Following Judah's Lion

A False Christ

One of the most grievous and heretical manifestations of Christianity is not the emergent movement, or the liberal theologians, or the social gospel of works, although they are heretical. It is the insufferable twisting of Christian truth to accommodate many forms of violence and death.

If one was given a Bible immediately after he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and if that believer had no religious background whatsoever, and if he was sheltered from other believers so he could glean his entire belief system from the Scriptures alone, that believer would never come to the conclusion that violence under any circumstance was permitted in the age of Jesus the Christ. The New Testament is absolutely clear, and the “you have heard but I say unto you” principle makes a clear distinction that the New Covenant comes with soaring truths and principles that demolish that which we thought we knew.

In fact, the teachings of the New Testament, if taken literally, are revolutionary and profoundly contradictory from all cultures and all human reasoning. The word “provocative” falls way short in describing the teachings of Christ. Jesus doesn’t just stop at “love your enemies” who may or may not have been given the opportunity to persecute you or treat you unkindly, but Jesus goes much further. Our Master says,

Matt.5:43-45 - Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

The implications of that truth are mind boggling and without the parameters of human understanding. In fact, that teaching alone is so profound, and so paradoxical, and so against what we have been taught and saw practiced all of our lives, that the church has incorporated allowances to deviate from that teaching and still be called obedient believers. Most believers will sin against that teaching even at a T-ball game in which someone treats them or their child unkindly. But the implications of that teaching go far beyond a T-ball game.

The teachings of Christ that are overtly non-violent and overtly redemptive as it pertains to the earthly life of a believer seem to be easily dismissed by the majority of the visible church. It is not only acceptable to kill your enemy if you do it in the name of your country, it is commendable. Now there arises a serious problem when such behavior that is so contradictory to the teachings of Christ is applauded and practiced by those who claim His name. In order to relieve such spiritual tension the church must either make the Scriptures completely allegorical, or the church must interject caveats propelled by the force of their particular culture and national allegiance. Most evangelical churches choose the latter.

In order for such open manipulation of the Scriptures to be accepted it must be taught to each generation from birth. Any questions about that particular subject must be met with firm resolve and even stern rebukes. Patriotism must be the canopy under which all sorts of spiritual disobedience can flourish. Once the secular and the spiritual have been joined together and anointed as God’s will and way, then all sorts of Scriptural mischief can come flooding in with little or no notice. But the secular must always and continually bow the knee to the spiritual in the lives of believers and in the general assembly of the same.

That means that whatever we do in the natural must never countermand the dictates and teachings of Scripture, for if we blur that line all is lost. And when we come across Scriptural teachings that are so uncomfortable and so inconvenient and so deeply out of touch with cultural realities, we must die to our own reasoning and live within the freedom of those teachings. The process in which the church assimilates into the culture is extremely clandestine and is sometimes so powerfully deceptive that the church often embraces such a process. And as the process welcomes more and more compromise, the power and Person of Jesus Christ grows less and less present and/or observable.

This evil process is also multifaceted and very cunning. It even uses deception of others to deceive those who are accurately identifying that particular deception. The same believers who would aggressively challenge the heresies of Rob Bell or Joel Osteen, will show extreme allegiance and loyalty to a system that is overtly antichrist. In fact, they will kill to protect such a system. And so deception in others is used to deceive those who see it in others. Is that not a marvelous and stunning method of perpetuating evil?

But the most serious repercussions of such deception is that we no longer worship, obey, and teach the True and Risen Christ. To teach a Christ that calls for vengeance and who aids in the murder of your enemies, to say nothing of women and children, is not the Christ of Scripture. That is every bit a false caricature as those who might teach a Christ who will turn a blind eye to sin and one day save everyone. This issue might seem like a fine line of theological perception, but in reality and spiritual practice it is of great importance.

Listen to the issues over which the coming political year wrangles back and forth: homeland security, economic prosperity, the founding fathers, and the high cost of healthcare. Do they represent the interests of Christ? Even the moral issues upon which the church used to hang their political hats have faded considerably. Make no mistake about it, should Jesus tarry, gay marriage will come and abortion will still be legal. Even the times when the “pro-life” Republicans controlled the White House and the legislative branch saw no move against abortion. Our God is pro-life, but He is much, much more than just anti-abortion. He is the Redeemer and He has good news for all mankind. It is time we who bear His name practice His Person.

If Jesus would come for a visit before He comes in all His glory, I sincerely believe He would teach things that would not only astound us, but it would cause us to fall upon our faces in repentance and contrition. But in reality, He has already come and left us His Word. Perhaps the time has come for us to study it once again with a ready and willing heart to obey what it teaches regardless of what we have been taught by sincere believers. Or, we can just go on as we are.