The Central Core of Christian Teaching - Part 1

References: (1) First, what is the ultimate reality — the really real? What is the basis for the way things are? What is the final reality that EXPLAINS how things came into being and how things hold together? What EXPLAINS the ORDER in the universe? (2) Different people would give various explanations. Carl Sagan, the astrophysicist, scientific popularizer, and host of his TV series “Cosmos,” would say: “The cosmos is all there is or ever was or ever will be.” Johannes Kepler, one of the originators of the scientific methodology, an astronomer who discovered the 3 laws of planetary motion, would say: “O God, I am thinking thy thoughts after thee.” (3) Let’s discuss God’s NATURE. I use ideas from the book “Thirteen Lessons in Christian Doctrine” by Denver Sizemore. A. His Unity — one God. B. His Transcendence. C. His Holiness. D. His Love. E. His Mercy. Three great words are closely associated in the Bible: love, mercy, and grace. LOVE is the basis of His MERCY, and God extends GRACE (unmerited favor) because He is merciful. God shows us His mercy daily when He answers our repentant prayers for forgiveness. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, encourages us to “come boldly to the throne of grace that we may OBTAIN mercy and FIND grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). F. His Power — Omnipotence. G. His Wisdom — Omniscience. God knows everything about us, even our thoughts. H. His Omnipresence. In Ps. 139:7-10 David could think of no place where he could go and be beyond the love and care of God. I. His Faithfulness. In the midst of constant change in every area of life it seems that nothing is STABLE. All of life is built on shifting sand. The things in this world do change — God does not. J. His Judgments. It is right that God can save and judge humankind. This is Episode 222.

References: (1) Religious pluralism poses profound questions especially for Christians. Very often the people that propose these questions are children of MODERNISM and their whole approach is DICTATED by highly questionable PRESUPPOSITIONS which includes naturalism which I have shown that it is self-defeating. (2) The Elephant and the Blind Men Parable. (3) In the same way, people claim that different religions hold PIECES of the truth about God, heaven, and salvation, but no one religion holds it all. Thus, they say we shouldn’t argue about which religion is true or right. Rather, we should just be ECLECTIC and learn from each religion, because between all of us, we might get the WHOLE TRUTH about God. (4) So what’s the conclusion? If you follow religious pluralism, then you would conclude the Bible is not TRUSTWORTHY; Jesus is not the SAVIOR; traditional logic is WRONG; and you have NO FREE WILL. Boy, isn’t that encouraging? (5) Robert Jeffress, now the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and author of the book “Not All Roads Lead to Heaven” writes, “When it comes to the CENTRAL ISSUE of SALVATION, we must allow our beliefs to be SHAPED by what the founder of our faith, Jesus Christ, ACTUALLY said, not by what we WISH He had said. If you carefully and honestly search the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ words (which are the only reliable repository we have for His teachings), you will find that the REAL JESUS, versus the IMAGINARY JESUS, drives a STAKE through UNIVERSALISM, PLURALISM, and INCLUSIVEISM. As evidenced by His own words, Jesus clearly believes that a person can only be assured of going to heaven through exercising personal FAITH in Him” [John 14:6; 8:24; 4:26; 9:37; Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5-6]. (6) Jesus claimed to be God — and not just any god. He claimed to be the one and only God first revealed in the OT, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (7) In the trial before the Sanhedrin, the high priest asked Jesus: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus answered, “I am, and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Jesus is quoting the prophecy of Daniel 7:13 and identifies Himself as being the Son of Man. In essence Jesus told the high priest in Mark 14:62 He was the Son of Man who would come on the clouds of heaven. The leaders of Judaism in Jerusalem, the high priest and the majority of the Sanhedrin, treated that claim as BLASPHEMY and ultimately they CONDEMNED Him to die by Roman crucifixion. (8) Believers today have the very SAME MISSION given to Jesus’ disciples and to us. We are COMMANDED to share the gospel message, the only way to heaven is through Jesus, and we go about that mission with the Holy Spirit living inside us, guiding as we share His truth. We are INSTRUCTED to tell people the only way to be forgiven is through faith in Jesus. In John 8:24 Jesus said, “If you do not believe that I am [God, the promised Messiah, the Christ, the Son of Man], you will die in your sins.” (9) The prayer: “Give me eyes to see the lost; A heart to love the lost; A will to win the lost; And a mouth to tell the lost about Jesus.” This is Episode 221.

