Is the basic riddle of the universe how to preserve man's rights and solve his problems (say, the right of self-determination, and the problem of suffering)? Or is the basic riddle of the universe how an infinitely worthy God in complete freedom can display the full range of his perfections - what Paul calls the "riches of his glory" (Romans 9:23) - his holiness and power and wisdom and justice and wrath and goodness and truth and grace?

     How you answer that question will profoundly affect the way you understand the central event of human history - the death of Jesus, the Son of God.

     I introduce our text (Romans 3:25-26) with this long meditation on the power of our starting points, because the deepest problem that the death of Jesus was designed to solve is virtually incomprehensible to the secular mindset. That is why this truth about the purpose of Christ's death is scarcely known, let alone cherished, as part of everyday evangelical piety. Our Christian mindset is so skewed by natural and secular man-centeredness that we can barely comprehend or love the God-centeredness of the cross of Christ." - John Piper

ON HISTORICAL REFLECTION

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     Mainstream Pentecostalism came of age with the preaching of Aimee Semple McPherson and the building of the Foursquare Gospel Tabernacle in Echo Park, California. The older generation of Foursquare Gospel adherents look fondly and reverently on what they consider to have been the golden age, when Aimee was treated like royalty and her voice spoke from the radio with her charismatic style.

     Today, the defenders of her image are legion, but is what they defend the true character of who she actually was, or are they defending what they wished her to be, ignoring facts surrounding the real world of Aimee Semple McPherson? The Bible does not mention Aimee Semple McPherson, but within its pages can be found her portrait, the counsel outlining the depiction of her character and the proper response to her claims by the Christian believer.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ARTICLES ON THE ON DOCTRINE WEB SITE
Aimee Semple McPherson and the Foursquare Gospel Church

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ON TELEVANGELISM

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     In the waning months of 1999, the televangelists were preaching their message of total debt elimination for Christians, promised to occur before the stroke of midnight, bringing in the new year 2000. As the reverends twisted the scripture, in order to make promises of the wealth to come, the phone lines lit up with the faithful calling in their pledges; faith offerings that would assure them of all debts being eliminated before the end of the year. Of course, in order for those offerings to be truly effective, they were to be made to the television network in order to support the ministries of that organization. The implication was that those offerings would not bring about the debt cancellation result if they were given to the local church.

     One after another, the preachers gave their messages of debt elimination. The payment of those debts supposedly coming from the riches of the worldly, who would somehow be obliged to give, not to themselves or to their own causes, but to the righteous who were in such terrible need. It was emphasized over and over again that the greater the offering, the greater would be the return. If the person did not have the money to give, it was recommended that a pledge be made and a down payment given, apparently assuring that God would honor the full amount, on credit, when giving the return. Emphasis was made on sending in the offerings promptly, because the end of the year was approaching quickly and the Lord's work needed the resources for the on-going work of spreading the gospel. Apparently God also had a timetable that coincided with the end of the year. If the payments were late, then God would not honor the return.

     There was great need, after all, the ministers needed to make the payments on their new Mercedes' which they only used to transport Bibles to those who could not pay for them. They needed to pay for the slick, custom tailored suits and Italian shoes, professionally coiffed hair and neatly done finger nails, that were a necessity for appearances on the television, and the ostentatious houses that display just how abundantly God blesses, with money from donors. The network had to pay for the garish, tawdry and kitschy, red, purple and faux gold furnishings used in the television studio, designed to make people believe that chintzy imitations of monarchical furnishings represent the kingdom of God. The network owner had to make plans for the purchase of his new $5,000,000.00 estate. Is there anything that is too good, too expensive or too gaudy for the Lord?

     New resources for spreading the gospel were also needed; satellite and ground receiving stations, new outlets never before used for spreading the word. Were they going to be used to reach the starving in Africa, the poor in China and the millions in poverty in the former Soviet Union with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ? If those people had been listening during those nights, they would have heard the message of debt reduction as the preachers harangued that if people would only take a lesson from the Bible, giving their last coins like the story of the widow's mite, or giving all that they had, like the woman who gave her last bit of food to the prophet Elijah, then they too could reign like kings and queens. It could all be true for everyone, just like those Christians on the TV screen.

     As the pledges came in, they were recorded on sheets of paper and then one day they were displayed across the television screen, stacked three feet high, 3 feet deep and 20 feet long. The bonfires were lit and the pledges were burned as an act of accomplishment, by faith. The smoke was said to be a sweet savour, somehow reaching to the heaven of God. But the reality is that is was a savour of burning revelations, regarding the debts incurred by Christians. Those same Christians were then claiming that God must somehow be obligated to eliminate those debts because the Christians had given their offerings as an act of belief and faith. The hosts were ever so gracious and grateful for the offerings given by "all you little people out there," especially all the "little grandmas" who were so faithful in their support. All the "little people" were so appreciated because they gave the support for all the big and important people who were doing such a great and mighty work for God. They had to be important, because they were sitting in the glitzy, faux gold, red and purple chairs begging for more money.

     The years 2000 and 2001 have come and gone and it is now well into the year 2002. The debt reduction messages are still being preached and the pledges keep pouring in, but what happened to all of those Christians who were debtors in 1999? Were their debts all cancelled by the miraculous intervention of the world on behalf of Christian debtors? Did Christians all over the world miraculously receive checks in the mail, equal to their indebtedness, which they did not expect? Did neighbors, friends and acquaintances give them Christmas presents of money equal to what they owed. Did relatives die, that these Christian debtors did not know, leaving enormous sums of money about which these Christians were unaware? Did banks and lending institutions call, saying that their records showed that all debts by those believing Christians had been paid, when the Christians had not sent payment? What miraculous events occurred to cancel all of those debts?

