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"Click on the endnote
numbers to read endnotes; click on "back" on your web browser to
return to your place in the article." CHAPTER 5 RECOVERING A POLEMICAL STAND IN THE POSTMODERN WORLD With movements like consumerism,
Counterfeit Revivals (Toronto and Pensacola), spiritual abuse (International
Churches of Christ), Evangelicals and Catholics Together (Charles Colson and
Richard John Neuhaus), just to name a few, polemics is clearly needed today to
keep the church from doctrinal error, apostasy, and the destruction of the
lives and souls of people.[1]
The gospel and the authority of Scripture are under a massive assault on many
fronts. All that the reformers fought for, all that the apostles proclaimed and
died for, all that God sent Jesus to the cross for is threatened today by
Christians who are concerned with things other than doctrinal purity. The
recovery of polemics can bring the church back to its Scriptural message and
mission. While revival is on the lips of
leaders worldwide, the statistical evidence shows anarchy on the horizon.[2]
What is needed is not revival but reformation.[3]
The biblically grounded teaching of John MacArthur can give the church guidance
here. MacArthur’s teaching is that discernment is needed to distinguish between
truth and error. In his book Reckless Faith he wrote, “Does the
Scripture tell us how to be discerning? It certainly does. Paul sums up
the process in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 [NASB]: ‘Examine everything carefully;
hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.’ There, in
three straightforward commands, he spells out the requirements of a discerning
mind.”[4] But what is the standard by
which to judge truth? After he covered the relevant biblical passages,
MacArthur concluded, “Therefore, Paul is affirming that the Bible is the only
reliable criterion by which believers in this age can evaluate any message
claiming to be the truth from God.”[5]
MacArthur explained several ingredients for a recipe for discernment. The
ingredients are: (1) desire wisdom; (2) pray for discernment; (3) obey the
truth; (4) follow discerning leaders; (5) depend on the Holy Spirit; (6) study
the Scriptures; and (7) keep growing.[6] One cannot have true spiritual
discernment apart from the Bible. The Reformation conviction sola scriptura
or Scripture alone must be renewed. This doctrine means the Scriptures alone
are authoritative for doctrine and practice. To resist a postmodern approach to
the Scriptures, one must approach them as objective universal truth. This idea
would seem to be a given, but too often today Christians approach the Bible
from an existential or pragmatic perspective. As Michael Horton pointed out,
“Scripture alone not only does not mean individualism or subjectivism; it must
not be construed as saying that the Bible tells us everything. Scripture is
chiefly concerned with the unfolding drama of redemption, from the Garden of
Eden to the New Jerusalem, and everything relates to Christ as prophet, priest,
and king. That means that the Bible is not principally concerned with
organizing our schedule, giving us tips for winning in life and business, or
with guiding us into self-fulfillment.”[7]
Yet too often this is where the emphasis lies. People want what is “practical”
and “relevant.” However, many do not understand that what is eternal is what is
ultimately relevant. Accepting the sole authority of
the Scriptures, basing the ministry of the church on it, and pointing out
errors of those who reject the authority of the Scriptures will not be
comfortable or popular; but then, God did not call the church to be comfortable
or popular. In many cases people will reject biblical doctrine and continue in
error. What is the church to do in such situations? In the Bible, false
doctrine is considered a grave sin. The
church’s apathetic attitude toward false doctrine and false teachers was
not shared by Jesus and the apostles. The Bible’s strongest warnings are
reserved for those engaging in false doctrine. Those who want to uphold the
authority of the Scriptures must take this seriously. In Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus
provided the formula for dealing with a sinning brother. It deals with
personally confronting the person in error with hopes of repentance and
restoration. If no repentance takes
place, the person is to be dismissed from fellowship in the church and
considered an unbeliever. This is the doctrine of separation, a doctrine no
longer practiced in most churches. This may seem severe, but that is because
the effect of tolerating sin (and false
doctrine is sin) in the church is devastating. Other passages dealing with
separation are Romans 16: 17-20, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18,
Galatians 1:8, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15, and Titus 3:10-11. Many today despise the doctrine
of separation preferring to generate unity, but as Richard Mayhue noted, the
Bible places higher priority on doctrinal purity than church unity. Mayhue
summarized, “(1) The Bible is our only infallible rule of faith and practice.
(2) Doctrinal purity is an essential mark of the church. (3) The New Testament
does command separating from doctrinal impurity. These conditions are mandated
by New Testament teaching. Therefore, we can confidently conclude that the
Bible expressly forbids entering or sustaining ecclesiastical relationships
with those who characteristically reject truth and/or habitually persist in
doctrinal error.”[8] The prince of preachers, Charles
Haddon Spurgeon, in his statement as to why he separated from the London
Baptist Association in 1888 wrote, “Complicity with error will take from the
best of men the power to enter any successful protest against it. If any body
of believers had errorists among them, but were resolute to deal with them in
the name of the Lord, all might come right; but confederacies founded upon the
principle that all may enter, whatever views they hold, are based upon
disloyalty to the truth of God. If truth is optional, error is justifiable.”[9] Many today are making their
doctrinal statements as short and general as possible to include the most
amount of people. Some are even saying that doctrinal statements should be done
away with altogether and make belief in Jesus the only requirement.[10]
This position is clearly insufficient since Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses
believe in Jesus. The Bible is clear on this
issue, but it rubs against the grain of the times. The church must be
courageous and stand on the truth of the Word of God no matter the cost, even
if it means separating from those in error. Polemics must be done in love, but
it must be done nonetheless. [1] See the bibliography for works
covering these various movements. [2] Mark Wingfield, “Researcher Barna
Sees Anarchy, Not Revival, on Horizon,” Baptist New Mexican, 23 March
1996, 7. [3] Hank Hanegraaff, Hypnotic
Seduction in The Church, audiotape of lecture given in Vancouver, British
Columbia in 1997. Available from the Christian Research Institute
1-800-443-9797. [4] John F. MacArthur, Reckless
Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern (Wheaton: Crossway Books,
1994), 69. [5] Ibid., 76. [6] Ibid., 81-90. [7] Michael Horton, The Coming
Evangelical Crisis, ed. John H. Armstrong (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996),
251. [8] Richard Mayhue, “Separation in
Ministry Relationships,” Voice: An Independent Church Journal 72, no. 5
(September/October 1993): 21. [9] Charles H. Spurgeon, “The Drift of
the Times: Sound the Alarm!” The Baptist Challenge 35, no. 3 (March
1995): 16. [10] Gary Cameron, “Truth and Unity,” The
New Reformation Review 1, no. 5 (August 1993):3 [jounal on-line]; available
from http://www.mindspring.com/~krwatson/nrr/0105aug. html; Internet; accessed
21 November 1997. Next chapter |