References: (1) Pluralism claims there are many PATHS to heaven. (2) Just as PHYSICAL BIRTH comes through the birth canal of a mother is the only way into earth so the SPIRITUAL BIRTH coming through the door into heaven through Jesus Christ is the only way into heaven. (3) Studies by the Barna Survey Group and other surveys have noted the growth of ideas related to religious pluralism in American culture in recent years. (4) Pluralism has to do with giving credibility to COMPETING TRUTH CLAIMS and accepting DIVERSE BELIEFS regarding God and salvation. (5) Muslims and Christians agree that there is only ONE GOD — yet both religions define God differently and hold many other IRRECONCILABLE BELIEFS. (6) What does the Bible teach about religious pluralism? First, the Bible acknowledges ONLY ONE GOD (Deut. 6:4). Second, the Bible teaches EXCLUSIVISM in that there is only one way to know God — through Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter taught that same message in Acts 4:12 saying “Salvation is found in NO ONE ELSE for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Third, the Bible frequently CONDEMNS other religions as following gods that are not really gods. (7) If God’s people turn away in SPIRITUAL ADULTERY, it will not be long until the following generations will be engaged in PHYSICAL ADULTERY, for these two things go HAND IN HAND [Francis Schaeffer, The Church Before the Watching World, p. 142]. (8) Religious pluralism teaches that multiple religions are TRUE or EQUALLY VALID, something the Bible clearly REFUTES. The United States allows religious liberty, but at the same time Christianity communicates the Bible’s teaching of “one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). (9) Some people say theologians in the world’s most prestigious universities DISAGREE among themselves. How are we able to come to a clear understanding about God and His Son? (10) The reason so many in the most prestigious universities disagree among themselves about the true identity of God is because they do not believe the Bible is true. So it is incumbent upon ourselves to discover the truth of the Bible. (11) We need to be certain that our ideas about Jesus are based on REALITY as revealed in the Bible rather than of media stereotypes. This is Episode 220.

References: (1) Christianity is exclusivistic; it claims to be the one and only true religion. (2) The greatest stumbling block for nonbelievers coming to faith in Jesus Christ is the issue of EXCLUSIVITY. You may be reasonable in your explanation of Christianity to your acquaintances, but trust me, you will lose all credibility when you insist that faith in Christ is the ONLY PATH to heaven. But that is what the NT teaches. (3) Foremost is the diagnostic question: Who is God? What one believes about God affects EVERYTHING ELSE that a person believes. When Mortimer Adler, editor of the Great Books of the Western World, was asked why the “God” section of the Great Books was the largest section, he observed that it’s because more IMPLICATIONS flow from the subject of God than from any other subject.This then is the supreme, universal diagnostic question, important to each one of us. (4) But the people still were, by and large, NOT SATISFIED with the written word. God seemed too REMOTE, they wanted to see Him up close and personal. (5) John Piper on an article “Will We See God in Eternity,” says, “If you look at all the texts (on this issue), you will see that there are 2 different senses in which His people can see God and 2 senses in which they cannot see God.” (6) Second diagnostic question: Who is Jesus? The apostle John wrote: “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has fully EXPLAINED Him” (John 1:18). (7) Jesus is the perfect MIRROR for God. (8) Jesus brought God the Father very NEAR. (9) Jesus has the ONLY SOLUTION to the problem of sin. He doesn’t tell you to DENY it, nor to COVER IT UP, nor to BLAME it on SOMEONE ELSE. He says, “Repent of sin, confess it to God, bring it to Me, and I will take it and cast it into the deepest sea where you will BE SAFE FOREVER MORE.” (10) There is clear DISTINCTION between Christianity and every other religion. In Christianity we have a Savior who can really save us from our sin. All other religions believe people can EARN salvation by trying to do good works. (11) The believer rests in the hand of Jesus; that mighty hand is closed over the believer and NO ONE can SNATCH him out of Jesus’ hand. The Father who is greater than all and no one is able to SNATCH him out of the Father’s hand” [John 10:27-28]. That person’s soul is safe from the perils of sin forever. We rest in the hands of Jesus. That mighty hand is closed over believers. Then God the Father’s hand is closed over Jesus and the believer. This is Episode 219.

