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 The BIBLE-Word of
God
-Versus Errors of-
"Spiritualism"
---GOD---CHRIST---HOLY
SPIRIT---
---SIN---REDEMPTION---SALVATION---RETRIBUTION---
They received the WORD with all
readiness of mind,
and searched the SCRIPTURES daily, whether those things were so.
Acts 17:11
G O D
The Bible
PERSONALITY
OF THE GODHEAD ... in
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1: 1).
He is
God; there is none else beside him (Deuteronomy 4:35). God is a Spirit; and they
that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). For
there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus
(I Timothy 2:5).
- Go
. . . and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Jesus was
baptized; the Spirit descended; the Father spoke (Matthew 3:16-17).
Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may
not understand one another's speech (Genesis 11:7). From the time that
it was, there am I; and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, has sent me
(Isaiah 48:16).
Spiritualism
- Spiritualism
is the science, philosophy, and religion of continuous life, based upon
the demonstrated fact of communication, by means of mediumship,
with those who live by the spirit world.
- Infinite
intelligence pervades and controls the universe, is without shape or
form, and is impersonal, omnipresent, and omnipotent.
- It
teaches that the spark of divinity dwells in all ("What
Spiritualism Is and Does," Spiritualist Manual, 1940).
- The
doctrine of the trinity seems to have no adherents in advanced circles
of the spirit world. The divinity of Christ as a co-equal with the
Father is universally denied.
- Just
as I am, nor poor, nor blind,
Nor bound by chains in soul or mind
For all of Thee within I find
0 God of Love, I come, I come. -- Spiritualistic Hymnal
J E S U S
C H R I S T
The Bible
o In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God (John 1:1). When, as His
mother, Mary, was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was
found with child of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1: 18).
o Behold,
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel
(Isaiah 7:14).
o God
was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached
unto the nations, believed on in the world, received up into glory (I Timothy
3:16).
o And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth (John
1: 14).
o No
man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of
the Father, he has declared him (John 1:18).
o And
declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of'
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4).
o And
if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain (I Corinthians 15:17). Wherefore,
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him,
seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).
o This
same Jesus . . . shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into
Heaven (Acts 1: 11; cf. John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Spiritualism
o Christ
himself was nothing more than a medium of high order.
o The
teaching of spirits supersedes and is an advance upon the teachings of Christianity.
(Spiritual Telegraph, No. 37).
o Jesus
Christ was not divine. He is now an advanced spirit in the sixth sphere. He
never claimed to be God manifest in the flesh and does not at present (Weisse, Demonology or Spiritualism, p. 141).
o Jesus
did not claim for himself more than he held out for others.
o His
identification with the Father was the oneness of mediumship.
He was a medium or "mediator." (Colville, Universal Spiritualism,
p. 234).
o Jesus
Christ was indeed the Son of God, as also are we sons of God (Many Mansions,
p. 107).
o The
miraculous conception of Christ is merely a fabulous tale (Weisse, Spiritualism, p. 141).
o Spiritualism
sees in the death of Jesus an illustration of the martyr spirit, of that
unselfish and heroic devotion to humanity which ever characterized the life
of Jesus, but no special atoning value in his sufferings and death (The A.B.C. of Spiritualism, Q. 19).
o Spiritualism
accepts him as one of many Saviour Christs, who at different times have come into the world
to lighten its darkness and show by precept and example the way of life to
men. It recognizes him as a world Saviour but not
as "the only name" given under heaven by which men can be saved
(The A.B. C, of Spiritualism, Q. 17).
H O L Y
S P I R I T
The Bible
§
When the Comforter is come, whom I
will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, he shall
testify of me (John 15:26).
§
When he is come, he will reprove
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8).
§
When he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth (John 16:13).
§
The Comforter, who is the Holy
Spirit, he shall teach you all things (John 14:26).
§
His spirit that dwells in you
(Romans 8:11).
§
Be filled with the Spirit
(Ephesians 5:18; see also I Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 3:16).
§
But you are not in the flesh but in
the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (Romans 8:9; see also vv. 14,
16).
Spiritualism
§
Denies the Personality of the Holy
Spirit.
§
The Holy Spirit from God is the
spirit of some holy person who has once been in the flesh (Hastings, p. 91).
S I N
The Bible
§
There is none righteous, no, not
one (Romans 3: 1 0).
§
For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
§
If we say that we have not sinned,
we make him a liar, and his word is not in us ( I
John 1: 10).
§
If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us ( I
John 1:8).
§
Whosoever commits sin transgresses
also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law (I John 3:4).
§
All unrighteousness is sin, and
there is a sin not unto death ( I John 5:1 7)
§
Whatever is not of faith is sin
(Romans 14:23).
§
Therefore, to him that knows to do
good, and does it not, to him it is sin (James
4:17).
