Identifying and Answering the
Error at the Doorbell
Tony Thomas
It is Saturday morning and you've slept in a little later than normal, expecting to spend the rest of the day working on projects around the house. Then the doorbell rings, and standing on your porch is a young, eager, fresh faced individual eager to share their religious literature with you. They seem nice, but you know their literature is filled with errors. How should you respond? Can you respond? Should you simply say "no thank you" and close the door? What would Jesus do?
[Note: my appologies in advance for the length of this post. This is a compilation of lesson notes that occurred over a series of several weeks. What was originally footnotes have become, in this format, endnotes. If you choose to copy and paste this text, be sure to adjust all of the text color back to black in order for the footnotes to show up.]
INTRODUCTION:
Whether we
want to or not we are going to interact with people who hold to (and promote)
errant theologies. Often they show up unexpectedly at our door. Many times
Christians dread these encounters. The truth is that these occurrences are
often inconvenient and they present a direct challenge to our understanding of
scripture. This study is intended to help you identify doctrinal errors when
they are presented as a “greater truth” and how to respond to those who hold
(and promote) these errant views.
It is
important to understand that doctrinal teaching is important because doctrine
(whether implicit or explicit) forms the foundation of a person’s belief
system. Without a solid scriptural foundation, spiritually hungry people are
vulnerable to all kinds of error and deception.[1] The demonstration of our
faith is a direct outgrowth of our understanding of God and how he interacts
with his creation.
That noted,
not every doctrinal disagreement is serious enough to separate individuals from
one another in the kingdom of God. Grace gives us room to disagree on some
things. There are some elements of belief, however, that are essential to
salvation and completely non-negotiable. Paramount among those is a correct
understanding of who Jesus Christ is. Any teaching that reduces the deity of
Jesus creates a false “Jesus” who is incapable of redeeming humanity. Judgment
against sin is so severe that even angels cannot defeat it[2]. Likewise, any teaching that
diminishes Jesus' humanity creates a false “Jesus” who has been made ineligible
to be the Redeemer[3]. In
this pool of error the seed of “works based salvation” flourishes.
OBJECTIVE:
Over the next few weeks we will study the primary errors of
some of these belief systems, and (more importantly) how the Bible answers
those errors. It is the objective of this series of lessons, to develop a
fundamental understanding of who Jesus is, and be able to articulate that
understanding based in Scripture.
THE FOUNDATIONAL PREMISE #1: By faith we accept that the Bible is the
written Word of God.
a) The
existence of the Bible is reasonable. “We cannot conceive that a natural father
should forever conceal himself from his son, and never have communication with
him. No more can we conceive of a good God who would withhold knowledge of His
being and His will from creatures created in His own image. God has made man
capable and desirous of knowing the reality of satisfying that desire…”[4]
b) The
Bible is given by inspiration of God (literally God breathed).[5]
“Inspiration...is the strong, conscious in-breathing of God into men,
qualifying them to give utterance to truth.”[6]
c) It
is eternal.[7] “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the
word of our God will stand forever.” - Isaiah 40:8 ESV. “Heaven
and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” - Matthew 24:35
ESV.
d) The
Bible proclaims that the revelation found within its pages is complete.“I warn everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues
described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy
city, which are described in this book.” - Rev 22:18-19 ESV
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel
contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said
before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to
the one you received, let him be accursed.” - Gal 1:7-9 ESV
THE FOUNDATIONAL PREMISE #2: God is not willing that
anyone should perish.
“The
Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach
repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9 ESV
“And
he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole
creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not
believe will be condemned.'” - Mark 16:15-16 ESV
Case Study (Read Acts 8:4-15): Philip the evangelist and
Simon the sorcerer.
Some observations about Philip:
a) His
messages was “the Christ”.
b) This
message brought supernatural results to those who heard.
c) His
message was received with joy.
Some
observations about Simon:
a) He
falsely promoted himself as “God sent”.
b) He
confirmed his pseudo-calling with “magic” that was interpreted as power.
c) He
had been at this for a long time. He was a master magician.
Regarding
the interaction between Philip and Simon:
a) Simon
was convinced of Philip’s authenticity.
b) He
believed and was baptized.
c) He
submitted himself to Philip’s tutelage.
