Abortion and injustice in South Africa

Abortion is a growing industry in South Africa.

 

Since the inception of the new abortion laws in 1997, South Africa has legally murdered over 300,000 babies. A law, by the way, that was not given to the people to decide upon.

 

South African Christians must be the most laid-back Christians in the world. Even in America, where affluence is the in thing, Christians stand up against the government more than they do in South Africa.

 

This Sunday is Life Chain Sunday, and I am yet to hear a mention of this from the pulpit. Our churches seem to be more interested in feeling good than doing good.

 

It is time that churches start speaking against the injustices of the land. How can the church remain silent while babies are being murdered. This is only type of injustice being committed in this land under the sanction of the government. The church is silent because it has no backbone! It is more interested in having the right kind of music, or the right kind of preaching that is not offensive or the proper presence in government than standing up against injustices! The church is weak while it claims to have such a big impact on the nation; however, if that were the case, why do we see more and more perversion in the nation, on our television channels, magazines and newspapers? If that were the case, why are the number of babies aborted growing every year? The church is weak because it no longer stands up for the truth and for justice! It is soft-peddling the gospel instead of raising the banner of truth. It can no longer rise up against injustice, because it no longer has a sound Biblical theological base upon which to stand!

 

All of us hold to things that are precious to us, just like Gollum in J.R.R Tolkien’s monumental work The Lord of the Rings held the "one" ring as precious to his own heart. Precious, the ring, finally led Gollum to his death.

 

In our own lives we also have things or persons that are precious to us. Our children, family, property, education, the right to the exercise of religion, the right of our children to grow up in smut-free and moral environments and many more.

 

However, more and more so-called democratic governments all over the world are starting to infringe upon all these preciousnesses in our lives. Today, these governments are enacting laws that make immorality legal. Things like pornography and homosexuality, and these governments are even starting to think that speaking out against such immoralities should be seen as hate speech, punishable under the law! Now that is turning justice on its head!

 

Christian action, will assist Christians to ensure that we live in a world that is free from oppression, a world in which Christians can live out their Christian world view without the fear of being persecuted for that view. This does not mean that persecution will not happen, since Jesus made it clear that it will!

 

Christian action is the involvement, and indeed commitment, of Christians in society engaging in the culture wars to right the wrongs of society such as abortion, pornography, homosexuality, euthanasia, sex education, gambling, evolution and many more. It is a case of Christians appropriating a Biblical world view and making that view count in the market of ideas.

 

Christianity changed the world

 

The thought of not having Christianity in the world and expecting the world to be in the same condition as it is now, is like thinking of a world without Jesus and expecting to still speak of B.C. and A.D. It is simply preposterous!

 

If it weren’t for Christianity, we would not have had a world with the freedoms and advances we now experience.

 

Christianity has been part of the solution to many diverse cultures. Christianity has brought the written language to many different cultures where there was none. Christianity brought a stop to cannibalism in many tribes. Many cultures saw the end of human sacrifice due to the influence of Christianity. Christian missionaries put a stop to infanticide in China where unwanted babies were simply left to die on communal heaps or to drown in "baby ponds."

 

William Carey, the father of modern missions, had the practise of "suttee"--the burning of widows still alive on the funeral pyre of their deceased husbands--outlawed in India. Tens of thousands of children were saved by Christian women such as Anna Bowden, Mary Slessor and Amy Carmichael. It was also the persistent work of Christians who brought a stop to abortion in the Roman Empire and also later in Europe and America.

 

Slavery came to an end due to the incessant work of Christian men such as Lord Wilberforce. Slavery is still practised in Moslem countries! Other men involved in the eradication of slavery are David Livingstone and General Charles Gordon.

 

Hospitals as we know them are an innovation of Christianity. Even the nursing profession was founded out of love for Christ by Florence Nightingale. The Red Cross was also founded by Christians.

 

Many schools and universities like Harvard, Princeton and other Ivy League universities were started by Christians for the training of pastors.

 

Where would this world have been if Christians such as those mentioned above were not involved in society?

 

It is for the greater good of society that Christians get involved in society to ensure that Biblical justice is afforded to all, not just for one group of people!

 

The Bible on Christian Action (or Justice)
Fair treatment

 

When a government or any other group within society starts treating others unfairly, then Christians must stand up as the voice of reason. It happens that in most countries, those with the money get "more" justice than those without money.

 

As Christians we need to stand up for the fair treatment of all people. Lev 19:15 tells us that "You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly." We are also told in Deut 16:19 that "You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous."

 

A good government will ensure that all its people are treated justly, just like "David administered justice and righteousness for all his people." (2 Sam 8:15; 1 Chron 18:14)

 

Pursue justice

 

It should be in the heart of every Christian to see justice done in society. We are instructed to pursue justice and justice alone (Dt 16:20). It is a blessing to those who keep justice and practise righteousness (Ps 106:3).

 

We should be crying for justice in our hearts and act it out in society, especially for those who cannot do it for themselves! In a nation where abortion, pornography and crime rule, we are the ones who should stand up and be counted for true justice (Ezek 18:5-9).

 

Justice for the weak

 

In any nation it is imperative that all people are cared for. However, the Bible mentions proper justice for three groups of people: foreigners, orphans and widows. It is also true that these are the three groups that are most often neglected. We are instructed to ensure proper justice for these people (Dt 25:17; 27:19).

 

We need to stand up for the weak: "Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute." (Ps 82:3)

 

God maintains justice

 

If God is interested that justice be done for the weak and destitute, then who are we not to get involved in actions where justice can be ensured for the weak and destitute? (Ps 140:12)

 

If God is our example, then we should also exercise "lovingkindness, justice and righteousness." (Jer 9:24)

 

God expects us to practise justice

 

God loves justice (Ps 37:28) and indeed it is written that ‘"righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne." (Ps 97:2) The book of proverbs was written to instruct in "righteousness, justice and equity" (Prov 1:3).

