Four Hidden Issues That Satan Uses To Divide the Body of Christ, Part 2

Christians can often wrestle against one another for reasons that aren’t worth it. Satan loves to pit God’s people against each other and he does so by using four methods.

First, The Inability to Understand God’s Paradox, which we dealt with in Part 1. Next,

1.   The Confusion of Temporal with Eternal Principles

There is much confusion over temporal and eternal truths, again another kind of paradox.   As I stated in Part 1, many Christians want to argue over a particular viewpoint in Scripture without considering the passages in paradox to that viewpoint.

Because we want God to fit into our logic box, we discard any nonconforming Scripture, or simply ignore it. If we acknowledge the opposite Scriptural reference, our doctrine must be modified to accommodate both Scriptures. In the temporal, God’s law is still in effect. By this I mean we have consequences by not following the law.

For example, when the principle of grace is being taught in churches, if one is not careful, too often it can come at the expense of ignoring the law. The grace of God is an eternal law that is applied to our eternal spirit, but it should not give us the idea that we can sin with no temporal affect of not having to obey the law of God.

In the natural, if you break the law, you will suffer the consequences. If you are speeding and you get a ticket, you might argue to the policeman that you are not under the law, but I doubt it would do any good. The eternal law of grace will keep us out of the lake of fire but will not keep us from the consequences of violating the law in the temporal. Obedience to the law doesn’t save us, but it will keep us out of a whole bunch of trouble. The confusion over law and grace has caused many Christians to be entrapped in sin and division (Romans 7:7-8).

Confusion over the temporal and eternal principles often divides the body of Christ. True wisdom comes when we can be gracious with brothers and sisters who have not yet come to a fuller understanding of the temporal and eternal truths.  In some churches that preach more of a positive message in which one hardly hears anything about sin, it is easy to conclude that they have no regard for the law of God. This may very well be an incorrect assumption.  In a church where sin is always being expounded from the pulpit, one may erroneously conclude that the church has very little love and compassion. Both sides of grace and truth are correct.  One church may emphasize one more than the other. Balance is the key. While grace is eternal and the law is temporal, both are needed to hear and learn in order to grow closer to God.

Jesus said to His church, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34). In other words, Satan can gain great authority in our lives if we reject the commands of Christ.

End of Part 2

The Characteristics Of The Soft Prosperity Gospel, Part 1

What do you think of when you read the words prosperity gospel? Well, depending on what side of the Charismatic fence you are on, you may like it or your stomach turns a bit as you think about the preachers on television who speak to very large crowds and appeal to even more people in their books. Queasiness is the reaction one should have to the brand of Christianity trumpeted by prosperity preachers. This is because the prosperity gospel is not a gospel at all but rather a damnable perversion of the true gospel. Its preachers herald a message of self-improvement that runs painfully contrary to several key biblical realities. They minimize the purpose of suffering, discourage self-denial, and make the Christian life about the accumulation of stuff. To do this they turn Jesus from the self-giving, sin-atoning, wrath-satisfying, guilt-removing Savior into an eager butler who fetches all of our desires and gives us our best life now.

The prosperity gospel shrinks the gospel down to an unfiltered pursuit of our desires. It shifts the message from the spiritual to the materialistic. Let’s be clear about this: the prosperity gospel is about US rather than GOD.

Many like the prosperity preachers have tried to avoid the clear instructions of Jesus that are forever etched on the doorpost of the church: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Jesus’ call to discipleship is a call to deny self. It’s a costly call that expects and embraces suffering.

Martin Luther vehemently opposed those who would seek to marginalize the experience of suffering and self-denial in the Christian life. His contrast between the “theology of glory” and the “theology of the cross” showed a fundamental difference in the starting point for Christian thought and experience. Theologians of glory build their theology on what they think God would be like, while theologians of the cross form their knowledge of God in light of the cross. On the one hand, the theology of glory will craft a god that looks like the theologian. On the other hand, the one who stares intently at the cross will learn about God through the lens of Calvary and the Scriptures.

Look closely, you can see how this intersects with prosperity thinking. There is no way that people can hold to prosperity theology when they have a front-row seat to the cross. There upon the cross, the perfect Son of God suffered the triune God’s accumulated wrath for all of His people. The Sinless One became a curse for us. And we should hasten to add that the cross was not plan B. It was God’s plan all along—even from eternity past. Christ was focused with unrelenting precision upon the cross that He might accomplish the work that He had been given. And this work that He accomplished serves as an example for us (1 Pet. 2:20–25).

