Beloved, do not think
it strange
concerning the fiery
trial
which is to try you,
as though
some strange thing
happened to you;
but rejoice to the
extent that you
partake of Christ’s
sufferings,
that when His glory
is revealed,
you may also be glad
with exceeding joy.
If you are reproached
for the name
of Christ, blessed
are you, for
the Spirit of glory
and of God rests
upon you. On their
part He is
blasphemed, but on
your part He
is glorified.
1Peter 4:12-14
There is an
old saying: “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” That is
understandable for nobody wants to die, man in his human nature desires to
live, man was made to live, to live eternally: but that is not the case, men
die and sin that has plagued the world since the fall in the Garden of Eden
takes its toll. Wait a moment! Do you believe the Bible? God elected some to
live eternally with Him and He will not allow for any of those elected to go
into the Lake of Fire. Our eternity began officially, or physically when we were
conceived, the question is: where will you spend eternity? By our lives God is
glorified so then we must ask: Are we glorifying God or are we not? Let us look
at the state of contemporary Christianity.
There are
two major forms of Christianity; we shall examine both forms. One form is
Authentic Biblical Faith based on the Bible, that Doctrine of the Reformers in
the sixteenth century who returned to the Bible as Sola Scriptura. The
other form that has the name “Christianity” is termed, cultural Christianity. I
have discussed the problem with the rise of Islamic religion and the influx of
Muslims who are gaining in population in every country, both Europe and in the
United States; but we must examine how a country that began its independence
and wrote the greatest documents ever written; the Constitution, and the Bill
of Rights, based on the Bible is being succumbed by other religions. The
problem that needs to be addressed is the faulty ideas regarding the importance
of Authentic Biblical Faith. Many people that claim to be Christian do so on
the basis that they consider themselves to be a “good” person, and are against
“bad” things, that their faith is adequate. Yet, this cannot be the signet that
a person is really “good” and is a Christian. It has been shown that all
religious people, and even those who don’t claim a religion have a faith. The
question is whether or not they (you) have Authentic Biblical Faith. Many think
that they demonstrate Christian when all they are is a person who is morally
good. A person might understand what constitutes Authentic Biblical Faith, and
they even might know some of the basic facts about Christianity, but do not
have any idea how those facts should be applied in their daily lives.
It might be
assumed that I am being harsh in my treatment of cultural Christianity. Don’t
assume; look at the facts. Don’t be ignorant nor be indifferent, it is the facts
that we must examine and not assume anything. Let me ask this: “Do cultural
Christians hold to the viewpoint that Christian faith is important enough to
make it a priority in their lives by teaching their children and their spouses
what they believe and why they believe it?” Or, is there a greater emphasis on
their children to get a good education than that they should learn about the
things of God? How many of you would be embarrassed if your children did not
possess Authentic Biblical Faith, but did possess that they must “get ahead,”
go to college, to get an education as more important? Many children believe they
are Christian because their parents are Christian. For the most part, and this
is documented that the younger graduated child who attended Church while young
leave the Church, but if they have any understanding about Christianity they
have acquired that knowledge on their own. It is not because they have studied
the facts, and have come to the place of intellectual conviction.
Authentic
Biblical Faith cannot be inherited and if this is the position of a person,
those intelligent and energetic persons will, without a doubt, reach a point
where they question the truth of Christianity and when challenged they will
abandon this “inherited” faith, that which cannot put forth a defense. What
happens so often is that these questioning persons will begin to associate with
unbelievers. The next problem they face is that they cannot respond to the
objections to Christianity. But, if they had been taught, if they had the
ability to defend the Christian faith, their faith would not be shaken.
I
personally have great fear due to the fact that we live in a time that we all,
in one way or the other, have been influenced by the current climate, a climate
that allows the cultural and educational elite, those that propagate an
anti-Christian message, so that this cultural paradigm shift has had a major
impact upon Christianity, that is Christians. There is a successful campaign
attacking Christians, marginalizing Christians, and this paradigm cultural
shift has affected those who are unable to defend their faith, even when those
who are attacking Christianity are deeply flawed. The alarm should be sounded
that many so-called Christians, who are cultural Christians because Authentic
Biblical Faith instruction has been neglected, in some case even eliminated, in
our schools, universities, and even in some Churches.
Why are we
amazed that spiritual condition is of little concern to those who don’t even
educate their own family, their children about true Christianity? Is it that we
are so intimidated by our lack of knowledge, or is it due to indifference; that
we have succumbed to this cultural shift whereby many have succumbed to the
need to be entertained, to having themselves “feeling good”, that their (yours)
is not Authentic Biblical Faith, rather it is cultural Christianity? There is a
need to communicate the truth, Authentic Biblical Faith, to our children, our
spouses, the Church, and to the rest of the world. This is the study, a
communication to help those who are truly seeking the truth, who see this
paradigm shift that is causing Christians to not know or be able to defend
their faith, to be able to do so.
If then you were raised with Christ,
seek those things which are above,
where Christ is, sitting at the right
hand of God. Set your mind on
things above, not on things on the earth.
Colossians 3:1-2
Place Your Devotion On God
Richard L. Crumb
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