Theological Slavery
By Dr. Ken Matto
Whenever I refer
to “the Bible” it is always the King James Bible and not the modern
counterfeits.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free. (John 8:32)
You may have never heard the term “Theological Slavery”
but it is a compartmentalization of Christianity in which all Christians are
subject to if they allow it. What
has happened to Christianity is horrendous where Christians have departed from
the teachings of Scripture and created theological systems which are not only
erroneous but are in total contradiction to the Scriptures which means they are
lies. Christians have set aside the
true Bible and are now placing their trust in theologians, pastors, and media
ministries which are nothing more than wardens to keep the Christian in slavery
to their teachings. This article is
specifically aimed at Christians.
The idea came to me when I had a discussion on Facebook with a woman who stated
I was “way off” and refused to even look at any of my material.
How can you claim someone is way off when you do not even look at their
material? It is nothing more than
bearing false witness. Then I
realized why she said that because she is a slave to her theological system and
is not allowed to go beyond what her church commands her to believe.
In ancient Israel, both the northern and southern
kingdoms were taken into captivity by pagan empires.
They had a good start in declaring their obedience to God.
And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath
spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
(Exodus 19:8) Then as you
progress in the history of Israel you will plainly see that they blatantly
disobeyed God and eventually the northern kingdom was removed from the land
never to be returned again and the southern kingdom was completely wiped off the
face of the map in 70 A.D. because of their rebellion to God.
The problem that initiated their rebellion was that they were
Scripturally illiterate.
They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of
Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. (John 7:52)
He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of
Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of
Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Galilee, the son of Amittai,
the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.
(2 Kings 14:25)
The Pharisees who were supposed to be the leaders and
experts in the Hebrew Scriptures showed their illiteracy by claiming that no
prophet came out of Galilee. Jonah
was of the tribe of Zebulun and Gath-hepher was near the Sea of Galilee.
The problem was that they went from a study of the Scriptures to the
Babylonian Talmud which was a series of commentaries.
So basically they went from the teachings of God to the teachings of man.
The very same thing is happening today in Christianity.
It is no longer what the Bible says but what does the pastor say, or the
media minister, or the seminary professor say?
Christians have set aside the Bible and have relegated their belief
system to men. Some of the
theological systems which keep Christians compartmentalized and separate are:
Dispensationalism (Pre-Tribulationalism)
Trance-channeled in 1830 by a woman named Margaret
MacDonald. Trance-channeling is
satanic and is used by the New Age movement to contact their ascended masters
which is nothing more than demonic spirits otherwise known as familiar spirits.
Tenets of their belief system are: 7 year tribulation period, rapture of
the church before the tribulation period begins, rewards, physical 1,000 year
reign of Christ from Jerusalem, modern Israel is a rebirth of ancient Israel.
Not one of these can be proven from the Scriptures unless Scripture is
twisted to fit this belief system.
Preterism
Preterism was a created theological system which was a
product of a Jesuit Priest Luis Del Alcazar in the 16th century to
confront the teachings of the Reformers who taught that the Pope was the
Antichrist. So he created a system
of beliefs that placed everything as fulfilled in 70 A.D. thus taking the eye
off the Pope and back on Jerusalem.
His commentary “Investigation of the Hidden Sense of the Apocalypse” claimed
that the book of Revelation was about ancient Rome and the first six centuries
of the Church’s existence. Alcazar
believed that all the prophecies of Revelation except for chapters 20:4-22:21
were fulfilled in 70 A.D. They also
believed that Christ returned in 70 A.D. in the role of the Roman army to
destroy Jerusalem. Many church
fathers place the book of Revelation during the reign of Domitian which was
81-96 A.D. and that the Apostle John was exiled under his reign.
Christian
Reconstructionism
Christian Reconstructionism, otherwise known as
Christian Dominion, is a belief system which was created under the teachings of
Rousas Rushdoony who was considered the Father of Christian Reconstructionism.
