Preaching Myths In Modern Pulpits (Part 5)

Myth 5. The Gospel is to love God and love people.



One angry member of an emergent church recently launched some stinging criticism at the way I evangelize. The conversation went something like this:

EMERGENT: It really offends me how you use the ten commandments to show people their guilt. You are such a legalist. Instead, you should only tell them to love God and love people - that's all they need to do.
CAMERON: How are you doing at loving God and loving people?
E: I'm doing quite a good job of it actually.
C: Do you see your problem here?
E: What problem?
C: Loving God supremely and loving your neighbor as yourself is Jesus' summation of the whole ten commandments. You are suggesting that I should stop being a "legalist" and instead tell people to keep the whole ten commandments. Worse than that, you actually think that you are doing a good job of keeping the law. If you really understood what Jesus was saying, it would not comfort you, but speak condemnation to you because of your utter failure and inability to keep it. If you really understood this you would desire a substitute Who has fulfilled this law that you cannot keep. You are calling people to meet the requirements of God's law whereas I am using the law to show people that they cannot keep it and need a Savior instead. Can you see who is the legalist here?
E: I don't know why I waste my time on legalists like you. I need to get back to reading "A New Kind of Christian".

If we understood Jesus rightly when He says to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourself. If we understand Jesus rightly here, then this verse does not speak comfort to us – it speaks condemnation. How are you doing at keeping the law?

This is why the Gospel is not about doing anything but about what Christ has already done in the place of sinners. This is why the Gospel is not about keeping the law but pointing us to the One Who fulfilled all righteousness. This is why the Gospel is not about a righteousness that we have done but a righteousness imputed to our account. This is why Jesus is much more than an example, He is a substitute for sinners who cry out in repentance and faith. This is why we cannot live the Gospel, because the Gospel is testifying to the One Who did what we can never do!

Truth 5. Telling people that to love God and love people is the gospel is actually telling them to keep the whole law in order to be saved.

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Preaching Myths In Modern Pulpits (Part 4)

Myth 4. People who preach the law of God are legalists.

The Apostle Paul didn’t think so. In the book of Romans he says:

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."(Romans 7:7).

I recently had a pastor tell me that he would not preach about sin because people already know that they are sinners. I suggested he pay a visit to the nearest prison and conduct a survey on the inmates to find out how many of them have been wrongly convicted. It is popular to suggest that everybody knows that they are sinners. But do they really? Scripture teaches us that "every man is clean in his own eyes" (Proverbs 16:2) and "proclaims his goodness" (Proverbs 20:6). Sure most people will concede to doing a few wrong things but grace is never amazing to them because they've never contemplated the severe depth of their sin. A give away for this point is that these people often ask the question how can a loving God send people to hell and why is there evil? If they understood that they are really sinful they would ask how could God possibly forgive me? They would be relieved that God has not yet fully dealt with evil, particularly the evil that they have perpetrated themselves.

We can destroy the biblical meaning of grand concepts such as grace, love, forgiveness and salvation by failing to preach law, wrath, sin and hell. Their very definition hinges on a correct biblical understanding of these truths. This is highlighted in the interaction between Jesus, a sinful woman, and a Pharisee in Luke 7. Jesus shows that the more we are forgiven then the more we love. If we don’t see the depths of our sin then we won’t see the depths of God’s forgiveness.

If you really want to love God a lot like the woman who washed Jesus' feet then perhaps you need a deeper understanding of your own depravity and unworthiness. This in turn will serve to magnify Christ's redemptive work on the cross.

God's law serves four functions for those of us in the New Testament era:
1.It stops the sinner's mouth from justifying itself;
2.It helps the whole world realize that they are guilty;
3.It brings the knowledge of sin; and
4.It acts as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.
(Romans 3:19,20, Romans 7:7, and Galatians 3:24).

When preaching God's law it is important to remember that it is a mirror and not a stick. It shows us our utter inadequacy and inability to please God. It is designed to drive men to complete surrender rather than improved behavior. To bring us to the point where we are through with ourselves, where we seek a substitute, where we hunger and thirst for righteousness - it is then that God's grace becomes wondrous. It deepens our gratitude and sense of wonder at how amazing grace really is.

Truth 4. The law preached rightly kills all legalism because it shows our total wretched depravity and need for righteousness from a righteous substitute. To preach the law rightly we must preach it not as a stick to alter our behavior, nor as a carrot to entice us to a better life, but as a mirror to destroy our self righteousness. To not preach the law is cruel.



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Preaching Myths In Modern Pulpits (Part 3)

Myth 3. The Trinity can be illustrated by water, ice, and steam.

I’ve heard this one preached a lot of times. I have to say that any illustration is going to have problems when it comes to explaining the Trinity. But is there a particular problem with this illustration?



I don't want to be harsh on the guy in this video because he is spot on in his theology of the Triune God. It is just that he is using a bad illustration, one of which I am also guilty of using. Water ice and steam is actually a good illustration for the heresy of modalism/sabellianism which goes back to the second century AD and was a reason for the Athanasian Creed. I won’t delve into an in-depth study on the Trinity right now but I recommend Paul Washer’s book “The One True God” for an excellent and simple study on the subject.

The Athanasian creed is very long but it if you need to summarize it in three points regarding the Trinity as taught in Scripture they are these:

1.There is one God.
2.This one God exists in three persons.
3.These three Persons are each fully God.

Modalism however does not teach one God in three Persons. It teaches one god in three manifestations. So the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit become different roles that God uses at different times – just like water, ice, and steam is h2o appearing in different forms. The modalist has major problems with issues like Jesus praying to the Father or Jesus’ baptism where the Father spoke and the Holy Spirit descended. For the modalist Jesus is not eternal, but how the Father appeared for 33 years. For the modalist Jesus cannot be a mediator between sinners and the Father. For the modalist Jesus cannot suffer the Father’s wrath on the cross. I could say more but I think you can see modalism is a big problem – it is idolatry.

Modalism is alive and well today. Popular “evangelical” preacher TD Jakes is a modalist as well as the singing group “Philips, Craig, and Deane”. Todd Friel told me he once met “Philips, Craig, and Deane” though obviously not all of them at the same time.

Although the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal and exist in perfect unity, they often carry out distinct functions as distinct persons.

1. The FATHER is the invisible God who no man has seen (John 1:18).
2. The SON is God made flesh and the perfect revelation of the Father (John1:1, John 1:14, John 1:18, John 14:9).
3. The HOLY SPIRIT is God living in the Christian (Romans 8:9, John 14:16-17, John 14:23).

Truth 3. The Scripture clearly teaches that there is One God. This One God exists in three Persons. And these three Persons are each fully God. If you define God differently to this you are an idolater.

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Preaching Myths In Modern Pulpits (Part 2)

Myth 2. Doctrines only became true after they were written in creeds.

Let me explain by quoting popular emergent church leader Rob Bell from his best selling book Velvet Elvis:

“This is part of the problem with continually insisting that one of the absolutes of the Christian faith must be a belief that ‘Scripture alone’ is our guide. It sounds nice, but it is not true. In reaction to abuses by the church, a group of believers during a time called the Reformation claimed that we only need the authority of the Bible. But the problem is that we got the Bible from the church voting on what the Bible even is . . . (Bell then goes on to say) When people say that all we need is the Bible, it is simply not true” (p. 67-68).

So Bell thinks that the Bible didn’t exist before the church voted on it. Is this true? John Macarthur had this to say:

When various councils met in church history to decide on the canon (and canon means books that are inspired by the Holy Spirit) they did not vote for the canonicity of the book but rather recognized, after the fact, what God had already written. The councils were formed to formalize what they already knew. They were also necessary because of all the fakes that were getting around at the time (taken from The Macarthur Study Bible).

Another great example of this is the first two articles of the Together For The Gospel (T4G) statement of Affirmations and Denials (what you get when Thabiti Anyabwile, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, John Macarthur, CJ Mahaney, Al Mohler, John Piper, and RC Sproul bang their heads together):

Article I: We affirm that the sole authority for the Church is the Bible, verbally inspired, inerrant, infallible, and totally sufficient and trustworthy. We deny that the Bible is a mere witness to the divine revelation, or that any portion of Scripture is marked by error or the effects of human sinfulness.
Article II: We affirm that the authority and sufficiency of Scripture extends to the entire Bible, and therefore that the Bible is our final authority for all doctrine and practice. We deny that any portion of the Bible is to be used in an effort to deny the truthfulness or trustworthiness of any other portion. We further deny any effort to identify a canon within the canon or, for example, to set the words of Jesus against the writings of Paul.

The last part of that statement would not have been written 10 years ago. But with new false teaching that appears through history, we are forced to respond to it. Using Jesus' words against Paul doesn’t suddenly become wrong because we added it to our doctrine statement.

Here’s another quote from Rob Bell’s book Velvet Elvis where he says that the doctrine of the Trinity:

“emerged in the several hundred years after Jesus’ resurrection” (p. 22).

Rob Bell is talking about the Athanasian Creed which was written in the fourth century AD. What Rob Bell is saying would be like me saying that nobody thought terrorism was wrong until September 11 2001 because that is when we first see all these new anti-terrorism laws appearing. But we know that flying a plane into a building was always wrong. We just never needed to write it down until it actually happened. So too with the Trinity. It is what Scripture always clearly taught and was always understood – they didn’t need a creed until a lot of the heresies about the Trinity started being taught. So just like anti terrorism laws were written in response to 9/11 so the Athanasian creed was written in response to false teaching that was happening concerning the Trinity.

Truth 2. The Christian creeds never invented anything new – they are a wonderful gift to us confirming what true Christians have always believed during church history.

The subject of the Trinity leads me to my third myth which I will discuss on Friday: Myth 3 - The Trinity can be illustrated by water, ice, and steam.

Go On To Part 3
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Preaching Myths In Modern Pulpits (Part 1)

Today I am starting a series which will examine some of the popular soundbites and cliches used by modern preachers, to see if they are based in Scripture or human inventions. To see if they are consistent with the Christian faith or contrary to it. Is "preach the Gospel, if necessary use words" a helpful catchcry for evangelism? Is hell "eternal separation from God"? Do our churches need to be "seeker sensitive"? Should we "accept Jesus into our heart and make Him Lord"? Does "God have faith in us"? Is "loving God and loving people" the Gospel? Is preaching law before grace "legalism"? Over the coming weeks I will be responding to these, and other popular myths emmanating from many modern pulpits. The first one I will examine today is the popular Charismatic/Word Faith teaching on the Greek words "rhema" and "logos".



Myth 1. The word ”word” is translated either Rhema or Logos in the New Testament. Logos means written word and Rhema means personal revelation.

I can remember 13 years ago when I lived in Australia being at a Bible camp where we were sitting under the teaching of one of the major leaders within the Australian Pentecostal movement. This leader listened to me as I counselled one of the youth on the importance of the Bible by quoting Romans 10:17 which says ”faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Well, then the leader called me over and corrected me. He told me that the ”word of God” in Romans 10:17 was a ”rhema” word and that meant personal revelation – not Scripture.

I thought this guy must be right. He pastors a big church and must know a lot more than me. But about a year later by accident I heard a greek lecturer at a Pentecostal Bible school teach that the words rhema and logos are interchangeable. I was shocked by this revelation. I asked him, don’t you realize that this rhema logos teaching is widely used. There is even a whole movement based on this teaching – There are major churches and bible colleges named Rhema. The lecturer just shrugged his shoulders and said that none of the leaders were interested in having a greek lecturer teach them about greek words.

This is an idea that seems to have originated and gained major traction in the Word Faith movement. So I did some of my own research and this is what I found:

Matthew 26:75 And Peter remembered the word (rhema) of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Mark 14:72 And Peter called to mind the word (rhema) that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Luke 22:61 And Peter remembered the word (logos) of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

1) Jesus' word to Peter that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Matthew and Mark accounts refer to Jesus' word that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed using the Greek word "rhema" for Jesus' word. The Luke account, however, refers to Jesus' word that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed using the Greek word "logos" for Jesus' word. By comparing these 3 accounts side by side we can see that both "rhema" and "logos" can refer to a prophetic spoken word.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (rhema) of God:

Hebrews 4:12 For the word (logos) of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2) Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12 both describe the word of God as a sword, but Ephesians uses the Greek word "rhema" for the word of God, while Hebrews uses the Greek word "logos" for the "word" of God. Should we assume that there are two different "swords" of God's word, one that is a rhema word and one that is a logos word? No, the obvious answer is that it's the same sword being described in both cases and that the words "rhema" and "logos" are not distinct enough to justify creating two different categories of the word of God.

