Responding to Unsound Doctrine: Part 1
By Jeff Cranston
Since that very moment in the Garden of Eden, when a single bite shattered the harmony of the world, man has tried to make his own way, be his own master, and set up his own kingdom. It's nothing new. False doctrines, theologies and practices have crept into our churches and maybe even into our lives.
Nevertheless, if we want to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ in this day and age, we must be alert and ready to boldly stand against the spirit of the age that seeks to modify the message of Christ, undermine His power to set us free from sin, repaint Christ's picture to make Him more acceptable to a wayward generation, and rewrite the gospel to remove the offense of the cross.
Read Acts 15:22-29. In this passage, the apostles, elders, and the whole church of Jerusalem sent a letter to their Gentile brothers and sisters in Antioch and other regional churches. The letter carefully isolated false teachers, who pretended to have the endorsement of the Jerusalem church elders. In actuality, these people were imposters, and their work among the new Christians was subversive. They had neither the backing of the Bible nor the backing of the brethren. The Holy Spirit led the apostles and elders to refute the false narratives, overrule all the dissension, discussion, and the false declarations.
For the last 2,000 years, the church has been plagued with heresy after heresy seeking to tame the gospel, and today is no different. Here are just a few of the popular beliefs in our current culture that infiltrate the church:
Universalism: The belief that all people will be saved or that all ways lead to God and eternal life. Many who subscribe to this theology claim that, for instance, all religions worship the same God.
The Prosperity Gospel: The belief that God's primary concern is for believers to be healthy and wealthy. If Christians are sick, suffering or poor, it is because of sin or a lack of faith.
The New Age Movement: A belief system of Eastern influence that emphasizes universal tolerance and doing what feels good (a.k.a. moral relativism). It contends that humanity is divine and that we can create our own reality and identity.
Legalism: The improper use of the law described in Scripture to try to attain or maintain salvation. Legalism fosters judgment of fellow Christians for not adhering to one’s own ideas of holiness rather than encouraging them to imitate Christ, obeying God's standards as explicitly outlined in Scripture.
Hyper-grace: The overreaction to legalism, resulting in the abuse of God’s grace. Believers find themselves drawn to the modern hyper-grace movement because they are looking for freedom not just from legalism, but also freedom from God's standards.
The Emergent Church: A movement that claims to be Christian but employs culturally sensitive methods to make the gospel more palatable to a postmodern culture. Jesus’ life is treated more as an allegory or narrative. There is an inclusive approach to various belief systems, an emphasis on emotions and relationships over absolute truth and the notion that there is no hell, no judgment or no need for forgiveness. The Emergent Church movement glorifies honesty and confession—but without repentance.
Behind all these false ideologies is the belief that Scripture is not infallible, and truth simply changes with the times. How do we respond to such false teachings as they arise in our world and within the church? We preach Christ. We reinforce biblical doctrine, clinging to the highest authority—the Word of God.
Jeff Cranston is lead pastor of LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, S.C.
Find out more about how you can respond to false doctrine in Part 2 of this blog post.
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