 

As important as it is to sacrifice unto the Lord our time, etc, He is more interested that we "do righteousness and justice" (Prov 21:3) and to "preserve justice and do righteousness" (Is 56:1).

 

We are to "practice justice between a man and his neighbor" (Jer 7:5-7). Jesus asked the question, "Who is your neighbour?" The proper answer to that question is that every other human being is my neighbour!

 

We as Christians are also to work for the deliverance of those who are under the power of an oppressor (Jer 22:3). Who are more oppressed than our children? Is it not true that our government murders almost 60,000 of our children every year through the vile act of abortion?

 

Our children are being oppressed by humanistic educational policies that blind them to the truth of the gospel. They are being force fed the lies of evolution. They are being exposed to pornography and homosexuality and all other kinds of vile acts in our media.

 

We, on the other hand, are to "observe kindness and justice" (Hos 12:6). We are to establish justice in the halls of government power (Am 5:15). The Lord requires of us to "do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with" Him (Mic 6:8).

 

To tithe and give to the church is not good enough. We are to get involved. The Pharisees thought that they could get away with doing the least possible, yet Jesus told them that they have neglected the weightier things like "justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Mt 23:23) and "the love of God" (Lk 11:42). We need to "rescue the weak and needy" and to "deliver them out of the hand of the wicked." (Ps 82:4)

 

God has made it clear that we need to stand up for those who cannot do it for themselves (Is 1:17).

 

Understanding justice

 

We need to understand Biblical justice. The Bible should inform our world view concerning justice and Christian action.

 

1 MY son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3 For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, 8 Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; (Prov 2:1-13 NASB)

 

Justice and evil

 

In the mindset of the wicked, there will always be some form of justification for their wickedness, and so as a result any form of Biblical justice will bring terror to their hearts (Prov 21:15). This can of course lead to some form of persecution to those who do works of righteousness.

 

"Evil men do not understand justice" (Prov 28:5) and it is because of this lack of understanding that they fear Biblical justice. It is this lack of understanding that drives our government. A good government will give "stability to the land by justice," however, bribery and corruption will overthrow a country (Prov 29:4).

 

God even speaks out a woe against those who enact evil laws.

 

1 WOE to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions, 2 So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor of My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans. (Is 10:1-2 NASB)

 

Justice relies on truth

 

A proper Biblical justice can only be practised if it is based on Biblical truth. When our world view is tainted by the jadedness of post-modern humanism, how can we expect to perform our Godly duty to our neighbour who is in trouble? We need to have a world view based squarely on the Bible in order to perform a righteous service to society.

 

Hebrew has a wonderful way of saying things in order to link the concepts involved. It is called Hebrew parallelism. When Hebrew wants to emphasise two phrases or words that must stand together as a concept, then this construct is used. We can see just such a parallelism in Ps 85:10,

 

10 Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

 

In this verse "lovingkindness and truth" stand together with "righteousness and peace." In order to have "righteousness and peace" we need to have "lovingkindness and truth." "Righteousness and peace" in a country depends on the "lovingkindness and truth" exercised by that country.

 

We see the same kind of parallelism in Ps 89:14,

 

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

 

Again, "righteousness and justice" work together with "lovingkindness and truth."

 

We do not have justice or righteousness in this country since from government level, people have turned their backs on truth and righteousness. (Is 59:14)

 

Yet, when a nation, led by a righteous government walks in righteousness, that nation is exalted, but "sin is a disgrace to any people." (Prov 14:34) South Africa does have a bad name because of its incessant crime.

 

It is amazing that even in the Bible it is understood that when oppression and denial of justice reigns in a country, it is because a bunch of evil people in government are covering each other’s backs.

 

8 If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight; for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them. (Eccl 5:8)

 

Overcoming evil

 

As Christians we are to stand against evil to overcome it. It is by the good that we do that we can overcome evil (Rom 12:21). We should not let the world speak bad of the good we do (Rom 14:16), but rather, we should stand up for what is right and true in God’s eyes.

 

We should seek that which is good for all people, not just for ourselves (1 Thess 5:15) and so we need to turn our backs against the evil of this world, whether it is perpetrated by the government or ordinary people and instead expose the evil (Eph 5:11).

 

Peter Hammond of Frontline Fellowship writes, "That our fallen world needs changing is beyond question. When our newspapers and films glamorise immorality, undermine traditional family values and encourage selfishness, greed and lust; when criminals escape justice by legal technicalities; when half of the world suffers under totalitarian dictatorships and persecution; when pornography, perversion, abortions, terrorism and the occult are increasing - then we know that this world needs to be changed." [1] Hammond continues, "Many Christians have surrendered to the forces of darkness, entered into negotiations and co-operation with idolaters, demythologized the Bible, removed "offensive" Bible passages from our preaching and lowered standards to allow the unconverted easy access to the church.

 

In the past the church went out to conquer the world for Christ. Today, in too many churches, Christ is being sold for 30 pieces of silver, or less. Instead of the church changing the world, the world is changing the church." [2]

 

Of course, there are many that say that we only need to preach the gospel--of which I am one.

 

"Government schools are promoting humanism, sex education programmes, the interfaith movement and even occultism. Yet the response of all too many is to ‘just preach the Gospel’ - which seems like a convenient excuse for disobedience and inactivity. Do we really believe that Jesus would have us stand passively by while God-hating pagans exploit women made in the image of God, degrade that which God has made to be holy, make public what God has meant to be private, make common what God has meant to be special, corrupting young minds and morals and ruining marriages? ‘Just preach the Gospel’ is often an excuse to justify laziness or cowardice. Would God have us stand idly by while a murderer rips the arms and legs off a baby and crushes its head?" [3]

 

Is it wrong to confront and expose the pornographic, child-sacrificing prophets of our current humanistic government? This is exactly what Elijah did! (1 Kings 18) Is it wrong to publicly expose the immorality of those at the head of our nation? John the Baptist did that to expose king Herod! (Matt 14:3-4) Was Jesus wrong when He overturned the tables of the greedy money changers driven by corruption? (Mark 11:15)

 

Conclusion

 

How do we shape up as good Samaritans (Lk 10:26-37)? Are we assisting the downtrodden?