Regarding
the interaction between the Apostles and Simon:
a) At
the hands of the Apostles, a secondary spiritual event took place in the lives
of the Samaritan believers; they received the Holy Spirit.
b) There
was some outward physical evidence taking place that excited the curiosity of
Simon. Rather than seeking to receive the Holy Spirit himself, he sought to
monetize the gift of God.
c) This
resulted in a strong rebuke by Peter who told him that he (Simon) had neither
“part nor lot in this matter”. He was told to repent, because he was being
controlled by bitterness.
d) Simon,
it seems, did in fact repent.
The notes listed above may seem a
little obvious, but they lead us to an important point. Simon had spent many
years teaching an errant, deceptive concept of God. Despite that, when the true
message of the gospel arrived in his city, he accepted it. Neither Philip nor the Apostles tried to
isolate Simon from the gospel even though he had spent years teaching people a
corrupted version of Judaism. Even though Peter gave him a very stern rebuke
when he fell back into his old ways, Peter’s rebuke was driven by a concern
for Simon’s soul.
There is a strong similarity
between Simon of Acts 8 and the modern purveyors of pseudo-biblical teaching.
Both claim to be sent by God. Both bolster that claim with extra-biblical
evidence. Yet, despite the error they promote, God loves their soul. It is his
desire to see each individual saved for eternity, even those who have willfully
deceived others.
In this study we will study the
error of, and the answer to, the most commonly encountered erroneous teachings.
Our object is not to arm ourselves to win arguments for arguments sake, but to
arm ourselves to win souls for the kingdom. Wisdom and experience tell us that
we must bathe our efforts in prayer and be led by the Holy Spirit if we are to
succeed.
UNDERSTANDING THE MINDSET OF THOSE WHO FOLLOW ERRANT
THEOLOGY[8].
“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the
unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God.” - 2Corinthians 4:4 ESV
Before we begin to dissect the
specific errors of each school of thought, it is important to spend a little
time looking at the mindset of those who are entrapped in such errors. Mere
logical argument is not enough to break spiritual strongholds. Something much
more powerful is required, namely the love of God.
“But you, beloved, building
yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep
yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by
snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the
garment stained by the flesh.” - Jude 1:20-23 ESV
In his book The Kingdom of the
Cults, Dr. Walter Martin identifies four areas that seem to commonly
intersect in many of errant religious philosophies. We will look at his list.
1. Compartmentalization.
“They are characterized by closed
mindedness. They are not interested in the rational cognitive evaluation of the
facts. The organizational structure interprets the facts to the cultist,
generally invoking the Bible and/or its respective founder as the ultimate
source of its pronouncements...[These beliefs exist] in separate compartments
in the cultist's mind and are almost incapable of penetration or disruption if
the individual cultist is completely committed to the authority pattern of his
organization.”[9]
2. Antagonism.
“The identification of opposing beliefs
with the individual in the framework of
antagonism leads the cultist almost always to reject the individual as well as
the belief...[this] is extremely difficult to deal with in general dialogue...”[10]
3. Exclusion.
They rely on a type of “institutional dogmatism” that is exclusionary to
everyone but those who follow the founder or leader of the organization.[11]
4. Isolation.[12]
Adherents to these beliefs are forced into a position of either defending or
revising glaring inconsistencies in their belief system. This tends to isolate
them from rational, intelligent people and isolates them from the scriptures as
well.
HOW THEY GET
INTO THE MINDS OF PEOPLE.
1. Vilify the clergy and the
traditional church.
2. Redefine certain common theological terms such as “Holy
Trinity, Deity of Christ, Hell, Eternal Punishment, Christendom, immortal soul,
etc.”[13]
3. Assume a martyr's complex.
Jehovah's Witnesses especially, hold as “an
intricate part of their belief system...the conviction that Christians will
always attack Jehovah's Witnesses on a personal as well as religious level,
hence the Witnesses readily assume a martyr or persecution complex the moment
any antagonism is manifested...It is apparently a comfortable, somewhat heroic
feeling to believe that you are standing alone against the massed forces of
“the devil's organization”.[14]
4. Social pressure, especially
in Mormonism.[15]
BREAKING THROUGH TO THEM.
