#How Mormons interpret grace and works in salvation

[mindfulldsliving]

Are You Growing Spiritually? Responding to Misunderstandings About LDS Teachings on Grace and Discipline

Have you ever wondered if spiritual growth is a matter of worthiness or effort? Michelle Grimes’ recent take on Latter-day Saint (LDS) teachings around grace and discipline has raised questions about what it truly means to grow spiritually within the LDS faith. Unfortunately, her interpretation misses key principles about balancing divine grace and personal responsibility. LDS teachings offer…

[god-whispers]

jun 19

not a faith of works

"whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." rom 3:25

generally speaking, there are only two methods of salvation in all the religions of the world: grace or works.  christianity is a religion of salvation by grace alone: “for by grace through faith you have been saved, not of works... ” eph 2:8-9

all other systems rely totally or in part on the works of the believer to merit salvation.  mormons, for example, say that you are saved by grace through faith after all you can do.  they have their two year stint where they are required to go out and evangelize as much as possible.

in english, the noun usually comes first, but in hebrew the verb comes first.  in genesis 22:3, the english reads, "abraham rose early in the morning," but in hebrew, "early rose abraham."  in english, "he took two of his youths and isaac his son," in hebrew, "took he two of his youths;"  the action first, then the noun.  why?  because the old covenant was interpreted as being about works.  the new covenant is people before works. it's about a relationship and not deeds done.  they were bound to the law that grace only has covered.  that's why our Lord witnessed to the dead as was stated in 1 peter 3:19.

some divisions of christianity still maintain a faith of works.  in roman catholicism, God’s grace is infused into a believer that enables him to do good works by which he is judged for salvation.  martin luther’s treaty “by grace alone” has failed to dissuade many.

in islam, forgiveness is based on a combination of allah’s grace and the muslim’s works.  on the day of judgment, if a muslim’s good works outweigh his bad ones and if allah so wills it, he may be forgiven of all his sins and then enter into paradise.  therefore, islam is a religion of salvation by works because it combines man’s works with allah’s grace.

"not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." titus 3:5  this verse clearly shows us there is NOTHING we can do to earn our salvation.

how true was our Lord's last utterance from the cross:  "it is finished." john 19:30  that's means there are no "works" left to be done.  the only "work" we have to do is believe and receive.  grace has done what no man can do.  proof of that is when our Lord told the thief on the adjacent cross that he would be with Him in paradise.  the only good work the thief had time to do was confess Jesus as Lord.

how then can one explain the book of james?  "but do you want to know, o foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" james 2:20  our "works" are merely an indicator of our salvation - not a requirement.  the genuineness of our faith causes a conversion of heart that compels us to please our Lord, and sorrows us when we fall short.  and when we fall short (as all of us will) grace brings forgiveness with a simple repentance.

"for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." eph 2:10  these "works" are of God and for God; accomplished only through God.  they are the beautiful wedding garments that He has prepared for our wedding gown.  "and to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." rev 19:8

yes, He shall remove the filthy garments of sin from us and dress us in robes of righteousness.  will it be a robe of many colors as joseph's was?  i believe it will have spectrums of color we cannot even imagine.

[jmyers104]

Baptism for the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:29)

           At different times in my life, I have had opportunities to sit down with Mormon missionaries to discuss theology. I do not know if these times have resulted in any of them getting saved, but these times served to sharpen my theology. One doctrinal distinctive that Mormons hold to is the baptism of the dead. According to Reed and Farkas, “Using information gleaned from elaborate and detailed genealogical research, vicarious baptisms and even marriages are performed with the idea that the dead people whose names are invoked actually benefit from these ceremonies just as much as if they were live participants.”[1] 1 Corinthians 15:29 is the key verse Mormons turn to in order to support this practice. Are they right? At first glance, this may seem like a practice that is in line with what Paul is addressing, and the fact that there is not a clear consensus from the evangelical realm only complicates matters. However, I believe that the Mormon view is unbiblical and that there is a reasonable explanation for this verse.

           Why do I say that the Mormon view of 1 Corinthians 15:29 is unbiblical? Because it contradicts what Scripture says elsewhere about how a person can be saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 reads, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.” If we contributed something to salvation – whether it be ours or someone else’s – then a certain degree of “bragging rights” would be in order. However, it is Christ alone who saves, and once a person dies, the time for repentance is no more. As the writer of Hebrews tells us, “…it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment” (9:27). More Scriptures could be cited, but I believe these three verses are sufficient to close the door on this interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:29.

           Ciampa and Rosner note that over forty interpretations of this verse have been recorded.[2] Of the many interpretations that have been suggested, two stand above the rest as the most likely options. The first option suggests that the verse could be translated “baptism on account of the dead,” or “baptism because of the dead.”[3] Those who affirm this view note that especially in the early church, baptism was synonymous with salvation. That is not to say that they believed that baptism saves. They simply mean that baptism was to inextricably linked to salvation (e.g., it was the first great public profession of faith after salvation) that to speak of baptism was to speak of baptism). Thus, when the resurrection of the dead was proclaimed among unbelievers, many desired to convert to Christianity and show their devotion to Christ through baptism. In a similar vein, MacArthur writes, “Paul may have simply been saying that people were being saved (baptism being the sign) because of the exemplary lives and witness of faithful believers who had died.”[4] This is possible, but I find it unlikely. I would certainly never want to put Paul in a literary box, saying what he should have said and should not have said. However, if this interpretation is correct, then why would Paul not simply say this? Further, why do Bible interpreters not interpret the verse in a way that reflects this meaning? It seems that Paul was referring to a baptism of the dead. Rather than explain it away, we must tackle the issue head-on, making no excuses for either the human author or the Divine Author.

           That leads me to the second (and, in my opinion, more likely) interpretation. 1 Corinthians 15 is all about the resurrection of Christ and His people. Paul begins by explaining the central role of Christ’s resurrection in the gospel message (vv. 1-11). Next, he discusses the consequences of denying the resurrection of the dead (vv. 12-19). From there, he details the significance of Christ’s resurrection (vv. 20-28). Paul then offers an exhortation in light of the various responses to the resurrection of the dead (vv. 29-34) before answering objections to belief in bodily resurrection (vv. 35-49) and explaining the necessity of the resurrection (vv. 50-57). Finally, Paul concludes chapter 15 with an appeal in light of the affirmation of the resurrection.[5] Thus, if verse 29 is to be understood in light of the importance of the resurrection in Christian theology.

           All throughout this chapter, Paul uses I and we language. To Paul, this was a reality for those who were in Christ. Interestingly enough, the only time in this chapter that Paul uses they is in verse 29. Whoever they are, Paul sees them as standing in contrast to true believers. In other words, Paul seems to be saying is that even a group of unbelievers recognized the significance of the resurrection. Paul, however, sought to show the Corinthians the true meaning and significance of the resurrection. Thus, verse 29 serves as a contrast between false views on the resurrection and the resurrection as taught by Paul.

           This brings us back full circle. Mormons not only misinterpret this verse, but in sprinkling in human effort in order to obtain salvation, they devalue Christ’s atoning work and miss the point of the gospel. Such things should be rejected as heresy. However, in dealing with a verse as tricky as 15:29, there is room for grace when we encounter believers hold to a different interpretation than us. After providing his interpretation of this verse, MacArthur writes, “Whether this is the right interpretation of this verse we cannot be certain, but we can be certain that people often come to salvation because of the testimony of those whom they desire to emulate.”[6] I would like to conclude with two insights that I have gleaned from MacArthur’s quote. The first insight comes from the latter part of this quote. Christ’s resurrection and the believer’s future bodily resurrection should encourage the believer. In a world that seems to be getting worse by the day, Christians have hope, and as we live in light of this hope, Christ is made attractive to unbelievers. The second insight comes from the first part of the quote. MacArthur says that we cannot be certain about our interpretation of this verse. I know few people who are so unwavering in their defense of Scripture’s inerrancy, infallibility, and authority. If a man as dogmatic as MacArthur says that there is a degree of uncertainty surrounding this verse, then I know I had better show grace to those who interpret this differently (so long as they stay within the confines of orthodoxy).

[1] Reed and Farkas, 85.

[2] Ciampa and Rosner, 780.

[3] Ibid., 785.

[4] MacArthur, 425.

[5] Ciampa and Rosner, xii.

[6] MacArthur, 426.

[technoprophecy]

