Within the Lines

Dad's Sermon, part 3

I'll try to wrap this up today...

     Around 45 years ago, I started noticing humanism starting to invade Christians' thinking.  I imagine humanism has always been around, but I think it only took over the Christian world view in the last few decades.  When I use the term "humanism", I am referring specifically to relativistic postmodernism; the belief that all truth is relative, that everyone's reality is equally valid, and the humanistic doctrine that everyone is good somewhere down at the heart level. 

     The acceptance of these deceptions has affected church thinking in several ways.  One very alarming attitude that has come from this relativism is a rather high-handed approach to scriptural interpretation.  Professing believers think that their feelings and desires transcend Scripture.  Teachers and preachers routinely toss out whole reams of Scripture in favor of personal agendas.  Surveys show that large porportions of professing Christians no longer believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God.  They don't believe many of the miracles, even the virgin birth of Christ.  In short, they believe their reality is equally valid with God's:  that their wisdom is equal, or even greater than, God's.  RIDICULOUS!

     At least as alarming are attitudes that have sprung from the blatantly unscriptural belief that all people are good at the heart level.  Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things."  Psalm 14:1-3, "There is no one who does good."  The way Christendom has adopted this humanistic belief is by believing that everyone who claims to be a believer is one, no matter their evil attitudes or behavior.  They are all just considered works in progress.  The are all considered to have a good heart.  Who are we to judge?  Don't we all have sin?  To make a judgment about a situation or a person is narrow-minded, critical and judgmental, right?  To be tolerant of almost any kind of attitudes and behavior in professing believers is loving and merciful, right?

     According to this belief system, Peter was being hateful and unmerciful when he told Simon in Acts 8:20-23 that he should die with his money, that he had a bad heart and was full of bitterness and sin.  Or how about Paul's awful attitude in 1Corinthians 5:1-5 when he says the church people were proud (apparently of their tolerance and mercy), but they should be ashamed; he said they should put the sinner out of their fellowship, and that he, Paul, had already passed judgment on the man.  Talk about judgmenatl!!!  Or how about 1Corinthians 5:9-13, where we are commanded to pass judgment on church people?  Then there is Jesus' diatribes against the church leaders in Matthew 23.  he called them snakes, a brood of vipers (demon-possessed).  How unloving can you get?

     These attitudes and behaviors would be roundly condemned in virtually every church in America nowdays; even the Son of God would be condemned as hateful.  Yet the Word says Jesus is love, so when He spoke such hard things He had to be speaking the truth in love.  How is such harsh language love?  Because it releases the spirit of conviction which can lead to repentance and life.  Treating pretenders as brothers and sisters only enables and empowers the counterfeit church and, furthermore, binds the Holy Spirit of conviction.

     Some people will claim that I am advocating witch hunts, but all I'm saying is -- speak the truth in love.  Speaking half-truths in fake love and mercy is never loving.  It reinforces hypocrisy and leads people to hell.  We need to speak the truth in love with an eye always for the heart.  Never focus on performance; always look for the attitudes of repentance, of transparency, openness, honesty, and humility.

     Come on!  Let's do like the Bible says so we can be a pure bride, a strong church, a glory to God.  Let's be an effective light to the world. 

Untitled Comment

{ 06:57, Friday, March 7, 2008 } { Posted by dlynthomas }

I enjoyed reading your dad's sermon. Thank you for sharing it with us.