There's been alot of preaching lately about the dangers of "moral relativism". The dictionary defines "moral" as: "pertinent to right and wrong conduct". It also defines "relativism" as: "dependent on relation to something else, not absolute." In other words, moral relativism means there is no absolute truth, no absolute right and wrong. Everything is relative to each other.
What's surprising to me is the fact that these very same ministers of the Gospel who preach against moral relativism are guilty of teaching and practicing it themselves! Here's an example when they are approached with the truth from God's Word that the 4th Commandment has never been done away with. The 4th Commandment says, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy". Exodus 20:10 further states, "But the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work...." That sure sounds like an "absolute truth" statement! Here is where the moral relativism comes in when Christians say to me, "Well, it doesn't really matter which day of the week we worship God. We can worship Him any day of the week." The truth is that they say this to excuse themselves from not being obedient to God and His Word!
Let's take a look at some other examples from the Bible where God's people tried the "relativism approach" with our holy God. The first one to come to mind is in the Garden of Eden. God told Adam there was ONE tree he was not to eat from. The serpent basically told Eve, "Does it really matter if you eat from that tree or from any other tree in this garden?" He used the "relativism approach" on Eve, and we know the punishment that came from approaching God with that attitude, don't we?
A few months ago, I wrote a post regarding Naaman, the leper in 2 Kings 5:1-12. He was told by a man of God to go to the Jordan River and dip seven times and he would be cleansed of his leprousy. However, in verse 12 Naaman asks, "Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" This is a really good example of "Moral Relativism". Naaman was saying as Christians do today, that it really doesn't matter to God what river I dip in - as long as I dip myself in a river. It's the same as saying, "It doesn't really matter to God what day I keep as the Sabbath Day - just as long as I take a sabbath day."
Sadly, our churches have let moral relativism take over so much that not only are the Ten Commandments no longer honored and respected, but God Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ is no longer Supreme in our church services and our lives. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus is the Absolute Truth, the Absolute Way, and the Absolute Life! There is NO OTHER WAY to God the Father. One last warning given by Jesus in Matt. 7:13 & 14 says, "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Let me challenge you with with this last question: Just how difficult and narrow is your way of life as a Christian? If you are not living a difficult and narrow life, then there is only one other way of life you can be living.....think about it!!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Once Saved - Always Saved? True or False?
Here is what God says in Ezekiel 18:21 about the "righteous man":
"When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity (sin), and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? ALL the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die."
In Ezekiel 18:25, God says the following about the "wicked man":
"If a wicked man turns from all his sins (lawlessness) which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live."
If our preachers say that the righteous man can "commit iniquity" and still live, (which goes against God's Word in Ez. 18) - then preachers MUST also BE CONSISTENT when it comes to the verses on the wicked man. They would then have to say if the wicked man "turns from all his sins" - he would still die (which goes against God's Word in Ez. 18). Our preachers cannot change the verses about the righteous man without also changing the verses regarding the wicked man! This goes completely against the practice of good Bible teaching.
So, what is righteousness? Verse 25 above tells us that when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness, "keeps all My statutes (laws)" and does "what is lawful and right", he is considered righteous and will live. If you do what is "lawful", you must have a set of "laws" to live by. The set of laws God has given us are His statutes, the Ten Commandments. However, if we are being taught in our churches that God's law has "been done away with", that means our preachers are actually teaching us to be unrighteous people!
It's interesting that I John 3:4 states that "Sin is lawlessness". Lawlessness means "we are not under law" because there is no law. Hmmm - where have I heard that one before?
Before I close, I want to clarify that we cannot earn our salvation by good works or by keeping God's laws. Jesus Christ purchased our salvation through His blood which was shed on the cross for us. If we choose to accept this gift of salvation, it also means we choosing to turn our lives over to Christ and His laws which He expects us to obey. We are taught that salvation is a "free gift", but even that is a false teaching! It cost Jesus Christ His very life, and He tells us that if we accept His gift of salvation - it will cost us our lives as well!
In conclusion, God's Word tells us that the theology that teaches us "Once Saved - Always Saved" is a false teaching. It not only does away with our need to obey God's laws, but it also takes away "the fear of the Lord" from before our eyes. Solomon gave his conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13,14: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil."
"When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity (sin), and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? ALL the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die."
In Ezekiel 18:25, God says the following about the "wicked man":
"If a wicked man turns from all his sins (lawlessness) which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live."
If our preachers say that the righteous man can "commit iniquity" and still live, (which goes against God's Word in Ez. 18) - then preachers MUST also BE CONSISTENT when it comes to the verses on the wicked man. They would then have to say if the wicked man "turns from all his sins" - he would still die (which goes against God's Word in Ez. 18). Our preachers cannot change the verses about the righteous man without also changing the verses regarding the wicked man! This goes completely against the practice of good Bible teaching.
So, what is righteousness? Verse 25 above tells us that when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness, "keeps all My statutes (laws)" and does "what is lawful and right", he is considered righteous and will live. If you do what is "lawful", you must have a set of "laws" to live by. The set of laws God has given us are His statutes, the Ten Commandments. However, if we are being taught in our churches that God's law has "been done away with", that means our preachers are actually teaching us to be unrighteous people!
It's interesting that I John 3:4 states that "Sin is lawlessness". Lawlessness means "we are not under law" because there is no law. Hmmm - where have I heard that one before?
Before I close, I want to clarify that we cannot earn our salvation by good works or by keeping God's laws. Jesus Christ purchased our salvation through His blood which was shed on the cross for us. If we choose to accept this gift of salvation, it also means we choosing to turn our lives over to Christ and His laws which He expects us to obey. We are taught that salvation is a "free gift", but even that is a false teaching! It cost Jesus Christ His very life, and He tells us that if we accept His gift of salvation - it will cost us our lives as well!
In conclusion, God's Word tells us that the theology that teaches us "Once Saved - Always Saved" is a false teaching. It not only does away with our need to obey God's laws, but it also takes away "the fear of the Lord" from before our eyes. Solomon gave his conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13,14: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil."
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