Monday, July 27, 2009

PREACHING IN IGNORANCE OF BASIC DOCTRINE... WHAT AN ABOMINATION!

What a state the "church" is in today.....led by so many "preachers" who are abysmally ignorant of the basic doctrines taught in the Word.

For the past couple weeks, I've been interacting with a group of pelagian-style heretics on Facebook. Over the weekend, one of them responded to a Spurgeon quote on another fellow's page, throwing out the usual straw-man stuff about all calvinists consigning to Hell those who die in infancy. As his presentation developed he made the expected denial of the doctrine of Original Sin then advanced to denying the Impeccability of Christ.

I made a couple responses to his "born innocent" comments then wrote him off, following the admonition in Titus 3:10. Others continued to respond as he went into his "Jesus could have sinned" statement but no one ever confronted him on either heresy (or either component of the same heresy, as you wish). This was on the Facebook page of a preacher who never raised his voice against the man's heresy at all. None of the others involved in the conversation ever even mentioned the issue of Christ's impeccability.

This made me wonder: Do they even know that this is an issue? Do they not recognize heresy when they hear it? Apparently not, because this thread dissolved into a "well, we must agree to disagree..." cop-out. Now, I will "agree to disagree" over instrumental music in church or over the use of a common cup for the Lord's Supper, but the idea of letting slide a major heresy is pretty lame! Will you also "agree to disagree" over the Deity of Christ? ...or the Virgin Birth?

So, I wrote to the preacher on whose page this took place asking him specifically if he was aware of the heresies involved or was he ignorant of them. His response was a non-response "Sorry if I offended you...." This seems to be a modern-day catch all which must mean: I am really offended that you asked that so I am going to apologize and put an end to the discussion. Even allowing the possibility of my tone, being one of combined outrage and incredulity, might stretch to him seeing me as an offended party, the question still hangs there unanswered: Do you or do you not understand the doctrines involved here and their importance?

So, this guy is out there preaching but unable to answer questions from those who will ask about original sin or the idea of whether Jesus could have sinned but set a great example for us, etc. I suspect the nation's pulpits are filled with similar examples of ignorance, and not just ignorance but a willing ignorance, one which shows no interest in learning, in study, in pursuing the details of the Truth revealed in God's Word.

Are we not commanded to "study to show ourselves approved of God......WORKmen who need not be ashamed....because we can RIGHTLY divide the Word"...??? I have deliberately avoided detailed discussion here of the details on these doctrines....because I wonder about you--do you understand them? Do you have a clue what I am talking about? Do you realize the importance?

If not, here are a couple links which will introduce you to the issues:

http://home.att.net/~sovereigngrace/impeccability.html

http://www.fbinstitute.com/McCormick/IMPECCABILITY.htm

http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/classics/jonathanedwards/original_sin.shtml

This McCormick essay contains an interesting footnote: "One scholar (Bartmann) has pointed out that the ancient heretics, however divergent they were in Christology, did not attack or question the Impeccability of Christ."

Even those ancient heretics did not question what these modern day heretics assail in their efforts ultimately to discredit Christ's Deity.

2 comments:

Prodigal Knot said...

This reminds me of a "devo" that was shared with me, an article written by a preacher that asked "What if Jesus had decided not to go to Calvary?" and "He didn't have to do what He did, He could have said 'No'."

I responded, defending my Hero saying "Jesus could not have failed us and He certainly wouldn't have backed out." To give credence to such an idea is to say that Jesus was also weak in the flesh. But scripture shows us that while He struggled at times with His flesh and temptation, He alone was the perfect and sinless man.

I also read a book, on which I submitted a review, where the minister who wrote if pre-supposed that since Jesus submitted to baptism by John He was probably guilty of sin. If that were so, then none of us are saved and ho[peless and helpless. Don't these foolish men realize what they are saying???

Ed Franklin said...

Good to hear from you, brother "Knot"....and I, too, wonder "what are they saying?" Most of this type thinking is, I fear, born out of unregenerate hearts. (I can hear the "judge nots!" coming...) That's a generalization, folks, based on the Truth that the natural man perceives not the Truth revealed in God's word...he lives by his own truth, which is a product of a depraved mind. Certainly it is either ignorance of the Word or blindness to it's teachings which allows men to continue treating God as if He were "altogether like men" (Ps 50)