He also taught that the world would become Christianized making way for
the second coming of Christ. He also
advocated a return to the law of God which would mean a keeping of the Mosaic
Law. This view peaked in the 1990’s
and was declared a dead movement by 2008.
Antinomianism
Right on the heels of the Christian Reconstructionist
movement are the Antinomians. The
word is made up of two Greek words “anti” which means “against” and “nomos”
which means “law.” They believe that
when Christ died on the cross we are saved by grace alone without keeping any
aspects of the law which is true but they take it one step further by believing
that the Christian should not obey the moral laws of God.
This belief system runs into a problem on two fronts: 1) Sin is the
transgression of God’s law (1 John 3:4) which means the law is not null and void
in the area of morality which would be stealing, murder, adultery, etc.
Christians are to live a godly life and not partake in sinful activities,
2) Christians are under the law of Christ.
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself, ye do well: (James 2:8)
The law of Christ is the royal law and it is based upon loving they
neighbor as thyself, in other words, putting others before yourself in all
matters.
Hebrew Roots
Movement
It is a movement which attempts to Judaize the
Christians and the churches by emphasizing the fact that the church has walked
away from the Hebrew roots found in the Hebrew Scriptures.
They teach that Christ and his disciples practiced the law of Moses and
they did until Christ went to the cross and then the veil in the temple was rent
in two which spelled the end of the Mosaic law as Christ now fulfilled all the
aspects of the law of God and that is imputed to all his followers until the
last one is saved. The book of
Galatians was written as a warning against trying to keep the law for salvation
while under grace. The two are
antithetical and no amount of keeping the law will ever gain salvation for
anyone.
Christian
Zionism
Christian Zionism is the belief that the modern nation
of Israel is the fulfillment of some promise God made to Israel for a
restoration of the nation of Israel.
Normally Christian Zionism is married to dispensationalism and is normally
embraced by Baptist and Fundamental churches.
They will normally have the flag of Israel on their platform not
realizing they are placing their church under the star of Moloch.
The six pointed star is one of the highest signs in Satanism and David
never had a star because he knew it was idolatry.
But ye have borne the tabernacle of
your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to
yourselves. (Amos 5:26) Yea, ye took
up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures
which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon. (Acts
7:43) Christian Zionists make
all kinds of excuses for Israel no matter what they do.
Their motto is “If Israel wants it, then God wants it.”
I know because many years ago I accepted that false belief.
Post-Tribulationalism
This is the
belief that the return of Christ will happen after the Tribulation period
because they believe they must be here as a final witness during that time.
Mid-Tribulationalism
This belief
system states that the church will be raptured in the middle of the Tribulation
Period which is three and one half years into it.
Post-Millennialism
This is a belief
that states that the return of Christ will be after the Millennium which will be
composed of the increase in Christian ethics and influence.
This belief system piggybacks Christian Reconstructionism.
Amillennialism
This is a belief
which teaches that the Millennium found in Revelation 20 is symbolic for the
entire New Testament period. There
is no literal 1,000 year reign of Christ.
He comes back on the last day which is simultaneous with Judgment Day and
the rapture of the church. Many of
the Reformers taught this.
Charismatic
This system
believes that the sign gifts which God gave to the church before the completion
of the Bible are still active today such as tongues, interpretation of tongues,
prophecies, healing, visions, dreams, miracles.
The modern charismatic churches also promote health, wealth, prosperity
making it a very worldly gospel because you do not hear anything about the
afterlife and if you do it is shrouded in much theatrical wording.
Emergent Church Movement
This is the
newest heresy to invade the church and embraced by Christians.
It is based on the belief of experience rather than biblical instruction.
This movement has crossed many denominational boundaries.
They use rituals from many different churches such as the Roman Catholic
Church, Celtic Christianity, Orthodox.
They also allow the use of prayer beads, icons, walking the labyrinth,
and Christian mysticism.
How do
theological systems perpetuate? They
perpetuate by means of generational indoctrination.
For example, a person is born into the Baptist church, when they get old
enough to marry they will have children and they will be brought up in the same
church thus continuing the theological belief system.