Abolish Human Abortion And Their Worldview First, let me say that I am for passing a law that outlaws abortion. This would be a wonderful miracle for America to accomplish if it were possible. Abortion is murder because life begins at conception. The fact that life begins at conception accords with Scripture and Science. Recently, science apparently discovered there is a flash of light at conception confirming observationally that life begins at conception. (https://youtu.be/VYoPPvLgUxM). If verified, the physical light of the fertilized ovum is a marvelous analogy of Jesus Christ Son of God, who is the Light of the world and the Light of life (Jn. 8:12). Jesus Christ is the Light of both eternal life and physical life as He is the Word that created time and space and all life within it - John 1:3-4 says, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” The question remains though, how is the body of Christ going to proceed in their work against abortion? Before I researched this question, I thought and assumed most Christians and conservatives were working together against abortion to try to save as many babies as possible, or by some miracle to even outlaw abortion. But that is not the case. In fact, the abolitionists go out of their way to differentiate themselves from the Pro-Life movement. They not only differentiate themselves; they demonize, belittle and even shame the Pro-Life people because they have not made abolition of abortion the greatest work of the church and/or the only work of the church. They also demonize us because the Pro-Life movement accepts incremental changes to the abortion laws by saving some, but not necessarily saving all aborted babies. In this quote, Abolish Human Abortion (AHA) at http://abolishhumanabortion.com even differentiates themselves from the Church, while trying to shame the church because of our supposed unbelief in the Gospel. “This is not mere adoption of the rhetorical power of Christian ideology. We are not trying to gain the ear of church people with our religious appeals or use biblical language to attract fellow believers. We actually believe [the Gospel] is true, and we have put all our hope in it.” Is it not reasonable, even Scriptural, to fight for some life, any life, even if one is not able to save and win the entire battle? Jesus said in John 15:13- “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” There is no guarantee in this life that if a soldier gives his life to save his friends that his actions will lead to total victory in his lifetime. Many others may have to die in the course of the war, for war is evil, but that is the direct result of the fallen world that can never be completely or even significantly fixed by man until Jesus comes in glory to establish His throne on earth. I think of Oskar Schindler of Schindler’s List. He saved more than 1200 Jews from the gas chamber out of a total of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. He is hailed as a hero by the Jewish Community today, and rightly so. Those 1200 survivors will never forget what Schindler has done for them. Yet, it is obvious that Schindler did not save all the Jews from the Holocaust. He accepted the fact that he could save some however, and that was a noble act of courage on his part. Yet, the abolitionists will demonize the most Pro-Life president we have ever had in America? All because he, that is, Trump, has personally taken on the greatest enemy of unborn babies in America, Planned Parenthood (PP), with several presidential orders. The latest order being that he has outlawed PP from ever counseling a client to have an abortion. This perhaps could have the effect of first wiping out PP entirely, and/or significantly reducing the abortion rate in this country. I ask you. How is that action by the president in any sense evil? Even so, AHA writes, “With few exceptions the visible and professing church of Jesus Christ in America currently does little more than offer token expressions of opposition to the greatest and most dehumanizing evil of our age.” In their zealous fanaticism, the abolitionists have reduced the definition of the Christian life to the work of radical abolition, to the extent if we are not picketing, or peddling memes, or politicking, or supporting one-issue abolitionist candidates, then we are sub-Christians, or more likely not Christians at all. This was my FIRST RED FLAG. The SECOND RED FLAG occurred to me when I began researching what abolitionism believes and why. According to AHA, abolitionists actually try to tie abolition to Jesus’ Great Commission statement. They don’t try to connect it loosely, but attempt to tie it DIRECTLY to Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:20 (“teaching them to observe all that I commanded them”). To do this, abolitionists must truncate Jesus’ corpus of teaching to “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” This command gets applied specifically and directly as abolition of abortion. Never mind that every social gospel and progressive Christian group that exists, as well as most human religions on earth, truncate their beliefs to “LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.” That, however, is the picture not of the true Biblical Church, but of the old social gospel church, today known as the social justice church. In a word, AHA is adding to the Great Commission something that is not there, and it becomes another gospel, a different and false gospel. The AHA website says the following about the Great Commission and abolition. “But a faithful examination of the Scriptures will confirm that just as faith without works is dead, so also is a “Great Commission” without the work of abolition.” In truth, however, there is no Biblical way to interpret Jesus words to mean that abolition of abortion is the greatest work and need of Christianity today to the exclusion of all other Christian works. Clearly, abortion is one heinous sin, but one among many other heinous sins that need attention today from Biblical Christians. That is why Jesus said to teach ALL that I commanded you, not just a truncated version of Christianity, which is indicative of the false social justice gospel we observe today. The THIRD RED FLAG came to me when I realized that according to AHA, the work of abolition is not supposed to be a special calling for just some radical activist Christians, but is an all-consuming OBLIGATION for ALL Christians. Again, abolitionists say, Christians who don’t engage in abolition are either sub-Christians or not Christians at all. AHA writes, “When we are faced with our unborn neighbor being killed, we’ve somehow misplaced it into the “calling” category, as if it is a talent one possesses, to stand in the gap for the weakest among us, as they are about to be slaughtered. We’ve told ourselves, and one another, that establishing justice and mercy, loving our oppressed neighbor is “a calling” when in fact, scripture tells us it is a command.” This reminds me of Mormonism, where the path to salvation must include two years of missionary service going two by two to the neighborhoods on bicycles or you cannot become a true Mormon. Of course, Ephesians 2:8-9 has something definite to say to this issue, in which justification is completely separated from our works, which can NEVER save or make anyone a true Christian. To add the obligation of abolition for all is a form of Judaizing, and requiring something that is not revealed in the New Testament, and is again a different gospel and a false gospel. Paul said in Galatians 1:6-7 - “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” Disturbing and distorting is how I would describe AHA’s white hot radical activism and vehemence against other Christians who do not hold to their views. AHA has a cult-like presentation with their demands upon the church that cannot be substantiated from Scripture. Some have even labeled AHA a cult. Is Historical-Biblical Christianity really about receiving Christ, and then doing the works of abolition, which in their emphasis, eclipses the Gospel in terms of significance? Is that the true purpose of the church? If so, then why didn’t the Apostolic church, the most pristine and purest version of Christianity, look like the version of Christianity presented by the millennial abolitionist groups today? Why didn’t Paul radicalize Christian converts to activism against the Roman forms of abortion and infanticide, which were rampant even then? (https://earlychurchhistory.org/medicine/infanticide-in-the-ancient-world/). We don’t see activism of any kind at all because the early church didn’t see themselves as building the Kingdom of God on earth. They saw themselves as fighting a spiritual battle against an evil world whose god is Satan. The world was not their home, and they believed the world was something to be rescued from, not a place to try to transform into the Kingdom of God. Paul wrote in Galatians 1:3-4 - “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” The early church under Paul and the other Apostles had a proper understanding of eschatology, and were not trying to create a Christian kingdom on earth as the postmillennial abolitionists are trying to do today. This brings me to the radical theology that is being employed by the abolition movement today. What is the theology that drives abolitionism? As I was being exposed to the writings and arguments online by those who espouse abolition, I was first struck by their one-issue only politics. They seemed totally unconcerned with who they mowed down verbally. If the public official, candidate or Christian voter doesn’t espouse radical abolition, they are protested against period, and not supported. It doesn’t matter whether they are Pro-Life or whether they support Biblical values. Only the people who support 100% radical abolition and act upon it are supported. The abolitionists support one issue and one issue only, even if it causes conservative candidates to lose by taking votes away from them, and causing the cultural Marxist progressives to win elections. This appeared completely unreasonable to me that Christians would create anarchy in the political realm, while labeling Christians trying to vote for conservative law and order in our country as “human wisdom”. Does it really need to be pointed out that if we don’t support and vote conservative Christian values into office, as in Biblical views of marriage and family, that not only do the abortion laws worsen (e.g., New York’s recent egregious the day before birth abortion law), the LGBTQ agenda will also continue to explode and our nation will be cursed into oblivion? Remember, that is what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah! Abraham and Lot were not told by the two angelic hosts to preach the Kingdom of God on earth. Lot was told and even forced emphatically to FLEE! Then I realized that there was something else going on below the surface of the abolitionist movement that is motivating this unreasonableness. The abolition gospel is deeply tied to an eschatology that believes they are building the Kingdom of God on earth. They believe they can force the abolition law upon America because the Church’s responsibility is to change the culture and to transform the world for Christ. Then in such a way the world will be gradually prepared for Christ so that He can then take His throne on earth. This quote is from the AHA site: “Abolitionists aim to transform this wicked culture and society, by the grace of God, with the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah and His holy law.”

