You’ve probably heard someone say, “It doesn’t
matter what you believe, we’re all going to heaven
when we die.” The sentiment is that the only thing
you have to do is believe in Jesus. And in today’s
religious climate, that’s not even seen as essential
by some. The underlying premise to this view is that
doctrine (principles or positions in a system of
belief) does not matter. In his book “Reckless
Faith” John McArthur Jr. wrote, “The church in our
generation has become astonishingly tolerant of
aberrant teaching and outlandish ideas—and
frighteningly intolerant of sound teaching. The
popular evangelical conception of “truth” has become
almost completely subjective. Truth is viewed as
fluid, always relative, never absolute. To suggest
that any objective criterion might be used to
distinguish truth from error is to be egregiously
out of step with the spirit of the age. In some
circles, Scripture itself has been ruled out as a
reliable test of truth…And many believe there is
truth beyond the Bible.”
While it is certainly true that there
are core issues in the Bible that are of “first
importance” and “weightier” (1 Corinthians 15:4;
Matthew 23:23), it is no less true that the “less
important” must still be taught, believed and put
into practice. Jesus said, “These things you ought
to have done without neglecting the others. It’s not
a matter of either/or it’s a matter of emphasizing
the greater. But the greater can only be emphasized
when it is included among the lesser.
Notice the Scriptures’
warnings about what we believe. “The naive
believes everything, But the prudent man considers
his steps” (Proverbs14:15). Jesus warned that we
should let no one “mislead” us (Matthew
24:4). How can we be mislead if what we believe
doesn’t matter? Paul said that with smooth and
flattering speech some “deceive the hearts of the
unsuspecting” (Romans16:18). So quick acceptance
and tolerance are not necessarily virtuous and
suspicion has it’s place? Seems so. We are to
“examine everything carefully [and] hold fast
to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Thus contrary to popular belief there is that which
is good and that which is not good. “The Spirit
explicitly says that in later times some will fall
away from the faith [impossible according to a
widely accepted heresy since the Reformation],
paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines
of demons.” (1 Timothy4:1). And Peter warns
“There will also be false teachers among you, who
will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even
denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift
destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1).
In 1965 Martyn
Lloyd-Jones said this concerning the liberal wing of
some “high church” fellowships: “Our staying amongst
such people does not seem to be converting them to
our view, but rather leads to a lowering of the
spiritual temperature of those who are straying
amongst them, and an increasing tendency to
doctrinal accommodation and compromise”.
Paul commanded Timothy
to, “Retain the standard of sound words which you
have heard from me, in the faith and love which are
in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy1:13). What was true
and right and moral in the first century is what is
true and right and moral in the twenty first
century. Measure what you are taught and what you
believe by the Bible to “see whether these things
are so” (Acts 17:11). If they are, stay the
course. If they’re not and you can’t straighten the
course, abandon ship.
God bless you,
Brad Fry
