Thursday, October 29, 2009

The cross is an idol

Cross


The Church of God does not erect crosses inside the church or on top of it, in accordance with the teachings of the Second Coming Christ, Ahnsahnghong. The cross is an idol, and God’s people must never adore the cross, or bow down to it.

Nowadays, nearly every church uses the cross to symbolize Christ; however, the cross had been utilized as a pagan religious symbol long before Christ’s crucifixion. The Bible never condones the use of the cross, and not a single verse reads, "The cross is to be the symbol of the church," or, "The cross should be erected on top of the church," or even, "The cross should be treated as a sacred symbol because it represents the precious blood of Christ."

Historically, the cross was only used as an executioner’s tool. The apostles never believed or testified that the cross should be erected within the church and revered by God’s people. The truth of the Early Church did not include any teachings about the cross. The Early Church did not use the cross to symbolize Christianity and they did not believe that the cross held any power to drive out evil spirits. The saints of the Early Church did, however, repeatedly stress that idol worshipers would never be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.

We need to judge for ourselves whether it is right to set up the cross—following the customs of men—or whether we should refrain from using the cross, in accordance with God’s teachings. God commanded His people not to use or make idols, of any form

Friday, October 16, 2009

Veil



Woman’s veil Is God’s commandment


Christ commanded that during worship service men should not cover their heads, but women ought to cover their heads.


1 Cor. 11:1-6 『Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ....』

The Apostle Paul emphasized that his teachings were from Christ, not from his own personal opinions.

1 Cor. 11:4-5 『Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head-it is just as though her head were shaved.』

Through Christ's teaching, we discover that men ought not to cover their heads, but that women should cover their heads while worshiping God.

During the time of Moses, the head of a woman stood for the man. Thus, it was regarded as very shameful if a woman uncovered her head in front of a man or even loosened her hair. In fact, when a Jewish man chose to marry a Gentile captive, he would shave the woman's head to wash away the shame of her prior ignorance of God.

The words, "It is just as though her head were shaved," refer to this very shameful occurrence.

Women’s veil shown through the providence of creation

Even through the Creation, we can see that men ought not to cover their heads, but that women should cover their heads while in the presence of God.

1 Cor. 11:7-9 『A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man....』

God created Eve as Adam's helper. In the work of preaching the new covenant, too, man is the head and woman is the helper; however, men must not arrogantly ignore their female counterparts. As it is written:

1 Cor. 11:11-12 『In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.』

Could the gospel work be completed by only men? Or, if only women worked for the gospel, could it be fulfilled? Men and women should help each other in the gospel work. Both should remain devoted to their missions and faithful to the titles and positions given to them by God.