The Demise of Biblical Discernment (Part 1) • McMahon, T.A. Many of us start off the New Year with resolutions that we hope will improve our life in some way. Too often, however, our commitment to what we have resolved doesn’t make it past March. That’s an odd thing considering that we nearly always pick the resolution because we know it will be good for us in some way, whether it’s losing weight, getting in shape, eating healthier, etc. So, what is our problem? It’s usually a matter of discipline, or the lack thereof. Scripture recognizes that “the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). The flesh may also have gotten us into the trouble that we are attempting to correct, and the correction could involve a major struggle because the troubling condition may have been habitual. The solution should be obvious: counter a bad habit by implementing a good habit—one that will eliminate the bad habit. Obvious? yes. Easy? no. Here again, the stumbling block is a lack of self-control. Although there are some people who are amazingly disciplined, most of us need help. One necessary source of help is to recognize the discipline issue: we need to say yes to some things and no to others. In other words, we need to make the right choices. That may also seem too obvious, but “obvious” today is often clouded by excuses that have been conjured up by psychotherapeutic myths, like psychic determinism or so-called addictions. No, it all boils down to choice. We can choose to eat healthier or not, to exercise or not, to smoke or not, to drink or not, or to submit or not to submit to any other activity that may create health problems. Another potential source of help is our motivation. What might motivate us to make the right choice? The world’s answer is self. Although some have had limited success by “believing” in themselves, at least for a time, that ultimately leads to self-preoccupation and other forms of self-indulgence. The biblical way is to be motivated by a love of others rather than a love of self. If we desire to get healthier because we know that potential health risks can create all kinds of difficulties not only for ourselves but also for our family members, our concern and love for them could be strong motivation for making the right choices healthwise. Hopefully, most will find the simple truths presented above to be of value in addressing the physical issues that plague many of us. However, other than in principle, this article is far more concerned about the discipline that is related to the spiritual side of life rather than the physical; the former has both temporal and eternal consequences, whereas the latter is tied primarily to our brief time on this earth. The Apostle Paul writes that we are to exercise ourselves “rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise” is of some profit “but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8). In some Bible versions the term “discipline” is used rather than “exercise.” In other words, we need to discipline ourselves unto godliness. That is the best 2013 (and beyond) resolution we can possibly make. In fact, it is critical for spiritual fruitfulness and protection (and even for spiritual survival, in some cases) as the apostasy overtakes professing Christianity and even seduces true believers (Matthew 24:24) in these last days prior to the Lord’s return for His bride, the church. How do we “exercise,” or “discipline,” ourselves to godliness? The good news is that it is quite simple: we read the Word of God and do what it says. Better yet, God provides the grace to help us to do those very things. In Matthew 26:41, quoted in part above, Jesus exhorted His undisciplined disciples to “Watch and pray.” They failed at both. All activities of godliness must begin, continue, and conclude in prayer, not as some legalistic methodology but simply as a personal communication to the Lord, asking for His help. If prayer is missing, the result is a work of the flesh at best—and complete failure at worst. The prophet Zechariah’s word of the Lord to Zerubbabel indicates the way that believers should approach every godly act: “This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Zerubbabel had the task of rebuilding the Temple during very difficult times, and the Lord communicated to him through Zechariah that he would be able to accomplish it through the power of the Holy Spirit. God is more than able to enable us in every task, even regarding our discipline in reading His Word. If there is any one thing that could be identified as the grease that has caused the slipping of Christianity into the pit of the apostasy, it is ignorance of the Word of God. That is stunning because it is taking place at a time in which there are more Bibles and greater access to the Scriptures than any time in history. Yet most Christians are functionally biblically illiterate—they know how to read, and they have Bibles, but they are not serious about reading them. Too many fall into the “spoon fed” category, relying on what they get secondhand from a church sermon or a radio or TV preacher rather than studying the Bible for themselves. When believers gather for “Bible study” in small home groups, they often study books by popular Christian authors, or they might study the pastor’s latest sermon. That’s not to say that there is no value in such activities, but for many believers it displaces the direct study of the Scriptures. In Revelation 21:4-5, the Apostle John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives insights into what believers will experience in the “holy city, new Jerusalem”: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” God’s words are indeed “true and faithful.” There is no guesswork involved, neither do the Scriptures contain the speculations and opinions of mankind. Many Christians have picked up ideas about heaven, for example, from popular books and preachers—some of which seem to be, and may even be, correct, while others might be dead wrong. The dilemma for a believer who has lapsed into getting his biblical information secondhand is that he has put himself into a situation of not