- Most Christians, of course,
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would like to create
the best possible impression
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of our faith, but what
if we're doing it wrong?
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That's our subject
on today's Authentic.
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[jaunty music]
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A very long time ago now,
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I was running a local franchise
for a mid-sized company
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and we were required
to attend training classes
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in the state of Texas
because we had to understand
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the company's values
and business philosophy
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and we had to make sure we
didn't run our local operations
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in a way that cast the
brand in a really bad light.
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And of course,
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one of the required
classes we had to take
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dealt with how we
should handle negative PR.
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It was an important
class because try as you might,
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there will always be
circumstances when your company
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somehow ends up on the evening
news, and not in a good way.
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A clearly branded
company vehicle, for example,
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causes a horrible
accident on the freeway,
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or an employee
commits a terrible crime
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while dressed in
a company uniform.
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How do you
mitigate the potential harm
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to the company's bottom line?
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Now, these weren't just
hypothetical situations.
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I discovered in that
class that some big companies
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actually have
specialists on staff
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who can run out to
the scene of an accident
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and cover up the
name of the company
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before the news crew arrives.
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Sometimes they
just use duct tape
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so that the company's name
and logo don't become associated
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with gut-wrenching
scenes of human carnage.
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And one of our franchise owners
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actually had an
employee, believe it or not,
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who murdered
somebody while out on the job.
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So they were desperate to
keep that story out of the news.
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An entire PR
industry has been spawned,
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ranging from lawyers who
can help you navigate disasters
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to companies like
Norton's Reputation Defender,
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a company that specializes
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in keeping negative
comments about your business
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from showing up in
internet search results.
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If you wanna run a
successful business
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in the 21st century it seems,
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you have to play offense
and defense at the same time.
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It means that
the art of marketing
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is a much broader
exercise than some people think.
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Which brings me to the
subject of Christianity,
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because here in the
West, for better or for worse,
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churches are frequently
run like corporations,
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even to the point where
some churches have been tempted
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to restructure themselves
to reflect a business model.
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Instead of a lead pastor in
a church board, for example,
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you get what amounts to a
CEO and a board of directors.
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Larger churches will
almost invariably have people
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who manage the
churches' online brand,
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and they effectively
become the advertising branch
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of the whole operation.
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And really, there's nothing
particularly wrong with that,
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I suppose, until the
practice of marketing
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begins to
overshadow the original reason
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for the Christian Church.
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I fear that sometimes
congregations are tempted to
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worry more about
their social media campaigns
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than actually serving
the community as a church.
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And again, there's nothing wrong
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with advertising your
church because after all,
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if nobody knows you exist
or what you have to offer,
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well that can really
hinder your ability to serve.
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So I'm not really arguing
that churches shouldn't do it,
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because the 21st century
has made it all but impossible
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to not do it.
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But I am concerned when
things like marketing and image
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begin to overshadow the
actual teachings of Christ.
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I think what we have
to ask ourselves is this.
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Do we exist to make
sure the pews are full,
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or do we exist to do
what Jesus told us to do?
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Now that's not really
an either or proposition
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because you can
actually do both.
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You can fill your
church to capacity
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and be faithful to the gospel.
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But given a choice,
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which one should be
your prime directive?
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I mean, let's be honest.
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It's relatively easy to
fill a building with people.
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All you really have
to do is serve free beer
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and hire a popular band
to entertain the audience
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and your church is pretty
much guaranteed to be full.
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But it's the wrong audience.
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And they're there
for the wrong reasons.
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The other day I was
reading the book of Galatians,
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which is a letter
that the apostle Paul wrote
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to a group of
early Celtic believers
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living in Asia
minor, or modern day Turkey.
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And right at the
top of the letter,
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he raises an important concern.
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The church was
experiencing what some people
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might call mission drift.
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They were no longer preaching
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what they'd been told to preach.
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They'd actually
changed the gospel.
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Here's what it says in chapter
one, starting in verse six.
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He writes, "I marvel that
you are turning away so soon
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from him who called
you in the grace of Christ
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to a different
gospel, which is not another,
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but there are
some who trouble you
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and want to pervert
the gospel of Christ.
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But even if we, or
an angel from heaven,
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preach any other gospel to you
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than what we
have preached to you,
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let him be accursed.
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As we have said
before, so now I say again,
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if anyone preaches
any other gospel to you
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than what you have
received, let him be accursed."
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What we think was
happening was that after Paul
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had established a number
of congregations in Galatia,
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other religious
teachers came to town
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and took
advantage of his departure
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to begin teaching distortions
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of the original gospel message.
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Now, judging by the
contents of the letter,
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there were were some
teachers promoting the idea
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that circumcision was required
for gentiles when it wasn't.
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Paul had been
teaching his converts
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that we are saved
by grace through faith.
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But some people
took exception to that
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and tried to emphasize the idea
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that we must earn
God's favor through our works
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through things
like rites and rituals.
