Proverbs 29:18

I have been wanting to bring up this topic for a while now, but have been hesitant, because this is a very controversial post – in that it will likely offend some people. I make no apologies, however, as the truth must be made known, no matter how offensive it may be. What I want to talk about is one of the most abused and misinterpreted passages in Scripture. The passage I am referring to is Proverbs 29:18. Out of the KJV, the passage reads as follows: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Upon this single verse, entire sermons have been preached, and even entire books written. In and of itself, this would not be a problem, but it is often done at the neglect of the gospel. Furthermore, the passage is almost always taken out of context to say nothing more than: “ Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Taking verses out of context is bad enough, but to not even quote an entire verse is a terrible misuse of God's word – and in doing so, completely distorts the meaning of the whole passage.

If one, maybe two pastors had misused this verse in a sermon, I would not be making this a big issue. But I hear this passage misused time and time again, by pastor after pastor in sermon after sermon. And the interpretation is always the same. “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” the pastor says. And then he, without fail, goes on to say that this means we all must have a “vision”, a “dream” that we must have for our lives. In other words, we must all have a plan for our lives – a vision for our lives that God has “downloaded” into us. And such a message is often preached without a single mention of Christ, the cross, the atonement, salvation, grace or anything else that would have hope of saving sinners. We are in no danger of hell because we have no plan for our lives, or because we lack vision, or because we aren't dreaming dreams. We are in danger of hell because by nature we are wretched sinners who have transgressed God's holy law and are now under His wrath. Yet, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (See Romans Ch. 3 and Ch. 5).

So much is made about man and what he can do in these sermons. It's all about man and what he can imagine. Pastors will encourage people to “dream big dreams”, as though imagination was the key to eternal life and the key to evangelism, rather than Christ and Him crucified along with knowledge of the Scriptures. To preach such trivial and pointless garbage at the expense of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing short of heresy; not only that, but a betrayal of Christ, an abuse of teaching position and mockery of those who have suffered and died preaching the gospel to the lost.

Worse still, congregations are often asked about “how big is your God”. Such things are idolatry of the worst sort. What is really being said is “how big is your idol that you call 'God'”. God is not one to be imagined, but one who is clearly revealed in Scripture. It is not about how big we believe God to be, but rather that we believe what Scripture testifies about Him – the unimaginable Deity who can only be revealed by faith and knowledge of the Scriptures. To put measure on any of God's attributes is only to detract from the revelation of God's limitless glory.

Having said this, now let us return to Proverbs 29:18. Note the second part of the verse: “but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Why is this always left out? Perhaps because it would detract from what those who are making a perversion of this verse are trying to say? One very important thing to note is that this verse, when misused, is always taken from the KJV, even in churches that would normally use a text like the NIV and would never even touch the KJV otherwise. Why is this? If we look at the NIV, the verse is rendered: “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” In the ESV, it reads: “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Even in the NKJV, it reads: “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.” Now things begin to look suspicious. What does this verse really mean?

In order to better understand this verse, we must note few things. First, the KJV is 400 years old, and words used then sometimes do not have the same exact meaning that they do in contemporary English. Secondly, the Hebrew word hazôn, which is rendered as “vision” in the KJV, has multiple meanings. Take a look at this excerpt by Dr. Claude Mariottini of Northern Baptist Seminary:

The primary reason for this misuse of Proverbs 29:18 is because of the translation of this verse as it appears in the King James Version of the Bible. The KJV translates Proverbs 29:18 as follows:

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).

Now, compare the KJV with the translation that appears in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV): “Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint, but happy are those who keep the law.”

The reason for this difference is that the Hebrew word for vision, hazôn, is generally used to designate the revelation of God’s will to prophets. The word hazôn is used to describe the visions of Isaiah (Isaiah 1:1) and of Nahum (Nahum 1:1).

What the wiseman is trying to communicate to his audience is that without prophetic revelation and without the preaching of the prophets calling the people into a faithful relationship with God and obedience to his word, people lose restraint and abandon God’s law.

Source 

Furthermore, the Amplified Bible states it this way: “Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]--blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.” In the 1599 Geneva Bible, it states: “Where there is no vision [where there are no faithful ministers of the word of God], the people decay; but he that keepeth the law is blessed.” It can clearly be seen by studying the context and the original language that the writer of Proverbs 29 in no way intended it say that we must dream dreams and have visions. Rather, it speaks of the prophetic revelation of God and His word. The Scriptures, the written Word, contain the prophetic revelation of God in its fullest. In other words, where God's word is not revealed (and preached), the people perish. Which is exactly what these pastors are failing to do. As they neglect God's word, the people under them perish in their sin. Yet those who hear God's word and are saved by grace, these are found to be in keeping with God's law, having been declared righteous by the merit and shed blood of Jesus Christ. For them:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3-10)

Lastly, let me say this, and I do not say this lightly. If anyone preaches a perversion of Proverbs 29:18 and does so at the expense of Christ and his glorious death on the cross, they are preaching a different gospel. Let the Bible itself be a warning to those who preach something other than Christ and Him crucified:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:6-9)

A harsh warning, yes. But not without hope. Repent and believe the gospel, the one true gospel, and you shall be saved. May God have mercy on those who have so distorted the gospel and bring them to repentance and saving faith.

Amen.

We are not victims

I often hear it said that if there was a God, He would not allow bad things to happen to good people. Surely, if God were real, He would not allow all this injustice to occur, right? Right from the start, though, there is a major error in perspective. We must look at this in the right context. We must see clearly our true identity. For none are righteous (Romans 3:9-19) and we have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). No one is good, but God alone (Mark 10:18). It is made clear in the Bible that we are transgressors of the law; guilty criminals condemned to die (Romans 6:23).