being able to discern man’s ideas from God’s truth. How critical is such a condition? Twice in Proverbs we find this exhortation: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12;16:25). We can take a clue from Scripture that when the Holy Spirit repeats something in the Bible, we need to give it special attention. The repeated “ways of death” referred to isn’t necessarily physical death. Death is separation. In physical death, the soul and spirit are separated from the body. Both proverbs may also be understood as teaching that those things that seem “right to a man” involve a separation from God’s truth. That inevitably leads to what Jesus warned the disciples about concerning the apostasy in the end times: “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4). If believers are relying on someone else for what they believe rather than studying God’s Word for themselves, their faith will be vicarious, that is, not their own. The consequence is that they will be ripe for being deceived and are being conditioned to follow men rather than what the Lord says in His Word. Furthermore, they cannot be Bereans. It’s interesting that when Jesus wanted to chide the Jewish religious leaders, He pointed to the faith of certain Gentiles (the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-10), the woman of Canaan (Matthew 15:22-28)) as having faith not found in Israel. On the other hand, in Acts 17:10-11, Luke commends the Jews in the synagogue of the Greek city of Berea to exhort Christians to emulate the Jewish Bereans’ response to the teaching of the Apostle Paul: “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 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.” The reason why those who are being spoon fed the Bible by others cannot be Bereans should be obvious: they aren’t reading the Bible for themselves, so they have no biblical basis for questioning what they are being taught. Moreover, that will be the case even if a false teaching is rather blatant. They simply are incapable of discerning biblical truth from error. Without a disciplined study of the Scriptures, there is nothing to prevent one’s being seduced spiritually, and there is no protection for true believers from being seduced by the apostasy and even unwittingly contributing to the developing religion of the Antichrist. The Apostle Paul issued this warning regarding a condition that we have seen manifested to such a degree in our day that it boggles the mind: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine…” (2 Timothy 4:3). Sound doctrine is simply God’s instructions found in His Word. All of the concerns written above have contributed to what Paul prophesied, and the disregard for sound doctrine today pervades the entire church. How can Christians “endure sound doctrine” if they lack a disciplined, consistent, prayerful study of the Scriptures? How can those who do not read the Bible and therefore do not obey its instructions even have a clue as to what constitutes sound doctrine? They can’t. The consequences are many, and they are all spiritually destructive. Ultimately, they cannot please the Lord. He asked, “And why call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” John adds, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments [i.e., doctrines]. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected” (Luke:6:46; 1 John:2:3-5). Dare we answer, “Sorry, Lord, I don’t really know the things that You said, aside from what others have told me”? All who have been born again, who have understood the gospel and put their faith in their Savior Jesus Christ who paid the full penalty for their sins, begin (or began) their new life in Christ as spiritual babies. They need spiritual nourishment in order to grow in the faith. The food they need is not that which is “processed” by man but rather “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). That growth also involves developing a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Personal, intimate relationships are not vicarious; they do not require a third party to mediate or facilitate them. The relationship is strictly between Jesus and the believer, and it develops as the believer grows in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior through His Word. Jesus said, “If you continue in my word , then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). How can anyone grow in his relationship with Jesus if there is no communication, no getting to know Him firsthand? The Bible provides the direct communication on our Lord’s part as well as the knowlege of Him. The Apostle Peter writes, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3). Living one’s life as a biblical Christian is not complex, nor is it so difficult that only someone with certain attributes, great intelligence, or other qualifications can abide in it. On the other hand, as noted, it does involve a commitment to the person of Jesus Christ. It involves a willingness to do that which pleases Him. Yes, we may say, our spirit is willing, but our discipline is lacking. Nevertheless, just as the father cried out for the healing of his child, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24), Jesus will also help us to overcome our lack of discipline, if we are indeed willing. Therefore, as we resolve to spend time in the Scriptures daily in the year ahead, the strategy is quite simple: I recommend reading through the New Testament a couple of times and then begin reading through the Old Testament. The time and pace of one’s reading each day can vary; it’s the consistency that is most important. The goal is to make our daily reading a habit that compels us to keep it going. The objective is familiarity: the more we read, the more familiar we become with the Lord and what He wants us to know and do. The more we read, we find that Scripture interprets Scripture, and that increases our understanding of God’s Word. Once again, there is no better resolution for the year ahead (and beyond!). Part 2, The Demise of Biblical Discernment In last month’s issue of this newsletter we exhorted our readers to discipline themselves to