This would be fine if a person is brought up in a church which teaches
biblical truth. Now no one is going
to be 100% correct because we as finite creatures are attempting to understand a
book given by an Infinite God. So we
will have variables within the belief systems.
However, small variant beliefs or teachings does not mean you build an
entire doctrine on them and then go search the Scriptures to find a verse or two
which can be twisted to make the case.
For example, probably 95% of all Christians believe that the rapture is
going to be before the tribulation period begins.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians
4:16-17)
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was
opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a
trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things
which must be hereafter. (Revelation 4:1)
John was already given information on the things which
were and the things which are and now he is going to be given the information on
what is going to happen in the last days. The “last days” is the period from the
cross to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In chapters two and three
letters were sent to the existing churches on Earth but now the scene shifts to
Heaven. This verse has been so misunderstood by the pre-tribulation crowd. They
have taught for so long that it represents the rapture and they attempt to tie
it in with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 but there is absolutely nothing by way of
timing. The timing is added by means of whatever theological system one belongs
to. Revelation 4:1 has nothing
whatsoever to do with the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture. This verse is
teaching us that the scene now shifts from earth to Heaven. Just as Ezekiel had
heavenly visions, John is now having them.
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day
of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the
heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
(Ezekiel 1:1)
What I have listed above are just some of the major
theological systems that Christians are attached to and the longer they stay in
them, the more of a slave they become to them.
Christians get to the point where they start defending these systems as
if they are all 100% true. When you
place all these systems next to each other, ask yourself a simple question, “How
can they all be correct when they all differ from each other?”
For example, how could Christ come before the tribulation, in the middle
of the tribulation and after the tribulation?
Do you see the dilemma that puts Christians in if they believe one system
and another believes another system, how can they all be right?
Well the reality is that they are not all correct!
Yet, Christians fight and argue and defend their position not realizing
they are not defending biblical truth but a created theological system.
Each system has its own set of verses that it adheres to
and they will not let their people look at other verses which may challenge
their teachings. This is a very
cultic method to use to control Christians.
They may think they are not being controlled but they are by the wardens
of the theological system. This was
very evident in Christianity between 2001 and 2011 when Harold Camping was
teaching that the rapture of the church would be on May 21, 2011 and the end of
the world would be October 21, 2011.
During that ten years, many of us debunked his teachings yet his minions called
us “heretics, scoffers, and mockers.”
They based this on 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 18:
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last
days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (2 Peter 3:3)
How that they told you there should be mockers in the
last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. (Jude 18)
We refuted his heretical teachings using only the Word
of God because of its power and guess what?
I am writing this portion on June 9, 2020, 9 years after the supposed
“biblical guarantee” of the return of Christ in May 2011.
I remember speaking with a Jehovah’s witness in my
friend’s garage and we came to 2 Corinthians 5:8.
We are confident,
I say, and willing rather to be
absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)
When we read that to him, his exact words were “I didn’t even know that
was in there.” That is because
theological systems, whether Christian or not are scripted.
Theological systems dictate to the believer what they will believe and if
they go outside any of the parameters of the Script, then they will be
castigated as a heretic or false teacher.
In the last section, I am going to use the Rapture as my example to show
how diametrically opposed to Scripture some of the theological systems are.
Have you ever heard the following statement?
“In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.”
In 1999, H. J. M. Nellen found the
quote in a 17th Century writing from the Marco Antonio de Dominis (d. 1624). It
is a quote from one of the most untrustworthy theologians in Church history: a
twice-declared heretic who could not seem to unify with anybody!
He was a Roman Catholic Archbishop.
And yet this unbiblical quotation is used by many Christians to halt any
challenges to their theological stance.
Do you know of any non-essential teachings of Scripture?
All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16)
God gave all Scripture which means there is no such things as essential
and non-essential, all Scripture is essential.