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Now we know that was the issue
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because of what Paul
says down in Chapter 2:16.
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He says, "Knowing
that a man is not justified
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by the works of the law,
but by faith in Jesus Christ,
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even we have
believed in Christ Jesus,
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that we might be
justified by faith in Christ
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and not by the works of the law.
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For by the works of the law,
no flesh shall be justified."
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It's really the
same idea that launched
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the Protestant reformation.
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You and I cannot
earn God's favor.
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There's nothing we can do,
no righteous deed we can perform
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that will buy us a
spot in the Kingdom of God.
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But I think what I
want to focus on today
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is the rather
heavy language Paul uses
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to describe the work
of these false teachers.
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Because I think they
have a special application
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to the way that modern
Christianity often conducts
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itself. "If anyone
preaches any other gospel to you
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than what you have
received, let him be accursed."
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Apparently, tampering
with the message of Christ
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for whatever reason
is a very serious matter.
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And that's where this
letter to the Galatians
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suddenly crosses the subject
of 21st century marketing,
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because marketers like
to make a product palatable
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to potential buyers.
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And one of the key
problems you face with the Bible
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is that much of its content
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is simply not easy for
human beings to accept.
00:07:40.59\00:07:44.09
I mean, this is a
book that dares to suggest
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that you and I
have a fundamental flaw,
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and the way you view
the universe is not the same
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as the one who made the
universe in the first place.
00:07:52.40\00:07:55.47
To put it bluntly, this
book tells us we're sinners,
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and the wages of sin is death.
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It tells us that
we're naturally selfish,
00:08:01.34\00:08:03.85
and that even our best deeds,
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our highest accomplishments
are tainted by sin.
00:08:05.58\00:08:09.45
It's a message that
unmistakably teaches
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there's something wrong with us.
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To put it bluntly,
it says we're lost.
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Now of course,
that's not the sum total
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of what this book has to
say, and there's a reason
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that it's key
message is called the gospel.
00:08:23.57\00:08:26.30
Gospel is a compound word
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derived from the
Germanic words, good spell,
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which means good
story or good news.
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That tells us
there is a solution
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to our very worst problems.
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But still this is a message
that requires you to admit
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right up front
that you're broken.
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So how exactly do
you market that idea
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to a world that buys
sizzle and not steak?
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Modern advertising
practices practically
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ignore the actual
product they're trying to sell
00:08:54.96\00:08:57.13
and focus on
manipulating your emotions.
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So how would that
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be compatible with
the teachings of Christ?
00:09:01.94\00:09:04.74
I'll be right back after this
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to explore that
a little bit more.
00:09:06.68\00:09:08.44
[gentle music]
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- [Narrator] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:09:12.38\00:09:14.25
Sometimes, we don't
have all the answers.
00:09:14.25\00:09:16.79
But that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:09:17.92\00:09:20.06
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:09:20.06\00:09:23.12
Here at the "Voice of Prophecy",
00:09:23.12\00:09:24.69
we've created the
Discover Bible guides
00:09:24.69\00:09:26.86
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:09:26.86\00:09:28.43
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:09:28.43\00:09:30.90
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions,
00:09:30.90\00:09:33.94
and they're absolutely free.
00:09:33.94\00:09:35.94
So jump online now
00:09:35.94\00:09:37.44
or give us a call and
start your journey of discovery.
00:09:37.44\00:09:40.51
- Let's be honest about
the contents of the Bible.
00:09:41.94\00:09:44.38
It has never been a
particularly popular message.
00:09:44.38\00:09:48.05
I'm reminded of the
words of the Emperor Julian,
00:09:48.05\00:09:50.35
the man who tried to return
the Roman empire to paganism.
00:09:50.35\00:09:54.06
Here's a guy who wrote
some really brutal criticisms
00:09:54.06\00:09:57.19
of the Bible including this one.
00:09:57.19\00:09:59.46
He said, "But now
answer me this question.
00:09:59.46\00:10:02.26
Whether it is better
to be perpetually free
00:10:02.26\00:10:04.47
and for 2000 entire years
00:10:04.47\00:10:06.70
to have dominion over the
greater part of the earth and
00:10:06.70\00:10:09.87
sea, or to be in subjection and
live in obedience to the mandate
00:10:09.87\00:10:13.34
of another."
00:10:13.34\00:10:14.94
He's offended by the
concept of submission,
00:10:14.94\00:10:17.68
pointing out that the
Jews had not proven themselves
00:10:17.68\00:10:20.12
to be world
conquerors like Julius Caesar
00:10:20.12\00:10:23.22
or Alexander the Great.
00:10:23.22\00:10:25.35
Christianity is a religion
for submissive people, he says,
00:10:25.35\00:10:28.96
and he knows that if he
chooses to agree with the Bible,
00:10:28.96\00:10:32.49
he's going to have
to surrender his pride.