“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel
about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be
ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for
it will lead people into more and more ungodliness...” - 2 Timothy 2:14-16 ESV
1. Be well versed in the
scriptures.
2. Be compassionate.
3. Don't let confrontation get
personal.
4. Relate your personal testimony.
5. Spend time in prayer.
IDENTIFYING AND ANSWERING SOME COMMON ERRANT BELIEF SYSTEMS:
I.
DENIAL OF THE TRINITY and/or DENIAL OF THE DIVINITY OF
JESUS.
Since the Creator is infinitely
greater than his creation, it stands to reason that there will be aspects of
his existence and nature that are difficult for us to understand. In fact, God
directly tells us that this is the case:
“ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isa 55:8-9 ESV
Even so, we are encourage to
pursue God, to seek him. The same passage of scripture tells us to:
"Seek
the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; - Isa 55:6 ESV
The historical Christian view of
the Trinity.
“The Scriptures teach that God is
One, and that beside Him there is no God…the Divine Unity is a compound
unity…in this unity there are really Three distinct Persons, every One of whom
is the Godhead, and yet is supremely conscious of the other Two…there was an
Eternal Fellowship before any finite creatures were created…the three cooperate
with one mind and purpose, so that in the truest sense of the word they are
‘one’. The Father creates; the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies; and
yet in each operation the Three are present…
“The Trinity is an eternal
fellowship, but the work of man’s redemption called forth its historical
manifestation.”[16]
A. The Old Testament: Elohim,
The Plural Word For God Used Singularly
The Old Testament does not expressly
teach the Trinity, but the precursors for the teaching are there. The very name
of God speaks of plurality within the Godhead. From the very first verse of
Genesis we see the beginning of this teaching. Certainly God is known by
several names in the Old Testament. The first and frequent designation for God
is the word “Elohim”. “Elohim” is the plural form of the word “Elowahh”(also
meaning “God”). Elohim is a plural word used in a singular fashion as a
designation for God over 2,300 times in the Old Testament (the singular Elowahh
is used less than 60).
1. The “Us” passages also show
plurality in the Godhead.
Then God [Elohim] said, "Let us
make man in our image, after our likeness..." - Gen 1:26a
ESV
Then the LORD [Jehovah] God [Elohim]
said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us..." - Gen
3:22a ESV
And I heard the voice of the Lord
[Adonay] saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?...”-
Isa 6:8a ESV
(Adonay
means “Lord” and is a title spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence.)
2. In Exodus 6:2 Elohim
identifies himself as Jehovah.
God [Elohim]spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am
the LORD [Jehovah]. Exo 6:2 ESV
B. The New Testament Identifies
Jesus as God.
But of the Son he says, "Your
throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter
of your kingdom. - Heb 1:8 ESV [quoting from Psalm 45:6, 7].
(1) In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... (14) And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from
the Father, full of grace and truth. - Jhn 1:1, 14 ESV
(27) Then he said to Thomas, "Put
your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my
side. Do not disbelieve, but believe." (28) Thomas answered him, "My
Lord and my God!" - Jhn 20:27-28 ESV
(28) Pay careful attention to yourselves
and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care
for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. - Act 20:28 ESV
To them belong the patriarchs, and from
their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed
forever. Amen. - Rom 9:5 ESV
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of
Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by
the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: - 2Pe 1:1 ESV
C. Jesus Identifies Himself as
God
1.
The “I Am” Passages.
Matthew chapter 11
Jesus pronounces “woe” on those
who have rejected him. He thanks God for those who have listened, and in
Matthew 11:29 Jesus instructs his followers,
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from
me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls.” - Matthew 11:29 ESV
In this statement Jesus quotes a
phrase spoken by Jehovah in Jeremiah 6:16 and applies it to himself,
“Thus says the LORD: "Stand
by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is;
and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will
not walk in it.'” - Jer 6:16 ESV
Mark chapter 14
Jesus, being tried by the High
Priest, has the following conversation:
“But he remained silent and made no
answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of
the Blessed?" And Jesus said,
"I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power,
and coming with the clouds of heaven." - Mar 14:61-62 ESV
Then the High Priest declares
Jesus to be worthy of death for blasphemy. Had Jesus merely claimed to be an
angel, they likely would have simply thought him to be insane. In this passage
he specifically tells them that he, a man, would exercise Divine Authority in
the heavens, and that, to the high priest, was an intolerable offence.
