Deception

"Don't judge me!" - a common phrase in our culture, in our society, in our America, and even in our world. What's right for you and what's right for me seems to be the motto we are to all live by, and that very idea has not only convinced much of society, but has deceived much of the so called "church". No where in Scripture does Jesus forbid making judgements, in fact, we are called to make judgements about and toward one another when the Truth is at sake, when people's souls are at stake. What's right for you is right for you can't fly within the church, if it continues to be our mindset, deception will only become more rampant, and more and more souls will be lost, eternally damned, forever in hell.

I know I might sound harsh right about now, and you are wondering maybe what spurred this blog, well, a book was recently published by a proclaimed "evangelical" preacher, Rob Bell. This book apparently claims to teach the "true gospel" message in which all roads lead to heaven, and presents a new God, a God far from that of Scripture. Frustration, anger, and sadness fills my heart as I think about the countless number of individuals who will read this book, without searching Scripture for themselves, and be led astray, into believing a heretical gospel. But Bell is not alone, there are countless preachers and "Christian" religions, including the Catholic church, that preach a FALSE Gospel message, and deceptively lead or as they call it "love" them to hell. Much like the Pharisees were warned in Matthew 7, these people will find themselves on the very doorstep of heaven hearing the most frightening words ever, "depart from me I never knew you!".

Kevin DeYoung, another evangelical pastor puts it accurately in a recent blog he posted in response to this new book, "it is possible that I (like other critics) am mean-spirited, nasty, and cruel. But voicing strong disagreement does not automatically make me any of these. Judgmentalism is not the same as making judgments. The same Jesus who said “do not judge” in Matthew 7:1 calls his opponents dogs and pigs in Matthew 7:6. Paul pronounces an anathema on those who preach a false gospel (Gal. 1:8). Disagreement among professing Christians is not a plague on the church. In fact, it is sometimes necessary. The whole Bible is full of evaluation and encourages the faithful to be discerning and make their own evaluations. What’s tricky is that some fights are stupid, and some judgments are unfair and judgmental. But this must be proven, not assumed." There is a time when making judgements is appropriate.

As believers, we are called to encourage, exhort and spur on the brethren. In order to do this we will be required to "make judgements". If someone claims to be a true follower of Jesus and is preaching a FALSE Gospel, one that does not align with Scripture (for example the Catholic Gospel which teaches that you are saved through what Jesus did and by the "good" inside of you), we are called to speak TRUTH to those individuals, and show them where there is error. If someone claims Christ, and does not have any evidences of genuine saving faith, such as repentant hearts, hatred toward sin, service within the body, growth in the knowledge of the Lord etc., we are called to ask why. If an individual is claiming to know Jesus, and to truly be His, and thinks they can add to Scripture, things like homosexuality being ok (not a sin), or that the Bible is not the ultimate authority (as it claims to be), we must question, we must ask, we must judge.

Do we do this for our own sake? ABSOLUTELY NOT! It is out of sheer love, and deep concern for that individual who may be either struggling or who may indeed be deceived about their own salvation. The most loving thing we can do is to be a tool in the hand of God to bring them into a loving relationship, a saving, a TRUE relationship with Him. If we sit by silently, we are selfishly watching our family, our friends, our colleagues slowly pave a path to hell.

"Bad theology hurts real people. Open a Bible, pray to God, listen to the faithful Christians of the past 2000 years, and answer the questions for yourself by using THE WORD OF GOD, where the answers are found. Delight or deception, suffering or salvation—yes, even heaven or hell—may hang in the balance" (Kevin DeYoung).