Snake Handling, Faith or Folly?

It seems that our society has come upon a new phenomenon. Over and over again we read stories of churches and preachers that get caught or hurt handling snakes. The other day a minister was found dead in his home after being bitten by a poisonous snake while at his church. There are even entire television programs such as “Snake Salvation” dedicated to these snake handling churches.

(I will give a disclaimer before I go on. I have never watched a single episode “Snake Salvation” or any other program similar to it.)

 

When we read stories like the one about the Kentucky pastor who recently died our first thought normally is, “What is wrong with these people?” “These people are crazy!” “There is no way I would handle a snake!” These are all pretty normal thoughts I guess. I just can’t help but wonder how crazy these people would be to us if we would have grown up around this type of culture. These rituals seem very strange, and even “crazy” when we see others doing them. To those people who grew up in snake handling churches it’s not that “crazy” at all.

Imagine if your parents had taken you to a snake handling church when you were a small child. What if you were taught all your life that the only way to prove your faith was to take up a serpent? You see the things that seem odd to you may be natural to someone else. It doesn’t just end with snake handling. What if you grew up being taught that polygamy was God’s plan for your life? Would it really be odd to pray to the Virgin Mary if you were taught all your life that was the best way to get in touch with God?

Many of my readers attend churches where worship is participated in and encouraged. Do you realize that some of the things you do in church such as shouting or clapping your hands other churches find very disturbing? I personally believe that the Bible teaches this type of worship, but there are many that would disagree with me.

The purpose of this blog is not to justify those that handle snakes nor is it to condemn them. I personally believe that snake handling is a false doctrine, but it is one that I can understand. The reason that I can understand it is because I see people all the time who believe they have to do things in order to impress God. This is not new at all. In Paul’s day he constantly had to battle with false teachers that would come into churches and teach that you had to do certain things in order to impress or be accepted of God. For example notice what Paul says to the Galatian church.

10Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. Galatians 4:10-11

This church was founded in the truth of the gospel presented to them by Paul. Soon after Paul’s departing however there came a group of Jews teaching that in order to please God you had to do certain things. Rituals and good works soon took the place of the gospel message. These people became so wrapped up in these rituals that Paul worried that he had wasted his time ministering to them.

The scriptures are clear that the moment a person places their faith in Christ their sins are forgiven, and the righteousness of Christ is placed upon their life. When God sees me He sees me as righteous, as if I had never sinned. The scriptures are also very clear that the transformation that takes place in our life at the moment of salvation should motivate us to live in such a manner that would be pleasing in God’s eyes. We don’t work to earn or maintain salvation, but we do work because we have been freely given salvation.

When I look at churches all around me I have two fears. My first fear is that many Christians place so much emphasis on their works. They place so much emphasis on works and rituals that they eventually take the place of God in their life. They begin to worship their standards and their rituals more than they worship the God of heaven.

I believe in having standards. I certainly believe that we should be busy working for God. Just don’t ever get so caught up in your work that you forget who it is that you are working for. Don’t forget why it is that you are performing those works. We work, not to obtain, but because we have obtained the goodness of God.

My second fear is that the average Christian just kind of assumes that everything they are taught is right without examining the scriptures for themselves. I can promise you that there are people sitting in good, sound, fundamental churches who are just as ignorant about what they believe as the man dancing with a snake in his hands. In both cases the people just believe what the preacher tells them from the pulpit is true.

This has always been an issue in the church. Just scan through the New Testament writings of Paul and notice how many times he writes “I would not have you ignorant.” Paul realized that many Christians did not understand the scriptures for themselves. Ignorance of the scriptures is one of the most powerful weapons the devil has to fight the child of God with. If the devil approached you like he did Eve in the Garden of Eden with the question “Yeah hath God said…” would you be able to tell the difference between truth and a lie? In the time commonly referred to as the “Dark Ages” false teachers would intentionally keep the scriptures out of the hands of the common man. Satan has always known that if a man studied the Bible for himself he was far less likely to fall for false teachings.

I don’t look down on those that are caught up in false teaching, I pity them. I pray that they read the scriptures, see the truth clearly presented therein, and that they have the courage to stand on what they learn to be truth. My prayer for you is the same. We all need to surround ourselves with people and ministers that we can trust, but let us never be solely dependant on them for scriptural truth. Read your Bible. Pray that God gives you wisdom to know truth from error. Soon you will discover that with that your new knowledge also comes a world of blessings.

Salvation: Faith or Works?

Galatians Chapter 3b

Beginning with this section we come to the climax of the epistle. In this section Paul will speak about the example of Abraham. Abraham is a wonderful illustration of how a person is saved by placing simple faith in God.

Abraham is the greatest bible example of a man being justified before God, because of their faith. It would be impossible for a person to argue that Abraham was saved by keeping the Law because the Law was not given until hundreds of years after Abraham died.