John chapter 6
In this chapter the topic of
discussion between Jesus and the Jews is Jesus’ identity. The Jews contest that
he is just the son of Joseph. Jesus counters that he is, in fact, the Son of
the Father and that he is superior to both Moses and the manna that was given
to the Israelites in the wilderness.
Then Jesus makes an astonishing
claim:
"No one can come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. It is
written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has
heard and learned from the Father comes to me-- not that anyone has seen the
Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father." (John
6:44-46 ESV)
"But Jesus, knowing in himself that
his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take
offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where
he was before?" (John 6:61-62 ESV)
Jesus says that no man has seen
the Father, yet we are told in the Old Testament that Moses (among others)
spoke with Jehovah “face to face”.[17] The conclusion we are left
with is that Moses (and the others) spoke with God in the person of the Son.[18]
2.
Jesus accepts worship.
The Bible is exceedingly clear
that only God is to receive worship. God, we are told, is very jealous of
worship.[19]
"(for you shall worship no other
god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)," (Exodus 34:14
ESV)
Both men and angels, when speaking
on God’s behalf are very clear that they are not to be worshiped.[20]
Jesus on numerous occasions accepts worship due to God. Sometimes he accepts
this worship alone, sometimes in conjunction with the Father.[21]
[Note: there are a few instances
in the Old Testament in which “The Angel of the Lord” is worshipped. In these
instances the phrase “The Angel of the Lord” is used interchangeably with
“Lord” (Jehovah). In both Hebrew and Greek, our word that is translated as
“angel” means “messenger”. Based on the context of the passages, it is the
opinion of many (including myself) that these are Old Testament appearances of
the pre-incarnate Christ, the Word, being the Messenger/Representative of the
Godhead to men.
Further evidence that this is the
case can be found in Joshua 5:13-15. In this passage Joshua falls before the
“man” who appeared to him, worshiped and submitted himself to his instruction.
It is important to remember that Joshua was familiar with the presence of
Jehovah because of the years he spent at Moses side. cf. Exodus 33:10, 11]
D. He is worshipped
simultaneously with the Father.[22]
E. He is recognized and feared
by demons.[23]
F. Holy, Holy, Holy
Twice when we are granted a window
into heaven, we see that the occupants of heaven worship with the phrase “Holy,
Holy, Holy”[24].
While not conclusive in and of itself, it lends circumstantial evidence to a
Triunity (or Trinity) within the Godhead.
G.
Natural Revelation
While natural revelation cannot
stand alone as empirical evidence of the Triune nature of the Godhead, there
are multiple circumstantial things that we can pull from nature that show
specific importance to the number “three”. It stands to reason that the creation
would reflect the nature of its Creator, and that the Creator would purposely
leave distinct markings of Himself it the thing he has created. These evidences
include:
1.
there are three natural states of matter; solid, liquid
and gas.
2.
in geometry, three points are required to make a plane.
3.
the universe, as we understand it, is three
dimensional; height, width, breadth.
4.
there are three subatomic particles that make up an
atom; proton, neutron and electron.
5.
there are three primary colors in the visible light
spectrum; red, blue and yellow.
II. DENIAL OF THE ETERNAL NATURE OF THE HUMAN SOUL.
The creation of mankind was both
separate and special from all of the other acts of Divine creation recorded in
Genesis.[25] God
spoke the worlds into existence[26],
but he physically formed man from the dust (giving him a body), breathed into
man the breath of life (spirit) and man became a living (soul).[27]
While it can be said that other living things have a “soulish” life, only
mankind has a “God-breathed” spirit.[28] Man is the only creature on
this earth with the ability to reason and to think abstractly. These abilities
reveal the “image and likeness of God” in humanity. Man is a finite (and now
tarnished) reflection of the infinite God, but our ability to perceive,
understand, create, make judgments, show mercy, love, hate, and willfully
transform our circumstances are all evidence of this reflected nature.