References: (1) 2017 Gallup Survey. (2) 1937 Gallup Poll. (3) “Christian Apologetics” by Douglas Groothuis. (4) 2008 Religious Landscape Report by the Pew Reform. (5) Note that pluralism is ENTIRELY CONTRARY to what Jesus says in John 14:6 that “I am the way, the truth, and the life; NO ONE comes to the Father but through Me.” (6) “Oxford American Dictionary of Current English.” (7) Groothuis quotes Keith Yandell who in “Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Religion” describes religion as offering a cure for a spiritual disease. (8) CENTRAL CORE of the Christian faith — what C. S. Lewis calls “mere” Christianity. All Christians should adopt the biblical evidence for the central core; it is overwhelming and CANNOT BE COMPROMISED. This is Episode 218.

References: (1) Marx’s 2 main publications are the books “Das Kapital”and “Communist Manifesto.” (2) The bedrock of understanding Marx is that he proposed an “economic interpretation of history” totally setting aside religious history, scientific history, etc. (3) To this time in history, Marxism has NEVER WORKED in real life — and, without exception, in the places where Marxism has been the government MODEL, Christians have always been PERSECUTED. That’s because there’s a FUNDAMENTAL DISTINCTION between Marxism and Christianity, a DEEP DIVIDE that cannot be BRIDGED. (4) Marxism is, at heart, an ATHEISTIC PHILOSOPHY with no room for belief in God. Given that fact we know that Marxism and Christianity cannot coexist philosophically. Karl Marx himself was clear on this point: “The first REQUISITE of the happiness of the people is the ABOLITION of religion.” (5) One of the basic tenets of Marxism is that the idea of PRIVATE PROPERTY must be ELIMINATED. Where Marxism has taken root, property owners will see their property CONFISCATED by the state. (6) The Bible honors WORK and teaches that “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2Thess. 3:10). The REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH mandated by Marxism destroys accountability and the biblical WORK ETHIC. Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matt. 25:14-30 clearly teaches our responsibility to serve God with our (private) resources. There is no way to reconcile Marxism with the Christ’s parable of the talents. (7) Marxism is ultimately about MATERIAL things; Christianity, on the other hand, is about SPIRITUAL things. (8) The Marxist concept of the clash of classes is totally contrary to the Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching. This is Episode 217.

