Established
November 2008 Published weekly on
Friday
Home Bible Study©
Rightly Dividing
the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
This is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men (and women) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:3-4)
1 Corinthians Lesson 49
I want to thank
each one of you for your faithfulness and your patience. The move to our new home has been
completed. My wife and I have overcome many
obstacles the past two week, and although there are many boxes yet unpacked throughout
the house we are thankful to be in and moving forward.
********
Now concerning the
collection for the saints (in Judea), as I
directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of
you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made
when I come (16:1-2).
The
last Bible lesson published was the introductory look at the beginning of the
16th chapter of this letter and I compared fund-raising by our Apostle Paul to fund-raising in the modern church. Now, please understand people were just as wary of church fund-raising in Paul’s day as some people currently are in the
church today. So don’t get the idea that
this is a modern concept. If you’ll
recall, Paul took God’s Gospel to the gentiles (pagans); to cities, towns, and
villages, i.e. places where other’s had never been. To be blunt they didn’t know him from
Adam. How do you react to a stranger on
the street or outside you car window asking for money? You’re thinking, “What’s this all about,” right?
This is one of the reasons Paul chose not to be supported by the Corinthians
and others he ministered to; not wanting anything (including money) to come
between him and the gospel (9:14-19).
It’s
important to note the purpose of the
collection Paul mentions in 16:1.
Paul wasn’t raising funds from the gentile churches to eradicate crime,
homelessness, poverty, world-hunger, or war, and he wasn’t attempting to assume
responsibility for the entire Jewish nation.
This “one-time” collection or gift was intended to meet the needs of the impoverished Jews in
Jerusalem, specifically.
I
bring this fact to your attention this week because people in the church today
are preaching a “different gospel”
than what God revealed to Paul. Therefore,
I’m going to take the time to look at the false gospel being preached by the Emerging Church and the social gospel’s message. Both of these false teachings have
established a firm foothold in the U.S. and are leading Christians astray.
For
various reasons Christians of
different sorts have tinkered with the gospel
that saves over the years as though it needed adjustments. Not major alterations, most will say, but
just some minor tweaking here and there.
The changes begin by someone declaring that there is no real change
involved, actually, merely a change in emphasis. Yet, no matter the rationale behind the
change, the end result is being “ashamed
of the gospel.”
Our
Apostle Paul let it be known he was not ashamed
of the gospel of Jesus Christ: “I am
not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone
who believes, (Romans 1:16a).
In
addition we have this verse from Paul which commands our attention: But
even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to
what we have preached to you (See 1 Corinthians 15:1-4), let him be accursed! (Galatians
1:8).
To
be “ashamed of the gospel” covers a
number of attitudes from being totally embarrassed by it to thinking one can
improve upon it a bit to make it more acceptable. One example of the former is the recent claim
by the Emerging Church that the
teaching regarding Christ’s paying the full penalty for the sins of mankind
through His substitionary death on the Cross is irrelevant and viewed as a “form of cosmic child abuse.” More subtle examples include trying to make
the gospel seem less exclusive, and the softening of the consequences which the
gospel saves mankind, such as the wrath of God and the Lake of Fire. Some churches have gone so far as to remove
hymns that contain references to “the blood” from their hymnals. The power is in the blood, folks! Shout it from the rooftops; don’t be ashamed of it…
The Social Gospel
Walter
Rauschenbusch (1861–1918) was a Christian theologian and Baptist pastor who
taught at the Rochester Theological Seminary.
Rauschenbusch was a key figure in the social gospel and ‘Single Tax’
movements that flourished in the United States during the late 19th and early
20th centuries. He was also the maternal
grandfather of the influential philosopher Richard Rorty and the
great-grandfather of Paul Rauschenbush.
