The Slippery Slope Revisited

All scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible unless otherwise noted.
Some while back I posted an article entitled "A Slippery Slope." I have thought recently to re-post the article. I still believe it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A Slippery Slope

With no handholds! This is a message to those who would let go of God's biblical standards. Over the last 48 plus years that I have been serving the Lord Jesus in the United Pentecostal Church, I have seen many people, brothers and sisters, who have let go of what they considered old fashioned man-made standards. I will say that it is a slippery slope without anything to grab a hold of when one lets go of biblical standards. Someone said many years ago that he who will not stand for something will fall for anything. I am not interested anymore than anyone else in just taking the official position of an organization on a given subject, but we all need to have Bible based convictions. If an organization takes a Bible based position on some area of life, then I will support it.

I remember the late Bro. J.H. Yohe, many years ago now, commenting to me on the styles of the day. At the time what was known as granny-dresses had come into style in the world. Bro. Yohe told me that he was not opposed to any new style that tended toward holiness in dress. He did however object to styles that moved people away from old fashioned holiness. I see nothing wrong with that stand(ard). Some may say it is only standards of men. However in Galatians  5:19-21 the Bible says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 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."  Watch out for that "and such like" clause, be careful lest you find yourself dis-inherited.

Deuteronomy 22:5 says, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God." Note that the scripture doesn't just put a biblical prohibition in place on gender difference in clothing but it says that all those who put on clothes contrary to their gender "are abomination unto the LORD thy God." Back during the days of the hippy movement, I was working at a store in Portland Oregon. It was a busy day with customers everywhere. I was at the cash-register waiting on people. There were two who were next in line. They were both dressed alike in fatigues. Both had long hair and the one facing me had a beard while the other had their back to me. I innocently said, "can I help you fellas?" His response was "She is not a fellow." Well, how was I to know?

Once we were driving down Lombard in North Portland when we saw a fellow with a beard wearing a granny dress. He was with what appeared to be a young woman dressed in fatigues. It has always been a mystery to me why it is considered weird for a man to wear a dress but we don't give it a second thought to see a woman in trousers. Several years back I heard about a Portland City Council meeting in which the subject of uni-sex restrooms was being discussed. When some (women) on the council objected to the concept of uni-sex restroom, believing there should be separate restrooms for men and women, one of the supporters, a lesbian as I recall, who was testifying, told the female city council members that they were transvestites as they were wearing pants and not dresses. I wonder if those lesbians had ever read Deuteronomy 22:5?

Someone may ask what has this got to do with your subject? In answer to the question let me say that those who go back on their Bible based beliefs, otherwise known as backsliding, start down a slippery slope that have no hand-holds. I realize there are always going to be different views of things. However the Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:17, whatever "ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." This is not optional. We are to do everything we do in Jesus name! The apostle went on in Colossians 3:23-24, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; ...(no room for the standards of men here)... Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." In  Verse 25 Paul gives a simple warning,, "But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons."  We are not serving an organization, rather we "serve the Lord Christ." 
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When I first applied for license with the United Pentecostal Church in 1968, I met with the District Board of the then Washington-British Columbia district. A question was asked on the application which said, "Will you always uphold the Articles of Faith of the United Pentecostal Church?" Being very young and ignorant but thoroughly converted to the Lord Jesus, I wrote in reply, "a qualified yes." Needless to say my reply raised several sets of eyebrows and I was asked to explain my answer. My response was, "as long as the UPC followed biblical standards, I would remain a faithful member but if ever the UPC left those standards I would leave the United Pentecostal Church." I still believe that also!

I will conclude with this, saying to you my friends and loved ones, the devil is no compromiser. He will delude you, if he can, and lead you astray of the biblical standards of God's word. He will offer you no hand-holds to stop your slide. Your only hope is to cry out to the Lord Jesus. If you will do that with a sincere heart, God will hear you and He will restore you. If you persist in your ways, the Bible says that a far worse thing will happen, God will choose your delusions. (See Isaiah 66:4 and 2nd Thessalonians 2:8-12) Remember what the Bible says in Hebrews 12:29, "...our God is a consuming fire." (See also Deuteronomy 4:24)