church mice

"Secularization—that is, the gradual conformity of our thinking, beliefs, commitments, and practices to the pattern of this fading age—is not just something that happens to the church; it is something that happens in the church. In fact, it’s difficult to think of secularism as anything other than a Christian heresy." (Michael S. Horton, The Gospel Commission: Recovering God's Strategy for Making Disciples)

“I may err but I am not a heretic, for the first has to do with the mind [the understanding] and the second with the will!”  (Meister Eckhart)

I doubt those are the actual doors; but the above photo is of the actual church in Germany where Martin Luther purportedly posted his "95 Theses" (arguments), exposing the heresies of the Church in his own day.  That day was 500 years ago (as of next year).  Luther's bold act was not one of defiance, so much as it was his desperate attempt to reform the Church; which Luther understood--by reason of his intimate knowledge of Scripture, the Church had become deeply corrupted by heretical ideas and wicked practices.  Yet, Martin Luther's actions, on that day in the year 1517 AD, were merely the beginning of what later came to be called the Protestant Reformation.

Luther's courageous stand for the truth very nearly got him killed by those, religious prelates, who profited greatly from the ceremonious "theater" which they controlled and performed behind the impressive-looking doors, pictured above.  In fact, the then nascent Protestant Reformation would soon actually take the lives of untold thousands whom the mainstream Church labeled as "heretics".

And who were those so-called heretics, whom the then-ruling ecclesiastical powers ostracized and persecuted (unto death)?  They were Bible-believing, truth-loving, God-fearing Christians.  Such Christians never imagined (at first) that they would come to be hated by their own clergy--as well as by a majority of their fellow parishioners.  Much less did those Christians--in the early years of the Reformation period--intend to overthrow the established order of the Church.  All they hoped to do was to reform the Church of their day, by soliciting and encouraging others--especially, the Church leaders--to return to Biblical truths and teaching.  For which cause, they were hated, persecuted, and many were killed--by the very Church which the Reformers sought to heal.

That was more than four centuries ago.  I'm so glad things have improved since then; aren't you?  Not.  But one might be tempted to believe that the (visible, professing) Church has greatly improved--judging from the apparent paucity of modern-day "Martin Luthers" speaking out for reform in the mainstream (Protestant) churches, today.

Although there seem to be very few men and/or women like Martin Luther; yet, there is a large and growing number of very influential church leaders who, today, are working fervently to bring about a certain kind of "reform" in the Christian Church.  Men such as Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, and Kenneth Copeland--to name but a very few such persons, are doing a great deal to change the "Christian" Church--from the inside, out.

I could write several books about that trend.  But I will here only mention one example.  Kenneth Copeland--one of the most well known Evangelical leaders of this generation, recently declared (and that publicly) that the Protestant Reformation is now over; but not as though the Protestant Reformation has finally prevailed to restore Biblical truth to the professing Church.  Rather, Copeland opened his arms to embrace reunion of the Protestant churches with the harlot of Babylon, the Roman Catholic Church.  You really should at least watch the following videos:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PSV72Tjy8g&spfreload=10
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im1lm7XeSyw&spfreload=10

In the second of those videos, Copeland says--among other blasphemous things:

"Now, this Pope--Pope Francis, is, has come from a line of born-again, Holy Spirit-baptized Popes that have been pressing for the unity of the faith, for a long time: starting, back with the turn of the twentieth-century" (time marker 2:18). 

Pope Francis is a Jesuit.  Pope Francis very recently stated, publicly, that:

"There are those who believe you can have a personal, direct and immediate relationship with Jesus Christ, outside of the communion and mediation of the Church.  These temptations are dangerous and harmful" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC0mkJGgi3w&spfreload=10).

 I will leave it to the Reader to undertake his or her own research to determine whether or not the succession of Popes, from 1900 and onward, were in fact "born-again, Holy Spirit-baptized" persons.
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But this is not an essay intended to excoriate the Catholic Church.  My scorn, rather, is directed against the vast majority of modern-day Protestant churches which are apostate.  Not unlike the mainstream Church in the days of Martin Luther; the contemporary, Protestant churches (broadly speaking) in America, are not amenable to be reformed!  They do not love the truth of God.  Instead, they jealously defend their own enterprise; for, that is profitable unto them, as they suppose.

I have never in my life heard any preaching or teaching involving the following passage of Scripture:

"For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." (1 Corinthians 11:19)

Let us examine that verse very carefully.  "There must be heresies among you".  And why "must" there be heresies amongst professing Christians?  In order that "they which are approved may be made manifest among you".  Do you understand what that means?  Who are "they which are approved"?  Those are the true Christians, that is, those who are "approved" by God.  Moreover, the Scripture says that the purpose, indeed, the necessity ("must") of "heresies" amongst the churches, is so that those who are "approved" may thus "be manifest among you".

Although God is neither the originator of heresies, nor is God willing that any should believe and embrace (much less propagate) heresies; yet, God is willing to use those, heretics and their heresies, as the means whereby true disciples of Jesus Christ "may be manifest"--that is, revealed as being true Christians.

But how does that work?  How does the presence of heresies "among you" (does that not mean, 'in the churches'?) serve to "manifest" (reveal) those who are "approved" by God?  Are they "manifest" as being "approved", who sit amongst such churches, wherein heresies are taught, and, yet, who never question nor challenge those heretical teachings and practices?  Does one's silent acquiescence, in the presence of heresy, serve to "manifest" such an one as being "approved" by God?  Is that what God approves?

Does not the above-quoted Scripture, rather, suggest that those who withstand against heresies are thus made "manifest", amongst those who also profess to be Christians?  Is it not by reason of their public battle against heresy, and their bold defense of the truth, that those who are, in fact, "approved" by God are thus "manifest"?

Fighting against heresy in the churches is not only permissible, but it is praiseworthy.  Moreover, it is not only praiseworthy, but it is God's own way of demonstrating who are the "approved" of God.  What does the Scripture say about God's purpose in the sanctified, transformed life, of true believers?

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)

Holiness in the life of the believer, is unto God alone.  Yet, holiness, in the believer, also serves a high purpose of God in the world: that is, God uses the sanctified Christian life to "prove", or to demonstrate, to others (especially, to other, professing Christians) what is that "good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God".  God's will thus is knowable not only in the written text of Scripture, but it is also knowable in those, living "epistle[s] of Christ..., written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart" (2 Corinthians 3:1-3).

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The churches are full of "church mice", as it were, which care only to partake of the palatable-appearing cheese conveniently set before them; unaware of the big spring-loaded bar at the near end of the cheese-board.  Heresy seems very palatable, to the flesh:

• "God loves you just as you are."
• "God loves you unconditionally."
• "Everyone has the right to his or her own opinions and beliefs."
• "God has forgiven all your sins, past, present, and future."
• "God will never stop loving you."
• "No one is perfect, just forgiven."
• "Christians are sinners, too."

As Meister Eckhart is reputed to have said (quoted, above), heresy is something more than merely being mistaken about the truth.  Rather, heresy involves the will.  Heretics do not want to know the truth.  For that reason, such are to be rejected by true Christians:

"A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself" (Titus 3:10-11).

How is it that so many contemporary "Christians" are content to remain in the midst of churches filled with such persons?

In order to get the cheese, week after week, church mice are careful not to make any noise.  Whereas those who spy the spring-loaded trap baited with cheese--and who try to warn others of the danger, are hastily driven off . . . or killed.

"That's rather melodramatic," I can almost hear some say.  Obviously, they have never stood at the doors of any apostate Christian church, with a hammer and "95 Theses" in their hands.