00:10:32.49\00:10:35.03
It's kind of like
the story of Naiman,
00:10:36.23\00:10:38.17
the Syrian commander who found
himself plagued by leprosy.
00:10:38.17\00:10:41.64
And when he visited the Hebrew
prophet in search of a cure,
00:10:41.64\00:10:45.07
he was told to bathe
himself in the Jordan River,
00:10:45.07\00:10:48.08
a bit of a filthy
mud hole by comparison
00:10:48.08\00:10:50.58
to the rivers back home.
00:10:50.58\00:10:52.38
So that's when one of his
servants quietly asks him,
00:10:52.38\00:10:55.28
"My Father,
00:10:55.28\00:10:56.82
if the prophet had told
you to do something great
00:10:56.82\00:10:59.42
would you not have done it?"
00:10:59.42\00:11:01.56
Look, the message of the
Bible has never been popular
00:11:01.56\00:11:05.26
for the simple reason
that it steps on our egos.
00:11:05.26\00:11:08.20
It requires us to be humble
and admit that we're wrong.
00:11:08.20\00:11:11.97
I mean, yes, it has
incredibly good news after that
00:11:11.97\00:11:15.44
because it
reveals a God who loves us
00:11:15.44\00:11:17.54
in spite of our faults,
00:11:17.54\00:11:19.21
a God whose deepest
desire is to forgive us
00:11:19.21\00:11:22.04
and restore us to his company.
00:11:22.04\00:11:24.48
But you're going to
have to surrender your pride
00:11:24.48\00:11:27.05
in order to get there.
00:11:27.05\00:11:28.65
And when's the last time
you saw an advertising campaign
00:11:28.65\00:11:31.92
that pushed the concept,
00:11:31.92\00:11:33.09
hey, there's
something wrong with you.
00:11:33.09\00:11:35.59
I mean, they might suggest
that you're lacking something
00:11:35.59\00:11:38.33
or that your
life would be better
00:11:38.33\00:11:39.59
if you bought their product,
00:11:39.59\00:11:41.60
but they're not usually
gonna start by offending you.
00:11:41.60\00:11:44.30
Although I will
admit that in recent years,
00:11:44.30\00:11:46.30
it seems like marketers are
more and more willing to use
00:11:46.30\00:11:49.27
shock value to
get your attention.
00:11:49.27\00:11:51.61
So when Christians find
their messages tough to sell,
00:11:53.01\00:11:55.84
they're sometimes
tempted to repackage it
00:11:55.84\00:11:57.85
into a much smoother message.
00:11:57.85\00:12:00.78
And over the
last 100 years or so,
00:12:00.78\00:12:03.28
we've managed to
reinvent Jesus so many times
00:12:03.28\00:12:06.39
that he scarcely represents
the man you actually find
00:12:06.39\00:12:08.99
in this book.
00:12:08.99\00:12:10.49
And we've done that in spite
of Paul's rather stark warning
00:12:10.49\00:12:14.10
that tampering with
the essence of the gospel
00:12:14.10\00:12:16.10
is completely out of bounds.
00:12:16.10\00:12:19.13
For example, consider
the case of universalism.
00:12:19.13\00:12:22.67
This idea that in the end,
00:12:22.67\00:12:24.24
God is just too
nice to punish sin
00:12:24.24\00:12:26.74
and so he saves
absolutely everybody.
00:12:26.74\00:12:29.88
Now, to be fair to that idea,
00:12:29.88\00:12:32.08
universalism has
been an attempt to respond
00:12:32.08\00:12:34.55
to the rather atrocious
way that some Christians
00:12:34.55\00:12:37.32
have described
the character of God.
00:12:37.32\00:12:39.89
They borrow
concepts, some people,
00:12:39.89\00:12:41.89
from medieval superstitions,
agnostic paganism,
00:12:41.89\00:12:44.66
instead of just teaching
what the Bible actually says
00:12:44.66\00:12:47.20
about God.
00:12:47.20\00:12:48.70
And if the world is
under the mistaken impression
00:12:48.70\00:12:50.70
that God is some
kind of merciless tyrant
00:12:50.70\00:12:53.60
who enjoys
torturing people who disagree,
00:12:53.60\00:12:56.60
we have nobody to
blame but ourselves.
00:12:56.60\00:12:59.37
Because the picture we
use is not at all the picture
00:12:59.37\00:13:02.61
you get when you
read the whole book.
00:13:02.61\00:13:05.28
I guess you might say
that during the dark ages,
00:13:05.28\00:13:07.38
we did a horrible
job of marketing God
00:13:07.38\00:13:09.88
and we still haven't
quite recovered from that.
00:13:09.88\00:13:13.05
But then sometimes, in
an effort to correct it,
00:13:13.05\00:13:16.16
we develop a brand new image
of God that goes way too far
00:13:16.16\00:13:19.69
the other way.
