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This is the fifth article in our 10-part series of excerpts from our new book, “In Vain Do They Worship Me, Teaching as Doctrine the Commandments of Men.”
The purpose of this book is to illuminate ten reasons for the frightening collapse in morality in America in recent years. Although America was built on the foundations of the education and discipleship system outlined in Scripture, we began abandoning these precepts in the mid-19th century in favor of a new church doctrine formally termed Pietism[1] that places a false division between what is deemed “secular” and “sacred,” effectively silencing the churches regarding social and political issues causing chaos and destruction in our society. But God speaks constantly on these same issues throughout the Bible, warning nations and people of unethical, unrighteous behavior and the consequences of rejecting His Law in our culture.
Here is the fourth great concern.
Grave Error #4:
"Preach Salvation Messages—Don’t Stress Discipleship"
The Doctrine of Salvation that Diminishes Discipleship/Education
In many churches today, the focus is more on evangelism than equipping. Is this Biblical? What are the results?
In many churches today, the focus is more on evangelism than equipping. Is this Biblical? What are the results?
If one was to ask a typical Christian pastor to define the purpose of the church, the most likely response would be “To preach the Gospel.” And who could argue with that? Indeed, Paul proclaims, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16) Again, Paul (quoting Isaiah ) says in Romans 10:15, “As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” Truly, we have been given both the blessing and duty to declare the Good News of the Gospel-message to the whole world!
But how are we to understand the terms—Good News and Gospel?
Are they limited only to the simple (but essential) explanation of what is required to receive salvation and inherit eternal life? To believe that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; that we are all in need of a Savior, and Christ is that Savior who gave His sinless life and priceless blood to redeem and cleanse us of all our sins if we will but repent and put our trust in Him? —For simplicity sake we’ll call that view the “Salvation Gospel.”
That surely is good news, but is it the entire Gospel? No, it is only the first portion.
Ephesians 2:8-9 declares, “It is by grace we have been saved through faith…not of works...”—this is the essence of the Salvation Gospel: We are not saved by works but by grace through faith in the name and person of Jesus Christ. This portion opens the door to salvation and leads to new life—becoming “born-again.” The second part of this micro-gospel message is seen in Ephesians 2:10, which gives us our marching orders in the battleground we have now been born-again into. Why have we have been saved? “…for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” This defines our purpose now that we have become disciples of Christ.
The Apostle Paul challenged the young pastor Titus, “I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people” (Titus 3:8). The entire Bible is the Book of the Law that includes every principle and precept for our instruction. This is the Gospel of Truth which we’ll call the “Sanctification Gospel.” This “Gospel” is that which instructs us in how to live, move, and have our being in Christ.
Every week, church congregations meet together, mainly attended by those who believe themselves saved. Their cry is to be guided in the knowledge and understanding of God so that they can navigate this life triumphantly in preparation for eternity. In other words, they’re asking “What are the good works that God has prepared for me to do now that I have been saved? And how can I battle the evil surrounding me unless I can discern God’s truth from man’s lies? Help!”
If this is why the people come to church, then the purpose of the church stretches far beyond preaching the message of salvation by grace through faith.
That is why Scripture clearly states that the purpose of the church is to “Equip the saints for the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:11-12).
To be clear, this is not to say there are not numerous churches with a more expansive view of the purpose of the church. For example, many focus on Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer”—which certainly does not exclude proclaiming the message of salvation to unbelievers. However, judging by the overall anemic condition of Christianity in America it is clear that most churches consider that their main objective is to lead the lost to salvation through the simple “preaching of the Gospel.” And this is done at the expense of spending the majority of time discipling and educating those saved among the flock to think and live like Christ. How else can the rampant biblical illiteracy and resultant societal apathy among professing Christians be explained? A sample of recent polling is given below to expose the depth and reach of this problem.
The Scarcity of a Biblical Worldview Among Self-Described Christians
• Less than 9% of all professing “Born-again” Christians have a biblical worldview—which simply means they don’t look at all issues of life through the lens of Scripture.
• Only 2% of the Christian parents of preteens (children in the key worldview development window) have a biblical worldview—and they are the ones entrusted to disciple the next generations.
• 88% possess a hybrid worldview. Almost nine out of ten U.S. adults have an impure, unrecognizable worldview that is nothing more than a customized, personal blend of disparate ideas adopted from multiple philosophies of life.
How Does This Affect Belief and Behavior?
• Only 33% believe the Bible is the primary source for moral truth.
