True Christianity
Dr. Robert Jeffress is pastor of the First Baptist
Church in Dallas, TX. On Friday, October 7, 2011 he got his fifteen
minutes of fame by trying to explain to CNN reporters why he called
Mormonism a ‘Cult’ The comment was rooted in the fact that GOP
Candidate Mitt Romney is a Mormon. CNN began running "Religious
Battle in the GOP" as Headline News.
In my mind, the ruckus raised by Pastor Jeffress
regarding the ‘Cult’ status of Mormonism demands a definition of
True Christianity. There is no better way to identify the false than
by knowing the True. So, let’s give it a rip. True Christianity can
be summed up in these three words: REVELATION, REDEMPTION and
RECEPTION.
Revelation has to do with the manner in which God has
revealed Himself to mankind. The first is in the Inspired
Scriptures. The second is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. No
book but the Bible can claim to be inspired of God—Absolute Truth.
No man but Jesus can claim to be God in the flesh—Embodiment of
Truth! Jesus did not become God. He was and is God! The Bible is
God’s written revelation. Jesus is His living revelation. The man or
woman who seeks to find the True God outside these two sources of
revelation will end up with a false god. Or as Paul said it:
“Another Jesus…another spirit…another Gospel.”(2 Corinthians 11:4).
Redemption has to do with God doing something about
the sins of mankind—both collectively and individually! The imagery
is that of a benevolent and capable Master purchasing a slave and
setting him free from his former taskmaster. Man is born a slave to
sin. Jesus shed his precious blood as the purchase price to redeem
men from that slavery. Almost without exception, all religions have
a redemptive element. In True Christianity, ONLY the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ can atone for sin and redeem men (set them free)
from sin and death.
Reception has to do with how sinful man appropriates
the redemptive power that lies in the Lord Jesus and His precious
blood. The method of reception is expressed in eight simple words:
By GRACE through FAITH and NOT of WORKS! It is coming humbly before
God with empty hands, and receiving from His Hand forgiveness of
sins and eternal life as free gifts. The fact is True Christianity
is fundamentally a matter of being alive rather than dead. It is NOT
(as the world reckons) being good as opposed to being bad.
Men and women who are dead in trespasses and sins
MUST be Born Again. No degree of compliance with religious laws can
produce spiritual life. It’s a Gift only God can give! And it is
received, never earned! It is more than just having eternal life.
True Christianity is Christ living in His People! The Jesus who is
received by faith actually becomes the life of the believer!
Now that we have defined the TRUE, it’s rather easy
to identify the False. ANY Religious System that ADDS to or TAKES
AWAY from the three fundamentals of Revelation, Redemption or
Reception is a FALSE Religion, a FALSE Christianity. And false
religion need not offend in all three areas! Does it really matter
whether False Religion is called a Cult, a Sect or something else?
False is false!
If you apply the template of the True to the plethora
of Religions at large, you will come up with a laundry list of the
False. Both Islam and Mormonism would appear on that list, along
with Roman Catholicism, Scientology, Jehovah’s Witnesses and
Humanism. Some of the world’s larger denominational bodies would
also appear on that list, but you can apply the template on your own
to determine who they are.
The critical question for each of us is how we line
up with the Truth Template on a personal level. Is your stake firmly
driven in the ground with respect to Christ and the Bible, the
Person and Work of Christ, and a child-like faith that has brought
to you the forgiveness of sins and eternal life from God's gracious
hand? How each of us answers these questions will determine where we
spend eternity. The God who ordained the fundamentals of Revelation,
Redemption and Reception wants us to spend it with Him!
Pastor Jeffress took the
occasion of a CNN camera to inform viewers that he would be
preaching a message on Sunday entitled, “How a Christian Should
Vote.” In the context of his remarks about Romney, Mormonism and
Cults, it might have been better for the pastor to have announced
that he would be preaching a message entitled “True Christianity”
since he claimed that Mormonism was false. I would have gladly given
him these notes. If I was a lost man or woman living in Dallas, a
message on what I should believe would have been far more useful to
me than how I should vote!
Top |