00:13:19.69\00:13:21.00
We find ourselves reluctant
00:13:21.00\00:13:22.36
to contradict
modern sensibilities.
00:13:22.36\00:13:24.60
And so the Universalists
are telling people, look,
00:13:24.60\00:13:27.37
you don't have to
worry about anything,
00:13:27.37\00:13:29.14
because at the end of the story,
00:13:29.14\00:13:30.41
we all end up in
the kingdom of God.
00:13:30.41\00:13:33.34
So in other words,
00:13:34.38\00:13:35.81
in order to counteract a
twisted version of the gospel,
00:13:35.81\00:13:38.38
someone has concocted
another twisted version
00:13:38.38\00:13:40.65
that also isn't true.
00:13:40.65\00:13:42.85
I mean, nothing could be plainer
than the words of the Bible
00:13:42.85\00:13:46.12
than the fact that not
everybody makes it to heaven.
00:13:46.12\00:13:49.39
It's not a comfortable subject,
but it's absolutely true.
00:13:49.39\00:13:52.93
"Because narrow is
the gate, Jesus taught,
00:13:52.93\00:13:55.10
and difficult is the
way which leads to life.
00:13:55.10\00:13:57.77
And there are few who find it."
00:13:57.77\00:13:59.83
Now I know that
sounds like exclusivity
00:13:59.83\00:14:02.77
as if God is being
picky about who he accepts,
00:14:02.77\00:14:06.21
but again, the only way
you can come to that conclusion
00:14:06.21\00:14:08.71
is to simply not
read the entire book.
00:14:08.71\00:14:12.21
"Whosoever desires,"
the Book of Revelation says,
00:14:12.21\00:14:15.12
"let him take the
water of life freely."
00:14:15.12\00:14:17.99
"Whoever believes in
Him," Nicodemus learned,
00:14:17.99\00:14:20.36
"should not perish but
have everlasting life."
00:14:20.36\00:14:23.99
So in other words, the
gospel is open to everybody,
00:14:23.99\00:14:27.73
but not everybody is
going to take advantage of it.
00:14:27.73\00:14:30.40
There will be some
people who reject God,
00:14:30.40\00:14:33.03
and that's an
important thing to grasp,
00:14:33.03\00:14:35.07
because God was
willing to accept them
00:14:35.07\00:14:38.37
but they didn't want him.
00:14:38.37\00:14:40.04
So at the very end when all
the decisions have been made,
00:14:40.04\00:14:42.58
we find a brokenhearted God
saying, with tears in his eyes,
00:14:42.58\00:14:45.78
"He who is unjust,
let him be unjust still.
00:14:45.78\00:14:49.72
He who is filthy,
let him be filthy still.
00:14:49.72\00:14:52.59
He who is righteous,
let him be righteous still.
00:14:52.59\00:14:54.76
He who is holy,
let him be holy still."
00:14:54.76\00:14:58.33
Universalism is a
distortion of the way
00:14:58.33\00:15:00.93
the love of God is
actually taught in the Bible.
00:15:00.93\00:15:03.57
And it's a distortion
that comes from an attempt
00:15:03.57\00:15:05.97
to market God in a
way that is more palatable
00:15:05.97\00:15:09.00
to a modern audience.
00:15:09.00\00:15:10.54
You and I live in a
radically egalitarian society
00:15:11.84\00:15:14.21
that does not like the idea
00:15:14.21\00:15:15.74
that you might actually be
capable of making life choices
00:15:15.74\00:15:18.91
that lead to
negative consequences.
00:15:18.91\00:15:21.52
It's a rewrite of the
gospel, and it's a problem,
00:15:21.52\00:15:24.59
because while it
mitigates somebody's feelings,
00:15:24.59\00:15:28.02
it just isn't true.
00:15:28.02\00:15:29.86
And sometimes,
00:15:29.86\00:15:31.49
well, sometimes it's
just more loving to be honest,
00:15:31.49\00:15:34.30
not brutal or judgemental,
00:15:34.30\00:15:35.96
which is what many
Christians think honesty is,
00:15:35.96\00:15:39.07
and that's also a
distortion of God's character,
00:15:39.07\00:15:42.10
but really just being honest.
00:15:42.10\00:15:44.94
Look, if this book is telling
the truth and God is real,
00:15:44.94\00:15:47.54
then misleading people
about what the Bible says
00:15:47.54\00:15:50.28
is hardly an act of love.
00:15:50.28\00:15:52.68
Here in the United States,
a nation supposedly anchored
00:15:52.68\00:15:55.45
in the
teachings of Christianity,
00:15:55.45\00:15:57.29
our attempts to
market God have resulted in
00:15:57.29\00:15:59.39
what seems to be an endless
list of gospel distortions.
