THE

UNTENABLE:

answering questions & questioning answers

        

(observations from a sheep’s eye view)

 

Just over ninety years ago, Cole Porter wrote a song entitled Anything Goes. If you were to read the lyrics to that song, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was penned more recently than that. In the 2020s perhaps. The sentiment is summed up in the title. I’m reminded of the words of the Prophet Isaiah; ‘Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!’ (Isaiah 5:20). He isn’t speaking to the people of the world, but rather, to the people of God & just like the lyrics of Cole Porter’s composition, these prophetic verses could have been written in more recent times. So, what is The Church’s stance in the midst of all of this? Are we predisposed to championing The Gospel or are we preoccupied with something else? Some believers are standing. Some believers are running. Some believers are doing neither, but are attempting to hold a position that is untenable, because it is unbiblical.

If there is sand in your ears, pay close attention to where you’re putting your head. There is a very steady trickle of lethargic & apathetic disassociation sloshing around our feet brethren, like bilge water. We need to bail this out. Many of us have become comfortable with sitting on our hands, so that if nothing is given to us, nothing will be required of us (Luke 12:48). We’re so silly. Read the entire parable. There are choices that we will all have to make in these times. We cannot afford to allow our obligations to slide into someone else’s lap. You & I have to prepare ourselves for whatever it is that God has called us to. Ready or not. Here it comes. You can’t hide. Of course, our very first responsibility is sharing The Gospel, so we need to be sure that we are on point with The Good News. If the Gospel we have adhered to is wrong, that is untenable.

⁶ I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: ⁷ Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed ¹⁰ For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. ¹¹ But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. (Galatians 1:6-11). 

Another Gospel, which is not another? What’s Uncle Paul talking about? Notice, he didn’t tell the believers in Galatia that they were in danger from another Gospel; Paul is amazed that they had already moved on into it! Slosh. Slosh. Slosh. We must bail this bilge water out! Make no mistake, a false Gospel is almost always alluring, but it is by no means restricted to legalism, as was the case with the Galatians. Any other Gospel, apart from the true Gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, carries with it a curse. The Apostle Paul continues.

³ But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: ⁴ And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: ⁵ To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you (Galatians 2:3-5). 

Are we still sitting on our hands? Is there still sand in our ears? Is that steady trickle of lethargic & apathetic disassociation still sloshing around our feet? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, there is a problem. I’m not pointing the finger at the Latter Day Saints, the Watchtower, the Seventh Day Adventists or other pseudo Christian cults. I’m speaking to us. What I see as untenable is our indifference & indolence. How many of us actually know what we believe & why we believe it? We take so much for granted. If our Gospel is wrong; what of our doctrines? Remember that in the world, anything goes. What about The Church? Have we succumbed to the spirit of the age & been caught napping? Slosh. Slosh. Slosh. Bail out the bilge water.

¹ Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. ² For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. ³ But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴ For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him (2^nd Corinthians 11:1-4).

What type of believer does this produce? Again, I’m not pointing the finger at the pseudo Christian cults; I’m speaking to us. We who claim to hold to the true Gospel & to right doctrine. If this is so, why do we put up with so much that is unbiblical & by extension, untenable? There has been a very cavalier & La Sa Faire attitude among believers & leaders alike, when it comes to The Church & its activities. We will happily bear with teaching that offers us the keys-for-steps-to-&-secrets-of-a-faith-powered-prosperous-purpose-driven-best-life-now, but we will squirm in our seats when we have to endure a proper exposition of Scripture in our respective fellowships on a Sunday morning. Eisegesis good. Exegesis bad. It is only when we begin to take these admonitions of Scripture seriously, that we will see progress. We need to bail this bilge water out. Its presence is untenable.

¹⁰ A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject (Titus 3:10). 

¹⁸ For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. ¹⁹ While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. ²⁰ For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning (2^nd Peter 2:18-20). 

Some of us are not equipped to face these things. Some of us are blissfully unaware that anything is happening at all. We still have sand in our ears. We are still sitting on our hands. The level of that bilge water we spoke of will continue to rise, just as surely as the tidal wave of anything & everything coming The Church’s way will grow higher & higher. What’s at stake? Our callings. Our rewards. Our works. Paul says, ‘Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire’ (1^st Corinthians 3:13-15).

Brethren, it is time to clean our ears out. It is time to get off our hands. It is time to start bailing out that stagnant bilge water. Another Gospel, another Jesus & another spirit would all like to infiltrate The Church. Well guess what; the real Gospel, the real Jesus & the real Spirit are constantly endeavouring to do the same thing. We must take our heads out of the sand & build on The Rock. We must use our hands to hold forth The Word of life. We must allow The Spirit to have His way. This is our only recourse if we are to do God’s will. Anything else is untenable.

³ If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; ⁴ He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, ⁵ Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself (1^st Timothy 6:3-5).

These words are as plain as day & are as relevant now as when they were written. They may not be as smooth or as catchy as Cole Porter’s, but they are certainly truer. Are we still sitting on our hands? Is there still sand in our ears? Is that steady trickle of lethargic & apathetic disassociation still sloshing around our feet? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, there is a problem. Paul spoke of wholesome words; even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. well here are some of His words for our consumption & consideration.

²¹ Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. ²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: ²⁵ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. ²⁶ And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: ²⁷ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it (Matthew 7:21-27).

What are we building on? What are we building with? What are we building for? These questions will become more specific. Who are we building on? Who are we building with? Who are we building for? I cannot answer these questions for you; only for myself. However, if we believe that anything goes, we will soon become unstuck. Bail out that foul bilge water. Clean that irritating sand out of your ears. Stop sitting on your idle hands. ‘Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses’. (1^st Timothy 6:12). Anything else my brethren, is untenable. God bless you.

 

 

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