07 1d

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Section 07: PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE, Foundation Level 1d

07 1d: Defend the faith against 'doctrines of demons' and modern forms of idolatry

1 Timothy 4:1 warns against the doctrines of demons. The best defense against error in the final analysis is not to attack it but to proclaim the truth. Deal in a positive, non-condemning way with those doctrines that Satan commonly attacks:

The deity of Christ and the Trinity.

Jehovah's witnesses, Unitarians, Mormons, nearly all non-orthodox sects deny the Trinity and the deity of Jesus Christ.

Original sin--man is born with a bent toward doing what is selfish and wrong.

Modern liberal theology denies original sin and that God's punishment is deserved,

Forgiveness by faith in Christ, by means of His saving death.

All other religions and some Roman Catholics teach that salvation is by good works and that the sacrifice of Christ was not sufficient in itself to atone for all sin. Hindus work to improve their karma--the accumulation of merit or demerit, which one carries within his soul from one reincarnation to another, hopefully better one. According to Hinduism and other eastern religions, really good karma releases you from the cycle altogether, to escape all forms of material and become pure abstraction in unity with cosmic, impersonal mind.

Eternal life as the fruit of our participation in Christ's saving resurrection.

All other religions and some Christians teach that we have eternal life because we have an 'immortal soul'--innate immortality--and thus can never really die. This was the first lie spoken on earth--by Satan in the Garden of Eden--"You will not die." But only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:12-16). We are clothed in His immortality by participating in Christ's resurrection, which is the message of 1 Corinthians 15 and many other Bible passages. Jesus is the resurrection and the life; He raises the dead, both the saved, who are risen in Him to a resurrection of life, and the unsaved, whom he raises to a resurrection of judgment for punishment (John 5: 28-29).

Find in Ephesians 6:10-20 the purposes of the different pieces of the armor of God.

Find in 1 Timothy 4, guidelines for dealing with bad doctrine.

*Find in Numbers chapters 21 - 26 how God protected His people from idolatry.

*Find in Joshua chapters 6 - 7 the cause of the defeat of Israel and how they corrected it.

*Find in 1 Kings 18 how God used Elijah to uproot idolatry from Israel. What should we do today, that corresponds, in a Christian approach to idolatry?

Find in Jeremiah 23:21-40 what we are to say to self-styled prophets or dreamers, whose words do not agree with the Word of God. What is their destiny?

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* Stories (better, for letting the Word flow from friend to friend)

2(Optional Documents, to view, download or translate, for additional help)

A practical way to deal with Hindus, Buddhists ('New Age' religion is Hinduism in Western garb): DES menu library on Spiritual Warfare

If you work with people of another religion and must deal with it, read their literature and listen to their discourses and sermons of the local religious authorities.

Find what they say and do about God, Christ, sin, salvation, the Bible and followers of Jesus.
Also listen to your own people who have been influenced by their error.
As you teach the Bible, clearly stress the truth on the related points.
Well-taught believers will not be deceived by false teachers and will tell others the truth in culturally relevant ways that missionaries from the outside would not think to do.

For help: Research

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