Mike Willis, editor, tmmikewillis@gmail.com
This title may sound a bit confusing and its relevance to "The Changing Face of Denominationalism" theme may not be immediately apparent, but the concept that is being examined is a serious threat to Christianity in the twenty-first century.
The situation is this: Twenty-first century Christianity (in the broadest sense of the term) does not believe that it makes any difference what one believes so long as one believes. Twenty-first century Americans frequently have a smorgasbord approach to religion that views choosing what religious beliefs one accepts to be somewhat like going through a cafeteria line and choosing what dishes he wishes to put on his plate for dinner. If there is something offered that one does not want, such as spinach salad or broiled flounder, he simply passes by those things and chooses for himself Jell-O salad and strawberry pie. The result of this view of the Christian faith is that faith is not defined by the content of Scripture (as the Bible teaches that it should be) or by the affirmations of one's denominational creed or the teachings of the local church (as has been practiced by many Christian denominations), but by the individual's personal preference. Every man defines and creates his own personal faith. Since there are about 320 million people in the United States, there are about 320 million different religions in America.
In this concept of faith, the saving efficiency of faith is not defined by its object (God) or content (what is believed) but by the individual's choice to believe it, to commit himself to that belief system. So, an individual has faith in the power of faith rather than faith in God who has revealed Himself to mankind. And ironically, since the saving act is believing and not its object or contents, the more irrational the faith, the more commitment it takes to believe, so the greatest believer must be the one who believes the most irrational things - e.g., the moon is made out of blue cheese!
In the New Testament, the apostles and disciples of Christ were sent into the world to preach the gospel to all of mankind. Mark replicated Jesus' words as follows: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16). Let us keep in mind the historical situation in which this commission was given. First, the gospel was to be taken first to the Jews. The Jews already believed in Yahweh/Jehovah, accepted the Old Testament as the inspired word of God, and tried to live by the moral requirements taught therein. Yet, one could die a Jew without being saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, despite his faith - his mental assent and personal devotion to the things taught in the Old Testament. So said Jesus to a Jewish audience in these words: "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24). Again, He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). The disciples heard this message from Jesus and spoke to their Jewish audience after Jesus' resurrection to heaven saying, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Salvation is contingent on what one believes about God's saving grace through the death of His Son.
Second, the gospel was taken to Gentiles, who themselves were also believers. Their beliefs and objects of devotion were varied, but they were believers nonetheless. The Gentile audience in Ephesus was quite committed to faith in Diana, as was the entire province of Asia. This Ephesian audience composed of Gentiles understood correctly that Paul "persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands" (Acts 19:26). The people of Athens worshiped many deities. Their beliefs are alluded to in Luke's account of Paul's sermon: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you" (Acts 17:22). The purpose of preaching the gospel to Gentiles is expressed by Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians: "For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:9-10).
The biblical narrative of preaching to both Jews and Gentiles makes no sense if the mere act of believing is salvific, if it makes no difference what one believes, just so long as he believes. If all that is necessary is the act of believing then the Jewish believers and the Gentiles believers were already saved despite the disparity in what they believed. Why was there a need to labor so arduously and endure such persecutions as these early disciples went through if one is able to be saved by the act of believing, without regard to its content?
The fact is that faith must be in God; there is no saving power in the mere act of believing! God revealed Himself to mankind in His word. His revelation is exclusive in both Testaments: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exod. 20:2-3). Paul wrote, "Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live" (1 Cor. 8:4-6).
God's will is revealed to mankind in His word, the Bible. The content of faith is defined by what is revealed in the Bible. One's personal faith is determined by his adherence to or rejection of that which is revealed in God's word. John wrote, "We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6). Consider these other verses:
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them (Isa. 8:20).
He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God (John 8:47).
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27).
If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord (1 Cor. 14:37).
The faith that saves is a faith that takes God at His word and does what He says. A faith that chooses to commit itself to human wisdom, scientific theories, philosophical theories, and popular opinion over what is revealed in God's word has no power to save, regardless of how devoted one may be to that system of thought and how sincerely he might follow it. Many of the doctrines preached in the thousands of different twenty-first century churches are incompatible with and contrary to what is revealed in Scripture. They are like the "damnable heresies" introduced in first century churches (2 Pet. 2:1), damnable in the sense that they deny what is revealed by the Christ who bought them, lead men into lascivious conduct, and are taught by presumptuous men who have no restraint in railing against the revealed will of the Lord.
There are many questions one may ask a person to learn whether or not he has commitment to Jehovah, Jesus, and His word. Do you believe the world was created by the spoken word of God (Gen. 1; Psa. 33:6)? Do you believe that Jesus walked on water, fed 5000 with five loaves and two fish, and raised Lazarus from the dead? Do you believe that God separated the waters of the Red Sea to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage? Do you believe that God caused the sun to stand still so that Joshua could win the victory at Gibeon (Josh. 10:12)? Do you believe there was a Philistine warrior in Israel's battle with Gath who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (2 Sam. 21:20)? The issue is not how many toes the Philistine had, but do you commit yourself to following God's word. That is the issue being tested in all of these questions.
I was baptized at twelve years old and knew relatively little about the Bible at the time I was baptized. What I did understand and still understand is this: If someone can show me something from the Bible that I should believe and/or do that I am not presently believing or doing, my obligation is to start believing and/or doing it. If someone can show me something from the Bible that I am presently believing or doing that God does not want me to be believing or doing, my obligation is to stop believing and/or doing it. Why? Because my faith is in the God who revealed Himself in His word, not in the mere act of believing.