R. C. Sproul: 2010 Christless Christianity Conference

     Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake" (the apostle Paul, Romans 1:1-5).

     Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled" (post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to His disciples, Luke 24:44).  Underlines mine.

     Well, today we have our final look at the 2010 Christless Christianity Conference.  In today's video, titled "Back to Basics," Dr. R. C. Sproul presents the antithesis of our largely narcissistic, cultural, and un-biblical view of the gospel.  Sadly, Sproul estimates that maybe 1 in 100 American church-goers even have a passable understanding of the gospel message!  Here is just a sampling of some of our deficient gospel ideas (most are from our pulpits no less) that miss the true gospel completely:

• "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life"
• "God saves you because He knows you are broken and wants to give your life purpose"
• "Follow these 4 spiritual laws then pray the sinner's prayer with me and you are saved"
• "Jesus came to give you a personal relationship with Him instead of mere religion"
• "God can change your bad habits just like He has changed mine"
• "God saves when you make a decision to surrender completely to Jesus"
• "Faith in Jesus is not enough . . . you have to do your part to be saved"
• "The gospel is that we need to love God and love our neighbor to be saved"
• "I knew I was saved when I went forward at VBS my freshman year of High School"
• "The gospel is better relationships, parenting, friendships, finances, and an abundant life"
• "The gospel is that God will help me to live the dream and vision He has placed in me"
• "The gospel saves us, but then we have to do the real work of growing through obedience"
• "If we act with sincerity on the light and knowledge we have God will save us"
• "The gospel is meant to restore the earth and make the world a better place"

     Granted, the abbreviated list above (I'm sure we could come up with many more) may or may not include the outcome or fruit of the gospel, but whatever is being conveyed above is not the biblical gospel!  As R. C. adequately points out, the gospel of God is the redemptive story of His Son told in the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.  The gospel always concerns the Person and work of Jesus Christ . . . who He is, what He has accomplished, and how He gives the benefits of His redemption to His people.  What we need to hear most is that our contribution to the gospel is our sin (most self-sufficient Americans frankly do not want to hear such talk)!  Christ's work on our behalf is vicarious meaning that His life, death, resurrection, and return are accomplished on behalf of His people and in spite of them.  Christ, the 2nd or last Adam of Paul's epistles, has accomplished perfect obedience to the law of God in 2 necessary ways:

1. His active obedience: This obedience includes Christ's sinless life.  As the God-Man, Christ always did the moral will of the Father in word, thought, and deed though He was tempted in all points as us.  His own testimony is that He "always did the will of the Father" . . .  perfect conformity to the law of God!  We as fallen sinners could not accomplish this sinless life that God required.
2. His passive obedience: This rendering of Christ's obedience is to the penalty for violation and curse of the law . . . namely physical and spiritual death.  Jesus willingly endured the wrath of God in His incarnation, life, arrest, trial, flogging, etc. and especially on the Cross as He "became sin" and a "curse" . . . a perfect sacrifice for sin that propitiates (completely appeases) God's wrath and righteous judgment against sin.  We as fallen sinners could not accomplish this payment for our infinite debt!

     Christ's obedience is what is imputed (given) to us through faith in Him alone.  Therefore, through His person and work alone we become reconciled to God forever and ever!!  Jesus has taken our sin, guilt, and filthy robes and given us His perfect record as a gift now and to eternity!  The price of redemption was His sinless life and precious blood . . . we cannot top this and must not add to this gospel! 

     So, I must ask, is the gospel of God regarding the person and work of Christ from Genesis to Revelation what you are hearing at your church?  Is your understanding of justification/peace with God/the forgiveness of sin grounded in the true gospel or in the Christless Christianity described in this conference?  As I write, every person on the planet stands in his own righteousness or in Christ, so this matter is of eternal importance.  Remember . . . the bad news of our sin and its consequences is really bad, but the good news of Christ's redemption is really, really, really, good!  

Dr. Michael Horton: 2010 Christless Christianity Conference

     Moving toward the finish line of our look at the 2010 Christianity Conference we now get even more  personal.  According to Notre Dame sociologist Dr. Christian Smith, our American evangelical church culture has a name:  Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.  After extensive research, Dr. Smith and his associates have come to the conclusion that contemporary American Christianity has taken a clear paradigm shift that undermines the gospel of Christ and virtually redefines the historic Christian faith.  Michael Horton elaborates on the sociological diagnosis of what ails the church,

Smith defines moralistic, therapeutic, deism (Dr. Horton's emphasis) as expressing this sort of working theology:  1.  God created the world.  2.  God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and most world religions.  3.  The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.  4.  God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when needed to resolve a problem.  5.  Good people go to heaven when they die (Michael Horton, Christless Christianity:  The Alternative Gospel of the American Church. BakerBooks, 2008, p. 41).  