From what we see written in Scripture, the question is not why do bad things happen to good people, but why have we done everything wrong against a good God. We stand justly condemned before a holy, righteous and just God. We are not innocent victims of tragedy, but instead receive what we justly deserve. When one man sins against another, he adds to his own guilt, but the other has not received any sort of injustice. One guilty criminal acts against another. The offense is not against his fellow man, but against God and His justice. That is why David says that he sinned against God only (Psalm 51:4). Does that in some way reduce our guilt, if the other party received what was ultimately deserved? By no means! In fact, since our offense is solely against God, our guilt is even greater.

In light of this, we must not perceive ourselves as victims. The only victim of our injustice is God alone, and He will see that justice is carried out. So, when we sin against our neighbor, it is not our neighbor who we are actually sinning against; rather we are sinning against God Himself. In this, the whole world sins against God, and so is justly condemned. We get what we deserve, but God has never done anything wrong. All of mankind has sought to rob God of His glory – following in the footsteps of the devil, seeking to establish our own personal throne above God (Isaiah 14:13-14). And we dare say that God is unjust in His condemnation of mankind? By all means, humanity as a whole justly deserves the eternal fires of hell. God is right in His judgments, and there is nothing we can say against them.

Yet, while God is the victim of our transgressions, He is also victor over them in Christ Jesus. For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). It was Christ who was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquity (Isaiah 53:5). Upon Him the wrath of God was poured; the wrath that was due our sin (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus Christ is the propitiation of our sin; in Him the wrath of God is satisfied. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ (Romans 8:1). For on that cross, our sin was borne; and all injustice is brought to an end.

Be forewarned, though, that our justification is in Christ alone; there is no other name by which we are saved (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). For whoever refuses to believe in Christ stands condemned already (John 3:18). Whoever rejects Christ rejects the blood that was shed for him; upon him now is not only the guilt for his own deeds, but also must he bear responsibility for Christ's death – a charge of terrible consequence. Therefore, believe on the lord Jesus Christ and be saved (Acts 16:31). For it is by grace we are saved, through faith, given of God; that we may believe and be saved, not by our own works, but by the merit of Christ and His death upon the cross (Ephesians 2:8).

A Life of Sacrifice

I once came across a scenario that an atheist had presented as an attack against Christianity. In it, he claimed that atheists do not have to face moral dilemmas as Christians would. The scenario went something like this:

“Suppose you were in Germany during WWII and you had hidden some Jews in your house. If you were questioned about this by Nazi soldiers, lying would be against your conscience as a Christian. However, an atheist can justify lying here as it protects the people you are hiding.”

It would seem that this atheist has a point. However, such an argument presents an extraneous situation that any truly professing Christian should not find himself in. Any Christian who holds to real faith in Christ would openly oppose Nazism and put his own self at great peril. Such a man would not be fit for hiding Jews in his house, as he himself would be a target of the government. This is our calling: To go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) and to expose the deeds of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). Those who did so during the Nazi regime put there lives in great danger, and were intensely and brutally persecuted, often with methods more barbaric than what the Jews faced. Lutheran students Sophie and Hans Scholl were arrested for distributing leaflets. The faced a short trial and were quickly sentenced to beheading by guillotine. Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged naked by wire and was slowly strangled to death. Likewise, many more Christians were persecuted for opposition to the government and faced all sorts of persecution. Many were interned in concentration camps and died alongside their fellow Jewish countrymen in the gas chambers.

It should be clear then, that there is no moral dilemma in following Christ. Any such that we encounter is a result of our own doing, and not from obedience to Christ. Any situation which would present itself as a moral dilemma is not one that we should find ourselves in. Any atheist will doubtlessly deal with a number of moral dilemmas, as the morals of that person are not inextricably bound to the righteousness of Christ. The situation presented here is indeed extraneous, as no one who is bound to Christ will find himself in it. Rather, anyone who finds himself under such an oppressive regime and holds unswervingly to Christ in all things, will find his own self in greater danger than even the danger faced by the Jews during that time. For the true Christian to hide Jews during that time would only put them in greater danger – such a man would be incapable of hiding them. While I am grateful that people did save many the lives of many Jews by concealing them, Christians, by nature, are called to a life of persecution and suffering. Jesus speaks of this: “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (Matthew 24:9). Remember what you are called to. Not to an easy life, but to one of hardship, persecution, suffering and death. As Christ suffered, so we must suffer for His sake and for the sake of the gospel. But take hope, because it also written, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Here, we can see then, that truth triumphs over false reasoning. There is no justification ever for sin, even to tell a lie. We should never find ourselves in any situation were sin would be justified. But we see our true calling – to uphold truth and hold to righteousness, even if we must suffer for it. For in that is Christ glorified. This is why we must offer our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). There is no truer form of worship than this, and no way of life more pleasing to God. Let us remember this and live it out in our daily lives.

The Tragedy of Abortion

I write this because today marks the anniversary of Roe V. Wade, which was decided on January 22, 1973. The implication of this decision allowed for abortion on demand, for any reason. A woman could terminate a pregnancy for no other reason than she felt it was “inconvenient” to have the child. The unfortunate reality of this has been a considerable devaluation of human life, with millions of unborn children being taken by abortion. All this for the convenience of the mother. So many will stand up for the rights of the mother while completely neglecting the basic human rights of the unborn child. Such hypocrisy has resulted in a terrifying number of deaths, a number unprecedented in any time of human history.

