Every Changing Wind of Doctrine

"So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of [a]unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead." - Ephesians 4:14

There is a very common trend that can be seen in the church today. More and more people are moving away from the truth and developing their own doctrine. We see the church becoming driven by emotions rather than faith – an environment of "feel-good" gospel, rather than life-changing gospel. The most recent and prevalent of these doctrines is that of grace. There are people who have now put the entire focus of Christian living on the grace of God.

Now, I know that you are thinking, "Well goodness, I thought God's grace was a blessing in the Bible... What is so wrong with it?" Well my answer to you is that there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with God's grace, it is something that we should not forget, but what I am referring is this hyper-grace theology.

This "grace" theology implies that because of God's grace we don't even have to think about how to act because God's grace will lead and guide us. They go so far as to say that you don't even have to think about sinning because God's grace will keep you from sinning. What fallacy this is. God's grace is a gift of redemption. The grace of God is what caused Him to send His son Jesus to this earth to pay the price for our sins. The grace of God is what causes someone to reach out to you and say, "God loves you & has great plans for you!" when you are in a downward spiral out of fellowship with God. The grace of God is not your mind that thinks for you and keeps you from sinning. If that was so then why do we hear of Christians who make mistakes and commit acts of sin? According to the grace-message these people probably weren't saved, because grace would keep you from doing that. The Bible warns of those who would pervert the message of God's grace in order to be lawless in Jude 1:4 "For certain men have crept in stealthily [[c]gaining entrance secretly by a side door]. Their doom was predicted long ago, ungodly (impious, profane) persons who pervert the grace (the spiritual blessing and favor) of our God into lawlessness and wantonness and immorality, and disown and deny our sole Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." This verse is so accurate for what is going on in the church today, these hyper-grace people are perverting the message of grace so that they are excused from having to follow any "rules" of any kind. If they feel convicted in a service while a minister is preaching they believe that is not of God because "There is no condemnation in Christ." Well yes, there is no condemnation in Christ just as Romans 8:1 says, but the Holy Spirit does convict us if we are not living righteously. This verse has to be read in context, it says that "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." There is a stipulation to this verse; it says that there is no condemnation to those who walk after the Spirit. You cannot expect to live free of condemnation when you are walking after the flesh! When I sit in a service and the message speaks to me and even convicts me, I take it as correction from God and thank Him for loving me enough to keep me from going astray! It is the love of God and His grace that speaks to us and convicts us, it is not that He is trying to be mean or harsh, the truth is that He is trying to save us from walking out of His will and purpose for our lives!

The problem is that these people are creating a doctrine and twisting the Word to fit their personal needs rather than preaching a Gospel to meet other people's needs. Successful Christian living isn't all about you! It is not about living completely free of responsibility, free of having to walk by faith, free of making good or bad decisions, and so forth. It is about being able to handle responsibility, walking by faith, making quality decisions and trusting God, and more! The purpose of our lives is to reach a lost and dying world! The world is crying out for something real! They need something different! All religions of the world can offer them comfort and friendship, but what they need is POWER! This is where "seeker-friendly" churches have failed, people don't want to feel ok, they want something more than that, something to fills the void in their lives. Those who are hurting and searching for answers need to encounter the life-changing power of God. They need to feel the glory of God. For us to think that our programs and social groups can change their lives is thinking our way is better than God's, and I don't know about you, but I do not want to play God! Jesus told us to “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. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:14-18) He didn't tell us to "Go into all the world and make people feel comfortable in their current state." Jesus commanded us to go and change lives with the same anointing and power that He operated in. He said that we will lay hands on the sick, cast out devils, speak in tongues. Many churches today in an effort to "reach" people are really taking out the very thing people need! They have put the focus on making people feel good and adding numbers to their church rather than making people see God and adding numbers to heaven. They have compromised the very thing that the world needs. The world needs truth and reality. They need to see the sick rise up and be made whole, they need to see those who are oppressed delivered from the power of darkness, and they need to see the supernatural and miraculous in manifestation! These people are doing drugs, new age practices, and more to have "out of body" experiences, so what makes you think that a social group is going to change their lives? They can get that at the local community center! They need to come in contact with a real God and with real people who have found answers in the truth of God's Word and have come in contact with His power and glory!

We as Christians should not be tossed about by the newest, latest trend in Christian circles, but we should be rooted deeply in the Word of God. The uncompromised Word is what changes lives and meets people’s needs. We must stand firm on the word of God and not allow ourselves to be lead astray if we ever want to see the World transformed! So, thank God for His grace, that saved you from a life of sin, and live a life full of faith and the power of the Holy Ghost so that others may come in contact with it and have changed lives.