We also hear another
unbiblical statement which is used very frequently by those who wish to halt any
challenges to their theology. “Let’s
Agree to Disagree” (ATD) Let me just give you three consequences of hiding
behind that statement:
1. Truth remains
buried
2. No challenge to
search the Scriptures
3. The Christian
remains under false teachings
These were more
noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were
so. (Acts 17:11) The Apostle
Paul commended the Berean believers because they searched the Scriptures daily,
not theology books or theological systems.
Basically when
someone hits you with an ATD, they are literally saying, "I will believe what I
want to believe, and you believe what you want to believe." When someone uses an
ATD, they are being spiritually smug in thinking they have stopped an argument
or debate. What really happened, is that person is stunting their own spiritual
growth and development by choosing to remain where it is the most comfortable
and palatable. The true gospel is an offense, even to Christians since it zings
us too. If I was to define ATD in one statement, it would be, "The avoidance of
truth." How many times have you heard, "don’t rock the boat?" The true gospel
not only rocks the boat but it overturns ships. If you are a person given to ATD
philosophy, you are really hurting yourself spiritually. How do you expect to
grow if you set the standard of what you will believe rather than God’s
standard?
For what saith
the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. (Romans 4:3)
The first five
words in Romans 4:3 is probably the most important in the Bible because it
points us to what the Bible is teaching.
Unfortunately, many Christians go to their pastor, theology books,
prophecy books, or media ministry instead of going directly to the Bible and
getting the answer and I know why.
They fear the Bible because the answer may interfere with their plans.
I know this from personal experience.
Many years ago a woman came to me and asked me about marriage after
divorce. I showed her the Scriptures
which plainly teach that marriage after divorce is adultery.
She did not care what the Bible taught and found four people to tell her
what she wanted to hear and got married anyway.
11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall
put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to
another, she committeth adultery. (Mark 10:11-12)
Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another,
committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her
husband committeth adultery. (Luke 16:18)
2 For the woman which hath an husband is
bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband
be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then
if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be
called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that
law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. (Romans
7:2-3)
The reason why
there are so many theological systems out there is simply because the Christians
do not study their Bibles. Reading
theology books, prophecy books, or listening to the preacher or a media ministry
is not studying the Bible, instead that is relying on someone’s interpretation
of the Bible. That is like reading
the Living Bible or New Living Translation and think you are reading the Bible
when in essence you are not because they are paraphrases.
It seems that
there is no end to theological systems and new denominations which are coming
and going. It seems every church has
a different interpretation of the Bible and if you listen to Christian radio,
you will hear a different theology every half hour which throws more confusion
into the mix. It seems Christians
are trapped no matter where they go.
They must adopt the theological system that their church does or they will be
tossed out. The Lord himself gave us
a tool which is the great equalizer and teacher.
The Bible will either confirm or condemn your beliefs and we need to pay
attention because if we do not, we will remain in the prison of our personal
beliefs.
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is
of any private interpretation. (2 Peter 1:20)
Here is the reason that there are so many different
theologies and movements. Many have
taken the Bible and interpreted it according to their preferences, bias,
desires, and emotions and have created doctrines which are palatable to the
flesh but are total error.
Interpretation of the Bible belongs to the Bible itself.
Which things also we speak, not in
the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13)
We compare Scripture with Scripture to make sure our conclusions
harmonize with what is taught in the rest of the Bible.
Once we do that we will begin to straighten out our understanding of
Scripture. When I got rid of all my
prophecy and theology books and went to the Bible alone for my understanding,
the Bible became alive as it never did before, like a deluge in a thunderstorm.
Difficult passages were now understandable as before when interpreted
according to a theological system they remained closed and many times when
approached, were twisted. I will
give some examples of this to show a theological system will not stand the
scrutiny of Scripture.
Emancipation
Proclamation
Theological systems have done nothing but shroud the
truth in religious terms. I know
this personally because when I first became a Christian, I followed
dispensational theology until I ditched my prophecy books and started studying
the Bible without the predisposition of a theological system, the ideas I was
taught proved to be total fabrications.
God gave us the Bible for the purpose of freeing us from these systems.