(1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV) "Now may the God of
peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and
body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
A.
Man is a “three part” being. The Bible identifies three
distinct[29],
yet intertwined, parts of being human; body, soul and spirit.
1. Body. Our body, through our five
senses, makes us aware of the world around us.
2. Soul. It is through our soul
that we are self-conscious. Our soul contains our intellect[30], will and emotion[31].
3. Spirit. The spirit is the
mechanism by which we are “God-conscious”. In both the Old Testament and the
New Testament the words that are translated into English as “spirit” (Hebrew
ruwach, Greek pneuma) literally mean
breath or wind.
B.
Death breaks up the “unity” of the person. People were
not created to die. We were created to live. Death is alien to us. It exists
because of Adam’s sin, and death will someday be defeated[32]. Sometimes people say
things like, “death is a part of life,” but that isn’t true. People fear death,
and fight it. We yearn for immortality. It is in our hearts to live forever.[33]
C.
There are two things each person has that will never be
taken away: 1) an appointment to be judged by God[34] and 2) his or her eternal
existence.[35]
D.
The hope of Physical Resurrection is found throughout
the Bible and, in the New Testament this hope becomes the keystone (and
validation) of Christianity[36].
III. DENIAL OF A LITERAL ETERNAL HELL.
“The sinners
in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: ‘Who among us can dwell
with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?’”
(Isa 33:14 esv)
A.
The New Testament equates the Hebrew “sheol” and the
Greek “hades”[37].
These words, often translated into English as “hell” were used in to denote the
location of the souls of the dead. One part of this is where the souls of the
righteous dead waited for redemption and is what Jesus called “Abraham’s bosom”[38] and
“paradise”[39].
The other part is what Jesus called a “place of torment.”[40]
B.
“Gehenna” is another word that is translated as “hell”.
There was a physical place, Gehenna (meaning the Valley of Hinnom) outside of
Jerusalem which was a truly awful place. Historically, it had been a place of
idolatry and child sacrifice. It was a trash dump and a place where animal
carcasses and even human remains were dumped or burned. In New Testament times,
its name had become synonymous with a place of eternal horror and darkness.
Jesus makes statements about “Gehenna” that become nonsense if he were simply
talking about the local landfill. For instance:
But I say to you that everyone who is
angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother
will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to
the hell of fire. ... If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and
throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that
your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your
members than that your whole body go into hell. (Matthew 5:22, 29-30 esv)
And do not fear those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in
hell. (Matthew 10:28 esv)
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how
are you to escape being sentenced to hell? (Matthew 23:33 esv)
“And if your hand causes you to sin, cut
it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go
to hell, to the unquenchable fire. ... And if your foot causes you to sin, cut
it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown
into hell. ... And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for
you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown
into hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'” Mark 9:43, 45,
47-48 (esv)
But I will warn you whom to fear: fear
him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you,
fear him! (Luke 12:5 esv)
C.
Jesus taught that sinners and hypocrites would be
conscious of eternal torment after death[41]. "And these will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46 esv)
D.
The reality of Hell is a motivating factor in
evangelism.
And have mercy on those who doubt; save
others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear,
hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 1:22-23 esv)
E.
In the Book of Revelation we are specifically told the
fate of those who take the “Mark of the
Beast[42],
the devil, the “beast” and the “false prophet”[43]. All of these spend
eternity in a place of fiery torment.
F.
Hell exists because of the righteous judgment of a Holy[44]
God. It is a place of eternal punishment for rebellion, that is, sin, that
began with the devil and his angels.[45]
G.
God does not “will” people to hell. Jesus Christ’s
sacrificial death occurred because God wanted to save humanity from judgment[46].
Jesus, who is sinless both in nature[47] and practice[48], is
the only Person qualified to stand in the stead of humanity at judgment[49].
IV. DENIAL OF JESUS’ PHYSICAL
RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
A.
The Old Testament foretold that he would rise from the
dead.
“For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see
corruption. - (Psalm 16:10 esv)
C.
The New Testament affirms that he did. The key argument
made by the Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost was that Jesus had physically
risen from the dead in fulfillment of the prophecy of Psalm 16:10.[51] It
was this fulfillment that led to the conclusion that Jesus is both “Lord and
Christ”.[52] The
Apostle Paul also affirms that the Jesus resurrection is a fulfilment of Psalm
16:10.[53]
D.
Multiple eyewitness accounts verify that the tomb was
empty.[54]
While his disciples were primary witnesses, they were not the only witnesses.
It is interesting that in the years that immediately followed the resurrection
both Jewish priests[55] and
Roman soldiers[56]
became followers of Jesus Christ. Individuals from both of these groups had
eyewitness knowledge of both the crucifixion and resurrection.
Many of the first generation Christians died horrible deaths
because they would not change their story about the physical resurrection of
Jesus.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I
also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with
the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he
appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still
alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all
the apostles.” - (1 Corinthians
15:3-7 esv).
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he
who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies
through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not
to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to
the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the
body, you will live. ... 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present
time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of
God.” - (Romans 8:11-13, 18-19 esv).
V. THE QUESTION OF HUMAN
NATURE. ARE PEOPLE NATURALLY GOOD OR NATURALLY EVIL?[59]
A.
Creation. Created in the image of God, man was
“innocent”.
2.
Humanity was created with a “free will” to choose his
behavior. He could comply with God’s commands or act in defiance of them.[61]
B. The
“Fall”. Adam and Eve chose to disobey the command of God when they ate fruit
from a forbidden tree. As a result of this “sin”, the holy fellowship between
God and man was broken. The result of this broken fellowship was a judgment
from God on man and everything that had been placed under his authority.[62]
Pain, degeneration and death were the result.
C. While human
nature is tainted by a tendency toward sin (that is, rebellion against the
revealed will of God) we retain those “image of God” attributes with which we
were created. The conflict between these two natures is the biblical origin of
the human condition. This matters because it affects the way that we look at
everything. God made us with desires and emotions that reflect his nature. Sin
corrupts those desires and manipulates them for evil.[65] Some of these godly vs.
sinful desires include:
1.
love vs. lust
2.
compassion vs. manipulation
3.
humility vs. pride
4.
hunger vs. gluttony
5.
worship of God vs. idolatry (things other than God).
6.
sadness vs. despondency
7.
humor vs. foolishness
8.
vigilance vs. jealousy
D. The evidence of conscience.[66] Our
conscience, while not infallible, does provide us with an awareness of good and
evil. Our conscience pushes us toward goodness while our depraved nature pushes
us toward evil. The conflict of conscience is uncomfortable. There are three
ways in which we can deal with this conflict of conscience:
VI. CONCLUSION: KEEP THE OBJECTIVE IN MIND: LOST, SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY SOULS NEED TO SEE JESUS.
The following is taken directly from the
book Kingdom of the Cults, by Dr. Walter Martin.[70]
“It is our conviction that the
Word of God and prayer, addressed to Him through the Holy Spirit, is the most
powerful motivating force in the universe, and can be subliminally utilised in
cult evangelism by the implantation of seed thoughts about the gospel of
Christ.
“How this may be done is best
illustrated by examples drawn from the writer’s own experiences.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses are probably
the most active and zealous of all the missionaries of cultism in America
today. When called upon by Jehovah’s Witnesses, the writer for many years
employed the following approach with great success.
“I would invite the Watchtower
adherent or adherents into the living room, but before they had opportunity to
speak concerning their literature, I would state that I never discussed
religion or the Bible unless such a discussion was preceded by prayer, to which
all present agreed. I would then quickly bow my head and address the Lord as
Jehovah God. One must be particularly careful in dealing with Jehovah’s
Witnesses, to always address the Deity by the name Jehovah, or else the
Witnesses may not pray or bow their heads. Instead, they will admire the
bric-a-brac, thumb through their Bibles, reach for their briefcases, and
generally keep occupied until you have completed your prayer. Should the reader
be interested in knowing how I learned this, I must confess that, on occasion—I
peeked!
“When the name of Jehovah is
being used, the average Watchtower adherent will immediately bow his head, and
after you have finished praying and before they can pray, begin the
conversation by saying, "Now what was it that you wanted to discuss?"
“Always keep in mind in dealing
with Jehovah’s Witnesses, that they come equipped with a portable arsenal in
the form of a briefcase, which contains the major publications of the
Watchtower Society for their handy reference. At the outset you must insist
that they use nothing but the Scripture and that it must be a recognised
translation (King James, Revised Standard Version, New International, New
American Standard, etc.). You must further insist upon a discussion of cardinal
doctrines, particularly concerning the person, nature, and work of Jesus
Christ. Thus deprived of his Watchtower material and his Watchtower
translations and circumscribed to the person of Christ in discussion, even the
best trained Jehovah’s Witness is at a distinct disadvantage. On the other
hand, the Christian who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit then has a definite
advantage.
“After the discussion had gone on
for some time, and I had listened to as much of "Pastor" Russell’s
theology as I could tolerate for one evening, I would remind the Witnesses of
the lateness of the hour and asked if we couldn’t close with a word of prayer.
I would then immediately bow my head and begin praying again.
“Now what I have mentioned is, by
itself, only an outline of how to conduct one’s self in the presence of
Jehovah’s Witnesses, with one important exception. During my opening and
closing prayers I would totally preach the gospel, emphasising the deity of
Christ, His death for our sins, the certainty of knowing that we have eternal life
now, by faith in Him, and that salvation comes by grace alone, independent of
human works. I would profusely quote the Scriptures, and in actuality be
preaching a three-minute sermonette, subliminally implanting the true Gospel of
Jesus Christ and, I might add, blissfully uninterrupted. For no one, not even
the most zealous disciple of "Pastor" Russell, Joseph Smith, or
Brigham Young, can interrupt a prayer. I have seen such a methodology or
technique of evangelism make a tremendous impact upon Jehovah’s Witnesses and
other cultists, because, for six minutes of the evening at least, the Christian
has the opportunity to present the true Gospel of Christ without interruption.
We must believe that God’s Word will not return unto Him void, but will
accomplish what He pleases and prosper in the thing whereto He has sent it
(Isaiah 55:11).”
[1] Ephesians 4:14
[2] Jude 1:9, Revelation 20:10
[3] 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
[4]David S. Clark quoted by Myer Pearlman in Knowing
the Doctrines of the Bible, GPH, Springfield, Mo, 1990: p18.
[5]2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21
[6]Dr. William Evans, quoted by Pearlman, p. 20.
[7]Matthew 24:35, Isaiah 40:8
[8] This section of this series borrows heavily for Dr.
Walter Martin’s book The Kingdom of the Cults chapter 3 “The
Psychological Structure of Cultism” pp. 25-37. Bethany House Publishers-
Minneapolis, MN, 1993.
[9]Ibid, p. 26.
[10]Ibid, p. 26.
[11]Ibid, p. 27.
[12]Ibid, p. 28.
[13]Ibid, p. 33.
[14]Ibid, p. 34.
[15]Ibid, p. 35.
[16]Myer Pearlman Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible
Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, Mo. Pp 68,69.
For a more detailed explanation of this doctrine see
the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths at
http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Statement_of_Fundamental_Truths/sft_full.cfm#2 .
[17]Those who spoke to God face to face include:
Abraham (Genesis 8:1)
Jacob (Genesis 32:30)
Moses (Exodus 33:11, Deuteronomy 34:10)
The entire congregation of
Israel (Deuteronomy 5:4, Numbers 14:14)
[18] An Old Testament appearance of Christ is known as a
“Christophany”.
[19] Deuteronomy 8:19, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 28:16, 17;
Luke 4:8, Revelation 14:7.
[20] Acts 10:25-26, Acts 14, Revelation 19:10, Revelation
22:8, 9
[21] Matthew 2:11,
Matthew 14:33, Matthew 28:9, 17, Luke 24:52, John 9:38, Revelation 5
[22] Revelation 7:10, 17, Revelation 14:4, Revelation
21:22, Revelation 22:1, 3, Revelation 22:3
[23] Mark 3:11, Luke 8:28.
[24] Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8
[25] Genesis 2:7.
[26] Hebrews 11:3.
[27] Genesis 2:7.
[28] In Job 32:8(esv) a young counselor named Elihu
declares the Divine origin of man’s ability to reason: "But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that
makes him understand." He continues to say in Job 33:4 (esv) "The Spirit of God has made me, and the
breath of the Almighty gives me life."
While the word for “soul” is used for animal life as well as human life,
the term “inspiration” (or God-breathed-in-life) is reserved for humanity. It
is the “breath of God” in humanity from which the human spirit comes.
[29] Hebrews 4:12.
[30] Matthew 9:4.
[31] John 16:22.
[32] 1 Corinthians 15:26, Isaiah 25:8.
[33] “He has made
everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts,
except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (nkjv)
[34] Hebrews 9:27, Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians
2:10.
[35] In Matthew 22:32 Jesus is quoting God’s conversation
with Moses in Exodus 3:6 in which God asserts that he is the God of Abraham, etc. not that he was, etc. Abraham, et. al. are still alive though they are
separate from the body. “So we are always
of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from
the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by
sight. “Yes, we are of good courage, and
we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” 2
Corinthians 5:6-8 (esv).
In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells
of a poor man named Lazarus and a rich man, both of whom died. In this passage,
Jesus gives us a window into the events that followed after their deaths. The
text does not identify this as being a parable but a series of events that
actually did occur. Furthermore, in this account Jesus named names, a practice
that does not occur in other parables. Jesus also attributes part of a
conversation to Abraham, whose existence neither he nor his listeners would
have questioned. 1 John 2:17 and John 3:16 present eternal life to those who
follow Jesus.
[36] Based on the internal evidence, the Book of Job is
considered by many scholars to be one of the oldest books of the Bible. Job
clearly has an understanding of life after death (including a physical
resurrection) when he says, “For I know
that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after
my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes
shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” - Job 19:25-27
ESV. In the Old Testament Daniel received a specific promise of resurrection
(Daniel 12:13). Hannah expressed a knowledge of the resurrection in her joyous
prayer in 1 Samuel 2:6.
1 Corinthians 15:12-26 (and
other passages) makes the Resurrection
the essential keystone of Christianity. To paraphrase, “If there is no
resurrection, what is the point?”
[37] Acts 2:27, 31 quotes Psalm 16:10. 1 Corinthians 15:55
quotes Hosea 13:14.
[38] Luke 16:22.
[39] Luke 23:43.
[40] Luke 16:23, 28.
[41] Matthew 8:11-12, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 24:51(in this
parable, note the weeping and anguish after
being fatally cut into), Matthew 25 (entire chapter), Luke 13:24-30.
[42] Revelation 14:9-11.
[43] Revelation 20:10
[44] “And one called
to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is
full of his glory!’" (Isaiah 6:3 esv)
[45] Matthew 25:41, Isaiah 14:11-17, Luke 10:18,
Revelation 12:9.
[46] “But by the
same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being
kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. ... The Lord is
not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward
you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
(2Pe 3:7, 9 esv)
[47] Because of the virgin birth he was not a partaker of
the “Adamic nature”. cf. Romans 5:6-21.
[48] Because he never committed sin. cf. Hebrews 4:15.
[49] Acts 4:10-12.
[50] Matthew 17:9, Mark 9:9-10, Luke 24:46, John 2:19-22.
[51] Acts 2:27-32.
[52] Acts 2:36.
[53] Acts 13:33-35.
[54] Matthew 28:16, Mark 16:14, Luke 24:33-37, John 19-20,
Acts 1:3.
[55] Acts 6:7.
[56] Acts 10:22.
[57] Luke 24:42.
[58] 1 Corinthians 15:12-26.
[59] Romans 5
[60] Genesis 1:26, 31
[61] Genesis 2:15-17
[62] Genesis 3:17:19
[63] Romans 5:12.
[64] Romans 3:23, 1 Kings 8:46.
[65] Galatians 5:19-21
[66] Romans 2:15
[67] 1 Timothy 4:1-3, Titus 1:15.
[68] Romans 3:20,
[69] Hebrews 9:13-15, 10:22
[70] Dr. Walter Martin, Kingdom of the Cults:
Chapter 18. Bethany House Publishers.
pp. 395, 396.
