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espoused the second, and they are virgins, and have not vowed to another man: then he is justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else. And if he had 10 virgins given unto him by this law he cannot commit adultery; for they belong unto him, and they are given unto him therefore he is justified.”
Did you see the lust for women of the leader of the Mormons? They can have as many wives, even 10, provided they are virgins. See how foolish this doctrine is? Who taught this? Joseph Smith! How many wives did Joseph Smith have? Let us read from “Cults and Isms”: “Mormonism seeks to reduce God into a carnal plane and even ascribes unto him human method of reproduction fully in keeping with the immortal and polygamous character of Smith and Young who had forty-eight and twenty-five wives respectively, and the latter, 46 children.” So, Joseph Smith had 48 wives.
How about in the Bible, does God permit a minister, or a bishop, to have as much as 48 wives? In I Timothy 3:2, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife …” How many wives must a minister, or a bishop, of Christ have? Only ONE ! Joseph Smith had 48. A belief that has no Biblical basis is shameful. Like this one … “Friend, we are going ahead because we still have an appointment somewhere.” Her friend answered, “Couldn’t you leave a little later? We’re still eating.” “But we have an appointment …” “Well, it’s you that I am worried about. If you really like to leave, you may just rotate the plates so that you won’t meet any accident on the road.”
Did you get that? The reason why she didn’t want her friend to leave was because she was not through eating yet. Their belief was that, he who leaves in the middle of a meal will meet an accident. And to prevent this from happening, the plates on the table must be rotated. Therefore, their fortune, or misfortune, depends on the plates. Question: Where did that belief come from? What was its basis? SALVATION HAS A DEFINITE AND EXACT BASIS!
In Arithmetic: 1+1=2, 2+4=6 and 6x6=36. The answer is always definite. Since I was young, it had always been that way. Nothing changed. 6x6 has always been 36; it never became 48. The answer is fixed. If you want to confirm that 6x6=36, you follow another operation. Count by six: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36. “Let’s start from the very beginning/A very good place to start/ When you read you begin with ABC/ When you sing you begin with DO-RE-MI … Do, a deer, a female deer/ Re, a drop of golden sun/ Mi, a name I call myself/ Fa, along, long way to run/ So, a needle pulling thread/ La, a note to follow sol/ Ti, a drink with jam and bread/ That will bring us back to Do …”
If you have mastered the musical notes, no matter what rearrangement they make to the song, you can still follow. Any musical composition is based on the notes; computations are based on mathematical operations. And when it comes to salvation, there should also be a basis. What should be our basis?
Take these for example: “Do not sweep the floor at night time; the blessings will go out of the house.” Or, “Put it off for tomorrow when the sun has risen, because God showers His blessings the moment the sun rises.” You mean to say, God does not shower His blessings at night? Many people do their work in the evening. Will that mean that they will not receive any blessings for their labor because it is when the sun rises that God showers His blessings everywhere? Where did you get those beliefs? During interments, young kids are being lifted and are made to cross over the coffin because they believe that in doing this no other member of the family will pass away soon. Can you ever prevent death? Where did you get that belief? Does it have any basis? Is it written in the Bible? Is that a word of God? Or, is it a mere superstitious belief that had been handed down to us, and we did not even bother to check where such a belief came from, and if it has any basis? “Cheers!” “Give me a toast!” What is its basis? Where did you get the idea that when there is a celebration, you need to toast before drinking? You have to find out first where that practice began.
Find out why it is bad to take a bath during Good Friday, and why is it prohibited to laugh and to eat meat (during Good Friday). Granting that it is really prohibited to eat meat, what do you take as a substitute? A kilo of beef costs P120. But since one must abstain from eating meat, what did the rich do instead? Instead of meat, they bought blue marlin, which costs P350. (Blue marlin is a good tasting fish.) I thought you are making a sacrifice? It is true that you did not eat meat, which costs P120 a kilo, but what did you buy instead? Crabs and blue marlin, which are more expensive than meat! What kind of a sacrifice is that? And where did you get the belief that, it is also prohibited to take a bath during Good Friday because God is dead at that moment? There is also a belief that, during Good Friday, a person may get the chance to own an amulet, or a charm, if he is able to swallow the crystal-like fluid that comes out of a banana blossom!