Acts 10:44 While Peter yet spake these words (rhema), the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word (logos).

3) Acts 10 describes Peter proclaiming the Gospel to Cornelius' household. Verse 44 uses both the Greek word "rhema" and the Greek word "logos" to refer to the words Peter spoke to them. Once again, this indicates that "rhema" and "logos" are both interchangeably associated with the spoken word.

What is my point in all this? It is that we have the authority of Scripture. The reformation succeeded where the renaissance failed because it was built upon the absolute authority of God’s Word. If you look through church history and look at every movement that honored God and then fell away – you will find the troubles first started with small compromises on God’s Word. Peter said that:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:16-21)

Truth 1. God’s Word is a more certain than even hearing God’s voice from heaven.

Continued on Wednesday: Myth 2 - Doctrines only became true after they were written in creeds.

Go On To Part 2

5 Days To Go - Reformation Resurrection 2010

Tilbage Til Bibelen (Back To Scripture) of Denmark is proud to host Dr Peter Hammond at this years Reformation Resurrection conference in Denmark. With 5 days to go (the conference runs from July 7th to 10th) we are almost fully booked but a handful of places remain.



Dr Hammond is one of the most exciting and gripping speakers I have ever heard. He is a rare blend of "tough as nails" frontier missionary, bold prophetic voice, and academic with peerless knowledge of Europe's Reformation history. Denmark rarely has visiting preachers of this caliber. If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Denmark - please don't miss out . . .

Click Here for all conference details.
Click here to view Dr. Hammonds CV.
Click here to watch a short interview of Dr. Hammond on "Wretched TV".
Click here to listen to Todd Friel interview Dr. Hammond.
Click here to download some of Dr. Hammond's sermons.

What Martin Luther Would Say To Brian McLaren

I recently had the priveledge of speaking with Phil Johnson. As we spoke, Phil reminded me that almost all of the new fads and trends that permeate modern evangelicalism are rehashed heresies from centuries ago. The emergent movement is no exception. They like to portray themselves as cutting edge "theologians" with precious new and fresh insights into how nobody has ever really understood the Bible and that they are the first ones humble enough to admit it.

Brian McLaren is at the forefront of this trend when he writes:

If I seem to show too little respect for your opinions or thought, be assured I have equal doubts about my own, and I don't mind if you think I'm wrong. I'm sure I am wrong about many things, although I'm not sure exactly which things I'm wrong about. I'm even sure I'm wrong about what I think I'm right about in at least some cases. So wherever you think I'm wrong, you could be right. If, in the process of determining that I'm wrong, you are stimulated to think more deeply and broadly, I hope that I will have somehow served you anyway. (A Generous Orthodoxy p19-20)

It is easy to see why God is not the author of confusion - Brian Mclaren is!

I have just finished Ray Comfort's book "Luther Gold" where he harvests some of the best golden nuggets from the extensive writings of Martin Luther. In one of the excerpts, Luther recounts his "conversation" with a group known as the "Sophists". As you read on you will notice that this ancient sect has an uncanny resemblance to Brian McLaren and the emergent movement.

Since we have been persuaded to the contrary by this, by that pestilent saying of the Sophists, "the Scriptures are obscure and ambiguous," we are compelled, first of all, to prove that first grand principle of ours, by which all other things are to be proved: which among the Sophists, is considered absurd and impossible to be done . . . let us proceed, and drown that pestilent saying of the Sophists, in Scriptures.

Psalm 19:8 saith: "The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." And surely, that which enlightens the eyes is not obscure or ambiguous! Again, Psalm 119:130: "The door of they words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple." Here it is ascribed unto the words of God, that they are a door, and something open, which is quite plain to all and enlightens even the simple. Isaiah 8:20 sends all questions ". . . to the law and to the testimony;" and threatens that if we do not do this, the light of the east shall be denied us.

Malachi 2;7 commands, ". . . that they should seek the Law from the mouth of the priest, as being the messenger of the LORD of hosts." But a most excellent messenger indeed of the Lord of hosts he must be, who should bring forth those things, which were both so ambiguous to himself and so obscure to the people that neither he should know what he himself said, nor what they heard!