This theology is known as postmillennialism, but has not even a shred of Biblical support. Nowhere in Scripture do we find gradualism - where the world grows incrementally more and more Christian until Christ comes. What we do find is Christ coming suddenly and apocalyptically to a world and to an apostate church at war with Christ and His Word, completely Satanic, and who are opposed to God’s rule. A mystical phrase that captures this rampant eschatological belief is: “Immanentize the Eschaton.” This means to try to bring about the eschaton, or the return of Christ, in the immanent world. This is precisely what abolitionists are DEMANDING to do with placards, memes, and utter political anarchy. Never mind that our culture is completely inundated and totally absorbed in and 100% committed to two massive pillars. These are the pillars of: (1) the abortion right of Roe, and (2) the same sex marriage right of Obergefell. Furthermore, on top of these unmovable pillars is the political philosophy, (frankly, it is the political philosophy of Antichrist), that is now saturating the world, namely the progressive gospel of social justice and globalism, which is nothing more than socialism and cultural Marxism with a Christian slant. Neither abortion, nor the homosexual agenda, nor the social justice gospel will be lightly given up by our world. They are immovable no matter how loudly abolitionists beat the drum and try to force their hand. In fact, the church by and large is even jumping on the bandwagon embracing LGBTQ and social justice and globalism and even whitewashing the Democratic Party, who are the chief architects and propagators of abortion, so that the church will vote Democrat. It is clear that abolitionists have a woefully faulty and completely false view of eschatology, and are actually helping Satan’s plan for Antichrist and globalism to come to fruition by trying to immanentize the eschaton. Thomas Ice wrote, “The call for believers to exercise a premature dominion is at the heart of Satan’s promise to Eve in the garden.” The serpent’s lie to Eve was, “ye shall be as gods…” (Gen. 3:5). There is much evidence that the theological motivation for abolitionism is postmillennialism, but with a new, improved form of postmillennialism called Dominion Theology (DT) and Kingdom Now. The first is embraced by the Reformed/Calvinist camp, while the second by the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition. I would like to point out here, that before I looked at sources critical of the means being utilized by abolitionists today, I was led by my past knowledge of DT, and saw the connections myself first. Besides the clue of the political anarchy of the abolitionists I pointed to earlier, which inferred a subterranean belief below the surface that would drive such unreasonableness. There were more direct references to DT that struck me such as the following quote from AHA’s website. “We strive to provoke a clash of absolutes between the Gospel of Christ and the worldly wisdom of man. The goal of all abolitionist movements is the redemption of man from the dominion of man.” Yet, nowhere in the New Testament is it written that the church is to take matters into their own hands by thwarting the dominion of man on earth. This is not the role of the church in the world today. We are called to preach the Gospel to the whole world. It is Christ who changes the hearts of people through the Good News, and as some men are changed, we poke holes in the darkness, but never take the world over for Christ until after the apocalypse. The wider world remains under the control of Satan until Christ’s return. 1 John 5:19 says, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” In the meantime, the Word of God tells us that human governments are established by God (Gen. 10; 11:6-8, Rom. 13:1), and are His avengers to punish evildoers (Rom. 13:4). Christians are to be subject to government (Rom. 13:1), not anarchists disrupting politics, and trying to establish dominion over the governments of the world. No where in the early church did Paul command the church to picket Rome for any reason. DT is a radical and false system that works into the hands of Satan, who with his servant the Antichrist, will establish Babel 2.0 on earth, the final evil globalist government that will shortly come onto the world stage (Rev. 13:7-8). Christ does not, nor can He, reign on earth until after the Antichrist and the False Prophet fulfill for a short period of seven years their globalist, socialist, Satanic domination of planet earth. No one can prevent Antichrist’s evil empire from growing and finally taking place, because prophecy can never be undone by the Church, by Satan, or by anyone or anything for that matter. The Church should remember one simple rule about the history of the world, and it is antithetical to all postmillennialism theology. The human race gets worse, and worse, not better and better as they continue to fall ever deeper into the control of the Deceiver, who is the god of this world. As Paul said, “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (II Tim. 3:13). In this section, I will give some pertinent quotes from my research on DT, mainly from two articles both by Thomas Ice. The title of the first article is “What is Dominion Theology?” (WIDT) The second article is “New, Improved Postmillennialism.” (NIP) (1) The question of the timing of the Millennium affects the goals and objectives of believers today. Therefore, it is extremely important that we correctly understand scripture on this important subject. (WIDT) (2) The New Covenant (NC) speaks only of changing individuals during the current age, while the Old Covenant (OC) dealt with both individuals and institutions. Institutional change will occur in the future millennium, building upon the foundation of individual change of the present age. Since the Christian Reconstruction Movement (CRM) understands the present age to include the Millennium, therefore they misplace the timing of God’s plan for changing institutions. (WIDT) (3) The call for believers to exercise a premature dominion is at the heart of Satan’s promise to Eve in the garden. Since dominionists are wrong about the timing of the kingdom (Kingdom Now), and about the means of establishing the kingdom (DT believes the kingdom is established by means of the work of the church rather than Christ through Christ personal return), therefore they cannot help but be involved, either knowingly or unknowingly, and furthering Satan’s kingdom, to the extent that they apply their deviant theology. (WIDT) (4) Christians are instructed to seek after the things above, to set our minds on things above (Col. 3:1-2), while we eagerly wait for our Savior’s return (Phil. 3:20). Our calling in the present is not to take dominion, but rather to preach the Gospel to the world and to wait for God’s Son - - Christ - - from heaven who will deliver us from the wrath to come ( I Thes. 1:10). Then, and only after our Lord’s return to earth, we will reign and rule (have dominion) with Christ as overcomers (Rev. 2:26-27; 3:21). (WIDT) (5) The preterist approach removes the apocalyptic obstacle by dumping all those passages into a 40 year dispensation ending in A.D. 70. Anytime a reconstructionist encounters text that through normal exegesis negate their progress approach, they are mishandled by feeding them to the friendly preterist monster. Gulp! “Out of sight! Out of mind!” (NIP) (6) First, there is absolutely no record in all church history of anyone who understood the prophetic Scriptures in this way until a Catholic, Jesuit named Alcazar gave birth to this approach in 1614. Alcazar argued that the pope cannot be the antichrist, as the protestants were charging, since prophetic events and personalities had all been fulfilled by the Christianization of the Roman empire A.D. 33. (NIP) (7) It appears to me that the only possible motive for adopting the preterist approach could be to remove the apocalyptic element from the Bible so that the Reconstructionist view of upward evolution can be inserted. The hermeneutic can in no way follow from comparing Scripture with Scripture. It is simply another chapter in the long history of allegorical interpretation. (NIP) (8) The ingredients which composed the postmillennial system of the current Christian reconstruction movement parallels the false notions Peter warned believers to look out for in the last days (2 Pet. 3:1-18). (NIP) (9) Peter is not saying that these mockers will deny the [Second Coming] SC, instead they will deny the promise of an “any-moment,” sudden, or cataclysmic coming. The mockers attempt this by replacing the apocalyptic, any-moment nature of Christ’s return with their false uniformitarian notion that “ever since the father fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (v. 4). This amounts to the replacement of an apocalyptic hope for a present process hope.” (NIP) (10) Since Reconstructionists “distort“ the texts of Scripture in this manner it gives them a distorted view of the future, resulting in misdirected action in the present. This defect blinds the development of their theology to pitfalls that are present within Satan‘s current arrangement of the world system. Specifically, they seek a premature establishment of the Millennium. This has long been Satan‘s goal. He has tirelessly tried to preempt God by tempting man to help establish the Kingdom. His twofold tactics have been to get people to use false means and trying to establish a kingdom at a time of his choosing rather than God’s. (NIP) (11) The means which God has ordained for the establishment of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom is through a cataclysmic interruption into history, like Creation and Noah’s Flood. Reconstructionists hold that the millennial blessings will be mediated through the present dynamics of the Church. (NIP) (12) The reconstructionist view of a mediated reign results only in a watered down, spiritualized, even truncated, reduction of the true reign of Christ. Their second rate spiritualizations of millennial fulfillments have more in common with current non-Christian efforts then they are willing to admit. (NIP) (13) Postmillennialists suppress the future millennial career of Jesus Christ, transferring to mortal mankind what belongs to Him. Control of the last thousand years of world history belongs to the Risen Christ, as immediate theocratic agent, and to His brethren, the “sons of the resurrection” - -not to any combination of well-intentioned mortals in an ecclesiastical status quo development. (NIP) (14) False hope’s concerning the means of bringing in Christ’s Millennial reign make Dominionist theology open to intermingling with current false views of the Kingdom, both Christian and non-Christian. This has been their track record: devastatingly wrong movements that have tried to use the wrong means to subdue the world for Christ. Some of these movements include: the Munster Revolt, Fifth Monarchists, Oliver Cromwell, the Abolitionist of the Civil War, the Social Gospel, and according to reconstructionist David Chilton, Nazism and Marxism. (NIP) (15) The other area in which Reconstructionists err is over the timing of Christ’s coming. He does not return after millennial conditions have been mediated by the Church, but rather it is His return which then produces such conditions. Much could be said concerning this matter, but space only permits the single point: Christ has promised to eat and drink with believers when He enters into his Kingdom (Luke 22: 14-23). He instituted the Lord’s Supper for us to practice “until the kingdom of God comes” (22:18). The fact that Christ instituted this to be observed during the interim demonstrates that we are not yet in His Kingdom, nor has he returned to set it up. (NIP) (16) The challenge remains: produce one passage of Scripture which teaches postmillennialism. It cannot be found within the apocalyptic nature of God’s Holy Revelation. (NIP) We have seen from this overview of DT, that beliefs and ideas concerning the Millennium strongly influence our actions as Christians. There is absolutely no basis for Postmillennialism, DT or Preterism from Scripture. Christians who attempt to “immanentize the eschaton” as DT teaches, are in effect aiding and abetting Satan in his goals of bringing in a premature kingdom without Christ reigning on earth. Satan’s lie - - “Ye shall be as gods!” - - continues to ring down through history in the form of secular and ecclesiastical movements where the ends justify the means. While on the other hand, the pure Biblical Gospel is watered down by DT in the form of Social Justice. That is clearly a recipe for disaster and changing of the true Gospel to a false one. Paul defined the true Gospel in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” There is nothing here adding anything to the Gospel, or requiring obligations as AHA has done. Others have also seen the connections between DT and today’s abolitionist movement. The author of this Tea Party article, “Oklahoma GOP Chairman David McClain Outed as Member of Radical Dominion Theology Group” (https://ymlp.com/z2FGNS), identifies AHA, former candidate for Oklahoma governor Dan Fisher, and GOP chairman David McClain as deeply connected to DT. “Last week Oklahoma GOP Chairman David McClain was exposed as an executive board member of a fairly radical dominion theology organization that appears to be controlled by the John Birch Society. Dominion theology is a group of far right Christian political ideologies that wish to usher in a nation ruled only by Christians using biblical law.” The group is known as City Elders (https://cityelders.com). Their core value Number 6 says it all. “The church has a responsibility to supervise government.” Unfortunately, that statement has no support from Scripture. That will not be the Church’s role until we reign with Christ on the earth during the Millennium. To attempt to “immanentize the eschaton” in this way will bring a premature kingdom that will have far-reaching unintended evil consequences. “We saw firsthand the damage that dominionism does in the Abolitionist movement in 2018. A radical group hell bent on enforcing “God’s law” turned on the Pro-Life groups and leaders and pulled out all the stops and battered anyone standing in their way. T. Russel Hunter, backed by the John Birch Society controlled OCPAC, and Dan Fisher, raged at the Pro-Life leaders as “baby killers” and picketed their churches and attacked House and Senate leaders over their refusal to pass a patently unconstitutional bill that would outlaw abortion.“ The article continues… “If you wish to understand the crux of why this City Elders movement is such a danger to mainstream Republicans and to Republican office holders consider the 2018 gubernatorial election. Dan Fisher is and has always been a dominionist and Fisher pulled in less than 8% of the Republican primary votes despite running on a platform of abolishing abortion in the state.” I’m not a Tea Party member, but when this article was emailed to my wife from a friend, and she read it to me, I thought their connections between DT and AHA were accurate based on my own independent research. I was curious though about his statements on Dan Fisher. I emailed the author of the Tea Party article asking him what his source was for Dan Fisher. He (his name was Al) wrote me back saying: “Fisher has long been a dominionist, calling for religious control over government. The easiest way to pick them out is to listen to the terminology they use, Kingdom of this, kingdom of that, mixing religion and politics constantly. I first met the guy back in 2010. Died in the wool JBS politician, OCPAC went all out supporting him without even voting on who to support in the 2018 gov race.” Though Al and the Tea Party don’t represent all of my political views, I do appreciate their conservative views on America, law and order and the Constitution. Connecting AHA and Dan Fisher to DT helped corroborate my research. By the way, the connection between AHA and Fisher appears deep as AHA leader T. Russell Hunter was the secret Head of Communications and Strategy for the Dan Fisher campaign. I have attempted to find a contact for Dan Fisher. However, what Al writes about him appears reasonable. Speaking of the controversial head of AHA, T. Russell Hunter. My research indicates this man is a radical activist, a reviler, extortioner, and even cultish, if not an outright cult leader. Even just reading his fanatical language and firebrand demeanor on the AHA website is eye opening. He does not represent a Biblically oriented Christian, but rather, a white-hot Pharisee raging on one topic only, and that is the abolition of abortion. His handling of Scripture is cultish. Attempting to prove that abolition is part of the Great Commission is far from exegesis, but is classic eisegesis. Though the goal of abolition is noble, his means to this end don’t represent Biblical Christianity in the slightest. The radical activism, picketing, peddling memes, threatening, and hatred for conservative Christianity that Hunter espouses is appalling. Nor does his personal lifestyle represent Christ-likeness as Hunter was recently busted for DWI, an apparent deep and not one-time problem… See https://pulpitandpen.org/2019/05/16/aha-leader-russell-hunter-busted-for-dwi/ Paul wrote to us about the Hunters of the Church in 1 Corinthians 5:11 - “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat.” Reformationcharlotte.org has labeled AHA a hate group in this article… https://reformationcharlotte.org/2019/01/19/anti-church-hate-group-sets-eyes-on-r-c-sprouls-church/ “The controversial anti-church hate group known as Abolish Human Abortion (AHA) has in its cross-hairs St. Andrews, the church founded by the late Dr. R.C. Sproul. The congregation at St. Andrews is now led by Burk Parsons.” “AHA has been known for its anti-church rhetoric, threats of violence against pastors and members, and even acts of terror against churches, including a failed attempt at bombing a church. One well-known figure head of AHA has even suggested tasing pastors while another, Bojidar Marinov called for the bombing of churches.”

Searching Bojidar Marinov revealed this man has a very checkered past, being a part of one radical group after another according to this article by Pulpitandpen.org,… https://pulpitandpen.org/2017/09/21/aha-abolish-human-abortion-brain-trust-suggests-bombing-churches/

“Bojidar Marinov first became known as a fire-breathing theonomist, insistent that all Mosaic Judicial Law be strictly enforced by the government – including Mosaic penology, requiring the death penalty for such crimes as rebellious adolescence and promiscuity.”

“However, when theonomy’s chief non-retired leader, Joel McDurmon, abandoned the basic tenets of theonomy several years ago, a strange shift began to develop among those once holding to the abiding obligatory nature of Mosaic Law; they did an ideological 180º and turned to hyper-libertarianism, bordering on anarchist ideology. Transitioning from advocacy for a totalitarian theocracy to extreme libertarianism is impressive enough, but that they could do it with few noticing was impressive, indeed. Marinov has continued to be in the mix of this ideological transition and has turned the corner from asserting theonomy as the historic position of the institutionalized church (a ridiculous claim in itself) to now asserting that there is no institutional (or organized) church and has turned against the Bride of Christ, now attacking it regularly. The ecclesiastical positions of Marinov range from Sectarian Minimalism to Ecclesiastical Docetism.“

I personally searched Marinov’s website called reconstructionistradio.com. Right off the bat, we see his radio show promotes and is an apologetic for the Christian reconstruction movement, which is just another name for DT. His transcript of a talk he did on his radio show called “Abolition and True Leadership” summarizes his radical ideas and legalistic activism (https://reconstructionistradio.com/abolition-and-true-leadership/).

“And as I tackle true leadership, I want to do it in the context of a growing movement, or, rather, a growing ideology, or, rather, a growing worldview in the Church in America today, namely, Abolish Human Abortion. Why do I want to do it in this context? Well, because the abolition of abortion is about the most “radical” of all ideas that are floating in the church today… Hated, radical ideas meet a different kind of reaction from the world. Such truly radical idea today is the abolition of abortion. Judging from the reaction of the world-and judging from the reaction of the vast majority of alleged “church ministers“ - it is truly a radical and hated idea. Thus, obviously, if there is an area where we will have to see true leadership, it will be in the abolition of abortion in America. Preaching the same old theological milk from behind safe 501©(3) pulpits or making celebrity debates and conferences on long-resolved theoretical and theological topics is not where true leadership is exercised.”

Marinov is clearly looking at AHA for its radical effect upon the Church and society, and using the movement as a powerful tool for changing America into his version of Christianity. Needless to say, this is far from a Biblical model of leadership. Where is the fruit of the Spirit for such a worldly approach? Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23). Marinov is like the short-lived rebels Theuduas and Judas of Galilee mentioned by Gamaliel in Acts 5, but so unlike the Apostle Paul in his approach to Christian ministry. That is a major problem that cannot be solved by simply ignoring the AHA warning signs, and sweeping Biblical doctrine under the rug all because we want to abolish abortion. Marinov, the dominionist-abolitionist continues to rail on… “In short, we obey and follow and elevate and idolize people whom God despises. And we despise those whom He has really raised as His servants, for the growth and maturity of His Church. And it is because of this widespread failure that the American church in the last one century has seen such a disaster, delivering into the hands of the enemy a culture that our ancestors in the faith had won for Christ.”

That is completely WRONG analysis from the word go. The truth is, rather, that the missionary Church of the last one century, as led by the American church, is the Church that Jesus praised so wonderfully, and had no condemnation for them, because they “kept My Word” (Rev. 3: 7-13). It is Marinov’s version of the church that is condemned so utterly and completely, that there is not even one word of praise whatsoever from Jesus. The Lord, in fact, pukes this church out of His mouth because they were lukewarm, did not keep His Word, talked big and even radically. Jesus said to them in Revelation 3:18 - “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.”

There is nothing gold, nothing pure, or nothing anointed in Marinov’s radical theology. There is only a pull yourself up by your own bootstraps social justice church, that rejects God’s Word, and that is in the end “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

Marinov and Hunter among other AHA leaders, are cultish, or more likely, full blown cultists that are an example of the false church of Laodicea in the last days. They are Judaizers on the one hand, that press on the Church the obligation of abolition, a false gospel, instead of the pure Gospel of Christ. On the other hand, for globalism sake, they denigrate doctrines of the Word of God. Paul says of them in 2 Timothy 3:5 - “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Their form of godliness, which is obviously their abolitionism, trumps the pure Gospel, which, clearly, is the power that this church denies. They, likewise, hate with a white-hot passion the true historic Church for preaching the Word of God, which is the true way and true teaching established, and once for all handed down by the Apostles.

Furthermore, Paul predicts this false church will turn away from doctrine to something more “tickling” and even more radical. He warns in 2 Timothy 4:3 - “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.”

In summary, the doctrine of AHA has truncated the message of the Word of God to just one message - - ABOLITION! They are not preaching the historical and Biblical doctrines of the Church. In fact, they are demanding the laying aside of Biblical doctrine for the coming together globally of the Church to do the work of abolition. Nowhere in God’s Holy Word do we see Christ or His Apostles laying aside the Scripture for globalism sake, in order to do some supposed greater work. There is no greater work than the spreading of the good news of the Gospel, which is the only message that truly changes lives. Rather, the true Church is to look to the Word of God for guidance in these last days when so many false prophets like wolves are among us. Jesus said, in Matthew 7:15-16 - “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” Of these, Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23 - “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? ‘And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from ME, you who practice lawlessness.” Finally, abolition is a radical message to immanentize the eschaton, a premature attempt to create the Kingdom of God on earth without Christ. This reminds me of the case in 2 Thessalonians where a prominent false teacher sent a letter claiming, in the name of Paul, that the day of the Lord has already come. Paul warned the church against such false teaching, and gave them the proper sequence of prophetic events. We, too, must watch for false groups and false claims to the effect that the Kingdom of God is come and present on earth now. (A popular false DT slogan is: “The Kingdom is now, but not yet.”) To attempt to force the laws of God on a world ripe for the Man of Sin, is not only failing to fulfill Christ’s purpose for the Church. It also plays into the hands of Satan’s last days purpose, and will fail miserably like all other postmillennial groups and causes of the past.

I will end with Paul’s warning against the disturbing and false eschatological message being fostered in his time.

2 Thes. 2:1-3 - “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.”

[lincoln-cannon]

Many anti-religious folks claim to value science. But that claim is too often merely lip-service, as evidenced by their anti-religiosity. How is that? Well, science has clearly and repeatedly demonstrated that religiosity generally results in greater physical, mental, and social well-being. So if you claim to value science then it's incoherent to be anti-religious unless (1) you don't really know much about the science of religion (which undermines your claim to value science); or (2) you're lying to yourself or others about the science of religion (which again undermines your claim to value science); or (3) you don't care so much about well-being. I doubt #3 is generally the case among the anti-religious, for the same reasons that it's pretty clearly not the case among humans generally. So that leads me to conclude that most anti-religious folks who claim to value science are either ignorant or dishonest about the science of religion. So, either way, they're just giving lip-service to the value of science, at least so far as its relationship with religion is concerned. My local congregation invited me to lead a discussion at Church yesterday, exploring the question: "Why do we go to Church?" As part of the discussion, I shared with them a few scientific studies and meta-analyses of studies about the effects of religious practice. Here are some summaries: Frequent attendance at religious services and mortality over 28 years. In 1997, this study observed that: "Lower mortality rates for frequent religious attenders are partly explained by improved health practices, increased social contacts, and more stable marriages occurring in conjunction with attendance." Religious Involvement, Spirituality, and Medicine: Implications for Clinical Practice. In 2001, this meta-analysis of studies observed that: "Most studies have shown that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, including greater longevity, coping skills, and health-related quality of life (even during terminal illness) and less anxiety, depression, and suicide. Several studies have shown that addressing the spiritual needs of the patient may enhance recovery from illness." Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications. In 2012, this meta-analysis of studies observed that: "A large volume of research shows that people who are more [religious/spiritual] have better mental health and adapt more quickly to health problems compared to those who are less [religious/spiritual]. These possible benefits to mental health and well-being have physiological consequences that impact physical health, affect the risk of disease, and influence response to treatment." Some people point out that there's a difference between religiosity and spirituality. They're right. Scientists have observed distinct benefits associated with each. Here's an example: Differing Pathways Between Religiousness, Spirituality, and Health: A Self-Regulation Perspective In 2014, this study observed that: "Religiousness was strongly associated with better health behavior habits, including lower smoking and alcohol consumption and greater likelihood of medical screenings, but only weakly related to inflammatory biomarkers. Measures of spirituality were more strongly linked to biomarkers, including blood pressure, cardiac reactivity, immune factors, and disease progression. Religious alienation had adverse effects on both pathways." This last study is also particularly noteworthy in that it calls out a detriment of religion. The same social power that can lead to positive outcomes can lead to negative outcomes, when misapplied. I suppose some would be tempted to consider this reasonable grounds for anti-religiosity. But that would be like considering the risk of electrocution to be reasonable grounds for technophobia. As I mention regularly, religion is not inherently good or evil. It is simply the most powerful form of applied esthetics. And it's up to us to use it for good or evil, as is the case with all power. Don't be tempted to think you can simply ignore power. If you don't use it for good, someone else will use it for evil. In the Christian and Mormon traditions, our scriptures talk about both evil and good applications of religion. Jesus clearly condemns evil applications of religion, and most particularly the abuse of religious authority, in Matthew 23. And the Book of Mormon repeatedly condemns religious arrogance, such as in the story about the Rameumptom. Contrasting with those narratives, the Book of Mormon describes a good application of religion as follows:

