Can A Christian Be A Mason?

In our daily lives we are sometimes asked or even seek to join various organizations, clubs, orders or associations, either as part of our business associations, political activities or other pursuits that are common to mankind. Many of these organizations have good works as their primary purpose. Many times we are expected to join these organizations to further our business contacts, because family members are active in their work, or for a variety of other reasons. Many of these organizations are benign when considered in light of the Word of God but there are others that are a cancer for the soul.

I doubt that any of us here in this forum tonight would consider joining a religious denomination for any of these reasons. So we need to be able to recognize which of these organizations are religious in nature and which are not. Some of the most obvious, of course, are the various charitable groups sponsored by or exist as part of a religious denomination. The Roman Catholic Church has a litany of charities that do a tremendous amount of good work but that a child of God cannot support. Habitat for Humanity is another that is makes the local news on a regular basis. Its web-site describes it in the biography of the wife of its founder as a “nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry.” One of the definitions that you will find in your dictionary of “ecumenical” is “interreligious or interdenominational”; another is “general, universal, or worldwide”. Thus Habitat is a general, universal or worldwide, interdenominational organization whose stated purpose is the ministry of the Word of God through benevolence. The Salvation Army is another that does good works of various kinds but is an evangelical religious denomination that teaches a very liberal grace only, once saved, always saved false doctrines that was founded as and is recognized by the U.S. government as a religious denomination. It was started in London, England in 1865 by a preacher named William Booth as the East London Christian Mission. It was created especially for poor people who did not feel comfortable worshiping, nor were they readily accepted, in the various denominational churches available in that day and time.

Other organizations as I noted in the beginning are probably benign in relationship to our service to God or as members of the family of God. But in my own humble opinion we should consider the following:

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

If we have the means in our lives to support and the time to give to these organizations are we really presenting our “BODIES A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY, ACCEPTABLE UNTO GOD?” Are we doing that which the Holy Spirit tells us through the Apostle Paul that God thinks is his reasonable expectation? Or would we be spending our time more wisely, at least in terms of the wisdom of God, in his service, doing the work of the church?

Others of these organizations, of which my brethren have been members in times past and some continue to be members of today, are not so benign in terms of their impact upon our relationship with God. In this lesson I want to address one group of them called the Masonic Lodges or Masonic Orders. This would include the Masonic Lodge, the Order of the Eastern Star, Shriners and any other group related or affiliated with them. In addition to the scripture I will be presenting material from several sources but primarily, at least in terms of what the Masonic organizations teach and practice, from the “Encyclopedia of Freemasonry” by Albert G. Mackey. This encyclopedia was published by, renowned and used world wide by the various Masonic organizations. Mackey’s encyclopedia is readily available on-line as well. Therefore we will examine the renowned and accepted words of the Masonic writers themselves because as we well know that Jesus said:

“For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:37

As we pursue this study we need to plant in our minds these words:

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

I John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”

John 12:48 “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

Masonry is a Religion

First of all we need to establish in our minds that Masonry is indeed a religion. Many people will try to deny this contention; especially those that claim to serve God and still maintain their membership in a Masonic organization. However, how do the Masons themselves identify their organizations?

“Now we have never for a moment believed that any such unwarrantable assumption, as that Freemasonry is intended to be a substitute for Christianity, could ever obtain admission into any well-regulated mind, and, therefore, us are not disposed to yield on the subject of the religious character of Freemasonry, quite so much as has been yielded by more timid Brethren. On the contrary, we contend, without any sort of hesitation, that Freemasonry is, in every sense of the word, except one, and that its least philosophical, an eminently religious institution—that it is indebted solely to the religious element it contains for its origin as well as its continued existence, and that without this religious element it would scarcely be worthy of cultivate on by the wise and good.” (Encyclopedia of Freemasonry” pp 618-619; copied from the on-line version)

Mr. Mackey then goes on to define the term religion in a manner that all of us can understand:

“1. a belief in the being and perfections of God—in the revelation of His will to man—in man's obligation to obey His commands—in a state of reward and punishment, and in man's accountableness to God; and also true godliness or piety of life, with the practice of all moral duties”

“2. the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow-men, in obedience to divine command, or from love of God and His law.”

Then he makes a distinction between religion and virtue or morality and says religion:

“3. consists in the performance of the duties we owe directly to God, from a principle of obedience to His will.”

“4. any system of faith or worship”

Can anyone who knows anything about the nature of God and the revelation of his will to mankind contend that he can serve multiple religions, worship multiple gods and be in harmony with his Maker? Is there anyone who would contend that we need another religion or even another organization other than the church that Jesus built to teach so called religious principles. That we need another organization to supplement, assist or take the place of that which Almighty God has ordained? Jesus said:

Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Our purpose here on this earth is to serve the Almighty God and we will be judged in eternity by how well we perform that service:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

The only works that He will not remember are those works of darkness for which we have repented and been forgiven.

Does God allow us to serve just whoever we chose and still consider us as being faithful to him? He told Israel:

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

Moses in his exhortation to Israel not to serve other gods reminds them of this:

Deuteronomy 4:34-35 “Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? ³⁵Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.”

Deuteronomy 10:20 “Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.”

Our service to God in this age is through Jesus Christ and Him only:

John 10:7-8 “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.”

The “good news”, the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be our only rule and guide in our religion:

Galatians 1:8-9 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ⁹As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

Masonry is a Universal Religion

The religion of freemasonry is a universal religion, designed to be acceptable and accepted to men of all faiths, religions, or beliefs.

“But the religion of Freemasonry is not sectarian It admits men of every creed within its hospitable bosom, rejecting none and approving none for his peculiar faith. It is not Judaism, though there is nothing in it to offend a Jew; it is not Christianity, but there is nothing in it repugnant to the faith of a Christian.” (Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, pp 619)

“If Masonry were simply a Christian institution, the Jew and the Moslem, Brahman and the Buddhist, could not conscientiously partake of its illumination; but its universality is its boast. In its language, citizens of every nation may converse; at its altar men of all religions may kneel; to its creed, disciples of every faith may subscribe.” (Ibid. pp 439).

Therefore we find in the Masonic religion; fellowship between those who profess any religion under the canopy of heaven and even those who profess no religion at all but that provided by their Masonic affiliation. But what does the infallible, inspired, Word of God tell us:

Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

This one that God would send would establish His kingdom. He would serve God’s purpose. He would remove the sin brought into the world by Satan. He would redeem to God all people who would answer His call. The herald sent by God to precede him said:

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29

He died, was “LIFTED UP” so that all men would be drawn to Him, and none other.

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32

He came to provide redemption to the entire world:

I John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

We are to hear Him and none other, not even Moses or the prophets of old. When on the mount of transfiguration, the Apostle Peter suggested that they build three tabernacles; three houses of worship; one for Moses, one for Elijah and one for Christ. God Himself, speaking from heaven, corrected his thinking this way:

“While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” Matthew 17:5

At the end of time, at the judgment, every many will confess that Christ is indeed Lord; the Son of the Living God:

Philippians 2:9-11 “⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Masonry Does Not Confess Jesus Christ

But Masonry does not confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Oh, they have a god; you simply cannot have a religion without having a god. When you peruse the Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, you will frequently find this reference “G.A.O.T.U.” This is the god of Masonry and stands for the “Great Architect of the Universe”. This is the god to whom Masonic prayers are offered.

Someone will say but this is just another name for Almighty God. But is it? Is Allah, whom Islam worships just another name for Almighty God? No. Allah is the god of Islam, replacing the God of Israel because for political reasons the name Jehovah was repugnant to Mohammed. To proclaim that his followers worship the God of the Jews would not serve his purpose. And so it is today that it is the purpose of Islam to supplant, replace, remove, or destroy all who do not serve Allah. And they have done so at the point of the sword and by deception in many parts of the world. The “Great Architect of the Universe” is the Masonic god and while called other names, this is the accepted, technical name for their god.

“Great Architect of the Universe. The title applied in the technical language of Freemasonry to the Deity.” (Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, pp 310)

But what does Almighty God say about this:

Exodus 20:3 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”

There is only one God! There is only one true God and Jesus Christ is His son:

John 1:1 “¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

To see one is to see the other, to hear one is to hear the other, they are one in heart, mind, spirit and purpose.