The true Bible is the Emancipation Proclamation given to Christians by
God himself for the purpose of us knowing the Lord and Jesus Christ and the
redemption of his Elect. Theological
systems keep Christians in bondage to specific beliefs and teachings and does
not allow a Christian to go beyond its borders.
This means the Christians will only believe what they are told to believe
and that is nothing but being in a theological prison.
Just like a prison, an inmate cannot go beyond the walls to freedom.
If a church adopts a specific theological or eschatological (end time
teaching) stance, then those in the church must continually adhere to those
teachings or else they will be escorted out the door.
When I was a new Christian I bought prophecy books and
within those books was written something called “The Rapture of the Church” and
in all those books was a common teaching that the rapture would take place
before the final tribulation period would begin.
For some years I believed that and it was called “The Pre-tribulation
Rapture.” It is still widely taught
today in the majority of churches and if a person questions it, they are
basically criticized for rejecting biblical truth.
I know this personally, because I have been accused of that very thing
many times by inmates of the system of Dispensationalism.
Now I want to show you a liberating truth in Scripture.
Always keep in mind, if you claim and proclaim a false teaching, then you
are helping to deceive other Christians.
And ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)
Remember, Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees who thought they were
God’s special people but Jesus goes on in verse 44 stating they were and are of
their father the devil. Jesus spoke
those words to the religious crowd because religion, rather than the Hebrew
Scriptures, was what they obeyed and studied.
How do I know this? Remember
Jonah above. If they knew their
Scriptures, they would have known that there was a prophet from Galilee.
The same situation exists within Christianity today.
The majority of Christians have placed their faith in theological systems
which cover the truth rather than proclaim it.
At this point I want us to look at the Rapture which is proclaimed to be
before the final tribulation. Above
I quoted 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and Revelation 4:1 as being linked together
which Dispensationalists use as their proof texts of a pre-tribulation rapture.
Now let us compare what they teach to what the Bible actually teaches:
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that
of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up
again at the last day. (John 6:39)
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will
raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40)
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent
me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall
rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again
in the resurrection at the last day. (John 11:23-24)
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath
one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in
the last day. (John 12:48)
Here we have six verses straight out of the Bible which
state plainly that the rapture of the church is on the last day.
As plain as these Scriptures are concerning the rapture, yet you have the
Pre-tribulation and the Mid-tribulation crowd teaching a different timing of the
rapture. The Mid-tribulation crowd
claims the rapture is in the middle of the tribulation period.
Do you see how both of these theological systems are teaching an
unconcealed lie? Yet, they will not
recant that teaching. Why?
Because they are slaves to a theological system.
If those six verses are not enough, then here is another proof of a last
day rapture and resurrection.
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt. (Daniel 12:2)
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is
coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28-29)
Daniel 12:2 speaks about a day when the dead will be
raised and both groups are included in that resurrection which are the saved and
the unsaved. The book of Daniel was
written about 600 B.C. Then we read
in John 5:28-29 a more detailed account of what we found written in Daniel.
John states the same thing that there is going to be one general
resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved on the last day as we read in
John 11:24 & 12:48 where both believers and unbelievers are in view.
Let’s look at Daniel 12:4:
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the
book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:4)
Daniel 12:4 tells us that Daniel was to shut up the
words and seal the book until the time of the end.
When did the end commence?
The end commenced at the time of the cross.
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
(Hebrews 1:2)
So we see that the last days commenced at the cross and
Daniel’s book was now unsealed as we read in John 5:28-29 which was written
after the last days commenced and was penned about 75-90 A.D., 675-90 years
after the book of Daniel was written.
Then John once again harmonizes his teachings with that of Hebrews 1:2.
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye
have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists;
whereby we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2:18)
The word “time” in this verse is the Greek word “hṓra”
which means “hour.” Here John calls
the entire New Testament period, “the last hour.”
Let us look at one more false teaching found in Dispensationalism.
They teach that there are going to be two resurrections.
