I have been and remain critical of the western institutional church. Much is apostate and unbiblical. These words are not used lightly; their seriousness requires some degree of explanation. The problem is idolatry.
If we worship something other than the creator God of Genesis; the charge of idolatry must hold true. This includes worshiping him in-part, choosing which attributes we worship and which attributes we ignore. His word makes it clear, with YHWH it is all or nothing, half measures won’t do.
The Christian Church immediately went off track. At first the followers of Christ were a sub-sect of Judaism, but as Christianity grew, gentile converts far outnumbered Jews. Gentile believers began distancing their faith from its Hebraic roots. The God of the Hebrew Bible was considered inconsistent with Christs teaching. YHWH was considered jealous, wrathful, and genocidal. The Hebrew Bible was rejected entirely by some Christians well into the middle ages.
Others held more moderate positions but antisemitism and rejection of Judaism reined in the early church. This led to the widely accepted bible cannon separating the “New” testament from the “Old.”
From this separation grew the roots of modern day idolatry.
The God of the Hebrews is considered stern, judgmental, unforgiving, and wrathful while His Son, the God of the “New” Testament is gentle, kind, loving, full of mercy, the source of all grace. Both of these are half-truths. The God of the old testament is full of patience, love, and most of all grace. The Jesus of the new testament is also the source of judgement and wrath, including the end times. How easily we ignore the overturned temple tables and the valley of blood. If we worship either of these “Gods” alone, we fail to worship God as he is. YHWH is not all wrath and Yeshua is not all love and grace. That is unbiblical. That is idolatry.
True worship is due our righteous God in all His beautiful wholeness.
Disclaimer:
I love all Christians, those beautiful believing people who are doing the best they can to understand and live in harmony with God’s word. Jesus Christ is the living son of God and my personal Lord and Savior to whom is due all glory, laud, and honor.
If we worship something other than the creator God of Genesis; the charge of idolatry must hold true. This includes worshiping him in-part, choosing which attributes we worship and which attributes we ignore. His word makes it clear, with YHWH it is all or nothing, half measures won’t do.
The Christian Church immediately went off track. At first the followers of Christ were a sub-sect of Judaism, but as Christianity grew, gentile converts far outnumbered Jews. Gentile believers began distancing their faith from its Hebraic roots. The God of the Hebrew Bible was considered inconsistent with Christs teaching. YHWH was considered jealous, wrathful, and genocidal. The Hebrew Bible was rejected entirely by some Christians well into the middle ages.
Others held more moderate positions but antisemitism and rejection of Judaism reined in the early church. This led to the widely accepted bible cannon separating the “New” testament from the “Old.”
From this separation grew the roots of modern day idolatry.
The God of the Hebrews is considered stern, judgmental, unforgiving, and wrathful while His Son, the God of the “New” Testament is gentle, kind, loving, full of mercy, the source of all grace. Both of these are half-truths. The God of the old testament is full of patience, love, and most of all grace. The Jesus of the new testament is also the source of judgement and wrath, including the end times. How easily we ignore the overturned temple tables and the valley of blood. If we worship either of these “Gods” alone, we fail to worship God as he is. YHWH is not all wrath and Yeshua is not all love and grace. That is unbiblical. That is idolatry.
True worship is due our righteous God in all His beautiful wholeness.
Disclaimer:
I love all Christians, those beautiful believing people who are doing the best they can to understand and live in harmony with God’s word. Jesus Christ is the living son of God and my personal Lord and Savior to whom is due all glory, laud, and honor.
