🛑Can A Christian Be A Mason?

By Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD

(Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from the New International Version)1

GREETING

Psalm 134:1-2.1 Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord.2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1.           Life Center Service Tonight. 7 pm.

2. Friday Evangelism meeting at Baltimore Convention Center Friday at 1:00 PM in Room 331.

3. Join me next week in Houston and also Ohio.

4. Please register for the International AIM Convention under “COGIC Department of Evangelism.” July 1-5, Tampa, FL.

5. Missouri Midwest Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Holy Convocation 4th Annual Holy Convocation July 21-26. In 2020 I will be celebrating 5 years as a jurisdictional bishop. Special guests include: Bishop Paul S. Morton, Bishop J. Drew Sheard GBM, Dr. Joyce Rodgers, Bishop Todd Hall and many more

LESSON PURPOSE

This is not a lesson on the Masons. It is a Bible lesson, focused on Scripture regarding questions and concerns about the Masons.

These Bible lessons are not designed to make decisions for you. But, they are designed to place your focus on the Word; so that God Himself, through His Spirit may grant you all the answers you need. 

I. Brick masons were very prominent in the building of the Tower of Babel.

But, there is no biblical evidence that a fraternal order or secret society was or was not formed. Even if it was - God was displeased with the motive of the construction and sent judgement.

Genesis 11:3-4. 3They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

Genesis 11:6-7. 6The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

II. The Israelites were brick masons in Egypt.

But, there is no biblical evidence that they formed a fraternal secret society; as they were oppressed slaves and not voluntary workers.

Exodus 1:11. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.

Exodus 1:14. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

III. David assembled the workers for the Temple construction.

1 Chronicles 22:2. So David gave orders to assemble the foreigners residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God.

IV. Solomon partnered with King Hiram of Tyre to build the Temple.

His people were known for being great builders. If his workers were a part or not a part of a secret society with traditions and rituals; the Bible does not say. There is no evidence in Scripture that Masonry started with the building of Solomon's Temple.

1 Kings 5:1 Contemporary English Version.

King Hiram of Tyre had always been friends with Solomon’s father David. When Hiram learned that Solomon was king, he sent some of his officials to meet with Solomon.

1 Kings 5:10-18 Contemporary English Version.

10 Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and pine logs he needed. 11 In return, Solomon gave Hiram about one hundred twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat and about one thousand one hundred gallons of pure olive oil each year.

12 The Lord kept his promise and made Solomon wise. Hiram and Solomon signed a treaty and never went to war against each other.

13 Solomon ordered thirty thousand people from all over Israel to cut logs for the temple, 14 and he put Adoniram in charge of these workers. Solomon divided them into three groups of ten thousand. Each group worked one month in Lebanon and had two months off at home.

15 He also had eighty thousand workers to cut stone in the hill country of Israel, seventy thousand workers to carry the stones, 16 and over three thousand assistants to keep track of the work and to supervise the workers. 17 He ordered the workers to cut and shape large blocks of good stone for the foundation of the temple.

18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s men worked with men from the city of Gebal, and together they got the stones and logs ready for the temple.

V. One thing is for certain the stone workers were highly skilled.

1 Kings 6:7. In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

VI. Does the Bible condemn secret societies or societies of SECRETS? 

The closest thing to a secret society in Scripture were the Gnostics. The Scriptures do not paint them in too good of a light.

1 Timothy 6:20-21. 20Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith. Grace be with you all.

1 Corinthians 2:6-8. 6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the LORD of glory.

VII. The Word teaches against taking oaths.

Numbers 30:2. When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.

Matthew 5:33-37. 33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the LORD the vows you have made.' 34But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

James 5:12. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear-not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple "Yes" or "No." Otherwise you will be condemned.

VIII. The Jewish faith, from which Christianity originated, was separatist.

Therefore the Bible does not specifically address being a part of fraternal organizations; because this was not a part of the culture.

Deuteronomy 18:9. When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

Ezra 6:21. So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.

Nehemiah 13:3. When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.

Isaiah 52:11. Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the LORD's house.

John 4:9. The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

John 18:28. Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.

IX. Christianity was therefore also an even stricter separatist, ascetic branch of Judaism. 

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 New Living Translation.

14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them
    and walk among them.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.

17 

Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
    and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
    and I will welcome you.

18 

And I will be your Father,
    and you will be my sons and daughters,
    says the Lord Almighty.”

Matthew 15:22-24. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "LORD, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly." 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

2 John 1:10-11. 10If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

2 Thessalonians 3:6. In the name of the LORD Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

2 Timothy 3:5 Contemporary English Version. Even though they will make a show of being religious, their religion won’t be real. Don’t have anything to do with such people.

1 Corinthians 5:11. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

2 Thessalonians 3:14. Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed.

John 15:19. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

James 4:4 Contemporary English Version. You people aren’t faithful to God! Don’t you know that if you love the world, you are God’s enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

X. We have to be very careful with titles that would take away from God's glory.

While the Masons have some questionable titles; we must also be careful in the Church, not to honor men more than we do God.

Matthew 23:9-11. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant.

John 13:13. Ye call me Master and LORD: and ye say well; for so I am.

1 Corinthians 1:29. That no flesh should glory in his presence.

XI. AS THE CHURCH WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY WE DO NOT HAVE A DOUBLE STANDARD. It is easy to condemn Masons for having pagan rituals; but by the same token there are many holiday practices that Christians do that are of pagan origin. 

Matthew 7:3-5. 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Romans 2:1. You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

XII. We should allow the Holy Spirit to lead us what to be a part of.

And, not be led by our own ideas or what we think might either be right or wrong.

Proverbs 3:5-6. 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 16:9. In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.

Romans 8:14. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

XIII. Even if for fun or recreation; Christians must be careful of the use of shrines, mosques, etc.

1 John 5:21. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

XIV. Are Masons demonic?

Demons in the Bible infiltrated people and even animals. The Word is pretty clear about what is demonic.

James 3:13-18. 13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.