8
Clear Signs of a Compromising Church
Members of the 'Confessing Church'
which rose against the Nazi Socialist German Church movement. (Gregor
Helm/Wikimedia)
During the days of
Nazi Germany there arose a Confessing Church movement that rose against the
German Church movement, which became the religious arm of the Fascist Nazi
Socialist movement. Of the 18,000 pastors in Germany during that time (from
1933 to 1945), less than 5,000 were aligned with the Confessing
Church. Hence, only a remnant held fast to the biblical position
with about half of the churches conforming due to political and societal
pressure. Unfortunately, this demonstrates that, when push comes to shove, a
large percentage of pastors, churches and so-called Christians will probably
bow to pressure and allow the norms of culture to become their credo for
Christianity.
We see the same thing
today in churches in the USA and beyond. With the accelerated pace of the
attack on religious liberty today, there could develop a great divide in the
church between confessing churches and compromising churches similar to what
happened in Nazi Germany. This will not be a divide based on denominational
affiliation but based on the degree of loyalty to biblical fidelity. It is sad
but true that more and more believers will be compromising core biblical values
and standards rather than be stigmatized or persecuted, and lose influence in
society.
In John 12:42-43 we
see that many contemporaries of Jesus believed in Him but would not confess Him
because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The following are
contrasts between the confessing church and the compromising church.
1. In
the confessing church, Christ is over culture. The compromising church accommodates
Christ to culture. The
confessing church believes Jesus is Lord over all creation. Hence, they attempt
to reflect Christ in every area of culture. The compromising church has a
posture of accommodation. Hence, the Christ they believe in and preach is
shaped by the culture they live in.
2.
The confessing church holds fast to the Word of God in spite of
opposition. The compromising church alters the Word of God because of
opposition. Soon
in America it is quite possible that it will be illegal to preach from certain
passages of the Bible dealing with human sexuality. Because of this, many will
alter their theology to fit the culture while the confessing church will preach
the Word of God in spite of governmental fines, penalties, lawsuits and even serving
time in jail.
3.
The confessing church puts the kingdom of God above their
culture and ethnicity. The compromising church puts their ethnicity
before the kingdom of God. The
German Church during the Nazi era put nationalism and their Aryan heritage above
the Word of God. Many pastors and believers today view the Scriptures more
through the lens of their ethnicity and national heritage than through a proper
exegesis of Scripture.
When, and if, our
nation officially makes biblical Christianity illegal, we will soon see who
will be the confessors and who will be the compromisers. In many ways,
practicing biblical Christianity is already illegal when it comes to believers
attempting to walk out their faith in the marketplace because private
Christian-owned businesses do not have the same level of protection today as do
local churches.
4.
The confessing church alters their methods of preaching. The
compromising church alters the message they preach. While it is wise and biblical for the
body of Christ to be relevant to culture regarding the preaching of the gospel,
it should never put being relevant above being faithful. The compromising
church puts being relevant before biblical faithfulness. Hence, they not only
change the method of preaching but also the message they preach.
5.
The confessing church is a remnant in the minority
of church and state. The compromising church wants to be in
the mainstream of both church and state. The confessing church endures long
seasons of feeling like aliens and strangers in their own communities. The
compromising church wants to be in the mainstream of culture more than living
in the divine flow of God's favor and presence.
6.
The confessing church is penalized by the state government. The
compromising church is applauded by the state government. While the confessing church is hunted
down and ostracized by the humanistic state, the compromising church is
celebrated by the far-left radicals and used as a model of how church and state
should function together.
7. The confessing church prophetically
speaks truth to power. The compromising church conforms to those in
power. The
confessing church knows that at various seasons in their existence they will
not gain a lot of converts and/or experience societal transformation. The best
they can do is to maintain a prophetic witness to the cultural elites and
surrounding communities. Since the compromising church enjoys the power and
prestige the elites grant them, they always conform rather than confront.
8.
The confessing church desires the praise of God. The
compromising church desires the praise of men. Ultimately at the end of the day it
boils down to this: Are we living for the praise of men or the praise of God?
If things don't change in the coming days, we will be shocked at how many
megachurches, mid-size churches and smaller churches compromise the word of God
so they could continue to keep their doors open.
At some point we will
all have to stand the ultimate test, which is whether we desire God more than
we love our lives, or whether we love our pleasures, conveniences and material
goods more than God. Truly, if we confess Christ before men He will confess us
before His Father in heaven, but if we deny Him before men He will deny us
before His Father in heaven (Matt. 10:32-33).
No comments:
Post a Comment