Apostasy from Faith to Feelings
Nick Bibile
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
When Christian doctrine is neglected and forsaken, what is remaining is feelings and emotions. I heard a very famous pastor in the area talking to his congregation of an upcoming seminar. He was talking of a guest speaker who give the seminar. He said this person will “pump you up” Many church services today are designed to pump you up, where is the sound doctrine, conviction of sin? Where is the true Biblical faith? However, there is the pride of man, who will be the center as man is exalted. On the other hand, great faith is always sister to great humility.
We are living in a society today where we do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Do not offend anyone but love them. Do not ever rebuke a person but ignore their weaknesses. Not to hurt feelings have got into the church. On the other hand, the God’s word says:
Pr 27:5 Open rebuke is better than secret
love.
Jesus came to save us from our sins not from
our feelings. No one would have ever bothered to look at the brazen serpent, if
he had not first been bitten by a snake and knew that he was in danger of
death. In the same way no one will look to Christ, unless they are convicted of
their sins against God and they will perish if Christ does not save them.
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Many professing Christians are trusting in their feelings and emotions instead of their faith. Today the pulpits are filled with preachers who can pump you up with feelings, make you high in your emotions, a zeal without knowledge. These are fleshly carnal emotions, which will not benefit the soul. This feeling is based on what they see but true faith is not what you see, but trusting in the word of God alone.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Though snares and dangers throng my path,
And earth and hell my course withstand;
I triumph over all by faith,
Guarded by His almighty hand.
When God told Abraham, to take his only son Isaac whom he love and sacrifice him as a burnt offering, Abraham could have gone through terrible emotions and feelings. He waited so long for this promise and now he has the promised son, whom he loves so much. Now comes the divine word, “sacrifice him as a burnt offering” These words are not sweet to Abraham’s ears but very bitter, hurting deeply in his feelings. However did Abraham go according to his feelings, being bitter and hurt, angry with God, long face, and bad mood. Beloved, he trusted not his deceptive feelings but in the word of God. He trusted in the word of God, which God told Abraham:
Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
“Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” (Ge 17:19)
Abraham did not trust his feelings but in the word of God, which he has not seen fulfilled promise of the Messiah. He knew even if God killed his son Isaac, God was able to raise him up from the dead. (Hebrews 11:19)
When Joseph was tempted by Potipher’s wife, he was all alone. Why is it that he did not yield to the sexual temptations that came from a lonely hungry woman desiring to have sex with young handsome Joseph? Joseph felt his feelings and he saw the woman of temptation but did not trust what he saw, he trusted in the word of God, He did not see God to his own eyes, but trusted in his word as he said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
When Satan tempted Eve at the garden, Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Again it was her feelings and emotions that got into her flesh, the enemy speak to your feelings to your flesh and it sounds good, she did not trust the word of God which said, Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
God called Moses to lead the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. But in the wilderness, there was much hardship and suffering. Moses could have enjoyed the pleasures of Egypt as he was adopted in the palace of Pharaoh. He did not go according to his comfortable feelings of enjoying the riches and pleasures of this earth but looked for greater riches where he did not see, he trusted in the heavenly wealth, which will be eternal.
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Feelings and emotions what you see and feel speak to your flesh but faith is what is unseen, spoken in the word of God; this ministers to your soul. Christians are to be obedient to the faith.
Ro 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name.
Paul declared at the end of the ministry that he kept the faith. Which means he did not go according to his feelings and emotions. It was not easy for Paul to keep the faith. It is a hard fought battle not to fall into your feelings; it is a battle of the flesh and the spirit. In Paul’s ministry, there was severe warfare and conflict and he had to crucify his flesh daily. Genuine faith is comes with trials and hardship, trusting in God’s word rather than your feelings. It is easy to trust in how you feel, feel good instead of what is written in the word of God, and not trusting in the word of God is not having faith in God, which yields into sin.
2Ti 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Paul told Timothy to keep the faith.
1Ti 6:20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
2Ti 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost, which dwelleth in us.
There is easy temptations to fall away from the faith. Jude calls us to “Earnestly contend for the faith.”
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
The word contend has the meaning of strive, to struggle, as there is an opposition. Remember Jesus said,
Lu 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
The word strive means to fight and to agonize. There is a daily battle in Christian’s life not to yield into the passions of feelings but to fight with prayer and trust in the word of God, it is agonizing to the flesh not pleasing to the flesh.
