This article carefully expounds the Great Commission in Matthew, phrase by phrase. The Great Commission is often cited by dominionists and others to prove some version of a social gospel. Since Matthew 28:16-20 contain the final words of Matthew; I show how each phrase in this commission must be understood in light of the themes previously revealed in the entire Gospel. I hope to give our readers a clear example of how authorial intent determines meaning. The most fundamental truth of conservative Bible interpretation is that the Holy Spirit-inspired author determines the meaning, not the reader. This CIC article will help you learn more about the hermeneutic of authorial intent while importantly learning the meaning of the Great Commission according Matthew. Most popular usages of this passage are simply wrong. – Bob DeWaay

In April 1992 we began Critical Issues Commentary. Issue 1 was about Binding and Loosing. I recently found a printed copy of an article on the Corinthian Error that I wrote before CIC existed. We were able to recover that article and are blessed to publish it as Issue 141. The material in this article is as pertinent now, more than 30 years after it was first written. If anything, the advent of technology to instantly broadcast the false claims of the hyper-spiritual around the world accentuate the need to refute them. In 1991, only highly funded ministries had access to such technology. This article, Spirituality and the Corinthian Error, shows that Paul’s rebuke of the false teachings which infiltrated the church in Corinth has often been twisted to promote what Paul rejected! This happens when ironic statements are taken as literal. We deal with signs and wonders, visions, false wisdom, claims of hyper-piety, new revelations, health and wealth teaching and others. This is the first time we have published this 1991 article. – Bob DeWaay

Those who love the truth as revealed in Scripture alone agree that many popular trends have compromised the integrity of various churches and Christian movements. Carl Trueman wrote "The Creedal Imperative" to argue that binding and authoritative creeds from church history are necessary to fight error and the damaging trends of the culture. In this critique of Trueman’s book we show that there is a categorical and qualitative difference between the Holy Spirit-inspired Biblical writings and the those from people in church history. We demonstrate that Trueman’s categories are not clearly defined and his claims depend on the validity of the institutional church. This article explains that the Biblically defined church with binding and loosing based on Scripture alone reveal the fallacy of the institutional church defined by church history, not Scripture. Parochial binding and loosing is not Biblical binding and loosing.

Enneagram proponents offer a prescription for all people for the sake of their spiritual growth: solitude, silence and stillness. This article traces these monastic ideas to an early desert father (as they were called) whose eccentric life was admired but included demonic torment. More importantly, the fact that the Bible never prescribes solitude, silence or stillness is a truth that is ignored by contemporary mystics. The article uses sound exegesis to refute those who misuse Jesus' time in the wilderness to promote ancient, monastic spirituality. We expose the absurdity of "nonconceptual prayer" and show that all prayer in the Bible involves cognition of ideas, not an emptied mind. Mystics dangle the hope of "self discovery" to entice people into their beliefs and practices. We show that the means of grace that are given to the church are not about solitude, silence or self discovery, but about corporately remembering what Christ did and believing the promises of God. This article is a call for the church to wake up and see that false teachers are seducing people away from the faith "once for all handed down to the saints." We need to bring our prayers to the throne of grace, not to empty our minds and remove ourselves from true fellowship.

Recent events at a local Christian university brought the Enneagram teaching to my attention as it was being promoted by a person with authority from that university. Because of this I bought the three most popular Enneagram books on Amazon and carefully read each of them, taking notes for the purpose of this resulting scholarly review. Richard Rohr, a Roman Catholic author, wrote one of the books and is extolled in the other two. Enneagram is essentially an ad hoc religious program with deep, pagan roots. It is called “sacred” though nothing about it is biblical. This article explains in some detail what Enneagram is, where it came from, what its proponents claim, and concludes that it promotes panentheism that is antithetical to a Biblical worldview. It is seductive enough that some unsuspecting students could be drawn away from the truth into Christianized paganism. This review is intended to be a warning to anyone who would take Enneagram seriously.

American Evangelicalism has been characterized by various special teachings, experiences, or revelations that claim to provide sanctification that ordinary Christians lack. This article provides a number of examples of such approaches and links to previous CIC articles that refute those teachings. It may surprise many Christians to find out how simple the truth about sanctification really is. God sanctifies believers in the same manner He saves them - by grace through faith. What God truly provides is not a secret to be discovered by the spiritual elite, but His gracious provision for all who trust in Christ.

Since the 2008 publication of my book on the Emergent Church, the movement has continued and has become a religious version of political liberalism. Tony Jones and Doug Paggitt now use terms like “convergent” to describe their “progressive” theology. What we need to know is that emergent, progressive, and convergent are all terms that comport with the philosophy of G. W. F. Hegel and 19th century German idealism, which ultimately is the source of the Emergent Church.

The reason that they reject Christian theology derived from Biblical exegesis is that it clearly teaches a future, cataclysmic judgment of the cosmos, with evil being judged and righteousness rewarded. Furthermore, since Christianity has always taught that Christ’s substitutionary atonement is necessary for forgiveness of sin and freedom from God’s wrath against sin, they reject any theology derived from passages that teach the need for such atonement. Instead, they promote anything that helps their “dream” of a future paradise on earth. Their hope is grounded in what I call “imaginary eschatology.” This chapter explains where this came from and how it is based on the romantic ideal of social and spiritual evolution.

Conservative author Rod Dreher has written a popular book that promotes the claim that we must rebuild a Christian culture by learning from the 6th century monastic, Benedict.¹ The underlying premise of the book is that Christianity needs a Christian culture in order to ensure that our children are not assimilated into a culture of barbarism. This will likely involve removing ourselves from the current culture as much as possible. He compares this to the Jews coming out of Babylon (Dreher: 18). The danger, according to Dreher, is that our faith will not survive more than a couple generations.