 

"[31] When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  [32]  Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  [33]  And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.  [34]  Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  [35]  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,  [36]  I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'  [37]  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  [38]  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  [39]  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'  [40]  And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'  [41]  "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  [42]  For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,  [43]  I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'  [44]  Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?'  [45]  Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'  [46]  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Mat 25:31-46 ESV)

 

We as Christians should get involved in Christian action because we care and because the person next to me is my neighbour.

 

Who is my neighbour?

 

• Those babies that are being murdered every nine (9) minutes! In the USA a baby is murdered every 24 seconds! Since Roe v Wade in 1973 40,000,000 babies have been murdered via abortion!
• Those people--among whom are many children--that are being exposed to pornography on a daily basis!
• That widow that can no longer afford her rent because the government has decided to increase tax on property!
• That family that got wiped out by murderous thugs because the government sees no need for dealing with the crime in the country!
• Those poor children that must grow up thinking that they are no more worth than a bunch of apes, because the government policy says that evolution is true!
• Those poor people that can no longer survive each month because their jobs have been stolen from them by a government that pushes affirmative action!
• That poor mother that had to watch how deviant, evil men raped her daughter!
• Those unfortunate people that are growing up and living with no hope, thinking that stealing and a life of crime are the only methods to alleviate their problems; and, this because they have voted for a government that has been found to be completely inept in dealing with its economic doldrums or with the waves upon waves of crime sweeping across this country.

 

Are you willing to leave this country just as it is, so that your children can pick up the pieces when they are adults? Are you willing to leave this country just as it is, so that perhaps your children may never get to grow up to be adults themselves?

 

Rom 1:18-28 is a very accurate picture for South Africa at this moment. This is how this passage depicts unbelievers’ minds and we can see that so clearly in this country:

 

• Suppressing the truth
• Rejecting God
• Vain reasonings
• Senseless, darkened hearts
• Foolish hearts
• Professing their own wisdom
• Idolatry
• Impure desires
• Exchanged the truth of God for a lie
• Worshipping creation
• Immoral sexual passions
• Changing the natural for the unnatural (homosexuality and lesbianism)
• Degraded minds

 

"[A]n early evangelical leader in culture war activity, Francis Schaeffer, warned that most Christians were more concerned with personal peace and affluence than about having an impact in their society. He was concerned that as the Christian- dominated consensus weakened, these two values would grow in their place. The picture of society we are left with is one in which people's lives are consumed by things, buying two SUV's and a nice big house in the suburbs, with a nice tall fence, color TV (a big color TV), and remote. These people do not want to know about the suffering in our urban ghettos or about the plight of Christians in other countries. They want their lives to be unimpeded by the turmoil experienced by less affluent people." [4]

 

---

Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers?

Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
Ps 94:16 

---

 

End Notes

[1] Hammond Peter, http://www.christianaction.org.za/magazine_ca/2003-1-christians_changeworld.htm
[2] Hammond Peter, http://www.christianaction.org.za/magazine_ca/2003-1-christians_changeworld.htm
[3] http://www.christianaction.org.za/magazine_ca/2004-1-just_preach.htm
[4] Closson, Don, Culture Wars, http://www.probe.org/docs/cultwars.html

 

Just thinking...

 

George Claassen and his shenanigans

As some of you can remember, I made mention of George Claassen in my blog post called The gene and homosexuality - the sequel on September 12. He is the one who is all for evolution and none for religion or as he calls it superstition in his latest article titled Stand up against superstition!.

 

In this article he uses the usual method of intimidation... numbers! 38 Nobel prize winners wrote a letter to the Kansas State Board of Education to maintain Darwinian evolution as the sole curriculum on science. So what?

 

Here is a list of scientists in all fields who are creationists:

Creation scientists and other biographies of interest

 

Truth is not a democracy George Claassen!

 

Just thinking...

Land Expropriation in South Africa

I don't want to be negative, but is this perhaps the beginning of the end for white farmers in South Africa?

Now I want you to understand that this is not a racist comment. I hate racism and although South Africa is supposed to be a model country when it comes to dealing with the issue of racism, one thing is for sure: racism is alive and well in this country. It is even inscribed in our constitution. Well, not in so many words. Yet, that is the conclusion one has to come to when thinking carefully about the South African constitution!

In chapter 2, section 9, subsections 3-5 of the constitution the following can be found:

3. The state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.

4. No person may unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds in terms of subsection (3). National legislation must be enacted to prevent or prohibit unfair discrimination.

5. Discrimination on one or more of the grounds listed in subsection (3) is unfair unless it is established that the discrimination is fair.

The fact that fair and unfair discrimination have not been clarified and are left open-ended is certainly cause for concern! Through the use of cleverly twisted legal words and phrases these two words can be made to mean almost anything! Add to that the changes one can observe in society, what is fair today may be unfair tomorrow! In the end good will be called "evil" and evil will be called "good!"

I have no problem in helping the previously disadvantaged in South Africa, but to take away from one person and giving it to another person sounds to me like that old romanticized crook, Robin Hood. Forcing someone to take a pittance as payment to redistribute to the poor is still stealing. Here in South Africa a farmer is going to be forced to accept R1.75m ($270,000) for his farm when he wanted R3m ($460,000). Nobody can tell me that a farm of 500ha is only worth R1.75m ($270,000)! This is laughable! We have all seen what has happened in Zimbabwe where that evil, despicable and corrupt government simply took farms away from whites and gave it to blacks. I have no problem with giving to blacks or to anyone else for that matter, but to take away from one group simply to give to another group is stealing.