Many believe the early churches planted by the apostles had he great advantage of keeping the faith as these churches had direct authority of the apostles, they spoke the infallible word of God. One would think these early churches would have kept the faith and not departed from it. But it’s not true.
The church of Corith was planted by apostle Paul and watered by Apollos, yet in five to six years many of that church denied the resurrection of Christ! (1 Cor 15:12-18)
The churches of Galatia was planted by apostle Paul, they even treated him as an angel of God and received him, as he were Christ himself.
Ga 4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
Yet, in a very short period they fell from the doctrine of grace and justification by faith alone. The New Testament is full of warnings to trust in faith and not to fall from it. If the apostolic churches fell easily into apostasy even when the apostles were still alive, how about us living two thousand years later?
Oh beloved we don’t have the apostles to come and warn you but we have the sure word of God and his Spirit and there are a minority of dear pastors still hold to the truth of God and these dear pastors repeatedly preach you these warnings sermon after sermon, how you need to lift these dear beloved pastors in prayer and love them for telling the truth. Remember it is Christ that saves the sinner and not the feelings of the sinner. Love them for telling the truth and pray for them that they will hold to the faith and to the cross! Preach sin down: preach Christ up.
Many pastors and preachers today, they do not want to hurt the feelings of the congregation and as a result, sin is candy coated in their sermons. They want unity for the sake of error and compromising sin. They are looking for peace and prosperity instead of the double-edged sword that divides the truth from error. Their buildings and congregations are big, outwardly very pleasing to the flesh, yes they may have peace in the church but that peace is a dead peace, that is the kind of peace you can find in the cemetery, a dead peace.
On the other hand, when John the Baptist saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming. He did not go according to his feelings and emotions saying, I know they are wrong but I don’t want to hurt their feelings or to offend them. He did not greet them and said, “Boy! I am glad you came here, welcome! Peace to you.” Instead, he said, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”
Our beloved Lord did not come to have an ecumenical church but confronted the false religious leaders with the strongest language as he said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like white washed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones.” (Mat 23:27)
King of Israel hated the prophet Micahiah, why? This is what he said, “But I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” (1 Kings 22:8)
In the early church, there was the heresy of Gnostics and
Marcionites. Then later there were Arians who denied Christ’s deity. Then came
Pelagians, they denied Christ’s satisfaction, merit and grace. Pelagius rejected original/inherited sin.
Adams sin affected only Adam, others who are born after Adam are innocent in
their birth and later on when they grow up, they have a free choice to sin or
not. He believed there is no need for divine grace and man has the capacity to
do the will of God. Arianism came from the mouth of the old serpent and
Pelagianism like a deadly poison infiltrated the church. Pelagianism gave birth
to semi-Pelagianism. Semi Pelagianism believe the fallen sinner is not totally dead
spiritually but only sick. The sinner still has an inherent goodness and
righteousness. They believe that salvation is by Gods grace but the sinner has
the ability to cooperate with Gods grace, this is done by the exercise of his
will. Semi-Pelagianism never died, as it revived under the banner of
Arminism. Although Arminism was unanimously rejected and
condemned at the Synod of
Dort in 1618. But today Arminianism is growing like wild fire as it appeals to
the flesh. Then there is Romanism
who have taken Christ out and instead put the Pope and Mary.
When the truth of
God is received in Arminian terms, man has the power in his own free will to
resist the sovereignty of God as man has control over his decisions against the
word of God. Man’s own free will and his decisions always follow his own
feelings and emotions and not the true faith. Error can be received as truth and can take root in the carnal mind;
it is well suited for the depraved mind. The mind that has a free will and own decisions
wonders in the crooked pats of his own, according to his own feelings. This mind
will determine what is good and evil, what is true and false. It is not the
absolute authority of the word of God but man’s free will. No wonder the church
today has fallen into great apostasy.
There is a danger of apostasy when you
receive the truth in the mind but not to love the truth in the heart and gladly
submitting to the truth, in obedience to the truth. Truth works powerfully and effectively upon the heart and soul.
You must love the truth and apply the truth in obedience, this is true faith. Many fall away in the time of persecution, as
they do not have the true faith. They had
the truth in the mind but not in the heart where they loved and obeyed. Love
the truth, the word of God and experience it’s power in the heart.
Submit to Christ and trust in him alone for
salvation. There is a holy obedience to Christ to his word, to his will as only
God can implant this truth in your hearts.