This warning is particularly aimed at Christians in America. Dreher names the current culture "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" (45 and elsewhere). This means that we try to find happiness and direction fully disconnected from God. Since Deists were part of the founding of America, he assumes that Deism is our key problem (35). Dreher includes a brief history of religion and philosophy in order to set the stage for "Saint" Benedict and what we are to learn from him. Dreher presents a rather romantic view of the Middle Ages and apparently sees their view of "God in everything" as desirable. Consider his glowing description of Medieval man:

Medieval man did not see himself as fundamentally separate from the natural order; rather, the alienation he felt was the effect of the Fall, a catastrophe that, as he understood it, made it difficult for humans to see Creation as it really is. His task was to join himself to the love of God and harmonize his own steps with the great cosmic dance. Truth was guaranteed by the existence of God, whose Logos, the divine principle of order, was fully manifest in Jesus Christ but is present to some degree in all Creation. (25)

This description is very much what modern panentheism believes, and it is very popular in America. Yet Dreher sees deism as the problem. But this romantic panentheism (my term, not his) is what makes Benedict so attractive to Dreher. He is not bashful about making this claim: "This is the Light, Jesus Christ, who illuminated the monasteries of the Middle Ages and all those who gathered around them"(47).

There is little that I agree with in Dreher's book. Whatever is of value would be better found somewhere that is not laced with unbiblical human tradition, mysticism, panentheism, bad theology—practices that God never ordained—and rejection of Scripture alone. Mr. Dreher does not claim to be an evangelical, but Eastern Orthodox. Therefore I do not expect him to adhere to ideas that evangelicals usually claim to hold. Some are endorsing his book, probably because they do not in reality practice Scripture alone anymore that Dreher does.

People are concerned that they may be demon possessed, cursed, or are somehow suffering because of Satan's activity. They often look for someone who can change their situation by casting out demons, identifying and breaking curses, and taking authority over Satan to stop whatever harm he may be doing. They typically do not realize that their concern should be about what spiritual domain they are in. Pagan shamans perform deliverance, break curses and have techniques to try to affect the well-being of their religious clients. But what they can never do is remove someone from the domain of Satan into the domain of Jesus Christ. Temporarily alleviating symptoms while remaining in Satan's domain does nothing about one's eternal destiny.

True escape from Satan is not about symptom relief or geographical boundaries. It is about leaving Satan's spiritual realm and entering the spiritual reign of God in Christ.

In 1Peter chapter 2 Peter twice tells the church that we are a holy and royal priesthood. One of Martin Luther’s most important teachings that brought about the Reformation was the priesthood of every believer. This important, biblical, doctrine protected the flock from Rome’s false priesthood. Luther identified seven functions of priests that pertain to every believer. We show that all of these are truly biblical and call for the doctrine of the priesthood of every believer to be taught in the church. When it is neglected, church authorities are given an open door to abuse the flock and often walk right through that door. We need to teach and practice the true NT priesthood so that we all proclaim the “mighty deeds of God. “ Christ must be extolled as the one High Priest to whom we all have continual access.

Oswald Chambers' devotional My Utmost For His Highest has been read by millions of Christians. When I was in Bible College in the early 1970's someone gave me a copy. I started using it but found that what he said rarely made any sense to me, so I quit. I assumed it was because he was British and I simply did not understand his idioms. Ironically I ended up unknowingly reading and following the same theology through Watchman Nee. It is just recently that I managed to discover that Nee's (slightly later than Chambers) teachings were nearly the same as Chambers'.

Over the years CIC readers have asked me to critique Chambers. Some have told me that his teachings led them into mysticism that was hard to get out of. I set out to do so about six years ago by carefully reading Utmost, taking notes on every page. I found much that was Biblically wrong but still was not sure why. So the article was not written. Finally, reading his biography and other writings has led me to the basis of his theology. There are two key issues: 1) the allegorical method of Biblical interpretation 2) a second blessing teaching in which total surrender is the key to sanctification. The allegorical method takes us away from the meaning of the Biblical authors. The second blessing doctrine colors what he says in Utmost. Not knowing that he believed these things was the cause of confusion in my reading. Knowing his theology has put Utmost into perspective. I will also address the issue of his body, soul and spirit teaching in regard to sanctification.

People are looking for deliverance from evil spirits and Satanic oppression. We receive more emails about the demonic than any other topic. When I point those who send the emails to conversion as the only way out of Satan's domain, many say that they are Christians and they are still harassed. They want someone who can manipulate the spirit world to their benefit and relief. They do not know it, but they are looking for what pagans call shamans. What God offers is removal from Satan's domain.

In this article we will describe a Biblical worldview in regard to the world of the spirits. After the Tower of Babel, God put the nations under the "sons of God" and took Israel for His own. Eventually, Israel so rebelled against Yahweh that she ended up under the powers of darkness as well. The only deliverance from the "domain of darkness" is found through Jesus Christ. Our passage describes that. We must believe what God said about this, rather than opting for deliverance counselors who are effectively shamans. Whatever Satan might do to harass us, he cannot remove us from the kingdom of Christ. We who believe the gospel are safe.

What do the Pope, the Dalai Lama and Donald Whitney have in common? They all promote freestyle spirituality where feeling close to God replaces drawing near to God on His terms. Religious experimentation replaces practices ordained by God and sincerity replaces revealed truth. We will begin with a narrative from the Old Testament and proceed to revealed truth in the New Testament to show that we must come to God in faith on His terms. We cannot trust our spiritual well-being to experimentation.