But here is where we must refocus our attention and concern: We would be naive to think that prosperity thinking is limited to those who cruise around in their expensive private jets or overtly speak in self-help platitudes fit for fortune cookies. No, prosperity thinking has gone viral today. Being more nuanced and subtle than you may think, prosperity thinking is very active in the church. And because it undermines our understanding and application of the gospel, its effect is cataclysmic. Like a computer virus, it drains the vitality and productivity of the church community. And you know the worst part? We may not even recognize where we’ve been affected by it.The prosperity gospel is not so loud and ostentatious. It is more mainstream, polished, and even American.  

Starting in Part 2, we will take a look at some ways that the church – perhaps, your church -- may be nibbling at the hook of a soft-prosperity gospel without even knowing it.

End of Part 1

Four Hidden Issues That Satan Uses To Divide the Body of Christ, Part 1

Being much concerned about the rise of denominations in the church, John Wesley tells of a dream he had. In the dream, he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked, “Are there any Presbyterians here?” “Yes!”, came the answer. Then he asked, “Are there any Baptists? Any Episcopalians? Any Methodists?” The answer was Yes! Each time. Much distressed, Wesley was then ushered to the gates of Heaven. There he asked the same question, and the answer was No! “No?” To this, Wesley asked, “Who then is inside?” The answer came back, “There are only Christians here.” (1 Cor. 1:10-17)

Satan loves to divide the church over issues – some are essential and others are not. While some divisions among Christians are obvious, others are subtler. Why does God allow it? Is it because He wants to make it hard on us? Or are the reasons as old as the church itself? Satan has always been involved in the church. It is notable that the first place Jesus cast out a demon was in the synagogue, which was the Jewish church at that time (Mark 1:23-27).

The devil has always been at work in the church. Perhaps, he felt if he couldn’t beat them, he would just join them. His ways are subtle, so it is important to see how he has caused such division. With this in mind, let us explore the four methods of this master tactician and how we can overcome his influence.

1.   Inability to Understand God’s Paradox

Honest people who are sincerely seeking God can come up with very different notions about the teachings in the Bible. This is because God has purposely put paradox in Scripture. He doesn’t want us to approach Him simply through knowledge alone, but rather through childlike faith. It is His paradox that confounds knowledge and the wisdom of the world.  Here are a few paradoxes in Scripture: law and grace; predestination and free will; one God in three; Christ as God and Christ as man; salvation by grace and work out your salvation with fear and trembling; judge not and he who is spiritual judges all things (Isaiah 55:8-9). 

If I only believe in the law of God, I may become motivated by fear of God, which affects my intimacy with Him. If I only focus on grace, I may not fear the consequences of sin. Both sides of the paradox must be balanced by each other. The Corinthians received the message of grace and then began to sin with reckless abandonment. They believed they were no longer under the law. The result was death and sickness in the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 11:30). In the same way, Jesus taught us grace and love, but was unwilling to cast aside God’s law (Matt 5:17-19). 

Every doctrine that divides the church has paradox in it. We will begin to know the true spirit of God when we can embrace both sides of the paradox by faith. Only then can we say all things are predestined and yet I have free will to choose. Only with God is such a thing possible. We say that we believe, with God, all things are possible, but then deny that paradox is possible. Childlike faith has no problem accepting the impossible. When Christians begin to appreciate each other’s viewpoints without feeling threatened, we will no longer be separated by the paradox of God; we will be united in the spirit of love.

End of Part 1

It’s Only a Matter of Time – The Coming Persecution.

The signers of the American Declaration of Independence were just a few generations removed from the first European settlers, many of whom came to the New World to escape religious persecution. A commitment to freedom of religion was therefore woven into the fabric of American culture and supposedly guaranteed in perpetuity by the Constitution. From our country’s founding until today, Christians in America have faced relatively little persecution.

But by the end of World War II, American attitudes toward religion had begun to shift. Courts, educational institutions, the entertainment industry, and legislative bodies all seemed to adopt a bias against religion. By the 1960s, small but vocal groups of militant atheists had begun to argue that what the Constitution really warrants is freedom from religion rather than freedom of religion.

The Rise of Secularism

We now live in a secular culture, governed by secularists, driven by worldviews that are hostile to biblical principles. Expressions of religious faith are often banned from public discourse—sometimes by societal pressure, sometimes by legal injunctions.

