Truth Magazine

By Randy Reynolds

“Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go” (Ex. 5:2). Pharaoh’s question would soon be answered in the chapters to follow. However the question that he presented is a good one. I’m quite confident that if more knew the answer to his question, if they knew the Lord, that they would be more and more concerned with serving him.

Job’s friend Zophar asked: “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7) The apostle Paul said: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways! ” (Rom. 11:33)

Our God whom we serve is not confined to the material limitations of time, matter, and space. Jesus himself spoke of God as a “Spirit” (Jn. 4:24), and then informs us that 46a spirit does not have flesh and bones” (Lk. 24:39). Moses had reminded the children of Israel that they “saw no form” when God appeared to them at Horeb, and there warned them against making “a graven image of any figure” (Deut. 4:12,15-19). The second of the 10 commandments forbade 46graven images” (Deut. 5:8-10) since God is a non-corporeal personal being.

Yet realistically the question remains, “who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?”

Our God whom we serve is:

– Eternal

– Immutable

– Omnipotent

– Omnipresent

– Omniscient

The apostle Paul actually made many of these observations in his lesson while on Mars Hill (cf. Acts 17:22-29).

Eternal: Jesus informed the Jews that He is eternal in the Gospel of John by stating, “before Abraham was born, I AM” Qn. 8:58). When Moses was receiving his instructions to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt he asked, “what is His name?” (Ex. 3:13) “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you” (Ex. 3:14). And the Psalmist said, “Lord, Thou has been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born, Or thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God” (Psa. 90:1,2).

Immutable (unchanging): In this great attribute of God we build our trust and have tremendous confidence. This can be done because we know his promises are true. Our Christian hope is based on Divine Word, and that Divine Word has been given to us by an oath (cf. Heb. 6:9-20).

Man is unpredictable because he changes his mind from time to time. But our God is unchanging, “For I the Lord, do not change” (Mal. 3:6). And James states that with our Father in Heaven, “there is no variation, or shifting shadow” (James 1:17).

Omnipotent (almighty): The word omni comes from the Latin word omnis which means all. Thus our God is all powerful.

In Jeremiah’s prayer he said, “Ali Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee” (Jer. 32:17). After he had finished praying the Lord said to him, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is anything too difficult for Me?” (Jer. 32:27)

The Hebrew name for God Almighty was El Shaddai and this name seemed to be the usual name for God in the days of the Patriarchs. To Abraham, Isaac, and Job God was known as the “Almighty” (cf. Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 35:11).

Omnipresent (everywhere): The apostle Paul said, “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).

In 11:4, the Psalmist stated, “Heaven is the throne of God” and in 1 Kings 8:30 we are told that Heaven is “His dwelling place.” If this be correct, then how can God be everywhere? Consider with me these Old Testament examples for a clue to our answer. . .

(1) Exodus 3:2,4

(2) Exodus 14:30; Isaiah 63:9

(3) Exodus 13:21; 14:19

Now answer these questions:

(1) Was God in the bush?

(2) Did the Lord save Israel from the hand of the Egyptians?

(3) Did the Lord go before the children of Israel in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night?

I believe you would have to answer “Yes” to all 3 questions, simply because that’s what the Bible says. But you would also have to conclude that God used an angel to do all three while He yet remained in Heaven, “His dwelling place.”

Thus in Jeremiah we find, “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far off?” Can a man hide himself in hiding places, So I do not see Him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the Heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord (Jer. 23:23-24).

Omniscient (all knowing): Our God is a “God of all knowledge” (1 Sam. 2:3). “He knoweth all things” (1 Jn. 3:20). His knowledge is as infinite as his great power; he knows our hearts (Acts 1:24) and our needs (Matt. 6:8). According to Mark 13:32, He even knows what Jesus and the angels do not know.

There is a God, He is alive In Him we live, and we survive; From dust our God, created man, He is our God, the great I AM.

The apostle Paul said, “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Rom. 13:1). These my friend are the Divine Attributes of our God, the One we worship and adore.

Based upon so many Bible truths it doesn’t seem possible for one “once enlightened” to go back to the ways of Satan. After all, the God of Heaven even controls his (Satan’s) powers. Sadly enough however, it happens everyday.

