Friday, September 25, 2009

Bible-believing: Minus the Bible

It is with great sadness that I realize many who are in church are believing and teaching the lies of the devil. If it was confined to believing, it would be sad enough, but to be teaching others these things is very tragic. We have come to a time when we need to stand firmly for the truth of the Bible. What seems unusual about the situation is that now people are claiming to believe the Bible while teaching things clearly contrary to the Bible, even to the most casual observer.

Verity and I have been watching an online controversy over a Christian school teaching evolution. One church member defending this practice eventually admitted many other things he also no longer believes from the Bible (while still claiming to be a Bible-believing Christian).

This post is a response to some of his "no-longer-beliefs", not to prove him wrong (though I believe he is) but to demonstrate that his "not-beliefs" are incompatible with clear statements of Scripture.

I no longer believe that God created the earth less than 10,000 years ago to look like it is billions of years old. Why would he lie?
In response to this and other Evolution-related beliefs, I have written another post introducing My Theory of Creation.

Even though a scientist doesn’t acknowledge God, I no longer believe it is possible for him to be outside of a relationship with God. How can devoting your life to understanding how God works be anything other than worship?
Romans 1:22,25 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools ... Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator..."

I no longer believe I would have made a different choice than Eve. I agree with Eve, I would rather know, than to not know, and I would rather know the difference between good and evil than to be naïve.

...

If knowledge of God is the greatest good, then Eve made the right choice.

Genesis 3:5 records the devil's assertion that "God knows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Is it safe to follow the logic of the devil? I think not.

I no longer believe that sin separates man from God. ... I think it is fear that separates.
I no longer think that either my sin, or my death bothers God much. ... He isn’t sorrowful. He is joyful.
In contrast Isiaiah 59:1-3 says, " Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness."

I no longer feel it is important for me to struggle against sin and my bad habits.

This one is tricky because it is true that we cannot overcome sin in our own strength. But Jesus came into the world to free us from both the guilt and the power of sin. I John 2:4 warns us that "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." I appreciate the promise of Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" and Malachi 3:3, "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness." (Read Malachi 2:17-3:6 for the context).

God wants us to overcome sin and He promises to do it through His power. So yes, stop struggling in your own strength, but as Hebrews 12:4 says, "You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." So we do need to resist sin through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives.

I no longer believe that preaching the gospel or saving souls is the most important thing for me, or the church to do.
But Jesus last words to His disciples (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8) included that commission. It is perhaps even more important for your salvation than it is for the salvation of those you reach. If you don't do it, God will find another, but you yourself may be lost if you refuse God's call on your life. (Esther 4:14)

Ezekiel 33:6 warns, "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."

I no longer believe that God has a plan for your life or mine.
But God says, "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

I don’t think you can expect God to intervene to prevent your death.
This misunderstands the purpose of life and death here on earth. God desires our life but is constrained by the accusations of the devil to leave us with only a time of probation here and now, prior to Heaven and the New Earth.

I'd rather take the attitude of the three friends of Daniel prior to their trial by fire, which was basically, "God is able to save us, but even if He does not, we will not worship your gods" (Daniel 3:17-18). God did honor their commitment to to Him with intervention to prevent their death. I know God has intervened personally in my life to prevent my death. No, I don't expect eternal life in the here and now, but I do trust that God has my life in His hands and I do not fear death because I know it can only happen when He sees the time is right. And I have hope for eternal life at His coming.

I don’t know if there is heaven or hell after death, but I know there is heaven and hell here and now. Don’t miss the heaven here, while hoping for the one in the future.
I would rather miss the heaven here in order to prepare for the one in the future. Jesus promised blessing on those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:11-12), and Paul tells us that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. " (2 Timothy 3:12)

It is true that Jesus gives us peace in the here and now, regardless of our external circumstances. But this peace is not the peace the world gives (John 14:27). I think of the many Christians who have been at peace while in the midst of persecution, prison, and threat of death. But I fear that if you are enjoying heaven in the here and now, it may be because "You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton [wasteful]; you have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. " (James 5:5)

Many of us have been living in comfort while others in the world are starving, suffering from disease, etc. and we have done little or nothing to help them. How much better if we had chosen to live in simplicity, sharing our surplus with those in need, both in our local communities and in the world at large. We cannot claim ignorance of world needs, when modern media has made us very aware of them. But I fear we have become callous to the pain of the world. Jesus wants our hearts to hurt with the suffering of those in pain, so we can be in sympathy with Him and care for them as He does.

I pray that everyone who reads this, myself included, will resolve to believe the Word of God as it stands, and by the grace of God, choose to live by every Word of God, as Jesus did and calls us to do.

No comments: