Moral foundation (Part 1)
Have you ever read a news article or heard a news report and were stunned at the complete absurdity of a news story? Or have you ever asked how someone can do something so cruel or inhumane? For the last several months there have been two or three stories a month that make headlines about teachers having ungodly relationships with students. Mass shootings once shocked the nation, but now they are a common news story. Why do people treat the 10 commandments as if it were profanity while claiming that godless behavior is free speech? Why does the ACLU sue to keep Bible based training out of prisons and fight to allow pornography to be unrestrained in public libraries? Consider Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to our generation, for this generation has lost sight of the difference between good and evil. The reason someone calls good evil and evil good is because there is no moral foundation from which to establish an understanding of truth. People believe truth is relative because truth cannot be built without a foundation. You may have experienced this first hand. Have you ever had a discussion with someone who took an opposing view that is clearly ungodly but they cannot grasp why you disagree? It is extremely frustrating to discuss any moral issue with someone who does not have a moral foundation from which to base their own understanding. Why do people (even in the church) approve of abortion? Why to people claiming to be Christians engage in behavior that the scripture clearly teaches as immoral and see nothing wrong? This problem is addressed in Proverbs 30:20
12 There is a
generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from
its filthiness. 13 There is a generation -- oh, how lofty are
their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up.
…
20.This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes
her mouth, And says, "I have done no wickedness."
While there are some who blind themselves to the decay of the culture, most can look around and recognize that the world continues to descend each day and understand that a biblical, moral foundation is the only source of true hope. Some believe the deliverance comes through politics; some look for deliverance in the dominion of the organized church; some believe education and social engineering are the keys to saving the culture. Hate crimes legislation, gun control and thousands of laws are being introduced continually to curb man’s behavior and attempt to alter mankind’s way of thinking.
Social engineering has been tried and failed in the Soviet Union, Hitler’s Germany, China and many other Marxist based countries. Church dominionism was tried and failed when Constantine gave the church dominion over the Roman government and it gave birth to the inquisitions and great persecution. The coming world church as foretold in the Bible will fail as well. Politics has never solved any of the world’s problems for it is no better than the pool of candidates it gleans from. During Bill Clinton’s administration, the Democratic party had control of the Congress, Senate and Presidency and the result was failure. The Republicans had control of the Congress, Senate and Presidency during several years of George W. Bush’s presidency and the result was failure. In fact, a split partisanship has been the greatest benefit because the two political parties can’t get along well enough to do as much damage. All of these methods fail because man is at the center and in the heart of man, sin reigns unless Christ is on the throne.
The Wrong Focus
Our culture approaches its problems like a bad doctor. If someone has a disease that is causing many symptoms, can the disease be cured by treating the symptoms? No. A poorly trained doctor will throw drugs at the symptoms and never get to the root of the problem. In fact, a dishonest doctor may intentionally ignore the cause of a problem because he wants the patient to remain dependent on him. This is what politics and even religion do to our culture. The goal of many political or religious leaders is to remain in power by keeping others sickly and in need.
Some do this intentionally to keep in power and some do this ignorantly believing that human effort can solve the world’s problems. In truth, abortion is not the problem that is dragging down our society – it is a symptom of a deeper problem. Drugs are not the problem – drug use is a symptom. Crime, immorality and lawlessness are not the cause of societies ills – they are symptoms. Laws, politics and legalism are attempts to treat the symptoms without ever addressing the problem. In fact, if a great motivator should arise and do many good things to better society, the effort would soon come to naught. Why? Without a moral foundation, good works cannot stand. If you build a house without a foundation it may appear beautiful and sturdy on the outside, but the first time the wind of adversity blows, the house will fall.
The same thing is true in the life of any individual. Why do people get their lives in order only to have it all come unraveled time and time again? The answer is simple. Look at Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
You may indeed build the house and see progress in your efforts, but it will all be in vain in the end. The problem with both the individual and society is that there is no moral foundation on which to build our lives. Even progress digresses because lasting change is not possible without a foundation. Consider the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 7:24-27
4 " Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
Jesus Christ is that Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). The church has lost sight of the Rock and we have substituted Christ for man and religious practices. Rather than being Christ dependent, the Christian has become man-dependent. Several times in recent months I have wrestled with people over the claim many now teach that the Christian must be under ‘the covering’ of an anointed prophet or leader. In a recent discussion I asked for a scriptural basis for this teaching for the Bible clearly states that the head of every man is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3). There is not one passage in the Bible that teaches that we are to place ourselves under any man’s covering – quite the opposite is true. We are warned in Jeremiah 17:5-8
5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
The Bible also expressly states that there is only one mediator between you and the Father – Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). If you have anyone between you and God you are not in God’s will and you are not walking with God. The modern church has abandoned its foundation and is attempting to build the church upon themselves. Since there is no biblical authority for this rebellion, many leaders are claiming to have revelations from the Holy Spirit that give them authority over the Bible.
