Non-Negotiables

What's true and what's false? Let's look at essential issues that Christians need to consider when taking what they hear and are taught through the grid of Scripture. A lot of the material I am writing about today is being taken from "Fool's Gold? Discerning Truth in an Age of Error," Chapter 11 by Dan Dumas.

In order for the man or woman of God to be able to discern properly, he or she is going to have to take a high view of God's Word, God's Person and salvation and the gospel. Dan Dumas says that these three comprise the biblical framework for determining what hills Christians should die on.

He says, "Because these three theological categories are of primary importance, believers should be careful to evaluate every ministry and every message they encounter through this doctrinal grid. Where you go to church, what books you buy, how you respond to the sermons you hear, and with whom you associate and minister -- each of these should be primarily evaluated on this basis." Pages 181-182

A High View of God's Word -- For the Christian, the Word of God is life. Not only does it give life, but it sustains it as well. A "Christian" who does not hunger and thirst for the Word of God is like a baby who never cries for its bottle.

"God's Word to the Christian should be like bread to the hungry man (Matt. 4:4) or like water to the thirsty deer (Ps. 42:1). By keeping its commands, we keep ourselves pure (Ps. 119:9). By following its guidance, we have a light for our paths (Ps. 119:105). By meditating on it, we find blessing and joy (Ps. 1:1-2). And by wrestling with it, we find our own lives being changed and sanctified (Heb. 4:12). It is our perfect guide and our ultimate authority (Ps. 19:7-11) -- because it is the very Word of God." Page 182

"Churches, sermons, books, and articles may claim to be Christian. But if they undermine or contradict God's Word in any way, you can be certain they don't meet God's approval. Sometimes these errors take away from what God has taught...Other times they try to add to what God has taught (for example, cult groups who place the teachings of their leaders on the same level as the Bible). But in either case, the Scripture itself responds with strong condemnation. Consider Christ's final warning in the book of Revelation (the book that completed the New Testament canon):

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. (22:18-19).

Without question, maintaining a high view of Scripture is a hill that every Christian should die on. If God's Word is undermined, such that God Himself is no longer given the final say, then the door is opened to all kinds of error. A high view of Scripture is absolutely indispensable to the discerning Christian, and this high view must uphold at least three elements." Pages 183

"The authenticity of Scripture. First, a proper view of Scripture necessitates a full understanding and acknowledgement of the Bible's authenticity -- namely, that the Bible is indeed the inspired Word of God." Pages 183-184

True wisdom is only found in the Word of God. I have been driving home the point in previous posts that the Word of God is the sole authority of truth. It is absolute truth.

"So unless we acknowledge that the Bible is indeed His Word, we forfeit all possibility of learning discernment." (Page 184)

In other words, when someone starts to say, "Well, I believe this part of the Bible but not that part," or, "I believe the Bible says this, but it means this," then we can have no hope of understanding clearly what is right and what is wrong.

"The accuracy of Scripture. ...If the Bible is God's inspired Word in every part (meaning that He is the author), then it must also be truthful in every part (including passages regarding science and history) because He is a God of truth." Page 184

"This means that Genesis should be believed when it states that the world was created in seven days. It means that Adam should be accepted as a real human being, that the Flood was a global event, that Sodom and Gomorrah were literally destroyed by fire from heaven and that Jonah was, in fact, in the belly of a fish for three days....It is not enough to accept the Scriptures as true in matters of faith and practice but deny its truthfulness in matters of history and science. If the God of truth has spoken (no matter the subject), then He has spoken truthfully.

Too often Christians accept false teachings because they trust the latest scientific or literary theories over the very Word of God. In doing so, believers relinquish their ability to discern truth from error. Why? The reason is simple: It's because they have let go of the truth, without which they have no standard for deciphering what's wrong from what's right." Page 185

"The authority of Scripture. A high view of Scripture also demands submission to its absolute authority. Because the Bible comes from God Himself, and because it reflects His perfect truthfulness, it also bears His authority as the final say in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Because we submit to Him, we likewise submit to His Word, through the power of His Spirit (John 14:15)." Page 185

Dan goes on to say that because we have the ultimate authority of God in His Word we don't need to supplement the Bible with anything -- not human philosophy nor business principles to learn successful church growth. God has given us everything we need to live the Christian life successfully.

Accurately understanding who God is comes from the study of His Word where we find His revelation of Himself to us. What exactly about God do we need to have an accurate understanding?

