The need for Bereans to walk extra circumspectly – Part 1
What can pass for “Christianity” today is enough to test the faith of anyone who is paying attention, and not otherwise hunkered into a mental niche or theological comfort zone.
Estimates have been there are tens of thousands of denominations. Within “Christendom” are myriad permutations. Sectarianism is itself written against in 1 Corinthians 3 as sinful, and sects do now come in brands or flavors spanning the gamut.
It may be a motto of the secular humanists to “celebrate diversity,” but among those who name the name of Christ, there is reason to take pause.
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Cor. 1:10)
A House Divided?
It is categorically impossible for everyone to be right, thus many must be wrong. How wrong they are is a serious concern. Depending on one’s view, some theological positions will result in fruitless lives at best, and at worst could be fatal to certain practitioners and those who follow.
Following are some teachings floating out there. For each of these there are proponents ready to defend their positions with proof verses and arguments.
Takeaway Points From Readers of the Same Bible:
If born again, you can never lose your salvation, no matter what.
OR
If born again, you can lose your salvation under various circumstances.
OR
You may lose the faith, but if you were truly saved and sealed, all future sins are forgiven, even that of unbelief or willful walking away, and the attendant sins great or small that follow.
If truly born again, you will not walk away or fall into sin that would cause God to disinherit you; it is God’s promise to keep you.
OR
Just as coming to Christ was an act of the will, so is keeping the faith, and though God is faithful and we have grace, people do have the ability to abandon God if they persist and rebel beyond a certain point of God’s longsuffering.
The gifts of the Spirit are alive and well, being practiced by those so led.
OR
The gifts were removed after the early church was founded.
God has spoken by his written word (canon of Scripture), and we may “hear” His “voice” – metaphorically speaking, with the mind – by pondering, meditating upon, and praying over written Scripture.
OR
God leads by His Spirit in the inner man, and Jesus’ sheep hear His voice as an internal leading they come to recognize as God, and they will not “listen to strangers.”
Following Jesus Christ is essentially a philosophy, a creed, or code of conduct whereby men and women of good faith and conscience obey the written word to the best of their ability.
OR
Following Christ goes beyond this, and relies on God’s internal guidance in the spirit. It is a life of sole dependence and this is what is meant by “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Rom 8:14)
OR
Christians must obey Jesus’ commands to turn the other cheek, love their enemies, see themselves not of the world, and trust God for their defense and never fight the battles of the world.
OR
The United States – itself founded as a rebellion against the British crown – declared itself sovereign, and offered religious freedoms. it honored God, was never a “Christian country,” but was blessed by God while yet under the world system – and the “whole world lies under the sway of the evil one” – with God yet over all.
OR
The head covering was cultural, or otherwise for a time and place, and is optional, a matter of conscience and God leaves it up to the woman as she feels so led.
Christians who divorce may not remarry while the original spouse is alive for any reason, and regardless of circumstances. The marriage covenant is binding; God Himself is a party to it, and He has declared it is for all of life until the death of either party.
OR
Among Christians who divorce for “biblical” reasons (such as immorality), the “innocent” party is given the right by Scripture to remarry. God is the God of new beginnings and second chances.
God forgives and grants grace to a Christian who “repents” after getting entangled in a marriage that ends in divorce. This person is free to remarry because God who “forgets” our sin wipes away one’s marriage “mistake” as though it never was.
OR
One cannot “repent” of a marriage that is later regretted and declare it as though it is all under the blood. Because marriage is a permanent covenant, even if the husband and wife separate, God sees the marriage as binding and they are still married in His eyes. Trying to apply “grace” to this is an abuse of “grace,” and a false understanding of it.
Grace comes because Jesus died for all past, present, and future sin so we may grow up at our own pace – and often no sense of urgency is attached.
OR
Grace is there but salvation is more than a positional truth that lets one “sin that grace may abound,” or use “liberty as a cloak for vice.” There is an urgency, and the scripture that “without holiness, no one will see God” (Heb. 12:14) speaks of our conduct in this life, and requires continued obedience and faith beyond entering by the Door.