read the Word of God daily. The emphasis was on developing a habit, the best and most necessary habit—one that every believer should have. Of course, we encouraged reading the Bible as a basis for living one’s life by what it teaches, which is the only way that one who is born again spiritually can mature in the faith. Yet, here is the simple truth that too many Christians have missed: if we don’t read God’s Word for ourselves, we can’t truly know its instructions. If we don’t know God’s instructions, we can’t follow Him, and we therefore can’t do what pleases Him. Tragically, many if not most Christians haven’t considered that simple truth. Their spiritual beliefs tend to be a collection of things they’ve heard (sermons, radio, TV, books, movies, etc.) mixed with what they may or may not have gotten from the Bible. They have been spoon-fed rather than getting their spiritual meals directly from God’s Word. Why is that tragic? Wouldn’t it be of value to get input from the various Christian media regarding the teachings of our Lord? Hasn’t our Lord gifted teachers to help believers better understand His Word? Certainly, but if that is our primary feeding of God’s Word, it leads to a spiritual anemia at best and makes us defenseless against spiritual deception at worst. How can a believer tell the difference between a good teacher and a false teacher? Although Scripture tells us that God gave some to be teachers (Ephesians 4:11), His Word also tells us, “There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies” (2 Peter 2:1). So how can we know what’s what and who’s who? Most Christians are not asking such questions—nor do they seem to be concerned about the consequences related to a lack of biblical discernment. The second chapter of Hebrews begins with a warning that we could drift away from the Scriptures and find ourselves going along with something that seems biblical but is not. More and more frequently these days, I hear confessing and professing Christians excusing themselves and others for their unbiblical beliefs and practices by declaring that they all nevertheless “love Jesus.” What Jesus might that be? Is it the biblical Jesus—the One who declares that He is “the way, the truth, and the life”? Is it the Word incarnate, who challenges everyone who professes to be a believer in Him by asking: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Would our reply be, “Sorry, Lord, I wasn’t aware of most of the things that you said”? If that’s the case, having “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) is a wishful delusion. Just so there is no misunderstanding, the heart of this article is a concern for the fruitfulness of everyone who truly knows the biblical Jesus, everyone who has by faith alone put his or her trust in Christ as Savior, the One, the only One, who could (and did) pay the full penalty for the sins of mankind. For those who have put their faith in Him and have received His gift of eternal life, what follows is their life in Christ , which is all about living a godly and productive life. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). A believer’s fruitfulness not only greatly enriches his own life, but his new life in Christ becomes a testimony, a witness to the truth of the gospel that changed his life, so that others may be drawn to Jesus. Yet a believer’s life in Christ will be spiritually futile if he (or she) doesn’t really know what Jesus taught. An unproductive life in Christ is bad enough, but it can go far beyond just being spiritually feeble. Not knowing the Word of God sets one up for being spiritually deceived. Again, it should be rather obvious: if we don’t know what the Bible says, we can’t discern what is true to it and what is contrary to it. Consequently, a person who is ignorant of the Scriptures is ripe for being led away from God’s truth. When such a condition becomes epidemic among Christians, they become collective pawns of God’s adversary, Satan, and participants in the apostasy as well as unwitting contributors to the emerging religion of the Antichrist (Revelation 13). But could such a thing happen? Both Dave Hunt and I have been observing trends in the evangelical church for 35 years. In those three and a half decades significant developments have taken place, all of which have greatly undermined the belief in and dependence upon the Scriptures. We have documented such developments in the twenty years of TBC’s existence and five years prior to that in The Seduction of Christianity . In past articles we have shown from God’s Word that Satan’s primary strategy as the deceiver of mankind is reflected in his initial statement to Eve in the Garden of Eden, a tactic calculated to weaken her trust in God’s Word by questioning it: “Yea, hath God said…?” (Genesis 3:1). Down through history, he has expanded his assault on the Word beyond planting seeds of doubt to distorting, denigrating, corrupting, compromising, and outright lying about the Scriptures. In the last 30 years, some of his most effective devices have seduced Christians away from the written Word of God, replacing it with subjective and experiential content (feelings-oriented beliefs). Briefly (see our archives for more extensive writings on these subjects and others), that drift has been a major contributor to the demise of biblical discernment. For example, the false teaching known as Rhema vs. Logos says that God speaks today to believers with the same or even greater authority than is found in the Bible. For decades this doctrine has led millions of Charismatic and Pentecostal believers away from the objective, written Word of God. The subjective pseudoscience of Christian psychology, with its goal of integrating psychology with the Bible (primarily through psychological counseling), has infected the conservative evangelical church with the humanistic doctrines of self-love and self-esteem. Even more damaging, it has all but eliminated the belief in the sufficiency of the Scriptures for multitudes of Christians. The Church Growth Movement (the attempt to increase church membership through various consumer-oriented devices aimed