Lutheran Theologian, Francis Pieper, In his systematic theology “Christian Dogmatics” wrote about the cause of divisions within Christendom. According to Pieper, THE reason why new sects and ideas keep cropping up in the visible church is a denial of Sola Scriptura, and a refusal to continue in the Word of Christ’s Apostles.
Said Pieper, “Divisions in the Apostolic Church arose because men refused to recognize the Word of the Apostles as the Word of God and offered the Church in place of the Word of God their own human notions.”
These ‘human notions’ as Pieper calls them, deny the power of the cross and the atonement of Christ for the sins of the whole world and instead teach that we are saved by our own efforts to appease and please God. These notions inevitably bring us back to legalism as expressed in the two great commandments, love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself.
Those who deny scripture are powerless to see that sinful humans are incapable of generating true love of God and neighbor. Instead, love of God and neighbor only come about as a result of faith in Christ. Pieper said it this way, “The love of God and of the neighbor is the daughter of faith.”
Therefore, seeking to love God without trusting in Christ is the spiritual equivalent of desiring to give birth to and raise an illegitimate child. (It is important to remember that God doesn't keep any mistresses.)
In other words, it is an immoral and false religion that teaches us that we can have communion with God apart from Christ. Love for God and Neighbor is the fruit of faith. Without faith, true love of God and neighbor is impossible. Jesus himself hits on this topic in John 8:34-47.
Here is what that passage says, “John 8:34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
John 8:39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do the things Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the things your own father does.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”
I hope those who follow Joel Osteen, Rick Warren and the Emergent Church take heed of these words.
A key difference between the Churches of the Reformation and most other of Christiandom is this: "What is man's position before God?"
Many American Christians have rejected original sin and that we are guilty due to Adam. They confuse a sinful nature with sinful acts. Many would agree with the statement "I am sinful because I sin" and reject "I sin because I am sinful".
Most American Christians believe in a self-help Christianity that assumes that we will do all we can and God will finish it for us. How is this different from Morman theology.
Posted by: Steve | March 22, 2006 at 02:58 PM
There is no difference between Mormonism and Self-Help Narcissistic Christianity.
Posted by: Chris Rosebrough | March 22, 2006 at 03:06 PM
Many Morman's view "The Purpose Driven Life" as proof the their theology is consistant with historical orthodox Christian teaching. Most American Christians do not and cannot tell how Warren's book is not proper Christian teaching.
Posted by: Steve | March 22, 2006 at 03:11 PM
What do you say to someone who says they believe the word but at the same time allow alcohol and cigarrets to control their daily life? Are they in fact a slave to these habits and would these habits be a sin when considering the reality that the body is in fact a temple?
Posted by: Micah | March 22, 2006 at 05:29 PM
Is drinking and smoking a sin? Drinking is not a sin, but drunkenness is, just a eating is not a sin, but gluttony is. Since these activities are not sin for most people, then we have freedom in Christ to engage these activities as long as they don’t cause either myself or others to sin.
The body is the temple of God since it is God how makes it the temple through the Holy Spirit. I would be more concerned about what one reads, watches and hears than what they eat or drink. Jesus said that what makes a man unclean isn’t want they eat by what they say (Matt 15:11). Since we are sinful, we can do nothing to make our bodies clean for God. Thus is God is makes it clean for himself.
Posted by: Steve | March 23, 2006 at 07:02 AM