     While this sociological description of the majority of American evangelicalism is compelling (not to mention validated by study after study . . . esp. among our youth).  We as believers need to focus primarily on the theological and historical diagnosis that describes the unorthodox description of the inherent condition of man.  In other words, what does the Word of God say about man and what does church history teach us?  Horton clarifies,

The theological term for this malady is Pelagiansim (Horton's emphasis) . . . Pelagius and his followers denied original sin.  Sin is not a universal human condition but simply a choice that each of us makes.  With our free will we can choose to follow Adam's bad example or Jesus's good example . . . it is in our own power to be good or bad--and so merit eternal life or death . . . (Horton, p. 44)  

     The above ideas of Pelagius reflects the 4th century dispute with the African bishop Augustine who insisted that man after the Fall is morally unable and cannot relate to God rightly unless rescued by God through the redemption of Jesus Christ.  In the 19th century, Pelagian evangelist Charles G. Finney's view of salvation was as follows,

The new birth is not a divine gift but the result of a rational choice to turn from sin to obedience.  Christians can perfectly obey God in this life if they choose, and only in this way are they justified (Horton, p. 45).  

    In our day, no less than "America's pastor," Rick Warren has described the gospel as "God giving us a do-over or mulligan" (a "mulligan" is a golf-term in which the golfer is given a 2nd chance or do-over after a poor shot).  Pure Pelagianism!  In Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, sin is not something that is inherent in man's nature, but man is morally neutral and his sin can be overcome by making good choices and receiving good instruction.  In much of today's evangelicalism there is no need for a crucified and risen Savior who fulfilled the law of God and propitiated God's wrath on the behalf of sinners.  No need for the sovereign work of God the Holy Spirit to regenerate dead hearts of stone.  No need for the removal of spiritual blindness and spiritual illumination for those who by nature do not comprehend the things of the Spirit.  No need for the preaching of the gospel of repentance and faith in Jesus to those rebellious and opposed to God by nature.  No need for in-depth study of the Bible for discipleship and sanctification.  No need to preach the exclusivity of Christ in our missions to those alienated from God and without hope in the world.
     This means Moralistic Therapeutic Deism is Not Christianity at all!  Perhaps the fact that the majority of evangelicals believe this statement to be true, "God helps those who help themselves" is ample evidence on it's own that the American church mostly holds to a system of belief (Pelagianism) that was condemned by the church 17 centuries ago!
    Lord willing, next week we will begin a look at the 10 commandments in light of this discussion . . . have a great weekend!  A thought to ponder in the meantime: peace with God can only be attained through human achievement or divine accomplishment.  What is your church teaching?  What are you believing?

Dr. R. C. Sproul: 2010 Christless Christianity Conference

   One of the greatest reasons for the spiritual decline of the church throughout her history is the improper  understanding of "law" and "gospel."  Israel largely missed it in OT days, the Jewish leaders got it wrong in the days of Jesus' ministry, and it was the confusion of law and gospel that led Paul to write his first chronological epistle to the church in Galatia (a must read/re-read when considering our subject).  The aberrant Judaizers of Paul's day tried to add to Christ's fulfillment of the law by insisting that faith in Jesus and adherence to the Mosaic Law were both necessary for justification.  Paul's scathing rebuke of both the Judaizers and their followers was necessary in his day because a confusion of law and gospel calls into question the sufficiency and efficacy of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection (obviously no small matter . . . see Gal. 1:6-10)!  Church history proves over and over again the distinctions of law and gospel are easily missed.  Consider the words of Charles Spurgeon as he watched the church in his day give way to moralism in the 1887 "Down-grade controversy":

There is no point on which men make greater mistakes than on the relation which exists between the law and the gospel.  Some men put the law instead of the gospel; others put gospel instead of the law.  A certain class maintains that the law and the gospel are mixed . . . these men understand not the truth and are false teachers (Charles Spurgeon, New Park Street Pulpit, vol. 1.  Pilgrim Publications, 1975. p. 285.).

Michael Horton sees the distinction of law and gospel partially as follows:

Any form of doing the gospel is a confusion of categories.  The law tells us what to do; the gospel tells us what God has done for us in Christ.  When it comes to the question about how we relate to God, doing is the wrong answer.  Paul explains, "Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.  And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness" (Rom. 4:4-5).  It is not just some deeds on our part that are excluded here, but our works of any kind . . . "but if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace" (Rom. 11:6).  (Michael Horton, Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church. BakerBooks, 2008. p. 124).  Underline mine.

