The Dangers of the Heresy of Modernism Theology

Modernism is defined in theology as, "A tendency in theology to accommodate traditional religious teaching to contemporary thought and especially to devalue the supernatural elements."  First, I'd like to say I am NOT against modernization in general- if not I would not purchase a PC, get a flat screen LCD monitor, I would not have a cell phone, I would not buy handhelds, I would not also get an electronic Bible but the problem is when theology gets modernistic.  Technology can modernize as long as it does not affect values, however never the principles.  We can have PCs and laptops but kick all dirty material like porn and carnal music or anything that pleases carnality out of their hard drives!  What I am against is when values get too contemporary and keep away from God's Word.

So what's wrong with the modernistic theology?  The modernists can come in different forms and may teach the following heresies:

1.) Denial of blood atonement.  These people refuse to believe that blood had to be literally shed on the cross or two, it has to be associated with the death of Jesus.  Now there's the accusation that John Macarthur refuses to believe in the blood atonement, what he is really against is the notion that the blood of Jesus has become a fountain in Heaven or that the blood alone can be separated from Jesus' death.  No, the blood of Jesus in itself is always associated with the death.  Jesus didn't walk bloodless, the blood was surely back to His body during his resurrection.  To deny the necessity of Jesus' bloody death separates the fact that Hebrews 9:22's shedding blood means life in itself. 

2.) Denial of the knowledge of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation therefore denying the three facts about Jesus' sacrifice as well.  I do find it very awkward to say that the unsaved person does not need to know the three facts of Jesus' sacrifice- death, burial and resurrection to be saved.  Then if that's the case, Romans 10:9 would be a lie because it says, "That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."  And two, if that were not necessary, the four books namely Matthew, Mark, Luke and John would have written all but useless details of His death, burial and resurrection.  In Acts 2:22-24, Peter declares the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The Gospel is incomplete when it does not have those aspects.  If you don't preach the Jesus that is the Son of God who died, was buried and rose again, you are not preaching the Jesus of the Bible!

3.) Easy believism.  This is a perversion of the Gospel and not to be confused with the quasi-easy believists.  While the quasi-easy believists do agree with me with the core doctrines like repentance of sin is necessary for salvation, believers can no longer live the way they want because they're saved... however the easy believism can range from moderate to hyper.  The moderate easy believists are not necessarily Antinomians but can fall into the foolishness of believing that those who once believed are forever saved even if their lifestyles don't show it failing to see the difference between Lot and Sodom as well as Samson and the Philistines.  Sure Lot and Samson didn't give their all... and so did Solomon but the differences are that these people despite their bad choices, still good doers by God's grace compared to the people of Sodom.  Lot was vexed in Sodom, Samson despite his bad decisions did all he could to deliver Israel from the Philistines and Solomon wrote three books in the Bible (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon).  The hyper can be destructive to the point they believe that believe once and you are still saved even if you don't believe afterwards. That is plain heresy.  I should launch the question saying, "Can a homosexual believe once and continue being a homosexual?"  They definitely will answer yes and then what about the Satanist?  They may even answer yes.  If no change occurred, no conversion occurred.  People who possess eternal security will endure to the end, those who don't fall away completely.  I wonder if they really understand James 2:14-18 with the 17th verse saying, "Even so faith if hath not works, is dead, being alone." and in Hebrews 11, much work is done as a result of faith.  Faith in Jesus plus nothing equals life-changing salvation.  In fact, why should I embrace those people who bear not fruit for Jesus as brethren when they are false converts?  This is another malicious lie against Lordship salvation which is a term today wrongly used to label works salvation by the misinformed like I was before until I examined the Lordship distinctions and that they do not believe in works salvation and conditional security.

4.) Arminianism.  This can be linked to Pelagianism or the denial of original sin, that man is basically good and salvation as the work of man, not God which also links to the heresy of conditional security.  Jacobus Arminius was a heretic who perverted the Gospel that Augustine and Calvin preached.  Charles Spurgeon was a strong opponent against the Arminian doctrine that actually taught salvation could be lost if the person doesn't endure to the end compared to the truth taught by Calvin that Christians will definitely endure to the end.  They mark the teaching of perseverance of the saints as serious, brain-damaging, licentious a license to sin.  These preachers can be even so arrogant, riotous, highly chaotic and the type of people I better not mind what they think about me.  While they accuse me of granting a license to sin, they are also so focused on themselves on their "I did it" type of salvation.  In short, this is also linked to salvation by WORKS.  If I had to do good works to maintain my salvation, that's still works salvation rather than me doing good works, desire to do good works and growing in good works only because I'm forever owned by God, that's grace. Titus 2:11-14 reveals for Christians, they do good works because of the grace of God, not for their own merit.  There is no merit in works to salvation, but rather good works are the merits given by salvation because faith without works is dead.  This can also result to the heresy of hyper-lordship salvation which perverts the historic Lordship preaching then teaches conditional security, separates Lord and Savior when the two are supposedly inseparable, they come together and then it's all about salvation is doing everything God says.  Quite different from Lordship salvation's Christians will obey God because they're saved.