How can we hope to find real reconciliation in this country when injustice is now perpetrated against whites instead of blacks? In my opinion, apartheid had simply been reversed. Pre-1994 apartheid was defined as whites committing injustices against blacks. Post-1994 it is defined as blacks committing injustices against whites. Is it on a wide scale as it was pre-1994? Not yet!

The expropriation of land is just a start. Currently it is mild when compared to Zimbabwe, and money is still being exchanged between the government and the farmers. However, how long will that continue?

Watch this space as the future unfolds!

Just thinking...

Church History

Saving Us from Ourselves

 

The question that many Christians ask is "why the big deal about church history?" Many in today’s evangelical church, from the conservative to those on the outskirts of evangelicalism like the charismatics, cannot see what is so important about knowing a little about church history! The claim by so many Christians today is that they do not need those that went before us, since they can simply be led by the Holy Spirit and let the Spirit guide them in the interpretation of the Bible.

 

History--the story of those that went before us--is "the story of those whose heirs we are...a long preface to our own life stories." [1] The reason we can see so far is that we are standing on the shoulders of the giants that have gone before us. Only the conceited, the arrogant, see no need for church history. The conceited, the arrogant, are those who trample on the memory of the giants who have prepared the road on which we travel.

 

"For nearly two thousand years the Christian Church has exercised a profound influence upon the western world. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century its moral and spiritual influence has spread, in a greater or less degree, to almost all parts of the globe. No one, therefore, ought to be indifferent to the story of the Church of Christ." [2] History, in reality, is HIS story. For history shows how God, in His providence, is leading this world to the very end God has designed for it (those who believe in Christ to blessedness and those who do not believe to eternal damnation). It is in history, especially church history, that we discover how God is making use of ordinary men and women like you and me to accomplish his will. "History," writes Philip Schaff, "is the biography of the human race, and the gradual development, both normal and abnormal, of all its physical, intellectual, and moral forces to the final consummation at the general judgment, with its eternal rewards and punishments." [3]

 

"Christians have a special interest in history because the very foundations of the faith that they profess are rooted in history." [4] It is with this interest--that our faith is rooted in history--that we should approach the study of church history. The fact that Jesus was an historic person, who actually lived on earth, who died and rose from the dead, makes the study of church history so vitally important for every Christian today. The very fact that Jesus said "I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it" (Mt 16:18 NASB), makes the study of church history significant to us. Church history shows us how He indeed has been working in His church, from the book of Acts to the present. "The central current and ultimate aim of universal history is the Kingdom of God established by Jesus Christ." [5]

 

Cairns gives six points as to the value of church history [6] to Christians today. We will be following those six points.

 

1.      Church history as a synthesis

 

History "links the past factual data of the Christian gospel with the future proclamation and application of that gospel in a present synthesis that creates understanding of our great heritage and inspiration for its further proclamation and application... Exegetical theology is linked in a meaningful pattern with practical theology as the student sees how systematic theology has made an impact on previous human thought and action." [7]

 

There is and still must be place for systematic theology in the church today. The theology we adhere to influences our thoughts and conduct on this earth. When we look back at the struggles of the church from the earliest times to keep its doctrine and behaviour pure, we realise that we are not islands unto ourselves, but that much of what we have today in doctrine and behaviour are because of those monumental struggles to safeguard the purity of the church. This takes us to the next point.

 

2.      Church history as an aid to understanding the present.

 

"We can understand the present much better if we have some knowledge of its roots in the past... Present-day problems of the church are often illuminated by study of the past, because patterns or parallels exist in history." [8]

 

In order to understand the existence of the different denominations we need not look any further than church history. When we look at the origins of the Anglican church, for instance, we note the struggle of the kings and queens of England with the papacy. In the origins of the Methodist church we find the Wesleyan revival which eventually brought a departure from the Anglican church. The genesis of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches can be traced all the way to Switzerland.

 

Do you have any idea why your church believes what it believes and why its current liturgy exists?

 

3.      Church history as a guide

 

"The correction of existing evils within the church or the avoidance of error and false practice is another value of the study of the past of the church. The present is usually the product of the past and the seed of the future... New sects will often be revealed as old heresies in a new guise. Christian Science can be understood better after a study of Gnosticism in the early church and the ideas of the Cathari in medieval times. Ignorance of the Bible and the history of the church is a major reason why many advocate false theologies or bad practices." [9]

 

Many claim that their false theologies (which they do not see as false) come from proper Bible study. However, when we look at the doctrinal battles of the early church we will soon find out why the early church looked at such theologies as false or even heretical. When we study church history we discover much of the why of our theology and liturgy.

 

4.      Church history as a motivating force

 

"Church history also offers edification, inspiration, or enthusiasm that will stimulate high spiritual life.... No one can study the brave stand of Ambrose of Milan, in refusing Emperor Theodosius the Communion until he repented of his massacre of the Thessalonian crowd, without being encouraged to stand for Christ against evil in high political or ecclesiastical circles." [10]

 

When we look at how the church has been persecuted, we will find comfort in church history in the fact that all over the church has remained an indestructible force. Just before his martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote to the church in Rome, "Now I begin to be a disciple. I care for nothing, of visible or invisible things, so that I may but win Christ. Let fire and the cross, let the companies of wild beasts, let breaking of bones and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and all the malice of the devil, come upon me; be it so, only may I win Christ Jesus." [11] As he heard the lions roar, before he was to be thrown to them, he said "I am the wheat of Christ: I am going to be ground with the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found pure bread." [12] When the Romans tried to force Polycarp to deny Christ and to bow before Caesar, he answered by saying "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?" [13]

 

The persistence of the saints of days gone by is a great encouragement to us. This we can only learn from church history. Every time we read a biography of some Christian, we are reading about church history.

