Calling a Cat a Dog Doesn’t Make it a Dog

Reading Time: 5 minutes

“Cursed are those who give the name of good to evil, and of evil to what is good: who make light dark, and dark light: who make bitter sweet, and sweet bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

Throughout my lifetime (+50 years) each year more people more often have been redefining definitions of institutions which for all millennia by people all over the world meant, stood for, and related to something diametrically different than the newly redefined definitions. For simple example sake, more and more people are calling a cat a dog… which everyone including those doing the redefinition know beyond any doubt doesn’t make the cat a dog; yet the people doing the redefining of the definitions ignore fact and militantly continue to impose their redefinitions upon everyone.

The recent redefining of definitions reminds me of a quote from Abe Lincoln about a calf.(1) A calf is a baby cow for those who may not know what a calf is. For simplistic sake and for those who are not familiar with what a calf looks like, I’ll change in my rendition of Abe Lincoln’s story the calf to a dog because most people know what a dog looks like.

Victor’s rendition of an Abraham Lincoln quote;

Abe Lincoln once asked someone, “If you call a dog’s tail a leg, how many legs would the dog have?”

If you do simple math, a dog has four legs plus one would be five, right?

“Wrong,” as Abe Lincoln points out, “Only four legs does a dog have even when you call its tail a leg because calling a tail a leg doesn’t make a tail a leg.”

“For we are not unaware of [Satan’s] schemes.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)

Those of us who follow Christ Jesus and read the Bible, understand and know what is going on today with the redefining of definitions as it is clearly defined in the Bible:

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

We live in a world today where even the concept of truth is mocked in favor of self-contradicting truth claims, such as, “There are no absolutes!” and “All truth is relative!” Men and women prided themselves on their supposed wisdom to the point of convincing themselves that intelligence came from non-intelligence, information from non-information, and life from non-life.

This vain thinking arises whenever people suppress the truth of God. Although “they knew God,” they do not glorify Him as God, and they become fools (Romans 1:21–22). Because men exchange “the truth of God for the lie” (Romans 1:25) and do not like to retain God in their thinking, good is viewed as evil, and evil is praised as good (Romans 1:28–32; Isaiah 5:20). Yet the Lord catches the wise in their own craftiness and knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile (1 Corinthians 3:19–20).

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

History confirms that towards the end of the first century, certain false teachers denied that Jesus Christ was fully divine and fully human. In doing so they denied a basic fact of the Christian faith, and so showed themselves to be enemies of Christ. The name that the Bible gives to people who show such opposition to Christ is antichrist (1 John 2:22; 4:3; 2 John 7). Today, more and more people are as the Bible predicts will come, are enemies of Christ and are militantly redefining definitions… and as also stated in the Bible, many people listening to these militants are turning away from the truth and are wandering off into the redefined definitions, i.e., calling a cat a dog.

God within the Bible provides directions which followers of Christ Jesus each need to heed during this day of false teachers including those redefining definitions:

“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors [false teachers] will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:13)

Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” (James 1:13)

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

“Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you, brothers: warn those who are irresponsible, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.

Rejoice always!

Pray constantly.

Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Don’t stifle the Spirit.

Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things.

Hold on to what is good.

Stay away from every kind of evil.

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:12-25)

If you have yet to accept Christ Jesus as your Savior, why not do so right now?

Simply confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

“For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Resources

  1. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln (George W. Julian recounts Lincoln using a similar story about a calf in Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln by distinguished men of his time (1909), p. 241)

https://answersingenesis.org/is-the-bible-true/truth-plus-fable-equals-lies

http://www.openbible.info/topics/call_evil_good_last_days

https://answersingenesis.org/who-is-god/isnt-the-god-of-the-old-testament-harsh-brutal-and-downright-evil/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.