May God Have Mercy on Your Soul: An Expression of Ignorance

May God Have Mercy on Your Soul: An Expression of Ignorance

As I watched a funeral on TV, I heard the minister say the following, "Rest in peace <person's name>, may God have mercy on your soul." Those words stuck with me and the more I thought about them, the more I was struck by the absolute ignorance embedded in this statement—an ignorance that disregards the foundational truth of the gospel and the finished work of the cross of Christ. It revealed how tradition and empty expressions continue to be spoken without thought, maintaining a cycle of religious negligence rather than biblical accuracy. This phrase, like others that I list at the end of the post**, have become a customary utterance, mindlessly repeated without questioning its meaning or validity in light of God’s revealed truth. Seeing this, I felt it necessary to bring attention to not only this statement but others also, that persist as vain customs, promoting human imagination rather than biblical reality. Words carry weight, and when they contradict the truth of Scripture, they must be identified and dismissed as meaningless rhetoric—mere traditions of men that veil the absolute authority of God’s Word. 

This article serves as a call to recognize such errors and return to the certainty of sound doctrine, particularly the gospel of God's grace as taught in Paul’s epistles.

The Hollow Tradition of a Fruitless Expression

"May God have mercy on your soul."

Rightly Divide to Understand Salvation in the Grace vs. the Kingdom Programs

Rightly Divide to Understand Salvation in the Grace vs. the Kingdom Programs

Introduction: A Common Misunderstanding About Salvation

In discussions about salvation, many well-meaning Christians, who do not rightly divide the word of truth, fall into the trap of mixing different biblical instructions intended for distinct audiences and periods. This misunderstanding often stems from combining teachings from Jesus’ earthly ministry with those found in the Apostle Paul’s epistles, which outline the gospel for the present dispensation of grace. Here is a summary of this prevalent but doctrinally inconsistent viewpoint:

1. Confession for Salvation: Based on Matthew 10:32 and Luke 12:8, it is argued that public confession is required for salvation, along with faith.
2. Repentance from Sin: Verses like Luke 5:32 and Luke 24:47 are used to emphasize that turning away from sin (repentance) is a prerequisite for salvation.
3. Water Baptism: Passages such as Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 are interpreted to mean that water baptism is necessary for the remission of sins and salvation.
4. Endurance for Salvation: Matthew 24:13 is cited to suggest that believers must endure until the end of their lives to secure salvation.
5. Peter’s Message at Pentecost: Acts 2:38 is taken as universal guidance for salvation, combining repentance and baptism for the remission of sins.

While this view appears comprehensive, it mistakenly blends requirements from Israel’s kingdom program under the Old Covenant with the grace program revealed through Paul. Sadly, these misunderstandings place undue burdens on believers and obscures the simple, liberating truth of salvation by grace through faith alone. With this overview established, let us analyse these points to uncover what is doctrinally wrong, why these interpretations are inconsistent with the current dispensation, and what the correct biblical teaching is. Rightly dividing the word of truth brings clarity, freedom, and a deeper understanding of God’s plan.

People's imaginations concerning 'receiving the Holy Spirit' (Example #4)

People's imaginations concerning 'receiving the Holy Spirit' (Example #4)

This post is written for the sole purpose of illustrating the ignorance of sound doctrine on social media these days. My aim is to emphasize the absolute necessity of studying the Bible for oneself and seeking answers from the source instead of relying on imaginations or opinions given by people, who may be sincere, but are as ignorant as the one who asked the question to start with. 

So, let's begin by stating the question that was asked in the beginning of a social media thread,

QUESTION: "How can Christians catch the Spirit?"

Below is the fourth of a few answers that were supplied to this question on social media. They appear to be sincere but are unfortunately completely false or have parts that are from the imaginations of men who have not sought out the truth in the Word of God. I add comments as to why the answer is wrong and what the Word of God actually says about it.

False Imagination #4

Christians can get the Holy Spirit by letting the love of God shine in their life each day. Love is key. Show love to everyone and the spirit of God will dwell in you!

My comments:

People's imaginations concerning 'receiving the Holy Spirit' (Example #3)

People's imaginations concerning 'receiving the Holy Spirit' (Example #3)

This post is written for the sole purpose of illustrating the ignorance of sound doctrine on social media these days. My aim is to emphasize the absolute necessity of studying the Bible for oneself and seeking answers from the source instead of relying on imaginations or opinions given by people, who may be sincere, but are as ignorant as the one who asked the question to start with. 

So, let's begin by stating the question that was asked in the beginning of a social media thread,

QUESTION: "How can Christians catch the Spirit?"

Below is the third of a few answers that were supplied to this question on social media. They appear to be sincere but are unfortunately completely false or have parts that are from the imaginations of men who have not sought out the truth in the Word of God. After this 'answer', and a few more that I will write about later, I add comments as to why the answer is wrong and what the Word of God actually says about it.