"A biblical view of the Sovereign. God's greatness quickly emerges from the pages of Scripture as one of His primary characteristics....Yet despite God's majestic self-portrait, many Christians today are trying to minimize His greatness and His glory. In some circles, His sovereign power is denied...In other circles it seems Satan and demons are feared more than God Himself (as in some charismatic contexts). But the Lord whom we serve is not like us. He made the sun, moon and stars...We are not at liberty to mold Him into our image." Pages 186-187

"In discerning truth from error, we must ask ourselves, "Does a particular teaching accurately depict the God of the Bible? Does it correctly represent His character, essence, and being?" Refuse to accept any teaching where the answer is other than "yes."" Page 187

"A biblical view of the Savior. God's greatness and majesty is not only seen in His sovereign power, but also in His mercy and grace. In fact, it was because of the Father's great love for us that He sent His Son to die for our sins. (John 3:16).

As God in human flesh (John 1:1, 14; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 1 John 5:20), Jesus Christ lived a perfect life before sacrificing Himself on the cross. As the spotless lamb (1 Peter 1:19) and once-for-all sacrifice (Heb. 10:12), He not only paid the price for our sins but also clothes us in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). As the risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:1-8), He sits enthroned at the right hand of God the Father (Acts 7:56), waiting for the day when He will return to earth to set up His kingdom (2 Thess. 1:7-10; Reve. 20:1-6). In the meantime, all who trust Him as their Savior and choose to follow Him as Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:9-10)." Page 187

Many, like the Jehovah's Witnesses deny Christ's deity as well as the doctrine of the Trinity altogether.

"Others are more subtle, agreeing that Christians must accept Jesus as Savior but not necessarily as Lord. Some even suggest that the resurrection was spurious or that the true Christ has been misrepresented by the church. But when compared to the clear testimony of Scripture, all such accusations fall flat. And that's why a biblical view of the Savior is so important for those who seek discernment." (Page 188)

Note: Just this morning I was reading a certain author's commentary on 1 John. It was clear that he, too, believed that you could be saved without Jesus being Lord. Those articles are now filed where they belong -- in the garbage. But, if I didn't have clear discernment on understanding who Christ is, I would not have caught that error and would have continued to live in confusion when reading the Bible.

"A biblical view of the Spirit. Before Jesus left, He promised that He would send a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to guide Christians throughout the church age (John 14:26) -- a promise that was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2-8)." Page 188

"The Bible clearly distinguishes the Spirit as a separate Person (John 14:26; Rom 8:11, 16, 26; 1 John 5:7) who is equal with the Father and the Son (Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 3:16-18; 13:14; Eph 4:4-6). His ministry is one of teaching (John 14:26; Luke 12:12), interceding (Rom 8:26), leading (Matt 4:1), giving life (John 6:63), filling (Eph 5:18), and sanctifying (Gal 5:16-22). As believers study God's Word, the Spirit aids us in the process (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:14). In fact, Ephesians 6:17 tells us that "the sword of the Spirit," the weapon He uses to help us fend off deception, is the Word of God. It's no wonder, then, that to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) is parallel to "let[ting] the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Col. 3:16)." Page 188

"Confusion about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is almost as old as the church itself...Needless to say, the unbiblical practices of some charismatic groups (such as slaying in the Spirit, laughing in the Spirit, barking in the Spirit, and so on) have only increased the confusion." Pages 188-189

"But the discerning Christian is spiritually unaffected by heretical trends like these. He is like a tree, firmly planted (Ps 1:3) because His view of God (including the Father, the Son, and the Spirit) is firmly founded in the truths of Scripture. By letting God's self-portrait inform his own thinking, the discerning Christian compares what he hears with what he knows to be correct. In other words, he refuses to replace a high view of God (one that is biblically accurate) with any type of cheap substitute." Page 189

A discerning Christian must also have a high view of the Gospel. We must clearly understand the answer to the question: "What must I do to be saved?" This question is literally a question of life and death.