Actually, we have so many superstitious beliefs that our great, great grandparents handed down to us. But we did not bother at all to investigate where those beliefs came from. Can they be compared to a musical composition, which was based on the notes? Of course, not!
There was one person who was supposed to leave his house when, all of a sudden, a dog howled. Immediately, he made a sign of the cross. When midnight came, he heard some commotion outside his house. Again, he made a sign of the cross. But let us find out how the making of a sign of the cross came about because there is no such thing in the Bible. What is it for? Let us go over p.1 of the book on Catechism (by Monsignor Hernando Antiporda, December 21, 1941, Nihil Obstat by JB Abriol, Imprimatur by Hernando Antiporda). It says: “Ang tanda ng Santa Krus, ang ipaadya mo sa amin Panginoon naming Dios sa mga kaaway namin sa ngalan ng Ama, ng Anak, at ng Eapiritu Santo.” (The sign of the cross – that you deliver us, o Lord our God, from our enemies in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.)
What, according to them, is the significance of the sign of the cross? It will deliver them from their enemies. That is why, if there are evil creatures around, and whenever dogs howl, they make a sign of the cross. When lightning strikes, they make a sign of the cross. A driver is reckless, they make sign of the cross to be spared from accidents and from their enemies. But, what I couldn’t comprehend is that, whenever they pass by a church they also make a sign of the cross! Perhaps, they have an enemy inside the church!
After a while, here comes a procession in honor of Mary. When Mary’s statue passed, they again made another sign of the cross. They prayed that, they be delivered from their enemy. So, Mary is also an enemy!
Prove to me that such a belief is in the Bible. It is not in the Bible; it is only in the book on Catechism, but it has no basis. And because it is not in the Bible, you could not really understand what is it for! Does it mean: “to be delivered from evil,” or “to enhance one’s power?” How come during masses, the priests make a bigger sign of the cross in front of their parishioners? Are they praying to be delivered from greater enemies? I really could not comprehend what the sign of the cross is all about. If we are going to relate it with music, we do not know if it is between Do and Re, or, if it is using an f-clef or a g-clef’, or, if it is in 7 minor or 7 major. Why? Because it is not based on the notes. If you will study music, your studies have to be guided by the notes. If you will study religion, your studies must also have a basis. And the basis of religion is the word of God in the Bible – and nothing more!
Do you want to be worthy in the eyes of God? There are Catholic bibles and Protestant bibles that you can refer to. The problem is, we are too lazy to read. What do you usually hear in masses? The first reading: “Then the people of the land took Josias the son of Juanias and make him king in his father’s tent in Jerusalem.” . . . That was the first reading. The priest just read a very short portion of the Scriptures. Then, they will sing “thanks be to God ...” After that, “Brethren, the Gospel from St. Mark.” “And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour: Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” That was the second reading. Thanks be to God. …” The priest just read without explaining what he has read. The result is that, you remain ignorant of the word of God! That is the reason why until now, we do not really know how to pray. The Catholic priest would say, “Let us pray. Please, rise.” “Bendito alabado, sayas sentisimos leyson, Cristi leyson, Cristio de nuz, Amen.” “Lord, have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ graciously hear us.” As if Christ was not paying attention to him, so he was repeating what he had just said.
Even towers, which are without tongues, are petitioned to pray for them. Even the house of gold, even the tower of ivory, even the Ark of the Covenant, even the tower of David! Could they pray? Where did you get those ideas? Why are you also urging the gate of heaven to pray for you? Can they pray? They could perhaps produce a squeaking sound, but to pray to . . . that is impossible! The gate of heaven could not pray! That is not found in the Bible. Why are you calling on so many things to pray for you?
“Hail Mary full of grace!” So what? Are you envious of her because she is “full of grace”? “Blessed art thou amongst women.” She was blessed and you were not! If you were a woman, how would you feel about being addressed as “ginoo” (mister)? Wasn’t she the wife of Joseph? Why don’t you call her “Ginang Maria” instead? Just try to think of it, brothers and sisters. In prayers alone, we are already mistaken! Let us ask the Bible, “Lord Jesus, how must we pray?”
