Is it Holy, righteous and true? If it isn’t, you are not to associate with it, it is not supposed to be a part of your everyday life.
Ask yourself this, was there not one person before the flood in the days of Noah that had any redeeming qualities, was there not even one in the land of Canaan, how many died that just happened to be there in Sodom that night, travelers or businessmen on a journey. “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matt. 5:45)
There have been many movies, documentaries, short series on the life of Christ over just the last few years, and most that watch them express an uplifting emotional response from them, a “renewing of the spirit” if you will, but few that pay any attention to them judge them against the truths of the Scripture, there is a “close enough is good enough” mentality that has permeated our world, one that seeks for feelings and not obedience, for happiness instead of holiness. They are based in the Scriptures loosely, and that is close enough for those who need to “feel the closeness” of the Savior, but they tend to forget one thing, He is always close to us, did He not promise, “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8)
In that dry and thirsty land these individuals falter, they become hesitant, because in these times the truth of their faith comes out, if they do not feel close, they feel forsaken.
Obedience without question no matter the circumstances is the sure sign of the saved, emotions do not infer faith, but many times the lack of it. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” (2 Thess. 2:11) The Mormon’s Jesus is close enough to the true Christ, the Roman Catholic God is similar to the Most High, the Jehovah’s Witnesses Holy Spirit is similar to the Spirit of the Lord God Almighty, close enough is good enough. Ask your pastor, if he is part of the local interfaith association in your community, why he would be a part of such an organization and when all is said and done his final answer will be because he does not want to be left out. Close enough is good enough.
This is indeed one of the most subtle tricks in all of Satan’s arsenal, that there is redeeming value in all of us, that all religious ideologies are basically the same, and the second is like unto the first, the man that sees the lie in this and begins to feel as if he alone holds the truth. Two of the finest traps ever invented. “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) Here is a thought for you to ponder, God does not change (Malachi 3:6) the sons of Jacob were to kill every living thing in the land of Canaan because the Lord knows the hearts of men, (1 Sam. 16:7) we are easily persuaded, easily deceived, we are not to be unequally yoked (2 Cor. 6:14) but man has decided that close enough is good enough, he decries “Why can’t we just compromise,” but that is not being holy, that is not being sanctified, that is saying that God is wrong.
We are not speaking here of whether the hair of Moses was white, gray, or silver, but of foundational truths, of the holiness of God, of the blood of Christ as the only possible atonement for sin, of the depravity of man, and I am quite sure that if you ask that person sitting next to you in the pew if they think that most who prescribe to the Mormon ideology are good people, if the Roman Catholic folks are decent people, or pick any religious cult you like, you will get a resounding yes, because that strong delusion from the Lord is in full swing.
If you do not hit the target, you have missed the mark, if you do not serve Jesus Christ as Lord, and see Him and Him alone as your only hope of salvation, you will not enter into heaven, no matter how you feel about Him. Hell is filling up with people who thought close enough was good enough.
