Observations of a recovering evangelical 5; Trusting in Moses

John 5:45  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.

Most of the first century Jews trusted in Moses.  They trusted in the Torah to help them find eternal life and right standing before God.  The scribes and the Pharisees were scriptural and hermeneutical experts. They even used the Torah to justify that Jesus was not their Messiah (John 7:47-49.) So then, the history of both Judaism and Christianity is filled with examples of people who trusted and rested in the scripture but were just plain wrong. Remember the Pharisees words, “have any of the scribes and Pharisees believed in him?--- but, this crowd who does not know the Law is accursed.” They were confident after rigorous scripture study that Jesus could not be the Messiah.  If you check out John 7:40-42 you will find that there too, they ruled out Jesus as Messiah because of the reading of the Torah, and interestingly, John 7:39 explains that the Holy Spirit had not yet been given.

On the other hand, Jesus and his followers taught that the Spirit not the scripture would lead one into all truth, and would bring out of the inner being rivers of living water (John 7:38.) If you fast forward to the twenty-first century you find within evangelical fundamental orthodoxy all to many… perhaps most… trusting Moses. When you read the words of John 5:39 through 46 it becomes clear that Jesus could have as easily been talking to the evangelical, fundamental, orthodox church as he was to the Jews. Today, the evangelical orthodox church has placed their real trust in Moses. They claim to be trusting the Spirit, but the real truth is they are trusting in Moses. They are trusting in the written code.

Most evangelicals believe that the scripture is so clear on many issues. They believe that it is crystal clear on sin, hell, marriage, homosexuality, obedience and on and on. Is that really so? I say unequivocally absolutely not. It may seem crystal clear when one reads it trusting Moses…. what I mean by that is reading it as a legal constitutional document that spells out obedience and disobedience. But when one looks at it through spiritual eyes it is not nearly so clear. The fact is that the scripture points to Jesus, redemption, and God’s amazing grace. When one views it that way many of the crystal clear areas become either not clear at all, or not really germane.

No doubt many will retort with the reminder that faith without works is dead, or they will ask the question should we sin so that grace may abound. That is not new… they were saying that in the days of the apostle Paul. Here is a question that one should ask. What does having rivers of *living water* flowing from ones innermost being look like? What is life giving water anyway? I will tell you plain and simply. Life giving water is the refreshing assurance of God’s grace as shown by the gospel message. God was in Christ not counting sin against humanity. He made Jesus who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we might then be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That produces the peaceful, life giving rivers of water flowing from the heart… the inner being. Living waters brings love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, and self control. Yes indeed, the living water is the fruit of the Spirit.

The fruit of trusting Moses is death!

Observations of a recovering evangelical 4; nullifying the grace of God

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

(Gal 2:21)

When you stop and think about it… when you really look at it, evangelical orthodoxy has nullified the grace of God. That is a shame because when one does that according to Paul, Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is for nothing… no purpose… null and void. Yes, it is a shame. For the most part, evangelical orthodoxy only gives lip service to the righteousness of God. It does not receive much practical consideration. Why? the answer is simple; evangelical orthodoxy busies itself with establishing law righteousness. Each and every time one begins to establish righteousness by the law, grace is nullified.

Look carefully at Paul’s words from Romans 3:21-22  “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--  (22)  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:” This is the thing that distinguishes Paul’s message, he introduces *the righteousness of God* imputed for faith. In the original language it is “dikaiosune theou.”  Notice that the noun theos (God) is theou (genitive case) and it literally means God’s righteousness. This is the verse that liberated Martin Luther. And guess what… when I was driven back to Christ, twenty plus years ago, it is the verse that liberated me.

Yes, I had been raised a fundamentalist as a child up to young adult, and I had NEVER heard about God’s righteousness imputed for placing faith in Jesus. How many poor souls go through a life, in the church, and never hear about the righteousness of God, imputed? Dare I say most? Definitely without concern of being wrong I can say most… additionally, many of those who have would say that it does not really mean that one is imputed God’s righteousness as a free gift for all time.  See, evangelical orthodox doctrine and dogma is daily nullifying grace. They do not think twice about it. They think that they are doing God a service by nullifying grace. What does it mean to nullify grace? Simply make it ineffective. When graced is nullified it has no effect. That is so sad because in reality grace is what transforms the individual into a more Christ like being. Let me SHOUT THIS! IT IS NOT THE LAW AND LAW OBEDIENCE THAT TRANSFORMS… IT IS GRACE THAT TRANSFORMS!!!!!