"And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith. And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls. And they did meet together oft to partake of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus."

I'll call your attention to two aspects of the religious practice, as described in this text. The first is that people are "nourished by the good word of God." And the second is that people "speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls." We might interpret "nourished by the good word of God" in many ways. The best way, in my opinion, is that which is elaborated upon by D&C 50. There, we read about the importance of understanding and edification. If our religious practice is not leading to understanding and edification (if it's leading to superstition, confusion, or alienation) then we should not revere it as a good application of religion. Change. Refocus on that which is comprehensible, enlightening, and edifying. Be true to life and love. That's good religion. And when I read that we might "speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls," my thoughts are taken to the heart of the Gospel of Christ, as taught by the apostle Paul in the New Testament. There, he observes that all of us, together, are the Body of Christ, in which each has need of all. When one suffers, all suffer. When one rejoices, all rejoice. And Paul goes on to exemplify the work of reconciling with each other, to atone as exemplified by Jesus. Don't be tempted to wait on God to do all the work. Trust that the grace of God has given us each means to participate, for the welfare of each other's soul. That's also good religion. Do you have to be a Mormon to do this? Do you have to be Christian? No. I don't think so. Good religion does not necessitate particular words. It only necessitates particular functions, which we can describe in diverse ways. However, that doesn't mean that descriptions are arbitrary. Particular words can and do facilitate particular functions. As the Book of Mormon puts it: "they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ." So don't apathetically or over-simplistically put aside the invitations of particular religions. Words matter, and not all words matter equally. In summary, if you value science, you should value religion. And of course you should not value religion arbitrarily, but rather you should advocate and engage in good applications of religion, which produce edification and reconciliation. The evidence for such effects is strong. And although religion can also produce strong negative effects such as alienation, I trust that we can work together to mitigate such risks, and to pursue and realize the opportunities presented to us by this, the greatest of social technologies. Originally published at lincoln.metacannon.net on August 12, 2019 at 12:05PM.

[add-salt-shed-light]

An email to my Mormon friends

Over the course of the last 2 or 3 months, I have had the opportunity (on 3 separate occasions) to sit down and share the gospel with a number of Mormon missionaries.  These young men have been so horribly deceived and enslaved to a system of works salvation that can never bring peace.  I pray, and I ask that you pray, that the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of Jacob, Jim, Logan, Pierce, Austin, and Daniel - convict them of their sins and lead them to Christ.

If you listen to the audio file that I posted on Facebook this week, you will hear how the last meeting ended.  I may not see them again, but I was able to read lots of scripture to them and provided the gospel message again and again.  The Lord can do the rest.

With their permission, I audio recorded each meeting.  I did so to ensure that I would represent them properly, if I am to ever write about the experience.  In future articles, I may share portions of that audio and provide some explanation.  It may be of some help to you, if you have opportunity to share the gospel with Mormons.

In this article, I will share a copy of an email that I sent to Jacob today.

---------

Hi Jacob,

I am writing this email in follow-up to our last meeting.  I appreciated the opportunities I had to meet with you and your friends over the last couple of months.  My desire in each of those interactions was to allow for the Truth to be proclaimed - most importantly, the truth of the gospel (which is of eternal importance).  “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3b-4, KJV).” 

The Lord Jesus Christ died so that you and I could have eternal life through faith and grace alone.

Galatians 2:16 – “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (KJV).”

Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (KJV).”

Titus 3:5 – “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (KJV).”

 A correct teaching of the gospel is of absolute importance.  The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 1: 6-9 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed (KJV)”.  Those are strong words – a stern warning to anyone that would pervert the gospel of salvation through grace.

Our last meeting ended with Pierce asking me to apply the challenge put forth in the book of Mormon:

Moroni 10:4 – “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”

I declined that challenge for a reason that I attempted to articulate during our last meeting.  I would like to once again present that reason in this email.  I believe it to be a significant point that is important for you to understand. 

 I declined that challenge, first and foremost, because it is not scriptural.  The Bible (which we both accept as scripture) instructs us to test any new teaching or revelation against the Bible itself (the revealed Word of God). 

1 Thessalonians 5:21 – the Apostle Paul instructs us to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good”.   Following that instruction along in context we then read in verse 27 “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.”  The Apostle Paul upholds scripture as the authority.

2 Timothy 3:13-17 – the Apostle Paul warns Timothy about evil men and seducers that would come and try to deceive Christians and Paul points Timothy – where?  To pray for a subjective feeling to validate what was true?  No, back to scripture: “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.  14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

Not only does the bible instruct us to do so, but that is indeed the model we see practiced by the Apostles and other believers within the very text of scripture.  In Acts 17, we read of Paul and Silas preaching in the city of Berea.  In verses 10 and 11 we read this:  “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.  11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”.

Paul and Silas came preaching about a man named Jesus who was the promised Messiah, and spoke of his death and resurrection.  This was a new revelation to these Bereans.  Did they pray for God to reveal whether the words of Paul and Silas were true or not?  It tells us that they searched the scriptures daily to see whether they were true.  They had the Old Testament scriptures, which contain the Messianic prophecies.  Through a comparison to scripture, they were able to determine that the words spoken by Paul and Silas were true.  Of course the Holy Spirit played his role in convicting their hearts of sin and leading them to Christ.

As well, consider how the New Testament writers presented the revelation of Jesus Christ by referring their audience back to the Old Testament prophecies.

Christ’s Birth:

Matthew 1:23 – “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”  Quoted from Isaiah 7:14

Matthew 2:3-6 – “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.  5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel (KJV)”.  Quoted from Micah 5:2.

Introduction of John the Baptist

Mark 1:2-3 – “As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.  3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight (KJV).”  Quoted from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3.

Death and Resurrection:

Luke 24:44-47 – “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.  45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem (KJV).”  These words are spoken by Jesus, Himself, after He had risen from the dead.  He spoke of His suffering, death, and resurrection, and pointed the men back to the Old Testament scripture as evidence that these things were true.

I could provide hundreds of examples from the New Testament, where the writers point back to, and quote from, the Old Testament to corroborate a new teaching or revelation.  For sake of time, I won’t – but I do encourage you to read the bible (Old Testament and New) and see how they are woven together in perfect accord.  They agree with each other because God’s Word is perfect.  The New Testament can be accepted as God’s Word because it is in agreement with the Old Testament scriptures, and of course the Holy Spirit which indwells the believer, can guide us into all truth (John 16:13).

Now allow me to once again present the trail of logic that I attempted to present in our last meeting.

The Old Testament came first.  It contains God’s first written revelation of Himself and His dealings with men.

The New Testament came second.  It contains a further revelation from God, through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Because it contained fresh revelation (not previously revealed in full), the New Testament authors, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, constantly pointed back to and quoted from the Old Testament to prove the validity and truth of what they were teaching. You can hardly turn a page in the New Testament without finding a quote from the Old Testament, which corroborates the truth of the revelation of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation.

The New Testament directs us to test any new teaching against scripture to validate its truth.  As I quoted above, the Apostle Paul wrote “if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed”.  How are we to validate if someone is teaching the true gospel?  We have the witness and teaching of the Apostles to compare to, as contained in the bible.

Then 1800 years later, we get the book of Morman.  It claims to be another revelation from God.  However, when one applies the biblical standard of comparing its words back to the scriptures that came before we find significant discrepancies. 

These discrepancies are not just in peripheral matters.  The very gospel itself is changed.  The bible is very clear that we are saved by God’s grace alone and yet the book of Mormon tells us in 2 Nephi 25:23b “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do”.  In Romans 11:6 it says, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace”.  The book of Mormon changes the gospel; it takes away God’s grace and replaces it with man’s works.

What did the Apostle Paul say about anyone that would dare preach a different gospel?  “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8)”.  According to Joseph Smith, who gave him the golden plates, which teach another gospel?  It was an angel called Moroni.

I cannot pray for God to reveal the book of Mormon to me as truth.  It is demonstrably false when compared against the infallible standard: God’s Word, the Bible.  If you are reading a book that claims to be the word of God and it is not – then who might the author be?  I am terrified to even think of praying to that author.

Jacob, I urge you to read the bible and I pray that the Holy Spirit will work in your heart and in the heart of your friends.  The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross because we were helplessly lost in our sins.  We can do nothing.  It is through faith in Christ by grace alone.  And because it is by grace we are saved, despite all we do – we can have perfect peace in our salvation.  It is all in God’s hands.

Romans 5:1-2 – “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (KJV).”

