Grace and Peace from Our Lord Jesus Christ!
Not only is our denomination moving in the direction of moral decline, but it is also moving in the direction of
religious decline. The book of Judges shows how the nation of Israel did the same thing. They became pagan in their religion and in their morality.
The religious decline of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is at least similar to the religious decline of Israel. For Israel, it was obvious in the way that the nation broke the First and Second Commandments in particular. The Second Commandment prohibits the use of idols [aka idolatry]. We are to worship in the way that God has revealed for us to worship and not to make up our own ways to worship. But the people of Israel, even when they said they were still worshiping the same God as before, began using idols for their worship [aka idolatry]. It was not much of a leap before they were worshiping the Baals and Asherahs (male and female gods of the Canaanites) [breaking the first commandment].
Likewise, the trend of our denomination has been to make up our own names for God and metaphors to substitute for each person of the Trinity (like mother, child, womb). The trend has been to say that we are all still worshiping the same God as before and moreover that Muslims also worship this same God. This trend has been to say that no matter what religion you profess, you will be redeemed. This trend has been to profess universal salvation – that all will be saved no matter what. Some of the changes to the Book of Order made recently promote this view that God “redeems…all people.”1
We must follow a different path. The trajectory described above is a road that leads to death and exile. We must follow the one who is the way and the truth and the life – Jesus Christ (John 14:6). We must worship the one who died for our sins, including the ways we break the First and Second Commandments, and is indeed risen. His is the only name under heaven by which women and men must be saved (cf. Acts 4:12)!
Which path are you taking?
In Christ,
Pastor Justin
1 This is a quote from the very first sentence of the new Foundations of Presbyterian Polity section to the constitution (F-1.01).
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