Kept by the Power of God

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (II Timothy 3:1-5)

Spiritual oppression already weighs heavily on us. The tares are coming to maturity. The age of moral horrors is at hand. It is time to rise and shine, for God's greatest glory has been reserved for this day of battle. It is time to prepare ourselves to serve the Lord.

Throughout history religion often has been used as a means of justifying unrighteous behavior. Today Paul's doctrine of salvation by grace is being employed as a means of justifying the unrighteous behavior of the believers in Christ. The human heart and mind succeed in corrupting what is designed to promote uprightness, humility, and mercy into a cloak to cover deviousness, lust, covetousness, and pride.

The tendency toward corruption has taken a new twist in our day—or maybe it is not so new. The past few hundred years of history have witnessed the emergence of what Paul spoke when he prophesied that in the last days men would be "lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, . . . ." The philosophy of humanism has entered Christian thinking, producing a false model of the relationship between God and man.

The new, unscriptural model sets forth God as attempting to bring every sort of happiness and fulfillment to man while Satan, because of anger toward God and spite toward man, seeks always to destroy man's happiness and prevent his achieving self-fulfillment. It appears that much Christian teaching assumes this to be a true model of the relationship between God and man.

Then too we have those who claim that the "Jehovah" of the Old Testament is the mean one while Satan is the source of joy and peace (if you can imagine!).

The true model of the Scriptures presents God as making Christ the center and circumference of all persons, things, and circumstances. Man is to be made in the image of Christ and filled with the Spirit of Christ. Satan, because he is desirous of worship and glorification, seeks always to prevent the worship and glorification of Christ.

The first model describes Satan as attacking man's welfare, or, as we mentioned, sometimes seeking man's joy and fulfillment.

The second model describes Satan as attacking Christ's welfare.

The first model can see the love and Glory of God only when man is happy.

The second model can see the love and Glory of God in all matters where His will is being performed.

The first model insists that God answer man's prayer.

The second model views prayer as a means of bringing God's will and man's will into harmony.

The first model is man-centered.

The second model is Christ-centered.

But, one may answer, if man is made in the image of Christ and filled with Christ's Spirit, he will be happy and fulfilled. This once again is to seek to make man's welfare the center of all things.

If in the future we are to prevent the recurrence of today's deplorable errors in thinking we must recognize that God's love, purposes, and programs are centered in Christ, not in man.

The woman was made for the man, not the man for the woman. We were made for Christ, not Christ for us. Whenever we make the Lord Jesus a means of achieving man's ends we will distort the Scriptures.

Man is a means to God's ends. God never is to be made a means to man's ends.

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. (Philippians 1:20) (from It Is Time for a Reformation of Christian Thinking)

Continued. Kept by the Power of God 2