References: (1) “Scripture Twisting” by James W. Sire. (2) Sire defines a cult. He says a cult is simply “any religious movement that is organizationally DISTINCT and has doctrines and/or practices that CONTRADICT those of the Scriptures as interpreted by traditional Christianity as REPRESENTED by the major Catholic and Protestant denominations, and is EXPRESSED in such statements as the Apostles’ Creed.” (3) In this sense, Mary Baker Eddy’s Christian Science is a cult, as is the Unification Church headed by Sun Myung Moon, the Jehovah’s Witnesses founded by Charles Taze Russell, the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) of Joseph Smith, Unity School of Christianity started by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, New Age based on Eastern mysticism, Hinduism, and paganism, Scientology founded by L. Ron Hubbard, and Brian McLaren‘s progressive or emergent church. (4) One way that this REDUCTION of Jesus to being a mere mortal was DISGUISED by what is known as “The Quest of the Historical Jesus.” This quest CONVERTS the LAMB of God from the SAVIOR of the world to a GREAT MORAL EXAMPLE. Albert Schweitzer was the instigator of this quest having written a book by that same title in 1911. (5) But the GENESIS of this SHIFT can be traced back to Immanuel Kant, the influential 18th century German philosopher, whose works centered mostly on the workings of the MIND in regard to things like REASON, AESTHETICS, and the nature of REALITY. (6) Kant taught that Christ was “TOTALLY HUMAN” and MERELY the PROTOTYPE of a humanity that is well-pleasing to God. Kant’s philosophy leaves “NO ROOM for a SAVIOR” because, in Kant’s mind as so many cultists believe, Jesus is NOT DIVINE. (7) “Woke Jesus” by Lucas Miles. (8) Hegelianism is a school of a politicized philosophical system based on the ideas of the 18th century German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Hegelianism became the BEDROCK of Liberal Christianity and Woke Christianity. (9) Hegel (and later Karl Marx) applied a unique argument, known as the “Hegelian Dialectic,” which maintains that PROGRESS is derived from CONFLICT. For Hegel, this conflict exists in a 3 step PROCESS involving the interaction between one proposed idea called the “thesis,” an opposite idea called the “antithesis,” with the eventual “synthesis” between the 2 opposing assertions. This idea of CONFLICT, of course, led to the Marxist idea of REVOLUTION. (10) While both Hegel and Marx agree that progress is derived from conflict, Marx thought that Hegel’s work was rooted TOO MUCH in idealism for Marx’s ATHEISTIC worldview and thus was INSUFFICIENT for bringing about the SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION Marx DESIRED. (11) Albert Mohler, the 9th president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, described Marx’s process of turning Hegel’s work on its head: “He saw CAPITALISM as the thesis. He then saw a form of REVOLUTION, even a VIOLENT revolution, as the antithesis. The synthesis he promised would INEVITABLY come out of a REVOLUTION that would lead to a COMMUNISTIC UTOPIA. After the thesis would come the revolutionary antithesis and after the antithesis would come a new era of prosperity and peace under the RULE of the people known as the Soviets” [albertmohler.com 01-03-2017]. This is Episode 216.

References: (1) To demonstrate how far the Church in America has FALLEN, a national 2017 Gallup Survey has found that ONLY 24% of Americans now believe that the Holy Scripture is “the ACTUAL word of God.” (2) Even MORE CONCERNING, according to the same poll, many Christians believe the Bible “SHOULDN’T be taken LITERALLY.” If these people say the Word of God can’t be taken literally, then they are implying that God Himself can’t be TRUSTED. (3) The traditional church in America has been INVADED by a liberal, postmodern FACSIMILE that MASQUERADES as the REAL THING. It calls itself by various names including “the Christian Left,” “Progressive or Emergent Church,” or “Woke Christianity.” (4) All kinds of postmodern, progressive or emergent sects have BLOSSOMED with the effect that the traditional church brings against the American secular culture has WANED. (5) According to Lucas Miles, the author of the book Woke Jesus, this new DILUTED faith “ABANDONS traditional biblical interpretations regarding marriage, gender, racial equality, justice, original sin, heaven and hell and salvation, and REPLACES them with a NEW FABRICATED MORALITY, built around political correctness, cancel culture, hedonistic values, obsession with public health, allegiance to the (political) Leftist state, universalism, and virtue signaling. Within