Where is Christianity Headed?
by Stephen Bastin
Some 2000 years ago, Jesus
chose Peter to preach on the Pentecost that followed Jesus’ resurrection.
That day about 3000 people became members of the church that was built on
Jesus. The message was simple:
“Jesus is Lord and Christ.”
The message brought a clear
question: “Brothers, what shall we
do?” The response was clear:
“Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.”
The church that began on that
day grew rapidly in the city of Jerusalem. Thousands
became followers, disciples of Jesus. It
was not until several years later that they began to be called “Christians.”
Persecution soon drove these
early disciples from Jerusalem. They
spread out taking the message about Jesus to Jews who lived in other cities and
villages. Soon there were many more
churches, all believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
Later Peter was again chosen
for a special preaching assignment. He
was sent to the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion, to proclaim the good news
of Jesus to him and his family. When
they became disciples of Jesus, the church had now been extended into the
non-Jewish (Gentile) world.
It was in Antioch that there
was finally a church established which included both Jews and Gentiles.
And it was there that the disciples were first called Christians.
As the years passed,
missionaries went out. Those who
were converted also left their homes and went to other places, telling everyone
about what God had done in sending His only begotten Son into the world to die
as a sacrifice for the sins of all.
The writings of the apostles
and others through whom they spoke are recorded in what we now call “The New
Testament.” It is clear that these
writers understood that what they were writing was as authoritative for
Christians as the “Old Testament” had been for Jews.
They spoke of their commands as being the commands of the Lord.
They warned, as Moses had warned in the Old Testament, not to add to nor
take away from what was written.
There was a clear
understanding in the first century that all authority belonged to Jesus.
Jesus was acknowledged as their King.
He was recognized as the only Head of the Church.
All disputes were resolved by Jesus’ chosen representatives, the 12
apostles, to whom Jesus had added a thirteenth, Paul (Saul) of Tarsus.
Not only were morals decided
upon the basis of what the apostles taught, church order and church doctrines
and practices were all matters to be decided based on the teaching of those
apostles. There was no appeal from
apostolic teaching. There was no
provision made for changing doctrine or church practices by later councils of
uninspired men. Today the authority
of the apostles chosen by Jesus has been usurped by uninspired men who have put
themselves and others in positions of power.
It was only to the apostles that Jesus had promised,
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He
will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to
you,” or, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into
all the truth; for He will not speak on His
own initiative, but whatever
He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
In the Roman world, the early
Christians were considered atheists because they did not worship the pagan gods.
There was a clear and distinct difference between those Christians and
the other people among whom they lived. The
Christians believed different doctrines and they had different morals.
They also submitted to a higher authority, the authority of Jesus.
In the Roman world, people
practiced abortion and killed unwanted infants.
The Christians did neither. In
the Roman world, drunken parties and sexual relationships outside of marriage
were common. The Christians did not
do those things. Well, maybe some of
them did. But it was clear from the
teaching of the apostles that such conduct would exclude one from the kingdom of
God. In the Roman world the emperor
was worshipped as God. Christians
refused and were labeled atheists.
Changes in the Christian
religion came slowly. Changes always
do. Gradual changes are scarcely
noticed or if noticed they are not deemed worthy of serious attention because
they seem to be so small. Thus is
religion changed. In such a way
great changes have come over the past 2000 years in the Christian religion.
Practices that are common in
the Christian religion today were unheard of for hundreds of years after the
death of the apostles. Things taken
for granted now, would have rung alarm bells in the first century among those
who were devoted to the apostles’ doctrine.
Yet what has changed even more
dramatically than practices and morals is the things that are believed.
The early church believed the Bible was the Word of God.
They believed that Jesus really died on the cross and was raised to life
on the third day. They believed that
Jesus was born of a virgin, changed water to wine, walked on water, healed the
sick, cast out demons and raised the dead. They
did not try to explain away any of these things.
They were firm believers and did not try to give a figurative or
“spiritual” interpretation to the things that they preached and wrote about
Jesus.
Today, those in positions of
authority in many churches ridicule such belief.
They mock those who would understand the Bible as literal truth.
Not only do they mock, but they seek in every way possible to undermine
the faith of those who still believe the Bible.
It is not the immoral, the wicked, the enemies of the Christian religion
who are in the forefront of this effort to undermine faith, but those men and
women who should be the defenders of the “faith once delivered.”
Such people are now the champions of unbelief preaching their heresy from
thousands of pulpits across America.
In subtle and shifty ways the
enemies of the cross of Christ have taken refuge in the churches and from there
launch their attacks on the Christian religion.
Preaching tolerance and rejecting the Biblical call for righteous
judgment they spread their poison far and wide.
Much of the Christian religion
today has been hijacked by the enemies of God.
It was from a theological seminary that the cry went out, “God is
dead.” Likewise it is from the
citadels of learning that were once occupied by those who believed the Bible
that have gone forth the cries, “The Bible is only the work of men.”
Spreading lies and misinformation far and wide, the Christian religion
today only continues to exist because of the faithful few who are willing to
expose themselves to ridicule, name-calling and the attacks of those who should
call them friends.
When the theologians began to
call the story of Jonah and the whale (sea monster or great fish) a myth they
had only begun their attack. Now
there are those who are willing to sit in judgment on the apostles of Jesus.
They dare to decide that Jesus never said what his apostles attribute to him.
They are willing to cast their judgment against the chosen disciples of
Jesus and declare most of the stories about Jesus to be pure fiction.
Since the 4th century, groups
of men have been meeting together and voting on what to accept as truth.
Excuse me, since when is truth decided by a popular vote?
All sorts of votes have been taken and decisions made about what
Christians ought and ought not to believe. Now
votes are being taken on what is right and wrong.
As though God is sitting in heaven waiting to see what we are going to
decide? He decided.
His decisions are for all eternity and they are recorded in the Bible.
We need to speak where the
Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.
We need to call Bible things by Bible names and do Bible things in Bible
ways. How else can we claim to be
the spiritual descendants of those who were first called Christians?
Can a Christian do any less?
Unless Christians make a
serious effort to return to the Bible, the only sure foundation for the
Christian faith, the Christian faith will be no different than any other
religion. It will contain some good
advice, but it will not bring those who follow a watered down version into a
secure relationship with God. It
will have no hope to offer. In the
end it will bring only failure in the day when Jesus comes to judge the world in
his righteousness.