Take a look at the statistics:

In the United States: [1]

• Approximately 50* million children have been aborted** since Roe V. Wade was first decided.
• Approximately 1.3 million abortions are performed every year.
• This amounts to around 3500 abortions performed per day.
• About every 24 seconds, a child is aborted.
• By the time you read this posting, more than 12 children will have been aborted in the US.
  * Value is estimated, was reported at 46 million in 2005
  ** Numbers are for legal abortions. Illegal procedures may count for a greater number
  
  
  Around the world: [2,3]
  
  
• 57 million people die every year.
• Abortions contribute to an additional 42 million deaths.
• Including abortions, close to 100 million people die every year worldwide.
• Around 115,000 abortions are performed daily.
• This amounts to more than 1 child being killed per second.
• By the time you read this posting, 400 children will have been aborted around the world.

The numbers for the US alone are staggering, but are truly horifying for the entire world. Official statistics state around 57 million deaths a year, but those do not include numbers from abortion procedures. It is estimated that 42 million abortion procedures are performed yearly around the world, and that number could be greater. That is 42,000,000 people – about 14% of the US population, killed in abortions. Percentage wise, abortions account for more than 42% of deaths. That's more than deaths due to lack of clean water, starvation, disease, and AIDS combined [4]. This is truly alarming, because it means that a vast majority of people in recent history have not died of natural causes, but have died at the hands of their fellow man; in other words, murdered. As a comparison, 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust. This occurred over the six years of WWII. As you can see, that number is already dwarfed by the annual number of abortions worldwide. Going by current abortion rates, that would mean that around 250,000,000 abortions occur in the same time frame. If rates stay the same, that means a billion children will be aborted in the next 24 years. By no means do I intend to detract from the horrors that occurred during the Holocaust; rather I hope to illustrate the horror in the extermination of any human life.

The great problem here is that we have exalted women's rights to a point where they transcend human rights, which should never be. The rights to life transcend anyone's personal rights. Feminism has created an ideology that a unborn child is somehow part of a woman's body and she can do as she pleases with it. There is no logical basis for this, as an unborn child is not physically attached to the mother (the uterus and placenta are separated by a barrier of fluid) and the child is genetically unique compared to the mother. Being inside of a barn does not make me cow, nor does being inside of a house make me part of that property. If I came under the ownership of whosoever property I was on or in, I would be a slave. Since slavery is outlawed, why do we use the same rhetoric to apply to an unborn child? I am not a part of the house I live in, nor a part of the car I drive in; so why is a fetus considered a part of a woman's body? It is not a scientifically valid claim, it is not a philosophically valid claim, nor is it an ethically valid claim. Yet people still continue to use this claim, which is ironically prevalent in the “intellectual” community.

We all must see that no person is entitled to any right whatsoever if it costs another person's life in order to uphold that right. To say otherwise is defying all logic and demonstrates a contempt for human life. What is especially unsettling is that a great number of people who consider themselves to be Christians are supporters of abortion. This, however, is completely contradictory to Scripture. It is written: “From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God” (Psalm 22:10). God is also the God of the unborn, as much as He is for those outside the womb. Again, it is written: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). Who are we to destroy the work of the Lord's hands? Do we dare consider ourselves above Him? Most certainly not! We can find more still: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Should we destroy the ones whom the Lord knows? Again, most certainly not! Furthermore, when John the Baptist was still in the womb, he leaped for joy upon hearing the voice of Mary (Luke 1:41). This shows someone very much human and not just a lump of tissue. To further exemplify the significance of the unborn, when Rebekah was pregnant with Jacob and Esau, the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). Not only was Rebekah pregnant with two children, but from those children would descend two nations. And from Jacob, came the nation of Israel and the line of Christ's human ancestry. Were they but lumps of flesh that Rebekah could do with as she pleased? Or were they the fathers of nations, through one of which Christ would come? I implore you, do not ever think so lowly of human life.

[1] http://prolifeaction.org/faq/abortion.php

[2] http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/476831.html

[3] http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_causes_of_death_by_rate

The Inerrancy of Scripture

I feel that I must address a particular issue that has come to my attention recently, the issue at hand being the inerrancy of Scripture. Surprisingly, some of the most ardent opponents of this doctrine have come from within the church itself. Sometimes with fervor that makes the the most vicious atheists appear tame, these apostate Christians have sought to remove the absolute authority of Scripture and replace it with experience and rationalism – often completely abandoning logic in in process. Yet, if we do not hold Scripture to be inerrant, it has the potential to cause a great number of problems – in fact, a great deal of harm has been done by those who do not hold Scripture to be inerrant; far more than those that do. It is absolutely imperative that we hold Scripture to be inerrant, in spite of the difficulties that it may present. Here, I will attempt to give some of the reasons why this is so important.

Inerrancy Defined

Inerrancy simply means to be without error. To say that the Scriptures are inerrant means that Scripture as a whole, at least in regard to the original text, is completely without error. Naturally, this is seen as absurdity to the unbeliever. Yet, if we are to hold that Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, then it should been seen as absurdity to consider the Scriptures to be errant. Inerrancy is a critical foundation for all sound doctrine and truth and is the basis of literal interpretation.

When we say the Scriptures are inerrant, we say that they are completely accurate. Does that mean then that they are completely precise? Not at all. Precision and accuracy are two different things. While both do correspond, accuracy is not affected by precision unless the degree of imprecision becomes so large that it exceeds a defined level of tolerance at the desired level of accuracy. The higher level of accuracy demanded, the more precise a value must be. As an example, shots fired at a very large target will be accurate, even if imprecise, assuming the shooter has an accurate aim. A much smaller target demands a much more precise shot in order to be accurate, again assuming the shooter's aim is accurate. Another example is if I say that the sun both rose and set today, I would be completely accurate in my statement, although to a very imprecise degree. Yet my precision is sufficient enough to support the claim that the sun does in fact rise and set. Now, if someone wanted to know the exact times of the sunrise and sunset, the precision of my statement would be nowhere near sufficient. Thus, if I say the sun rose at 6:53am MST and set at 4:39pm MST in Colorado Springs, CO on the day of November 26, 2010, then I would have a very precise statement that would be sufficient enough to be accurate in regard to exact times. In the end, what really matters is that the precision of a statement is sufficient to render it accurate in a given context. Another example would be attendance at a sporting event. If I say that 80,000 people attended, that would be sufficient for general reporting, but not enough for statistical record keeping. Now, if 81,426 people actually attended, giving that data would now be sufficient for record keeping. It all depends on the context; for what purpose the information is going to be used.