And what, throughout the Old Testament, in the 119th Psalm especially, is more frequently said in praise of the Scripture, than that, it is itself a most certain and most clear light? For Psalm 119:105 celebrates its clearness thus: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." He does not say only - thy Spirit is a lamp unto my feet; though he ascribes unto Him also His office, saying, "Thy good Spirit shall lead me into the land of uprightness" (Psalm 143:10). Thus the Scripture is called a "way" and a "path": that is from its most perfect certainty. (Luther Gold p86-87)

The entire emergent movement just got "owned" by Martin Luther!

Just Added - The New Answers Book

This outstanding creation apologetics book has just been added to my resource directory!

THE NEW ANSWERS BOOK
Ken Ham (Editor)
Category: Creation/Evolution
Click Here To Order
The New Answers Book (also available as volume 1 of a three publication series) is packed with biblical answers to over 25 of the most important questions on creation/evolution and the Bible. This book features 15 authors including Ken Ham (who also served as general editor), Dr. David Menton, Dr. Georgia Purdom, Dr. Tommy Mitchell, Dr. Jason Lisle, Dr. Terry Mortenson, Dr. Monty White, and Paul Taylor. It covers such foundational questions as: What about the gap theory? Where did Cain get his wife? and Is there really a God? It also covers topics like natural selection, death and suffering, plate tectonics, the big bang, the laws of nature, UFOs and extraterrestrials, the alleged dinosaur-to-bird connection, distant starlight, and more. The NEW Answers Book 1 even has a section on radiometric dating, including the results of the recent RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth) project, sponsored by the Institute for Creation Research and the Creation Research Society.

John Macarthur On "Cleverness" And "Salesman" Evangelism

I thought it approriate today to follow my recent series on Recovering Abused Bible Verses with a sermon snippet of John Macarthur where he responds to "cleverness" and "salesman" evangelism. Drink deeply . . .

New To The Bottom Line - Recommended Christian Resource Directory

One of the great frustrations I experience in this earthly sojourn is every time I visit a "local Christian bookstore" (with the exception of the ones at the churches pastored by John Macarhur and Jeff Noblit). Generally speaking, these stores are a blend of sound biblical resources lightly mingled in a jungle of pop-psychology, pragmatism, and man centered "theology". Closer examination often reveals that many of these stores are a part of a chain that is owned by a larger secular parent company. The same can be said for most Christian recording labels and publishers. The tragedy that has unfolded over this gradual occurrence is that the almighty dollar becomes the ultimate determing factor. The front of the store is dominated by whatever sells with little or no discerning examination of the content. Zondervan, for example, are more than happy to publish John Macarthur's landmark work "The Gospel According To Jesus" alongside Rob Bell's heretical "Velvet Elvis".

When "everyday Joes" like us enter the local Christian bookstore in search of a spiritual steak we are faced with the same dilemna as ocean rescuers. They can be found but require dedicated surveillance of the vast ocean of spiritual salt water (undrinkable), with constant look out for sharks. And between the early 1990's and 2010 I can safely say that i have seen a dramatic increase in the sharks that roam these waters.

With this in mind, I have constructed my own resource library/bookstore that contains books, audios, CDs, and DVDs that I have read, watched, or heard - and most importantly, recommend as biblically sound and solid spiritual food. If you are looking for the good stuff then you will find a lot of it in this library. More will be added over time as I read and view more material. But what I have constructed so far is quite sizable and diverse. Also, books can be filtered by category, author, or title.

To explore further, please click on one of the four options (recommended audios, recommended books, recommended DVDs, and/or recommended music). You will see these in the right hand column of this blog under the heading "bookstore" (or below in this post). I am calling it a bookstore because I have put a purchasing link on each item that will take you straight to a page where you can order the product. Some of the products, if purchased via this website, will entitle me to a small kickback (although I am not sure I have set it up right) which I hope to use in support of my missionary labors in Denmark (I will talk more about that in a later post).

So please, check it out, surf around and see what interests you.

RECOMMENDED AUDIOS

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

RECOMMENDED DVDs

RECOMMENDED MUSIC