 

5.      Church history as a practical tool

 

We understand systematic theology much better when we have a grasp of church history and the development of systematic theology within that history. "The doctrines of the Trinity, Christ, sin, and soteriology [doctrine of salvation] will never be properly understood unless one is aware of the history of the period from the Council of Nicaea to the Council of Constantinople in 680." [14] "Is he," writes Cairns of the preacher intending to preach, "seeking to warn of the dangers of a blind mysticism that puts Christian illumination on a level with the inspiration of the Bible? Then let him study the mystical movements of the Middle Ages or early Quakerism. If he seeks to warn of the dangers of an orthodoxy unaccompanied by a study and application of the teachings of the Bible, then let him give attention to the period of cold orthodoxy in Lutheranism after 1648, which created a reaction known as Pietism, a movement that stressed earnest study of the Bible and practical piety in daily life." [15]

 

We can find an occurrence of an example in church history for almost every problem we face today in the church. It will be time well spent to study church history to discover how the church dealt with these problems in the past.

 

6.      Church history as a liberalising force

 

Whenever we look at the history of the western world, we find that it is meaningless (deficient and incomprehensible) if we do not take cognisance of the role of Christianity in the expansion of western civilisation. In a review of a new book by Rodney Stark called For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery, David Neff writes, "Stark doesn't argue so much the virtues of Western civilization as the fact (yes, fact, not theory) that you cannot understand Western civ without reference to Christian theology and the way that it fertilized the soil in which those ‘extraordinary episodes’ grew." [16]

 

"When we study the life and work of past generations, and when we interpret it, we are doing history. But we must remember that future generations will read about our times as past history. In that sense, like it or not, both by our action and by our inaction, we are making history. This is both an exhilarating opportunity and an awesome responsibility, and it demands that we do history in order to be able to make more faithfully. Every renewal of the church, every great age in its history, has been grounded on a renewed reading of history." [17]

 

To believe that we can get along fine without looking at church history and the ground breaking steps those from the past have made in the study of theology, is to be so egotistical to think that the Holy Spirit has led only them to the truth and that those who have gone before us have simply not been as close to God as they are! Thinking like this simply cannot be the thinking of someone who claims to have the Holy Spirit in him.

 

True Christian humility will let us look at the past to learn from the mistakes made in the past, and to learn from the great teachers of church history so that our own lives may be enriched! When we realise that much greater men of God have gone before any of us, we will start walking in humility as we learn from them!

 

End Notes

[1] Gonzalez, Justo L., The Story of Christianity Complete in One Volume The Early Church to the Present Day, Prince Press, First Printing--December 1999, xiii.
[2] Renwick, A. M., The story of the church, Inter-Varsity Press, Bristol, Great Britain, Reprinted, 1977, p7.
[3] Schaff, Philip, History of the Christian Church: Volume 1 Apostolic Christianity From the Birth of Christ to the Death of St. John A.D. 1-100, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, First printing--July 1996, p2.
[4] Cairns, Earle E., CHRISTIANITY THROUGH THE CENTURIES A History of the Christian Church, Revised and Enlarged Edition, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, Twenty-seventh printing (second revised edition), 1981, p13.
[5] Schaff, Volume 1, p3.
[6] Cairns, pp17-20.
[7] Ibid., p17.
[8] Ibid., pp17-18.
[9] Ibid., p18.
[10] Ibid., p18.
[11] Foxe, John, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Whitaker House, Springdale, PA, 1981, p19.
[12] Ibid., p21.
[13] Ibid., p22.
[14] Cairns, p19.
[15] Ibid., p19.
[16] Neff, David, ChristianityToday.com, Editor's Bookshelf: Getting Western Civ Right, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/128/51.0.html.
[17] Gonzalez, xviii.

Originally from my website at http://teachingtruth.cjb.net/studies/churchhistory.htm

 

Just thinking...

Evil "good" and good "evil"

I had the misfortune of seeing some of this year's Emmy Awards. I particularly saw the part where Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite patted themselves and their business (ex) on the back.

 

What really interested me was how they spoke of themselves as always searching for the truth and reporting the truth.

 

Have they already forgotten last year's US elections when Dan Rather was instrumental in creating the news with some forged documents about George W Bush?

 

And the way that the entertainment crowd there all applauded these guys! It was simply amazing!

 

The Bible rightly warns us that in the end evil will be called "good" and good will be called "evil.!

 

Just thinking...

Dave Hunt's anti-Calvinistic vitriolic outbursts

In the September 2005 edition of Dave Hunt's newsletter called The Berean Call, Dave Hunt once again takes Calvinism to task about its so-called delusions.

Sure, there are some teachings in the traditionally Reformed doctrines that are at odds with the Bible, but Dave Hunt must ask himself if the same could not be said about Arminianism? It amazes me that he seems to think that Arminianism is the be-all and end-all. Is it not Arminianism that brought the Roman Catholic church down to the depths of hell, leading to the Reformation? Is it not also Arminianism that led to the malicious doctrines of the Word-of-Faith movement with such false teachers as Kenneth Copeland, Charles Capps and Benny Hinn?

The problem with Hunt is that it seems that he has no real answers against Calvinism! So far, every time I have read anything by Hunt on Calvinism it seems like a stuck record on a turn table. He just simply regurgitates the same stuff over and over again. James White from Alpha and Omega ministries has repeatedly communicated with Dave Hunt concerning Hunt's erroneous understanding of Calvinism and his lack of Biblical exegesis.

Dave Hunt, in my mind at least, is like someone who claims that the moon is blue when it clearly isn't! Many have written to Dave Hunt about his incendiary outbursts against Calvinists in order to show him the light. However, no man is as blind as those who refuse to see!