This is what Matthew 6:7 says--
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” .”
Christ doesn’t want you to be repetitious in your prayer. But what are you doing? You are repetitious!
It is being recited very hastily, and it will be repeated again and again. I have a Chinese friend, who does not speak Tagalog fluently. So, he couldn’t be at pace with the others as they say the rosary. So, what he used to do, then, was to say “pale-paleho” (they are all the same) after each prayer. Please, do not get offended, but let us read Mat 6:7-8 from a Catholic bible. “Sa inyong mga panalangin ay huwag kang magsalita ng paulit-ulit katulad ng mga Gentil na akala ay didinggin sila dahil sa dami ng kanilang sinasabi, Kaya huwag ninyo silang tutularan sapagka’t nababatid ng inyong Ama kung ano ang kailangan ninyo bago ninyo pa hingin sa kanya.”
They are practically the same. Do not use vain repetitions. That is why from this point alone we can already say that we are wrong. I am ready to confront any priest, and I will prove to him, and to all, that your prayer is wrong! We have to be definite in matters that concern salvation! Salvation is not a matter of fate! That is why there is a need for us to know everything that we have to observe, in its entirety. From prayer to food . . . to apparel . . . to marriage . . . to courtship . . . to child-bearing and child-rearing . . . to the right way of dealing with one’s neighbors, with one’s husband or wife, with one’s parents, and with the rest of the society. Everything that we must do is contained in the Bible. The Bible will serve as our guide to salvation. We are not teaching anything which is not taught by the Bible. If you want to find out for yourself that salvation is exact and definite and complete, then, try! You may think of any question that pertains to salvation, and by using the Bible, I will give an answer to your question. I am not bragging! The Bible is not wanting. The Bible provides everything that will do good to men, and everything about godliness. The Bible has them all. We really have nothing to brag about; we are not like the others, who are being addressed as “Reverend” because they claim that they are honorable pastors. We are not like them; we are mere rugs. We do not have titles of ourselves. The only thing that we take pride of is, we were made little instruments of God to reach out to our fellowmen. Our major goal is to teach you salvation! But, how? For example, somebody is looking for the house of Peter. And the one who knew Peter replied, “Which Peter are you looking for? Peter the molester, or Peter the cock fighter?” Then, the stranger answered, “Peter the cock fighter!” After hearing that, he gave the stranger instructions on how to find the house of Peter the cock fighter. That is also what we are going to do. We will teach you the way to salvation. But the question is “How?”
When asked of the house of Peter, I do not actually have to build him another house and tell the stranger that it is Peter’s house. Why, because he already has a house of his own. All that I have to do is stretch my arm and point my finger to where Peter’s house is standing. That is exactly what I am going to do in teaching you salvation. You want me to teach you salvation; we are ready to do that.
Salvation is here in the Bible, and all that we have to do is to give you, and read to you, the verses that teach it. We do not have to fabricate our own doctrines, like many pastors today do. That is why they could not give you any biblical basis. But you can be sure that, whenever we teach you something, we also provide you the supporting biblical verses, so that you may be worthy in the eyes of God. Do you want to try it, brothers and sisters? We have to be exact; we must not grope in the dark.
Did God really command all of us to get married? Somebody said, “My mother told me that I must get married for me to become a parent, too. She said that, my becoming a parent is the best way by which I can pay her, and my father, my indebtedness.” In other words, for a child to pay his indebtedness to his parents, he must get married and rear a child also. But let us ask the Bible: Is it true that the only way by which a child can repay his parents is by getting married? Allow me to answer first before we read what the Bible says. How can you repay your parents if you are getting married right away . . . when you do not even have any employment? That is stupidity! Originally, your parents are feeding only you. Now, it’s going to be the two of you – you and your wife. Later on, you might become five should you beget 3 children. How can you pay your indebtedness to your parents that way? You will be able to repay them if you will not get married yet.