In
the early 19th century the Protestant churches of America feared the
worst. The American population was
growing fast, but there were many empty seats and pews in the urban Protestant
churches. Middle-class churchgoers were
ever faithful, but large numbers of workers were starting to lose faith in
their local church. The old-style and
familiar heaven and hell sermons just seemed irrelevant to all those who labored
long, hard hours for meager wages.
Immigration swelled the ranks of Roman Catholic churches. Eastern Orthodox churches and Jewish
Synagogues were sprouting up everywhere.
But at the same time, many cities reported the loss of Protestant
congregations. Empty seats meant empty
coffers to the clergy. They would have
to face this challenge head-on or perish.
Thus began the practice of preaching for politics.
Out
of this concern grew the social gospel movement. Progressive-minded preachers began to tie the
teachings of the church with contemporary problems. The social gospel differentiated itself from
earlier Christian reform movements by prioritizing social salvation over “individual salvation.” Christian virtue, they declared, demanded a
redress of poverty, and despair on the earth.
Many ministers became politically active, basing their appeals on
liberal theology, which emphasized the existence of God in everything and the
doctrine of Incarnation and valued “good works” over creeds; they usually
showed more interest in social science than in theology, or what God had said.
Washington
Gladden, the most prominent of the social gospel ministers, supported the
worker’s right to strike in the wake of the Great Upheaval of 1877. The social gospel advocates supported the
labor movement, calling for an end to child labor, the enactment of temperance
laws, and civil service reform or an interventionist welfare state. They differed from secular activists in that
their ultimate vision was not just a more equitable balance of power within
society, but a Christianized society in which cooperation, mutual respect, and
compassion replaced greed, competition, and conflict among social and economic
classes. Despite all of their efforts to
reach the working class and to cooperate with the labor movement, though, the social
gospel failed to reach far beyond its middle-class, liberal, Protestant environment.
Ultimately, the greatest achievement of
the social gospel was to prepare the ground of middle-class America for
progressivism. America was starting to
follow the “advances” underway at that time in Western Europe and adopted
numerous policies, such as a major transformation of the banking system by
creating the Federal Reserve System in 1913.
Presidents Theodore Roosevelt
(1901-09); William Howard Taft (1909-13); and Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) are
often referred to as the “Progressive Presidents; their administrations saw intense
social and political change in American society.
*To
be quite honest, there is no difference between a progressive and a socialist. Progressives like President Barack Obama and Hillary
Clinton are merely “communists with
patience,”
By
the mid-1890s, the social gospel had the support of multiple denominations and
a strong foothold in interdenominational organizations. The Episcopal Church, which had strong ties
to English Christian socialism, the Congregational church, which boasted
Gladden and social gospel leader Josiah Strong as members, and a small minority
within the Baptist Church were the denominational leaders of the social gospel. The most prominent was a man named Dwight Lyman Moody. He
was a former shoe salesman who took his fiery speech-making on the road. As he traveled from city to city, he attracted
crowds large enough to affect local traffic patterns. He spoke the oppressed, working-man’s
language in other words.
One
of the more prominent social gospel advocates
of the 20th Century is Rick Warren, the mega-selling author of “The Purpose-Driven Church” and the “Purpose Driven Life.” He’s taken this “other gospel” to where it’s never been before, i.e. not only
world-wide but into the thinking and planning of world leaders.
Mr.
Warren credits business management genius Peter Drucker with the basic concept
that he is executing. Mr. Drucker
believed the social problems of poverty, disease, hunger, and ignorance were
beyond the capability of governments or multinational corporations to solve. Mr. Drucker contends the most hopeful solution
is to be found in the nonprofit sector of society, especially churches, with
their hosts of “volunteers” dedicated to alleviating the social ills of those
in their community and elsewhere.
Mr.
Warren, acknowledging the late Mr. Drucker as his mentor for 20 years,
certainly learned his lessons. His two Purpose-Driven books, translated
into 57 languages and selling a combined 30 million copies, reveal the game
plan for what Mr. Drucker had envisioned. Warren had local churches implement this
vision from his books through his enormously popular 40 Days of Purpose and 40
Days of Community programs.