Praying earnestly for your salvation,

S&L

[updcbc]

March 18, 2018 - “The Doom of False Teachers” 2 Peter 2:1-22

Click KEEP READING to read the full sermon.

Introduction

As Satan can disguise as an angel of light and as demons can present themselves as servants of righteousness, so false teachers can appear as trustworthy guides to convince others that what is false is the truth. And they do this relentlessly on the shame of Christians who should be doing their task with zeal in reaching the world for Jesus by proclaiming the true gospel of Christ and in teaching the absolute truths of the Scriptures.

Yet, how can someone know for sure who is teaching what is true and what is false? This is a serious question we all wrestle with in a fallen and twisted world orchestrated by counterfeit.

What is a counterfeit? Cambridge dictionary defines it as “copied exactly in order to make someone believe that the copy is the original.” Merriam Webster renders it as “made in imitation of something else with intent to deceive.” And Collins dictionary defines it as “a version that is not genuine but has been made to look genuine in order to deceive people.”

To update myself on how religious groups use effectively the internet in propagating their own teachings, I recently surfed on the gospel of a particular sect. I was really curious about the gospel of salvation of this particular religious group posted in its website. Take note of the lead question for its audience to read: “What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?” Notice carefully what this gospel is all about. Here is the good news propagated by this sect.

“The gospel of Jesus Christ is our Heavenly Father’s plan for the happiness and salvation of His children. It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ because the Atonement of Jesus Christ is central to this plan. According to His plan, our Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to show us how to live meaningful and happy lives and experience eternal joy after this life. Through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, you can become clean from sin and enjoy peace of conscience. You can become worthy to live in Heavenly Father’s presence after life. You can live the gospel of Jesus Christ by developing faith in Jesus Christ, repenting, being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.” (https:www.lds.org/manual/the-gospel?lang=eng)

Let us carefully make our observations by asking the following questions. First, does this gospel message sound evangelical? Second, does this gospel message sound biblical? Third, does this gospel message appealing? For us who come from an evangelical background, perhaps we may say to these three questions in the affirmative.

Now, if I were to ask you, what particular sect bears this kind of apparently evangelical, biblical and appealing gospel message, any guess? Probably, we may be clueless in making an intelligent guess. This only shows how powerful a counterfeit is! Yes, this is the gospel message of the Church of the Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ, LDS for short, a dominant cult commonly known as The Mormons.

What is a cult? A cult is a religious group that claims to be a genuine Christian but deceitfully distorts the gospel of Christ. This means a cult claims their authority from God and establishes their teachings from the Bible. In a deceitful way, a cultic group uses biblical terms with unbiblical meanings to distort the gospel in defiance against God.

Let us make a brief survey about The Mormons. Joseph Smith was the founder of the LDS which he established in 1819. He claimed to be the prophet of God to reestablish the church of God for all the former Christian denominations had fallen away from God and from the truth. So he proclaimed that God called him in these last days to rebuild the true church of God known as “The Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ.” In propagating this religious agenda, the Mormons are the most zealous missionaries in the world and they have the financial resources as the richest religious group with a stable and sustaining business empire.

What do they teach? When two Mormon missionaries knock at the door, their front is the Bible and Jesus Christ. But once their converts go deeper to their teachings, they may not realize that they are indoctrinated with teachings contrary to the Scriptures. They will gradually teach that besides the Bible, they will present the Book of Mormons as the final authority for their faith. They will introduce Joseph Smith, their prophet, to be greater than Jesus. They teach that they believe in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But they do not believe in the Holy Trinity—one God in three persons, co-eternal and co-equal with each other. Instead, they embrace the belief in many gods and will introduce the teaching that a faithful Mormon would someday become a god. They believe that Jesus himself was a man who was exalted and become God. This is contrary to what the Bible says that Jesus is the eternal God the Son who became flesh. Though they mention grace and faith in Christ, in reality, salvation for them is strict observance to the rules and rituals inside the Mormon Church.

Apostle Peter, who had particularly written two general epistles addressed to the persecuted Christian brethren in Asia Minor—and to the rest of the world—declared the true knowledge of God. The true knowledge of God is centered in Jesus Christ as written in the Holy Scriptures under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. According to Peter, the bedrock foundation of the Christian faith rests upon the knowledge of the triune God. The Father chose his covenant people who are redeemed by the blood of Christ Jesus and anointed by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. (1 Peter 1:2). It was Peter who confessed the revelation from God the Father in heaven that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God (Mt. 16:16). It was upon this revelation that Jesus declared to build his church (Mt. 16:18). It was Peter who proclaimed that there is no other name for humankind to be saved but the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12). It was Peter who proclaimed that salvation is entirely by grace through the death of Jesus, the Righteous One who died for the unrighteous sinners (1 Pet. 3:18). It was Peter who taught that Jesus alone is the chief cornerstone and capstone of the church of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:6). It was Peter who identified the true church of Jesus Christ as the covenant people of God (1 Pet. 2:9). In all of these biblical teachings, it was Apostle Peter who declared that these are absolute truths as revealed in the Holy Scriptures under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Therefore, the Bible alone, and no other sources such as the Book of Mormon, is the final authority of the Christian faith and life (2 Tim. 3:15-17).

Anchored upon these foundational teachings, Apostle Peter made a clear biblical stand in defense of the true knowledge of God. Peter was fully aware that the greater harm inside the church was not through the painful persecution from unbelievers but from the devastating influence of false teachers. It was for this reason that he exposed the false teachings of false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1-3a), the dreadful judgments of God (2:4-10a) and the doom of false teachers (2:1c, 3b, 10b-22).

A. The Teachings of False Teachers (2:1-3a)

One time as I was watching a television program of a religious group, my son Larkin who was then five years old asked me, “Tatay, are those teachers teaching the truth?” I answered, “No, they are not.” “Then why do you have to listen to their teachings?” he inquired with a great surprise. I explained, “Son, as a bible teacher it is my task to understand the false teachings of religious groups so I can warn others.”

On another occasion, he saw me again viewing another program of a religious group. He stood at my front and inquired, “Are they teaching the truth?” I replied, “No, they do not.” My son gave a straightforward instruction, “Go ahead, Tatay, view the program. That is your job.”

We need spiritual discernment to understand the false teachings of false teachers as we teach the sound teachings of the Scriptures.

1. Destructive Heresies

In the second epistle of Peter, he warned the Christian brethren of the intrusive heresies of deceitful teachers in contrast to the prophets of God who were inspired by the Holy Spirit in proclaiming the Word of God.

“But there were false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.” (2:1a-1c)

A prophet, as understood by Peter, is someone who has the divine authority to proclaim the message of God, and a teacher is someone who gives a sound exposition of the Word of God. A false prophet is someone who claims to have a revelation from God and a false teacher claims to have the right interpretation of the teachings of God. Where can we find these false prophets and false teachers? False prophets are present among the people at large just as false teachers deceitfully find their way inside the church. The intrusive presence of false teachers is indeed alarming which the Christian brethren may not be fully aware of. Peter cited the works of false teachers inside the church. First, they secretly introduce destructive heresies among the Christian brethren. And second, they deliberately deny the sovereign Lord who bought them with his precious blood. These twofold schemes are inseparable and integrated. Anyone who denies that Jesus is Lord and God also corrupts the words and teachings of Christ. A heresy is a self-willed erroneous opinion which is substituted for submission to the power of truth. Interestingly, heretical teachings which are meant to destroy the faith of the believers will certainly lead to the self-destruction of false teachers who teach them.

 2. Distortion of Truth

False teachers are experts in twisting the Scriptures.

“Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.” (2:2)

“To bring the way of truth into disrepute” means to treat the holy Scriptures as garbage. Anyone who twists the truth is an act of sacrilege—a gross irreverence to what is sacred. A twisted mind leads to a twisted life. And this scheme is done deceitfully in the name of God and of truth. Sad to say, countless people will be deceived by false teachings and even follow the disgraceful lifestyles of false teachers.

3. Deceptive Stories

False teachers who know how to twist the Scriptures are experts in making stories and present them deceitfully with the imprimatur of truth. And they do this with a hidden agenda.

“In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.” (2:3a)

A careful study of cult leaders will tell us that they have a common ground. These cult leaders knew the gospel truth and even experienced the grace of God in their spiritual journeys. Many among them, if not all, were former members of an evangelical church and even nurtured with the gospel truths. But they drifted away from God and abandoned the truth. In their testimonies they claim that their former knowledge of God and understanding of the Scriptures were false. And in their desire for “truth” they declared that God revealed himself to them and he called them to establish the true church of God that teaches the absolute truth. To authenticate their personal claims they make their own stories in upholding their self-declared authorities and well-crafted unbiblical teachings. Are these false teachers aware of their false teachings? Yes they do. Apostle Peter specifically described their bible stories as their own masterpieces—“stories they have made up.”

With these truth-coated fabricated stories, what is the ulterior motive of false teachers? Their hidden agenda is exploitation driven by greed. Exploitation in this regard is not simply focused on material gain but in gathering disciples who would follow their false teachings. In their insatiable desire to make money out of religion and in gathering followers to build their own religious empire, false teachers are zealous in intensifying their propaganda that appeals to unstable people.

Our Lord Jesus Christ gives a unique portrait of false prophets which also applies to false teachers. “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Mt. 7:15). False teachers are “wolves in sheep clothing.” It was based on this warning of Christ that Peter warned the Christian brethren, “Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). And the Enemy devours many souls through the deceptive stories of false teachers. And their destructive influence is like a gangrene penetrating within the Christian circles.

A disheartening fact can be observed within the Christian community. There are so called Christians who are members of an evangelical church and grounded with biblical teachings yet decisively turn away from the truth and embraced cultic teachings. Apostle Peter described them as dogs returning to their vomit and as pigs who wallow in the mud after being washed (2 Pet. 2:22). But why do they turn away from God and abandon the truth? Here, Apostle John gave a revealing explanation. “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us, but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 Jn. 19). Apostle Paul, referred to this kind of people as professing Christians in this manner, “The claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” (Titus 1:16).