False Imagination #3

To catch the Spirit we need to know what are the commandments that Jesus gave? They are in Matthew 5:3–16 plus the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36–40). Strive to master all of the provisions in the Sermon on the Mount because as you do you will draw closer to God and feel His Spirit more abundantly in your life.

My comments:

People's imaginations concerning 'receiving the Holy Spirit' (Example #2)

People's imaginations concerning 'receiving the Holy Spirit' (Example #2)

This post is written for the sole purpose of illustrating the ignorance of sound doctrine on social media these days. My aim is to emphasize the absolute necessity of studying the Bible for oneself and seeking answers from the source instead of relying on imaginations or opinions given by people, who may be sincere, but are as ignorant as the one who asked the question to start with. 

So, let's begin by stating the question that was asked in the beginning of the thread,

QUESTION: "How can Christians catch the Spirit?"

Below is the second of a few answers that were supplied to this question on social media. They appear to be sincere but are unfortunately completely false or have parts that are from the imaginations of men who have not sought out the truth in the Word of God. After this 'answer', and a few more that I will write about later, I add comments as to why the answer is wrong and what the Word of God actually says about it.

False Imagination #2

You will get the Holy Spirit if and when God Almighty chooses to grant it to you. The fact is most do NOT receive the grant of Holy Spirit, but that is NOT a bad thing.

Born again (baptized/anointed) by Holy Spirit is reserved for just a very few here on earth. This anointing or appointing only is for those who have been selected from among humans by God Almighty HIMSELF to serve in heaven as kings and priest alongside Jesus Christ. They receive a gift of Holy Spirit that assures them that they are HIS adopted children. The number of these is exactly 144,000, no more, no less.

My comments:

People's imaginations concerning 'receiving the Holy Spirit' (Example #1)

People's imaginations concerning 'receiving the Holy Spirit' (Example #1)

This post is written for the sole purpose of illustrating the ignorance of sound doctrine on social media these days. My aim is to emphasize the absolute necessity of studying the Bible for oneself and seeking answers from the source instead of relying on imaginations or opinions given by people, who may be sincere, but are as ignorant as the one who asked the question to start with. 

So, let's begin by stating the question that was asked in the beginning of the thread,

QUESTION: "How can Christians catch the Spirit?"

Below is the first of a few answers that were supplied to this question on social media. They appear to be sincere but are unfortunately completely false or have parts that are from the imaginations of men who have not sought out the truth in the Word of God. After this 'answer', and a few more that I will write about later, I add comments as to why the answer is wrong and what the Word of God actually says about it.

False Imagination #1

If you are a Christian and accept Christ, the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost is in you. To activate it, you need to do one very important thing: Let the Holy Spirit decide certain life decisions for you. To tell if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, you will feel some things feel “right”, or some things feel “wrong”. Society sometimes calls it a “gut instinct”. However, in this case, you will feel in your intuition that some things are what God wants you to do, while some just feel off.

My comments:

Be careful of bad understanding and bad advice concerning our grace doctrine

Be careful of bad understanding and bad advice concerning our grace doctrine

The following post is in response to a comment made on one of my posts in this lesson series concerning the process of salvation. A comment like this is a good illustration of the lack of good biblical knowledge and understanding concerning our grace doctrine today. These types of comments, although they have a measure of truth, are also harmful, as they can make people ignorant of truth and rob them of knowledge and inheritance. 

In my reply, I will prove that there is more to salvation than just what this comment suggests. If you truly believe that the Bible is God’s words and instruction to us, and if you truly believe that God has done much more for you through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ than ‘just saving you from hell’, then I appeal to you to read my rely and go and do a study on Romans and Ephesians that clearly shows the value and greater truth of salvation than just the first step of escaping the flames. God has SO MUCH MORE for you if you simply turn to His word, read it, and believe it.

Social media comment on one of my posts:

SALVATION IS A GIFT – NOT PROGRESSIVE

My response to the above comment:

Rejection of the authority and ministry of the Apostle Paul

Educating you through comparing false doctrines and unbelief with truth and faith

It is heart-wrenching to see the lack of knowledge and understanding of God's Word. The New Testament is short enough to be read over a few days, and its content is not difficult to understand. The problem is that people are either so brainwashed in bad teachings or so rigid in the doctrines they have been exposed to that they refuse to see the truth that is so plainly set out before them, or they claim to be believers but do not really believe that the Bible is God's words. If one does not TRULY believe that the Bible is God's words, then twisting them, adding to them, or scrapping parts of the scripture to make it say what one wants is the order of the day.

It is my heartfelt pray that people will come back to believing that the King James Bible is TRULY God's words and that is they simply read the book without preconceived notions or prejudice, but rather with humility and with a heart that wants to hear what God says, then they will come to see the truth and discover the glories, the wonders, and the majesty in the Word of God.

The following is documented for your learning. There are many who are still in darkness of the truth and do not even know it. Please recognize the false doctrines they proclaim; learn what language they speak and educate yourself to avoid falling into these traps.