Attack on The Work of Christ?

We have become debased sheep. Our commitment is not to our shepherd (Jesus), but to whomever is famous and popular at the moment.

Do we dare question pastors, who are propagating a false condition of grace, within the body of Christ, His Bride, His Church? Are some given a pass, because of their popularity with a certain segment of the congregation, as long as they're preaching Christ?

This movement is, in principle, a redis-covery of the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation, within Evangelical Churches. To all appearances, the proponents of this Neolegalist theology intend to stay in Pro-testant churches and, in effect, transform them into theological colonies of Rome.

John Piper says; "future grace" is conditional, and it is we personally, not Christ, who must meet those conditions."

Piper denies justification by faith alone while professing to accept Biblical soteriology—which makes his work all the more dangerous. The most effective attack on truth, the most subversive attack on the doctrine of the completeness and efficacy of the work of Christ for the salvation of his people, is always couched in pious language and Biblical phraseology.

We partly know where Piper came up with this doctrine, as we look briefly at his main mentor, Daniel Fuller. Fuller, Pro-fessor at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, a liberal institution whose faculty denies the inerrancy of Scripture, is one of the most influential propo-nents of Neolegalism. His two books, Gospel and Law: Contrast or Continuum? and The Unity of the Bible: Un-folding God’s Plan for Humanity, have deeply influenced Piper and others. Fuller specially thanks Piper for his help in producing The Unity of the Bible, and Piper acknowledges his profound debt to Fuller in Future Grace. In his Foreword to The Unity of the Bible, Piper wrote:
"No book besides the Bible has had a greater influence on my life than Daniel Fuller’s The Unity of the Bible. When I first read it as a classroom syllabus over twenty years ago, everything began to change…. God’s law stopped being at odds with the gospel. It stopped being a job description for earning wages under a so-called covenant of works (which I never could find in the Bible)…."

“How many conditions are there, in order for us to receive this "future grace?” Piper has actually enumerated 11 conditions we must meet if we want any “future grace”:

1.loving God,
2.being humble
3.drawing near to God
4.crying out to God from the heart
5.fearing God
6.delighting in God
7.hoping in God
8.taking refuge in God
9.waiting for God
10.trusting in God
11.and keeping God’s covenant, which he says is the summary of the first 10.

Do not get me wrong these are all great things for us to follow and remember. But are they new laws or commandments to keep, in receiving "future grace?"

John Piper proclaims: “I am hard pressed to imagine something more important for our lives than fulfilling the covenant that God has made with us for our final salvation.”

"Martin Luther, in his commentary on Galatians, says that to add any religious work to the gospel of grace seems to be a trivial matter, but “it does more damage than human reason can imagine. Not only does it mar and obscure the knowledge of grace but it also removes Christ and all of his blessings and it completely overthrows the gospel.” Kangas Commune

There are many people with some desire to be religious, but not enough desire to dig in to read and study the Bible. Many of these just find a man, a preacher, and trust him. Whatever he says, they depend upon; he is their "man of God," in a sense beyond the biblical. They believe what he says; trust his answers to every question, resting the salvation of their souls in him. They still read and study the Bible some, but always take his word.

Not a good idea because no man is infallible. Regardless of how much you love someone, that affection does not make them infallible. Men may prove themselves to be educated, eloquent, charming and able to fill buildings with people. Yet they remain fallible, capable of error.

Those in Berea searched the Scriptures daily, to see if what they were hearing was true to God's Word (Acts 17:11).
John and Peter both warned of false teachers, and Jesus said they may come to us in sheep's clothing (Matt. 7:15); (1 John 4:1); (2 Pet. 2:1)). John said our duty is to "test the spirits," and Paul said: "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thess. 5:21)).

Why is it that we put our government under such a microscope (as we should) and yet we don't do the same as to our spiritual leaders? Is the Church (The Bride of Christ) less important? Can we say as it was once said in a state of the union. "I'm pleased to announce the condition of our nation is strong and without falter?" Can we say the same of our houses of worship and the Church in general? Are they no longer wolves, false teachers...within our midsts? We are Saints, Soldiers in an army in obedience and under the authority of a King. Why are we in this army and what are we protecting? Are we defenders of truth or are we Saints and Soldiers in name only? We are so apt in enjoying the benefits and blessings of this Kingdom, but we are not willing to fight for it. The enemy has made us indifferent, unconcerned in this battle that is constantly being fought, until our King returns.

There is one body of religious instruction that should govern all that we believe, teach and practice. That is, the Word of God. Nothing should be accepted as true; nothing should be practiced or recommended – unless it is taught in the Word of God. Each individual must take this obligation seriously.