Articles
03 Back to the Bible – The Need for Churches to Go Back to the Bible
03 Back to the Bible – The Need for Churches to Go Back to the Bible
Mike Willis
This article may shock our readers. Most readers may think that all churches believe and teach the Bible. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Even as early as the first century, there were people professing themselves to be disciples of Christ who did not believe what Scripture revealed. Here are a few Scriptures where the New Testament authors condemned churches for departing from God’s revealed word (Matt. 16:6, 11-12; 24:4-5; 1 Cor. 11:19; 2 Cor. 11:3, 13-15; Gal. 1:8-9; Eph. 4:14; Col. 2:8; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 Tim. 1:3; 4:1-3; 6:3-5, 20-21; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; Tit. 1:14; 1 John 2:19; 4:1; 2 Pet. 3:1-3; Jude 3-4; etc.). We should not be surprised to learn that many 21st century churches do not believe and practice what the Bible teaches.
Church historians distinguish mainline Protestant denominations from Evangelicals in several areas:
What they believe about Jesus. Evangelicals believe that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, He performed miracles, wonders, and signs that demonstrated that He was God with us (Immanuel), He lived a sinless life, He was crucified on Calvary as an atonement for the sins of mankind. On the third day He was raised from the death. By contrast, mainline Protestant denominations such as the Presbyterian Church (USA), United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, Disciples of Christ, and United Church of Christ reject those New Testament teachings and affirm that Jesus was the illegitimate child of Mary and Joseph, He was an exorcist and faith healer like such charlatans who claim to perform miracles today, He promised to raise up an army and drive the Romans out of Israel, He expected the Lord to establish Him as king over a restored Jewish nation, but was disappointed to be crucified on Calvary because His own people rejected them as their king.
What they believe about the Bible. Evangelicals believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God because the Holy Spirit guided men to write the Bible. Mainline Protestant churches generally do not believe that the Bible is inerrant; they believe it contains many factual errors and, therefore, one is not expected to obey what the Scriptures teach about such things as sex outside the bonds of wedlock, homosexuality, women preachers, etc. From time to time, more than one mainline Protestant church has appointed a homosexual man and woman to be their pastor or minister; a few have appointed practicing homosexuals to be the head of their denomination for a term.
What they believe about moral standards. Most Evangelicals are typically more conservative than the mainline denominations on moral issues. However, it is not uncommon for both Evangelical and mainline Protestant churches to receive couples living together out of wedlock (1 Cor. 6:9-11), accept those who have divorced for reasons other than fornication and then remarried to another person (see Matt. 19:9) into their fellowship, allow drinking intoxicating beverages and using recreational drugs for a “high” (1 Pet. 3:3-4), immodest dress (1 Tim. 2:9), and sexually stimulating dancing (Gal. 5:19, “sensuality”), and allow women to preach in assemblies with men present (cf. 1 Tim. 2:11-12).
I call attention to these things to appeal to those in such fellowships to “go back to the Bible” and teach and practice when is written in its pages. Do not treat the Bible like your cafeteria where you go through a line and choose which items you want on your tray, while bypassing those you do not like. You cannot treat your Bible that way and claim to believe the Bible! Let’s go back to the Bible! Let’s call Bible things by Bible names and teach and practice what is found written in its pages. Unfortunately, many churches that call themselves Christian sound more like the Jews of Jeremiah’s day: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it” ’ ” (Jer. 6:16). What will it be for you?