    This is an immense subject indeed, but a basic understanding of law and gospel is necessary to understand how all men are related to God.  We are either standing on the hope of some form of conformity to law and rightly condemned.  Or the law has killed us and we are justified through faith in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Christ fulfilled the law in his sinless life and paid the penalty of our sin debt with his precious blood on the Cross.  Christ was then raised for our justification.  Whose righteousness are you clothed in?  Does your church preach good advice as the means to relate to God or does she herald the good news that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law on our behalf?

   Since the fall of Adam in Genesis 3, there is only one Man, whom Paul calls the 2nd or last Adam, who has fulfilled the law to the "jot and tittle" (Matt. 5:17).  The imperatives of the law and our corresponding sins are meant to drive us to Calvary where "Christ became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).  What love, what grace, what a Savior!!  Can you see law and gospel in the lyrics of Amazing Grace?

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears reliev'd; 

How precious did that grace appear, 

The hour I first believ'd!  

     There will be much more on this subject as we go.  For now, let's get direction from the Word as R. C. teaches the account of the "Rich Young Ruler" and Jesus from Mark 10:17-22.

Dr. John MacArthur: 2010 Christless Christianity Conference

    As promised, here is session #2 of the 2010 Christless Christianity Conference.  In this must see video (entitled: "Becoming a Better You"), pastor John MacArthur exposes a common but aberrant view of the Christian life, namely that God desires for us to experience our best life in this world.  Borrowing conveniently from mainstream word-faith proponent Joel Osteen's book, Your Best Life Now, MacArthur skillfully points out that Satan's messengers most often appeal to what the unregenerate heart most desperately wants . . . to have God on their own terms and for Him to enable them to become successful according to the standards of this world.  Missing in Osteen's "theology" is the biblical view of man as totally unable and totally unwilling to come to the true God apart from divine enablement through regeneration and faith.  This is a common error in the contemporary church that we will be addressing comprehensibly at Gospel Polemics in the near future.  In short, without a biblical Anthropology (study of man) it is impossible to come to an orthodox Soteriology (study of salvation).
   The remedy for Osteen's fallacy by MacArthur is skillful bible exposition from 1 Peter 1:3-5.  Peter addresses persecuted and dispersed Jewish believers who are not experiencing their best lives now!  These troubled believers are encouraged to fix their minds on the eternal, enduring, and undefiled inheritance that Jesus purchased for them and to abide in the "living hope" of future glory in heaven!
    This message by MacArthur at Christless Christianity 2010 begs the questions: When we experience inevitable suffering and disappointment in this life, does that make us cling more deeply to the world?  Or do our trials remind us that our best life is yet future in the glory of our Father's kingdom?  Is our primary view of Christianity one in which God makes good people better?  Or do we stand amazed that God's mercy and grace revealed in Christ reaches and transforms even poor, miserable, helpless, spiritually bankrupt rebels such as us?

Dr. Michael Horton: 2010 Christless Christianity Conference

    Lord willing, each day this week I will post video from the 2010 Christless Christianity Conference that was just posted on the Ligonier Ministries website.  While this conference accurately depicts the sad state of American (and world-wide) evangelicalism, most importantly what is also heard from each speaker is the precious antidote in the gospel of Jesus Christ!  This introductory video from Dr. Michael Horton (professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, host of The White Horse Inn radio broadcast, and editor of Modern Reformation magazine) is available by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.
    For further study, I would recommend reading Michael Horton's book Christless Christianity:  The Alternative Gospel of the American Church, published by BakerBooks in 2008.  To whet your appetite for a subject that is distressing yet vitally necessary, here is a preview of the book written on the dust jacket:  

Invoking Martin Luther's treatise On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, Michael Horton fears that the church in American has also been willingly taken captive. The captors are American culture and ideals: consumerism, pragmatism, self-sufficiency, individualism, positive thinking, personal prosperity, and nationalism. Though these are antithetical to the gospel, we have often made them part and parcel with it. 

Horton argues that while we haven't yet arrived at Christless Christianity, we are well on our way. Though we invoke the name of Christ, too often Christ and the Christ-centered gospel are pushed aside. The result is a message and a faith that are, in Horton's words, "trivial, sentimental, affirming, and irrelevant." This alternative "gospel" is a message of moralism, personal comfort, self-help, self-improvement, and individualistic religion. It trivializes God, making him a means to our selfish ends. Horton skillfully diagnoses the problem and points to the solution: a return to the unadulterated gospel of salvation. Here is a must-read for anyone concerned about the state and future of Christianity and the church in America.

As you watch the Christless Christianity Conference video's, I encourage you to reflect on the state of your own local churches and how you fit into the body of Christ.  Would love your comments and dialogue!