Tuesday, April 3, 2012

They Hate Jesus

I'm not speaking of atheists or agnostics. No, I'm referring to the many professors of Christ that shape and fashion Him into something that resembles more of a man. I'm speaking in regards to those that preach a Jesus from the pulpit to which even the demons say about, not only them, but the Jesus they proclaim "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”


It is the wolves (I know of no "gentle" way to put it) that isolate the "love" of God in John 3:16, redefine or ignore the word "perish," all while denying that God is wrathful because He is holy and good while sin is evil committed against Him and that those outside of Christ will face such wrath as declared further in the same chapter (John 3:36). Or even those who may say they believe it but fail to speak of it because they wish not to offend any "seeker" and give God a bad name. Those that believe they can give God a better testimony of His name than He has for Himself. It is those that forget that it was one and the same Christ who said not only (in regards to His sheep) "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love" (Jn 15:9), but also “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Lk 13:2–3).


They hate Jesus who mock penal substitutionary atonement and the blood of Christ. Those who call it "cosmic child abuse" or think it grotesque because it focuses too much on Jesus and not enough on them. Those who believe and teach that God loves you and sees you outside of Christ and are completely content with contradicting the Apostle Paul who said "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith" (Php 3:7–9) because they, in some sense, believe his words are less inspired and therefore fallible.

They hate Jesus who only "love" Him because they believe He "loves" them because they are so good and lovable and He is dependent on them escaping "hell on earth" by living the way He lived and being a "follower"of Jesus for His satisfaction else He will be eternally saddened if they don't receive His "abundant life."

They hate Jesus who scorn and mock doctrine and theology.

They hate Jesus who must distort, pervert and bludgeon His word because they do not like what it says.

John Wenham says it much nicer:
All theological error is due in some way or other to the misuse  of the Word of God, whether by addition or subtraction or distortion. Traditions of men are always in danger of blunting the Word of God.*
Why does it matter? Wenham answers:
It is when we see the Creator standing over against His creation, distinct from it, yet controlling  every particle of it; loving his children with infinite love, yet hating evil with infinite hatred, that we see theism in all its glory. Any form of Christianity which begins to confuse Creator and creature, or which begins to forget the severity of God's wrath, is departing from the truth and is detracting from the glory of God.*
Oh they hate Jesus. Remember all they say and teach concerning Him comes from the heart as Christ declares, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone" (Mt 15:18–20 emphasis mine); "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks(Lk 6:45 emphasis mine).

Soli Deo Gloria!

*John W. Wenham, The Goodness of God (Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP, 1974), p. 185
*Ibid, p. 184

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