How does grace transform you ask? Well, I can understand why you ask. There are so few people teaching about the transformation power of grace that it is a total secret from the people of God. Let me promise you this. It is on the heads and hands of the smug leaders that teach and preach. They are the ones that are nullifying the grace of God and making the cross of Christ of no effect! It is way past time to proclaim the righteousness of God. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself not counting sin… He made him who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we then might be the righteousness of God!!! IT IS A GIFT… IT IS A GIFT THAT IF TRULY BELIEVED WILL TRANSFORM!

Observations of a recovering evangelical; Defining the error

Assuming that evangelical orthodox Christianity is cult like and perhaps even cultic one must ask and answer the question why and how did it get to be this way? We have two thousand years of church history, and over that time for the most part, the church has exercised cult like control over people. All of this in view of Jesus words, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” and… “if the son shall set you free you shall be free indeed.” Surely there must be a disconnect between current evangelical, orthodox dogma and doctrine, and Jesus’ ministry, message and purpose. Surely when you view day to day life within current evangelical, orthodox Christianity you see little if any personal freedom from the group and yet, the scripture states that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. Get all alone by yourself, look in the mirror and contemplate the idea of freedom and liberty and honestly ask yourself if you see a remote connection between those concepts and realities and your experience in evangelical, orthodox Christianity.  Notice I urged you to be honest. :)

So then, what is in place within evangelical, orthodox Christianity that makes the opposite of freedom the rule of thumb? The answer to this question calls for a list because it is not merely just one thing.

1. The leaven of the Pharisees: Jesus warned his followers to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and he further explained that the leaven of the Pharisees was the doctrine of the Pharisees (Matt 16:6&12.) Think about it… He did not warn that it may happen, rather, the warning was because he knew it would happen, and sure enough, one of the main reasons for the bondage in evangelical, orthodox Christianity is the leaven of the Pharisees.
2. From the inception of the church in the first century there have been concerted efforts to deceive people for control. 1John 2:27 warns that believers do not need to be taught by anyone but the Holy Spirit, the anointing which dwells within. The problem is that those who would deceive for control purposes have been around teaching and developing the doctrine which really forms the body of teaching which perpetuates the bondage and control…. again, the leaven of the Pharisees.
3. Paul warned in the second letter to the Thessalonians that because they did not love the simple truth of the gospel that God would turn them over to a strong delusion so that they would believe what is false… In other words, because they loved the leaven of the Pharisees, God gave them over to this delusion.
4. The leaven of the Pharisees includes their teaching about scripture and the law. It includes the lens that they use for interpretation. It develops the instrument that is used for control. It includes their erroneous view of righteousness. Paul says that they were unwilling to accept the righteousness of God and so they continued to develop their own righteousness based on the law. In so doing they would not and could not submit to the righteousness of God… Friend, that is the biggest source of the lack of freedom, not submitting to God’s righteousness and trying to establish self-righteousness. This is the source of the bondage and the control.

So then, what is the way forward toward freedom? How can one escape the cultic practices of control, judgment and self-righteousness? One must adopt a redemptive view of scripture. One must stop the constitutional legal reading of scripture. One must stop trying to establish his or her own righteousness by the law, and begin to submit to the righteousness of God by trusting Jesus 24/7. He alone is our righteousness and he alone gets the glory!

Observations of a recovering evangelical 2; Twelve Steps to Recovery

As I stated in the last post, I am completely convinced that evangelical orthodoxy is really very cult-like. It has many of the characteristics of a cult and most people involved in it are brainwashed by the group. It has additional force because those who are in this situation are convinced that God is the one in charge. That could not be further from the truth. The truth is that humans, many times humans with a thirst for power are in charge. Even though many are sincere and actually believe that they are doing God a service it is no less sinister. It breaks my heart that there are so many individuals who love God and want to please at all cost; that are totally burned out, steeped in fear, and on a metaphorical treadmill striving endlessly to please, but always falling short of any real rest and assurance. It is to those individuals that I have dedicated my use of this blog.

Recovery is not easy because of how deeply ingrained the brain washing is within in their psyche. It will take a lot of effort to journey out of the cult mentality to the freedom that Jesus provides each and every one. Mostly, it will be a process of re-education… that is… learning afresh the great truths of the gospel. I really think that it is truly worth the effort and to this end I will present an overview of the twelve steps to true recovery. Over time I will present each one in greater depth.

