This past spring a man in Alabama found himself in the intensive care unit paralyzed from a snake bite. His children discovered the colorful serpent in their front yard, and he thought it was a harmless king snake. He captured the snake, and was holding it when the snake bit him. But it wasn't a harmless king snake, it was a coral snake.
As you can see in the top picture, the king snake and the coral snake are very similar in size and appearance, but it's important to know that one is relatively harmless while the other is highly venomous. Picking up the coral snake was a costly mistake for the father of six. He was not only paralyzed by the snake's venom, he also suffered neurological damage, as well as vision damage. He's facing months of physical therapy.
This cautionary tale reminds us that two things may look alike, but it doesn't necessarily mean they'll have the same effect. Just because two religious groups look the same, it does not mean they both will lead to heaven. "That serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world" uses counterfeit religions and false teachers to lead multitudes to their doom (see 2 John 7-11, Revelations 12:9; 2 Peter 2 ). Therefore, as seekers of the Truth, we must exercise discernment.
As a kid, I spent a lot of time enjoying the great outdoors. After a few run-ins with poison ivy, poison oak and stinging nettles, mother nature taught me an important lesson: minor differences can distinguish between the harmless and the harmful. Small distinctions matter. Can you tell the difference between the king snake and the coral snake in the top picture? Hint: Is red touching black, or is red touching yellow?
If the red band of the snake is touching or next to the black band, then it's probably a harmless king snake. However, if the red band of the snake is touching or adjacent to smaller yellow bands, then it's likely a deadly coral snake. This distinction does not apply to snake species outside the United States. But if you live in the southeast part of America, where both of these snakes reside, you've probably heard the rhyme:
"Red touches black, safe for Jack;
Red touches yellow, kills a fellow."
Snakes are serious business, and when it comes to handling any snake, one must possess accuracy of judgement, diligence and precision. Handling the Word of Truth is also serious business. If we mishandle, or misread, or misinterpret God's Word, that could have dire consequences.
You may have never connected these two things together before, but the qualities needed to handle snakes - accuracy of judgement, diligence and precision - are some of the same qualities needed to handle the living Word of God. Consider Paul's instruction to Timothy, his son in the faith:
"Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:14-15 NKJV).
As children of the Kingdom, we must work diligently to rightly divide the precious truths of Holy Scripture. The greek verb for "Be diligent to present yourself approved..." in the NKJV, and "Study to shew thyself approved..." in the KJV, is spoudazo. It means to do one's best, to be eager or diligent, to exercise oneself. Believers are called to do our best to present ourselves approved to God, workers of JAH who are not ashamed, rightly dividing or correctly handling the word of truth.
The greek verb for "rightly dividing" (orthotomeo) is a combination of two smaller words: orthos which means "straight on line" or "right," and tomos which means "a cutting." It paints the picture of a farmer who plows a straight furrow, or a leather worker who cuts straight on the line. Paul warns Timothy that he must not twist the truth or change it. He is handling the Word of God. He is interpreting and sharing divine truth, and that demands accuracy, diligence and precision. Small differences matter. Distinctions are important.
Take note of the "small" distinctions in the next three passages:
The Bible says "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (see Philippians 2:12b). It does not say "work for your own salvation with fear and trembling." That one distinction is very important.
The Bible does not say, "By works of righteousness which we have done, so according to our works He saved us..." No, no! The Bible clearly says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us..." (see Titus 3:5). One represents the doctrine of works, the other represents the doctrine of grace.
And lastly, consider 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
It does not state, "that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in church membership. He that hath church membership hath life; and he that hath not church membership hath not life."
It does not state, "that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in the sacraments, or in the rituals, or in the sacrifices. No, no, no! "This life is in his Son!" Eternal life is not in church membership. Eternal life is not in the sacraments, or the rituals, or the sacrifices. Eternal life is not in any man-made religion. The Holy Scriptures are clear, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
Just because two religious groups look similar, it doesn't mean they both will lead us to heaven and eternal life. Regardless of the faith or creed or religion we follow, the major questions are the same: What happens when I die? Is there a true path to salvation? What do I think of the Christ? Can I know for sure that I'm a child of God? Many groups will claim to have the answers. But who can we trust?
As soldiers of the cross and guardians of the Book, we must remain vigilant. We stand alert to any and all attempts to distort the Truth. We not only defend the Book, we study the Book. We handle the Word of truth with accuracy, diligence and precision. Why so? Because minor differences can distinguish between the harmless and the harmful. Distinctions are important. "Red touches black, safe for Jack. Red touches yellow,..."
Grace, Peace and Jahspeed!
To learn more about joining the Kingdom of JAH, check out the "Jesus is Lord" page and the "Romans Road" page.