In our day, the church of Christ finds itself under attack by a secular mindset of untruth and irrationality. Sadly, even many members of the Lord’s church have abandoned belief in the fixed and unchangeable truth of God’s Word. Seduced by an ungodly culture, many schools and congregations have exchanged the truth of Scripture for the lies of the world – lies often masqueraded as sensitivity or sophistication. As the world grows increasingly hostile to the truths of the Christian faith, many preachers and academics have gone over to the other side. Even among a number of congregations considered “conservative,” the lack of biblical preaching is telling. Doctrine is considered outdated by some and argumentative by others. The pattern of faith outlined in the Bible is disregarded and, far too often, treated as an embarrassment by trendsetters. Biblical preaching – once a distinctive among churches of Christ – has been supplanted in many congregations by entertaining messages providing a therapeutic massage of self-delusion. As editor of the Gospel Advocate, David Lipscomb opposed the trendsetters of his generation. Following the Civil War, Progressives brought a variety of changes into the work and worship of the church. Lipscomb saw these changes as symptoms of a serious problem. The Progressives had lost faith in Scripture and, therefore, were breaking faith with God. A denial of the inspiration and authority of Scripture opened the door to using instrumental music as worship, to permitting women to preach, and to joining in fellowship with denominations. What happened in the 1800s is happening among many churches of Christ today. This change is a disaster, because once you change your view of Scripture, you change the nature of Christian faith. David Lipscomb’s diagnosis concerning doctrinal looseness was on target. The plague of disbelief is both terminal and extremely contagious. What has been taught in colleges has entered congregations. The Progressive agenda denies the truthfulness of Scripture, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of the Bible for the church. This denial is a symptom of a spiritual disease, a loss of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Denying Scripture is denying Christ. Against this onslaught of disbelief, however, we must be careful never to fall into the trap of attempting to fight fire with fire. The fundamental error driving the current apostasy is trusting in human opinion rather than trusting in the Word of God. We must never trust our own cleverness to outwit the cleverness of disbelief. We must trust in the Word of God alone. Clever thinking provides a wide range of benefits in the arts and sciences, for these are areas where people can discover new things through the process of inquiry and reflection. Spiritual truths, however, are not discovered by the cleverness of mankind but are revealed by the grace of God. Apart from Scripture we would have no clue how to be right with God. If I need a well-designed bridge, I will look for the smartest engineer. If I need legal advice, I will go to a brilliant attorney. But if I need spiritual direction, I will turn to the Bible. When Peter made the Good Confession, Jesus reminded him, “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:17). In the same way for us, no spiritual truth is revealed by our own cleverness. God’s truth is revealed to us in God’s Word. From this perspective, the inspiration and authority of Scripture is essential for any spiritual illumination. This is why congregations, schools and brotherhood leaders who trust in the Bible are radically different from those who do not trust in the Bible. Every aspect of Christian faith and practice is shaped by how you answer this straightforward question: Is the Bible the Word of God, and, therefore, entirely true and fully authoritative or is it not? For the church of Christ, our answer to this question must keep faith with God. “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking,” Hebrews 12:25 warns, “For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.” Remaining faithful to Scripture, the Lord’s church will walk in step with the Lord who speaks in Scripture. Those who lose faith in Scripture, however, have lost faith in the God who speaks in Scripture. And, as surely as faith leads to salvation, a lack of faith leads to destruction. ~ Gregory Alan Tidwell ~
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 13:00:01 +0000
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