• 76% REJECT the principle that Absolute Truth exists (believing instead that truth is relative to each individual).
• Only 55% believe the Bible is the actual Word of God.
• Less than 15% believe that accumulated wealth is entrusted to us by God to manage for His purposes.
If this is the illness, what is the cure?
Repent and Return
No devout Christian should be content with the state of today’s churches when we consider how ineffective and disrespected the church is in our culture. It is inarguable that the influence of Christianity as a whole has fallen drastically throughout the world in the last 60 years. If the patient is sick, it is foolish to pretend he is not; or worse, to treat the illness with something other than that which addresses the affliction. Rather, a cure for the specific illness must be diligently sought after. In our case, the diagnosis is clear: the patient is suffering from lack of knowledge.
To repeat the question, how can this be cured? The answer: Repent from our spiritual lethargy and diligently return to the fundamental, initial commandments spelled out in Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (the reader is encouraged to read this short section). Following the principles from that passage guarantees success as promised by God in multiple passages. Conversely, curses are prophesied when these principles are rejected.
We are experiencing those curses in living color today. History Speaks. Are We Listening?
Before Roman Catholicism took control of Christianity in the middle of the 1st millennia A.D.—much like a modern corporation gobbling up its competition—the early Church was, generally speaking, doing what She was called to do, i.e., fulfilling the Great Commission through the implementation of three fundamental commands contained in Mathew 28:19-20.
1. Disciple all the nations. Contrary to nearly every English translation of Matthew 28:19; the original Greek does NOT say “make disciples;” rather, it says, “disciple all the nations.” This may seem to be splitting theological hairs, but it is not. There is a world of difference between a noun and a verb. Translating (incorrectly) the word “disciple” as a noun gives the impression that all we are to do is lead someone to Christ and our job is done. If someone raises his or her hand at an altar call then that person has been made a “disciple,” and we can simply move on. However, translating (correctly) the word “disciple” as a verb entails a process. The act of discipling takes time, and often costs the discipler a great deal. Discipleship is a long term investment and commitment; it is not something that magically happens instantaneously the moment a person repeats the so-called “sinner’s prayer,” as if he or she is repeating some incantation.
2. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Of course, the primary application of the term baptize here refers to baptism by water. However, a case can be made that “baptizing them” may also connote the idea of immersing those whom we are discipling in the doctrines of the Christian faith (the Living Water), not merely immersing them in liquid water as a one-time public act. This would seem to fit very nicely with the concept of discipleship that we discussed in the previous point. Just as discipleship is a process and not a one-time public act of raising the hand at an altar call, so too immersion (baptism) is a process (i.e., indoctrinating in the Christian faith), and not merely a one-time act of being submerged in water. Accordingly, the commission to “baptize them” would encompass the transformation and renewing of the mind that is required of all disciples (Rom. 12:2), and would further accentuate the command of the following verse…
3. Teach them to obey all that I have commanded. Again, teaching someone all that Christ commanded cannot possibly occur via a one-time altar call. This kind of comprehensive teaching is a process; it takes time; it takes full immersion in the doctrines, precepts, and principles of the Word.
Apparently, the Great Commission is far more expansive in scope than most of us have been taught. Christ has commanded us to fully disciple, fully immerse, fully indoctrinate all the nations according to all that is revealed in the scriptures. As we walk through every area of life, we are to exemplify what it looks like to live in submission to the immutable laws of God set in place for our blessing. This is how we love our neighbor as ourselves.[1]
With such clear instruction and defined purpose, Christianity spread like a mighty wind blowing across the western world. Dedicated Christians—clinging to the truth of God’s Word in the midst of trials and persecution; committed to discipling all ages; and determined to know, understand, and live The Faith in every area of life—proceeded to persuade and display to the world the transformational power of the works and doctrines of Christ.
However, instead of continuing with the momentum of God’s approving wind upon our back, we turned our face against His purposes, creating our own methods, effectively spitting in the wind. Consequently, we are now “reaping the whirlwind.”[2] Our families are being tossed about by every wind and wave among a tornado of deceptive ideas that oppose the Word of God, leaving them dazed and confused, unable to stand because the church has stopped doing battle with these ideas by exposing them in the light of the truth of Scripture.
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This series is extracted from our new book, “In Vain Do They Worship Me, Teaching as Doctrine the Commandments of Men—Ten Grave Errors Tossing the Church To and Fro.”
Available on our GTI website or Amazon.