But you don’t have to allow that to happen to you. Pay close attention to his word and learn to love him with all of our heart, all of your soul, with all of your strength and with all of your mind (cf. Lk. 10:27). When this was stated to the children of Israel, the Lord told them, “These words shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:4-7).

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 17, pp. 532-533
September 3, 1987

By Irven Lee

There are those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Our Savior said such people are blessed (Matt. 5:6). There have always been those whose ears are dull of hearing, and whose eyes are closed (Matt. 13:12-16; Acts 28:26-27; Isa. 6:9,10). We have ears to hear, and we certainly need to hear the gospel. Each of the seven letters to the seven churches of Asia as recorded in chapters two and three of Revelation included this statement: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”A zealous and faithful Christian is very encouraged when he finds one as willing and eager to hear as was the Ethiopian treasurer (Acts 8:26-39). It is very discouraging to find one who is not at all interested in the gospel. For one to be taught of God he must be willing to learn. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and faith comes by hearing this heavenly message (Rom. 1:16; 10:17). A living, active faith must be in the heart or one cannot please God (Heb. 11:6; James 2:14-26). When men of God first carried the word to the Roman world, the people divided themselves into two groups. “The multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles” (Acts 14:4; John 7:43). In which group would you have found your place?

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 17, p. 533
September 3, 1987

By Tom M. Roberts

Some issues are so taken for granted that common acceptance belies their intrinsic value and native importance. Such an issue is the subject of free will. Among brethren, until fairly recent dates, free will has been an accepted doctrine, figuring unobtrusively in conclusions drawn from biblical principles. Events a corrupted nature have led to the recognition that we may have taken too much for granted, in fact. Theologians have debated God’s sovereignty and man’s free will for centuries, churning out volumes of commentaries from Augustine onward. Since most of us do not pretend to be theologians, we have allowed simple Bible exegesis to determine our approach to the subject more than philosophical reasoning. I have personally done little preaching on free will as a separate topic, choosing rather to include it by reference in related matters. With this discussion, I hope to stimulate others to further writing and preaching on what I believe to be a vital subject. Free will has far reaching implications relating to human nature, ethics, moral responsibility, social issues, and theology, including the question as to whether or not man is able to respond to his Creator’s will so as to exercise choice among moral contingencies. The particular view one espouses will determine attitudes and actions in “every issue of life” (Prov. 4:23).

Does man have genuine moral freedom, true choice among alternatives, the ability to make decisions without coercion of a genetically inherited disposition beyond individual control? Are there contingencies facing man which he will confront without determinism (the antithesis of moral freedom) or antecedent causes? Is man ultimately responsible for his actions? Can he “do” anything by free choice in response to God’s grace? Is punishment and reward fixed by God independent of any action on the part of man and by divine fiat before the worlds were formed? The very scope of these questions suggests their importance. The question that David pondered, “What is man. (Psa. 8:4), is still very much with us today.

The Nature of Creation

God made robots of many orders: animate (fish, fowl, beasts of the field) and inanimate (planets, trees, grass). An animal is no less a robot than a star, being programmed by instinct to act only according to its species, even as a star wanders according to the laws of the universe. A spawning salmon returns unerringly to the place of its birth, not because it chooses to do so, but because it is driven by instinct,: it cannot not return. A blade of grass or a flower springs forth, withers and dies, having no choice as to its existence, to bloom or not to bloom. Such creatures never weigh alternatives and choose a direction based on free, moral action. “Free” in this context is “absence of external compulsion,” action that spontaneously erupts from its subject. “Moral” denotes the “ability to know right from wrong.” Man is a free, moral creature and unique in that he is the only such creature on earth! It is this awesome uniqueness that sets man apart from all other beings and faces him with responsibilities that have eternal consequences. If man is moral, he can know right from wrong and will be held accountable for his actions. If man is but another robot, a living machine without morality, he has no more responsibility or accountability than the animate and inanimate robots of creation. An evil man would be no more guilty than a shooting star or raging torrent; a good man would be no more worthy of praise than a blooming flower. But, in the light of the Scriptures, who can accept such a position? Let us trace the biblical answers and learn the purpose of man’s creation.