In the context of Scripture, many statements may be rather imprecise, but they are sufficient in regard to the purpose for which they are used. For example, many measurements and population numbers are rounded, but the purpose of the Bible is to communicate the gospel, not be a statistical record book. Therefore, though the numbers may be imprecise, they are still accurate in regard to the purpose for which they were intended. And often the Bible goes far beyond the level of precision needed to maintain accuracy. Much of what is seen as error in Scripture is simply imprecision. For example, the accounts of the four Gospels have a degree of variation in them. If we were looking for absolute precision, we would say that these accounts would be in error. Yet, if we look only for enough precision in order to maintain the truths of Scriptures, we find that though there be imprecision, the accounts are precise enough to uphold the truth contained within them. As an example, Matthew records Jesus healing two demon-possessed men (Matthew 8:28-34). In Mark's and Luke's accounts, both record Jesus healing only one demon-possessed man (Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-30). Many would see this as an error, yet whether there be one or two men, the truth still remains. Jesus still drove a large number of demons of this man (or men), that went into a herd of pigs that then drowned themselves. The locals were terrified and pleaded with Jesus to leave. In the end, the account of the miracle itself is accurate, though imprecise as to the number of men that had demons driven from them. What is important here, and the truth that is upheld, is the act of Jesus driving out demons. Here and in many other places, we can see that Scripture is imprecise, but still precise enough to uphold the essential truths contained within. As to the truth it professes, Scripture is completely accurate and thereby inerrant. All that matters is that the precision of Scripture is sufficient to uphold its claims, in which case it is.

Inerrancy vs Free Will

Does inerrancy preclude free will? Many have argued that if Scripture is truly inerrant, God would have had to literally possess the writers and take control of them. However, this argument has no sound basis. Had God done so, the text would have been immaculate, completely flawless and free from any human influence. Yet, when we look through Scripture, we see that God did in fact allow the writers to express their own unique individuality. The writers of Scripture were simply faithful scribes, writing down the word given to them by the Spirit. This is what we mean when we say the Word was inspired by God. Though the Bible is written by man, it is ultimately authored by God. While this means that God did not turn His writers into robots, it also means that He did not give His writers completely free reign over what they wrote. Although Calvinism holds a much more limited view of free will than Arminianism does, even most Arminians can agree that God did work in the heart of His writers, keeping them from introducing their own ideas or error into the text. Only those who hold to the view of existentialism would have trouble with this, for they see man as having a will completely free to do as he pleases, and in that they hold God to be powerless to have any sort of influence on man's will, which is simply not true and puts God's majesty in a very low view, if ascribing to it at all. The danger of putting too much value on free will is that it can lead to free will in itself becoming an object of idolatry. Holding free will too highly is to put man on the same level as God. This is the great error of existentialism, in that it seeks to remove man from under God's authority. Such belief led to the fall of Satan and his angels, it led to the fall of man and has led to countless millions being condemned to hell. If God holds no authority over man, then He could not have inspired inerrant Scriptures. Furthermore, it reduces God to a powerless figurehead, and not the ruler over all creation. Such a God is not the God of Israel, but the God of man's imagination, a mere idol that exists nowhere but in the mind. We cannot hold God to such a view. We must think rightly of God. Having said this, we can then conclude that by being inerrant, the inspiration of Scripture neither wholly denies free will, nor does it allow for it without limit.

The Infallibility of God and Inerrancy

Another issue with denying the inerrancy of Scripture is that it also denies the infallibility of God's nature. The Almighty is not One to have some kind of weakness. He is perfect in every way; His power is infallible. God has never failed in anything He has set out to do. Did God fail in creation? No, God saw that it was good (Genesis 1). Did God fail in creating mankind? Not at all, for it is written:

“What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?” - Romans 9:22-24

Rather, God allowed mankind to fall that he might reveal His wrath against those prepared for destruction, and to reveal mercy for those prepared for glory. Is then the Old Covenant a failure, since the Israelites rebelled? By no means. It instead laid the groundwork for Christ and was fulfilled in His coming. Should we then say that God set out to reveal His word to mankind, yet failed in bringing it to men without error? Such a claim is preposterous. All that God has ever done and ever will do will be done without failure. If God is not infallible in His nature, then He is not perfect in His nature either. A perfect God is not prone to failure, and He will not allow that be reflected in the Word He has revealed to us.

The Consequences of not Upholding Inerrancy

Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of fallout from those who do not hold the Scriptures to be inerrant. A great deal of heresies have emerged, especially from those in influential positions. One of the most significant of these has been denial of the deity of Christ, or the overall denial of the Trinity. This is especially prevalent in Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witness system. Yet John and the other apostles put a great deal of effort into making it clear that Jesus was both man and God. Another set of heresies has been salvation by works and the equally false doctrine of “easy believism” i.e., the notion that one can be saved and yet persist living in sin as before, with no change of life as evidence for salvation. Paul made much to speak against salvation by works, and James made much to speak against salvation that bears no fruit, or worse, bad fruit. Still others deny Jesus is the only way, and have brought forth the false doctrine of universalism, in which everyone is saved, even if they deny Jesus. Yet Jesus Himself says He is the only way (John 14:6). This is only a few; there are more examples than I can possibly count. Yet, if people held Scriptures to be inerrant, there would be none of the aforementioned heresies. Furthermore, this undermines the importance of literal interpretation. If we hold Scripture to be errant, then we are free to interpret it as we like. This is a major reason why there is so much division in the church. Charles Spurgeon once wrote:

“‎Do you think, dear brethren, there would be so many sects among Christians if all believers honestly wanted to know the truth and to know Christ’s will? I do not think there would be. I cannot think our Lord has written a book so doubtful and ambiguous in its expressions that men need differ in interpreting it upon plain points.”

