In the past three BLOGS I dealt with two articles from the October 2007 issue of SBC LIFE. Those articles had to do with people being civil in what is written and said in all mediums of communication. I am not questioning the heart of those men and really not even the central theme of what they have written. I am simply stating that more needs to be taken into consideration. In one sense I am very concerned with what is going on within the SBC and modern evangelical thinking. In another sense it may be partly self-preservation. In the next BLOG or two I am going to return to a critique of an article by Morris Chapman in the August 2007 SBC LIFE. In that article there was a serious compromise of the Gospel. I cannot remain quiet about that. There is something else going on that is of serious concern, though, namely the Building Bridges conference that will take place in November. It is related to the Morris Chapman article. At that conference professing Arminians and professing Calvinists are planning to dialogue on understanding each other and how to get along. There is a strong possibility that if the goal is getting along, then in order to be civil and polite the Gospel itself will be compromised. Whatever else is done, the glory of the character of God in the Gospel is more important than civility for the sake of getting along in one denomination. The issues between the two groups as historically understood are logically and biblically irreconcilable. The differences must be set out with clarity and not watered down.
Jesus Christ would be considered harsh today, but He was and is perfect love. Well, some say, “He knew hearts perfectly and you don’t.” That is correct. But following that argument to its conclusions leads us to the point where we are not able to say anything to anyone. We don’t have to pass final judgment on hearts to obey Scripture and tell people that what they say is not according to Scripture and to stand up for the Gospel. Listen to some words of Scripture pointed to leaders:
Exodus 32:21 – Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?”
Matthew 16:23 – But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
When the men gather in North Carolina, if their primary goal is not the glory of God and His glory in the Gospel, then they will fail miserably in truth no matter what the outward victories appear to be. If the solution is that both sides will just have to learn to compromise for the greater good of the SBC, all will be lost. The Gospel of the glory of God is of far more importance than the SBC. In fact, the SBC should only be in existence for the advancement of God’s kingdom. If the Gospel is compromised, the SBC has become totally worthless. The men at that conference must realize that civility and being gracious is not the most important thing. They must be there to defend the Gospel at the expense of their reputations and positions. The calls to civility and graciousness may in fact work to dull the edge of the Word of God and this simply must not happen.
It is my view that the SBC in general terms is teetering on the edge of irrelevance. It has become more like the business world and less like the Word of God. It has become more of a good-ole-boy network than of people being concerned about seeking men who seek God. It has become more interested in counting nickels and noses (under a pious guise of baptisms and ministry) than it is in seeking the glory of God. In other words, as it becomes more and more like the world it is becoming less and less biblical.
Here are some words from R.C. Sproul from his book Willing to Believe, pp. 19-20:
Robert Godfrey, president of Westminster Theological Seminar in Escondido, California, recently suggested that I write a book about “the myth of influence.” I was startled by the suggestion because I did not know what he meant. He explained that this phrase refers to the modern evangelical penchant to “build bridges” to secular thought or to groups within the larger church that espouse defective theologies.
The mythical element is the naïve assumption that one can build bridges that move in one direction only. Bridges are usually built to allow traffic to move in two directions. What often happens when we relate to others is that we become the influences rather than the influencers. In an effort to win people to Christ and be “winsome,” we may easily slip into the trap of emptying the gospel of its content, accommodating our hearers, and removing the offense inherent in the gospel. To be sure, our own insensitive behavior can add an offense to the gospel that is not properly part of it. We should labor hard to avoid such behavior. But to strip the gospel of those elements that unbelievers find repugnant is not an option.
Martin Luther once remarked that wherever the gospel is preached in its purity, it engenders conflict and controversy. We live in an age that abhors controversy, and we are prone to avoid conflict. How dissimilar this atmosphere is from that which marked the labor of Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles. The prophets were immersed in conflict and controversy precisely because they would not accommodate the Word of God to the demands of the nation caught up in syncretism. The apostles were engaged in conflict continuously. As much as Paul sought to live peaceably with all men, he found rare moments of peace and little respite from controversy.
That we enjoy relative safety from violent attacks against us may indicate a maturing of modern civilization with respect to religious toleration. Or it may indicate that we have so compromised the gospel that we no longer provoke the conflict that true faith engenders.
We must never forget that our hearts are deceitful and that the world is always trying to make us conform to it. The world can get inside of religious denominations and make them more like itself in terms of business practices and its outlook of tolerance rather than the denomination being like Christ and His Word. Peace within a denomination is only desirable if it is a peace wrought by and of the Gospel itself. The Gospel is of Christ alone and grace alone. No matter the words that men say, their theology must sustain that as well. The men going to North Carolina may be going to dialogue in a civil manner and in a gracious way, but they must be sure that they are going to defend the Gospel first and foremost. At times speaking in a civil and gracious way is nothing more than carving the offense of the Gospel away and making it more palatable to some.
The true Gospel of grace alone will always provoke conflict as it reaches the hearts of sinful men. The true message of the sovereign God will always provoke conflict within the hearts of self-sufficient men who hate the rule of God over them. The message that men are dead in sins and trespasses and unable to save themselves in any way is offensive to those who are dead. The message that a person can only be saved by Christ alone and of grace alone is horrible to those who trust in even a little of their own righteousness and power.
This may sound intolerant to some, but so be it. If it is intolerant to judge others, then no one should judge the intolerance of others as that is also judging. If it is intolerant to judge others as unbelievers, then it is also intolerant to judge others as believers. The issue is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and if anyone denies the Gospel that person is not a Christian regardless of his or her position in the world or church. A worldly tolerance will not say anything and that person will perish. True love will say something. The person that love speaks to will respond in anger, yes, but perhaps will be converted later on. The meeting in North Carolina is perhaps about far more than the men themselves realize. They will stand before God as to whether or not they will be faithful to Him and to His Word. That is far more important than whether or not men think of them as civil or gracious. The goal must be the glory of God and nothing else. Anything else would be idolatry.
God Loves... Himself 
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