Twelve steps to recovery from evangelical bondage:

1. Recognize and admit that there is a problem. Admit that you are burned out and totally dissatisfied striving to please God when you know down deep in your heart that the reality is you are on a treadmill striving to please some human… it may be a pastor, a family member or a group… but it is sucking the life and love out of you, and at some level you know I am right.
2. Begin to look at the scripture with fresh eyes. Realize that it is not a legal constitutional document that explains the way for you to escape eternal punishment and alienation from God, and begin to see it as the story of redemption… a story that assures and demonstrates God’s great love for you, and the lengths he is willing to go to prove that to you. In other words, see it as Jesus saw it and not like the Pharisees.
3. Realize that the word of God is the gospel, and Jesus the living gospel, and that the scripture is the inspired words of God, God’s inspired story, but not in and of itself God’s Word.
4. Understand and internalize that you cannot out sin grace no matter what.
5. Begin to rid yourself of your shame and guilt… in other words, begin to forgive yourself, and realize that up until this point you have been your own worst enemy; your own worst critic.
6. Reaffirm daily your belief in God’s unconditional love for you, and allow his unconditional love for you to foster an incredible love for him, realizing that he wants you to project that love to others in genuine ways.
7. Realize beyond doubt that no matter what may come or be you are always in God’s presence. This is whether or not you feel it. It is not dependent on your feelings, but rather it is totally dependent on his promise. God is with you always.
8. Understand that the Holy Spirit will only speak to you things that bring the fruit of the Spirit… that is… things that promote love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness and self-control. If it does not produce the fruit of the Spirit it is NOT from the Spirit.
9. Believe that Hebrews 10:25 does not mean that you should be in a church service each time the door is open, and further *you must believe* that the sole reason for assembly is to encourage one another in the gospel and tend to one another’s needs.
10. Stop trying to please people… do not allow others to judge you in anything and quit trying to be someone else’s judge.
11. When possible seek out others who have believed this way and fellowship with them for encouragement.
12. Allow God’s love, demonstrated in Christ Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection to produce in you a supernatural love for God that will begin to transform you into a being of love… and begin to pass love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, goodness and self-control on to others.

As the weeks go on I will be developing a forum to allow these steps to be worked out. If you have questions or suggestions let me know. Feel free to contact me at paradigmshiftblogger@gmail.com

Observations of a recovering evangelical 1; Walking humbly with God

There are many kinds of addictions in our world; sex, alcohol, drugs, food… but, one of the most dangerous ones in my view is the addiction that evangelicals have with their religion. Let me just say that there is really a way that one can honor and love Jesus… can have a vibrant relationship with him… and not be a victim of religious addiction brought about in large part to control people and to get them to do things a certain way that end up benefiting a powerful few. I am beginning a series that will look at the flaws of this addiction, and will offer sound, reasonable, and even biblical ways to journey into recovery. I chose this one because of the insanity that surrounds the up-coming election.

Micah 6:8  “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

So many people are hung up with holiness and obedience. They are continually striving to live up to the letter of the law. Why are Christians caught up in Old Covenant righteousness? What is the cause of striving? Why are they burned out spiritually, and locked in continual fear? All too often it is because they are frantically trying to establish their own righteousness from law obedience. Yet, even under the Old Covenant, as the prophet Micah so poignantly points out, Gods requirements are relatively simple… do justice, that is, act justly… love mercy, that is love the mercy that God has given, and love to be merciful… and walk humbly NOT PROUDLY, but humbly before God. Those words produce two feelings with me. First, God is not looking for perfection but an attitude… a working towards these things. And secondly, let humility reign in the heart… be just a little humble.

Do you see how far off the path the Christian right is? There is no room for doing justice… they are too busy making sure that multi-national corporations can have no stumbling blocks in greed... Do not worry about the poor receiving justice and mercy in the gate (in governing.) And most of all, do not be humble… rather be proud of your right stance, and condemn anyone who would dare to strive for justice, who would love mercy to the point of being merciful, and who would show humility in allowing others to have their points… being tolerant.

I think that it is because most of orthodox evangelical Christianity is brainwashed. They operate like a cult… they are a cult. There is a need for de-programing. It is time for an intervention of a grand magnitude. There needs to be a broad change of mind… repentance if you will allow the term. It is time to look for the source of the gross lack of mercy and the propagation of pride. it is easy to find… it is in the doctrine and dogma… that is, in the teaching. The dogma and teaching is informed by the hermeneutic; by the interpretive lens used for scripture interpretation. De-programing demands education. De-programing demands an open mind. De-programing demands using logic to develop logical conclusions. One of the main problems that perpetuates the brainwashing is fact that evangelical Christians are asked to check their intellect that the church house door.

Why did Jesus and his followers change the hermeneutic? Why did they redefine the phrase word of God from Torah to gospel? The obvious answer is to help overcome the brainwashing that had been perpetuated by the scribes and Pharisees. It was to return to a simple use of common sense; the kind of common sense that can see the simple meaning of Micah 6:8. Do justice… love mercy… walk humbly before God!