We must hold to “as it is written”, not “well, this is what I think it says” or “this is what it means to me”. And we can only do so if we hold the Scriptures to be inerrant. Otherwise, we have no sound basis for literal interpretation. Someone who interprets how he pleases could simply say, “Well, the Bible is not very accurate, so taking it literally could be just as wrong.” We cannot allow such rationalizations to stand. We must hold firm to inerrancy. Otherwise, sound doctrine has no foundation upon which to stand, and is easily refuted. Therefore, in order to uphold all sound doctrine, we must uphold that Scripture is wholly inerrant.

If we do not uphold the inerrancy of Scripture, we invite all sorts of false gospels and false doctrines into the church. Those who hold Scripture to be errant often allow other institutions to hold authority over Scripture; when, in reality, Scriptures holds authority over all, as it is the infallibly inspired Word of God. As the fathers of the Reformation once stated, “Sola Scriptura”, by Scripture alone. If we are to say that God's Word is not inerrant, then not only do we deny the majesty and sovereignty of God, but we also deny the infallibility of God's nature and the authority of Scripture. To deny the inerrancy of Scripture is to open ourselves to heresy, damning many to hell and making a mockery of God. Let us be above such things. To God alone be the glory. Lastly, to those who have held to such heresies, I urge you to repent. Have you no remorse over reading this? Then I fear you may be lost. Pray for forgiveness and mercy. Put aside pride and self. Look to Christ and come before Him in repentance and humility. For God surely gives grace to the humble. And Christ has borne the penalties of even the most damnable of heresies. And He gives grace to even the worst of sinners. Repent and believe the gospel, all the Scripture testifies about Christ. For He will surely not turn away the genuinely humble and contrite of heart. Do not hold on to lofty thoughts and opinions, but give yourself freely to Christ, that you may be saved.

Find Your Assurance in Christ

I have spent much of my writing discussing self-examination and repentance. While such things are absolutely essential, those of us who are in Christ tend to get discouraged quite easily sometimes. Even the strongest man is still part of the frail, delicate bride of Christ. We tend to beat ourselves down under the same law that we have been saved from under grace. It seems to be human nature in that we tend to try and establish our righteousness, even when we are under grace. Had we not grace, we would be condemned for such things. Yet, as we are foolish creatures, how fortunate the grace we have in spite of who we are. When we do fall into this error, it only brings us misery and discouragement, as we see we cannot live up the standards set before us in God's Law. Yet we have grace! We must remember that it is His righteousness and not ours. This is the grace we have in Christ Jesus. Do we uphold the Law by our own merit? By no means! Yet, the work of the cross within us causes us to uphold the Law, even though we do err frequently. But because of the grace of Christ, we have no worry over our mistakes, for they are covered by His blood. The only one who needs worry is he who forsakes the call of Christ so that he may indulge in his wicked desires. Yet we who are in Christ have no such need to worry. Take delight in what is written: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). There is no condemnation for those who truly are in Christ. Rather, we have the hope of life and the resurrection. We have the hope that we will not perish like the rest of the world. We have no need to be in anguish, for the Lord looks favorably upon His children. The psalmist writes, “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:18). In this we have assurance; for certainly the Lord will not forsake those whom He loves.

Though we will face many troubles (John 16:33), we always have assurance in Christ. The book of Psalms records many laments. But all end with the assurance of the hope that is to come. The lament of Psalms 42 & 43 ends with this: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 43:5). Great is our hope indeed if we put our hope in the Lord, for He is faithful. Those who put their hope in the Lord are the blessed ones: “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever” (Psalm 146:5-6). Furthermore, the Lord delights in those who hope in Him: “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love” (Psalm 147:11). Those who have put their faith in Christ and have submitted to Him in obedience are the ones who are blessed and the ones in whom the Lord delights. None of which comes of our own merit, but that which is given freely by the grace of God. Fear the Lord and find your hope in Him, and Him alone: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off” (Proverbs 23:17-18). There is surely a future hope for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rest assured, and do not look to yourself, but look to Christ. In Him there is hope to the very end; hope without limit.

Have no fear in your struggles, but look to Him who has the power to overcome. Even the great apostle Paul struggled greatly. Yet, he found assurance all the same. He wrote describing his ordeal, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). God's grace is sufficient. No matter what we've been through, what we've done nor what we are facing, God's grace is sufficient in all things. In that we can remember and take hope. This is our assurance. By chance, if you are one who has been trusting in his own merit and cannot find that assurance, know that the assurance is there. For you must come to the point of surrender, abandoning both your own righteousness and your sin. For your own righteousness cannot save you; it cannot cover the stain of your sin. But rest assured that there is Another who has died in your place, bearing your sin and bringing you the righteousness that you could never attain. Will you put your hope and trust in this risen King, the Lord Jesus Christ? He alone can save; look to Him and be saved. Repent, find your hope in Christ! All who come to Him will find hope in Him – an everlasting hope that will never perish. May all you who despair find hope and assurance in Christ; for surely He has not forsaken those whom He loves.