Some will try to argue that Abraham was justified because of his circumcision. Just as some argue that a person today is justified because of their baptism. Abraham’s circumcision was a badge of his faith in Christ. Outward expressions have no bearing on inward works.

The story of Abraham is one filled with trust, faith and reliance upon God. There are probably two high points in Abraham’s life however. The first was after his defeat of the kings of the East in Genesis 15. Having defeated these kings and rescued his nephew Lot’s family, along with the other families from Sodom and Gomorrah, he was offered a reward. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to reward Abraham for his help, but he refused to take it.

His refusal to take the reward spoke volumes. Abraham was saying that he was relying on God and no one else. Previous to this experience God had promised Abraham that he would give him a seed as innumerable as the sands of the seashore. After this experience Abraham reminds God of that promise.

It was at this point that God made Abraham to look into the heavens and promised him a seed as great as the stars in the heavens. This was Abraham’s response.

“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”  Genesis 15:6

Today God has made a promise to you and me. God’s promise to mankind today is this.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

Just as God promised Abraham a child, God has promised us a child. God promised that He would send His son to die for the sins of all mankind. Abraham believed the promise of God and it was counted for righteousness. Today we are asked to follow in the footsteps of Abraham and believe the promise of God. When we place our trust in God’s promise for salvation, it is counted to us for righteousness.

While Abraham believed God, he did ask God for a covenant or a contract. Let’s see what Abraham asked and what God’s response was.

Genesis 15:8-17

In these verses God made a covenant, but not a covenant with Abraham. Abraham was a man and he was prone to fail. Abraham could possibly do something that would make the contract null and void. Therefore Abraham was put to sleep and God made a contract with Himself. This contract was based on God’s faithfulness not Abrahams.

The same is true with you and me. Over 2,000 years ago Jesus went to a cross in order to pay the sin debt for you and me. Upon that cross God and His Son made a contract between themselves. Today God is not asking you to say your prayers, attend Sunday school, and give tithes to be saved. All God is asking you to do is believe what Jesus did on the cross. Have you put your faith in Christ?

If faith without works was good enough for Abraham then shouldn’t it be good enough for you and me? Paul tells us something pretty interesting in this chapter. He tells us that God preached the gospel to Abraham. This brings up the question, “When did God preach the gospel to Abraham?” Well I think this takes us to the second high point in Abraham’s life.

In Genesis 22 God asks Abraham to do something pretty intense. He asks him to offer his promised son as a sacrifice. Again Abraham is faced with the decision of whether to trust God. We all know the story, but I think that it is so important to mention again.

According to Hebrews 11:19 Abraham believed that, if he offered his son, then God would bring him back to life. I want to point out Abraham’s faith. At the bottom of that mountain Abraham spoke to his servants and told them to wait. Abraham told them that him and the lad would go up and worship and come back again. That was a tremendous statement of faith.

On top of the mountain Abraham did not spare his only son. He was fully prepared to offer Isaac just as the Lord asked. Of course God delivered Isaac, but in the mind of God he was as good as dead because Abraham had determined to kill him.

Through this experience God preached the gospel to Abraham. This was a picture of the way that God would willingly offer His only Son upon the cross. The difference is that while Isaac was delivered, Jesus was not. Jesus was offered and did suffer death.

Let me take this one step further. John Calvin was quoted as saying “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.” Notice what James says about the faith of Abraham in his epistle.

“But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham believed God, and I was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”  James 2:20-23

In the life of Abraham his faith led him to willingness to offer his son. He didn’t just believe God. That faith produces works.  The reason that so many people today are not busier is because they are lacking faith. “A living, dynamic faith will produce works.” These works however have no bearing on ones salvation.

The question that should be asked to those that proclaim you must live right to maintain or merit salvation is this, “Do you keep the law twenty four hours a day, seven days a week?” If you are in the flesh then you fail God often. The Law is not a religious cafeteria where you can pick and choose which laws to keep. When you fail God, even one time, then you are cursed by the Law you are supposedly upholding.

Let’s say for an example I live in the state of Tennessee for 34 years, as I have. If I live all those years and never break one of the laws of the state of Tennessee I’m not going to receive a medal for that.

Let’s take this one step further and say that I go to Wal-Mart this afternoon and am caught stealing something. Guess what is going to happen to me? I am going to be punished for my wrong. I can argue “I have lived all of these years and never done anything wrong.” The state is going to tell me that all those years of good deeds mean nothing and that I am going to be punished for my crime.

It’s the same way with the Law of God. The Law does not reward you for doing right. The Law punishes you for doing wrong.

Faith and Law are two opposite principals. For a person to try and combine them is ridiculous. You are either going to live by faith or you are going to live by the law. You cannot combine these two.

God made promises to Abraham and was faithful to fulfill them. Even so God has made promises to you and me through Jesus Christ. Abraham was saved by placing faith in what God would do. Today we are saved by placing our faith in what God has already done.