For example, after graduating from your Engineering course, you did not marry right away. You decided to wait for another 20 years before getting married. By that time, you have already repaid your parents. Your parents deserve your first pay because they were the ones who spent for your education. They were the ones who sacrificed for you, so, when you receive your first pay, tell them, “Father, Mother, here is my first pay. Have a taste of the fruit of your hard work.” But, you will appear ungrateful if you will hand your first pay to your wife, and then, you will quarrel with your parents.
Now, is it wrong to get married? No, so long as everything has been set properly. One time, somebody came to ask for my permission to get married. So, I interrogated him first: Do you already have a house? He said that, he had given a down payment for their would-be apartment. Then I asked him: Is the unit ready for occupancy? He said, yes. In fact, they already have a complete set of appliances, including a microwave oven! I asked him how much is his monthly salary. He said that he was receiving 11 thousand while his wife has 5 thousand. So, 16 thousand minus 2,500 for the monthly rental of the apartment is . . . Why was I computing? Because I have to know if he is capable of raising and supporting a family. I do not marry irresponsible man and woman, who would later on become irresponsible parents. I have to find out if they would become responsible parents. Otherwise, they might just compound the number of children that loiter in the streets, especially if the man is jobless. If you are jobless, you better daydream instead.
The Bible said, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” Amen? That is what the Bible said. But today, many stupid pastors do not care anymore whether, or not, couples are fit to marry. They do not give a damn so long as you pay their services. We do not practice that thing in our organization. There is nothing wrong in getting married. Marriage is one delightful stage in the life of man. It is an ascent to a higher and more complicated step in the ladder. And it requires readiness. You have to be physically, spiritually, morally, and financially prepared for it. But if you are getting married with only 20 pesos in your pocket, where will that amount bring you? You just couldn’t romance all night through, just like what a song says.
Before your honeymoon period ends, you might be giving up already. You could not even afford to buy yourself an energy drink, or a Sarsi with beaten egg. Not that I am downgrading you, but how can you survive in marriage if you only have 20 pesos in your pocket? The Bible said, The man shall leave his father and mother. Therefore, you must leave apart from your parents. That is God’s law! Will you abide by it? The Bible is exact! It is now up to you if you want to believe it, or not. Bear in mind that, in gatherings like this one, I never speak of things, which has no basis. I read verses from the Bible. May God help you understand what I am saying so that the next time that you listen to me, you will no longer be mad at me. Please, don’t get me wrong. I am just telling you the steps to salvation. And we have a basis in everything that we say. This is what I Corinthians 4:6 says--
“. . . that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written.”
If it is written that we should turn our umbrellas upside down, by all means, I, too, will turn my umbrella upside down, and then sing. The members of El Shaddai turn their umbrellas upside down. If the waving of handkerchief is also written, then, I will also wave mine. I can also do that.
That is too easy to do. Velarde’s dance steps are too simple; in fact, I can learn that in less than 20 minutes. I can also pin a flower in my “barong”, if only I am after increasing the number of members of our organization. Where can you see a preacher wearing a scarlet red suit, with a flower on his breast? I can also do that. In the first place, my complexion is fairer than Velarde’s. But I am not saying that I am more handsome than he is. I just said that my complexion is fairer because that is the truth. What am I trying to say? I can also do what he is doing; I can also flatter people; I can also do a little dancing; I can also speak in tongues. That’s easy to do. In the first place, I do not have a speech defect; I neither stutter nor stammer. They know only about 3 verses of the Bible; I know more than that. If I would just incorporate flattery and deceit in my preaching, I could, perhaps, been one of the richest pastors here in the Philippines today. That is, if I will incorporate deceit! But that is not my cup of tea! I do not do that because I love my fellowmen. My vocation in life is to proclaim the truth to all, even if it would mean being reprimanded by my parents . . . even if that would mean losing my life! That is my conviction.
Maybe, some of you would ask why I am shouting at the top of my voice. “Mr. Soriano, can’t you speak a little softer?” The reason why I am shouting there are people who are deaf. Isaiah 58:1 --
“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression . . .”
I am shouting because I have a basis in doing so. Why am I laughing sometimes? Why am I singing sometimes? I have a basis!
