Perverted Faith Is Perpetuated

[Dadball]

But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble. Malachi 2:8​

The priests in Malachi's day modified the Word of God. They compromised His standards and led people to believe that God would be content with less. They accepted imperfect sacrifices. They turned a blind eye when worshippers approached the temple with the blind and the lame headed for the altar. God's grief was evident when He told them to close the temple doors!

Every person is a teacher. We affect others and perpetuate the essence of our own brand of faith. If we are theologically sound and have a heart alive to God, our faith will be contagious. We pass on a legacy that time cannot erode. If we modify the whole counsel of God however, we pass on perverted faith. The sobering truth is this; my faith affects others whether or not I intentionally try. I asked the Holy Spirit this morning to show me some of the ways His Word is modified. The answers surprised me. When any one aspect of God's character is preached to the exclusion of all others, faith is perverted.

• If I become obsessed with God's holiness but forget that the radical love of Jesus made it possible for me to approach His Father with confidence, then I pass on self-condemnation.
• If all I talk about is sin and repentance without framing it with the colors of grace and forgiveness, then I pass on pervasive shame.
• If I embrace the friendship of God but fail to understand His righteousness, then I pass on the message that the cross of His Son was but a casual thing.
• If the forgiveness Christ offers leads me to believe that I don't have to take my sin seriously, I preach a grace that is unbiblical.

We all have the same Bible. Why might a person read of God's holiness but fail to notice the greater message of love and redemption? It's about flawed eyesight. Our own stories of pain blind us to the whole Gospel. Those raised in an atmosphere of condemnation will likely be the ones to see God as condemning. His holiness will be their focus to the exclusion of love. Those raised in an atmosphere of permissiveness will be tempted to preach various distortions of grace.

May I never read one verse of the Holy Scriptures without asking God's Spirit to enlighten me. "Be thou my vision", indeed.

I want to see You as You really are, Jesus. No distortions. The results of that will be evident in the lives of my friends and family. Amen​

 

[robtex]

[I want to see You as You really are, Jesus. No distortions. The results of that will be evident in the lives of my friends and family. Amen

Nice post. Apply it to today. Who is Jesus to you. Is your intrepretation allegorical or literal? How is he and or his message, distorted today?

 

[Faithope]

Hi Dadball

I liked your message very much and would just like to add a comment
in reply to:

Those raised in an atmosphere of condemnation will likely be the ones to see God as condemning.

I think you have made a vital point here. Not everyone has the lovely childhood memories of happiness, security and love and for many this can and does impact on their relationship with God. There are so many people out there who fall into this category. Someone who never experienced forgiveness from parents can have difficulty understanding the concept even in human terms, so it is no surprise that they will struggle with the idea of God's forgiveness.
Likewise, a person who's childhood was devoid of Love can have the same difficulty's when it comes to accepting God's love as something that not only exists, but also applies to they themselves.
When someone has lived the most part of their life without the experience of any loving relationship, is it surprising that they cannot grasp the idea of a loving God and Father?

God Bless
TCCIC

 

[Dadball]

Who is Jesus to you?

Jesus is my salvation and redeemer. He is my companion and mentor. Jesus is love.

Is your interpretation allegorical or literal?

Both

How are he and or his message, distorted today?

Matthew 23



13"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.







We use Jesus and his teaching as justifying or rationalizing what we do or say instead of molding our lives to be in concert with what he teaches.







Luke 10



25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[3] ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[4]"

28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins [5] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."

Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."