Jonathan Cahn, a popular Christian author, claims that his books reveal mysteries and predict the future. He thus portrays himself as like the Biblical prophets, including the claim of having new revelations. The main point of his book is that America is a second Israel and that she is being judged according to the seven-year Sabbath law called "shemitah" that was given to ancient Israel. This judgment manifests itself in seven-year cycles of stock market collapses or other cataclysmic events. The next one is due the fall of 2015, according to Cahn. I will show that these claims are false and that Cahn is not a true prophet of God.

Matthew Fox's 1988 book, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, has proven to be a seminal work. Fox's ideas are largely accepted as fact by contemporary people. For example, the notion of "Mother Earth" as a spiritual being (understood through the lens of panentheism) has only gained more prominence, and is now virtually ubiquitous, since Fox wrote his monograph.¹ Many others have shared his neo-pagan ideas.

I review Fox's book now to show that his false ideas are dangerous and have no Biblical grounds to be accepted into any Christian theology although Fox cites Scripture often and shows a good grasp of its content. I will show the Fox's Cosmic Christ is not the Christ of the Bible. Yet much of modern evangelicalism is rife with ideas akin to Fox's.

The seduction that draws people to their "Mother" is spiritual and insidious. There is no logical and rational means of proving that earth is indeed a goddess who is being abused by humans who fail to worship her. She is not lacking worshippers, but is lacking any necessary qualities of deity like eternal, non-contingent existence. If she were truly a goddess she could take care of herself. The God of the Bible is not going to be damaged by humans, but humans are most certainly threatened by God who will come in judgment for those who reject His Christ! For example:

And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity. (Psalm 9:8)

And

I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all it contains. (Psalm 50:11, 12)

Fox is seriously deceived when he claims that Mother Earth is the Christ who is being slowly killed by humans. Christ will come in judgment, a fact Fox ignores, but the basis of the judgment is His Word (John 12:48) and His gospel—not failure to bow before the earth goddess.

A pagan is someone with no authoritative revelation from God. As such, pagans must guess about God and the nature of the universe they live in. Pagan belief is diverse but centers on certain themes and ideas, mostly deifying the creation. Hebrews 1:1, 2 cited above, is our firewall against paganism: God has spoken! We need not grope about as pagans guessing about the nature of the world we live in...

"And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?' And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'" (Luke 5:29-32)

In 2Samuel 9 one finds the account of King David showing kindness to a lame descendant of Saul for the sake of his previous relationship to Jonathan, Saul's son. Both Saul and Jonathan were now dead and this lame man, Methphibosheth, was the only remaining descendant: "The king said, ‘Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?' And Ziba said to the king, ‘There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.'" (2Samuel 9:3) Since Saul had been David's mortal enemy, and a king would typically search out descendants of a rival king for the purpose of killing them to assure they would not make a claim to the throne, a call from David to find Methphibosheth would be considered alarming and likely life-threatening.

David's motive was not to kill the lame descendant of Saul but to show God's hesed (covenant love, much like the NT term "grace")....

"And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts 2:42)

In the Bible, the term "devotion" is used for the early church's attention to and time spent on the means of grace. This included the apostles' teaching, which is our New Testament. Devotional books today are often devoted to private mysticism. Sarah Young's book is a good example. Devotion, in this case, has become a devotion to metaphysical impressions, not God's Word.

Furthermore, Young's daily devotional is written in words as though they were spoken directly by Jesus Christ Himself. This genre of devotional is not new. When I was a new Christian, Francis Roberts published such a book entitled Come Away My Beloved, which was based on the allegorization of the Song of Solomon. The book and sequels were quite popular. The first was written as if God Himself were speaking to the reader (using King James English), thus constituting new words from God beyond Scripture. At the time I thought that to be wrong and refused to read the book, though I read enough to be aware of its contents.

Similarly, Jesus Calling promotes mystical devotion to God and is based on words from Jesus beyond Scripture...

Bill Johnson of Redding, California has become a popular teacher in one of the latest iterations of the Signs and Wonders movement. His book, When Heaven Invades Earth, reveals his underlying theology. Johnson believes that there will be a great end-time revival that will be initiated by an "Elijah generation"¹ (a concept from the heretical Latter Rain movement) that shall transcend all other generations of Christians in regard to their ability to do great works of power...

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree," in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13, 14)

The Bible is clear—blessing comes to us by faith, and not through any other means. Abraham believed God and was blessed. Today, those who believe God through the gospel of Jesus Christ are blessed, be they Jew or Gentile. The truth is rather simple. But the false applications that now abound have so confused this matter that even those who have believed the gospel are convinced that they must seek information from their own past, sinful lives to break curses and find the key to blessings...

It is not where demons are in relationship to us; it is where we are in relationship to Christ - that is the worldview of the Biblical writers. Those who have believed the gospel are transferred from one spiritual domain to another. But while we physically reside in this world, we are surrounded by spiritual forces of darkness. My thesis is this - the gospel is the armor of God in which we must stand.

There are no new revelations. That is what we were taught in Bible College and our professors were correct. Then we encountered passages such as 1Corinthians 14:26 which taught that members of the assembled church could have a revelation and it caused some of us to question what we were taught. In this paper the conclusion we come to will depend on how we answer the apparent contradiction between our teachers' claims and how we define the range of meaning of the term "revelation" (apokalupsis). Understanding this range of meaning will help us clear up much of the church's confusion about spiritual gifts and provide support for our Bible College instructors...

If I were to write this review in the style Ann Voskamp used in writing her book, it would read like this:

Sunlight streams through window. Shadows on keyboard. I sit here. I want to separate substance from style and deal only with substance as I contemplate a book. Before me lies The Thousand Gifts, a book written by Ann Voskamp, farmer's wife, Canadian. Ann writes in person first, tense present, style poetic. Two hundred thirty-seven pages speak of angst personal and thankfulness God-given and quote Julian of Norwich, Annie Dillard, Brennan Manning, Henri Nouwen, Teilard de Chardin and others. The style I find difficult. Of that I will not speak. The substance is of concern. Of that I will speak.

Voskamp sees God in everything, and that concept has a name—panentheism...

Most CIC articles are prompted by reader request. And lately several have asked about the program Monvee, a new, technology-based approach to sanctification. People can subscribe on the Monvee Web site and take a personality test, and, based on the results of the test, receive a personalized plan for their sanctification. John Ortberg's book features the word ME on the cover in large text and is part of the plan.

Author Barbie Breathitt, described as a "respected teacher of the supernatural manifestations of God," has just released a new book entitled "Dream Encounters," in which she claims Christians can have access to a secret dream language that God uses to reveal "hidden knowledge" to believers. In this book Breathitt tells believers they will be enabled to use the "revelation" obtained from God through their dreams in order to unlock their "destinies" and live lives in which they are "productive, responsible, successful, prosperous, loved and fulfilled" (p. 138).¹ According to Breathitt, this is done by decoding information that God has "embedded" into our dreams and through which he continues to communicate with us in personal, ongoing revelation. But there are three significant problems with what Breathitt teaches, and I will attempt to develop why these issues are unsupported by Scripture. The three problems are as follows:

This article will reveal similarities between the philosophies prevalent in Germany that characterized fascism and those of postmodern thinkers today. I am not suggesting that because these similarities exist postmoderns would be in favor of a new Hitler. I am suggesting that ideas have consequences and that history ought to teach us how serious they can be. The key issue is the rejection of a transcendent God who has revealed moral law. The result of such a rejection will most certainly be some form of lawlessness.

One time, early in my ministry, a Christian preacher told me that I had to get a vision for the local church for which I was (and remain) a pastor. In his view I needed specific information from God regarding why we exist and what our future should be. I had no such vision, but, instead, concluded that God determined the definition and purpose of the church; we needed only to comply with what He revealed in the Bible. Why should our church exist for some unique purpose that does not apply to other churches?

Though my article about the errors of Theophostic Ministry was published several years ago¹ I still get e-mails from practitioners accusing me of falsely attacking a wonderful ministry that is helping many people. Even today many claim that this ministry, invented by Dr. Ed Smith, is the key to emotional healing. My response remains the same, "I never said that Theophostics doesn't work; I said that it is not Biblical."

The simple facts are these: the basic theories of Theophostic Ministry are not found in the Bible, and they have not been proven by careful, scientific research.

Recently I received a document called "The Essentials of Theophostic Prayer Ministry²" that was distributed by proponents of Theophostic Ministry at a large Evangelical church that has hosted their international convention. This document confirms what my research had previously uncovered about the basic principles of this ministry. In this article I will examine the basic premises of Theophostic Ministry as listed in their own literature and show that they are not Biblical.

Almost universally, people involved with the Emergent "conversation" espouse one theme: they consider themselves to be missional. Being "missional" is not what traditional Christians have known as "missions." We have believed that the Christian mission was to send people with the message of the gospel...

In February 2008, Christianity Today ran a glowing cover story about Evangelicalism's recent embrace of medieval Roman Catholic mysticism entitled The Future lies in the Past.¹ The article traced the beginning of the movement as follows: "The movement seems to have exploded in a 24-month period in 1977-1978, which saw the publication of Richard Foster's bestselling Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth and Robert Webber's Common Roots: A Call to Evangelical Maturity."²

In this article I will show that Foster's "journey inward" is unbiblical and dangerous. I will show that most of the spiritual disciplines that he calls "means of grace" are no means of grace at all—but a means of putting oneself under spiritual deception.

Many people concerned about Donald Whitney's endorsement of Richard Foster and Dallas Willard (two popular evangelical mystics) have asked me to review his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. These people have wondered how someone who claims to be Reformed2 in theology and teaches at a seminary known for Reformed theology could endorse Foster and Willard. They also wondered if Whitney's own teaching contains Foster's and Willard's same errors. This article is my answer to these requests.

A pagan is anyone who lacks special revelation from God. And had God not spoken in the manner described in Hebrews 1:1, 2, everyone in the world would be a pagan. This is to say that each of us would have to guess about the nature of the spiritual world we live in and develop techniques in order to contact or manipulate our world. We would wonder how we could manipulate the "gods" to better our situation. We would create a class of shamans with special abilities to contact and manipulate the spirits. That is what every pagan culture looks like.

Sadly, that is what the church looks like when...

Recently I spoke with a friend from another state who recounted to me how he had lost fellowship with a long-time Christian friend because of an eccentric doctrine the friend had gotten caught up in. The particular doctrine claims Jesus' teachings are not "for" the church, that the Great Commission is not binding on the church, that there are at least two different gospels, and that the gospel of grace was totally unknown until Paul received it. When my friend tried to correct his friend...