primarily at meeting the “felt needs” of the lost) has turned to the “way that seemeth right unto a man” (read marketing ) in opposition to God’s way. That development has been a major factor in ushering man’s so-called wisdom into the church and distancing it from the Scriptures. The youth-oriented Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is an attempt at supposedly reaching the “culture” for Christ by emulating that culture and much of its worldly affinities. ECM writers (many of whom have conservative evangelical backgrounds) have advocated “reinventing Christianity” in order to reconcile it with what the world believes and acts upon socially, psychologically, politically, morally, scientifically, and theologically. Because it claims absolute authority in its doctrines, the Bible itself is the chief obstacle to the ECM, and therefore “must be re-imagined” in order to accommodate man’s thinking. Such distortion of God’s Word is deceptively tragic for a generation of young Christians, few of whom have been discipled in the faith. These are just a few of Satan’s most successful assaults against the doctrines of the Bible and the people of God. Should anyone be surprised that the Adversary would be so effective among those who profess to be Christians? Shocked perhaps, but not surprised. When an army lacks training, discipline, and is ill equipped to do battle, should it come as a surprise that the enemy is taking many of its soldiers captive? Let’s spell out the problem in spiritual terms once again: lack of training (no discipleship), lack of discipline (not reading the Scriptures daily), and being ill equipped (mishandling the Sword of the Spirit). But don’t take my word for it! Let’s go to God’s infallible Word. Regarding the particular time when biblical truth will be abandoned by great numbers in the church who have been deceived, Jesus gives us a sobering warning, characterizing the last days prior to His return in these words: “Take heed that no man deceive you….” He then adds that the deception will be so great that the very elect will be vulnerable (Matthew 24:4,24). Furthermore, most of the epistles also address the subject of believers drifting away from sound doctrine. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine ” (2 Timothy 4:3). Paul is obviously speaking to the church. Those in the church who do not study the Scriptures for themselves cannot endure (take to heart and live out) sound doctrine (God’s instructions). He wrote to the church at Ephesus, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine , by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14). Scripture seems to be making it quite clear that not enduring sound doctrine opens one up to spiritual deception. To the Ephesian elders Paul issues a warning of what would take place after his departing: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-30). This was Paul’s parting warning to his beloved Ephesian believers, a message of critical concern for their future in Christ. Paul knew what devastating destruction would result from their turning to false doctrine. It was a message that he preached continuously and tearfully during his three years with them. Those who do “endure sound doctrine,” besides having the primary foundation for a fruitful life in Christ, are also equipped to discern and resist the wiles of the Adversary’s many deceptions. That’s the good news. The not-so-pleasant news is that they will find themselves on the front lines of a spiritual battle that is increasing in intensity daily. One need only conduct a cursory review of the Scriptures and later church history to get an idea of how destructive, even deadly, have been the consequences related to the church’s non-adherence to biblical doctrine. We see many reacting today by claiming that it is the doctrines of the Bible themselves, especially when they are accepted dogmatically, that create division. Such thinking is a fulfillment of “not enduring sound doctrine.” It is false doctrine itself that divides because it separates a believer from the truth. Paul clears up the misconception: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). Incredibly, it is that verse, misapplied, that has been used against the multitudes who have contacted us because their church leadership would not hear their concerns regarding false doctrines and programs that had entered their fellowship. Most have been threatened with “disfellowship” for actually enduring sound doctrine. Such situations are intensifying throughout the church, undoubtedly for some of the reasons listed in this article but perhaps in fulfillment of Peter’s prophecy: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God…” (1 Peter 4:17). Although for decades we at TBC have been exhorting and encouraging believers to be Bereans (i.e., to check out everything they are being taught by searching the Scriptures—Acts 17:10-11), we too have experienced the increased intensity of the spiritual battle and witnessed its exponential growth. As the spiritual battle rages around us, the Word of God gives us directives regarding how we are to function in it. Paul gives Timothy general instructions: “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). In ministering correction, he writes: “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Then there may be times that, as the Spirit leads us, tougher action is to be taken: “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee…” (Titus 2:15). Titus was to minister the Word of God to his flock, his authority was the Scriptures, and he was exhorted to stand fast in them that he not be despised for backing away from sound doctrine. Our prayer is that all who name the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will follow Paul’s encouragement to Timothy and to us as well: “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine….Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee….Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:13,16; 2 Timothy 4:2). TB
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 01:48:25 +0000
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