Spiritualism
§
Man never had a fall.
§
Whatever is,
is right. Evil does not exist. Evil is good. No matter what man's path may be,
good or bad, it is the path of divine ordination and destiny. (Childs,
Whatever Is, Is Right).
§
A lie is the truth intrinsically:
it holds a lawful place in creation; it is a necessity. (Andre, The True
Light, p. 162).
§
We believe in intelligent and ignorant
spirits. No being is naturally bad-evil always originates in ignorance.
§
Death is not a violent result of
sin. It was neither friend nor enemy. It is a part of the divine purpose (SM,
1940
R E D E M P T I O N
The Bible
§
We have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7).
§
You were not redeemed with corruptible
things . . . but with the precious blood of Christ (I Peter 1: 1 8-19).
§
Unto him that loves us, and washed
us from our sins in his own blood, and has made us a kingdom of priests unto
God and his Father (Revelation 1:5-6).
§
Without shedding of blood is no
remission (Hebrews 9:22).
§
Made peace through the blood of
his cross (Colossians 1:20).
§
This man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. . . . For by
one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:
12, 14).
Spiritualism
§
There is no atoning value in the
death of Jesus Christ (Childs, Whatever ls, Is
Right).
§
Salvation by vicarious atonement
is a wicked and soul destroying delusion (Ethics of Spiritualism, p. 99).
§
Teaches the continuity of life and
the eternal progression of man toward perfection in the spirit realm. That
every soul will progress through the ages to heights sublime and glorious,
where God is Love and Love is God ("What Spiritualism Is and Does,"
SM, 1940).
§
There are not two worlds at all;
there (is) but one interblended, interrelated world, closely interwoven by
memory and the love of life. Consciousness could not die. Personality could
not be destroyed (Bach, They Have Found a Faith, p. 116).
§
Life on the spirit plane is
evolvement, like the ascent in a spiral, the growth of moral affection to
higher and higher "heavens."
S A L V A T I O N
The Bible
§
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
you shall be saved, and your house (Acts 16:31).
§
But as many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the children of God,
even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).
§
He that believes on him is not
condemned; but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the . . . only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).
§
He that believes on the Son has
everlasting life; and he that believes not the Son shall not see life (John
3:36).
§
Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).
§
For by grace are you saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God-not of works, lest
any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
§
Justified freely . . . through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).
§
Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone that believes (Romans 10:4).
Spiritualism
§
We affirm the moral responsibility
of the individual, and that he makes his own happiness or unhappiness as he
obeys or disobeys Nature's physical and spiritual laws.
§
Man becomes a spirit after death,
doing both evil and good, but he may be saved as he progresses from one
spirit level to the next. We affirm that the doorway to reformation is never
closed against any human soul, here or hereafter (Declaration of principles,
Nos. 7 and 8). Leaving the physical body does not change the condition of the
spirit, which is the actual personality. It must learn to desire and to
progress to higher and better conditions, just as we do on earth (SM, p.
182). Each must work out his own salvation; each has an equal opportunity to
do this when he shall have atoned for the wrongs and overcome the temptations
and allurements to the sense gratification of earth life (SM, p. 184).
§
Even the most degraded personality
can in time attain the greatest heights. It is easier, however, to begin
progression in the earth life (SM, p. 184).
R E T R I B U T I O
N
The Bible
§
The wages of sin is death (Romans
6:23).
§
Those who sleep in the dust . . .
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame, and everlasting
contempt (Daniel 12:2).
§
And as it is appointed unto men once
to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
§
And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God. . . . And the dead were judged out of those things .
. .written in the books, according to their works
(Revelation 20:12).
§
The Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven . . . in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the gospel. . . ; who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).
§
If your foot offend you, cut it
off; it is better for you to enter lame into life than, having two feet, to
be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched (Mark 9:45).
Spiritualism
§
Hell does not exist and never
will.
§
All spirit people of wisdom,
knowledge, and love know there is no hell and no
devil.
§
No resurrection-no judgment.
§
When you believe in spiritual
manifestations, you will feel far happier than you do now. You will not fear
the threats of damnation and hell . . . such doctrine is
wrong (Doyle, The New Revelation, 1918, p. 68).
§
We do not believe in such places
as Purgatory and Hell.
§
Communicating spirits have merely
graduated from this form of life into another. That life can be heaven or
hell-like, just as each spirit chooses to make it; the same applies to our
life here (SM, p. 183).
Quotations are from standard
writings and leading teachers of the sects. Initials in parentheses are
abbreviations of aforementioned book and magazine titles. Scripture
quotations are from the New Scofield Reference Bible(New York: Oxford University Press, 1967). Outline
and statement summaries are a compilation from various reference works and
authors.
Please see suggested readings.
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