According to Hunt, Calvinists who have been Calvinists all their lives are not saved (p4). Those who were Arminians before becoming Calvinists are lucky enough to be saved! (p4) Thanks Your Highness Mr. Hunt for half the thumbs up! It seems that Arminianism saves!

Anyone who has read The Potter's Freedom and Debating Calvinism with any modicum of an open mind would clearly see how different the scholarly approaches are between James White and Hunt. By the way, James White is a Calvinist. At every turn White displays his scholarly approach with in-depth exegesis, while in Debating Calvinism--the written debate between White and Hunt--Hunt simply recites his flash cards over and over again. He still hasn't changed his flash cards since he still uses the same ol', same ol'. "A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike." (Pr 27:15 ESV) Hunt's incessant repetitiveness with no real in-depth exegesis is just like this irritating dripping tap that just doesn't want to stop.

With the tiniest amount of effort using a web search engine such as Google, one can find great exegetical works that show how erroneous our esteemed Mr. Hunt is!

Just thinking...

Driving Miss Depravity

Every day I have to get onto the freeway between our political capital city--Pretoria--and our financial capital--Johannesburg--to get to work. It is a total of 44km (27.34mi) between my home and work. If I leave home at 06:00 I can get to work at about 06:45 to 07:00. If I leave home at 06:10, the time on the road suddenly lengthens into an hour and a half. Coming home I normally get to leave work at about 16:30 and it takes about an hour to get home. However, just the other day it took me 2 hours and 15 minutes to get home.

 

However, I do not intend to bore you to death with how long it takes me to travel between my home and work.

 

Have you ever, and I assume it is the same all over the world, realised how ugly Miss Depravity displays herself on the road. We all have to get to work. We are all travelling in the same direction. There are thousands and thousands of cars moving in that direction. You would think that since we are all in the same boat (or car) that people would show some courtesy to one another and also not try to kill each other. Heck, no! Each of us thinks that he is the only one on his way to work and so drive accordingly. Here in South Africa, while travelling on a highway or freeway, it is advisable not to indicate your intentions to change lanes long in advance. You will be seen as an intruder in someone else's domain and any gap will be closed pronto! It is better to drive casually and when you see a gap opening to quickly flick on the indicator and to change lanes as quick as possible before the gap is closed by someone.

 

On the other hand, while driving, always keep an eye open for people who will swerve in front of you even when there is no suitable gap between your car and the car in front of you. Lane changes here seem to be some kind of death wish by many (not their own death of course!) or some kind of kamikaze mission! Two days ago on my way to work I had the fortunate experience of being fingered by some young know-it-all twit. The woman driving behind me was keeping fairly close to me with a gap that I thought was perhaps a few inches bigger than the size of a small car. Suddenly out of nowhere this young guy with his Ford Focus zipped into that gap and then proceeded to ride so close behind me I could hardly see the windscreen wipers on his car! I was in no way comfortable with him so close to the tail of my car and so I waved him off. I did not give him any common road hand "signals." I literally waved him off! He simply sneered at me and continued to stay so close. Next I started to slow down slightly. The thing to remember here is that I was in the right hand lane of a three lane freeway. This would be the equivalent of the left hand lane in the US. Here in South Africa we drive in the left hand lane and pass right on normal roads. Anyhow, there is a thick concrete barrier between the two sides of the freeway. The next thing he zipps past on my right between me and this concrete barrier on the no-go zone! After he passed me he proceeded by greeting me with all the common road hand "signals."

 

Now things like this happen all the time. One of my pet peeves is how people drive on our roads and it really freaks me out when people break the rules of the road to get ahead of others. Like waiting in line at an exit from the freeway in a line that stretches far back on the freeway. This is where many people, especially those with expensive cars, would simply drive past the line and push in somewhere close to the front.

 

Things like this really upset me. That people can disregard others so easily and show them no respect by simply pushing in or whatever!

 

I was thinking about this. Until it dawned on me: people simply cannot help driving like this! It is in man's nature to be like this. Being so selfish and rude while driving! This is simply how the nature of man displays itself. Anyone who claims that man is basically good must obviously have a chauffeur or use the train or a bus to travel. Once you have to drive yourself around, you will soon discover that man is basically sinful!

 

We find Adam, way back in the garden of Eden being told by God that he could eat from any tree in the garden "but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die" (Gen. 2:17). In that same day, after God made Eve from one of Adam’s ribs, the serpent (the devil) came to Eve and started his life-long mission… to tempt us away from God and His Word. The devil came with one of his greatest temptations… that we could be like God. Almost every cult today has this idea in its teachings. Even within the ranks of Christianity today, there are those who teach that we are "little gods." Anyhow, Adam and Eve ate and sin entered the human race.

 

"But the matter did not stop there, for by that first sin Adam became the bond-servant of sin. That sin carried permanent pollution with it, and a pollution which, because of the solidarity of the human race, would affect not only Adam but all his descendants as well. As a result of the fall the father of the race could only pass on a depraved human nature to his offspring. From that unholy source sin flows on as an impure stream to all the generations of men, polluting everyone and everything with which it comes into contact."[1]

 

Adam sinned as the representative head of the human race, and in this way the guilt of sin is imputed to us all. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Rom. 5:12).

 

Because of original sin (that which Adam brought upon us) we have become totally depraved. Total depravity is often misunderstood.

