Masonry is a counterfeit

Man-made brotherhoods by their very existence are an anathema to a thrice-holy God. Whilst veiled with religious trappings and outward respectability, they are subtly designed on the devil's drawing board to be an alternative to, and a counterfeit of, the true brotherhood of believers, the Church.

This brotherhood of believers is not only ordered of God, but is created by Him for His glory and the extension of His blessed Kingdom. Jesus said, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

This body, the Church, is the sole institution ordained of God for the proclamation and defence of the Word of God, and has Christ as its supreme ruling Head. The Bible says, that God "hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23).

The human body, so harmoniously fitted together, is presented in Scripture as a beautiful picture of the mystical union between Christ and the Church. By virtue of that union, the child of God enjoys spiritual unity and communion with that body of believers. The Bible says, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12).

The instrument God uses to bind the believer to Christ is the Holy Spirit. The true believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and is therefore joined to Christ through the work of the Spirit. The Bible says, "He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (I Corinthians 6:17). Every believer united to Christ is thus united to His brethren by the Spirit, all being members of the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:16 says, "The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth."

Every member has a unique part to play in the development of the body. None are there by chance, all have been the focus of God's special grace and mercy, being chosen in Christ and purchased by His precious blood. The Bible says: "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men" (1 Corinthians 7:23).

Secret societies by their very existence are an alternative to the body of believers the Church, and thus deprive Christ of His rightful place in men's lives. Found within these institutions are all the component parts of the Church, albeit in imitation form. They even mimic God's people by portraying themselves as a brotherhood, referring to their fellow members as 'brethren' and the individual member as 'brother'. Nevertheless Jesus said, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother" (Matthew 12:50). The Freemasons brotherhood is evidently a well constructed man-made counterfeit, one which will ultimately lead its Christ-rejecting members to the caverns of the damned and doomed in hell for all eternity. The Freemasons Degrees, Rituals and Secrets are a vivid testimony to its undoubted occult character.

Christians have no right to undermine their privileged position within the body of believers by joining such man-made counterfeits. Such compromise, damages their walk with God, weakens their commitment to the body of believers and flies in the face of Scripture.

The Bible commands: "Honour all men, Love the brotherhood, Fear God, Honour the King" (I Peter 2:17). John Gill, in expounding this passage, explains, "Love the brotherhood; or 'your brethren'…. the whole company of the brethren in Christ, who are born of God, are members of Christ, and of the same body, and have the same spirit, belong to the same family, and are of the household of faith."

The Bible instructs the believer to "do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). The child of God's position within the brotherhood of believers negates any need for man-made imitations.

The Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland carried out a thorough enquiry into the biblical credentials of the different secret fraternal societies in Ireland and released their findings in an in-depth documemt called: “The Loyal Orders” A Biblical Examination. They concluded: "As believers in the Lord Jesus the brotherhood to which the people of God are bound is the brotherhood of other believers. The fellowship we are to delight in is fellowship with those who have “fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John1:3) This was a distinguishing feature of the life of the early church: “they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42) This brotherhood and fellowship is dependent upon, and flows from, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and the consequent presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the lives of those who know him as such."