Christianity 101

I recall sitting one evening with another man in a Village Inn as we discussed some matters of mutual concern. What these matters were is unimportant compared to what we decided was the root of the problem we were faced with. This root was determined to be nothing less than a gospel that has been skewed by the culture around us. It is a boundary stone that has been moved to the detriment of all who are unwilling to get down on the trail of life and search for the moss-covered foundation where this marker once guided the way.

What I intend to share with you is nothing new. Rather, it is old. It is ancient. It goes all the way back to the very beginning in an effort to reclaim Biblical truths that have been either taken for granted or despised by mainstream society. The blurring of the lines between orthodoxy and heresy is an extremely dangerous condition! The general public appears to be too busy to compare the teachings of others against scripture to make a discernment between truth and fallacy.

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing through my pastorâ€™s library and remarking on the number of people who lay claim to “the next Reformation.” Over twenty years ago, Robert Schuller told us it would be a Reformation of self-esteem and more recently his protÃ©gÃ© Rick Warren that it will be one of purpose. Other books tell us the next Reformation will involve breaking the church body into small groups, essentially giving the church back to the people in the same way that the first Reformation gave the theology back to the people. And now Hugh Hewitt has entered the fray with his latest book Blog, predicting that the next Reformation will be blogging.

-Tim Challies March 13, 2005

In this writing, I do not wish to offer any new way to look at things. That approach has been tried many times before. Newer is not always better, nor does it have the lasting power of the truth that is anchored in the Bible. A thousand years from now (assuming that the second coming of Christ doesn’t happen first) we may look back at so many of the deviations from Biblical truth that are believed today and wonder what those people were thinking. I pray that this is not so, for I would like to see a return to historical Christianity much sooner that that. Oh, and this one is for Mr. Challies: This could be a Great Awakening!

I would like to point out that these things I say are open for discussion within groups of believers, and that an open Bible will be the best source for an accurate conclusion of what I say. There are things that can be regarded as the essentials. These are things that cannot be compromised. There are also non-essentials. These are things within the realm of Christianity which allow for debate among believers. Each side of these debates should believe theirs is the correct understanding, but neither should feel that the other side is disqualified from the body of Christ, which is the holy catholic church.

Public discussion and debate gives Christians a wonderful stage to show the world that we can be unified in essential things, and yet allow for friendly discussion in those things that ultimately are a matter of preference. I believe that one side product of the boundary markers that define Christianity is seen in the superficiality of Christians, whether real or imagined. Brothers and Sisters, the world magnifies anything we do once we declare our Christianity. Therefore, if we are to debate something in the public forum, let us respect each other and show that our fellowship is more important than “winning” the debate. If there is something that will be argued, let us keep that discussion behind closed doors.

The gospel is not the RSVP that is preached from steeple to steeple. It is a changed heart (look for “heart” in Romans 6) which evidences a changed standing before God and produces good works that can be seen today, as a deposit for tomorrow. It is something too unbelievable for a non-believer to consider if it wen’t staring them right in the face. It forces the lost to consider that perhaps there is something real to Christianity after all. Why should they believe a grumbling Christian who tells them how great it is?

Tim Challies mentioned in his review of “Blog” that the word “Reformation” is used too frequently, and I don’t want to use any semblence of the term “Great Awakening” either. I look upon this as a “Restoration” of the gospel in the western culture that does everything it can to deny that one must be changed (born again) to enter into a covenential relationship with God. We are junked out cars being sold for the blood of Christ. Do we honestly believe that He will not restore us for His glory? This is the logic of the world, and someone who makes a profession of faith, but no change in their lives is doing a disservice to their once-a-week Lord. (1 John 1)

Since I have come to this understanding of just what the gospel is, I have found that I am able to joyfully deny myself certain things that I have hated, and sacrifices of obedience are easier for me to accept, and even cherish, for God disciplines those He loves. I don’t for a moment believe in full sanctification in this lifetime, nor do I believe that a Christian ever stops sinning. We work to maintain our sins, though. The good works laid before us (Ephesians 2:8-10) are not burdensome and are no longer against our nature. Thus, in order to sin we must work at it. The pain in sanctification is directly proportional to how hard we grasp to our sins.

Responsibility never ends, does it? But when you realize that salvation is from the curse of sin first, and Hell second, you realize that you are free from the curse of sin. You are a slave no longer. Why I do the things I hate is a mystery, but I am not alone. Paul had the same trials.

The Redemptive Process