CHURCH BEFORE GOSPEL

It is quite amazing that in today's unfaithful church, there is a greater willingness to co-operate in matters ecclesiastical and spiritual with theological liberals and ecumenists than there is to support the ministry of reformed evangelicals.  Yet this situation ought not to surprise anyone because, as I have written many times in the past, the principle followed by many in the compromised denominations is simply this: church must, and does, come before Gospel.

Good men are prepared to cooperate in church life with those who oppose the Gospel, yet are not Christian enough to embrace other evangelicals that are not of their particular fold.  The hold the church has on them is tight, suffocatingly tight, but they do not seem to realise that.  This hold prevents them seeing the truth and how it is being compromised by the willing acceptance of all forms of deviation from the truth of the Gospel.  Indeed, any attempt to defend such an arrangement always results in deep embarrassment for those who try to justify the unjustifiable.

It is very difficult to see how reformed evangelicals can justify their acceptance of theological liberalism as a bona fide understanding of the Gospel.  What the common ground is between those whom preach that a man is justified by his good works, his decency, his church membership, etc, and those who preach the true biblical Gospel is difficult to see.  Yet many attempt this very thing today.  This is possibly the most telling measure of the spiritual temperature that is found in the churches today.  Were the good men in these churches burning evangelicals, then the world would hear of their attenpts to turn their churches right side up.  But their silence is deafening.

Why is this?  There can be only one reason.  These men have lost sight of the glory of the Gospel and of the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ.  They have precious little concern for the many men and women who listen to false doctrine.  Were they really concerned they would be challenging the falsehoods that are being perpetrated in their name within their denominations Sunday by Sunday.  But no.  There is no concern, no voice being lifted up in protest, no placing their own reputations on the line for the sake of the Gospel.

But then again, you only do that for something you think is worthwhile.