     The debt elimination promises have been made again and again since the awesome excesses of the preaching in those months prior to the year 2000. The claims and promises have not ceased or been reduced in the over two years since those months. What is happening to those debts? The television network, the owner and the preachers all benefitted immensely by all of those donations, but what about the people who called in their pledges and gave their faith offerings? What benefit did they receive?

     There are even greater questions than those. Why do Christians think that God is in the business of dealing with debts and that he uses the people of the world to pay the debts of Christians? If these debts are really being cancelled in a miraculous way, why hasn't the world found out about the situation? And why hasn't the world filled the seats in their nearest debt-cancelling fellowship to get in on the deal?

     Apparently undiscerning Christians continue to give money again and again, in response to the promises of riches to come. Like gamblers, they hope that the next offering given will result in the "big one", the hoped for return of money that will set them free. After that, the next offering might even make them millionaires!

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ON CHRISTIAN SOCIETY

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     How different are Christians in relation to the rest of society? There must be great differences, after all, there are many churches and many Christians who claim to believe in different values and practice a different lifestyle than that of their worldly, non-Christian counterparts. Are there actually major differences between mainstream Christian and non-Christian values and beliefs? What are those differences and are they apparent?

View 3 Research Articles From BARNA RESEARCH:
Christians Are More Likely To Experience Divorce Than Are Non-Christians
December 21, 1999 [lLink opens a new window]
Born Again Adults Less Likely To Co-Habit, Just As Likely To Divorce"
August 6, 2001 [Link opens a new window]
American Faith Is Diverse, As Shown Among Five Faith-Based Segments
January 29, 2002 [Link opens a new window]

     Things are not always as they seem and all who claim to be Christian and follow the teachings of Christ are not necessarily Christian. Nominalism might be the norm, as 'identification with', is not necessarily the same as 'being of', as the words of the apostle John reveal,

"They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." 1 John 2:19 (NAS)

     Jesus Christ speaks to the fact that even at the highest levels of leadership, there are those who claim to represent and believe the truth, but who are false teachers and are not identified with the true Christ of the Scriptures,

"So then you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'" Matthew 7:20-23 (NAS)

     It is interesting that Jesus used the term "lawlessness" in relation to the conduct of those He did not know. It is not their conduct that gains or prevents salvation, but it is that which identifies them as not being a part of the fellowship of the true church. It is this conduct, that of license, that many in the Christian church embrace today. Somehow, believing that they are safe and secure, because of their identification with Christ or with a church, they believe that conduct does not matter and that it has no meaning, an identical attitude found in the non-Christian world. Personal accountability is a hard issue to face, but until a person realizes their true condition in relation to God, then Jesus Christ must continue to reject their claims of identification with Him.

     This is the point regarding the book of Jude and the whole issue of faith vs. works that is presented in his teaching. Those who attempt to gain entrance into heaven by what they claim to do are revealed to be unknown by Jesus, because their works are not sufficient to justify. It is their lawless conduct, revealed in the innermost parts of their lives, that marks their true nature. Just as false prophets proclaim one message from their pulpit and reveal conduct in their lives that is different from what they say, false Christians identify with the church, but they are not actually part of the true church, for their conduct indicates that what they claim to believe is not truly a part of what they are in character and in spirit.

     The apostle Paul deals with the same issue in regards to those who claim that the grace of God is given to those who knowingly continue in sin so that the extent of God's grace can be revealed,

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Romans 6:1-2 (NAS)

     It is not conduct that justifies, and is not conduct that condemns, but it is license or lawless conduct that reveals the true character underneath the facade. There are myriads of people who identify themselves as part of the Christian world, claiming to believe what Christ taught and what the Scriptures say. But within those myriads there are many (the greater number identify in name only) who prefer to attach their own standards of belief and conduct to that which Christianity presents to the world. It is this group, the "lawless", that bring about the discrepancy between the identification of the true Christian and the Christian world at large.

     What are the identifying characteristics of the true Christian? There are many, but they are all listed in the Scripture, so they can be known and should be understood by anyone who would call themselves a Christian.

READ ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES A CHRISTIAN ON THIS WEBSITE
Gospel Grounds And Evidences Of The Faith Of God's Elect
John Owen 1616-1683
Christianity Without Christ
Charles Hodge 1797-1878
Marks Of A True Conversion
George Whitefield 1714-1770
The Nature Of Saving Faith
John F. MacArthur, Jr. 1939
What Is Christianity?
J. Gresham Machen 1881-1937
What Is A Christian?
On Doctrine
What Is Salvation?
On Doctrine

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ON JOURNALS

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     "Six of the seven messages of Christ in Rev 2 3 contain references to His coming. In three instances He promises to come and deliver His faithful from persecution, and in three He threatens to come and judge the unfaithful. In all six His coming is imminent, whether for deliverance or for judgment. The only way this can happen is for the deliverance the rapture of the church and the judgment the beginning of Daniel's seventieth week to occur simultaneously. The two chapters provide three more passages that refer to His coming indirectly. The forecast in these too is for His return at any moment. A survey of other relevant NT passages reflects the same dual imminence for the two events. The phenomena surrounding these predicted comings lead inevitably to the conclusion that Christ's return for His church must be pretribulational, because this is the only way to explain satisfactorily how the two future events can be simultaneous." - Dr. Robert L. Thomas

** CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ARTICLE ON THE MASTERS SEMINARY WEBSITE
THE MASTERS SEMINARY JOURNAL - "The 'Comings' Of Christ In Revelation 2-3"
Dr. Robert L. Thomas

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