OR
Christians follow Jesus in their heart, and because of extreme grace, they need not worry about their obedience, lifestyle, faith – up to antinomianism.
Humans have free will.
OR
Humans do not have free will.
God chooses some to be saved and the rest of humanity unsaved will ultimately burn forever in hell. He owes them nothing and chooses who to save when all deserved hell to begin with.
OR
God draws Christians to the Lord Jesus Christ but expects us to exercise our own will to love the light, and receive Him. He is willing that none perish.
The “fear of God” is defined as a “holy reverence or awe” (no real sense of any fear as the term is more commonly understood),
OR
The “fear of God” includes holy reverence and awe, but also considers “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt. 10:28) (And many other scriptures)
God is the Comforter, and Christians do not have to be overly concerned about a final judgment. The fear of that is for the lost who do not have Christ, and all that Christians will face is possible loss of rewards, not potential loss of eternal life.
OR
God is the Comforter, but also Teacher, Lord, Master, Father, Husband, and power to live this life. He saves us from past and present sins if we receive salvation in Christ. Into the future, we are not under law, but grace, but this covenant relationship is in good faith, with mutual love as a bride who desires to please her Husband, and not without conditions. At the point of salvation God wipes the slate clean, but also expects growth under grace. The Word says “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” and we are to live by continual repentance and faith – cleansing by the blood, obedience, and learning to be well pleasing to Him in truth. Those who break covenant or deny the faith or the Lord have no assurance that they have not forfeited the gift of eternal life which was given under condition of keeping the faith.
Christianity is compatible with American individualistic culture and an ethos of “whatever seems right to you” is the final arbiter. If a Christian feels “peace in the heart,” that is all God requires and no “judging” means others have nothing much to say against individuals’ choices.
OR
Christianity means a restoring of a broken relationship between man and God that came about through the Fall. It tackles head on the independent mind that came with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It makes man dependent upon God again in a willing, loving relationship. It is entered into freely, but God who gave His all to us, and promises to lead and enable Christians, expects us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Jesus said “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (Mt. 21:44)
Women may preach and teach in church assemblies.
OR
Women may not preach and teach in church assemblies.
Women are the weaker vessel, and were created as a helpmeet to man. The woman was deceived, not the man.
OR
Women are equal, and sexist teachings from a past culture that flavored the way relationships work need to be rethought. There is no subordination. (Egalitarian view versus complementary.)
All homosexuals have their place in the lake of fire. (Rev. 21:8)
OR
God loves all people, even those “born gay,” and he includes these as eligible to come into Christ and live their lifestyles as long as it is loving, monogamous, and not promiscuous – LGBT is OK.
There is no literal hell. A loving God would not do that.
OR
There is a hell where the worm dies not. “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
There is a hell, but when Hades is tossed into the lake of fire, it will be as annihilation, not eternal.
OR
Hell is forever, and whoever does not have his/her name written in the Book of Life goes there forever.
OR
Teaching the reality of hell is part of the gospel message. It is a fearful reality that the lost face, and the righteous who were “scarcely saved” are to press on, and not become those who “fall back to perdition.” (Heb 10:39)
Christians should not vote, or become involved in secular politics.
OR
It is a duty to vote and sign of being a good Christian, and responsible citizen.
God gave us a mind to think, and we should use it to do good works.
OR
While we have a mind, the inheritance from the garden is an independent mind and there is “a way that seems right to man, but its way leads to death.” And “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.’” This means God is the originator of all valid works. Man’s duty is to perceive and obey.
Why So Many Divergent Opinions From the Readers of One Book (the Bible)?
There are countless other doctrines, teachings, and sub teachings beyond the above list.
The Word says God does not change and the faith was once delivered to all the saints.
First Corinthians 2 says the truth of God is spiritually discerned, and the Word says also the Holy Spirit is to be our teacher, guide, our inner truth check; our sense of oughtness, and right leading.
People may take comfort in that thought, but beware of false or shallow comfort (It is human nature to want to feel like everything is alright.)
The fact that so many who name the name of Christ come down on opposite sides indicates more is at play in this equation of being followers of the Way.