00:15:59.39\00:16:03.19
For example, throughout the
last half of the 20th century,
00:16:03.19\00:16:06.90
Christians conscripted Jesus
00:16:06.90\00:16:08.50
as the ultimate
defender of capitalism,
00:16:08.50\00:16:11.00
and they made him into a
man who was more interested
00:16:11.00\00:16:13.17
in your material prosperity
00:16:13.17\00:16:15.24
than he was in your
spiritual wellbeing.
00:16:15.24\00:16:18.04
Prosperity preachers
took a relatively good thing,
00:16:18.04\00:16:20.98
the Protestant work
ethic, which teaches in part
00:16:20.98\00:16:23.85
that your daily work
should be an active worship,
00:16:23.85\00:16:27.22
and they taught that it
honors God to be diligent
00:16:27.22\00:16:29.58
about your labor.
00:16:29.58\00:16:30.95
That much I can agree with,
00:16:30.95\00:16:32.49
because there's just no question
that the Bible talks about
00:16:32.49\00:16:35.42
earning your keep and
preparing for the future.
00:16:35.42\00:16:38.69
And of course,
diligence and hard work
00:16:38.69\00:16:40.96
can lead to relative prosperity.
00:16:40.96\00:16:44.00
But the prosperity preachers
have gone way beyond that.
00:16:44.00\00:16:47.44
They've made material prosperity
00:16:47.44\00:16:49.60
a testing truth and the
very heart of the gospel.
00:16:49.60\00:16:53.24
And the way some of
these guys talk about it,
00:16:54.61\00:16:56.71
you'd think that Jesus came
to make us wealthy and popular
00:16:56.71\00:17:00.15
and good looking.
00:17:00.15\00:17:01.68
It produced
what some people call
00:17:01.68\00:17:03.42
the name it and
claimant movement,
00:17:03.42\00:17:05.25
which is really
hard to distinguish
00:17:05.25\00:17:07.29
from the mystical
teachings of people
00:17:07.29\00:17:08.89
like Napoleon
Hill or Rhonda Byrne.
00:17:08.89\00:17:12.09
People who suggest that
the universe is somehow obliged
00:17:12.09\00:17:15.03
to bring you whatever
good things you ask for.
00:17:15.03\00:17:18.17
In the 1970s and 80s, we
saw preachers telling people
00:17:18.17\00:17:21.54
that God wants
everybody to be wealthy.
00:17:21.54\00:17:24.54
And of course at the same time,
00:17:24.54\00:17:26.04
they also suggested that
if you wanted to be rich,
00:17:26.04\00:17:27.91
you should probably
send them a donation,
00:17:27.91\00:17:30.05
but that'd be a
story for another day.
00:17:30.05\00:17:32.85
When prosperity
preachers were in their heyday
00:17:32.85\00:17:35.15
just a few years ago,
00:17:35.15\00:17:36.69
if somebody said
America was a Christian nation,
00:17:36.69\00:17:39.82
they didn't mean it was
anchored in Christian principles
00:17:39.82\00:17:42.86
or that it grew
out of the Christianity
00:17:42.86\00:17:45.36
that came from Western Europe.
00:17:45.36\00:17:47.40
They meant that Jesus was some
kind of captain of industry,
00:17:47.40\00:17:50.67
and the Bible is some
kind of motivational seminar,
00:17:50.67\00:17:53.44
which is an idea that
can really appeal to our
00:17:53.44\00:17:56.00
sense of pride, because
if godliness equals success,
00:17:56.00\00:18:01.01
well then you'd never
have to bathe yourself
00:18:02.21\00:18:03.48
in the muddy waters
of the Jordan, would you?
00:18:03.48\00:18:05.68
And now I've gotta
take another quick break,
00:18:05.68\00:18:07.58
but hang in there, because
00:18:07.58\00:18:09.05
if I haven't managed to
step on your theological toes
00:18:09.05\00:18:11.55
quite yet, I probably will.
00:18:11.55\00:18:13.89
I'll be right back after this.
00:18:13.89\00:18:15.79
- [Narrator] Every year
and fresh content every week.
00:18:39.35\00:18:42.25
There's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:18:42.25\00:18:45.39
- Prosperity
preaching was hardly
00:18:49.02\00:18:50.76
the only
distortion of the gospel
00:18:50.76\00:18:52.63
that we witnessed over
the last 100 years or so
00:18:52.63\00:18:55.16
because we also saw the
rise to the Christian right,
00:18:55.16\00:18:58.30
who somehow missed
that bit where Jesus said
00:18:58.30\00:19:01.37
"His kingdom is
not of this world."
00:19:01.37\00:19:04.87
They were driven by something
called dominion theology,
00:19:04.87\00:19:08.38
which teaches that
the role of Christians,
00:19:08.38\00:19:10.28
especially here in America,
is to seize the reins of power
00:19:10.28\00:19:14.18
and use civil government to
usher in the Kingdom of Christ.