Some environmentalists with neo-pagan worldviews (e.g., Al Gore) have posited the “truth” of CO₂-induced global warming, defined the production of CO₂ as “sin” and thereby made all humans guilty of a holocaust-like assault on planet earth. Even if CO₂ is doing what this group says it is, there is no way to repent of this “sin” because human beings cannot live without putting more of it into the atmosphere. Essex and McKitrick’s book (both are Canadian college professors) confirms my conclusion that the global warming scare is more religion than science. The book begins and ends with chapters about what the authors call “The Doctrine of Certainty.” We shall begin by examining this “Doctrine.”

This article explores the idea of apostles in the church throughout church history. In it I will show that the restoration/Latter Rain idea that fuels the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is unbiblical and dangerous to the well-being of Christians who become part of it.

Fifteen years ago we published Issue # 1 of CIC on the topic of binding and loosing.¹ That article was written to correct a false use of the term by those teaching spiritual warfare. We argued that the term binding and loosing concerns entrance into the kingdom, and what is or is not binding on Christians after they have been added to the church. We demonstrated that our interpretation is not unique and that every major scholarly exegesis of this passage also supports this meaning. We also showed how the apostles practiced binding and loosing in Acts 15 when they met to determine if the Law of Moses was binding on converted Gentiles (they determined that it was not). Now it is now time to bring out some important implications and applications of the true meaning of binding and loosing.

A few years ago an area pastor took out advertisements in one of our local Christian periodicals. These ads issued both a proclamation and a challenge: “Christians are required to observe the Sabbath on Saturdays, and I invite anyone to debate me on this subject.” The challenge was eventually accepted and I proceeded to attend the public debate. At the time of this debate I was engaged in expository work on both Galatians and Hebrews. As I listened to these two men debate the issues, I compared their views to what I was learning through my studies. What struck me was this: the theological issues that the first century church struggled against are just as pressing 2,000 years later.

There are no extraordinary Christians; but being an ordinary Christian is an extraordinary thing. How I wish I would have understood that when I was a new Christian. But I didn’t. Soon after my conversion I began a quest to become the best possible Christian. In so doing I fell prey to teachings that promised me a Christian life superior to that of ordinary Christians. What I did not know was that I had embraced pietism. I didn’t become an extraordinary Christian and I did walk straight into error.

Hank Hanegraaff, radio’s “Bible Answer Man,” includes the following statement in the introduction to his new book, The Apocalypse Code: “Make no mistake: this is not the stuff of ivory-tower debates. The stakes for Christianity and the culture in the controversy surrounding eschatology are enormous!” With the stakes so high, he’s entered the fray—writing on the subject of the end times.

Several years ago I published an article about Matthew 24:34 where I claimed that “this generation” was a pejorative term about rebellious Jewish leadership. In today’s article I will support that claim by providing a range of meaning study of the term “generation” (Greek genea) as used in the New Testament.

To a Christian, praying to God is privilege, a blessing, and a Biblically defined responsibility. We are called to pray. But a genre of literature exists that I call “prayer secrets.” Practitioners claim to have discovered new avenues of prayer that can create power...

“What’s your spiritual gift?”  I have heard this question asked and answered many times. In my experience, the most common response to this inquiry is:  “I have the gift of ...

The Bible tells us that God has spoken, infallibly, finally, and authoritatively through people He chose as mediators of His revelation. The Bible further tells us that Christ’s words to us were confirmed through eyewitnesses, the apostles. Can a believer receive special revelations that become God’s personal, revealed will for his or her life?

Many Christians labor under the notion that there is an unrevealed, perfect will of God for their life that must be discovered in order for them to truly please God. I know because I used to believe that myself...

I recall a conversation I had with an individual early in my Christian life regarding the high calling of living in light of the Gospel — the need for devotion to the Word, the need for prayer, the need for fellowship, and the task of evangelism. His response took me aback: “All those are fine for some,” he noted...

In the 1940’s, a missionary’s daughter disillusioned with traditional Christianity invented a new ministry called “inner healing.” Agnes Sanford claimed that during an out-of-body experience that supposedly brought her back to before her birth as a pre-existent soul, Jesus asked her to come into the world to...

The restoration of prophecy for every believer was important to both Luther and Calvin. The alternative was that only the teaching magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church had the authority to prophesy. Luther often cited 1Corinthians 14:31 as proof of Rome's error in this regard...

Many times, after publishing an article that disputes the claims of someone's published work, I am asked if I had talked to the person privately. There are those who claim that debating ideas in the public arena should not happen unless there was...

A key idea in the contemporary evangelical movement is that revival can be engineered. The Purpose Driven Web site says, “Peter Drucker called him [Warren] ‘the inventor of perpetual revival’ and Forbes magazine has written, ‘If...

Questions from readers prompt the writing of many CIC articles. The most frequently asked question that I have not addressed until now concerns free will. I thoroughly researched this topic nearly ten years ago. The reason for the delay...

Practices called “spiritual disciplines” that are deemed necessary for “spiritual formation” have entered evangelicalism. Recent encounters with this teaching narrated to me by friends caused me to investigate these practices. The first experience...

The Tsunami caught the world’s attention. Most recently major hurricanes have filled the news. These natural disasters have raised a question in the minds of many Christians—“Is this God’s judgment?”...

If we compare what the Apostle John said with what a famous Church Growth advocate says, we encounter a problem. John says that the world will not listen to a true, unsullied Christian message. Rick Warren says that anybody...

We are in the midst of a radical change in evangelicalism that has left countless Christians starving for God’s Word in their churches. Proponents of the change have labeled as “divisive” those who resist the movement away from gospel preaching...

My favorite TV show as a teenager was Green Acres. On the show was a county agent by the name of Hank Kimball whose job was to answer technical questions for farmers. Mr. Douglas, a misplaced New York Lawyer and wannabe...