Rick Warren's Great Folly

Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the Purpose Driven Church and Purpose Driven Life, recently spoke at the Desiring God Conference, creating quite a controversy. The reason I bring this up is that I have always had my reservations about pastor Warren, but after watching his presentation, I cannot consider him to be a sound, biblical preacher. I invite you not to take my word for this, but to carefully examine what Warren says against Scripture and the context within which each verse he cites is written. If you want to follow along with my review, the video for Warren's sermon can be found here. This is a long read, but there were many points to cover in Rick's hour long message.

The first thing that comes up is the title of Warren's talk, called “The Battle for Your Mind.” Since when has it been a battle for our minds? Has not the ancient battle been for our souls? This is not a mental battle, but a battle between Spirit and flesh. Scripture says, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:17, NASB). This is the battle that believers face; those who are unbelievers fight against the sovereign Lord (Jeremiah 2:29). These too do not fight a battle for the mind, for their mind is wholly set against the Lord. Those who are in Christ have been given the Spirit, which fights against the lusts of the flesh, that we may be sanctified. Sanctification is not a psychological process, but rather is entirely spiritual. Christianity is not behavior modification, but a complete transformation and renewal of the heart and mind – one that produces fruit in the form of righteous acts (Colossians 1:10).

Rick starts out talking about this battle for our minds and how our greatest asset is our mind. Is it not our soul? This sounds very psychological and not very spiritual. The mind will perish, but the soul will endure forever. Therefore, let not even our soul be our greatest asset in our own sight, but rather let Christ be greatest, and not only greatest, but everything. Rick goes on to say that he has seen mental illness and people whose minds are broken and cannot “connect” to Christ. As though that rests with man and not with God. God sovereignly elects those who are saved, not one's own self (see Romans chapter 9). Furthermore, Rick states that we must learn to, among other things, renew and strengthen our minds. Is this something we learn? Rather, it is the Lord who renews and strengthens us (Isaiah 40:31). Romans 12:2 says, “and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind ” (YLT). Young's Literal Translation is extremely literal, rendering the words as they are in the original Hebrew/Greek. Note that is says “be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” not, “learn to renew your mind.” What is implied here is that the renewing of the mind is not something of human effort, but rather something we must allow to be done by the Spirit. You should already begin to see some of Warren's theology coming up here, which is largely based upon human works and psychology.

Rick continues, saying, “The battle for sin always starts in our mind.” Psychology again. The battle for sin starts in our fallen nature, the corrupt flesh which lusts against the will of God. These desires may result in a battle in our mind – this is known as a “moral dilemma”. But the real battle is always between Spirit and flesh. Furthermore, moral dilemma is more confined to unbelievers. The one who is saved by grace knows full well where morals stand and does not try to nitpick, in an attempt to justify sin. As Warren continues, he begins to read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, where he states that the strongholds we demolish are “mental blocks.” Again, more psychology. The Bible says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12, KJV). The strongholds mentioned are not so-called “mental blocks” but the powers of darkness. This is a spiritual battle, not a mental one. If we are to say this is of our mind, then the atheist is proven right when he says this is all of our imagination. Warren also talks about how our minds like to wander and do their own thing. This is true, and we must deal with distraction, but this is a much deeper spiritual battle.

Warren brings up a big issue when he says “So many Christians are ineffective today because they do not know how the fight the battle of the mind.” The reality is this: so many “Christians” are ineffective because they are simply not Christians (Matthew 7:13-27; 22:14). Those who are of Christ will not fail to bear fruit (Jeremiah 17:8). He then says that we must teach and equip people to fight this “battle of the mind.” No! We must teach and equip people to fulfill the Great Commission! (Matthew 28:18-20) Rick then makes a statement about how much the Bible says on the mind. The mind? What about Christ? I hope you can see by now just how much Warren has departed from Scripture and sound doctrine. Going on, Warren likens sin to mental illness. Since when has sin been a mental illness? Sin is outright rebellion against God, not a mental illness. “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments” (Daniel 9:5, KJV). Mental illness is an affliction caused by sin. To say otherwise is putting the cart before the horse. Furthermore, to reduce sin to mental illness is removing accountability for our sin, thus making God's judgment upon the world unjust, and thereby nullifying grace. This is dangerous theology that is being put forth by Rick Warren. He also says this is why we have so many fallen leaders. Has any thought been given that many of these fallen leaders were never of us to begin with? (1 John 2:19)

It is ironic that one of the points Warren brings up is that we must “guard our minds from garbage.” This is why we must spend much in Scripture, in prayer and in study of sound doctrine, lest we be deceived by teachings such as these. Warren claims that we should actually spend less time teaching on Scripture and more time on application. This is absurd, because the more we study Scripture, the more the Spirit will reveal to us its application. Men are called to teach the truth of Scripture, not to teach its application. Those who have the Spirit and study diligently will already know all there is to know about application. If we know the Word, then we will know the application. Teaching the truth of the Word is of the utmost importance. Application is meaningless apart from that. Furthermore, any kind of application can only occur through the power of the Holy Spirit, and not by our own efforts. Another thing to note is that Warren frequently changes Bible translations to suit what he wants to say, often using paraphrases. We must do the opposite. We must conform what we teach to what the Bible says, and so relying upon the original language, and not some paraphrase. If we are well versed in the original Hebrew and Greek, we should make an effort to gain a deeper understanding of what Scripture says in its original language. For those who are not, Young's Literal Translation (YLT) is an excellent resource to gain a better understanding of Scripture in its original rendition. Personally, I just avoid the paraphrases altogether. The NIV is about as far as I will go in terms of dynamic equivalence (thought for thought translation).

Further on in his talk, Warren says that we are commanded to bear fruit. That we are. However, Warren implies that this is of human effort, i.e. works-righteousness or Pelagianism. The Bible says true converts will not fail to bear fruit, as it is the result of God's work in us (Matthew 7:15-20, Jeremiah 17:8). Fruitfulness is the evidence of saving faith, not a requirement of it. Warren does preach the Law well, but he leaves out the necessity for repentance and God's grace. He makes much of laying out conditions for the blessings of God which are given unconditionally to those whom He has elected unto salvation.