Indeed, the omniscient God who discerns the heart of every person knows his own people and those who are not. In the parable of the soils, he teaches that every human being who hears the truth has the freedom either to live by the Scripture or to do away with it. Blessed are those who are like good soils who hear the word of truth with a noble heart.

B. The Dreadful Judgments of God (2:4-10a)

In the sight of God, how serious is the influence of false teachers? Consider these two scenarios. First, here is a man who holds a gun in his hand, points it to someone then pulls the trigger and killed an innocent person. Second, here is a teacher who stands behind the pulpit and teaches that Jesus is not God but only a man and people believe in him. Who among these two have a greater accountability and face a heavier judgment before God? Indeed, it is the false teacher. The first one commits a murder and he will pay for his crime with his life in taking one innocent life—and that is the end of it. Whereas for the second, even when the false teacher dies, his false teaching lives on and those who will believe his erroneous teachings will perish into eternal damnation for embracing a lie they believed the truth. To focus on the gravity of the destructive influence of false teachers, Apostle Peter purposely cited the dreadful judgments of God in history.

 1. The Fallen Angels

First was the judgment of God over the fallen angels.

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment…” (2:4)

Angels are spirits greater than human beings. They have direct access to God in heaven. And like human beings, they too have the freedom on how they would relate to their Creator. Unfortunately, many angels, led by the archangel Lucifer, which means “morning star,” rebelled against God (Isa. 14:12). Their decision was final and irreversible that sealed their fallen state for eternity. Because of the rebellion of Satan and the fallen angels, identified in the Scriptures as demons, they were “brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit” (Isa. 14:15). Sheol is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Hades. Hades or Tartarus means “the unseen world” as described by Peter as “gloomy dungeons.” Hades was translated in English as Hell. Hades is a transitory place where the fallen angels are held for their final judgment to be thrown into the Lake of Fire at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Rev. 20:14). Just as the fallen angels were not spared by God when they sinned, likewise, false teachers will never escape the dreadful judgment of God.

 2. The Great Deluge

Second was the great flood that covered the whole earth with water.

“…if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others…” (2:5)

In the time of Noah, “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen. 6:5-8). It was God who commanded Noah to build an Ark and he built it for almost 100 years. Through those years he warned the people of his generation of the righteous judgment of God over their wickedness. In their stubbornness they defied his message. And when the ark was built there was a continuous downpour of rain for forty days and forty nights until the whole earth was engulfed with the great flood. And only eight people were saved from the Flood—Noah, his wife and their three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, with their respective wives. If God did not spare the wicked people during the time of Noah and judged them by sending the Great Deluge, likewise, false teachers will never be spared of the coming fearsome judgment of God over them.

3. Sodom and Gomorrah

Third was the judgment over Sodom and Gomorrah.

“…if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for the righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his  righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.” (2:6-10a)

When the LORD visited Abraham, he revealed to him the fulfillment of the promise of God that Sarah will have a son (Gen.18:10). And the LORD also unveiled to Abraham about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Then the LORD said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not I will know” (Gen. 18:20-21). Abraham made several pleadings with the LORD to withhold his judgment until he made his final bargain for the sake of ten righteous men living in those wicked cities—but not even ten were found. Two angels visited the family of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. When the men of the city discovered the presence of the two visitors, “They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them’” (Gen. 19:5). The word sodomy, derived from Sodom, means unnatural sexual intercourse, especially that between two males. In this sodomite environment, Lot, a righteous man, everyday he was in deep distress and torment as he lived among the utterly wicked people. The angels rescued him and his two daughters—except his wife who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at the burning cities. And Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven.

When we are confronted with the evil system in the world and dwell among the wicked in the land, like Lot, this brings anguish and torment to our souls. Yet God has his own way to rescue the righteous from their trials and sufferings. On the contrary, the wicked continue to be restless in their miserable plight because of their wickedness as they will face their final and full condemnation in the Day of Judgment. And this includes false teachers.

C. The Judgment of False Teachers (2:1c, 3b, 10b-22)

As Bible teachers, we are warned by James the Elder, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). If faithful Bible teachers are under severe accountability to God, how much more with false teachers who defy God and distort the truth! If God did not spare the fallen angels, the wicked generation in Noah’s time and the perverted people in Sodom and Gomorrah, likewise, false teachers will be judged in their arrogance, wickedness and lies.

1. The Arrogance of False of Teachers

Apostle Peter gave a revealing portrait of false teachers. They may appear as humble and gentle but in reality they are proud and arrogant.

“Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instincts, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.” (2:10b-12)

These false teachers are fearless in slandering celestial beings unlike the angels who are careful not to bring accusations such spiritual beings before God. “But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you’” (Jude 9). False teachers have disregard to heavenly beings. Moreover, they blaspheme in matters they do not understand. The Elder Jude, gave this description to these blasphemers, “Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them” (Jude 10). What an irony! These false teachers who claim to be anointed by God, teachers of truth and servants of righteousness are bold and arrogant in defying divine authority and in blaspheming against celestial beings in rebellion against God.

 2. The Wickedness of False Teachers

The arrogance of false teachers rooted in their hearts is manifested in their ungodly behavior. Apostle Peter enumerated their hidden nature.

a.     Their Sensuality

First of all, false teachers gratify their sensual pleasures.

“Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable…” (2:13b-14a)

This unveiling of the true character of false teachers is utterly disgraceful and even shameful to mention it. They even share with the Lord’s Supper with us despite of their secret lustful and adulterous lives.

 b.    Their Greed

Secondly, false teachers are driven with greed in all their undertakings.

“…they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” (2:14b-16)

It was God who sent a donkey to rebuke Balaam of his folly. Like the false prophet Balaam who prophesied against Israel because he “loved the wages of wickedness,” so these false teachers are “experts in greed” following the crooked way of madness.

These false teachers sell their souls in the name of money. Jesus’ warning stands: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Mt. 6:24).

c.     Their Depravity

Thirdly, false teachers are bound in their depravity. Depravity is the state of morally corrupt.

“These men are springs without water and mists driven by storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” (2:17-19)

They are senseless and useless people portrayed as “springs without water” and “mists driven by storm.” In boasting of their false teachings they appeal to the lustful desires of sinful nature to enslave people who desire for freedom from a life bound by sin and falsehood. In outrage, Peter spoke of their doom, “Blackest darkness is reserved for them.”

 d.    Their Reprobation

Finally, false teachers gravitate in their reprobate state. In the sight of God they are rejected and worthless. This is their worst portrait.

“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. On them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, ‘A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.’” (2:20-22)

3. The Destruction of False Teachers

What is the future of false teachers? Apostle Peter spoke of their doom.

a.     Swift Destruction

In all their deceitful false teachings and arrogant godless behavior, in the process, they are “…bringing swift destruction on themselves” (2:1c). Destruction, as used by Peter, refers to the wrath of God for the spiritual and eternal perdition of wicked people.

b.    Impending Destruction

False teachers will never escape the judgment of God. “Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping” (2:3b). There is a stern warning in the book of Proverbs, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Pr. 29:1). This is true to false teachers who hardened their hearts to the prodding and conviction of the Holy Spirits in their hearts.

 c.     Full Destruction

In the Judgment Day, false teachers “will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done” (2:13a). A crooked politician who rules in injustice brings grief to the people. An unsound economist who makes imbalanced policies causes economic meltdown in the land. But a false teacher who wins the minds, hearts, and souls of people leads to the spiritual and eternal damnation of unbelievers who embrace their false teachings. God will punish them in full for their heretical doctrines.

Conclusion

Our fallen world under the power of darkness is orchestrated by counterfeit. In using the name of God and the authority of the Bible, false teachers advance their cause through their destructive heresies, distortion of truth and deceptive stories. Their doom is certain just as God did not spare the fallen angels, the wicked generation in the time of Noah and the depraved people in Sodom and Gomorrah. In the end, these false teachers will receive their full judgment for all their godlessness and heresies. What is our evangelical response toward false teachers and the kingdom of cults?

Indeed, we have to be rooted in our biblical foundations. We believe in the Bible as the Word of God and the final authority of the Christian faith and life. We believe in the triune God—one God in three persons who are co-eternal and co-equal each with each other –the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We believe in Jesus Christ, the God incarnate, born of a virgin, died on the cross, resurrected from the dead and ascended to heaven. We believe that salvation is absolutely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as the only Savior of the world and the Lord of all. We believe that we are called to make disciples of all nations as the salt and light of the world. And we believe that Jesus Christ is coming again to judge the living and the dead—the wicked to eternal damnation and the righteous to eternal bliss.

And we take a further step. It is well said, “Do not curse the darkness; instead, turn on the light.” A good question is set before us. Is the grace of God able to take its roots into a religious group founded by false teachers and nurtured by false teachings?

The Worldwide Church of God, founded by Herbert W. Armstrong in 1934, is a religious group that had deeply influenced the world through its unorthodox and unbiblical teachings propagated by its prophetic program, The World Tomorrow and its appealing magazine, The Plain Truth. Its primary doctrines focused on the Second Coming of Christ, the observance of the Sabbath for salvation, the Trinity as a pagan doctrine and promoted Anglo-Israelism, the belief that British people are the literal descendants of the ten “lost” tribes of Israel.

When Armstrong died in 1995, he was succeeded by Joseph Tkach, Sr. Tkach’s desire to teach the truth led him to institute reforms which was continued by his son Joseph Tkach, Jr. The shelved the doctrine of Anglo-Israelism and Sabbatarianism. And they embraced the doctrine of Trinity and believed that salvation is by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Many who disagreed with the doctrinal reforms went out from the group and continued with the teachings of Armstrong. But those who remained embraced the true teachings of the Scriptures. On April 3, 2009, the Worldwide Church of God officially changed its name to Grace Communion International. From a heretical religion it became an evangelical denomination. In 1997, it was accepted as a member of the National Association of Evangelicals in the United States.

In documenting the spiritual journey and transformation of the Grace Communion International, they posted in their home website their testimony of the wonderful saving grace of God at work in their lives.