One will be of the believer before the final tribulation period and one
at the end of the millennium when all the unbelievers will be raised to be taken
to judgment. However, we already saw
that both the believers and unbelievers will be raised on the last day but here
is the icing on the cake.
32 And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his
right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25:32-33)
If there are two resurrections that are separated by
1,000 years and each one is a dedicated resurrection, that is one for the
believers and one for the unbelievers, then why are both the believers and
unbelievers standing together simultaneously before the throne of Christ?
Then we see that at that time Christ will be separating the sheep (saved)
from the goats (unsaved). So how
could there be two separate, dedicated resurrections if all the people of the
world are standing before the throne of Christ?
Do you see how Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-29, and Matthew 25:32-33 harmonizes
perfectly without even attempting to over-explain or force fit any explanation.
Include in that the six verses of John we saw and they all harmonize
perfectly bringing us to truth. Yet
even though these are in the Bible, many Christians and churches will choose to
continue to follow the false theological systems when the truth is right in
their hands marked Holy Bible.
Unity in
Christianity
13 Till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we
henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:13-14)
The reality is that there will never be true unity in
Christianity as long as it is compartmentalized into theological systems.
True unity can only be achieved when theological systems are discarded
and all Christians unify under the teachings of Scripture.
God gave the Bible to believers for them to live by and to guide them and
to get to know the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit
better. Unity can never happen as
long as different theologies are taught by different churches.
Christians must adhere to the Scriptures whether they like what is
written or not. If Christians
continue to follow biased theologians and churches, unity on earth will never
materialize. The Bible unifies
Christianity but theological systems separate it into parts which can never be
joined together because of the disparity of the individual systems.
The Bible speaks of Christianity as a body.
That there should be no schism in the body; but
that the members should have the same care one for another. (1
Corinthians 12:25) The word
“schism” carries with it the meaning of “division, rent, or split.”
A body can only survive if it is solidly connected together.
Let’s be real, the body of Christ is divided by theological systems
creating body parts all over the place.
There is no unity. It is true
we are together because Christ has saved us and we are looking forward to Heaven
but once you get beyond this, the body lies in fragments.
It has even gotten to the point that we no longer call ourselves
Christians anymore, we refer to ourselves as Baptists, Methodists,
Presbyterians, Reformed, etc. We
have transferred identity from Christ to the church we attend.
If we are going to attain true unity of the faith then theological
systems must be rejected and the Bible must take its rightful place as our book
of understanding. Whenever we choose to
(and it is a choice) follow a theological system, we have chosen to follow the
interpretations of man and not the teachings of God and then we wonder why
Christians are so weak, confused and fearful.
Instead of the power which stands behind the Bible, we have the weakness
of man as our strength. Then you
wonder why you cannot defeat sin in your life!
We cannot repeat the error of ancient Israel by placing the
interpretations of men in a higher place than God’s Holy Word.
Summary
The reason I penned this study was to openly show how
opposed to Scripture theological systems are, even those that are taught in
churches for many years. If one is
going to come to truth then it comes only through the Bible.
God gave us the Bible as a guidebook for our living and learning but many
Christians and churches have replaced the Bible with the teachings of man.
Whenever there is some type of appealing media minister or pastor, people
seem to gravitate to them as if their charm is the standard for truth.
The reality is that the more appealing and famous they are, the more
compromised they are. The
Christian’s truth comes from the Bible not the teachings and interpretations of
men which saturate the church. The
Bible is judged by theology and prophecy books instead of the Bible judging
them. If Christians are going to
learn and live in truth, then they must escape the prison of theological systems
and learn from the Bible alone. Let
me warn you, Christians themselves will excoriate you for not following the
benighted tenets of their system.
Here is the reality, the Lord Jesus Christ saved you, not your church or your
theological system and you owe allegiance to him and not the church or even
other Christians. Remember it was
the theological system of Judaism that hated and crucified Christ and continues
that hatred today. So you must make
a choice, either you live under a theological system or you seek emancipation
through the Scriptures. Remember
John 8:32 again:
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free. (John 8:32)