Yea, Hath God Said

We have been studying “Popular Christianity.”  In review, this is the acceptance by God’s people of worldly philosophy for faith and practice in the local New Testament church.  It is a changing of methods from Biblical methods.  As our Pastor says, “It is capitulation.”  Some have called this “Carnal, Secular, or Worldly” Christianity.  No matter what term you give this philosophy, it is contrary to Scripture.  The purpose of this series is to glorify the true God of the Word, by appropriately establishing from His Word the expectations for our Christian life.

Many of the “symptoms” of this philosophy include the following: watering down Theology, weakling Christians who still are in need of sincere milk (although saved for many years), placing of emphasis where the Lord does not place the emphasis, and negating separation truths clearly laid before us in the Word of God.  Before you make your assumptions upon where this series will lead us, take time to examine each lesson.  See the foundation of the lesson to be the infallible Word of God, and not the reasoning of man.

In our first lesson, we identified how “In the beginning” God’s name is presented differently.  We saw Elohim or God and Jehovah or LORD.  God is perfectly balanced, and even these two names given in the Hebrew language do not give the fullest picture of Who our God is.  There are several others used in Scripture.  We know that the God of the Word is a loving God; but He is also a just and righteous God.  Out of His love He seeks to judge sin, and make man righteous with His own righteousness[1].  This is all seen in Jesus Christ who is the image of the invisible God[2].

Anyone who emphasizes only one of these may have a tremendous imbalanced view of God and as a result this dictates the imbalance in his or her Christian life, because we have established that “Our philosophy for life should grow out of our Theology.[3]”  I will go a step further and say that you will live according to what you truly believe about God.  Hence, if God is only a God of love and relationship, He will surely not send anyone to Hell.  Certainly, a God of love will not chastise or punish.  On the other side of the spectrum are those who view our Lord as Jehovah, and they have missed the great love.  Thus, these individuals tend toward service out of duty rather than desire.

Reasoning That Produces Doubt

In this chapter we will see how the subtle, deceiving enemy[4] changed the Word of God and how it is a clear pattern for what happens today.  In Genesis 3:1 the Word of God says, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field Which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

It is at this point that Satan begins to bring doubt upon the Word of God.  He subtly changes what God actually commanded so that Eve would continue in conversation as if what Satan said was true.  All Satan had to do was cast doubt upon what God had said.  Is this not what is happening today?  You hear people who say, “Well the last part of John is actually not part of the Gospel” or you have those who are now giving credence to false Gospel accounts that those in the past clearly new to be heretical.  Why is this?  It is because Satan is still attempting to cast doubt upon the Word of God.

For simple comparison’s sake, the graph below places the actual command of God found in Genesis 2 next to the change made by Satan in Genesis 3.

The Results Against the Truth of Deity

What we have witnessed is Satan changing the truth of Who God is and the Word of God.  God is made to be the One who restricts rather than brings freedom.  Is it not interesting how Satan completely twisted what the LORD had said?  God said that man might freely eat of every tree but one.  Satan said ye shall not eat of every tree.  It is a tremendous exaggeration to the truth.  The exaggeration is in the exact opposite of what God had said.  This reminds me much of today’s “fence-straddling” Christians.  They see people who try to live holy lives for the Lord.  They see individuals who “walk worthy of the vocation” wherewith they are called.  They hear Biblical truths on separation, holiness and standards; and what do they say?  They generally misrepresent by exaggeration.  They make blind and ignorant statements like, “Those fanatics over there are just too up-tight” or “They are legalists” or “They are religious bigots.”  These are the ones that associate people who have Biblical convictions with those who have no life.  They associate Bible-believing Christians with those who have no fun.  They use the same phrase as Satan in essence by saying, “You mean you can’t eat of every tree of the garden?  Man, that is ridiculous.  You guys can’t have any fun!”

My friend, it is to you that I direct this statement, “True liberty is only found in the Lord and obedience to His Divine commands.”  To you I say, “Call me what you would like as long as what I adhere to is the command of God.”  Our Savior too was ridiculed.  It is with great honor that I accept the marks of those who call us narrow minded, intolerant while they themselves cast judgment on those who adhere to the clear teachings of the Word of God.

To the Christian who has begun to give in to the “There are just too many rules” lie of the world, there is one thing I would encourage you to do.  It is the same thing Eve should have done.  Remember the Word of the LORD.  Do not believe the tainted, philosophical, worldly propaganda that Satan is offering!  Consider what may have been if Eve would have stopped Satan and said, “Satan, His name is LORD God; and He said that I can freely eat of every tree of the garden save one.”  What was Christ’s response when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness?  Did not Christ use the Word of God?  Why is this so often the last resort?  As independent, fundamental, local church Baptists we proclaim that the Word of the God is the sole and Final Authority for faith and practice.

To those who are looking from the outside in, and you are wondering if the Christian life is a life of bondage; I tell you that there is no greater freedom than what is found in Jesus Christ!  The lie of sin and Satan bring bondage; but Jesus Christ died to set me free!  Praise God!  God is not the foe, as Satan would have us to believe.  “Who is on the LORD’s side?”  We will study this freedom in the next chapter.

[2] Hebrews 1:3 and Colossians 1:15

[3] Dr. Clarence Sexton of Temple Baptist Church in Powell, TN

[4] Ephesians 6:11 and II Timothy 2:26