My
former church’s head pastor let it be known to the congregation that he was
very impressed with Rick Warren and his vision, so he adopted his plan and
“purpose” for our church. He called
every member to purchase “The Purpose
Driven Life” and then commit to a 6-week Bible study so that we could learn
how to employ his community-based teachings.
Afterwards we were to take this knowledge “to the streets,” as it were
implementing the social gospel, every man, woman, and child. My wife and I, as dutiful members, followed
our pastor’s instructions, but after reading the first few chapters it became
quite evident Mr. Warren’s teachings did not line up with Scripture, so we
dropped out of the study, and eventually the church altogether. However, to date, more than 500,000 churches
in 162 nations have become part of his network. They form the basis for his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan.
What
is his P.E.A.C.E. plan? Warren's
presentation of the plan to the church is found at www.thepeaceplan.com. On
video, he identifies the "giants"
of humanity's ills as spiritual emptiness, self-centered leadership, poverty,
disease, and illiteracy, which he hopes to eradicate by (P)lanting churches,
(E)quipping leaders, (A)ssisting the poor, (C)aring for the sick, and
(E)ducating the next generation.
Warren
uses the analogy of a three-legged stool to illustrate the best way to slay
these giants… can anyone say, “Goliath?”
Two of the legs are governments and business, which have thus far been
ineffective, (won’t argue that point; but as I’ve pointed out recently the world-stage
is being prepared for the arrival of the antichrist, since man and government
are incapable of solving the world’s problems) and, just like a two-legged
stool, cannot stand. The third very
necessary leg is the church. “There are thousands of villages in the world
that have no school, no clinic, no business, no government—but they have a
church. What would happen if we could
mobilize churches to address those five global giants?" Mr. Warren reasons that since there are 2.3
billion Christians worldwide, they could potentially form what President George
W. Bush during his administration termed a vast "army of compassion" of "people of faith" such as the world has not yet experienced. Yes, President G. W. Bush was an advocate of the
social gospel as well.
In
addition to the Christian version,
Mr. Warren has an expanded inclusive
version of the P.E.A.C.E. plan that has drawn support and praise
from political and religious leaders and celebrities worldwide. At the 2008 World Economic Forum, he declared,
"The future of the world is not secularism, but religious
pluralism...." Referring to the
ills besetting the world, he declared, "We cannot solve these problems without involving people of faith and
their religious institutions. It isn't
going to happen any other way. On this planet there are about 20 million
Jews, there are about 600 million Buddhists, there are about 800 million
Hindus, there are over 1 billion Muslims, and there are 2.3 billion Christians.
If you take people of faith out of the
equation, you have ruled out five-sixths of the world. And if we only leave it up to secular people
to solve these major problems, it isn't going to happen."
To
accommodate working with people of all faiths Mr. Warren has revised the
"P" in his P.E.A.C.E. from "planting evangelical churches"
to "(P)romoting reconciliation" and the "E" from
"equipping [church] leaders" to "(E)quipping ethical
leaders." Mr. Warren has elsewhere acknowledged his
practical shift to pluralism: "Who's the man of peace in any village—or it
might be a woman of peace—who has the most respect? ...They don't have to be Christian. In fact, they could be Muslim, but they're
open and they're influential, and you work with them to attack the five giants
[to which he has added global warming]."
He quotes a secular leader who affirms
what he's doing: "I get it, Rick. Houses of worship are the distribution centers
for all we need to do." Warren
has joined the advisory board of Faith Foundation, established by former
British prime minister and recent Roman Catholic convert, Tony Blair. The Foundation's goal is to further
understanding and cooperation among the six leading faiths: Christian, Muslim,
Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jewish.
