<TITLE>05. Par 22-25</TITLE>L-22 See how we took the commandments of men? And perverted them. Jesus of Nazareth, before He would let the disciples go preach, in Luke 24:49 He said, "Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you. But wait ye... Hold on just a minute before you go. Don't jump when I say it." But He said, "Wait in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. Then you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in Judaea, and into Samaria, and to the utmost parts of the world."
But today we have changed that. And we have made it that we must go to the school, and require certain grammar, and psychology, and a certain way that we conduct ourselves in the--in the pulpit. And of many different little traditions, and we couldn't be narrowed minded, and then get the doctrine of the church, learn the catechism, what the catechism said. You are not saved by knowing the catechism. You're not saved by joining the church. You're not saved by knowing the Bible. You're saved by knowing Him, Christ. For to know Him is Life.

L-23 Therefore we take the traditions of man and make the commandments of God of non effect. Our seminaries do that. Our churches require that. Our churches would not require it unless the people require it. The people's got to sanction that or they could just stay away from it, and pray God to raise them up somebody. They do it. The people's do it. They don't force you to do that.

L-24 And then in those days the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, and the religionists of that day, believed the church to give them salvation. Whatever the church said that's just exactly the way it's got to be, for the church said so. Well, it's just the same today. People are looking to the church to give them salvation. You don't get salvation through a church. You get salvation through Christ. Not by knowing some church order, some creed, or certain form of baptism, or--or certain actions or emotions that you go through. You know and get saved by Christ, and that by grace. By faith you are saved through a calling of the Holy Spirit. That's how you know Him. But they had it in those days. And how much more will they have it today.

L-25 And then the people begin to wonder. After it would take hours to go through this... Why are we in the condition that we are in? There it is. If a contractor laid out a plan for his men to build a house such and such a way, and each man ignored the blueprint, and they built the house according to the way that they thought each man should build it, what kind of a looking house would it be? Do you think it would be received? Then if that be so, one man would want it built this way, and another this way; and each man would go and build to his own idea. The only way that you'll ever build a house right is according to the blueprint. And the only way that we'll ever come back to God and get God in our midst is come back to the Bible foundation. It's just got to be that way.
Jesus spoke of it when He was here on earth and saying, "Why do you ignore, or bypass the commandments of God and make them of non effect by your traditions?" But they did it. And how much more do they do it today.


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