About 20 minutes in, Warren proceeds to talk about knowledge. Now, knowledge is important; however, worldly knowledge is largely meaningless. Everything there is to know and ever is to know about the world we will know when we enter into the Lord's eternal kingdom. But we will never even begin to grasp the immeasurable greatness that is the Lord our God. Rick talks about the absurdity of pastors who have not taken a class in years. How is that absurd? Is taking a class somehow the key to knowledge? I have not taken a single theological, biblical or other seminary class; therefore, am I without knowledge? Rather, I have resolved not to make myself a student of men and their methods, but instead I have resolved to be a student of Scripture. Any true convert need not be told to acquire knowledge, for he or she will seek it. But, at the same time, we must be careful. If we turn to Scripture, we are told: “We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1, NIV). Rick appears to boast upon his knowledge, it has apparently puffed him up. I will be first to say that my knowledge is indeed feeble; I know that I must be totally dependent upon the Lord for what I know about Him. I know nothing next to the surpassing fullness of what there is to know about this mighty, sovereign King. Warren goes on to claim that the only thing Scripture says we should store is up knowledge, when it also talks about storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20), in reference to forsaking material possessions. Warren then says that knowledge is something we take with us. “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away” (1 Corinthians 13:8). Scripture would not agree with Warren here. When we enter into eternity, knowledge will be at an end. We will go from knowing to beholding. Knowledge in this age is important, but when Christ comes, everything will fade before the insurmountable greatness of beholding Him.

The next thing Rick Warren says just blows everything out of the water: “If you store up knowledge for yourself, you are taking you to heaven.” I simply cannot believe he said this. So if I do these things for myself, I take me to heaven? Where is God in all this? Where is Christ? Where is the cross, the atonement, unmerited grace, the sovereignty of God? Instead, let's throw out the gospel, throw out God, throw out our need for mercy and grace – and replace it with what I can do to get me into heaven. Presenting the “me” gospel, brought to you by the letter H. H for heresy. This is blatant heresy, plain and simple. I hate to say this, but Rick Warren is a false teacher, condemned by his own words. Many who are in hell right now were great men of knowledge and learning. Judas knew everything that the other disciples knew, yet God left him to his own depravity, and he perished in that, taking all his knowledge with him to eternal fire. Jonathan Edwards, perhaps the most famous American theologian, spoke these words:

If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell, ever to be the subjects of misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply,

“No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself — I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief — Death outwitted me: God’s wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me.”

-Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the hands of an Angry God

No matter our scheme, we cannot procure our own salvation. We are depraved beings, wicked beyond all measure, and we deserve nothing less than the eternal fires of hell. Shall we thwart the justice of God by gaining knowledge? Only a madman would make such a claim. The Word of God speaks against Warren: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV). It is by the sovereign, unmerited grace of God that anyone is saved; through faith, but even saving faith is not our own, but given of God, that we should not boast. Is mere knowledge of the gospel sufficient to save? Not in the least. It is by the power of God (Romans 1:16). Part of saving faith is knowledge of the gospel, but mere knowledge is not sufficient. Therefore, if you have not come to grace in Christ, if you have been deceived, repent and “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). If you cannot, cry out for mercy and come to Christ, empty handed, apart from your works. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37, KJV). Let your hope rest in Christ and Christ alone, for all else shall perish. I lament how Rick has so perverted the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is not a man of God, but a lost man and a deceiver. Pray that he would find grace before God, and repent of his ways.

Warren then goes on to boast about his book collection. He says, “The impact on your life will be largely from the people you meet and the books you read.” Whatever happened to the impact Christ has on one's life. If Christ does not have the largest impact on a person's life, then what kind of faith is that? Certainly not saving faith. He continues, boasting that he has over 20,000 volumes in his library and talks about how much he has read. Is that kind of boasting fruitful? If we are to boast, let us boast about our weakness (2 Corinthians 11:30) and boast in the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:17), not boasting in ourselves, our possessions nor our accomplishments. To make matters worse, Warren then boasts about his ministry – how long he's been doing this, what his church has done and then throws up a lot of numbers. He also says that a church's health is based not on its seating capacity, but its sending capacity. How about looking at the fruit that the congregants bear, and not numbers? After saying all this, he says we must not just teach people to love the Word, but to do the Word. We must teach people how to love the word and do the word? The fruit of the true believer is that he or she will love the Word and obey God's commands even without instruction to do so.

As he continues, Warren implies that conviction arises from perspective. This is true from a worldly standpoint. However, true conviction only comes through the Holy Spirit, and not from our perspective. In fact, our perspective is also shaped by the Spirit. Warren then says that “nothing can separate me from God” (referring to Romans 8:38-39) is merely a conviction. That is absurd. That nothing can separate us from God (if we are truly in Him) is by His own power, not by our convictions. Ironically, Warren considers himself to be a Calvinist, yet what he is saying is completely contrary to the Doctrines of Grace (not that what he speaks would be considered Armenian either). He then quotes Romans 8:28-30 and says that it is a conviction. No, it is not a conviction, it is truth. Certainly, conviction is based on truth, but to say that Scripture is conviction nullifies its authority. Scripture is truth, pure and inerrant truth, not a conviction. It is purely of God, and not the conviction of the men who wrote it (2 Timothy 3:16). Warren then implies something even more absurd – that prayer will not bring success, but skill will. Prayer is the means by which all works in the Kingdom are accomplished. Certainly, skill is needed for worldly success, but success in the Kingdom is not determined in the least by our skill, but by our commitment to prayer. God often uses the most feeble of men to accomplish the greatest of things. These were not always skilled men, but they all had one thing in common – they were men of prayer. We can see already Warren's low view of prayer, low view of Scripture, low view of the gospel and ultimately, His low view of God.