its ranks are powerful FOOT SOLDIERS, many of whom were ONCE RELIABLE PILLARS of the faith, but who have DESERTED evangelicalism or have ‘DE-CONVERTED’ from the faith in one form or another” [p. xii]. (6) “Multiple factors have contributed to this EXODUS from biblical Christianity, including a rise of PROGRESSIVISM, . . . . , as well as the LIBERAL TAKEOVER of Christian HIGHER EDUCATION. But more inherent in the SYSTEMIC SHIFT of the church toward Wokeness is the gradual EVOLUTION OF THOUGHT among Christians, . . . . to ELEVATE Jesus’ HUMANITY over His DIVINITY, laying the GROUNDWORK for a widely accepted SOCIAL Gospel.” The new sects’ goal is “to REIMAGE what it means to follow Jesus,” and goes so far as to use female pronouns ”she”or “her” to refer to God the Father. (7) There is nothing new about this RELIGION which is dressed up like a woman of the night. It may be new, but it is still PROSTITUTION. (8) One of the most important items of debate among early Christians was the subject of Christ’s DEITY. Was Jesus really DIVINE in human flesh, or was Jesus merely a HUMAN BEING? (9) Most answers fell within one of 2 MAJOR CAMPS: the ALEXANDRIAN school of thought, which emphasized the DIVINE, and at times, the MYSTICAL NATURE of Christ, and the ANTIOCHENE school, which asserted that Christ had 2 NATURES within Him — one human and one divine. Extremism existed in both camps, resulting in BLATANT HERESIES, such as 4 inadequate views of the person of Christ: Arianism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, and Monophysitism. (10) The book “Bible Doctrine” by Wayne Grudem informs us that the primary advocate of this view that Christ had only one nature was Eutyches (ca. 378-454 AD). He was the leader of the monastery at Constantinople. Eutyches taught the OPPOSITE ERROR from Nestorianism. He DENIED that Jesus was truly human and held that the human nature of Christ was ABSORBED or “swallowed up” into the divine nature, so that both natures were changed into a THIRD KIND OF NATURE. (11) Wayne Grudem informs us that a large council was convened in the city of Chalcedon in Asia Minor near Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 451 AD. The resulting statement, called the Chalcedon Definition, was an important step in clarifying the nature of Christ and the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. (12) This definition has been taken as the standard, orthodox definition of the biblical teaching on the nature of Christ since that day by Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox branches of Christianity. This is Episode 215.

References: (1) “Woke” often means a variety of IDEAS one of which is being “conscious of INJUSTICE in society.” Of course, a Christian should be concerned about real injustice but what the liberal media suggests as injustice could be a MANUFACTURED CONCEPT that FOMENTS UNREST in society. A “woke” person is supposedly attentive to RACIAL DISCRIMINATION and the issues surrounding it. (2) Also the word woke has been closely linked to the rise of the Black Lives Matter — BLM for short. BLM is a political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and racial inequality experienced by black people. (3) Mike Gonzalez of the Heritage Foundation has accused BLM of being a Marxist movement based on a comment by one of its co-founders saying that she and another co-founder “are trained Marxist’s.” (4) Victor Davis Hansen says that wokeism is a Marxist IDEA where in Marxist ideology RACISM replaces the idea of CLASS STRUGGLE. (5) But from my point of view Marxism is such a dangerous idea, you need to avoid it like the plague. (6) The idea “woke” has its roots in Marxism and Marxism has a very unfavorable history from the revolutions of Russia and China and the more than 100 million deaths attributed to those revolutions. I fear that woke people attempt to create so much UNREST in our society in order that REVOLUTION will ensue with the goal of replacing the government. (7) The book “Woke Jesus” by Lucas Miles with the subtitle: “The False Messiah Destroying Christianity” informs the Christian community that “theologically PROGRESSIVE church denominations strive to RIGHT the Christian churches’ WRONGS.” (8) The progressive church opposes perceived wrongs including colonialism, White supremacy, economic injustices, patriarchy, sexism, transphobia, and heteronormativity.” I am afraid that the words “White supremacy” sounds too racist for me. The words “patriarchy” and “sexism” are the words of feminists I don’t admire. (9) Heteronormativity refers to a different norm, a different standard of behavior. I suspect this word is a CAMOUFLAGE referring