Liberal Theology In The Churches – Address Number 1 Series

LIBERAL THEOLOGY IN THE CHURCHES – ADDRESS NUMBER 1

There is a collection of messages I did with our small church fellowship 7 years ago on the matter of Liberal Theology. Some dangerous ideas and teaching were surfacing among churches (including social aspects), here nationally, and internationally, so it was necessary to warn the Christians of the dangers of Liberal Theology. These messages were revised later after speaking on the subject in Boston, England.

These articles contain a number of quotes and references. Some of it may be a bit technical. However I think you will follow and I hope it will be useful as a background to this destructive trend called Liberal Theology. The subject is so huge that what we say here is only a tiny aspect on the whole.

SECTION 1 – THE TIMES WE ARE LIVING IN

INTRODUCTION:

[A]. {{2Timothy 3:1-7 Realise this, that in the last days difficult times will come, 2Tim 3:2 for men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 2Tim 3:3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 2Tim 3:4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 2Tim 3:5 (and) HOLDING TO A FORM OF GODLINESS, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE DENIED ITS POWER. Avoid such men as these. 2Tim 3:6 Among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 2Tim 3:7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”}}

We are in the last days, that is, the last days of the Church age. The Church age ends with the Rapture and the age the disciples asked about in Matthew 24, ends at the Second Coming in Revelation 19. We see in verse 5 above that men/teachers/people in general will have some sort of Christian profession, but it will be false because it is not connected to the truth of relationship with God. We are in those days right now. I call it a spurious Christianity or spurious profession.

[B]. {{2Peter 3:3-7 Know this first of all, that IN THE LAST DAYS MOCKERS WILL COME with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 2Pet 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming for ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation?” 2Pet 3:5 When they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 2Pet 3:6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water, 2Pet 3:7 but the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”}}

Mockers – scorners – are everywhere today. The outside world is ever increasing in its hatred of God and of His followers. We see it everywhere, on television, in godless, homosexual Mardi-Gras, in Parliament and so on. However within the church system, there are men in high positions who are mockers of the fundamental tenets of the bible such as the virgin birth and creation and miracles, and so on. These are the liberals of the faith.

[C]. {{1Timothy 4:1-3 The Spirit explicitly says that IN LATER TIMES SOME WILL FALL AWAY FROM THE FAITH, PAYING ATTENTION TO DECEITFUL SPIRITS AND DOCTRINES OF DEMONS, 1Tim 4:2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 1Tim 4:3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.”}}

That statement is so true. Many have fallen away and ascribe to fundamentally wrong doctrines such as the loss of salvation if one sins, there is no hell, the blood should not be mentioned. In the beginning Satan corrupted the innocence of Adam and Eve, and after that spread corruption through all God’s work. It is no surprise that the demons are at work negating the bible and causing division through wrong doctrines.

SECTION 2 – THE SCRIPTURES ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

Firstly I will take you to a passage to try to establish the authority of scripture. Paul and Silas had spent probably not much more than 3 weeks in Thessalonica and a fellowship was established. Then the Jews stirred up trouble so – {{Acts 17:10-11 “The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Acts 17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.”}}