Words to ponder:
Did you ever stop to realize when you say one church is as good as another, you take all meaning, all significance, out of Christ's life and work among men?
What is the most prominent feature in the life of Christ? It is His teachings!
Presenting Himself to men, and bringing to men, God's revelation. The truths of Life, Death and Eternity. What men must believe! And how men must live in accordance with this belief!
Probably the most telling point in His whole life's ministry was when He stood before Pontius Pilate. And Jesus cried out to Pilate, and to all mankind! "For this I was born, for this I came into the world, that I should give testimony to the truth."
For truth, Christ came into the world! For truth He suffered! For truth He died!
And indifferentism lightly says: "It makes no difference to God whether you believe truth or error."
Then why was Christ here among us? Then why did He teach? Then why did He suffer and die for truth? Was Christ worse than a human fool?
And what about the Apostles? In all justice the Apostles were eleven good men. Tried and true! They had given up everything for Christ. Homes, friends, positions! They had suffered with Him the scorn, the jeers, and the abuse. He had seen them so hungry that they were plucking the corn from the stalks and eating it raw. He had seen them thirsty, footsore, and weary. They had trudged with Him over the dreary miles of the Galilean desert sands. And all for love of Him. And that alone! Their only reward had been hardship, hunger, and the hatred of men.
Christ not only foresaw, but He even foretold, the hardships, the imprisonments, the exiles, the tortures, the cruel deaths, that were in store for them.
What can you think of Christ? Here He is, ordering these men, His dearest, most beloved friends, to suffer all things in order to bring His teachings to men. When it made no difference to Him whether men believed them not. How could Christ command them thus? You who believe Christ was God! And believe God is love! Is God an inhuman tyrant?
And what about the Christians of all ages? Those who had kept the word delivered to them by the Apostles!
Did Christ not foresee the centuries of bloody persecution in which His followers would be dragged from their homes, torn from their loved ones, thrown into the loathsome dungeons, scourged, burned, exposed to wild beasts, beheaded, crucified, suffering under the the worst and most diabolical of torments? Did He not foresee all this? did He not foresee all that His followers would suffer and suffer simply because they believed in Him and were faithful to His teachings?
He did foresee all this! He knew exactly what would happen! Can you believe then, knowing God as you know Him, this God loving you as you know He loves you, that He would have demanded obedience to His teachings in the face of all this if it makes no difference to Him what men believe? What doctrines they hold? To what church men belong?
Finally, picture one of the martyrs, his body torn limb from limb; his ears cut off; his eyes burned out by red-hot irons; his tongue ripped out, and red-hot lead poured down his throat; his hair torn out by the roots; tortured and tormented by every diabolical scheme that men could devise; until nearly dead, he is thrown into a furnace where death relieves him from his torments.
Now picture Christ! Coming along and gazing upon that wounded and bruised and scarred body. Gazing into those eyeless sockets, which had welled with those scalding tears of pain and agony.
Can you picture Christ, His lips curled in derision, a mocking light in His eyes, as He says: "I was only joking - it really makes no difference what you believe, or whether you believe anything at all. The joke is on you!"
Can you even imagine such a vile, blasphemous picture of Christ?
But that is the picture indifferentism would give you!
Indifferenism, which says: "One church is as good as another." Indifferentism, which is nothing but blasphemy! Indifferentism, which is simply atheism.
Source: One Church is not as good as another by Rev. Wilfred Hurley C.S.P
Did you ever stop to realize when you say one church is as good as another, you take all meaning, all significance, out of Christ's life and work among men?
What is the most prominent feature in the life of Christ? It is His teachings!
Presenting Himself to men, and bringing to men, God's revelation. The truths of Life, Death and Eternity. What men must believe! And how men must live in accordance with this belief!
Probably the most telling point in His whole life's ministry was when He stood before Pontius Pilate. And Jesus cried out to Pilate, and to all mankind! "For this I was born, for this I came into the world, that I should give testimony to the truth."
For truth, Christ came into the world! For truth He suffered! For truth He died!
And indifferentism lightly says: "It makes no difference to God whether you believe truth or error."
Then why was Christ here among us? Then why did He teach? Then why did He suffer and die for truth? Was Christ worse than a human fool?
And what about the Apostles? In all justice the Apostles were eleven good men. Tried and true! They had given up everything for Christ. Homes, friends, positions! They had suffered with Him the scorn, the jeers, and the abuse. He had seen them so hungry that they were plucking the corn from the stalks and eating it raw. He had seen them thirsty, footsore, and weary. They had trudged with Him over the dreary miles of the Galilean desert sands. And all for love of Him. And that alone! Their only reward had been hardship, hunger, and the hatred of men.
Christ not only foresaw, but He even foretold, the hardships, the imprisonments, the exiles, the tortures, the cruel deaths, that were in store for them.
What can you think of Christ? Here He is, ordering these men, His dearest, most beloved friends, to suffer all things in order to bring His teachings to men. When it made no difference to Him whether men believed them not. How could Christ command them thus? You who believe Christ was God! And believe God is love! Is God an inhuman tyrant?
And what about the Christians of all ages? Those who had kept the word delivered to them by the Apostles!
Did Christ not foresee the centuries of bloody persecution in which His followers would be dragged from their homes, torn from their loved ones, thrown into the loathsome dungeons, scourged, burned, exposed to wild beasts, beheaded, crucified, suffering under the the worst and most diabolical of torments? Did He not foresee all this? did He not foresee all that His followers would suffer and suffer simply because they believed in Him and were faithful to His teachings?
He did foresee all this! He knew exactly what would happen! Can you believe then, knowing God as you know Him, this God loving you as you know He loves you, that He would have demanded obedience to His teachings in the face of all this if it makes no difference to Him what men believe? What doctrines they hold? To what church men belong?
Finally, picture one of the martyrs, his body torn limb from limb; his ears cut off; his eyes burned out by red-hot irons; his tongue ripped out, and red-hot lead poured down his throat; his hair torn out by the roots; tortured and tormented by every diabolical scheme that men could devise; until nearly dead, he is thrown into a furnace where death relieves him from his torments.
Now picture Christ! Coming along and gazing upon that wounded and bruised and scarred body. Gazing into those eyeless sockets, which had welled with those scalding tears of pain and agony.
Can you picture Christ, His lips curled in derision, a mocking light in His eyes, as He says: "I was only joking - it really makes no difference what you believe, or whether you believe anything at all. The joke is on you!"
Can you even imagine such a vile, blasphemous picture of Christ?
But that is the picture indifferentism would give you!
Indifferenism, which says: "One church is as good as another." Indifferentism, which is nothing but blasphemy! Indifferentism, which is simply atheism.
Source: One Church is not as good as another by Rev. Wilfred Hurley C.S.P
RSS Feed