to a different standard for MARRIAGE that ultimately advocates for SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. (10) One tactic when discussing a controversial topic is to take the topic to the extreme. (11) For a Christian, the Bible is the standard for determining right or wrong. So questions of same-sex marriage boils down to what the Bible declares is proper. Therefore it becomes a spiritual determination. (12) I fear that progressive churches use POLITICS as their standard. But that means what is right or wrong is determined not by an UNCHANGING STANDARD, but rather by the TALLY of the number of people who support same-sex marriage or on the loudness of their protests. (13) An influential book promoting liberation theology is the 1971 book A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutiérrez. (14) But like all heresy, Woke Christianity is rooted in an ELEMENT of TRUTH (as in God’s opposition to injustice), but it encapsulates this truth with a WEB of LIES, in particular, anti-biblical ideology and extremism. As such, scripture is either DOWNGRADED, stripped of its AUTHORITY, or completely IGNORED. Instead, personal rationalizations take the center stage in crafting Woke theology. Moreover, their Jesus is more of a MODEL for living than an object of WORSHIP! (15) Miles continues, “Both Critical Theory and Liberation Theology . . . . are creating a SCHISM, and if allowed a chance to grow, may arguably RIVAL the doctrinal differences of the Protestant Reformation. In fact, Critical Theory was a major topic of conversation as the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC for short) was voting in a new president, Ed Lipton, in the summer 2021. Miles records that Lipton was viewed as a “woke” theologian. That is a damning assertion without giving corroborative evidence. This is Episode 214.

References: (1) In my time, The Great Soviet Encyclopedia [Moscow, 1952] stated that Jesus is “the name of the MYTHOLOGICAL FOUNDER of Christianity.” (2) “The New Testament — Its Background, Growth, and Content,” by Bruce Metzger. (3) “Losing Faith in Faith” by Dan Barker. (4) In the New Testament period a heresy known as GNOSTICISM began to develop. This term covered a varety of sects that advocated numerous aberrant ideas totally at variance with biblical truth. (5) A subcategory of Gnosticism believed Jesus was not a real, flesh-and-blood human being; he merely “appeared” to be. He had some sort of PHANTOM BODY, so much so that He did not leave tracks. That subcategory was called Docetism. (6) Gnosticism is based on 2 FALSE PREMISES. First, it espouses a DUALISM regarding SPIRIT and MATTER. Gnostics assert that matter is INHERENTLY EVIL and spirit is GOOD. (7) Second, Gnostics claim to possess an ELEVATED KNOWLEDGE, a “higher truth,” known only to a certain few. (8) Many scholars are convinced that there are a number of New Testament warnings concerning the errors of a nascent version of Gnosticism. (9) Christianity asserts that there is ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH and that is the Bible, the inspired, inerrant Word of the living God, the only infallible RULE OF FAITH and practice [John 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12]. It is God’s written revelation to mankind and is NEVER SUPERSEDED by man’s thoughts, ideas, writings, reasonings, or visions. (10) The Gnostics, on the other hand, use a variety of early heretical writings known as the Gnostic gospels, a collection of FORGERIES claiming to be the “lost books of the Bible.” (11) Jehovah’s Witnesses claim Christ was merely an angel claiming that Jesus is identified with Michael, the arch-angel (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 218). (12) The entire first chapter of Hebrews is an argument proving that Jesus was not of the angel class. (13) The internet article, “Jehovah’s Witnesses And The Doctrine Of The Deity Of Christ” by Sky Cline. (14) Islam claims Jesus is merely a prophet. Islam says Jesus is not the Son God because Allah cannot have a son. They conclude Jesus is not divine. Neither did He die on the Cross, and thus was not resurrected. (15) We need to define what woke is. Grammatically, woke is the past tense of “wake.” But in our society woke has come to mean so much more. It is a fairly modern term which means a variety of terms one of which is “conscious of INJUSTICE in society.” (16) Victor Davis Hansen says that wokeism is a Marxist idea where racism replaces the idea of class struggle. It involves social justice, transgenderism, political correctness, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and opposes meritocracy. This is Episode 213.