Paul says:
I Corinthians 6
12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power.
Comments by Joan Boney:
The above scripture written by the apostle Paul is so helpful to us for it presents a balanced truth.
We are free, but not all things are profitable to us.
Some people are put into bondage by the religious doctrines of their churches.
The Catholics are taught they cannot eat "meat" on Fridays, for example.
But the Bible says the following:
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
***
There are religious bondages in church groups today which are not authored by God in the New Testament Bible.
Devils often try to condemn us in that which we do on this earth.
But when we follow that which God shows us by HIS Word and HIS Spirit we have freedom from those harms that would come to us and to walk in another way.
Certainly the Holy Spirit will not approve that which is against scripture.
The Holy Spirit will not lead us in the ways of the flesh, in fornication or adultery or any other work of the flesh which is cited in Galatians 5:19-21.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Some church people forbid drinking of alcoholic beverages, even wine.
The Bible forbids drunkenness but not the drinking of wine.
Two scriptures:
Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
I Timothy 5:23 (Paul told Timothy) Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
***
Some churches required women to wear hats or scarves on their heads when coming into the church building.
But Paul explains the following:
I Corinthians 11
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
***
Some church people forbid drinking of alcoholic beverages, even wine.
The Bible forbids drunkenness but not the drinking of wine.
Two scriptures:
Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
I Timothy 5:23 (Paul told Timothy) Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.
***
Some churches required women to wear hats or scarves on their heads when coming into the church building.
But Paul explains the following:
I Corinthians 11
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
***
Many strange doctrines, which put church people in bondages which are not of God, come and go in churches.
My aunt had a doctrine where she would not attend movies. Yet when television came she would watch movies at home on television. (Once in 1964 she did go to a drive in movie with me.)
I don't know if her doctrine came through the church she attended, but I have heard of this same doctrine in other churches of her generation: 1910-1950
***
God once said to me: The world wants freedom to sin but we want freedom from sin.
The rules set forth in the New Testament present to us freedom from sin when we follow the doctrines of the Bible. We are saved from sins by obeying the instructions of the New Testament.
But there are many doctrines set up by people in churches which are not doctrines set by the Spirit of God by Bible.
For example:
One woman, who said she was a prophet, said she would not minister with anyone who drank coffee.
When I questioned her about this, she said coffee could give you a "surge" which might make you think it was the Holy Spirit.
I think her doctrine to be wrong. I know we are free to drink coffee and minister. I think her problem was she misunderstood the Holy Spirit, for often the Holy Spirit is such a gentle voice I almost miss the instruction. I don't see the voice of the Holy Spirit as being "a surge".
(The Holy Spirit "leads me" to do what I do but I do not recall any time where the Holy Spirit "drove me" to do anything.)
However if she felt God told her not to drink coffee then that is fine. But you cannot put others in bondage.
There was a time when I was a new Christian that the Holy Spirit told me not to go to secular things such as football, plays, movies, and such. But I didn't tell anyone else not to do that. God was training me during those years and HE separated me from many things of this world during that season.
But if the doctrine is clearly in the New Testament then we must honor that doctrine and follow it as the church.
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