 1. Where did I come from?
2. What am I doing here? 3. Where am I going? 4. What is my source of authority for these answers? And most important of all, one posed by Jesus Christ in Matthew 16, Mark 8 and Luke 9: 5. "Who do you say that I am?"
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 If you’ve spent much time studying Bible commentaries, you’ve probably come across phrases such as “what this verse really means is…” Sometimes these explanations are designed to make a passage like “God so loved the world” fit some philosophy that says just the opposite. Other times, they’re meant to excuse Him for not getting something quite right.
I came across another example of the latter this week in the teacher’s edition of Wm. Smith, LLD’s Bible Dictionary. Published in 1884, its pages may be yellowed, but they reveal some very interesting things about the Bible and its people, places and messages. Most of it seems to be just what we learn today, although of course many details have been filled in, especially in the field of archeology. But there has been one obvious and enormous change since 1884: the restoration of the nation of Israel, just as predicted in great detail in the Bible thousands of years ago. As we know now, that restoration has been astoundingly complete, encompassing everything from attacks and victories to language and currency. Astonishing, really! But Mr. Smith and his editors did not foresee this amazing series of events. In fact, it seems that they had given up on these prophecies ever being literally fulfilled. Here in part is what they said on the subject: Even these [gleanings of the ten tribes of Israel] were gathered up by the conqueror and carried to Assyria, never again, as a distinct people, to occupy their portion of that goodly and pleasant land which their forefathers won under Joshua from the heathen. Schaff Bib. Dic. adds to this summary that “after the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, B.C. 721, the name ‘Israel’ began to be applied to the whole surviving people.” No doubt many of the kingdom of Israel joined the later kingdom of the Jews after the captivity, and became part of that kingdom.” (emphasis added) In other words, no, of course the nation of Israel was never restored as a geopolitical entity, but hey, that’s not what God meant. He meant that the kingdom of Israel would morph into the kingdom of the Jews, that’s all. I have no idea if Mr. Smith and his editors were still alive in May of 1948, when Israel became a nation again and good ol’ Harry Truman kicked off the fulfilment of a slew of prophecies by recognizing her. But I’ll bet they would have been at least a little embarrassed to have doubted the inevitability of some of God’s most wonderful prophecies. It’s a lesson we should all take to heart: If the Bible says it’s going to happen, it will!  Some time ago, I was asked a number of great questions by a very intelligent friend, a new Christian who had become involved in serious Bible study. Her questions pointed to such a pivotal issue that it seemed worth a post; I’ll bet there are a lot of people out there wondering the same things.
Her questions, in a nutshell: Why are there so many Christian denominations? Why do they seem to be attacking each other? Why can’t we all just get along? I’d say that the answer boils down this: Professing Christians have different explanations for how one gets to heaven – and they consequently preach different gospels describing how to get there. What’s more, they claim different sources of authority, or different interpretations of those sources. For example, one major denomination says that being welcomed into heaven requires membership in its church, plus faith in Christ, plus works (such as baptism, confession to a cleric, saying specific prayers, and attending services), plus paying for at least some of your own sins in post-life suffering. Their source of authority is a combination of scripture, tradition, and church leaders. Another prominent denomination teaches that you get into heaven through repentance (i.e. turning from what God has defined as sin in the Bible), faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, and baptism. Its source of authority is scripture alone. Other groups teach salvation through repentance and faith in Christ's finished work on the cross -- period. Their source of authority is also scripture alone; unlike the latter group, they don’t believe that the Bible teaches baptism as salvational, but as an act of obedience by the already saved. Some churches teach that it's all been predetermined in eternity past, that God already chose the minority who would be saved, and the majority who would spend eternity in hell, and that there's nothing we can do to change our destination. These groups also claim scripture as their authority. There are also churches out there today teaching a form of universalism: people are inherently good, they say, and most are going to heaven. Their source of authority: their personal takes on what is divinely inspired in the Bible, and what is not. There are many variations on these basic themes, and many differences among individual churches and preachers, and I’ll bet that representatives of each of the above groups will argue that I’ve got their gospel all wrong. That may be. But my point is that all this denominational chaos boils down to this: What is the true gospel? What should we be trusting in to assure ourselves of heaven? Faith in Christ alone? Faith plus works? Our inherent goodness as human beings? Or are we simply to hope for the best? Does it really matter which gospel a church teaches? Of course it does. It’s the one thing that you don’t want to get wrong in this life, because its impact is eternal. The apostle Paul certainly considered this truth critical; as he wrote in Galatians 1, “As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” Do we want to risk being taught by someone who is accursed? Today, there are a number of ecumenical movements calling for the uniting of all Christians into one church (and even uniting all religions into one “church”). It may sound good until you consider two things:
Bottom line: the gospel preached is by far the most important quality of a given church. All other differences, from musical formats to teaching styles, are minor. (And one could argue that, if a church gets the gospel right, it'll be on the right side of these issues as well.) I think this tells us that it’s a mistake to choose a church based on something like musical preference or location or what activities it allows or disallows – a mistake akin to choosing a university because you like its landscaping or a hospital because you’ve heard that the food is good. The only wise choice is one that’s based on a careful study of the gospel, and which church is teaching the truth.  Romans 8:28 is arguably one of the most liberating verses in the entire Bible: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (NASB)
Sometimes we even have the privilege of seeing good emerge from our worst trials – to witness Him giving “a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting, so they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3) Such was the case for my friend Beth Horn, the Field Experiences Coordinator for the Bob Jones University School of Education and a 10-year cancer survivor. Her story is very encouraging – check it out here! |
Kitty
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