Sound Doctrine or Back Burner?

[Arthur Durnan]

Sound doctrine - so carefully underscored by the Apostle Paul time & again - seems to have been replaced in many quarters today (especially among charismatics) by an attitude of "touchy-feely" and a desire to record personal experience over & above plain biblical statement of fact.

ITEMS - The Holy Bible underscores essential beliefs & doctrines such as salvation by faith alone; Jesus' once-for-all, all-sufficient sacrifice on Calvary; Christ as sole Head of the Christian Church (rather than some earthly head in Italy); submission to local church spiritual authorities; submission to each other in holy matrimony; the literal resurrection of Christ & soon coming of Christ in the clouds; heaven or hell - no third place called purgatory; warnings in Revelation 17 & 18 about a world church with Christ on the outside; separation from false world religions such as Islam, Buddhism, New Age, whatever; etc.

The attitude prevailing among charismatics is to "take your sound doctrine and hide it under a bushel, then come and dance with whomever!" The key, they would like to announce, is to "speak in a heavenly gibberish" as the first evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit of God. They also fail to remind you that all biblical languages are known, earthly, understood-by-the-hearers dialects, and never "unknown" ones......the word "unknown" not being in the Greek in Paul's writings on this particular subject.

Rather than pursuing an all-inclusive worldly organization which would accept all types of doctrines - or spurn all essential sound doctrines as spoken by the Apostle Paul, why not go "outside the camp" with the Lord Jesus Christ remaining true to settled, reliable, authoritative, everlasting Holy Writ?

Let False Christendom (which would accept every Tom, Dick & Harry on false Christendom's non-terms) go the way of all flesh...and let the Lord Jesus Christ and His clarion call to repentance, decision & new life ring out across the land! Praise God for the clarity of John 3:1-16 and John 5:24.

Thank You, Jesus!

http://arthurdurnan.freeyellow.com

[jamie]

Very true, been there done that.

http://www.harpazo.net/Apostasy/ .......excellent website that covers it!!!

[godrulz]

Anti-intellectualism is one danger, but anti-supernaturalism is another danger. The Church becomes impotent and fights spiritual warfare with carnal weapons.

Exposing the lunatic fringe of the charismatic movement at the expense of the Scriptural validity of the charismata is throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water. Revivals often have a mix of Spirit, flesh, truth, and heresy. It is easier to cool down a fanatic, than to revive a corpse.

The Society for Pentecostal Studies and the numerous doctorate scholars and institutions that defend classical Pentecostalism are credible and do not put experience above the Word. Nor should be quench and grieve the Spirit because we have put Him in a dispensational box that controls God as much as the extreme Word-Faith movement does at times.

It is not fruit/character of gifts, but fruit and gifts. It is not more spiritual to emphasize gifts at the expense of fruit, not to emphasize teaching/fruit at the expense of the gifts. Careful exegesis of I Cor. 12-14; Acts, etc. will clear up straw man attacks and caricatures of the move of God in our generation.

The key will be sound exegesis of the Word. Hundreds of millions of Pentecostal/charismatic believers know the experience of the person and work of the Spirit. Many do need to be more rooted in Scripture and not follow every fad and wind of doctrine. Conversely, many dead, religious pew warmers need to know God experientially (in line with the Word) and move more in the love and power of God.

The ministry of Jesus in the Gospels, continued in Acts and the early Church, continues today through those who know God and desire to do exploits in His name (Daniel understood the spiritual realm AND was wise in earthly ways...they are not mutually exclusive).

Let us make sure we understand the supernatural, biblical world view and not be dampered by the scientific Western mindset.