We are awash in information about how to have healthy and successful churches. Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven church movement claims to have trained many thousands of pastors around the world. The website for this movement states the...

Several months ago a friend of mine, who puts on seminars, publicly pointed out the errors of several well known teachers who promote mystical practices.  Shortly thereafter he invited me to attend a meeting with some leaders of his church to...

This article focuses on the Biblical means God has provided for all Christians to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. These means may not be flashy, popular, or trendy, but they will always be effectual when practiced in faith. The following are NOT God’s means of changing lives: mystical practices, self-help groups, Purpose Driven Life study groups, contemplative prayer, twelve step groups, or going to meetings where people are “slain under the power.” These and other popular programs are sad, unbiblical substitutes that eventually lead to spiritual impoverishment.

There was a king in Israel who decided that he could set up his own way of coming to God. This king’s story will provide a needed warning for those today that do likewise....

Recently I was asked to speak at a seminary. Before the meeting I had lunch with a couple of the professors, one of whom had spent many years as a missionary in Taiwan. The former missionary recounted a story that illustrates the reality of the...

Twenty years ago I received a phone call from a woman who claimed to have a word from God for me. She began prophesying, “You are a great man of God, full of power, and God is going to use you in a powerful way. You are going to...

A few months ago a friend phoned to ask if I had ever heard of Rick Warren. “Yes” I replied. “Why are you asking”? He said, “I just got kicked out of a Bible Study for bringing my Bible to it.” That is how the idea for this article came to me....

A few weeks ago my wife and I were driving to the house of some close friends, listening to a tape of Dr. Ed Smith, the founder of Theophostic counseling, who was preaching at a large evangelical church in our city. As we listened, my wife...

In 1977 I was in a ministry that specialized in inner healing and deliverance. People came to us from all over the country seeking release from hearing voices, addictions, emotional trauma due to past hurts and abuses, and many other forms of...

Matthew 24:34 is a difficult passage for Bible interpreters. The problem is that Jesus appears to be predicting that the generation of Jews alive when He made the prophetic predictions found in Matthew 24 would also be alive to witness the...

Romans 8 offers profound, eternal comfort to Christians. In it Paul assures us that all true Christians shall ultimately be glorified and conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29, 30) and that nothing in the entire created universe can...

The Bible is the revealed will of God. The Bible is inspired by God, inerrant and authoritative. It contains everything God has chosen to reveal to us. Through the Bible we know God’s plans, purposes and moral will. Only the teachings of Scripture...

There are many hurting and disillusioned people who grew up under the teachings of the Roman Catholic church. They are disillusioned because the church that they were told is their only hope of getting to God has been found to be scandalous....

An alarming convergence of theological and cultural trends in contemporary evangelicalism is pushing gospel preaching out of many churches. Even in “Bible believing” churches, people are being asked to make a “decision for Jesus,” without being...

It is the nature of fallen man to gravitate to works righteousness and self help. Religious solutions that offer promises of success for those who know the secrets will always be popular. Quick, easy, and rote answers sell. The book by Bruce...

Jabez is an obscure person mentioned in only two verses of scripture: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. These verses offer no introduction, nor is there any reference from other scripture. From these...

There is a recent genre of Christian literature that goes far beyond the fiction of Dante. We can read privileged individuals expound their meetings with Jesus, visitations to heaven, conversations with departed souls, and other incredible, mystical...

The Colossians were being threatened by a "philosophy” that, if believed, would make them plunder of false teachers who denied the sufficiency of Christ. In the last issue we examined the key tenets of this teaching and explained the...

The danger of being “taken captive” by the same heresy that was threatening the Colossians is as real today as it was in first century Colossae. The Greek word for “taken captive” means “to carry off as spoil. The plunder of the battle turns out...

Oftentimes when a passage is unclear it is used to support false teachings. Because when many Christians are unsure of the meaning of a passage, they are less able to discern erroneous teaching based on the verses in question. This is surely...

Since the horrible events of September 11th, prophets are lining up to claim to either have predicted them or to have the key to God's purposes behind them. There are many who claim to be prophets to nations like the Old Testament prophets....

On December 31st, 1997 a modern prophet by the name of Bob Jones said this: I have been tellin people for a year to get out of Los Angeles. They tell me they are really brave out there. I am not that brave...

Today a popular movement is making brash claims about itself. The movement claims that God is raising up a huge wave of end times prophets and apostles who will be instrumental in subduing entire nations and eventually the whole world...

In this paper we discuss New Testament Apostles today from the viewpoint that there is no biblical authority that supports the end time restoration of the office of apostle: therefore, there are no...

A popular “revival movement” claims that latter day apostles and prophets will fulfill this promise in John by doing greater miracles than Jesus did, both in quantity and quality. Their claim is that a new wave of apostolic power will transform...

"The newer, the better." So goes much of our modern cultural mindset. Sadly, this type of thinking has crept into how many view the Old Testament Scriptures. Many believe the Old Testament has "passed on" (so to speak) and the New Testament has replaced...

The Hebrew people were not bashful about voicing their complaints to the Lord about the problem of evil and suffering. Their laments about evil make up make up a large body of literature in the Bible which includes Job (parts of it), Habakkuk, many...

It might surprise many that John considered himself to be living in the last hour with contemporary "Antichrists” and that he saw the need to warn Christians about such individuals. Many consider an "Antichrist” to be a person who is "against”...

It was Paul's practice to go first to the Jews when he entered a new city. This was his procedure: "And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence ...