Still, the persecution we face in Western democracies is far milder than what many believers have endured throughout church history. Multitudes have paid for their faith with their lives. Even now in countries under Islamic rule, Christians are being put to death for what they believe. It’s not inconceivable, however, that brutal forms of physical persecution and stricter forms of legal harassment will soon threaten Christians in the West.

The Failure of Political Activism

When this happens (it is only a matter of time), what are Christians to do? Many evangelicals seem to think political activism – holding signs, doing public demonstrations is the best answer. For decades, Western evangelicals have been responding to cultural shifts and legislative setbacks with boycotts, demonstrations, public protests, get-out-the-vote campaigns, and angry rhetoric. That strategy so far has not kept our culture’s spiritual decline from steadily accelerating. More important, such tactics have done little to advance the gospel.

The Biblical Way – Bless Your Enemies

How so? For one thing, there is no biblical mandate for that approach and no such example from the leadership of Christ or the Apostles. Scripture calls for a different kind of response: “Bless those who persecute you” (Rom. 12:14). Notice the command. That is not a command to be passive and nonresistant. Quite the contrary, it calls for an active response. We are to bless our persecutors. We do not hear about doing this today.

That certainly seems counterintuitive. The carnal mind will instantly suggest reasons why it’s a bad idea. But Scripture is consistent. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27–28).

Again, the verbs are active and transitive. What Jesus calls for is not merely a feeling or an attitude. He has something more in mind than a verbal benediction. He is instructing us to respond to persecution with acts of lovingkindness toward those who oppress us (vv. 29–30).

Our Lord goes on to say, in essence, that to “bless” those who persecute us is to treat them as friends—or more specifically, as we ourselves would wish to be treated (vv. 31–38).

These were not mere words coming from the lips of Jesus in His dying moments, Christ showed us the way when He interceded on behalf of those who crucified Him: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Stephen, the first Christian martyr, responded in precisely the same way in behalf of those who stoned him (Acts 7:60).

Ultimately, there is no better way to bless those who persecute us than by showing them the truth of the gospel. As a matter of fact, that is the only appropriate way to respond when suffering for Christ’s sake (1 Peter 2:21–23).

Everything proud and fleshly in us screams against such a strategy. But here’s a reminder: it is a token of divine blessing and a cause for rejoicing when God counts us worthy to suffer for Christ’s sake (Acts 5:41). To suffer on His account, Christ taught, is the very pinnacle of blessing (Matt. 5:10–11). Moreover, Scripture says it is inevitable that believers who truly seek to be faithful will suffer at the hands of those who hate Christ (John 15:18–20).

Don’t Change The Gospel

Some Western Christians, accustomed to a comfortable faith without much threat of persecution, imagine that if the world hates Christians and their message, it can only be our own fault. We must adjust the message, they think. Perhaps we can tone down the offense of the gospel, or make ourselves more winsome by adopting the badges of worldly culture. Be seeker-sensitive, they say.

That, unfortunately, is the course many American evangelical leaders have championed for the past half-century. But realistically, seeker-sensitive religion has been a monumental spiritual failure. The quest for worldly esteem leads to spiritual disaster (James 4:4). That desire for the world’s favor causes people to go to shameful extremes in order to avoid saying or doing anything that might cost them esteem in the eyes of unbelievers—even denying what they know to be true. However, Christ’s charge to us as believers is not to avoid the world’s contempt, but to respond rightly to it, as He Himself gave us the perfect example.

But what if the world’s hatred does reach the point where our very lives are threatened?

Truly following Christ means being willing to die for Him. That principle, after all, is built right into His call to discipleship (Matt. 16:24–26). How far are you willing to go with Jesus?

Embracing The First Miracle

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

 

There has been much debate over the issue of creation. When you boil it all down, the issue falls into two categories:  Is matter eternal, or was it created?

 

According to the passage above, matter cannot be eternal, in the sense of being timeless, for there is no before or after with that which is timeless.  And if there is no before or after with matter, then it would be impossible for it to be one way before and another way after.  Therefore, if matter changes at all, it cannot be eternal. Matter could not have existed forever, for if matter is bound to time, but has existed forever, then it would have an infinite past. But if matter has an infinite past, it could never have reached the present. If it has reached the present, the past cannot be infinite. Therefore, matter cannot be eternal, but it is bound to time, and it originated at some point in time.

 

How did matter get here?  “In the beginning God created. . .”  God is uncreated.  He is eternal, timeless, and immutable. God created the universe out of nothing, that is, without the use of any existing materials, since there were no existing materials present when He created.

