With the recent election of Pope Francis I as the leader of
the Catholic Church, some in the media are raising questions as
to whether or not the church should change its beliefs to fit the views of a
more modern society. It’s as if some
believe that we humans have the right and authority to change the beliefs and
doctrines of the church.
That might be the case if the church was birthed, organized, and
governed by us, but it isn’t.
The Church has one founder, His name is Jesus Christ.
(Jesus
talking), “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I
will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” -
Matthew 16:18, NIV (underline mine)
The Church has one
organizer who has instituted the belief system and doctrinal stances, His
name, Jesus Christ.
(Jesus
praying) “But now I come to You, and
these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in
themselves. 14
I have
given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the
world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out
of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just
as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” – John 17: 13-17 NKJV (underline mine)
“All
Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness,” -
2 Timothy 3: 16 NKJV
The Church has one
governor, president, King, Master, Lord, His name, Jesus Christ.
“17
He (Jesus) is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he
is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything
he might have the supremacy.” - Colossians 1: 17-18 NIV (underline mine)
“And
God placed all things under his (Jesus) feet and appointed him to be head over
everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills
everything in every way.” – Ephesians 1: 22-23 NIV
It is well established in Scripture that Jesus is the head
of the Church and that He alone is the authority on all teaching and doctrine. With that being said, it shouldn’t surprise
us however that some want to adjust the teachings of Scripture so it will align with
their particular views. This strategy
has been around since the first family in the Garden. Just take a look at the conversation between
the serpent (Satan in disguise) and
Eve. God had given one simple command
for Adam and Eve to follow, they were not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:17).
Notice how the serpent addressed this command with Eve, “And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed
said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1). Just a simple question, right? Think about it. With just one question Satan put a seed of
doubt in Eve’s mind as to the authority of God’s Word. Notice what he did next. “Then
the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. God knows that in the day you eat of it your
eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…’” (Genesis 3: 4-5).
That’s all it took.
Just a small question as to the authority of God’s Word and then a
simple appeal to mankind’s greatest weakness…our pride. The result? Adam and Eve bit the
forbidden fruit and we have been dealing with the consequences ever since.
When we find ourselves questioning the authority of Jesus’
teachings and the doctrines of Scripture, we walk on a slippery slop. Recently I was reading in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Mark. Just hours before Jesus was led to the cross
the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the entire religious council came
together to have a consultation. The
object of their deep discussion was what to do with Jesus. These
early religious leaders were upset, angry, you might even say furious because Jesus did not
conform to their personal philosophies. Their world was being turned upside down by
the teachings of Jesus. Or should I say
right-side up.
What happened next is inconceivable.
With encouragement from the religious leaders, that first century community chose a
murderer to be freed over Jesus. That is mind boggling to me. The people chose Barabbas, a
local terrorist to be released back on their streets rather than Jesus whose teachings didn't fit their viewpoints. They displayed a
familiar trait we still see today, a tolerance for everyone just as long as they
agree with our views.
Now, let me make something clear, there is nothing wrong with having deep theological
discussions. In fact, they can be very healthy as long as our motive and desire for truth is pure.
A great preacher once said, “The
Scriptures are shallow enough for a baby to wander into with no fear of
drowning and deep enough for theologians to dive into and never reach bottom.
The danger is not in having honest theological
discussions, the danger is when we try to force the Scriptures to fit within the
narrow boundaries of our personal preferences. There is a huge difference. The sin of the early leaders in Mark 15, and I fear is still prevelant in the lives of many today, is that they didn’t want to conform their lives to Christ and His teachings, they wanted Christ to
conform to theirs.
The proper interpretation and application of Scripture is imperative. This can only be done when
our overarching objective is to have a clear understanding of Biblical passages
within context and not try to twist Scripture to defend our own agenda. We must ask the discovery questions during study. Who
was this passage written too? What are the timeless truths being
communicated? Once the principles are understood then we ask, How do we apply these truths?
Easter is quickly approaching. It's during this season that we reflect
on the wonderful truth that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to this earth to show us how to live and take our sins
to the cross paying our penalty. Finally,
He triumphed over death’s hold by coming forth out of the grave giving us the
hope of eternal life through Him.
This is a time for us to reflect and rejoice in Christ our Savior
and be reminded that we are to conform to Him, not force Him to conform to us.
So, what should we do with Jesus and His teachings? We should do as His true disciples have
always done, believe in Him,
accept Him, honor and adore Him, trust Him, follow Him, and ultimately,
surrender to Him.