Going on, Warren implies that we must teach behavior along with doctrine. Yes, we must be teachers of the Law if we are to be teachers of grace, but to merely teach behavior and doctrine turns salvation by grace into behavior modification, i.e. teaching goats to act like sheep. After discussing this, he says that “we only believe the parts of the Bible we actually do.” So, if I do not a make a sacrificial offering to the Lord for my sins, do I not believe that part of the Law? As it is fulfilled in Christ, the offerings are no longer necessary, but that does not mean that they never happened. Must I partake in this in order to believe in it? Quite a nonsensical argument that Rick Warren has brought to the table. Warren then brings up the whole application mess again, claiming that our lives cannot change probably more than one application a week. More nonsense. By the power of the Spirit, a man can be completely changed in an instant. If you are trying to make applications to your life in order that you may change, then I fear that you might be a goat trying to be a sheep. In that case, you must abandon your works and trust wholly in Christ. For grace comes not of our own effort, but wholly by the merit of Christ. The growth that comes thereafter is no different. True spiritual growth is the result of the work of Christ being done in us, not us trying to apply some biblical or doctrinal lesson to our lives. While we must obey the commands of Scripture and know what it says, we must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to transform us into His likeness. Warren then says that there is a wide gap between knowing and doing, and it is caused by too much teaching. I wish there were more teaching! We must be students of Scripture, while at the same time allowing Christ to work in us.

Another thing Warren says is that “interpretation without application is abortion.” I say that interpretation without allowing the Spirit to work in us is abortion – not only that, but it is the mother of all heresies. Warren then says that “your mental state is totally dependent upon what you think about.” This is actually psychologically wrong, but that's a whole nother venue. Merely thinking about Jesus won't change anything. Christ must be formed in you. You must be conformed to the likeness of Christ by God's grace, otherwise, you will persist in ungodly rebellion, regardless of how much you think about Christ. Satan thinks about Christ all the time, but it is to oppose Him, not to submit to Him. We must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, else we have no means to gain righteousness (John 3:3-7).

Warren then progresses into talking about imagination, and how we must allow God to stretch it. If we try to imagine God, we have created an idol in our minds. God must be revealed to us. We must live in the continuous revelation of God, otherwise, we are nothing more than idolaters. In addition, we cannot imagine what God wants us to do, it must be revealed to us. Otherwise, we are living in disobedience. Warren misquotes proverbs 29:18 (mistakenly says Proverbs 28:8), saying that we must have a dream. If we look Proverbs 29:18 up in Young's Literal Translation, it says: “Without a Vision is a people made naked, And whoso is keeping the law, O his happiness!” Does this mean that unimaginative people are unrighteous or will perish? No, it means that unless people live in the revelation of God, they will live naked, stripped of any kind of righteousness. We must allow God to reveal Himself to us, and not imagine such things. Presumption upon God is a terrible sin, and has led to the vilest of heresies. We do not need great dreamers, but people who will spend much time in the Word and in prayer, living in the revelation of His glory. Warren also misquotes Acts 2:17, but this too simply talks about revelation from God, of God. Warren then poses a question: “What is your dream for your next ten years?” Personally, I have no dream. That may sound like a sad thing, but it is not. I am surrendered to God and am leaning on His will and not my own. I know I am called to be a pastor, but I have no way of knowing how I will get there. God has thwarted all my plans, and for this I am grateful, for I have gained much in Him taking me His own way. The Lord has only shown me a few steps at a time, and never the full path. “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16, KJV). He has not forsaken me, but has lead me along paths unknown – and I refuse to make any sort of presumption as to where He will take me. I walk by faith.

Warren then brings up two things as he finishes up. First, he implies that we can merely put on salvation like a helmet – more salvation by works. Secondly, he reduces repentance to merely changing our minds. Yes, repentance is a change of mind, but the change is not wrought by our own effort, but by the power of God. Salvation is by grace, yet Warren insists on saying otherwise. He has so badly perverted the gospel, and yet is considered a godly man by many. Far from it. Warren then goes back to imagination and likens it to a blank check. Just imagine whatever you want, and if you have the faith you'll get it. Right...sounds very similar to all the prosperity gospel garbage going around. Lastly, in his closing prayer, he finally mentions Jesus – I can't recall him saying anything about Jesus in his whole sermon. Just a bunch of works apart from grace.

In conclusion, I am appalled at what I've heard. Rick Warren is a major influence in the American church and around the world. It saddens me that he brings forth so much heresy. I can only hope that more people realize what he is saying and compare it with biblical truth. Warren would make a great psychologist, but he should not by any means be a pastor. The Bible speaks so clearly about salvation by grace and not by our own effort or self-righteousness. And yet, Warren repeatedly heralds this message. He is completely contrary to sound doctrine, and it is alarming that someone like John Piper, who seemingly champions sound doctrine, would allow Warren to speak at his conference. Until he repents, I cannot take John Piper seriously any longer. Piper says we have slandered Warren, but should we keep quiet on such matters? Rather, we must expose them (Ephesians 5:11). Because of what Warren has said in this sermon, I cannot recommend any of his sermons, books, etc. for they simply do not hold up to biblical truth. I hope you have read through this and watched Warren's speech with discernment, and that you too can come to agreement with what I have written. If you agree with me, please let others know that this man cannot be trusted. If not, I will be glad to discuss this further, but only if you come with an open mind.

Christ Rosebrough has another excellent review of this sermon on his radio show, Fighting for the Faith, found here.