John 14:8-9 “⁸Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. ⁹Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?”

I John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

Yet our Masonic friends have substituted someone called the “Great Architect of the Universe” for the God of the Bible, just as Islam has substituted Allah, the Buddhist, Buddha, and the Israelites of old Baal and Molech.

The God of Masonry is a False God

One of the marks of distinction that tells us that Masonry serves a false God is that it denies Jesus Christ. He is removed from their religion. Well, how do we know that? We simply go back to a quote considered earlier.

“But the religion of Freemasonry is not sectarian. It admits men of every creed within its hospitable bosom, rejecting none and approving none for his peculiar faith. It is not Judaism, though there is nothing in it to offend a Jew; it is not Christianity, but there is nothing in it repugnant to the faith of a Christian.” (Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, pp 619)

There is nothing in the religion of Masonry to offend a Jew! What could possibly offend a Jew more than to accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Christ, the Messiah for which they sought for centuries and still seek to come to earth and fulfill the promises made to the patriarchs. Did the existence and teaching of Jesus offend the Jews of his day? Yes, it did. Jesus said:

John 10:30-33 “I and my Father are one. ³¹Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³²Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? ³³The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”

Is it not logical that if Masonry does not offend the Jew then it does not confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour? Then if Masonry does not confess Jesus Christ it does not confess the true God. If it does not confess the true God then it must confess a false God, since all religions must have a god to worship. Then if Masonry confesses a false god then that god must have it’s origin in paganism and idolatry. What are we warned about in scripture?

I John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

I Corinthians 6:9-10 “KNOW YE NOT THAT THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD? BE NOT DECEIVED: NEITHER FORNICATORS, NOR IDOLATORS…SHALL INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”

What does the Holy Spirit tell us about Jesus Christ?

Colossians 1:17-18 “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. ¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

And we could continue further but time and space do not permit. We could show by another book written by Albert G. Mackey entitled “The Masonic Ritualist”, not the “Ritual” which is secret to all except Masons themselves but another that will show that what scripture is used in their worship is paraphrased and mutilated to remove any references to Jesus Christ.

Masonry NOT is the Way of the Cross

Please consider one more example of the false religion of Masonry. How do we have our sins and imperfections taken away? How are our souls cleansed and made ready for their reunion with God in the eternity? Let’s see what Masonry says:

“The Common Gavel is an instrument made use of by the operative masons to break off the corners of rough stones, the better to fit them for the builder’s use: but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of divesting our hearts and consciences of all the vices and superfluities of life; thereby fitting our minds as living stones for that spiritual building that ‘house not made with hands’ eternal in the heavens (The Ritualist, pp. 39, see also The Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, pp 290).

How is a Mason fitted for that “HOUSE NOT MADE WITH HANDS, ETERNAL IN THE HEAVENS?” The Free and Accepted Masons use the Common Gavel to prepare themselves for heaven. What is this gavel, you ask?

It is a gavel, a common tool used to conduct meetings. However theirs is a bit different to match the symbolism of their doctrine:

“The true form of the gavel is that of the stone-mason’s hammer. It is to be made with a cutting edge, as in the annexed engraving, that it may be used “to break off the corners of rough stones,” an operation which could never be effected by the common hammer or mallet.” (Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, pp. 290)

But what removes the sins of the child of God and makes him or her ready to enter the “HOUSE NOT MADE WITH HANDS, ETERNAL IN THE HEAVENS?”

Revelation 1:5-6 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, ⁶And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Are you prepared to be received in that “HOUSE NOT MADE WITH HANDS, ETERNAL IN THE HEAVENS?” If you are not a child of God you are not. In order to become such you must:

Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God – Mark 16:15-16

Repent of all of your past sins – Luke 13:3, 5

Confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God before men – Romans 10:9-10, Acts 8:37

Be washed clean of your sins, baptized in water, born again unto a new life in Christ – John 3:1-13, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, I Peter 3:21

If you are a child of God but have fallen away, fallen from grace, then you need to repent and pray for His forgiveness – James 5:16