How
does the Cross fit into this
ecumenical gathering? It doesn't. Critical to achieving that ecumenical goal is
the elimination of the problem of exclusive
religions, a concern articulated by one of the World Economic Forum
panelists: "There are some religious leaders in different religious faiths who, in
seeking to affirm their own faith and its authenticity and legitimacy ...deny
other people their faith with its legitimacy and authenticity. I don't think we can keep going like this
without...spawning the kind of hatred we are all here to try and solve. I think
it's up to us to hold the clergy's feet to the fire of whatever faith. That we insist that we affirm what is
beautiful in our own traditions while at the same time refusing to denigrate
other faith traditions by suggesting that they are illegitimate, or consigned
to some kind of evil end." In
case you missed it, Mr. Warren’s vision includes a “one–world religion” of
sorts.
Our
Apostle Paul was concerned that those who have been transferred from Satan’s
domain to Christ’s kingdom not become enslaved again: See to
it that no one takes you captive through (what) philosophy and empty deception, according to the (what) traditions of men (another term for
this would be religion), according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than
according to Christ (Colossians 2:8).
Paul
also writes: It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing
firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (i.e. the traditions of men, according to the
elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ) –
Galatians 5:1.
The
Bible declares all the religions or traditions
of the world to be "unlawful" and "consigned," not to
"some kind of evil end," but to their just end; for Jesus Christ was “the end of the law”
(Romans 10:4). Only belief in Paul’s gospel saves humanity: "And
there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that
has been given among men by which we must be saved; ...He who believes in the Son has eternal life
(Acts 4:12; John 3:36).
The
history of the social gospel is, in nearly every case, a sincere attempt by
Christians to do those things that they believe will honor God and benefit
humanity and there have been some positive accomplishments. But in every case, however, the practical
working out of "benefiting humanity" has compromised biblical faith
and dishonored God. Why is that? I’m glad you asked. Those who walk this path are starting out
under a false premise, “...a way which
seems right to a man;" but
not God's way. So where can it go from there? Scripture says, "The end is the way of death," i.e., destruction (Proverbs: 14:12). Furthermore,
the problems of the world are all symptoms of the chief problem which
is sin.
Here’s
the thing, what percentage of the "people
of faith," who comprise all religions and make up five-sixths of the
world's population, understand and accept the gospel—the only cure for sin, per
God? How many of the 2.3 billion
"Christians" in the world believe the gospel that saves? How
many of these know what the gospel that
saves is? The numbers tumble down
exponentially. "Yes, but...they are
a massive volunteer force and distribution outlet of resources for slaying the
giants of world suffering!" What
does it profit the billions of "people
of faith" who may alleviate some of the world's symptoms yet lose
their very souls? (Mark 8:36)
The
social gospel is a deadly disease for "people
of faith." It reinforces the
belief that salvation can be attained by doing good works, putting aside
differences for the common good, treating others the way we want to be treated,
acting morally, ethically, and sacrificially—and that doing so will endear
humans to God. Looks and sounds like they
would have humanity adhere to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount teachings, which it
is, so the biblical response is, No in this dispensation. These are self-deceptive strivings that spurn
God's salvation by Grace alone. They deny
His perfect standard and reject His perfect justice. What does this book say? Salvation is "not of works, so that no one may boast." In fact, it is "by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God;” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
With
the following words Jesus declared Himself to be condemned humanity's only hope for reconciliation with God: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes
to the Father, but through me" (John 14:6).
There is no other way. People keep poking around in the darkness looking for another stairway to heaven, ignoring what God
has clearly said, but it is what it is! God's
perfect justice demanded that the penalty for sin for every human be paid; "for all have sinned" (Romans 3:23). Only the
perfect, sinless, Son of God could and did pay that infinite penalty in full by
His death upon the Cross. Only faith in
Him reconciles a person with God.
The
shameful social gospel today not only promotes "another gospel," it’s trying to prepare a kingdom contrary to
the teachings of Scripture: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which
also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; (Philippians
3:20). The Lord will return from
heaven (John 14:3) to "rapture” His Church; retrieving all those who believe in Him, both
the dead and those who are alive, up and away into the clouds returning with
them to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The earth from that point on will belong to
the antichrist; for a predetermined period of time.