“Our strengths as a denomination include a fresh awareness of the importance of grace, a high respect for Scripture, and a willingness to do what it says. We recognize that Jesus, as our Savior and Lord, has reconciled us to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We rejoice in the implications of Trinitarian theology. We know that Christ makes a difference in the way we live. Through the agency of the Holy Spirit, he transforms our lives in this age, and gives us eternal life in fellowship with our Creator. Jesus is not done with us yet. We are still being shaped and fashioned for his purpose. We praise him and worship him, and seek to know his will for our lives.” (https://www.gci.org/about history)

This unprecedented movement in church history is the sovereign work of God. In overflowing gratitude, we give glory to the Triune God.

It is for this reason that the benediction of the Apostle Paul offers a deeper meaning to us. “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God (the Father), and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).

As Christians, our gospel message stands: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).

The “world” includes the kingdom of cults and false teachers. Jesus died for them too. And they also need our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ—like we do.

[gracecentered]

What Mormons Actually Believe!

Imagine you are a mainstream Protestant Christian who faithfully believes that one is saved by faith through grace, and not by works.  And certain detractors of your religion twist your rejections of works as a means of salvation, and instead claim that your church teaches that it is okay to  be a murderer and a rapist as long as you believe in Christ. And no matter how much you argue, or how often you show evidence to the contrary, these detractors continue to insist and promulgate such falsehoods. Or say you are a Roman Catholic, who finds yourself defending your faith from accusations that your church still teaches or supports the selling of indulgences. Because, if your church did it then, they must condone it now, right? Maybe you are forced to defend the doctrine of the Trinity from those who, through misinformation or willful ignorance insist on telling you that you believe God must be deranged because he talks to himself. Indeed, imagine enemies of your faith latching on to any and every statement ever made by any church leader in your history and insisting that their private interpretation or opinion is officially binding on the entire church. Imagine what it's like to... http://dlvr.it/PGhjMV

[mindfulldsliving]

Infinite Regression in LDS Beliefs: Speculation vs. Doctrine

In a recent post published at the Life After Ministry blog, “Who is the LDS Heavenly Father’s Father?“ the contributing writer quotes Orson Pratt from the Seer, p. 132: We were begotten by our Father in heaven; the person of our Father in Heaven was begotten on a previous heavenly world by His Father; and again, He was begotten by still a more ancient Father Critics, like Life After Ministry,…

[mindfulldsliving]

Salvation and Scripture: A Latter-day Saint Approach to Faith, Works, and Modern Revelation

Faith, grace, and works are often hotly debated topics in Christian theology, and Ephesians 2:8–9 and Galatians 1:8–9 have long been central to these conversations. As Latter-day Saints, we affirm salvation through grace but understand that faith and works together reflect true conversion. Critics often claim these verses contradict our beliefs, but with context and revelation, they align…

[lincoln-cannon]

I love how heaven is presented in the Mormon authoritative tradition. Well, at least I love my interpretation of how it's presented. I suppose we're all that way to some extent or another. There are some interpretations of heaven, Mormon and otherwise, that sadden, frighten, anger, bore, or entertain me. Maybe it would be interesting to write about them sometime. But for now, I'm going to tell you what I love about the Mormon version of heaven, as I understand it and as it inspires me. 1) Heaven is for almost everyone That's right. Almost everyone goes to heaven, according to Mormonism. Now, some Mormons will be quick to interject that not everyone goes to the same heaven (more on that below). But still, almost everyone goes to heaven, of some kind or another. And the heavens we go to correspond to our desires, as reflected in our works. The only persons who don't go to heaven are those who "deny the holy ghost," which (for reasons beyond the scope of this article) I interpret to mean those whose desires prove to be persistently incompatible with all possible heavens. This idea, a nearly universalist (but not necessarily universalist) conception of heaven, is in my estimation fundamental to any ethical conception of heaven. 2) Heaven is for non-humans too Kids tend to like this one in particular. I know I did when I lost pets during my childhood. In Mormonism, heaven isn't just for the future of humans. It's also for the future of non-humans. In a particularly cool (and strange) passage of scripture, Mormon founder Joseph Smith says heavenly animals are "full of knowledge" -- sounds like what some Transhumanists call "uplifting." Do all non-human creatures go to heaven? Fish? Mosquitos? Bacteria? Hmm. Well, I like to think that could depend on the extent to which creatures have desires analogous to those of humans who desire immortality (related to perpetuation of identity) -- or perhaps on the extent to which others desire immortality for them. 3) Heaven is for the living In the New Testament, Jesus says that God is God of the living -- not the dead. It's striking to me how often "heaven" or "eternity' are used as euphemisms for death. I'm so often asked, "If technology enables us to avoid death, how will you get to heaven?" The implication is that death is somehow necessary for heaven. Wherever that idea comes from, it's not from the Bible, and it's not from unique Mormon scriptures. Both contain stories of persons that never die, some of whom are "more blessed" than those who want to die, according to Jesus. In the New Testament, Paul the Apostle describes a future when many persons are transfigured from mortality to immortality without dying. And the Book of Mormon describes death as an "awful monster." 4) Heaven is embodied and material As implied by the idea that heaven is for the living, heaven is also for the embodied and the material. According to Mormon scripture everything is material. Even spirit is material. And everything is embodied. Even God is embodied. There are of course many other Christians who entertain the notions that God has no body and that spirits are immaterial. That strikes me as good Platonism, perhaps, but inconsistent with the God we read about in the Bible, as represented by the resurrected Jesus who appears to his disciples with "flesh and bone." 5) Heaven is relational and social It shouldn't be surprising that a heavenly person, given embodiment and materiality, is also a relational and social person. Mormons are well known for teaching the idea that families are forever. But it's not just families. According to Mormon scripture, entire communities can persist. Describing communion with Christ in heaven, Joseph claimed, "that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there." And Mormon scripture includes stories of whole cities going to heaven. Perhaps that's an echo of the New Testament, which prophecies that our world, although it began with a holy garden, will culminate in a holy city. This social conception of heaven makes much more sense to me than any individualistic conception. Without friends and family and new relations, how could it be heaven? As Joseph put it, echoing Paul, "their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation." 6) Heaven is the future of the Earth So if heavenly persons are embodied, where do those bodies reside? Well, how about on Earth, glorified into a heaven? That's what the Mormon tradition holds. As the prophecies go, Earth will eventually develop into a millennial world, beyond present notions of poverty and death. And from there it will develop further into a heavenly Earth. And according to Joseph Smith, "Earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal." This presents some environmental concerns, which perhaps I'll explore in writing at some point. But nothing remains unchanged forever, and I like to think Joseph was imagining something like a Kardeshev type I or II civilization, which would enable computation of innumerable lush ecologies within itself -- more on this below. 7) Heaven is innumerable and diverse worlds But Earth is not the limit of heaven, as conceptualized in the Mormon tradition. Our scriptures describe God creating "worlds without end." And they also describe different classes of heavens: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial. In the Mormon temple ceremony, the world in which we now live is classified as a telestial heaven. Mormon authorities have described the millennial Earth as a terrestrial heaven. And in the scriptures, the future Earth as is ultimately categorized as a celestial heaven. As mentioned above, Mormon scripture also describes diverse persons inhabiting different heavens according to their desires. And usually, Mormons consider worlds of the celestial type to be best, but there's a problem with that: our scriptures actually suggest otherwise. 8) Heaven is dynamic without finality Despite the commonly conceived hierarchy of three heavens, the Mormon authoritative tradition is actually more expansive. As mentioned above, Joseph Smith described the celestial Earth as being like crystal. He elaborated from there, describing the crystal-like Earth functioning as if it were some kind of supercomputer, "whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it." And he didn't stop there. He also claimed that each inhabitant of the celestial Earth would receive a white stone, "whereby things pertaining to a higher order of kingdoms will be made known." That implies that celestial is not the highest type of heaven. And later Mormon authorities, such as Wilford Woodruff, would go on to claim that even God "is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end." 9) Heaven is potential for Godhood Wilford Woodruff also didn't stop there. His next sentence was, "It is just so with us." In other words, like God, we have potential to increase and progress in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end." Another Mormon authority, Lorenzo Snow, put it this way: "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be." And Joseph Smith taught, "you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves ... the same as all gods have done before." Heaven, in Mormonism, is not only the abode of God. It is also the abode of Gods, plural, and we are invited to join them in Godhood, equal in power. 10) Heaven is something we must make Some have supposed that heaven is something that God will give us, either by grace alone or perhaps because we somehow earned it, or through a combination of the two. Few have supposed that heaven is actually something that we must make. But that idea, an engineered heaven, is so very Mormon. Faith without works is dead, as James put it in the Bible. Brigham Young, who led the Mormon pioneers to terraform the arid valleys of Utah, put it this way:

"You may now be inclined to say, 'O, this is too simple and child-like, we wish to hear the mysteries of the kingdoms of the Gods who have existed from eternity and of all the kingdoms in which they will dwell; we desire to have these things portrayed to our understandings.' Allow me to inform you that you are in the midst of it all now, that you are in just as good a kingdom as you will ever attain to, from now to all eternity, unless you make it yourselves by the grace of God, by the will of God, by the eternal Priesthood of God, which is a code of laws perfectly calculated to govern and control eternal matter. If you and I do not by this means make that better kingdom which we anticipate, we shall never enjoy it. We can only enjoy the kingdom we have labored to make."

That doesn't mean Mormons reject the idea of grace. We don't. To the contrary, grace is essential to the possibility of heaven. No one of us created the opportunity, the time and space, logic and physics, and resources. No one of us is sufficient in ourselves. Each of us, even God, needs each other. And as each of us has received grace, so we are called to share that grace with others through love, consolation, and healing. In so doing, we reconcile and become one. We atone, as exemplified and invited by Jesus. Only then, unified in our diversity as symbolized by the Body of Christ, can we work most effectively toward our shared potential. Only then can we enjoy celestial glory and aspire to yet higher orders of heaven. Originally published at lincoln.metacannon.net on June 17, 2017 at 07:36PM.