Therefore humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time,
casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you. Be sober,
be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil walks about like a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour.
Resist him, steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same sufferings are
experienced by your brotherhood
in the world.
1Peter 5:6-9
When upon reading the Scriptures you see; "Therefore" then take the time to know what is before this word. It is always context, context, context, and allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture. Why is "Therefore" in this Scripture? Peter has just taken the time to write to the elect (1Peter 1:2) and to admonish them to be humble and not proud, to yield to those men who were entrusted to them and that we are to be examples to the flock (1Peter 5:3). It is God who has called us (1Peter 5:10) and even though we may suffer for a time, He will establish us and strengthen us, and to settle us; and to Him be the glory and dominion forever (1Peter 5:11). Yet, how Scripture is misused, especially by those who are cultural Christians, those who have developed a theology that is contrary to Scripture but is pleasing to the ears. When we do not hold our beliefs according to Scripture then one such heretical and false teaching is about the nature of man. This is not something new; for Pelagius (360-420 A.D.), a British monk and theologian along with Coelestius, preached his idea as to how man is saved. Pelagius believed that man is created free, as was Adam, and that each man has the power to choose good or evil. Man according to Pelagius was uncontaminated by the sin of Adam and that sin is found to be universal in the world, it is because of the weakness of the human flesh. According to Pelagius it was not that the human will was corrupted by original sin. Only if man would cooperate with God in their attainment of holiness so that they may be saved, and to make use of such aids as the Bible, and of grace, reason and example of Christ, man has free will to do so. Therefore man can save himself by his own power, his free will to decide to be saved or not. This problem that Pelagius raised is perennial in the Christian Church. Modernism has accepted some form of this theology, some are said to be semi-Pelagius, others accept a form of Arminianism, all saying the same thing, man can save himself. Pelagius was condemned at the council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. John Cassianus, a monk, tried to find a middle ground, a compromise position so that both man and God could cooperate in salvation. These views are not Scriptural as has been pointed out; man is totally depraved, therefore he cannot save himself. Salvation is not possible by man's efforts, how could anyone know how much effort is needed so that the could find favor with God and be saved? Is it different for each man? Does God sit back and watch, wringing His hands wondering who would be saved? Or does God in His Providence cause all things, those things that are even of second causes, to fulfill His purpose, that purpose being so stated that He has elected some to salvation. The Greek words cannot be confused, for the word is elected and if so elected, then there must be another who is the elector: that elector is God. Yet, to tickle man's ears so that they are satisfied, that they are so good that they can be saved is the theology that is present in the Church leading to many other false avenues. All because of the misuse of Scripture and of human nature.
One such avenue that cultural Christianity has taken is "Prosperity Doctrine" that man can get from God whatever he may ask of God. Proof Scriptures are given to prove their theology, but this is so false for when anyone would take in the context of those Scriptures they would see that by these men what is being said is in contradiction to Scripture. But in order to keep the congregation, so that they do not lose more than they gain in congregants, this theology is promulgated as fact. This is twisting Scripture and a misuse of the truth of the Bible, a use that is most hideous in purpose. When Scripture is misused then all that is being done is to vilify Jesus Christ, the Gospel, even as has been done to give credence within Christianity for cruelty, and persecution. Zeal is good, but it can be misused, it is true commitment that distinguishes Authentic Biblical Faith from cultural Christianity. History provides a picture whereby some men who call themselves Christian were devoid of love and kindness, Christ was absent from the exercise of their faith. We do not have to look far to see that some men and women of the Christian Church today are also void of true Authentic Biblical Faith and their love and kindness is absent or that what the do demonstrate is so that they feel pious and holy: How could God not accept them? How tragic this is, that some would identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ but in actuality they do not practice this in their everyday life, or that they have developed a theology that is akin to Pelagius, or Jacobus Armininius, or Weslyanism. These people have been exposed to the truth but the bring blasphemy upon the very nature of God.
Here is some good news; God is Providential, He is omnipresent, omnipowerful, omniscient, and by Him we find that He is not far from us and that we have our being in Him so that we are not to make God to be what He is not: "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of ignorance god overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."(Acts 17:26-31). God is a God of promise and He will not abdicate from doing what He has promised: this is good news, we can have assurance that God is in control even when men misuse Scripture. For us who seek to live as Authentic Biblical Christians and not by the culture of this world have God promise to aid is to be near us. Rejoice, our Savior lives, our God has a day when He will come and take home with Him all of His children, those elected, and destroying Satan forever. We are not being saved, we are saved. You cannot do more to be saved, Jesus did it all on the cross. Be devoted to God, live for Him at all costs, and He will bless you beyond whatever you may ask.
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3
Pray for Someone Today, be an Intercessor
Richard L. Crumb
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