Consistent
with its amillennial/post-millennial beginnings, the efforts of the social
gospel are earthbound in their attempted restoration of the kingdom of God. Eugene Peterson has infiltrated that heresy
into his Message Bible: "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending
his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again"
(a perversion of John 3:17).
The Emerging Church
The
Emerging, or emergent, church movement takes its name from the idea that as
culture changes, a new church should emerge in response. In this case, it is a response by various
church leaders to the current era of post-modernism. Although post-modernism began in the 1950s,
the church didn't really seek to conform to its system of beliefs until the
1990s. Post-modernism can be thought of the
dissolution of "cold, hard facts" in favor of "warm, fuzzy
subjectivity." The emerging church
movement can be thought of the same way.
The emerging church movement falls into line with basic post-modernist thinking. It is about experience over reason, subjectivity over objectivity, spirituality over religion, images over words, outward over inward and feelings over truth. These are reactions to modernism and are thought to be necessary in order to actively engage contemporary culture. This movement is still fairly new, though, so there is not yet a standard method of "doing" church amongst the groups choosing to take a post-modern mindset. In fact, the emerging church rejects any standard methodology for doing anything. Therefore, there is a huge range of how far groups take a post-modernist approach to Christianity. Some groups go only a little way in order to impact their community for Christ, and remain biblically sound. Most groups, however, embrace post-modernist thinking, which eventually leads to a very liberal, loose translation of the Bible. This, in turn, lends to liberal doctrine and theology.
For example, because experience is valued more highly than reason, truth becomes relative. Relativism opens up all kinds of problems, as it destroys the standard that the Bible contains absolute truth, negating the belief that biblical truth can be absolute. If the Bible is not our source for absolute truth, and personal experience is allowed to define and interpret what truth actually is, a saving faith in Jesus Christ is rendered meaningless.
To
be brief the inherent danger in the Emerging Church movement is that this group
has decided there is value; there is even virtue in uncertainty about
Scripture. Bottom line: they believe that mankind is not supposed to
understand what the Bible means to say.
And that’s the big issue, of course.
It’s an outright attack on the clarity of God’s Word and they elevate
themselves by falsely humbling themselves, as if they’ve stumbled across some
noble reality in saying, “We admit we
don’t know what the Bible is saying.”
This is just another way of saying no one can know what the Bible is
saying, which is a false statement.
Rob
Bell, in his book Velvet
Elvis, reflects the "fix
the earth" eschatology (a branch of theology
concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind)
of nearly all Emerging Church leaders: "Salvation
is the entire universe being brought back into harmony with its maker. This has
huge implications for how people present the message of Jesus. Yes, Jesus can
come into our hearts. But we can join a movement that is as wide and as big as
the universe itself. Rocks and trees and
birds and swamps and ecosystems; God's desire is to restore all of it.... The goal isn't escaping this world but making
this world the kind of place God can come to. And God is remaking us into the kind of people
who can do this kind of work."
For
Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren, this is the future way of life for the
Christian. In an interview July 28,
2008, on ChristianPost.com,
he said: "I think our future will also require us to join humbly and
charitably with people of other faiths—Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish,
secularists, and others—in pursuit of peace, environmental stewardship, and
justice for all people, things that matter greatly to the heart of God."
No,
biblically he missed the target set by God the Father. What matters to the "heart of God" is "that all should come to believe the gospel.” Anyone who puts his hope in the Emerging
Church or the social gospel, which employs "people of faith" to make "this world the kind of place God can come to," needs to heed
the words of Jesus in Luke 18:8b: "When the Son of
man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Jesus will surely find people of all faiths, but certainly not
"the faith" that
the Bible speaks of or for which Jude exhorts true Believers to earnestly
contend (See Jude 17-25).
