I watch the trends in the modern church—not because they excite me, but because I’ve read enough Scripture and seen enough history to know that the so-called “new” is rarely anything more than old compromise with a fresh coat of paint. Sometimes it’s worldly compromise. Sometimes it’s outright heresy. But it’s never new.
Problem: Most people will read the title of this article and immediately think, “Of course a person can do good.” After all, Jesus said, “A good (agathos) man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things” (Matthew 12:35). Paul instructed Christians to (simply) “do good to all” (Galatians 6:10). He later reminded the disciples in Corinth that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). And John wrote: “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God” (3 John 11).
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What would the typical living cell look like if enlarged to the size of New York City? Let’s take an imaginary journey through the cell.
Problem: How do Galatians 6 verses two and five harmonize? According to the apostle Paul, Christians are to “[b]ear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). However, only three verses later, he writes: “For every man shall bear his own burden” (6:5). Skeptic Steve Wells, author of the popular Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, categorizes Galatians 6:2 and 6:5 as contradictory verses (see Wells, 2015). Bible critic Dennis McKinsey comments on these verses, saying, “Gal. 6:2 says that we should bear one another’s burdens to fulfill the law of Christ, while three verses later we are told that everyone should bear his own burden. So who is to bear our burdens?… One can’t help but ask why people would be obligated to aid the poor if every man is supposed to bear his own burden” (1995, pp. 86, 430). So are Christians to “bear one another’s burdens,” or is the child of God to “bear his own burden”?
Simply compare what they say to the WORD OF GOD and SEE the difference!
Problem: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
For each one will have to bear his own load. (Galatians 6:5)
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species opened the modern era of evolutionary thinking. The very name of his book suggests that as we look back in time, we should see fewer kinds of animals. Darwin led many people to think that there should be a greater variety of plants and animals today than in the distant past. And, those plants and animals should be more sophisticated today.
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Problem: In its root meaning, the word “allegory” means “to say something else.” This method of interpretation “seeks to discern a hidden meaning in a given story or text, a meaning that may be entirely divorced from the historical referent alluded to in the narrative itself.” For example of allegory, in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, we read about various characters and places that clearly refer to a deeper meaning (e.g. Pliable, Faithful, Hopeful, Giant Despair, Doubting-Castle, Hill Difficulty, City Beautiful, etc.).
Never has there been a time when New Testament churches are under greater deluge by false teaching. The internet has massively enlarged the ability of false teachers of every sort (not to speak of pure nuts) to broadcast their heresies.
If Jesus is God’s “only begotten Son,” then how can angels and Christians also be God’s sons?
It is clear from verses such as the following that one title for Jesus is “Son of God.”
This contrast is from Clarence Larkin
Problem: In Galatians 3:17 Paul takes the 430 years of Exodus 12:40-41 to refer to the period from the day God appears to Abraham and he leaves for/into Canaan to the day of the Exodus. This is the most logical interpretation because Genesis 15:13 says his descendants will be “sojourners in a foreign land” for 400 years; Abraham is 75 when he leaves Haran (Gen. 12:4), and Isaac is born to him when he’s 100 (Gen. 21:5). This leaves us with 405 years technically, which is why some older commentators supposed that the 400 years began when Ishmael teased a 5-year-old Isaac (Gen. 20:9 – Ishmael laughed, presumably at Isaac’s expense). This is neither possible nor necessary to prove – 405 years can easily be rounded to 400 to carry the same sense, much like other ages and numbers are.
Based on Romans 9:1-3
(By Rick McGrath )
The Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 9 reveal one of the most emotionally charged moments in all of Scripture. Speaking from the depths of his heart, Paul confesses his grief over those closest to him: his fellow Israelites, his family, and his friends, who have rejected Christ. “I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit; I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race” (Romans 9:1-3, NIV).
Problem: Were the Israelites in Egypt for only 215 years? If so, what about the passages that have 400 or 430 years?
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If you’ve spent any time paying attention to the agonizing death throes of liberal Anglicanism, it should come as no surprise that its latest brilliant idea to staunch the bleeding involves not just ignoring Scripture, but intentionally thumbing their noses at it.