"Sadly, many Christians downplay key aspects of the gospel message...As a result, false professions of faith are commonplace in the contemporary church, where belief is redefined as mere assent, and repentance is missed altogether. But discerning Christians are not impressed with watered-down gospel presentations, nor are they fooled by the false promises of prosperity preachers. Instead they have a clear grasp of the gospel, always being ready to give an account for the hope that is in them (1 Pet 3:15)." Page 189

"A right view of sin. The good news of Scripture actually begins with bad news -- namely, that all men are sinners before a holy God (Rom 3:23), unable to save themselves (Isa 64:6) and therefore worthy of His condemnation (Rom 6:23). Because Adam and Eve broke God's law (Gen 3:6-7), and because all of their descendants (with the exception of Jesus Christ) have also broken His law (Jas 2:10), human beings deserve to be punished. As a perfect Judge, God's judgment for sin is death -- both physical (Gen 3:3) and spiritual (Rom 5:12-19). Scripture teaches that men and women are not only sinners through their actions (1 John 1:8, 10), but also because they inherited a sin nature from Adam and Eve (Ps 51:5; Rom 5:12-19)." Pages 189-190

A church that focuses on the felt needs of the congregation rather than the real need of understanding and repenting of sin in order to be forgiven, has taken a very low view of sin.

As a result of this type of preaching, "in the end, God is misrepresented as a loving grandfather rather than a holy Judge, and the listeners are given false expectations about the wonderful life Jesus has planned for them. Any new "converts" spend the rest of their Christian lives trying to meet their own felt needs and never really dealing with the sin in their lives -- choosing instead to ignore it or to redefine it as "honest mistakes" or "unhealed wounds." In contrast, the discerning Christian is all-too-familiar with his own sinfulness, having cried out for God's mercy and daily battling the flesh (Rom 7:13-8:4)." Page 190

"A right view of self. If you have a right view of your sin, you will naturally have a right view of yourself...Those who recognize their sinfulness before a holy God immediately realize how wretched and unimportant they really are." Page 190

This is why the Christian who understands who he is will in humility not think more highly of himself than he should and why the things he has accomplished in the past are worth nothing, and he can see them for what they truly are. They are nothing compared to knowing and serving Christ.

"For the Christian, self-esteem is replaced with self-denial...This attitude of self-denial is ultimately tied to the gospel, since we can do nothing, in and of ourselves, to earn salvation... In embracing Christ's work on our behalf, we abandon any form of self-sufficiency, choosing instead to thank God that He has chosen us -- the weak, the foolish, and the unimportant..." Page 190-191

"A right view of salvation. Having underestimated sin and having overestimated themselves, these same Christians fail to properly understand salvation. In some cases, they begin to view salvation as nothing more than heavenly fire insurance...as though God is obligated to save them without any repentance on their part. Others misunderstand grace, including cults like Roman Catholicism, where works-righteousness is added to God's free gift. Key concepts, such as justification and imputation (Christ takes our sin, and we take His righteousness) are sometimes misunderstood or redefined..There are even some, such as Seventh-Day Adventists, who claim Christ's atonement on the cross was not His final work of atonement -- despite verses such as Hebrews 7:27 and 1 Peter 3:18." Page 191

"So what is the biblical plan of salvation from sin? The apostle Paul succinctly answers this question in Romans 10:9-10 when he says, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." It is also reiterated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Page 191-192

"Thus, the call of salvation is a call to believe in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and to publicly submit ("confess") oneself to Him as Lord (thereby repenting from sin). Of course, this is a gift of grace and not of human effort or merit (Eph 2:8-10). And it also involved other theological truths -- such as regeneration (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:5), election (Rom 8:28-30; Eph 1:4-11; 2 Thess 2:13), sanctification (Acts 20:32; 1 Cor 1:2, 30: 6:11; Heb 10:10, 14), and eternal security (John 5:24; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom 5:9-10; 8:31-39). But the heart of the gospel is this: By dying on the cross, Jesus took the penalty for all who believe in Him. And by trusting in Him, the believer is seen as righteous (or justified) in the sight of God.

Thinking rightly about the gospel is something God takes very seriously. In fact, Scripture severely condemns those who preach another gospel as false teachers (Gal 1:8)...False gospels cannot be tolerated because eternity is at stake." Page 192

There are other areas of doctrine that are important to the individual Christian such as end times, the church, etc. But, the above points are absolutely essential.

"Because Christ and the apostles took a firm stand on these issues, we should be careful to do the same." Page 193

"When it comes to developing discernment, we cannot overstate the importance of a theological grid through which every message is filtered. Without sound doctrine, you will not be able to protect your own heart from the many doctrinal errors that exist today. But by looking to the Scripture (as your ultimate authority) for a right view of God and a right view of the gospel, you can safeguard your mind -- "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor 10:5)" Pages 193-194