We've all seen 'em. They have been the "fashion fad" of many in and outside the church over the last few years. They began to appear on wrists in the mid-90's, and the "W.W.J.D.?" craze is still going strong...

A current best selling Christian book, The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney, addresses a theme that is similar to Paul's concern in Philippians 3 to die to everything else, and through faith be found in Christ. It is Tenney's similarities to Paul's...

How could the apostle Paul, after describing the glorious truths of justification by faith and our position in Christ (dead to sin and alive to God Romans 3-6), then characterize himself as being "wretched?" This seems so shocking that some...

Ever since the fall, humanity has been engaged in an age-old struggle against the power of sin. Sin, being defined as "both fallen humanity's state of separation from God and as a person's purposeful disobedience to God's will as evidenced in concrete thought...

The Bible, history's most published, studied, translated and quoted book, is also its most misused and misinterpreted book. Cults and false religions use it to their own ends and others simply misinterpret it. That this occurs so often leads...

QUESTION: What does Jesus mean in Revelation 3:15-16, where He states, "I wish you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot or cold, I will spit you out of My mouth"? Is he saying that it is better to not believe (i.e. be cold) than to be indifferent (i.e. lukewarm)?

ANSWER: This passage is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied in all of Scripture...

In recent years, some evangelicals have rekindled an old controversy by asserting that God does not have exhaustive foreknowledge. That is to say that He does not know everything that is going to happen. This is an old controversy. For...

The apostle Paul, after years of ministry in Ephesus and the surrounding areas, called the elders of the Ephesian church together for a final word before his departure. In this touching scene, Paul bared his...

Two men met another man as they were walking down a road. They were having a private discussion when the third man began questioning them. The third man soon dominated the conversation. Throughout the rest of their journey, the man began with the books of Moses and proceeded to explain to them, verse by...

Through the world’s eyes, surely Noah looked to be quite the fool. For 100 years he constructed a gigantic ark on dry land. While he did this he called people to repentance, for the Scriptures proclaim he was a "preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). I imagine Noah was...

If Christians experience suffering, tragedy or sorrow, they are likely to receive unrequested counsel from comforters like those who advised Job. “What did you do to get yourself into this situation?” is...

In recent years, a couple of individuals have written hot selling books in which they claim to relate their experiences of visiting heaven and/or hell. When Paul mentioned ...

Nineteenth Century evangelist Charles Finney is often credited with being a major force in the so-called "second great awakening” in America. The converted lawyer is well known for making shocking ...

God's purpose for Christians is that we might bring honor to His holy name as we enjoy our relationship with Him for all eternity. Since the nature of fallen humanity is such that our primary motivation is to...

What would be an appropriate Christian response to the following objections: "Israel's unbelief nullifies God's faithfulness, God is unrighteous in inflicting wrath, faith nullifies the Law, our continued sin would...

How often we find our beliefs about causes to be wrong. We encounter a problem, invest time and effort to solve the problem -- only to find that the object of our efforts was not the cause of the problem at all....

This passage raises several important questions. Is it possible for true Christians to fall away from the faith and not only become apostate, but irredeemably so? If so, is the Biblical doctrine of the...

Many popular teachers question God's sovereign rule over His own creation. Their unbiblical scenario goes like this: God made Adam the ruler of the world; Adam committed "treason" and turned the rightful...

Have the gifts ceased? Many have argued "yes." They reason that the completion of the canon of the New Testament (the written form of the apostles' teaching) makes spiritual gifts superfluous. Since the...

All evangelical Christians believe in being baptized in the Holy Spirit; but how and when one is baptized in the Holy Spirit is disputed. Since the advent of the Pentecostal movement in the early twentieth...

Many Christians view holiness as a threat rather than a promise. They assume that calls to holiness involve legalism or some manner of inappropriate demands being made upon them. What they do not...

One of our readers submitted an interesting question which can be summarized this way: "Is there not a difference between salvation and discipleship; and is not any equating of the two a subtle inclusion of...

A great irony of redemption history is that God consistently chooses to work through the unexpected. Whenever there is an apparently good candidate to be a leader, God passes him up for someone with...

Rarely does a week go by that I do not hear or read of the latest "great move of God that is going to win the world for Christ and usher in the great revival that will happen before the return of Christ."...

In recent years, an old debate has rekindled: Is the King James Bible the only valid translation of the Scriptures for English speaking people? G. A. Riplinger has published a book that...

Popular television faith teacher Marilyn Hickey has published a book entitled Break the Generation Curse that claims to help Christians break curses that are coming upon...

These passages show that for the apostles, the key truth that must be affirmed by orthodox believers but is denied by heretics is the teaching of Christ. Accepting Christ and His teaching is essential to authentic...

The New Testament presents the body of teaching to which the apostles expected Christians to adhere. It is heresy "airesis" in the Greek, meaning "to choose" to depart from the truth that was once for all...

In Ephesians 4, Paul calls us to preserve unity while we seek a perfect unity that does not yet exist. How we are to go about this is very confusing to many Christians. Do we seek to unify all organizations calling...

The contrast between technological progress and social regress is an enigma. Technology has made much of life easier and accomplishments in health, transportation, communication, and information...

Last year my wife and I participated in a home Bible study that studied the book of Revelation. We had just contemplated the portion of end time judgement that will involve the horrors of the plague of...

Can we trust our destiny to a God we cannot see? Biblical faith says we must. Paganism can be attractive because humans find it difficult to trust and hope while faith has not yet become sight...

In the last issue I discussed the age-old tendency of God's people to be lured into the beliefs and practices of the pagans. I will now address the particular mode that pagan religion has taken in our day...

