False Religions continued terpreter of the old book. Really this means that the Bible is judged by the new book rather than the new book being judged by the Bible. Christianity recognizes the Bible as the final authority. Christianity says that all teaching must square with the Bible, that this teaching must square with the Bible. If any reader can say, "Dick Halverson, you have done something contrary to the scripture," then I must, if I’m honest, correct my teaching. I dare not have a private interpretation of scripture. And by the grace of God, I never will. I must let the Scriptures teach me. I must never let them become simply a body of proof texts supporting my private views. I must take the time—make the effort-—to search the Scriptures to get the whole balance of truth in the Scriptures about any given subject. If a book or a doctrine disagrees with the Bible, then the book is wrong, the doctrine is wrong— not the Bible. Beware of any system which involves another book in addi tion to the Bible and invests it with authority. Now we suggest many books about the Bible— any number of books about the Bible— any good book that will help you more clearly understand the Bible we recommend heartily. Any book, by any writer, in whatever denomination. But we don’t say: "There’s one book you must keep along-side the Bible through which you study the Bible and in the light of which you interpret the Bible. That is not Christianity! Relationship: Vertical or Horizontal The next thing that’s often characteristic is that the em phasis is on this life. Life here and now in this world. How to live now. How to be wealthy now. How to be adjusted now. Emphasis is on life on this earth, man’s relationship to man, and neglects by and large man’s re lationship to God. All the emphasis upon the horizontal— no emphasis or little on the vertical. Ethical and moral but not spiritual. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:19, “ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” "If Christ be not raised from the dead then you are still in your sins, your faith is in vain (I’m a liar as a preacher, said Paul) and we are of all men most to be pitied.” T he great emphasis in the Bible, in the Christian faith, is that wé’re redeemed for eternity. "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” "They that will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” And some people are giving us the idea that all Christians should have Cadillacs, live in the Hollywood Hills in a 10-room mansion. This would be embarrassing doctrine to preach to those mighty wonderful Christians in Korea, or to those behind the iron curtain in Europe. I’d be ashamed to let some of those Korean Christians hear me say a thing like that, or even know that I had thought it. Salvation by Achievement The next thing that’s sometimes characteristic: salvation, if there is any salvation, is a matter o f achievement. (One of the nice things you hear said in this particular regard is, "you make your own hell on earth”— you make heaven or hell right here). Now this achievement can be in one of three ways. One way is by knowledge. That’s, in general, what we call the gnostic pattern. That’s the old heresy in the Christian church. There’s nothing new about New
Thought, it’s as old as gnosticism which was the first serious heresy that faced the Christian church. Another false way man achieves salvation is by religious works or ritual. Read Col. 2:16-23. Or listen to these words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matt. 15. "For the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God, you hypo crites. Well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said this people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me. Teaching for doctrines the precepts of men.” The third means whereby a man achieves his own salva tion is by an ethical system or moral code. So you’ll have somebody saying the golden rule is my religion or taking the golden rule and developing that. One thing that is very common today is what we call in theology synchretism in which some prophet takes a little out of Hinduism and a little out of Buddhism and a little out o f Theosophy and a little out of this and a little out o f that and a little out of everything. He then says, now I have the answer: all of these religions are good and we put them all together and we have the religion of the world. That’s it. And always at the center is the golden rule. Or something like it. Y ou know, the golden rule is interesting. Crooks can keep the golden rule very easily. Here’s a Los Angeles gangster. He pulls some evil and the police start after him and he’s "hot” (in the language of the underworld). So he shows up in New York City at another gang leader’s late at night. The California gangster says, "I’m hot in Southern California, they’re after me everywhere, I want you to hide me out until things cool off.” The New Yorker hesitates for a little while and the L.A. gangster says, "Now listen, I’d do the same for you if the situation were reversed.” So they keep the golden rule. Well, however he expresses himself man achieves salva tion by maintaining a moral code or an ethical system. What does the Bible say? "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not o f yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” An Extra Church System One more characteristic. And that is that it is an extra church system. That is, outside o f and contrary to the historic Christian position. These false prophets have no connection whatever with the continuity o f the Christian faith from Jesus Christ to the apostles down to the present day. They begin outside the pale, they are beholden to no one and they remain quite distinct and separate from the whole historic line of Christian religion. Here is the message that is the heart and core o f the Christian faith. It was preached by the apostles, and they insisted that it was the message o f the Old Testament prophets (Rom. 1:1-4). It was preached by those who followed the apostles and in every generation since then this message has been the hallmark that distinguishes the true Christian teacher from the false (1 John 5:11, 12; John 3:16). When men add to, or subtract, from, or omit this message . . . beware of everything else they have to say. END. (This is the last of our current series on cults. Dr. Talbot is writing another series that will start in the fall. The booklet, " What’s Wrong With fehovah’s Witnesses?” is now on sale at Bible book stores at 35$. By mail these books are 40 18 THE KING'S BUSINESS
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