“I would never speak about faith, but speak about the Lord himself - not theologically, as to the why and wherefore of his death - but as he showed himself in his life on earth, full of grace, love, beauty, tenderness and truth. Then the needy heart cannot help hoping and trusting in him, and having faith, without ever thinking about faith. How a human heart with human feelings and necessities is ever to put confidence in the theological phantom which is commonly called Christ in our pulpits, I do not know. It is commonly a miserable representation of him who spent thirty-three years on our Earth, living himself into the hearts and souls of men, and thus manifesting God to them.
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False gospels and false prophets...the Lord warned us about them in His Word....
Galatians 1:6-9 (NIV)
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 (NIV)
3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
Matthew 7:13-15 (NIV)
13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 Watch out for false prophets.They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."
We too easily trust preachers at churches to really teach the truth about our Lord. How Satan tries to deceive so many is what his mission is- even in the church. The deceiver works hard to distract us from the living Christ. The evil one wants us caught up in theological discussions and arguments. He steals, kills, and destroys our lives. But Jesus came to give us life. He is the gate of the sheep.
Matthew 24:24 (NIV)
"For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."
As Christians we get so focused on theological systems of belief and lose sight of the preciousness of the actual person of Christ. Christianity is not just theology. It's about a person, and that person is Christ. The more we learn and understand Him in a relationship of trust- then that is when our faith in Him truly blossoms.
John 10:7-9 (NIV)
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.