 

"Negatively, it does not imply: (1) that every man is thoroughly depraved as he can possibly become; (2) that the sinner has no innate knowledge of the will of God, nor a conscience that discriminates between good and evil; (3) that sinful man does not often admire virtuous character and actions in others, or is incapable of disinterested affections and actions in his relations with his fellow-men; nor (4) that every unregenerate man will, in virtue of his inherent sinfulness, indulge in every form of sin; it often happens that one form excludes the other. Positively, it does indicate: (1) that the inherent corruption extends to every part of man’s nature, to all the faculties and powers of both soul and body; and (2) that there is no spiritual good, that is, good in relation to God, in the sinner at all, but only perversion. This total depravity is denied by Pelagians, Socinians, and seventeenth century Arminians, but is clearly taught in Scripture…Rom.7:18,23; 8:7; Eph. 4:18; II Tim. 3:2-4; Tit. 1:15."[2]

 

When it comes to this total depravity

 

"We are all sinners by nature, therefore we are held under the yoke of sin. But if the whole man is subject to the dominion of sin, surely the will, which is its principal seat, must be bound with the closest chains. And, indeed, if divine grace were preceded by any will of ours, Paul could not have said that "it is God which worketh in us both to will and to do" (Phil. 2:13). Away, then, with all the absurd trifling which many have indulged in with regard to preparation. Although believers sometimes ask to have their heart trained to the obedience of the divine law, as David does in several passages (Ps. 51:12), it is to be observed, that even this longing in prayer is from God. This is apparent from the language used. When he prays, "Create in me a clean heart," he certainly does not attribute the beginning of the creation to himself. Let us therefore rather adopt the sentiment of Augustine, "God will prevent you in all things, but do you sometimes prevent his anger. How? Confess that you have all these things from God, that all the good you have is from him, all the evil from yourself," (August. De Verbis Apost. Serm. 10)."[3]

 

To this Grudem adds

 

"Not only do we as sinners lack any spiritual good in ourselves, but we also lack the ability to do anything that will in itself please God and the ability to come to God in our own strength. Paul says that "those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8). Moreover, in terms of bearing fruit for God’s kingdom and doing what pleases Him, Jesus says, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). In fact, unbelievers are not pleasing to God, if for no other reason, simply because their actions do not proceed from faith in God or from love to him, and "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:6). When Paul’s readers were unbelievers, he tells them, "You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked" (Eph. 2:1-2). Unbelievers are in a state of bondage or enslavement to sin, because "every one who commits sin is a slave to sin" (John 8:34). Though from a human standpoint people might be able to do much good, Isaiah affirms that "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isa. 64:6; cf. Rom. 3:9-20). Unbelievers are not even able to understand the things of God correctly, for the "natural man does not receive the gifts [lit. ‘things’] of the Spirit of God, for they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14 RSV mg.). Nor can we come to God in our own power, for Jesus says "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (John 6:44)."[4]

Mankind has come up with the humanistic notion that there is a spark of "good" in each of us, and it has become so pervasive that it has crept into many Christian theologies. However, Scripture stands at odds with this humanism:

 

Jer 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? (NASB)
Ps 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth. (NASB)
Ps 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. (NASB)

In the New Testament Paul continues with this total depravity of man. Does he start his gospel message in Romans with "Jesus loves you more than you love yourself?" No! This is what he wrote in Rom 1:21-25:

 

21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (NASB)

Paul continues to show the total inability of man to seek after God in Rom 3:10-18. James White has this to say about this passage:

 

"This litany of quotations [from the Bible] is specifically designed to have one effect: to shatter, destroy, and obliterate any last shred of self-righteousness that might remain after the preceding arguments have been understood. These testimonies are fatal to any kind of "optimistic humanism." Outside of God's grace, man is a corrupted creation, violent, hateful, without understanding, without fear of God. Rather than finding in man "seekers" who simply need a "nudge" in the right direction, Scripture tells us that man does not understand and does not seek after God. Man is deceitful, even with himself, and is quick to curse God. Total depravity painted in the most vivid colors."[5]

Man is spiritually dead and desperately needs new life. Death came into this world through sin, and death so spread to all men. (Rom 5:12) We cannot escape the fact we are slaves of sin, and slaves do not have any rights against their master. What kind of choice is left to a slave? A slave has NO choice! The person without Christ is dead in his sin, dead to God, and we know that dead people cannot move themselves to life. Just as Lazarus had no ability to bring himself back to life, and also had no choice in the matter if someone else brought him back to life, so we have no ability to choose God and spiritual life, and no choice as to whether to accept or deny the life God graciously chooses to give us.

 

Although man is spiritually dead, it does not mean that he is spiritually inactive. He is active, but active against God in his rebellion and suppression of the truth. He is still active in his sin, to which he is a slave.

 

5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8:5-8 NASB)

So, people are depraved, and it really shows on the roads. I suppose they don't know about driving Miss Daisy. They only know about driving Miss Depravity!

 

When I think of the bad driving and rudeness on the road in this light, of the depravity of man, then it moves me toward pity and also prayer.

 

With the sin nature so rampant on our roads, what can we expect?

 

Just thinking...

 

End Notes

1. Berkhof, Louis, Systematic Theology - NEW EDITION - containing the full text of Systematic Theology and the original Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology, Systematic Theology, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996, p. 221.

2. Ibid., p246

3. Calvin, John, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Translated by Henry Beveridge, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1989, Book II, Chap II, Section 27, p. 246.

4. Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology An introduction to Biblical doctrine, ZondervanPublishingHouse, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1994, p 497.

5. White, James R., The Potter' s Freedom, A defense of the Reformation and a Rebuttal of Norman Geisler's Chosen but Free, Calvary Press Publishing, Amityville, NY, 2000, p.82.

 

The gene and homosexuality - the sequel

...continued from The gene and homosexuality.

It seems that some people simply cannot get past religion, especially Christianity. They use science as a smokescreen for supposed objectivity and to hide from their innate moral rebellion against God.

Recently, Prof George Claassen (University of Stellenbosch, South Africa), science editor of Die Burger, South Africa's largest Afrikaans daily paper, started hitting out against people of "faith." He did so in these columns he authored: 'Religion is a mental virus' (Aug 19, 2005), 'Switch on the baloney detectors' (Sep 2, 2005) and most recently Being gay 'is genetic' (Sep 9, 2005).