In a recent conversation, the president of a ‘Christian’ training institution stated in an email to me that putting to much emphasis on the scripture is “Bibolatry” or the sin of worshipping the Bible. (Click Here to read this conversation.) In nothing did he provide a scriptural basis for his beliefs. This new belief system teaches that the foundation of the ‘new move of God’ is direct revelation from the Holy Spirit. I may address this topic in greater detail in another study, but the point I would like to make clear is that if the foundation has been moved from Christ to those claiming authority over His word, it is no longer Christianity and the foundation is defective. Without a biblical foundation, it is impossible to know the truth or enter by the narrow gate.
The Foundation must be rebuilt
I have heard many reasons why America is in disarray; however, it is not merely America that is in disarray. Is there any country in the world where the crime rate is not rapidly rising? The entire world struggles from the affects of sin. Americans are not used to seeing the widespread problems within its borders. There was a time when America was the missionary for the world and Christianity influenced almost every part of our culture – or at least restrained the culture. Americans are not accustomed to seeing the full frontal assault on Christianity. The ACLU threatens and sues anyone who publicly displays anything related to Christianity, the 10 commandments are removed from all government buildings and even removed from photographs of officials standing in front of a religious display. One adoption agency has a policy denying adoption rights to Christian parents for fear that the child might be mistreated if they grow up gay. A university in California made news this week after a lawsuit challenged its restriction against the admission of applicants that were educated with biblically based curriculum saying that its sciences do not prepare students for success. Even Starbucks is getting in the act with this controversial quote on its coffee cups:
Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance?
Fighting against each of these assaults on our faith is a futile effort. In fact, for every anti-Christian cause we stand up against, there are thousands more waiting behind it. The assaults will always come faster than the activist can involve himself/herself. It is like fighting the mythological hydra – for every head you destroy, the heads would double in its place. The Christian who fights the heads of the cultural hydra only becomes frustrated. Add to that frustration is the fact that any progress has little value unless the culture recognizes the worthiness of the cause. An example of this is the abortion law in Kansas which bans late term abortions. This became a controversy when it was documented that a clinic routinely violated this law but the state attorney general refused to prosecute because he disagreed with the law. So we are faced with the problem that even if we succeed in a cause, it can come to nothing if our culture does not have a moral foundation from which to draw godly values. A law is only as good as those who enforce it. If the culture has no moral foundation, laws cannot restore order. The Bible addresses this in Psalm 11:2-3
2 For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. 3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?
It is a redundant question. The answer is nothing. You cannot successfully build on a culture that has no moral foundation.
What happened to the Foundation?
The righteous can do nothing if the foundations are destroyed; therefore, the answer to repairing any culture to godly principles is in the foundation. The church is the foundation of a moral culture. If the church’s foundation is destroyed, there is no hope for the culture. This problem did not begin with this generation but is coming to a head in this generation. For decades the focus has been slowly shifted from personal faith and study to ‘God’s man in the pulpit’. Discipleship has been lost as church has become a spectator sport. Rather than encouraging people to seek the Lord, all the focus has been shifted to personal benefit and building the local church kingdom.
Over the last few generations, the moral foundation of the average church member has slowly eroded and each person has become completely dependent on those believed to be God’s spokesmen. Now that those in the pulpit have begun their shift to the culture, what was left of the foundation is now in jeopardy. The average Christian has no biblical foundation and cannot distinguish error when it is taught from the pulpit. Since the pastor no longer looks to the Bible as his sole authority on morality and Christian living, he has no way to discern error or present truth. Truth becomes whatever the common consensus believes rather than what the Bible has taught.
This puts the man or woman of faith in a challenging predicament. When the popular consensus is in rejection of truth, the one who is not a part of the common consensus will be looked upon as divisive. The church can no longer realize that it is not you who have moved, but the church that has moved away from scripture. As the church loses its foundation, it will always adopt the foundation of the culture around it. Since the world is at war with Christ, so the organized church will be at war with Christ. This is true even if they claim otherwise. The church will not recognize that they are at war with Christ because they no longer know the word of God and therefore cannot stand upon it. The Bible addresses this in Philippians 3:18-19
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame -- who set their mind on earthly things.
