It's just amazing to me how far the church has fallen. I see "Christians" being ok with all kinds of sins. Profanity, Adultery, Promiscuity, Foolishness, Loving the World, Drugs, etc..
The church has gotten so soft. People think that Christianity just means everybody "getting along" and whispering sweet nothings into each others ear. It's everywhere - all over this board, all over the chat, all over the churches, across the nation, etc..
That's not what it's about. It's about holding ourselves to high standards - incredibly high standards. And we might not always make it to those standards, but AT LEAST we're trying! I mean, the spiritual apathy and lethargy is amazing.
It's just stunning to me that there's so many people just living basically however they like, all believing that they've got a Golden Ticket to heaven. It's no better than the delusion of the world.
I realize this will get some people in a huff and a puff and get their panties in a bunch, but I'm more interested in the people who agree and realize what a dismal state the church is in, specifically America.
The reason the churches are in the state they are in is due to the message being preached. The Gospel message has been completely perverted.
Generally it is taught that one is justified IN their rebellion and then it is through the process of sanctification that the rebellion will gradually cease. Thus if one is initially saved in their rebellion they cannot preach that the rebellion has to cease because that is viewed as a work of God and not of the individual otherwise they would perceive that as preaching a "works salvation."
The Bible teaches that we come to Christ broken over our sin. It is through godly sorrow which works a repentance unto salvation that the rebellion to God ceases. An individual is broken on the rock of Christ and dies with Him. It is through dying with Christ that one is raised up by God to newness of life. The blood of Jesus purges the conscience of past transgression and the new Christian is to then live a life serving righteousness as they grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Christian must also endure temptation and overcome lest they their old man revive and they again find themselves in the service of sin.
The major error behind the apostasy in the church system is the doctrine which teaches one is "born a sinner." This one single doctrine redefines the nature of man and thus redefines the entire Gospel. The reason that it redefines the Gospel is because being "born a sinner" teaches that the rebellion of man is due a "birth nature" as opposed to "choice." Thus under this system when a sinner approaches God repentance is the confession of "a state of sinfulness" as opposed to being "the forsaking of rebellion."
The doctrine of being "born a sinner" implies that man is "unable" to choose God and "unable" to obey God therefore God has to offset this "inability" BEFORE man can yield to God. Thus salvation is taught to occur when the sinner is still IN rebellion to God. This concept has forced the redefinition of "Justification" to be based on "faith only" where "faith only" is simply "trusting in Jesus and what He did on the cross."
The Bible on the other hand teaches that "God imputes faith as righteousness" and then describes this faith as a "complete trust in God whereby one obediently yields to God." Thus Abraham walked in the "steps of faith" (Rom 4:12), Abraham was full persuaded (Rom 4:21), Abraham obeyed God (Heb 11:8), and Abraham did the works of faith (Joh 8:39). Thus what the Bible is teaching when it says "God imputes righteousness without works" it is simply teaching that God looks at the heart. Abraham's heart was right with God and even though he may have had shortcomings "due to ignorance" God counted his genuine faith as righteousness.
The apostate church theology does not make the distinction between "works of faith" and "works of the law." When the Bible says "not of works" it simply means "works done apart from faith." Such were the works of the Pharisees whose hearts remained defiled, for they sought their righteousness in the rules and rituals of the Mosaic law and believed that also by being a blood descendent of Abraham that they were right with God. Jesus scolded them and told them to "cleanse first that which is within that the outside be clean" speaking of their hearts.
In the Bible "faith works by love" (Gal 5:6) and faith purifies the heart (Act 15:9). The reason that faith purifies the heart is simply because true faith "yields to God" and thus the love of God is shed abroad in the heart (1Jon 3:1) and those truly born of God do the right thing (1Jn 2:29). Yet the denominational churches are full of all manner of sin because the converts are not born of God because they never repented because the message being preached negates such a thing.
The life and death of Christ has also been completely perverted with the doctrine of Penal Substitution which teaches that the life and death of Jesus is a judicial swap. Jesus died and was punished in the place of the sinner thus absorbing the wrath of God and the perfect obedience of Jesus is reckoned to the believers account. This doctrine fits in perfectly with the "saved in rebellion" message. It totally negates the necessity of righteous conduct and also removes any fear of the judgment of God.
The Bible teaches that the life of Jesus was an example for us to follow, that we are to pick up our cross, deny ourselves and follow Him. The Bible also teaches that it is by partaking in His sufferings that we are raised up to newness of life. Hence WE DIE with Christ in that WE ARE RAISED with Him. Paul very clearly teaches that we are baptised into His death whereby the old man is crucified that the body of sin be done away with that we no longer serve sin (Rom 6:4-7). Thus a Christian is no longer to be a servant of sin but rather a servant of righteousness (Rom 6:17-18).
Yet what do the churches teach? They teach you are "born a sinner" and that somehow you can never have victory over sin due to the "sin nature." Thus they teach that a believer will sin in thought, word and deed everyday for the rest of their lives. They twist passages like 1Jn 1:8-9, Rom 7:14-28 and 1Tim 1:15 right out of context to support this "sin you will and sin you must doctrine." This position forces them to disdain any notion of the possibility of genuine heart purity and victory over sin.
The bottom line is that the doctrine of the apostate church denies heart purity and victory over sin. They have a form of godliness yet deny the power of God.
The Bible also teaches that the blood of Christ purges/cleanses the conscience of sin (Heb 9:14, Heb 10:22) yet this is conditioned on "walking in the light" (1Jn 1:7). Due to the doctrine of "inability" due to "being born a sinner" the necessity of having to walk in the light (no rebellion to God) is denied, for Justification is completely separated from Sanctification.
The words of Jeremiah are very applicable to what we see today...
Jer 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
Jer 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jer 23:7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 23:8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
Jer 23:9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
Jer 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
Jer 23:11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
Jer 23:14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
Jer 23:15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
Jer 23:16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
Jer 23:17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
Jer 23:18 For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
Jer 23:19 Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
Jer 23:20 The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
Jer 23:21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
Jer 23:22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
Jer 23:23 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
Jer 23:26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
Jer 23:27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
Jer 23:28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
Jer 23:30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
Jer 23:31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
Jer 23:32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.
Jer 23:35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:36 And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.
Jer 23:37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?
Jer 23:38 But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;
Jer 23:39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
Jer 23:40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
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