“If you were on trial for being a Christian,
would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
My primary foundation and final appeal is Solus Christus, because in everything we should be pursuing Christ-likeness and striving to imitate Christ. The Bible is not an end in itself; it points us to Jesus. Strict biblicism and doctrinal purity mean nothing if you are not walking in the likeness and power of Jesus. We are supposed to worship God in spirit and in truth—not just in truth. Jesus even said that the Holy Spirit would point people to Himself. Jesus is the central figure of everything! (Not Israel! Jesus fulfilled all that the nation of Israel foreshadowed. He is the true vine, the true Israel. [In the O.T., Israel was always referred to as the vine.] The nation of Israel prefigured the spiritual community that would one day display God's eternal nature on the Earth—that is, the church, the Body of Christ. It was never about national Israel; and it never will be!) There should be no difference between the Scriptures and Jesus, yet focusing on the text at the expense of the Person the text was intended to reveal has done precisely that. When you have the mind of Christ, nothing else matters. You are willing to give up everything else for the sake of Jesus. The early Christians understood this. Most today do not. They are all about the text and not about the Person.
My secondary foundation is Sola Scriptura, because we ought to be continually reforming and conforming ourselves and our beliefs with that which is revealed in the Scriptures; not to be content with the traditions we have been taught and the things we have been told. Most "churches" today are more concerned with perpetuating their denominational subculture and/or keeping their attendees adequately entertained than making them think. In my experience, every "church" has a handful of people in it who are desperate for content, withering from content malnutrition. The rest of the people are not even aware that they are malnourished. I believe this is a critical need, and I am here to help. My concern for correct lifestyle and correct doctrine flows from my passion for God's glory and my love for God's people. Everything I do is done with the purposes in mind to:
- glorify God and honour His Son (Romans 15:6; Colossians 1:18), and
- educate the body of Christ regarding truth (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16; Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 2:13).
As such, I strive to make the Word of God my only rule of faith and practice. I am not anti-creedal, but I am opposed to using creeds (and denominational preferences) to filter the Bible. Creeds are selective, historically-conditioned, and often agenda-driven. Insofar as historical creeds and confessions agree with Scripture, then I am in agreement with them; but on points where they oppose or contradict Scripture, I reject those points. (I do not reject the whole thing, because that would be throwing the baby out with the bath water.) I am more concerned with what the biblical text has to say and what can be sustained from interpretation than I am with creeds, confessions, and mission statements. I no longer align myself with any specific denomination. Why? Because each and every single one of them bases their practices on human tradition. They have left the Bible far behind. They are just as guilty as the Catholic church in this regard.
Instead, I refer to myself as a biblical Christian. Why? Regardless of how I was raised, what I was taught, or what I presently believe, I strive to conform myself and my beliefs entirely to the Word of God. Regardless of my opinions, my feelings, or my proclivities, I strive to subject myself and my beliefs entirely to the Word of God. If it contradicts me, then I am to submit myself to the Word of God—no matter the cost to myself. This is called death to self; taking up your cross daily. It is fundamental to being a Christian. The Word of God never submits to me, my culture, my ethnicity, or anything else. Every post-first century religious context is foreign to the Bible, and therefore is not the context of the Bible. The right context for interpreting the Bible is the context that produced it—the worldview and cognitive frame of reference of the biblical authors, who intentionally conveyed meaning through the manner in which they structured their books.
I am not a contentious man. Like Jude, I would prefer to speak about our common salvation than to battle error. Nevertheless, I will run without hesitation to the front-lines and defend biblical and historic Christianity when the need arises. My writing style is such that it is intended to challenge. Many readers are not accustomed to this style of writing and therefore will misrepresent my tone and accuse me of being “unChrist-like,” “unloving,” “graceless,” etc. Please, do yourself a favour and go read Matthew 23:13-33. Jesus pronounces woe eight times! He calls them hypocrites seven times! He calls them blind guides and blind men four times! He calls them sons of hell! He calls them fools! He says they are robbers and self-indulgent! He says they are dead men! He calls them serpents and brood of vipers! Later he says they are the sons of their father the devil! Not once was a single drop of love missing from Jesus' dealing with the religious hypocrites. Jesus was the personification of love. If you want to see what love looks like, pick any moment from the life of Jesus and know that what you are witnessing is the absolute perfect expression of true love. The idea that Christians must always be nice and speak in pleasant tones and be approving comes directly from the father of lies and straight out of the pit of hell! Shame on any professing Christian who advocates such godless, unbiblical nonsense! My writings are always motivated by love for Christ's church, my brothers and sisters in the faith, and the lost. It is because of my love for Christ's church and the lost that I challenge many of the ridiculous and asinine opinions and traditions held by certain individuals—religious or secular. We need to return to the biblical practices of the faith. Away with tradition, and back to the Bible!
“Ecclesia, semper reformanda secundum verbi Dei.”
(“The church, always reforming according to the Word of God.”)
(“The church, always reforming according to the Word of God.”)
While our theology today may be highly refined from what it was in the first couple centuries of the early Christians, nevertheless in practice we are a far cry from what they were. So much paganism and culture has crept into the church and influenced her practice that it is beyond disturbing. Yet, most Christians are unaware of this. Most Christians do not realize that you cannot “go to” something that “you are”; the church is the people—not a building. If you can handle your Christianity being scrutinized, and are teachable enough to learn from the past and correct the present, there are a couple books I would like to recommend in order to challenge your perception. When Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” he was not making an empty statement. Are you willing to “take the red pill” and see “how deep the rabbit hole goes”?
- The Untold Story of the New Testament Church
- Pagan Christianity?
“If God’s Word is not our only rule of faith and practice, if it is not the foundation beneath our feet, if we do not believe everything it says, then we have no right attempting to call ourselves ‘Christians’ or ‘Jesus followers.’ We are nothing more than liars, charlatans, and frauds, and we make Jesus to be a liar as well. Either God’s Word grips our heart, mind, body, and soul, or it has no hold on us whatsoever. Either that word—‘Christian’—informs everything about our lives, or it informs nothing. If we profess to be ‘Christians,’ then we are Christians before we are anything else, and being Christian informs everything else we will ever put our hands to. If it does not, then we are not Christians.” —Timothy Klaver