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 n dealing with people that we meet in the different places that we go, more often than not, there are misunderstandings that arise. And that is inevitable because we have different religious affiliations. I hope that the Lord will help us understand each other by means of His words in the Bible. Sometimes also, it can’t be helped that you feel slighted whenever the faith that your pastor, or your religious leader instilled in you, is being questioned. For example, if you are a believer that Christ is just a man, you will definitely get angry if somebody will insist that Christ is God. Therefore, if we are divided in our beliefs, if there is factionalism among us, it is not really your fault. Instead, it is the fault of our pastors, who fed us with wrong beliefs. This is whatII Peter 2:1says--
“But there were false prophets who among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”
There was somebody who claimed that he had been hit by a truck, yet, he incurred no bruises, while the truck was totally wrecked. Who did he think he was, Incredible Hulk? Can you imagine that? He was not wounded when the truck hit him, while Christ was wounded by nails when He was crucified. But where did this incredible belief come from? St. Peter said, it was taught by false prophets.
And each time that I visit the different parts of the country, I make it a point to discuss this matter to our fellowmen, in our desire to open their minds. I try to make them realize that not everything that they hear must be kept, right away, in their hearts and minds and that they must not believe things easily. FAITH must have a basis. We do not know if you will agree with me. But, isn’t it that if we are going to study music, we must be guided by the musical notes? And if you want to learn how to compute, you must be guided by the arithmetical operations?
But lately, we found out that, sometimes, even Arithmetic can be wrong. Why did I say that? Isn’t it that in school, we were taught that, in order to determine the circumference of a circle, we have to multiply the diameter with the pi 3.1416? That is what we know, and that is correct from your first to your eleventh computations. But when you do the 12th until the 500th computations, the multiplier should no longer be 3.1416. The 16 will now become 159, to be exact. This was proven when the computers were used in computing the circumference of a circle. What are we trying to say? If things, which already have bases, could still go wrong, what more if there is no basis at all?
The same thing is true among doctors. What might be true today may no longer be true the next day; what may be true to one patient may not be effective to another. Sometimes, doctors handle things on a case to case basis. A dosage that is being given to an individual cannot be given to all. A certain dosage could be effective to one patient but not to all. What are we trying to point out? If those who are guided by basis can still go wrong, how much more if there are no basis at all?
This is the reason why before we accept a certain belief, or faith, before we keep it in our heart and in our mind, we must try it first. That is a law of God. This is what I Thessalonians 5:21-22 says--
“Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
God said, “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” That is very clear. There is evil, and if you will not try things, you might be deceived. You might mistake evil as good and good as evil, if you will not prove all things first. God wants all things to undergo a trial. “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good.” When will you come to realize which is good? After you have tried all things? There is a need to prove all things because evil can disguise as good. In II Corinthians 11:13 it says--
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
That is why we have to try things first before we accept that they are correct because there are false apostles, according to the Bible, who pretend to be apostles of Christ. They are in disguise. That is why you cannot discern immediately that they are not of God. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness.”
It is on this aspect that I want to stir your consciousness. Before we start believing in something, let us seek for some proofs first. When can a husband say that his wife is faithful, and she’ll remain true even if he works in Saudi Arabia for eight years? He must have a basis in believing that way. Had he tested her fidelity? If he had tested and proven her fidelity, then, he can trust and believe in his wife. But if he had not tested her, there is a possibility that when he returns home, he will end up singing: “Napakasakit, Kuya Eddie.” (It’s very painful.). When you left, the two of you only have one child, but when you returned home, there are already three children. How could she have conceived two more children when you were in another country? It could not have happened via mail! That only proves that your wife is unfaithful. And now, you have a strong basis in believing so.
The reason why we are able to give our trust to a person is because we have proven for ourselves that he is trustworthy. That is what we must exercise before we instill something in our heart and in our mind. But if we believe in something, which we have not tested yet, chances are, we will end up believing in something that is wrong, and which is not of God.