00:19:14.18\00:19:18.25
Apparently, the
way they described it,
00:19:18.25\00:19:20.09
Jesus essentially came
to help us run for office.
00:19:20.09\00:19:23.79
But it wasn't just
Christians on the right
00:19:23.79\00:19:25.99
who were doing this.
00:19:25.99\00:19:27.56
We've also seen other
people recruiting Jesus
00:19:27.56\00:19:29.53
to the cause of Karl Marx.
00:19:29.53\00:19:31.47
Back in the 1960s,
people took Jesus' insistence
00:19:31.47\00:19:34.37
that we care for the
poor, which is a good thing,
00:19:34.37\00:19:37.57
and they suddenly
made him into some kind of
00:19:37.57\00:19:39.27
social liberator, a
freedom fighter toting an AK47
00:19:39.27\00:19:43.01
through the
jungles of Central America.
00:19:43.01\00:19:45.65
Then in more recent history,
00:19:45.65\00:19:47.45
we had all these memes
populating social media
00:19:47.45\00:19:50.15
telling us Jesus
was an arch socialist,
00:19:50.15\00:19:52.85
to the point where some people
00:19:52.85\00:19:54.29
actually started comparing
Bernie Sanders to Christ himself
00:19:54.29\00:19:57.36
suggesting he was some
kind of new Jewish Messiah.
00:19:57.36\00:20:01.06
And I only wish I was kidding.
00:20:01.06\00:20:03.93
So we've had Jesus the
Republican, Jesus the Democrat,
00:20:03.93\00:20:08.07
Jesus the businessman,
and Jesus the freedom fighter,
00:20:08.07\00:20:10.91
and Jesus the
gun rights advocate,
00:20:10.91\00:20:13.17
and Jesus the
social justice warrior.
00:20:13.17\00:20:16.04
But what we haven't seen
a lot of in recent decades
00:20:16.04\00:20:19.61
is the Jesus of the gospels.
00:20:19.61\00:20:22.15
"If anyone preaches
any other gospel to you
00:20:22.15\00:20:25.09
than what you have
received," Paul warned,
00:20:25.09\00:20:27.16
"let him be accursed."
00:20:27.16\00:20:29.12
In other words, it
is not a trivial matter
00:20:29.12\00:20:31.79
to tinker with the
essential message of the Bible.
00:20:31.79\00:20:34.66
Do not take some small
aspect of what Jesus taught
00:20:34.66\00:20:38.20
and blow it out of proportion
00:20:38.20\00:20:39.73
to support your
political ideology.
00:20:39.73\00:20:42.57
If God is real
and the Bible is true
00:20:42.57\00:20:45.31
and Jesus really
is the son of God,
00:20:45.31\00:20:47.61
then you and I have
absolutely no business
00:20:47.61\00:20:50.78
tinkering with any of this.
00:20:50.78\00:20:52.75
It's far better to teach
people to read this whole book
00:20:52.75\00:20:56.08
and look at all the data in
here as it relates to the cross.
00:20:56.08\00:21:00.39
Of course,
understanding the atonement
00:21:00.39\00:21:03.26
and how it is that the
gift of Christ saves us,
00:21:03.26\00:21:06.36
that's not an easy task.
00:21:06.36\00:21:07.96
And so we're
bound to come up short
00:21:07.96\00:21:09.50
anytime we try to summarize
the essence of the gospel.
00:21:09.50\00:21:13.17
And what sometimes happens
00:21:13.17\00:21:14.90
is that we'll discover
something important about Jesus,
00:21:14.90\00:21:17.71
something that
is absolutely true,
00:21:17.71\00:21:21.61
but we'll promote that idea
as if it's the entire story.
00:21:21.61\00:21:25.65
We make it a matter of either or
00:21:25.65\00:21:27.88
and we start to cram the
magnificence of the cross
00:21:27.88\00:21:30.85
into tiny manmade boxes.
00:21:30.85\00:21:33.49
Let me give you an example
from a 12th century philosopher
00:21:34.86\00:21:38.06
by the name of Peter Abelard.
00:21:38.06\00:21:40.20
In his attempt to understand
the cross in the atonement,
00:21:40.20\00:21:42.90
he came up with something
known as moral influence theory,
00:21:42.90\00:21:46.50
which taught that there
was no real penalty for sin,
00:21:46.50\00:21:49.70
no legal obligation
or debt that we incurred
00:21:49.70\00:21:52.44
when we sinned against God.
00:21:52.44\00:21:54.61
What the cross did, he said,
00:21:54.61\00:21:56.38
was simply show us
how much God loves us,
00:21:56.38\00:21:59.51
and that, he said,
00:21:59.51\00:22:00.85
would change our
minds about committing sins.
00:22:00.85\00:22:03.45
Now, there's a degree
of truth to what he said.
00:22:03.45\00:22:06.52
The cross does reveal
the loving character of God,
00:22:06.52\00:22:09.32
and it has a way of
shredding our allegiance to sin.