Chalk it up to the sin nature of man, the influence of evil spirits, and the influence of the world in general terms. Satan’s tactic has been to divide and conquer.
The salvation of Christ Jesus promises to overcome all these, but “narrow is the way that leads to life and few are they that find it,” He said.
Put in blunt terms, a lot of people are way off. This means we live in spiritually treacherous times with no clear Light on a hill that shines in darkness.
Test For Authenticity
These conditions of mutually contradicting teachings all in the name of Christ make for a mess. The net result in this present information-rich era is people can gravitate to whatever they like and find people to validate their world view and tell them they are fine.
This website’s standard is the Word unadulterated, and the closer to unanimous teachings of the Ante Nicene Fathers, and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It is our belief that if God is fully given His way, He will produce a valid and potent body (assembly) which is spiritually enabled and blessed beyond any “work of man.” Only God can do this.
The proof of what we have is in the pudding. If we assume it is Jesus’ will to build an authentic church (Mt. 16:18) – assuming we even know on outline what are earmarks of this authentic church – we can look to see if it has been or is being done.
We believe the faith that “once turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 – the early church) has not been duplicated in spirit following the Protestant Reformation, though there have been many blessed people, and greater or lesser expressions of God.
And if this is so, then the fault must be in man, not God. God is faithful, and keeps His promises, but He is constrained by the will of the people he is dealing with.
“Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” (Ps. 78:41)
It is too obvious. And since SO MANY – even learned scholars and well-meaning people – have “missed it,” what makes us think we have not missed something too? Do we really know what we believe we know? Are we immune to errors when others tripped before us?
A lot of modern theologians think they know better to one degree or another. Some have come up with some very creative teachings; some explain away plain teachings held by the early church that can be readily verified in Scripture. All will give an account before God for how they represented Him.
This ought to be a wake up call! Who is NOT in error in some way?
Is what we have REALLY what God wants? Or does He just bear with us, keeping His side of the bargain, even if we barely do if at all?
Never before has it been more easy to lay up for yourselves teachers who will tickle your ears.
Again, even the well meaning are not immune to this potential pitfall.
Conditions of following Jesus as Lord
American culture is fundamentally antichrist.
People who may come to Christ and be born again are trained in ways and means of being, thinking, and doing that are not compatible with the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus. God’s kingdom is not a democracy.
Paul in Galatians said to a Jewish culture the law [of Moses] was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, but Americans are conditioned far from the spirit of the truth.
Their whole life they were of their father the devil, and his desires did they want to do. This does not mean they were all wanton overt sinners. Even well-meaning, ordinary law-abiding people have been shaped into people who need to be refined and purified by the working of the Holy Spirit.
From the fall in the Garden, we became fundamentally self-centered, self-interested, self-focused, self-preserving. Natural man is not God centered, he is out of whack.
The first command of the satanic bible is “Do thy own will.” This is a very American teaching that itself caters to the fallen nature.
Jesus said, “Not My will, but thine be done.”
Jesus’ heart toward the Father is not an option for us!
Liberty taken to excess equals lawlessness.
Required: Absolute surrender. Love not the world. “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine …” (Jn. 7:17 – Jesus spoke of an overarching principle).
We must be on guard and shun any tendency toward mental gymnastics to convince one’s self he/she has these boxes checked.
Needed: Spiritual honesty; heart of the Bereans. We must be delivered, renewed in mind, and be not bound by iniquities that flavor the person. Jesus came to turn His people away from their iniquities.
Our heart ought to be one with God in love. It should be the cry of our heart “search me, try me, see if there be any wicked way in me.”
In His light do we see light. This is not a call to introspection; Jesus is the savior. We cannot save ourselves.
Also required: Prayer, obedience, carrying the cross. Dying to one’s self. Seeking the Lord in all of it like your life depends on it.
“You shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart mind and strength, and neighbor as thyself.”
The sad fact is many will give mental assent to these points, but then blithely go on in blindness.
The blind must know that he is first blind. The sinner must learn how profoundly and woven into his very being is his tendency to sin.
Jesus meant it when He said “Without Me you can do nothing.”
