The normal context of the Malachi verses above is usually heard each year during the emphasis on stewardship. These verses are used to encourage church members everywhere to be faithful with their tithes, time, and talents (and rightly so). But, I have had other acts of robbery on my mind lately, so it is on these acts that I will spend my time.
Will a man rob God of His glory in salvation?
Each week in most Southern Baptist (SBC) churches, as well as in most evangelical churches, God is robbed of His glory in salvation. There is much emphasis aimed at getting people to make a decision for Christ. Sermon after sermon is preached on how much Jesus Christ will add to one's life. All you need to do is ask Jesus into your heart to receive Christ and all His benefits. But, let someone mention Romans 8:29-33
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
or Ephesians 1:3-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
and there will be a defense of a person's choice or will with far greater passion than of one coming to praise the Lord for His glory in salvation. As a matter of fact, within the SBC, there appears to be very little tolerance for those who would rather give God the glory, completely, in salvation. One example is the John 3:16 Conference which was held Nov. 6-7 at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga. It was supposed to help people understand the issues of Calvinism (i.e. Sovereign Grace worldview, Reformed Theology, etc.), but was really a defense of the Arminian worldview (i.e. free will, individual choice, etc.) which is the primary worldview of most leaders within the SBC today. There are some leaders within the SBC who do adhere to the Reformed theological worldview, but none of them were there to defend their beliefs.
My point here is that the leadership of the SBC is far more committed to, and passionate of, the man-centered approach to salvation. Man is not without responsibility in the process nor does he possess the inate ability alone to respond to the gospel call. This is one of the great mysteries of the gospel. But, to deny God the total glory in the process also denies crucial passages in the Holy Scriptures.Will a man rob God of His power to build His church?
Another act of robbery which is rapidly becoming the holy grail of many SBC leaders is the church growth, or seeker-sensitive, movement. Rick Warren (of Saddleback Church, Purpose Driven Life, and Presidential debate mediator fame) has said, "It is my deep conviction that anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his or her heart. . . . It may take some time to identify it. But the most likely place to start is with the person’s felt needs.” This is the heart of the church growth movement within the SBC today.
This approach is not without fault according to Pastor Bob DeWaay of Twin City Fellowship in Mineapolis, MN. Some of what he has written of the faults of the movement are as follows:
To clarify the problems of the Church Growth Movement, I am going to examine some of its key premises and compare them to the Bible. We will see that several of the most basic assumptions that underlie this movement are false.
False Premise # 1: That God’s Will for Every Local Congregation is Numerical Growth
Church Growth leaders believe it to be axiomatic that Christ wants His church to grow...I agree that Jesus Christ wants His gospel preached to all peoples. I also agree that His kingdom shall increase throughout the church age...But there is an underling category error here.
Let us suppose, for example, that a small church exists in a small community. The local congregation is made up of people who have believed the gospel and are serious about growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. They are also faithful in gospel proclamation and their Christian witness. Are they failing God if few or no others in that community believe the gospel? Are they failing God if more believers from their town move elsewhere because of job changes than move into the city? Are they failing God if the rest of the residents continue to reject the gospel? Do these circumstances prove they are sick, dying, or need a new vision?
The advocates of church growth set up standards that require pastors to get people into their churches even if they have rejected the gospel. This causes them to search for some new message and new method that appeals to people’s unregenerate minds.
False Premise # 2: That the Needs and Sensibilities of the Unconverted Should Determine the Strategy of the Church
Let us return to Rick Warren’s statement cited at the beginning of this article: “It is my deep conviction that anybody can be won to Christ if you discover the key to his or her heart....It may take some time to identify it. But the most likely place to start is with the person’s felt needs.” This principle of “felt needs” is bedrock to Church Growth principles.
What Church Growth thinking does is take the easier approach. Rather than convince people they have a need, they start with needs that people already feel. Having determined what those are, they design a church that meets those needs. If the church succeeds in adequately meeting the needs, it has satisfied customers. Satisfied customers are the best advertising for future potential customers.
Let us analyze this Biblically. The greatest need that all people have, because they are children of Adam (the homogeneous unit that matters most) and are under God’s wrath against sin, is for the blood atonement that only Christ provides. The unconverted do not feel this as a need unless they have already come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) which happens through the preaching of the Law and the Gospel. The unregenerate in any neighborhood are not going to say they feel a need for the blood of Jesus to wash away their sins. This is a need they must be convinced they have, and will not be convinced unless the Holy Spirit does a work of grace in their hearts.
The bad theology that underlies Church Growth thinking is man-centered. It does not take serious the depravity of the fallen human race. It apparently assumes that people have the power and inclination to become Christian without a prior supernatural work of grace. This being the case, its practices try to entice people with programs to meet needs, cajole them with human wisdom, or attract them with supernatural signs and wonders. What is offered must appeal to the natural man.
Faulty Premise # 3 That the Lack of Adequate Church Growth World Wide Proves the Need for a New Reformation
In 1982 Robert Schuller issued a call for a new reformation in his book Self-Esteem, the New Reformation. Since 1982, at least three other calls for new reformations have been proposed. The next one, chronologically, came in 1993 at a “Re-imagining” conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This conference called for re-imagining God according to feminist ideals. Then in 1999, in his book Churchquake, C. Peter Wagner announced a New Apostolic Reformation. Now Rick Warren is calling for yet another new reformation, this one based on his PEACE plan to wipe out the biggest world problems.
It seems confusing that we have four separate “reformations” on the table. One is going to give people more self-esteem, another make Christianity more feminine, another is going to give us later day apostles and prophets, and yet another is going to wipe out world hunger and other problems using a Purpose Driven paradigm.
The lack of popularity of Christianity does not prove the need for some new reformation. It proves that Jesus was absolutely right when He said that His way was narrow and that few walked on it. The Church Growth Movement has shown a willingness to lay aside the clear teachings of Scripture in order to find success in this world. (Click here to read the entire article.)
There are many areas where we as fallen human beings rob God of His glory. The two that have been mentioned have been what I have been focused on lately. I have not always thought this way. Thankfully, by God's grace, He is moving my theology to become God-centered. What a joy it is!
Soli Deo Gloria
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