Who Knows?

Who Knows?

I write this in the wake of a revelation concerning a well-known Christian government leader who fell into sin. The announcements indicate that he had been caught in an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with another member of parliament, and had continued in it in spite of admonishment. This leader has since resigned from all his government positions and membership in his party. News of this came like a shock wave that reverberated throughout the church and the nation. Few knew about what had happened until the public announcement. A third of the year has gone by. The recent Lent season leading to Good Friday reminds us to keep our eyes on the Cross and Christ crucified for us. We also lift our eyes to see Christ risen and coming for us.

The name of our Lord has been muddied, and there is profound disappointment felt in the Church today. One can only imagine what his family must be feeling now; They are the unseen victims of this tragedy.

This is a time to mourn.

As I reflect on this grievous sorrow, I can’t help thinking about how one can be so popular and active in the public square, and yet conceal such a dark secret.

I can have a glowing public life. Speaking to crowds, featured in magazines, and feted on social media. But in my private life, the things I do in secret - who knows?

I can be famous for the good that I do: Serving the poor and needy, championing the rights of the oppressed and forgotten. Launching new ministries. A prophet for our time. A leader. And the crowds can be amazed at all the good that I can do, and my enemies silenced all the same. But deep inside – who knows?

I could be admired for how I’ve given my life to others, and somehow manage to take care of my family life, my inner life. We assume that one can do so much only because one’s private life has been set in order – or we may even say that one has an ‘anointing’. But who knows?

It is merely the case for public figures that when their struggles and failures are exposed, the whole world will find out and the impact is greater. But this capacity for deceit (for we are surely lying to ourselves) lies within each of us. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.

We all know how to hide. It was the sin that followed quickly after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit.

I feel very much for this now as a pastor. Every Sunday, correction: every day, I am looked upon and expected to speak, to serve, to act blamelessly in every way. To be a man of God. It is so tempting to make it all a show.

Professing humility can be made into a show – for the first thing about it is not to be thinking so much about myself. To profess a love for God can also be a show – for in saying such things I may be vying with God for attention. When is the living real or fake… who knows?

It can even happen at home with my wife and children. It can seem much harder to hide things at home, but it can also be much easier. Who knows? Who knows?

We have turned hiding into an art.

No one can really see when we struggle to keep too many balls in the air, but keep at it as we get egged on by the cheers and jeers. No one, but God.

No one can examine our hearts and find that moment when we justify to ourselves that we are doing a whole lot of good, and lots of people are looking up to me, and therefore I can’t stop now. No one, but God.

No one can see the moments when we choose to disregard His voice – when we stop up our ears and harden our hearts. No one, but God.

And so, if there are 3 things I ask for now, it would be for these:

The virtue of honesty;

The urgency to invite others to hold me accountable;

And most of all, the fear of the Lord.

He knows.

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

Written 19 Jul 2023

Pastor Ng Zhi-wen

Zion Bishan BP Church

Franklin Graham: The Eternal Peril of Progressive Christianity

For decades, a war has been raging against Biblical Christianity that goes under the seemingly innocent name of “progressive Christianity.”

 

It has cropped up in the halls of seminaries, infiltrated the pulpits of thousands of churches and been propagated by a godless liberal media. It is bent on casting doubt and undermining the foundational principles of God’s Word.

 

Many of the Apostle Paul’s letters were written to churches that were experiencing serious doctrinal errors. One of his sternest was penned to the church in Galatia, which is part of modern-day Turkey. In it, he launched into a stern rebuke for the teaching that had polluted the Galatian church:

 

“Progressive Christianity denies the divinely inspired, authoritative truth of the Bible as it intersects every facet of living.”

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:6-9, NIV).

 

In the case of the Galatians, Paul was specifically addressing their attempt to return to the demands of the law rather than continuing to live by grace through faith in the sacrificial, atoning work of the cross of Jesus Christ. Such an attempt wasn’t just a really bad idea; it actually would result in living under God’s curse, not His favor.

 

I would say the exact same warning applies today to the advocates of progressive Christianity. They deceitfully promote and proclaim what I believe is clearly a “different gospel, which is really no Gospel at all.”

 

Let me say that again—progressive Christianity is not a Gospel at all. It has nothing to do with the Gospel of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. It results in nothing but spiritual confusion and chaos.