God warns His people not to allow the pagan world to lure them into its beliefs and practices. From Genesis (e.g. Sodom and Gomorrah) to Revelation (e.g. the great harlot Babylon) we read such warnings. God has...

Any observer of contemporary American ways of thinking and acting can readily see that so-called "common sense" has deteriorated into common non-sense. Commonly accepted standards of proper...

Paul's concern for first century Christians was that they would have the discernment to distinguish good from evil. Our need now is as critical as theirs. Because of the information revolution we are bombarded...

Biblical Christianity is not merely one of many competing religious philosophies, nor is it merely a system of belief and practice that will hopefully make one a better person. Biblical Christianity is an intimate...

The hope this passage refers to is that we might be like Jesus when we see Him (1John 3:1,2). The problem to which it refers is sin. Sin mars the image of God in us and sin keeps us from being more like...

Because the doctrine of the end times (eschatology) has caused so much dispute in the church, many have determined to sit on the sidelines. Over twenty years ago I first heard someone say, "some are...

The New Testament shows that the battle for the minds and souls of human beings concerns "the truth," the message of Jesus Christ and "the lie," the message of the evil one. We either become disciples of...

Nothing puts Biblical Christianity at odds with modern culture more dramatically than its claim to have the exclusive way to God. Somehow it seems arrogant, intolerant, and naive to think that only through a...

We live in a day in which commonly believed lies have colored the beliefs of most of society. Ironically, the one lie that may be doing the most damage is the one that says that it is impossible for anyone to...

The pagans rejected the Creator and chose to worship the creature. We now live in days of revived paganism and its confusion of the Creator - created distinction. This distinction means that the triune God...

God's will for our lives as Christians is sanctification. Sanctification does not happen through good intentions, but through the sovereign intervention of our Heavenly Father. Our responsibility is to agree...

Some suggest that many Christians are suffering from an identity crisis and prescribe mega-doses of self-affirmation as the cure. A Christian friend recently handed me a bulletin insert that was distributed in a...

Last month I asserted that human actions have significance and that we are accountable to God for "deeds in the body" (2Corinthians 5:10b). We have all failed, leaving us with a guilt problem. This...

The last two months we have examined the issue of Self-esteem. A related matter that bears directly upon this question is that of behavior or performance. Because many teach that high self-esteem is an important prerequisite for personal and...

Last month's commentary ended with a quotation of this verse: "Because you say, `I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I...

How one ought to feel about himself has become a significant issue for Christians. This topic did not receive much debate in previous generations since most Christians agreed that we are prone to pride and ought to have more humility. They...

Will Bible Study Kill You? "If you study Scripture too much you will become spiritually dead because, `The letter kills and the Spirit gives life.'" Most of use have heard this argument against Biblical scholarship. Whether based upon experience in...

Babies are wonderful, so are baby Christians if one means those who have recently come to the faith. The author of Hebrews, however, is speaking of babes of a different variety. These "babes" are in a state of perpetual infancy. They lack...

A teaching that has been popular since the nineteenth century says that Jesus died for our sicknesses as well as our sins. Matthew 8:16,17 & 1 Peter 2:24 are the passages cited as proof. The doctrine is called "physical healing in the...

The word "gospel" is familiar to most people in America, but its meaning is confused or obscure for many. Some equate "gospel" with television hucksters whose ulterior motives are quite transparent, causing many to disregard the message....

During the last century, many Protestant denominations have embraced religious liberalism as their guiding theology. There are numerous theological issues that separate liberals from conservatives such as belief in the inerrancy of Scripture...

The focus of the last several issues of CIC has been Biblical counseling, specifically as it concerns sin as the basic root problem of all human beings. There is another important related issue: things that have happened to a person over which he...

In the last two issues we examined some of the deficiencies of secular counseling and secular theories about human attitudes and behaviors and we proposed that God's word contains the necessary...

Last month we explored some shortcomings of modern psychology's approach to healing of the soul. I suggested that Biblical counseling, based on the prescription of 2Timothy 3:16,17 was a better alternative for Christian people. This month...

Is the person who is trained in Scripture, anointed by the Holy Spirit, and called by God to minister to the lost and hurting adequately equipped to counsel? For centuries of church history, the answer was an unequivocal "yes." Modern...

As we approach another presidential election in America, it seems the chasm that separates the beliefs and attitudes between groups of people is deeper and wider than ever. The emotions and convictions are just as fervent on both sides of...

The New Testament claims to be Jesus Christ's teachings, will, and purpose for the church in written form. God has spoken to us in Jesus Christ and His word is full of meaning, power and authority. God cannot lie, so His word is...

The idea of God anointing someone, as with many other important truths, has its roots in the Old Testament. The Theological Dictionary of The New Testament states: "Anointing that is meant to restore or to enhance physical well-being...

Balaam, the mad prophet, serves as a prototype for false teachers who will arise in the last days and trouble the Christian church. The stern warnings of 2Peter 2 are for those who would follow in his path. The false teachers to whom Peter refers...

A few weeks ago as I was driving to the church in the morning I turned on one of our local Christian radio stations. A popular faith teacher was proclaiming that God created Adam to be the "god of this world." He said that when Adam...

Last month we discussed the Biblical meaning of "binding and loosing" as used in the gospels. To bind is to forbid by doctrinal decision, to loose is to permit. Examination of the teachings and practice of the New Testament apostles reveals...

I bind you, Satan!" is uttered in thousands of prayers every day in America. "Spiritual warfare" books that teach Christian how to "bind Satan" are hot sellers. Not only is Satan himself subject to continual verbal "binding," but a whole host of...