Every man must be taught. But, where will the doctrines come from? Magmula sa Jerusalem. Where did the doctrines come from? They came from Jerusalem . . . not from Germany; not from Rome. The “Pasyon” said, it would come from Jerusalem. Unfortunately, your doctrines came from Rome. The doctrines, which came from Jerusalem couldn’t be altered because they were written in the Bible. And those teachings must be imparted to all people so that, they won’t fall into transgression. “Ang sinoma’t aling tao/ Arala’t binyagan mo.” (Teach and baptize all men.) Who should be baptized? . . . those who had received the teachings of the Bible, not the infants! “Ang tumanggap ng bautismo at maniwalang totoo.” (Those who receive baptism are those who believed.) Is an infant capable of believing? Hebrew 5:13 says --
“For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness for he is a babe.” .
Is it an infant capable of accepting the word of righteousness? An infant, or a babe, “is unskilled in the word of righteousness.” So, how could he accept it?
Were you baptized when you were still young? Did you personally accept it? The priest said, “Yo te bautiso el nombre del padre, del verbo, y del espiritu santo.” And his sacristan replied, “Amen.” Who was the recipient? The sacristan! If the priest gave baptism 5 times that day, the sacristan likewise received 5 baptisms! While the infant simply cried, “Uhaaa . . . Uhaaa . . .” Did the child accept any baptism? Who among you are Catholics? That means, all of you have not been baptized! Why? . . . because you have not received any. In fact, you never really understood “varta mergon sacramentum liri y mun I lui el antigum, monumentum.” Did you understand, “Dominus noviscum secola se colorum, Amen”? What does that mean? Did you accept it? How, when you did not even understand what that meant? You did not even know if you were already cursed!
That is what I mean. We must not be ignorant because there is the Holy Scriptures, which we can consult. You can never be fooled because you have a basis – the Bible! It had been documented; it can never be altered. Should anybody dare to change the Bible, he will merit our wrath. Personally, I really dispute with people who change the Bible. That is the reason why many pastors are angry with me. I quarrel, not only with those who change the Bible, but also with those who give their own interpretation to it, because they are misleading a lot of people. The Bible does not have to be interpreted; the Bible interprets itself! You only have to read it. In Ephesians 6:1 it says--
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise. That it nay be will with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
Is that difficult to understand? Child, do you want to live long? If you want to live long, what must you do? Honor your mother and your father because this is the first commandment with a promise. What is the promise? You will live well. The Lord will never forsake you; you will live longer. You will be able to enjoy your life on earth. The first commandment that you must obey is to honor your mother and your father. Is that hard to understand? Of course, not! That is what was written.
Here is another in Colossians 3:19--
“Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.”
Are there husbands who are bitter to their wives? Yes, there are. That is why, the moment the husband leaves the house, his wife secretly prays, “May you be hit by lightning! You shameless! May a train run over you!” Bitter or not? Bitter, otherwise, his wife will not pray that he be hit by lightning! Her wishes only prove that her life with her husband is bitter! If her life with him is sweet, each time that he would leave the house, she would always tell him, “Take care, dear.” Or, “Daddy, you take care. I am miserable without you.” Sweet, isn’t it? But, if their pronouncements are, “You shameless! Do not come back anymore!” that means that, the husband is bitter to his wife. Is that true, or not? But, why do they happen? . . . Because you do not want to follow the teachings of the Bible. Obey the Bible! Love your wife. Do not be bitter to them.
On the other hand, the women are also advised to be quiet. Men do not like very talkative women. The more you talk, the more your husband gets annoyed. Do not be suspicious of him. “Perhaps, you have a mistress!” If you do not stop from talking . . . if you not stop with your suspicions and accusations, he might really look for a mistress! And where will you end up when that happens? Your husband will start singing, “Please, release me let me go/ For I don’t want you anymore…”
The reason why the world goes wrong is because we refuse to obey God’s commandments. But, if you will only follow them, then, everything will just be fine. It is just be like a train that sticks to the railway. But once the train gets off the track, accidents are sure to happen. The Bible is like a railway. When God created us, He also created, for us, a “railway” which we must follow to avoid mishaps. In other words, if we want to attain salvation, we have to be guided by what the Bible says.
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