5.) Gospel of prosperity.  These people quote Malachi 3:10 to make a quick buck.  I do believe in tithing and I tithe, because I love the Lord.  However what is pretty wrong is when the pastor turns the tithing business into a money making business then they ask for bigger love offerings.  Remember that the whole problem of tithing does not only involve robbery on those who are supposed to drop their tithes and offerings into the offering basket but also on the dishonest pastors.  Pastors are NOT supposed to keep the money for themselves but rather, to use the money for the expenses of missions, church expenses and all for the church operations NEVER to pay for gambling debts, buying a BMW, getting an i-Phone and going to an expensive family vacation.  The problem with Gospel of prosperity preachers is that many of them are actually works salvation preachers and two, in league with the Vatican.

6.) Salvation by sacraments.  Sacraments are SIGNS and SYMBOLS of a spiritual reality. They do nourish the believer spiritually BUT they have nothing to do with salvation.  The most common sacramentalism (which is the belief of sacraments are necessary for salvation) is baptismal salvation.  If they do read the Bible properly, nowhere in the Bible does it really state that baptism is necessary for salvation.  Baptism ONLY signify salvation or to say, "To sow especially by a conventional token." like I'm giving a medal to my student for winning the Bible quiz bowl.  It is a pledge or something that is a token or a sign, nothing more or a means, that is to convey a symbolic like "This x-ray result means I need to be operated soon!" and I am pointing at my x-ray result, NOT my literal tumor that has to be removed lest it kill me sooner or later.  Like baptism as a means would mean this- rightly received, baptism SHOWS everyone that the Christian is saved and not by the washing of water.  Today, baptismal salvation is a heresy that roams around from contemporary Lutheranism to Pentecostalism and even modernized Protestantism.  

7.) Denial of a literal burning Hell.  It pretty didn't surprise me anymore when Billy Graham declared, "I don't believe in a literal Hell anymore."  Not only does Billy Graham endorse Roman Catholics as brothers and sisters in Christ, he also calls the Pope as the center of the Christian world which is a complete and total LIE.  Many modernistic preachers can be so dumb to preach that Hell doesn't exist or Hell is only here on Earth, the Bible however says otherwise.  Hell is not just the grave, it is a literal place where sinners will burn forever and forever if they are not saved.  I am glad for Estus Pirkle's video "The Burning Hell" but sad to say, some of the pastors there later had records of being belligerent in some ways.

8.) Perverted views of the Trinity.  This can really play a huge blow on Jesus being God the Son and the person of the Holy Spirit.  These cults begin their malicious attack on the Deity of Christ and the Deity of the Holy Ghost by saying that 1:26 that God was talking to angels.  However they miss out the term "Spirit of God" which can also be seen in other translations I don't use like the NIV, ESV, NASB or Good News.  I may be a King James only-ist (but not a Baptist Brider) and I don't like how some of my favorite preachers aren't in that league BUT only if those modernists could examine their Bibles properly, they'll find out that Jesus is God the Son and the Holy Spirit is a Person and is also God.  In Acts 5:2-4 we read that Peter (I've even checked out the NIV, ESV, NASB and Good News translations!), even if they do miss a lot of words in 1 John 2:17 that says in the King James, "For there are three that bear record in Heaven: the Father, the Word (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Ghost and these three are one."  Even with all the words struck out, however they cannot completely downplay Christ's deity and the Holy Spirit is still a Person especially if they read the account of Jesus' baptism where the Son is glorified, the voice from Heaven is God the Father and the one that descended like a dove was God the Holy Spirit- TRINITY!

9.) Ecumenism.  Now this is where the dead end meets  Today there is the lie "We are all brothers and sisters and God is our Father."  If that post was for Christians, that would be true but NOT to the rest of the world.  Not everybody is a child of God.  They say, "Then so says Jesus."  Oh really?  John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to the that believe on His name." and meanwhile John 8:44 says, "Ye are of your father the Devil and the lusts of your father ye will do.  he was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it."  That is, man in his own natural state is a child of the Devil and only by Christ ALONE can he become a child of God.  There's in fact the drawing difference is that there is a distinction in Hebrews 12:5-6- God chastises His own while leaves the rest of the world to rot as a result of sin.  In fact, John 14:6 the Lord Jesus declared, "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No man cometh unto the Father EXCEPT through Me." and He invites all to come directly.  Any other world religion may believe a few things about Jesus but DO THEY REALLY KNOW THE REAL JESUS?  No.  Many modernistic preachers are no surprise openly admit they are Jesuit trained, that they are Jesuit operatives (evidenced by their pictures on their own websites) and have their picture taking with the Pope like the late Martin Luther King Jr. and Billy Graham who were comrades at arms.