Today, a lot of people believe in things, which do not have any basis. Where did you get the belief that when you jump three times and shout, “Hallelujah, praise the Lord,” the devil will be driven away? Is it based on a comic book story? Or, did you read it from a tabloid, which was used as a wrapper of smoked fish? Did it have any biblical basis? Did the Bible mention that, after jumping three times, the devil will be driven away? Give me a biblical basis that, in praying, we need to raise our hand and wave, and say, “Dearest Jesus, thank you Lord Jesus, hooo!” You deserve a slap in the face! You are overacting! Do those things have any basis?
If your pastor is asking you to beg for money in the streets, in market places, or in buses, ask him what is his basis in letting you do that? If he has any, find out if his basis will pass both the moral and the biblical standards. If his basis does not pass the biblical standards, that means, it should not be accepted. For it to be accepted as a universal truth, it must pass all standards of truth. It is not a universal truth if it is true only to a particular group. For example, it is a generally accepted fact that, to get the circumference of a circle, you must multiply its diameter by 3.1416. However, as the number gets bigger, it is no longer advisable that we still use the multiplier 3.1416. It now requires a more exact number. The last number, which is 6, will be changed to 159, otherwise, there will be a discrepancy in the result. The same problem is possible to arise in religion if we will not be properly guided by a basis.
Let me give you an illustration. For the Born Again, smoking is prohibited. It is prohibited, isn’t it? Who among you are members of the Born Again? Isn’t it that smoking is prohibited in your group? If you are going to ask your pastor why smoking is prohibited, he will tell you that it is bad to one’s health. Am I right? Now, if you will ask him, how about drinking coffee? Shouldn’t they also prohibit the drinking of coffee because it is also bad to one’s health? And he will tell you, “no”. But why? If smoking is prohibited because it is hazardous to one’s health, then, drinking coffee must also be prohibited because it can also do harm to the body. In other words, the doctrine that smoking must be prohibited because it damages one’s health is just a part of the truth, because aside from smoking, there are other things, which we intake that is hazardous to our health, but they are not prohibited.
Let me illustrate it further. Smoking is bad because, when you smoke, you inhale carbon monoxide, aside from the fact that, cigarette contains nicotine, tar, and other substances. But, is there a difference between smoking a cigarette in Laguna and inhaling the polluted air in Metro Manila? Is there any difference in terms of damage done to the body? The cigarette smoke, which you inhaled in Laguna, contains as much poison as the air that you are going to inhale in Metro Manila. If you are going to apply the premise that was laid earlier that, smoking is bad because it is hazardous to one’s health, then, you must also prohibit people from going to Manila because the air there is also hazardous to health! Did you get my point? Remember, your basis in prohibiting smoking is that it is harmful to one’s health. It follows that going to Manila should also be prohibited because the air that you are going to inhale there is also hazardous to health. Do you know that Metro Manila is the 3rd most polluted city in the world? Apparently, we have become globally competitive, not in terms of productivity, or industrialization, but in terms of pollution. And when it comes to population, we rank number five.
In other words, before we entertain something in our mind, we have to find out first if it has any basis. Let us examine if its basis is acceptable. Like in singing, “When you read you begin with ABC When you sing you begin with do-re-mi Do-re-mi … The first three notes just happened to be do-re-mi Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti ... Do, a deer, a female deer Re, a drop of golden sun Mi, a name I call myself Fa, a long, 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 understand music, especially if you can read musical notes, even if you reverse their order, if you have memorized the notes, you can never go wrong. You have a way of knowing the melody of a song, even if you have not heard it yet if you know how to read notes. By playing the piano, you get to know its melody, and you also get the chance of memorizing the song. Therefore, in music, we depend to the (musical) notes.