 

When science and biblical revelation collide and appear to be in conflict, biblical revelation must always win out since it comes from a timeless, infinite and eternal God.

 

Therefore, we hold true that there was a time when matter did not exist. It was not until, “God said, ‘Let there be. . .’” (Gen. 1) that matter had its beginning.

 

Now, let me throw this one out: When God rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2), did He rest from creating something out of nothing?  We know that God still creates -- every person, animal, plant and insect that comes into the world for the first time is a creation of God. But God uses existing matter to create and form.  Still, since God rested on the seventh day, did He rest from His work of creating something out of nothing?

 

I think not. Here’s why. When God created matter out of nothing, we could classify that as an absolute miracle! No possible way something created out of nothing could have taken place by chance.

 

Now then, is God still in the business of performing miracles?  What is a miracle?  “A miracle is a less common kind of God's activity in which He arouses people's awe and wonder and bears witness to Himself.”  

 

What is a common kind of activity by God?  To create something from something.  What is a less common kind of God’s activity? To create something out of nothing.  Therefore, a miracle is a less common kind of God’s activity, in which He still does, in order to arouse people’s awe and wonder designed to bear witness to Himself.

 

This is why it is vitally important to take literally the first miracle recorded in the Bible - “In the beginning God created (something out of nothing) the heavens and the earth.”  If we cannot embrace this first miracle by God, then we have not only placed limits on God, but we also have to agree that history and the future has no purpose or plan. We all should embrace secularism, and eat, drink and be merry, for all is vanity.

The Bible Compared with God

Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you” (Gal. 3:8).

This is one of the most fascinating references regarding the nature of Scripture. Here is what I mean.  

In Genesis 12:3, we read the following: “I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”   

In Genesis 12:3, it was God who spoke these words to Abraham.  But when you read Galatians 3:8, it is the “Scripture” -- i.e. the bible itself. The word “scripture” refers to something written.  But check this out.   There was no Scripture written at the time of Genesis 12:3.  It was Moses who wrote the Book of Genesis and he had not yet been born.  But Galatians, nevertheless says, that it was the Scripture that spoke to Abraham.   But again, let me remind you, according to Genesis 12:3, it was God who spoke to Abraham.

Now to makes thing even more interesting, there are two divine characteristics that Paul points out regarding the Scripture in Galatians 3:8:

First, Paul said that the Scripture “foresaw” something. What did the Scripture foresee?  That God would justify (or save) the Gentiles by faith. But in Genesis 12:3, it was God who actually foresaw this. But Paul tells us it was the “Scripture.”  Right off the bat, Paul is showing a close connection between God and the Scripture. In fact, the connection is so close and strong, there seems not to be any distinction.  God is personal and so are the Scriptures (cf. Heb. 4:12).  The Scripture foresaw what would come to pass, and God was the one to make it so.

Second, Paul said also in Galatians 3:8 that the Scripture “announced” (or preached) the gospel to Abraham.  The promise came from God Himself in Genesis 12:3, but Galatians 3:8 says that it came from the Scripture.

Let’s draw upon five inferences from Galatians 3:8 and Genesis 12:3:

First, God and the Scriptures are viewed as interchangeable.  That is, both God and the Scriptures ought to be viewed as identical in truth and authority.

Second, in many contexts, it is appropriate to refer to Scripture as we would refer to God.  This is why we often hear, “The Bible commands. . .” Or, “The Bible forbids. . .” When the Bible speaks, it carries the same authority as if it was spoken by God Himself.

Third, there is no hint of bibliolatry by ascribing to the Bible the same weight of truth and authority as one would to God.  In fact, if one is not accused of the slightest suspicion of bibliolatry, then his own estimation of the bible is probably not in line with the bible’s affirmation of itself.

Fourth, if the Scripture can possess divine foreknowledge and make divine pronouncements, then it can be slandered and blasphemed.

Fifth, the most dependable way to hear the voice of God is to be gleaned from the Scriptures.   Yes, it is certain that God speaks to us through His Spirit, prayer, circumstances, and others. But the most viable way to ascertain the clear and certain voice of God is through the Scriptures.  

I hear from others how God speaks to them through the formation of clouds in the sky and they explain what they saw and what it all meant with passion and fervor.   Yet, when these same people make reference to the bible, such passion and fervor is missing.  It seems to me that we have allowed our estimation of the Bible to be “less than” in our own eyes, rather than perceiving it as the very breath of God.