Jehovah Created Us For His Own Glory

Basic to our study is the fact that Jehovah has the inherent right of the Creator to create as it pleases him. “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus?” (Rom. 9:20) Consequently, when God created, he did so to his own praise and glory. “Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created” (Rev. 4:11). But should we not consider that the highest order of praise and glory to God is that which is freely given? While it is true that the “heavens declare the glory of God” (Psa. 19:1), they do so by constraint (as robots) and not by choice. How, or in what fashion could the Lord bring into existence a creature that offered its Creator praise and glory not of constraint but by free choice? Is it not in the creation of a freewill being, something that could recognize the righteous nature of the Creator and, while able to act of his own will, willingly submit to God’s will? Is not man, therefore, the expression of God’s grand design to have a free-will creature, a higher order than anything on earth, to be able to choose to serve and glorify God with a free heart?

“Why did God make free-will creatures? The Bible does not give an explicit answer to this question. We infer from other teaching in the Scripture that God’s chief purpose and desire were to have creatures who would love, serve, and glorify him of their free choice and not by coercion or manipulation. We infer this, for example, from the fact that the first and greatest commandment is that we should love God with all our hearts and minds (Matt. 22:37). The fact that this is the most important thing that we can do suggests that it is what God desires from his creation more than anything else. Giving his creatures free will was a necessary means to this end.”(1)

We may also infer the truthfulness of this proposition from the projected destiny of those who choose to serve God: heaven. John sees the “holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev. 21:2-3). Though sin interrupted the grand plan of creation, it is yet achieved through Christ. Paul wrote “to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints, to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:25-27). We conclude, therefore, that God made man “a little lower than the angels, crowned him with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:7), instilled within him free will and the ability to choose righteousness, all to his own praise and glory. Man reaches no higher goal than when he serves God. “The whole (duty) of man” is to “fear God, and keep his commandments” (Eccl. 12:13). “Unto thee, O Jehovah, do I lift up my soul” (Psa. 25:1). “1 will give thanks unto Jehovah with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works” (Psa. 9:1). With these beautiful verses, I can add my own choice of praise, freely given, that “in me, Lord, thy purpose of creation is vindicated. I freely choose to serve thee.”

The Risk of Free Will

“A command makes sense only if the recipient is capable of doing either what is required or forbidden, in other words, only if he is a responsible being. So the divine prohibition implies that man is morally free. Adam and Eve were free to render or refuse obedience to God. Since, as we noted earlier, freedom involves the presence of genuine alternatives, God could not give man the freedom to obey and at the same time withhold the power to disobey. ‘Freedom to obey’ is nothing if it is not also the freedom to disobey. Consequently, had man been incapable of disobedience, his fulfillment of God’s requirements would not have been voluntary. And the word moral could not apply.

“The affirmation of moral freedom requires an open view of reality. When God gave man moral freedom, He was leaving undecided whether or not man would obey. In other words, He left open man’s response to God’s expectations of him. God might, presumably, have constructed man to respond to Him in only one way. But in that case moral experience would have been impossible, because man would not have been responsible for his behavior. Man is a morally free being, and the content of his decision to obey and disobey must have been indefinite until man himself made the decision.”(2)

“The fact that human beings (and angels before them) were created with free will, though, means that there was the possibility of or potential for evil. For if man is to have the ability freely to choose to love God, he must also be given the capacity to choose to hate and reject God. Thus in a sense the creation of free-will beings entailed a risk. But God was willing to risk the free choice of evil in order to have freely-chosen love and worship.”(3)

With these quotations, we introduce the thorniest of the problems of free will: sin. Why did God make man with the ability to sin? Why did God not make man with only the ability to do good? Did the Lord, as the creeds affirm, in contradictory fashion, “by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; (and here is the contradictory part, tr) yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 111:1)? Such statements beg the question before us and raise others. Is God responsible for man’s sin as the First Cause, thereby responsible for man’s eternal damnation since all creation was done unchangeable and by foreordination of “whatsoever comes to pass”? Or is man accountable for his actions precisely because God made him a free-will creature?

Since God is sovereign, he has the absolute right to do as he pleases. Yet we must conclude that he will not act in discord with is nature, even in creation. As James says, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man” (Jas. 1: 12). John adds, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 Jn. 1:5). We can safely conclude, therefore, that God could not, because of his righteous nature, create immutably and unchangeably a man who must sin and cannot help himself except to do as created, then hold that man accountable for that sin. The alternative, presented in the Bible, is that God, as a sovereign, created man as a free, moral being so that man might choose to serve God, yet, by the nature of free will, provide the potential (risk) that man would choose evil. In the moral sense, therefore, man himself is sovereign, in time (not eternity). Does not Ecclesiastes address the fact that man may act as he wills “under the sun” but that he should remember that “for all these things, God will bring thee into judgment” (11:10)? Will we do that for which we have been created, or will we go astray? As the Psalmist said, “Jehovah looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek after God” (14:2). Only man, of all the creatures of God, can say “no” to God. This rebelliousness is the risk of free will.

I believe that the story of Job is an illustration of this very principle: “Will man willingly serve his Creator as God intended?” If you recall, Satan accused Job of serving God only because it was convenient (God made Job wealthy). God..had stated that Job was a “perfect and upright man, one that feareth God” (1:8). The Devil’s accusation was: “Does Job fear God for nought?” (1:9) What Satan was charging against Job (and, consequently, against all men) is that man does not choose to serve God because it is right and good, but that he serves God only for what he can get. God then permits Satan to test Job’s free will (and he is testing ours today) to see if he will serve God out of a moral sense that it is right to do so even when suffering in the world that God created. In Job’s case, God’s purpose in creation was vindicated: the creature chose to serve the Creator, glorifying the work of his hands. Our case is still pending today. Will I serve God because I am able to do so with a free will that recognizes right and wrong and chooses the right?

The Origin of Sin

What is the origin of sin; where did it come from? If God is infinite in righteousness, how could sin originate in His universe? One of the arguments of the atheist against the existence of God is the reality of evil. The creeds have not adequately dealt with this issue of sin’s origin, as we have seen, falsely accusing God of unchangeably ordaining whatsoever comes to pass, yet ignoring the consequential result that such charges God with creating sin. I believe the answer to the questions about sin lie in a proper understanding of the free will nature of man as a moral creature of God. Putting what we have found in numerical sequence for clarification, we find:

1. God is a sovereign Creator.

2. He has made many creatures that me not free or moral. These creatures glorify God by their existence (Psa. 19:1).

3. God chose to create yet another creature that would be both free and moral, man. But to be truly free, man must be able to obey or disobey, possessing the capability of, and the potential for, sin.

4. Man did disobey and, as an accountable being, is responsible for sin. He did not have to sin, but chose to do so (Rom. 5:12), with the attendant consequences.

After affirming that God cannot be tempted with evil and that he tempts no man, James supports the above conclusions when he concludes, “but each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death” (Jas. 1:13-15). Herein lies the origin of sin: within the human heart that has the highest potential of praise to God or the blackest depth of sin’s degradation. Which shall it be? That is the work of choice, will, determination. All too often, we have chosen to do wrong and are in the bondage of sin (Rom. 7:24). But let there be no mistake as to the origin of sin or of man’s accountability for it. Recognizing the potential damnation of my soul through the choice to do evil, let me rather rejoice that I have the parallel potential to achieve a “greater weight of eternal glory” (2 Cor. 4:17), working God’s will in my life. Heaven will surely be worth it all.

Endnotes

1. What The Bible Says About God The Ruler, by John Cottrell (College Press), p. 398.

2. God’s Foreknowledge and Man’s Free Will, by Richard Rich (Bethany Press), Chap. 3, p. 38.

3. Op. Cit.

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 17, pp. 525-527
September 3, 1987

By Kenneth E. Thomas

Many good tracts and articles have been written over the years about a Christian and Freemasonry. What I shall write will not be completely new, but will hopefully be stated in such a way as to be a worthy addition to what is already available to one wishing to know more about Freemasonry and a Christian’s proper attitude towards being a Mason, and toward our “brethren” who find themselves involved in this “secret society.”

Something Very Strange!

Several Protestants and not a few Catholics are dead set against any involvement in the Masonic Lodge. Why do you suppose some of my own brethren who are knowledgeable concerning New Testament religion do not and/or will not stand opposed to Masonry? In some cases, no doubt, it is because they are not as knowledgeable about Masonry as they should be to see the inconsistencies of trying to be a faithful Christian and a Mason. In other cases they know but simply choose to overlook the facts and the hard road of dealing with the problem scripturally, as that would require attempting to teach one so involved out of Masonry and if unable to get them to repent and denounce Masonry as an unfruitful work of darkness, refuse to extend fellowship to such an one (Eph. 5:11; 2 John 9-11; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Tit. 3:10).

Some preachers will not teach as they should on these matters for fear of upsetting someone and some churches are so numbers conscious that they will do, or not do whichever the case may require, nothing or almost anything to build up their head count. I was told by a preacher of a local church right near here that he would not ever preach publicly against Masonry. I asked, “Do you mean you will never preach publicly against denominationalism?” He replied to me, “You know better than that!” No, I don’t. We will see that the same reason for preaching against denominationalism requires also preaching against a Christian’s involvement in Masonry as we progress in this study.

Testimony From Masonic Writings

I would never knowingly misrepresent anyone or any organization’s teachings. I would not be benefitted, nor would anyone else by such, but rather harmed. If I can show why a Christian should not be a Freemason by faithfully and truthfully using their own materials, saying exactly what they believe and teach, surely no one can bring a just accusation against me of such. I believe that I can show any honest person that it is a sin for a Christian to belong to or participate in the things peculiar to the Masonic Lodges. Please read on!

A Religion Other Than Christ’s

That Masonry is a religious organization and teaches its adherents a way which they claim will prepare them for an eternal reward in the heavens, no well informed person and especially no informed Mason should even attempt to deny. We will look at some quotes in a moment, but I want you to recall, if you will, a Masonic funeral. Have you ever been to one? I have and that would have convinced me that a Christian could have nothing to do with Masonry even if I had known nothing else of the system called “Free and Accepted Masonry.” Why? Because of the claims made by the deacon who conducted the services! You say you did not know they had deacons. Well, they do, and I should think this would lend to the idea of some religion connected with Masonry. The first Masonic funeral I ever witnessed was when I preached the funeral of a brother of a lady who was a Christian. This man refused to have Bible study with me when I had urged him to, saying, “No thanks, I am a Mason, I don’t need it! ” Someone had led him to conclude this in Masonry and at the funeral I knew who. I preached the funeral with the express understanding that I was not having what I did a part of what the Masons were doing. I did my sermon, closed with a prayer and left from under the tent and stood by to watch and listen to the Masons. There were the white aprons symbolizing purity, a sprig of evergreen symbolizing everlasting life, and a ritual which stated (that this one who had rejected Christ, the gospel and the church of our Lord as non-essential to his spiritual needs) that this man had entered into the celestial lodge above. I knew from that, if I never had any other information in my possession, the Masonic Lodge offers its membership Heaven without Christ, the gospel or the blood-bought church, making the sacrifice of Christ meaningless and useless!

Albert Pike, a noted Mason, wrote in the publication Morals and Dogma (p. 213), “Every Masonic Lodge is a temple of religion; and its teachings are instruction in religion. ” I don’t see how any honest Mason can say that Masonry isn’t a religion.

“Coming From Darkness Seeking Light”

Christians are already “children of light” (1 Thess. 5:4-8). Christ said that his disciples are to be the “light of the world” so as to illuminate the way for others as a candlestick set on a lamp stand (Matt. 5:14-16). Can you imagine yourself being inducted into the first degree of Masonry (and those that follow as well) as a Christian and admitting that you have been in darkness (as a Christian) and are seeking to be brought to the light? The following is an actual passage from my copy of Hand Book of Freemasonry so you can see for yourself what one must confess in his “Work On The First Degree.” Read on.

Hand Book of Freemasonry

Work On The First Degree Senior Deacon: “Who comes here?”

Junior Deacon: “Rev. James Hunt, who has long been in darkness, and now seeks to be brought to light and to receive a part in the rights and benefits of this Worshipful Lodge, erected to God and dedicated to the Saints of John, as. all brothers and fellows have done before.”

Senior Deacon: “Mr. Hunt, is this of your own free will and accord?”

Mr. Hunt: “It is” (p. 57).

Why Christians Oppose Masonry

Faithful Christians stand opposed to Masonry for the same reasons, plus additional ones, leading to our opposition to Protestant and Catholic denominationalism. Each is a system of error and each would supplant the church of our Lord, and offer eternal rewards to all who become a part of them. Masonry has this added distinction that it offers heaven without Christ as well as without the need of obedience to the gospel as already mentioned. I just want to give you these additional quotes from Masonic sources. The following was in a recent article announcing the death of a Mason by a fellow Mason. He wrote, “Once again a Brother Mason, having completed the designs written for him on life’s trestle board, has passed through the portals of Eternity and entered the Grand Lodge of the New Jerusalem and hath received as his reward, the white stone with the new name written thereon.” Christians will recognize in the quotation what the Lord promised to those who overcome in Revelation 2:17. The above quote is without any doubt intended to assure heaven to the departed Mason and if this does not leave a clear impression that the practice of Freemasonry will take one to heaven in the end, how would you say it if you did want to leave that impression? Now one does not have to believe on Christ to be a Mason, yet one cannot please God the Father without believing and obeying Christ (John 14:1-6; Heb. 5:8-9; John 8:24). Masons have another savior, his name if Hiram Abiff! Read on, “All antiquity . . . believed in a future life, to be attained by purification and trials; in a state or successive states of reward and punishment; and in a mediator and redeemer, by whom the Evil Principle was to be overcome and the Supreme Deity reconciled to his creatures. The belief was general that he was to be born of a virgin and suffer a painful death. The Hindus called him Krishna, the Chinese, Kioun-tse, the Persians, Sosiosch; the Chaldeans, Dhouvanai, the Egyptians, Horus,- Plato, Love; the Scandinavians, Balder, the Christians, Jesus; THE MASONS, Hiram” (emphasis mine, ket; Kentucky Monitor, p. XV).

Bids God-Speed To Error

Because we are commanded to “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered” (Jude 3) and not to “bid God-speed to error” (2 John 9-11); and to “rebuke and exhort those in error” as well as “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11; 2 Cor. 6:14-18), Christians cannot be a party to what is advocated by denominationalism or Masonry. Masonry recognizes as spiritual equals the various religions of the world. “Masonry, around whose altars, the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the follower of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one God” (Morals and Dogma, p. 226). And yet the Masons say that being a Mason in no way interferes with one’s practice of one’s religion. Oh yes it does! A Christian cannot please Christ and embrace those who reject him as spiritual equals. Salvation is in no other name than Jesus the Christ (Acts 4:1-12; 1 Cor. 3:11; Acts 3:22-23; John 12:48). Masons are taught that “. . . God is equally present in the pious Hindu in the temple, the Jew in the synagogue, the Mohammedan in the mosque and the Christian in the church” (Masonic Manual of Alabama, p. 318). Yet when the apostle Paul attempted to convert the Jew to Christ at Antioch of Pisidia, they rejected and spoke against those things Paul taught, contradicting and blaspheming. Paul said that they had “judged themselves unworthy of eternal life” (Acts 13:45-46). Truth must be accepted and anything that is contrary to truth will not save and will not please the Lord (2 John 9; Matt. 12:30). Masons are told that if they follow Hiram they will be translated “from this imperfect to that all-perfect, glorious and celestial Lodge above, where the Supreme Architect of the Universe presides” (Alabama Manual, p. 62).

An Interesting True Story

Recently in a phone conversation with a preacher friend of mine, we discussed the word used in Masonic circles, Mah-Hah-Bone. It is used among other ways in the ritual called “Raising of a Master Mason.” This word is to be whispered in the ear of the candidate and he is instructed to never give it in any other way. My friend was in a discussion with a brother in Christ who was a Mason. This man bragged of the secrecy of Masonry and to show that not all they are told is secret is unknown to non-Masons, my friend spoke the word Mah-Hah-Bone. This deluded brother in Christ said, “Oh, you shouldn’t say that word! Don’t you know you could be killed for that?” My friend said, “I’m sure you know that it would be the Masons who would do that, don’t you?” Now look where you find yourself, a member of an organization that threatens to kill people who reveal its “secrets”! I don’t know if the brother renounced Masonry or not but he at least should have.

Threat of Death In Masonic Oath

Work on The First Degree

“I, James Hunt, of my own free will and accord in the presence of Almighty God and this Worshipful Lodge, erected to Him and dedicated to the Saints John, do hereby and hereon (here the Master places his right hand on that of the candidate), most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, that I will always hail, ever conceal and never reveal any of the secret arts, parts or points of the hidden mysteries of Ancient Freemasonry, which have been heretofore, may at this time, or shall at any future period, be communicated to me as such, to any person or persons whomsoever, except it be to a true and lawful brother of this degree, or within a regularly constituted Lodge of Masons, and neither unto him nor them, until by strict trial, due examination, or legal information, I shall have found him or them as lawfully entitled to the same as I am myself.

“I furthermore promise and swear that I will not write, print, paint, stamp, stain, cut, carve, mark nor engrave them, nor cause the same to be done upon anything movable or immovable, capable of receiving the least impression of a word, syllable, letter or character, whereby the same may become legible or intelligible to any person under the canopy of heaven.

“All this I most solemnly and sincerely promise and swear, with a firm and steadfast resolution, to keep and perform the same without any equivocation, mental reservation or secret evasion of mind whatever, binding myself under a no less penalty than that of having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by it roots and buried in the rough sands of the sea at low water mark, where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours, should I ever knowingly violate this my solemn obligation of an Entered Apprentice Mason. So help me God, and keep me steadfast in the due performance of the same.”

“In token of your sincerity, you will detach your hands and kiss the Bible.”

The Deacons removes the candidate’s hands, and he kisses the Bible.

While often today the Masons say they would never carry out the threats, yet history proves that it has been done both in this country and abroad. I will give you one case in point from history and tell you of a case of which I am personally aware of this past decade or so. A preacher friend of mine was preaching on a radio station in a town in Indiana on the evils of Masonry and why a Christian should not become involved, and if involved why he should renounce it and speak out against it as he repents of his activities in Masonry, which resulted in repeated phone calls issuing threats on his wife and children if he did not cease and desist his opposition to Masonry. Recently on the John Ankenberg TV program he told of threats on his life, his family and his staff by Masons.

A Mason Murdered By Masons

In 1826, William Morgan, a leading Mason, became convinced that it was his duty to denounce Freemasonry and expose the so-called secrets of the Masonic Order. His book was published by the Miller Publishing Company and was called Freemasonry Exposed. It is still available from the Ezra A. Cook Publishing Company in Chicago, IL. I have this book in my library.

William was murdered by the officials of the Masonic Order, being drowned in the Niagara River. Some of the murderers of Morgan later being conscience strickened, confessed their part of this crime. When all this became known, you can imagine the public outcry! Thousands left Masonry. This murder is confirmed by the inscription on Morgan’s tombstone in Batavia, New York and by court records.

Morgan’s Tombstone

“Sacred to the memory of William Morgan, a native of Virginia, a captain in the war of 1812, a respectable citizen of Batavia, and a martyr to the freedom of writing, printing and speaking in truth. He was abducted from near this spot in the year of 1826, by Free-Masons and murdered for revealing the secrets of their order. The court records of Genesse County, and files of the Batavia Advocate kept in the recorder’s office contain the history of the events that caused the erection of this monument.”

If you desire to read this whole story, a copy of the book, The Morgan Abduction is available also from the Ezra A. Cook Publishing Company, P.O. Box 795, Chicago, IL 60690. I have this book also in my library.

You see it isn’t enough for a Christian simply to cease to participate in Masonry. If a person still pays dues, even if a non-attender of their meetings, and ceases all activities, yet does not renounce and denounce it, he is still a Mason and a part of everything it represents. Ephesians 5:11 not only says have no fellowship in works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 2 Corinthians 6:17 says “come out from among them.”

Often Masons learn that they can’t be a Mason and a faithful Christian too, but are afraid to renounce it! See Matthew 10:28!

Masons’ Attitude Toward The Bible

The Bible is put on a par with the writings of Plato and Philo by Albert Pike, a leading light in Masonry. See Morals and Dogma for a number of quotes to this effect (pp. 99-100, 252). This denies the verbal inspiration and the perfection of the revelation from God. See 2 Timothy 3:1617; 1 Corinthians 2:7-13; Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Peter 1:3; John 16:12-13.

A Summary

Some Reasons Why Christians Will Oppose Masonry

1. The Masonic Lodge is a religious institution opened for many religious purposes.

2. Masonry has a redeemer in the form of Hiram Abiff.

3. The Lodge promises to unfold the beauties of God’s truth and to promise salvation without the shedding of Christ’s blood.

4. The Masonic Lodge teaches that one who isn’t a Mason is in darkness and comes to the Lodge seeking the new birth.

5. Masonry has one common altar at whose shrine the Christian can kneel with the Jew, Mohammedan, Persian, etc.

6. The Lodge promises that all good Masons hope to arrive in that “Great Masonic Lodge in the sky.”

7. The Masonic handbooks are filled with prayers, but they never use the name of Christ.

8. Masonry is a system of paganism and idolatry, demanding belief in a god, not the God of the Bible. They call him Baalim, an idol god.

9. Masonry demands that those coming into its order swear an oath that is wrong for any man to take, supporting their right to take his life if he divulges their secrets.

10. Masonry offers heaven to its adherents without belief in the one true God or the Son of God. Therefore, it stands opposed to the religion of Christ and the church planned by God from eternity.

11. Masonry admittedly deceives its membership and withholds some of what they call truth from them.

12. Masonry refers to all those who believe on Christ as the “Christian” church, and says, “The Christian church needs Knights Templar” (Boyd Hopkins, Most Worshipful Grand Master, North Carolina Knight Templar, Vol. III, No. 9, Sept. 1984). See Colossians 2:8-10.

13. Masonry gives titles to some of its leaders which are unlawful for any man to wear such as Most Worshipful Master, whereas God alone is the object of our worship and devotion and the Lord forbids wearing of titles to exalt men (Matt. 23).

14. Masonry claims to be greater than the Lord’s church.

15. Masonry denies the Bible alone to be the inspired word and infallible revelation from God, sufficient for all men of all times.

16. Masonry teaches that only Masons will be saved eternally.

17. Masonry teaches evolution regarding origins. See Genesis 1:1 for truth.

18. Masonry teaches salvation by works of human merit (Lightfoot’s Manual, p. 17). Read Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5.

19. Masonry bids God-speed to most all false religions. Masonry does require belief in “a Supreme Being.

20. Masonry is a good example of the blind leading the blind and both will fall into the pit.

Below is the admonition given at the close of brother Norman Gibson’s book Opposing Freemasonry. It is timely advice and should be heeded by us all as we “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27b).

Masonry, being error, should be opposed as any other error. Although it is not the only thing wrong, it is wrong. Brethren who are partaking of its evil should be admonished, and thoroughly taught. When occasion indicates, we should speak plainly about the matter in a public way though I would not recommend that this become a hobby, any more than opposing any other one evil. We should use all kindness and love of which we are capable – but we must stand firm for the truth. And may the glory be given to the Lord, in the church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, as we echo the prayer of the Apostle Paul.

With all this before us, I plead with my brethren in Christ, if you have gone into lodges, leave them at once. Be content to be a Christian; do not rob God of His rightful glory and honor, by giving it to men. Do not blaspheme the word of God by fellowshipping those who revile Christ. Do not detract from the glory of the church, the divine institution, by bowing at an altar other than the one we have a right to (see Heb. 13:10). I say again, be a Christian — no man in truth can be more.

Do not consider me, or any other who attempts to teach you and your Masonic friends the error and evils of that organization. We do not oppose all of the good things Masons do, but the end does not justify the means. You can do all of the things that are admirable about Masonry as simply and only as Christian and people will glorify your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16). If done as a Mason, the Lodge and Masonry in general receives the glory of men.

If any who reads this desires to study these matters further, I shall be happy to arrange for a time and place where we may engage in such a study.

Thanks for hearing me out! May God be with you as you consider your next step!

Guardian of Truth XXXI: 17, pp. 528-531
September 3, 1987