Paul was warning the people in the church to be on guard that they do not walk in this way. Those who are enemies of the cross do not know that they are enemies. Jesus forewarned that those who truly follow Him will be persecuted by those who will think that they are doing God a service. The world has always been in rebellion against Christ and Jesus said that anyone who hates Christ will also hate those who are truly disciples of Christ. Many of those who persecute Christ will also claim to be His followers. Jesus condemned those who call Him Lord but do not do the things that He says (Luke 6:46). When God’s people turn from the scriptures the result is always rebellion. When the church is in rebellion against God, they will remain religious enough to sound Christian but will not have any tolerance of any spiritual principle that does not condone their lifestyle or desire for the things of the world. Look now at Isaiah 30:9-10
9 That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the LORD; 10 Who say to the seers, "Do not see," And to the prophets, "Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits.
Anyone who prophesies will be rejected by the Laodicean church. To prophesy means to proclaim the truth of God. This is why we are commanded not to despise prophecies in 1 Thessalonians 5:20. Teachers and preachers in the church bear much of the burden of the departure from the faith for they have turned from seeking a foundation in Christ and toward their own foundations. Churches are more interested in building themselves up in numbers than building a solid foundation upon the truth of the whole gospel. Preaching the truth drives away those who do not want truth; therefore, the truth has been abandoned in order to build the kingdom of the pastor. Enough truth is preached to sound ‘Christian’ but the focus is on error.
How do we know Truth?
A common question I hear is, “How do I know that I am not the one in error instead of those claiming to be modern day prophets?” This is a great question and knowing how to answer this is very important. How do I know whether new revelations are of God or not? When hundreds of people in the church are all in agreement with the ‘new move of God’ and I alone am the sole dissenter, how do I know that I am in the right? Who am I to question those who are supposed to be God’s anointed? Who am I to determine what is truth and what is error?
I have heard these questions and many more over the last few years. These questions are flawed because the starting point is the problem. It is not about me verses them. It does not matter what my opinion is about truth. The word of God alone is truth and anything that stands in contradiction to what has already been revealed is error. Consider this passage from Psalm 119:160
The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
How much of God’s word is truth? The entirety of the word is truth. Many pick and choose which portions of the Bible they will accept. I believe that most people do this out of ignorance. Most people don’t approach the Bible with the idea that they are going to reject certain parts of truth. For most, the error comes when something in the scripture challenges their denominational beliefs or the doctrine that they have been taught to believe. When someone points out a scripture that contradicts their beliefs, the scripture is rejected over the beliefs people hold dear. Rather than being a conscious effort to reject scripture, people make a decision to believe a doctrine of man over what has been delivered by God. The words of Psalms we read above is in agreement with the words of Jesus Christ. Look at John 17:14-18
14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
The word of God is what sanctifies man to set him apart for God. Without the word in our hearts, we cannot be sanctified. The word of God is truth. Nothing else trumps the word of God. Even the so-called new revelations and new moves of God do not replace God’s revealed word. In Psalms above, we are told that the word of God and the judgments from the word of God endure forever. Jesus said that heaven and earth may pass away, but the word will never pass away. So the question now is, “Could God be speaking through the modern day prophet? Can God still reveal things to mankind by His Holy Spirit?” God can do anything He wants to do and if He chooses to reveal something to an individual, who are we to say that is not possible? However, it is vital to understand that God will NEVER contradict Himself. What is revealed must be in agreement with what God has already said. Consider the passage I often quote from 1 Corinthians 14:31-33
31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
God is not the author of confusion. What He said in the past will be absolutely consistent to what He reveals to us today. If God were to contradict Himself, it would create confusion. We are encouraged to proclaim the truth of God to one another, but with the knowledge that what we say is subject to what has already been proclaimed through the prophets that revealed God’s word in the scriptures. We know that the word of God has proven to be true in their mouths; therefore, the word of our confession must also be proven to be true by comparing what we say to what God revealed to them. This applies to us and to every church leader. This is also reaffirmed in 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
This is where you, the individual believer must apply the word of God in your own life. You will be deceived and judged by God for being deceived if you disobey this basic command. When you hear someone proclaim a revelation of God, the scripture has already commanded you NOT TO BELIEVE the prophet or proclaimer of revelation until AFTER you have tested the spirit to see if it is of God. You can only test the spirit of the prophet by comparing what is now being proclaimed to what has already been proven true in scripture. This is exactly what the Berean church did when the apostles provided to them the new revelation of Jesus Christ in Acts 17:11. If you value the teacher’s word over the scripture, you are in rebellion against God. Sincerity does not change the fact that it is rebellion. Your faith is either based on God’s word in scripture or it is based on man. If it is based on man, you are under the curse (Jeremiah 17:5-10). False prophets claim that God is angry at those who resist the ‘new move of God’; however, the Bible clearly states that to be obedient to God we must hold to His word and prove all things by it.