In Arithmetic, 1+1=2; 2+2=4; 4+4=16; 16+16=32; 32+32=64. If you are going to study Arithmetic, you must know first the numbers 1 to 10. Counting 1 to 10 is a primary knowledge. Let me give you a situation. If you are going to count from 1 to 10,000,000, how many number 7 will you be able to use? Isn’t it that, if you are going to count from 1 to 10 million, what we know is that, we are going to use the numbers 1 to 10 one million times? But that is not really so. If you are going to count 1 to 10 million, and if you are going to jot down the numbers, you will find out that, after counting 1 to 10 million, you were able to use the number 7 more frequently than the other numbers. The number 7 is used one million and twenty-seven times in counting 1 to 10 million. But what we know is that, numbers 1 to 10 will be used in one million times in counting 1 to 10 million. (If you are going to write down the numbers, you will find out that, the number 7 will be used one million and twenty-seven times.) Therefore, it is not true that in 10 million, there are one million number 1, one million number 2, one million number 3, and so on. If you are going to count 1 to one million, the numbers 1 to 10 will be used evenly, but it is not true if you will count from 1 to 10 million. In 10 million, the number 7 will be used more frequently than the other numbers. In other words, what was true in the primary level may not be true in the secondary and tertiary levels. Things are bound to become more complicated as you move higher, especially in matters concerning music, computation, or Arithmetic, Medicine, and Law. As you get higher, things become more complicated, but most especially in matters of religion. Spiritual matters have many complications. If you accept something, which you do not understand, and which you have not proven yet, you are already in the wrong path.
That is why when I had a debate against one religious leader, I asked him if their reason in prohibiting smoking is that, it is bad to one’s health, isn’t it that the air in Manila is also hazardous? Because in Manila, you will inhale not just cigarette smoke, but there are smokes emitted by buses and factories. Is there any difference between standing in the middle of Quiapo and smoking two packs of cigarettes? Both are hazardous to one’s health. So, we must realize that there are more valid reasons why smoking must be prohibited. Not just because it is harmful to one’s health.
It is just like the alibi that others are giving on why they are kneeling before graven images of saints. They claim that, they are kneeling before graven images but that gesture is intended for God. And if, for instance, they are kissing the statue of St. John, that kiss is actually meant for Christ! On the other hand, the others would say that, they are not really worshipping statues and images, but God with which the statue represents. Okay, fine. It sounds good. But, what if I kiss your wife, and then, I tell you, “Don’t get mad, anyway, that kiss is not really meant for your wife.” Will that be alright with you (that your wife be the receiver of a kiss, which is not actually meant for her)? You are a fool if you give your consent to that! And do you think that it is also fine with God that you give a piece of wood, or stone, a kiss, which is meant for Him? Will that be possible? Does it have any basis? Everything in this world must have a basis.
One time, I commended Ka Oscar Orbos when he said, everything that we must do must have a basis. For example, you went to the market; you bought some food; when you went home, you cooked, and fed your children. Did you have a reason for doing those things? Yes! You fed them because they are your children. Do you have a basis why you must surrender your salary to your wife? Yes, because she is your wife. But, is it proper that you give your salary to any other woman? No! You do not have any basis in doing that. How about sweeping the streets of Metro Manila? What is your basis in sweeping the streets of Metro Manila? Do you know how busy the streets are of Metro Manila? If you are a pedestrian, you are not supposed to walk, or cross, anywhere you want to. However, if you are a Metro Aide . . . if you had been tasked to sweep the streets of Metro Manila, then, you have a basis in doing so. Do you have now a basis? Yes! The city office has designated you to perform that task. In fact, you even receive compensation for fulfilling that responsibility. But, if your task is to sweep the streets of Manila, and you swept the streets of Calamba instead, do you think your labor will be compensated? You must be out of your mind! Who told you to sweep the streets of Calamba? Do you have any basis? Bear in mind that, in anything that we do, we must always have a basis!
For example, what is my basis in coming here? If I do not have a basis, then, you’ll probably heap curses upon my person. But, I have a reason, or a basis, for coming here. The brethren here (Calamba) invited me to speak before you. And for that reason, even if I keep on talking for hours, I wouldn’t be out of place, and you wouldn’t have a reason to get mad at me, because I have a basis for being here. You may get mad, perhaps, if my invitation is to speak here in UP Los Bańos, but instead of going here, I went instead to San Pedro, Laguna, and there I gave my talk while you were waiting for me here; or perhaps, if I just grabbed the microphone from somebody who is already speaking. That wouldn’t be right because I didn’t have any basis.
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