In 'Religion is a mental virus' Claassen made use of the all-knowing Richard Dawkins and his irrefutable evidence of evolution to "refute" people of "faith!" 'Switch on the baloney detectors' "proved" that people of "faith" were just not rational! Finally, in Being gay 'is genetic' Claassen once again uses the all-mighty SCIIEENCE! to prove that being gay is genetic.

It amazes me that Prof Claassen can be so vitriolic against people of "faith" because of their so-called irrationality, when he commits the very same crime!

It is one thing to claim that gays are born that way and that science has proven it, but it is yet another thing to ACTUALLY prove it!

The two studies that Claassen uses to give us proof of the gay "gene" give us no proof at all! He uses two studies, one by LeVay in 1991 and the other by Hamer in 1993. Both of these studies appeared in the Science Journal. Both of these studies have been debunked by other scientists.

LeVay

William Byne writes of LeVay’s work that it "has not been replicated, and human neuroanatomical studies of this kind have a very poor track record for reproducibility. Indeed, procedures similar to those LeVay used to identify nuclei have previously led researchers astray."[1]

Byne continues about LeVay’s findings by writing that "[h]is inclusion of a few brains from heterosexual men with AIDS did not adequately address the fact that at the time of death, virtually all men with AIDS have decreased testosterone levels as the result of the disease itself or the side effects of particular treatments. To date, LeVay has examined the brain of only one gay man who did not die of AIDS."[2]

It is also important to note LeVay’s own admission: "It’s important to stress what I didn’t find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn’t show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain." (Quoted in Byrd)[3]

The biggest problem with this whole study is that it could not and did not prove whether this difference of the brain was the cause of the homosexuality or as a result of homosexuality.

Hamer, et al

The first problem with this study is that Hamer and his associates did not test whether the straight men in the families of the homosexuals also shared the genetic marker found in the homosexuals! Secondly, of the 40 pairs of homosexual brothers that Hamer tested, 7 pairs did not possess the matching DNA region called q28 found in the other 33 pairs. Hamer does not explain this difference in these 7 pairs of brothers. If q28 indeed is the homosexual marker, one would expect this marker to be present in all homosexuals. This was not the case!

Reasonable Doubt

So, as can be seen there is reasonable doubt as to whether these two studies discovered anything of value! For a more in-depth reply to the homosexual gene theory, "This is the Way God Made Me:" A Scientific Examination of Homosexuality and the "Gay Gene" by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. and Bert Thompson, Ph.D. and Dave Miller, Ph.D. is a good place to start.

Concerning evolution and homosexuality, I have written in my post called The gene and homosexuality that evolution is totally self-defeating if it leads to homosexuality.

End Notes
1. Byne, William (1994), "The Biological Evidence Challenged," Scientific American, 270[5]:50-55, May. p53.
2. Ibid., p53.
3. Byrd, A. Dean, Shirley E. Cox, and Jeffrey W. Robinson (2001), "Homosexuality: The Innate-Immutability Argument Finds No Basis in Science," The Salt Lake Tribune, [On-line] URL: http://www.sltrib.com/2001/may/05272001/commenta/100523.htm.

Heresies in the church - Part 7

So, what now?

In this, our last next post in this series we will look at what we can do about the WOF teaching.

The Word-Faith teaching is a spiritual deception which has become a cancer of a very extreme pervasive nature that has infiltrated the church to its very core. In order for us to deal with it, we need to take action. How can we take action?

First and foremost, do not support any of these ministries financially. This is where you may have to make some tough decisions. Don't watch any of their TV programs and encourage and warn others to do the same. Do not buy their books or audio tapes. If your local Christian bookstore carries their material let them know in love that you will no longer buy from or visit their stores if they continue to carry this material.

Second, take a stand for Scriptural truth and in this way you will also take a stand for Jesus! It is completely Scriptural to oppose false teaching. Do not let people try to convince you that we need to seek unity more than doctrinal purity! Real unity cannot come when false doctrines are taught or supported. If doctrinal purity is not of any importance and unity is more important, then let's quit calling other religions false and accept the cults into our fold. What about the Jehovah's Witnesses who love their Jesus (even though to them he is the archangel Michael, the first and greatest created being)? What about the Mormons, and the Unitarians, etc.? Throw away the creeds and sound doctrine. Ignore the stern warnings of the Apostle Paul to beware of false teachers and false doctrine that spreads like AIDS. Simply "love Jesus" (whoever that Jesus might be to us)? NO! We will not abandon truth. When Jesus tells us to "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits" (Mat. 7:15-16) We must obey! The Word-Faith teachers are using the same fruit that the devil deceived our ancient mother Eve with. It is still as deadly and still as evil in God's sight as it was then. We must actively oppose the Word-Faith teachers and their movement and reject it as non-Christian! Will YOU stand for Christ?

Third, we need to teach our people and study solid doctrine! We once again need to bring back the teaching of theology in our churches so that the common Christian man can be armed against error. This cancer of WOF doctrine and its pervasiveness would not have come about if more Christians knew what the Bible has to say about the nature of man, the nature of God, the doctrine of the trinity, etc. Study the great foundational doctrines of our faith so that we won't be deceived by these false teachers who are mere religious charlatans. Doctrine is not just for theologians. Words like propitiation, sanctification, justification, trinity, incarnation, predestination, redemption, etc. are not just useless theological words but are the very foundations of the faith.

If you allow these doctrines to flourish in your church, especially if you are a spiritual leader at your church, you have become an accomplice in this heresy! If this is not an important issue to you, then I suppose truth is not important to you!

However, we need to make a concerted effort against this cancer in the church!

The question is: What do we do if we find ourselves in a church that supports the WOF teachers?

Read part 6 of the series here.
Part 8 can be read here.

Just thinking...