 

Here’s the problem.

 

Progressive Christianity denies the divinely inspired, authoritative truth of the Bible as it intersects every facet of living. For example, although Scripture clearly says that marriage is between one man and one woman, proponents of progressive Christianity twist and distort the truth of God’s Word on sexuality, focusing on such nonsensical trends as gender identity. They deny God’s distinction of the sexes, and instead invent their own misguided standards, unguided by the Word of God. The degrading cultural influences that embrace such movements as gay marriage have more sway on their beliefs than the Bible does.

 

When the topic of justice is discussed, progressive Christianity is primarily concerned with the issues of social and racial justice (which the Bible does address), but most often neglects the far more fundamental issue of God’s justice—how a holy and just God deals with sinful and wicked men.

 

And when it comes to the matter of personal sin, progressive Christianity most frequently fails to see the ruinous consequences of mankind’s depraved, sinful state. Biblical teaching on the precious blood of Christ, the sacrificial, substitutionary, atoning work of Christ’s death on the cross, is too often neglected or distorted.

 

So the real, ultimate danger is that progressive Christianity can send a person to hell.

 

I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true.

 

To reject the deity of Christ is to deny Christ and doom yourself to an eternity spent in hell.

 

To love darkness more than light will end in an eternity in hell.

 

To hope that good works alone will earn salvation, while rejecting the gift of everlasting life through faith in Christ alone, will lead straight into the eternal abyss.

 

To deny the fullness of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—can risk a person spending their eternity separated from the glory and splendor of God Almighty.

 

“Biblical teaching on the precious blood of Christ, the sacrificial, substitutionary, atoning work of Christ’s death on the cross, is too often neglected or distorted.”

Do you see how anything other than orthodox, Biblical Christianity can be so dangerous and deadly? That’s why the Apostle Paul called down a curse on those who preach a different gospel than the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Here’s how Paul precisely defined the Gospel:

 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NKJV).

 

This is the only saving Gospel. Preachers must faithfully proclaim it from the pulpit if they want their congregants to be convicted of their sin and to trust solely in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Praise and worship have their place in the church, but there is no substitute for pastors preaching the power of the cross and the resurrection.

 

Pastors today must “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5, NKJV).

 

There’s certainly nothing very forward thinking about progressive Christianity. It actually regresses into unbiblical thinking and living, and it will put a person’s very soul in eternal jeopardy.

 

Evangelicals need to guard the truth of genuine Scriptural preaching and living, remaining true and bold about exactly what the Bible clearly teaches. There is no other way to be saved and secured for all eternity.

 

 

 

copied from:

 

https://decisionmagazine.com/franklin-graham-the-eternal-peril-of-progressive-christianity/

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing - Theological Liberalism

 

"Perfect" Greek Bible?

 The "perfect" Greek Bible would refer to a version of the Bible that is written in the original Greek language and is considered to be completely accurate and free from errors. The Bible was originally written in several languages, including Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The New Testament was written primarily in Greek, and many translations of the Bible are based on the original Greek text. Some Christian believers consider the original Greek text of the Bible to be the most authoritative and accurate version, and may refer to it as the "perfect" Greek Bible. However, it is important to note that there is no one "perfect" version of the Bible, and different translations and versions may be considered more accurate or useful for different purposes.

The term "Perfect Greek Bible" could refer to a number of different things, depending on the context in which it is used. It could refer to a Greek translation of the Bible that is considered particularly accurate or faithful to the original texts, or it could refer to a Greek Bible that is considered to be an ideal or "perfect" version in some other sense.

 

There are several Greek translations of the Bible that are considered to be particularly important or influential, including the Septuagint, the Textus Receptus, and the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece. These translations are all based on different manuscripts and textual traditions, and have been used by different Christian denominations and scholars over the centuries.

 

It is worth noting that, while there are many Greek translations of the Bible that are considered to be high quality and faithful to the original texts, there is no such thing as a "perfect" Greek Bible in the sense of being an error-free or definitive version of the text. All translations are interpretations of the original texts, and different translations may represent the meaning of the original texts in slightly different ways.

Gentle reminder

To all Calvinists, please do not try to be cleverer than John Calvin, do not say anything which John Calvin did not say.

To all the Reformed theologians and students, please do not try to be legalistic, and become a Pharisee.