What Does The Scriptures Say?
As
I pointed out earlier Paul’s one-time collection
was not meant to alleviate social distress in the world and he wasn’t
assuming responsibility for the entire Jewish nation. This gift
was being sent to aid the impoverished Jews in Judea: but
now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to
make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem (Romans
15:25-26).
Everything
begins and ends with God, so let’s go there.
Anyone who has spent time reading the four gospels understands God the
Father did not send Jesus Christ to bring about social change or to bring an end
to Roman rule (John 5:19). The Jews
longed for this, the disciples wondered about it, but you won’t find that
message in the gospel of the kingdom being preached at that time. When put to the test, Jesus did clarify His
political position by saying, "Give to Caesar what
is Caesar's, and to God what is God's"
(Mark 12:17), clearly drawing a line between heaven and earth. Jesus did request a change in people’s hearts
toward God the Father, reminding them the whole law could be summed up in these
two commandments, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR
GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND…’ “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’ (Matthew 22:37-40).
There’s
no denying Jesus died so we could change!
Without his death, there is no reconciliation with God. There is no Holy Spirit coming to heal our
rebellious hearts and souls. Without Jesus we’re trapped. We are
slaves to our own sinful desires and couldn’t obey God even if we wanted to, and
God had every right to leave us in this condition. But He didn’t! Out of the sheer force of His loving will, and
matchless grace (alone), He sent Christ to take on our sin and to become our
substitionary sacrifice. When you meet this unimaginable grace with all
honesty and reverence, it will change you.
That work was revolutionary enough, as we now know.
Despite
the fact that progressivism, relativism, and the philosophies of men are
corrupting God’s Church and the written Word of God. Movements such as the Emerging Church, the
prosperity gospel, the social gospel, New Apostolic Reformation, WCGIP and
others are leading Christians astray
and are going to end up shipwrecking the faith of those who listen to
them: holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked
their faith (1Timothy 1:19).
Jesus
said, “Do not be deceived.” All deception is empty of real biblical
truth, even though it may contain a smidgen of it here and there. It leaves people empty as well. That is why there is a “famine” of the Word
today just as there was in the time of the prophet Amos: “The
days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine
through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of
hearing the words of the LORD (Amos 8:11).
Empty deception is vain deceit – plain and simple. All is vanity with deception that does not
help anyone, in fact it hinders people from having a personal relationship with
the Lord (Psalm 12:2, 119:37; 2 Peter 2:18).
But false prophets
also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among
you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, who bought them,
bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth
will be maligned; and in their greed
they will exploit you with false words; (2 Peter 2:1-2a).
One
of the most profound and eternally significant questions in the Bible was posed
by an unbeliever. Pilate, the man who
handed Jesus over to the mob to be crucified, turned to Jesus in His final hour
and asked, “What is truth?” This was a cynical response to what Jesus had
just said, “I have come into the world, to testify to
the truth.”
Here
we are two thousand years later and the entire world breathes Pilate’s
cynicism. Some will say truth is a power
play, one person’s opinion; a means of exploiting or manipulating the
masses. Others believe there’s no such
thing as real truth.
So,
what is truth? The Bible teaches truth is
that which is consistent with the mind, the will, the character, glory, and
being of God. Truth is the
self-expression of God. That, my
friends, is the meaning of biblical truth.
Because the definition of truth flows from God the Father, truth is theological
(Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16).
When Jesus said, “I am…the truth…” (John
14:6), He was in fact making a profound claim about His own deity. He was also making it clear that all truth be
defined in terms of the living God (Hebrews 1:1-3).
How
each person responds to the truth God has revealed is an individual decision,
but their choice has an eternal significance.
If you reject and rebel against the truth of God, this results in sinful
behavior, judgment, and the eternal wrath of God. If you accept and submit to the truth of God,
you begin to see clearly, to know with certainty, and you will find life
everlasting.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment