Psalm 11:3 NASB
We see an unprecedented amount of ungodliness in our world today. Just as in the days of Noah, it appears that the thoughts and intents of the heart of man are only evil, all the time (Gen 6:5).
It seems ironic that as I write this, that we are celebrating independence day, while in reality millions are in bondage to their sunken depravity. It matters not that freedom has been "legislated" for deviant sexual behavior; there is no freedom apart from the radical freedom from sin that comes only through Christ Jesus.
I want to primarily address those who would call themselves Christians, as judgment first begins in the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). What we are seeing today, not only in our nation, but within the walls of the "professing church," is the result of building upon a faulty foundation. Many have chosen to build their spiritual house upon the sand, rejecting the rock that would ensure the true spiritual prosperity of those holding the faith "once delivered" (Matt 7:24-27; Jude 1:3).
In what ways have the foundations been destroyed? In what ways have we been found to have been building upon sand? Let's look at some "basic" things in scripture, that have been neglected, and even rejected by generations of professing Christians, leading, I believe, to what we are seeing today.
1. What happened to the fear of the Lord?
This is at the entry level. The fear of the Lord is basic to our knowledge of God, and the beginning of wisdom (Prov 2:1-5). With no fear of the Lord, it is impossible to be a true Christian, one who in truth, believes in, and follows the Lord Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. To fear the Lord is to take Him seriously. It is to believe what He reveals to us about Himself; His standards, His justice, righteousness, and holiness. It is to take His words seriously when He speaks of judgment and hell. To fear the Lord means that we take to heart what He tells us of ourselves; our sinfulness and rebellion, our lost condition; of our being dead in sin apart from Him. The fear of the Lord will cause us to depart from evil (Prov 16:6). This fear drives us to seek the Lord, and to live in obedience to Him (Job 1:8). It is a healthy fear, a clean fear, distinguished from a slavish fear that is based upon "performance," always looking for one more good deed to perform; always worried that there is one more thing to do to ensure our salvation. No, the true fear of the Lord causes us to take Him seriously; to believe what He says, and to act upon it. It causes us to repent and surrender; to give up our sin, and to submit our lives to Christ; to follow Him in loving obedience for His sake, not for what we can get out of Him.
We have lost this fear. We would rather feel good about things; ourselves and our actions, even though they may deviate from scripture. We would rather have a god of our own invention; a god who does not punish sin, who does not convict us when we stray. We would rather have a Jesus who did not speak about hell and coming judgment; and many have twisted His words on these things to explain it all away. We would rather have a Jesus who bore the cross for us, and said nothing of our need to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34). We say it is a finished work, and indeed it is. There is nothing we can add to the work of Christ on our behalf. Yet, He calls us to lose all for Him; to deny ourselves, and to follow Him even unto death if we would be His disciples. Why do we reject this today? Those who call Lordship salvation a heresy, are in effect calling Jesus a heretic, as He is the one who preached it first. Where is our fear of the Lord?
You see, there is very little of the fear of the Lord in existence today. This is why so many of us can sin so easily, and come back with a half hearted confession, or no confession at all. This is why it is so easy to call ourselves Christian in name only, while our lives are filled with the devil. If we do not take the scriptural warnings at face value, and the New Testament alone, is full of them, we won't really care what our lives look like to God. That is why we can see so many "happy" people in Church tolerating any and everything that comes along; they worship God with their lips, while their hearts are far from Him (Mark 7:6-7).
2. The scriptures have been explained away.
The Bible tells us that scripture is God breathed. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). Jesus states that those who continue in His word are truly His disciples, and they will know the truth that can set them free (John 8:31-32). We have seen in the last several generations, an assault on the word of God, to make it of little or no effect. Men have placed doubt upon the inspiration of the scriptures, others upon the absolute truth of the scriptures. They have explained away the miracles, the commands, warnings and the promises of the word of God, in favor of mere humanistic "wisdom" and effort.
Many people within "Christianity" believe that the Bible contains the words of God, but is not the word of God. Many others look at it as merely a cultural thing that has no real bearing on today's culture. They believe it is old and antiquated; it was for a different time, and it cannot work for us today to follow the principles found within it. So many of the promises and commands found within it's pages are explained away by the "cultural" argument. Once again, even New Testament principles are rejected by the modern "Church."
There are those within the realm of "Christianity who reject the reliability of God's word. They say that you cannot believe everything that is in the Bible. These people believe that some things are true, while other things are not. This leads one to question the reliability of anything revealed to us by God, even the gospel. This also leads people to pick and choose what they will believe and follow as Christians; a dangerous concept indeed. Those who teach this are much like Satan when he placed doubt in the mind of Eve (Gen 3:1-5). We are warned: Do not add to, do not take away from God's word (Rev 22:18-19). The word of God is not subject to our own interpretation. We do not have the option to make it say what we want to hear (2 Peter 1:20-21).
As I stated earlier, my purpose in writing this is to show us the dangerous ground we are on within professing Christianity. This is primarily addressed to those who call themselves Christians, not the world at large. These are common teachings within many of our churches and denominations today. Look it up. There are many polls out there that show the rejection by professing believers, of some of the most basic and orthodox beliefs found in God's holy, inspired word. How can we expect a Church to live according to the precepts and principles found within the pages of the sacred word, when it has been so thoroughly explained away by our modern pastors, teachers, theologians, and professors?
3. There is very little love of the truth found today.
The Apostle Paul wrote of a coming time when men would no longer endure sound doctrine. Instead, they would gather to themselves teachers who would teach them what they wanted to hear (2 Tim 4:3). We are living in an age where there is little love of the truth. Mega churches are filled with "seekers" desiring to have their ears tickled with soothing words. Pastors are busy dumbing down spiritual truths, choosing to give "uplifting" messages rather than confront the lost with the claims of Christ and the truth of the gospel. People do not want to hear of hell and judgment; they do not want to hear about sin and repentance. They would rather be soothed; have their ears tickled, and be encouraged to embrace who they are regardless of how wicked it may be in the sight of God. Pastors and modern evangelists have spread a gospel that comforts sinners in their sin. They have encouraged people to "come just as they are" with no sorrow, and no repentance. The modern gospel is more concerned with the happiness of man than the glory of God. Churches are filled with individuals selfishly seeking their best life now, using God for their own personal gain. But this is not how the Bible portrays salvation or true Christianity. The message of the cross is one of death to sin; of self denial and persecution; of trial and tribulation. The mission of Christ was to set men free from sin. The word of God assures us that those who are truly born again are overcomers. Their lives are no longer the same; they do not live how they used to live; they have been transformed (2 Cor 5:17; 1 John 3:5-6, 5:4-5).
Those who reject the truth do so because they love wickedness. There is a strong warning of God's judgment for those who refuse the truth. God will send them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false (2 Thess 2:10-12). Those who are willfully ignorant, who choose to reject the truth for a lie, will be given over to falsehood, and go lost. This is a serious warning to those who seek out teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. As for those who teach a different gospel than what is revealed in the scriptures, they are under a severe warning as well. Paul says they are accursed; devoted to destruction (Gal 1:8-9). It is no small matter in the eyes of God when we exchange the truth for a lie (Romans 1:18-32).
These may seem like hard words to many. It is not my desire to offend, but to speak up, to sound a clear warning; something is wrong! We are told that Christ is to come back for a Church without spot or wrinkle. He is looking for a Church that is holy and blameless. When He comes back, it will not be for a country club; a place where everyone can get together and have a great time feeling good about God, and themselves, and all of their sin. He is not returning to take home all of those who have used Him for the advancement of their worldly pursuits. He is not coming for the television hucksters who peddle a gospel get rich quick scheme, or for those who faithfully sowed a "seed" in order to gain material blessings. This is nothing more than the promotion of a god for hire, yet so much of our American Christianity is based upon these and other selfish principles.
We need to get back to the basics. We need to cry out for wisdom, to seek it as we would seek silver and hidden treasure. We need to discern the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 2:1-5). We need to take Him at His word; to believe that He means what He has said. We need to come to Him in humble repentance, to submit ourselves to Him; to receive His word and obey it. We must love His truth, even when it is hard. And to love His truth means that we let it shape our lives, and we speak up boldly in defense of it no matter the cost. The church is to be the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim 3:15). We must pray for strength and wisdom in these perilous days. We must pray for revival to shake us up, to awaken the sleepers, and to prepare us for the days ahead, that we would be found worthy of Christ at His return.
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