When those who claim to be God's preachers teach things contrary to His word, they are either ignorant of His word or dishonest in their teaching. There is no middle ground---no third alternative.
When a preacher tells you that, "One church is as good as another," he is either ignorant of what the Bible teaches about the church, or he is deliberately dishonest in what he says. He is either ignorant of the consequences of his statement or he is deliberately deceiving you. The church of Christ is Christ's bride (Eph. 5:22-23). To say, "One church is as good as another" is to say "one bride is as good as another" and that makes Christ a spiritual adulterer! He has only one bride or church---not many. Your preacher may as well tell you that "One God is as good as another." The same passage which states that there is only one body, or church, also says there is "One God" (Eph. 4:4-6). The man who teaches that "one church is as good as another" needs to be consistent and teach that "one God is as good as another." If not, why not?
It is either ignorance of the Bible or blatant dishonesty that prompts preachers to say, "God accepts all faiths." The Bible teaches there is only one faith. That is also found in Ephesians 4:4-6. There is no more damnable doctrine taught than the one which says, "It makes no difference what you believe, just so you are honest," and the man who teaches that is either ignorant of the Bible or is himself dishonest.
Can that concept be applied to eating and be safe? Does it make no difference what one eats, "so long as he is honest?" Can one eat rat poison and live, "just so he is honest?" Those who preach that kind of eternally fatal falsehood are ignorant or just plain dishonest---and they are one or the other. It isn't eating that nourishes. It's what one eats, and it isn't believing that makes one right with God, it's what one believes. Believing the truth saves (Heb. 11:6), but believing a lie will bring eternal loss (2 Thess. 2:8-12).
It was either ignorance or dishonesty when Max Lucado said, "I want to encourage you to be baptized... But I don't want you to do any of that so you will be saved. I want you to do all of that because you are saved." (Radio Sermon, KJAK Radio, Lubbock, Texas, Dec. 1996). Like other denominational preachers, Lucado teaches that baptism is because of salvation, rather than what the Bible teaches---that baptism is for, or "in order to," the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Lucado and others are either ignorant of what the Bible teaches, or they are deliberately dishonest in leading people into damnation. The Bible says, "...baptism doth also now save us..." (1 Pet. 3:21), but false teachers have changed the "now" of that verse to "not." In so doing, they are either ignorant of Bible teaching or deliberately dishonest. But whether they are ignorant or dishonest, they are absolutely wrong and are leading men to perdition.