Now this takes us back to the questions that began this topic, “Who are we to determine what is truth?” If you question doctrine or beliefs you will hear this question and as I said earlier, the question is flawed. The focus of this question is wrong because we become the judges of right and wrong. This is the great error. I do not determine what is right and wrong, God does. I don’t determine what is truth and error, God does. My role is to look to the word of God revealed in scripture and believe the word. It is not up to me to determine truth; it is up to me to believe the word or choose to believe something other than the word.
I have observed that false teachers make every effort to take your focus away from the word of God because they know that they are in disagreement. They will use the Bible when it agrees so that you believe the Bible is the source of false doctrines, but the word is rejected when it disagrees with false teaching. That is why they use intimidation and threats to silence critics. It is easier to say, “Touch not God’s anointed” than it is to say, “The Bible says…”. It is easier to call someone divisive than it is to explain why your teaching does not adhere to scripture. The false teacher knows that the Bible disagrees with his or her doctrines and to avoid addressing the obvious contradiction they will make every effort to intimidate those who question and to draw the focus away from the scriptures.
In the discussion I had with the president of a Christian training institution, he made every effort to take the focus away from the scriptures. The entire focus of his challenge was my credentials verses his credentials; my accomplishments verses his accomplishments; proof of my spirituality verses his spirituality. None of these things matter in the least. The only question to be answered is, does the doctrine agree with the scripture. It does not matter if you are a PhD or a high school dropout. It does not matter if you are trained in theology or you just commit yourself to personal study of the word. The only thing that matters is, “are we in agreement with the scripture or in disagreement”. If you are contradicting the word, you are in error. Having a doctorate in theology does not change this fact.
The word alone determines truth. Where the Bible is silent, We have the God-given power to use our best judgment. If you have a strong biblical foundation your judgment will be based on that foundation. Where the Bible is explicit, we must align ourselves with the truth of God’s word. We do not have the right to use human judgment where God has given specific directions. Some will make rules for all to follow where the Bible is silent. This is contrary to scripture. Some will rebel against the commandments of God claiming that they have freedom; this is also in contradiction with the word of God.
In all things, the scripture is the highest authority and trumps all the commandments and doctrines of men. Where man is in disagreement with scripture, you must align yourselves with scripture or find yourself walking in complete disobedience to God. Man will intimidate and seek to establish his word over God’s; however, you must put your trust in God and hold fast to His word. This is what God honors. Look at Revelation 3:
8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
If you do not keep His word, you have denied His name. After all, the Bible states that God has exalted His word above His name (Psalm 138:2). So hopefully you can see that the burden for truth is not on you. God has already determined what is true and we only have to compare all things to what God has declared. When you hear someone claiming a new move of God or a doctrinal position, look to the word. If someone is fighting against the word, you don’t need to match wits or credentials; you merely need to hold fast to the word of God. When someone says, “Who are you to question God’s anointed?” The answer is, “Let God determine what is true, not man”. The burden is not on you, but the word. If you lay down the doctrine next to the word, any contradictions will become self-evident. You do not decide what truth is. You only agree or disagree with what God has declared to be truth. The root cause is that no one knows enough about the scriptures to know what is good and evil – this is especially true in the church. This is not a new problem. The modern day church is repeating the moral decay of Israel before they were judged. Look at Hosea 4:6-8
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 " The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity.
The Christian is appointed as the priest of God (Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10) and are now falling into the warning God proclaimed to His people in Hosea. When the Bible speaks of knowledge it is always knowledge of God’s word. What is the cause of the decay? A lack of knowledge of God as He has been revealed to us in the scriptures. The lack of knowledge is the cause that led the people to set their hearts on iniquity. The lack of knowledge is the result of the leaders of God’s people no longer teaching the whole council of God. In Israel it was the priest that were appointed to teach the word, in the church it is the preacher and teacher.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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