00:22:09.32\00:22:13.43
Once we realized
that sin made us capable
00:22:13.43\00:22:16.16
of murdering God's son
00:22:16.16\00:22:17.87
and he was willing
to go through with it
00:22:17.87\00:22:19.53
in order to save us,
well, that's a game changer.
00:22:19.53\00:22:22.90
It really does
change the way we think.
00:22:22.90\00:22:26.01
But Abelard essentially insisted
00:22:26.01\00:22:28.14
that that was the only
thing the cross accomplished,
00:22:28.14\00:22:31.01
and that's just not true.
00:22:31.01\00:22:33.28
Modern proponents of
his theory will tell you
00:22:33.28\00:22:35.38
that God never punishes
sin because he's just too nice,
00:22:35.38\00:22:39.29
and they'll insist that
we did not incur any kind of
00:22:39.29\00:22:41.79
moral debt when we
violated God's moral law.
00:22:41.79\00:22:45.79
Jesus didn't pay for anything
at the cross, they'll say.
00:22:45.79\00:22:48.60
He was just showing
you how much he loves you
00:22:48.60\00:22:50.87
and how willing
he is to forgive.
00:22:50.87\00:22:53.37
But that's not
the whole picture,
00:22:54.54\00:22:55.74
because it really ignores
00:22:55.74\00:22:57.27
a lot of the things we
find in the New Testament.
00:22:57.27\00:22:59.84
Abelard objected to the notion
00:22:59.84\00:23:01.74
that Jesus paid some kind
of ransom to save us because,
00:23:01.74\00:23:05.08
well, some medieval
theologians had twisted the idea
00:23:05.08\00:23:07.82
of the atonement to
suggest that somehow
00:23:07.82\00:23:10.32
Jesus had to pay
the Devil to save us,
00:23:10.32\00:23:13.19
which would kind
of make the Devil
00:23:13.19\00:23:14.66
into an equal player with God.
00:23:14.66\00:23:16.59
So I get it, that's
a reprehensible idea,
00:23:16.59\00:23:20.13
but to reject the entire
notion of moral debt or ransom
00:23:20.13\00:23:23.43
isn't biblical either,
00:23:23.43\00:23:24.63
because it's
undoubtedly a part of the story.
00:23:24.63\00:23:27.77
"The Son of Man did not come
to be served," the Bible says,
00:23:27.77\00:23:30.84
"but to serve and to give
His life a ransom for many."
00:23:30.84\00:23:35.74
There's just no way around it.
00:23:35.74\00:23:37.48
The Greek word Matthew
uses to describe this ransom
00:23:37.48\00:23:40.65
is Lutron, and Lutron is
literally the price you would
00:23:40.65\00:23:44.59
pay to redeem a
prisoner or a slave.
00:23:44.59\00:23:47.42
Over in Colossians 2,
Paul tells us that Jesus,
00:23:47.42\00:23:50.73
"Wiped out the
handwriting of requirements
00:23:50.73\00:23:53.03
that was against us."
00:23:53.03\00:23:54.56
And the Greek word in
that passage is Cheirographon,
00:23:54.56\00:23:57.17
which is literally
a certificate of debt.
00:23:57.17\00:24:00.07
It's what they would put over
the door of your prison cell
00:24:00.07\00:24:02.37
to describe
your debt to society.
00:24:02.37\00:24:04.71
Shawn is a thief and he
owes us five years of prison.
00:24:04.71\00:24:08.98
But Jesus took
that certificate pulses
00:24:08.98\00:24:11.38
and nailed it to the cross.
00:24:11.38\00:24:12.61
In other words, he
marked it as complete.
00:24:12.61\00:24:16.02
Paid in full.
00:24:16.02\00:24:17.62
So in reality,
both concepts are true.
00:24:18.79\00:24:21.89
Jesus died a
humiliating public death
00:24:21.89\00:24:24.06
to demonstrate his love
for us, which is what Paul says
00:24:24.06\00:24:27.13
in Romans 5:8, and
he died to pay our debt,
00:24:27.13\00:24:31.67
which is what Paul also teaches.
00:24:31.67\00:24:34.24
Of course, it's always tempting
00:24:34.24\00:24:35.50
to play up the
love part of the story
00:24:35.50\00:24:37.31
and downplay the
part about sin because,
00:24:37.31\00:24:40.34
well, that makes
us more comfortable.
00:24:40.34\00:24:41.84
It just feels
like better marketing.
00:24:41.84\00:24:44.95
But what if it's not the truth?
00:24:44.95\00:24:47.05
I'll be right back after this.
00:24:47.05\00:24:49.05
[dramatic music]
00:24:51.65\00:24:52.89
- [Narrator] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues.
00:24:52.89\00:24:56.79
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:24:56.79\00:25:01.36
If you've ever
read Daniel Revelation
00:25:01.36\00:25:03.53
and come away scratching
your head, you are not alone.
00:25:03.53\00:25:06.57
Our free focus
on prophecy guides
00:25:06.57\00:25:08.97
are designed to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:25:08.97\00:25:11.74
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:25:11.74\00:25:14.21
for you and our world.
00:25:14.21\00:25:15.88
Study online or
request them by mail
00:25:15.88\00:25:18.28
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:25:18.28\00:25:21.18
- I know I'm almost certainly
stepping on toes today,
00:25:22.55\00:25:24.49
and I'm bound to
get some letters,
00:25:24.49\00:25:25.89
so I should probably tell you
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that I'm really not
interested in debating.
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I'm just urging people
to check your assumptions
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and get in the habit
of reading the whole Bible
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because the impact of the
cross is far more reaching
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than most people suspect.
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And given Paul's warnings
about tampering with the gospel,
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I'd suggest that we
exercise a lot of caution
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to be sure that we're
really portraying Jesus
00:25:46.51\00:25:49.08
the way the Bible does.
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Over the centuries, there
have been a lot of theories
00:25:50.88\00:25:53.01
about how the
atonement really works.
00:25:53.01\00:25:55.48
In addition to Abelard's theory,
00:25:55.48\00:25:57.32
we've also got this idea
known as Christus Victor,
00:25:57.32\00:25:59.82
which says that Christ
defeated the Devil at the cross
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by overwhelming him
with the principle of love.
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And then of course,
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we've also got the
idea of penal substitution,
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which says that Jesus
took the penalty for my sin
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on himself.
00:26:11.67\00:26:12.93
And then we have
some other ideas.
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And what happens is
that people will adopt
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one of those theories
as if it's the whole story
00:26:17.41\00:26:20.21
to the exclusion
of everything else.
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And sometimes that happens
00:26:22.71\00:26:24.15
when we're trying to
market God to the public.
00:26:24.15\00:26:26.08
We try to pick
and choose what we say
00:26:26.08\00:26:27.85
in order to make the
tough parts of the Bible
00:26:27.85\00:26:29.82
more palatable.
00:26:29.82\00:26:31.59
But it's hard to evade the
seriousness of the situation.
00:26:31.59\00:26:35.26
The wages of sin is
death and God's son had to die
00:26:35.26\00:26:39.26
if we were going to be saved.
00:26:39.26\00:26:41.50
It's not the easiest thing to
hear because if you accept it,
00:26:41.50\00:26:45.57
it means taking a bath in
the muddy waters of the Jordan.
00:26:45.57\00:26:49.04
It means humbling yourself
00:26:49.04\00:26:50.57
and admitting that you're
wrong and that you're helpless.
00:26:50.57\00:26:54.44
In defiance of that, I've
met people who love to teach
00:26:54.44\00:26:57.25
that we have to work
our way to perfection
00:26:57.25\00:26:59.15
if we want to be saved
00:26:59.15\00:27:00.65
and they point to the
principle of sanctification,
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which really does say
that God will change you
00:27:03.02\00:27:06.62
and help you
become more Christlike.
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There's no question about it.
00:27:08.89\00:27:10.26
To follow Jesus means
becoming more like him.
00:27:10.26\00:27:13.19
But then some people twist that
00:27:13.19\00:27:14.63
suggesting that you can
work your way to perfection,
00:27:14.63\00:27:17.03
and that's still an attempt
to evade the Jordan River.
00:27:17.03\00:27:20.54
Because in the final analysis,
00:27:20.54\00:27:22.47
it's always easier to imagine
you can achieve great things
00:27:22.47\00:27:26.17
than it is to humble yourself.
00:27:26.17\00:27:28.21
Great deeds, after
all, do not require humility
00:27:28.21\00:27:31.71
or submission or repentance.
00:27:31.71\00:27:34.92
When you discount reality,
it's like a medical patient
00:27:34.92\00:27:37.95
who refuses to believe
they have a terminal disease.
00:27:37.95\00:27:40.86
They're not gonna take
the drastic measures they need
00:27:40.86\00:27:43.02
like amputation or chemotherapy
00:27:43.02\00:27:45.29
or whatever that's
required to save you.
00:27:45.29\00:27:48.03
So I guess my counsel is this.
00:27:48.03\00:27:49.50
Just read the whole
book and be very careful
00:27:49.50\00:27:52.57
before you discount
the uncomfortable parts,
00:27:52.57\00:27:55.54
because they might just
be the truth that you need.
00:27:55.54\00:27:58.67
So maybe it's time for
Christians to stop marketing God
00:27:58.67\00:28:01.91
and just let him
speak for himself.
00:28:01.91\00:28:04.58
Thanks for joining me this week.
00:28:04.58\00:28:06.05
I'm Shawn Boonstra and
this has been "Authentic".
00:28:06.05\00:28:09.38
[jaunty music]
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