Holding fast to apostasy and deception (Jeremiah 8:5)

May 29, 2009

By Mark Swaim

Why, then, do these people of Jerusalem continually turn away from me in apostasy? They hold fast to their deception. They refuse to turn back to me (Jeremiah 8:5, NET version).

Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim 1:13)

But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. (Rev 2:25)

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee (Rev 3:3)

The times in which we live are apostate times. They were not so 30 years ago, but they clearly are today. The term “evangelical” means nothing today. It has become an umbrella word that at times embraces the Roman Catholic Church, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, Pentecostals, Episcapalians, nominal Christians, and many other groups irregardless of whether they do or don’t hold to the faith that was once and for all time, given to the Saints (Jude 3).

To be evangelical today does not necessarily mean that one is born again (John 3:3). To be evangelical is more in line with being part of modern ecumenicalism which has only helped to murk the waters of confusion. Nor has it helped to be aligned with the Protestant Reformation. The pilgrim church traces its history back further than the reformation. It was persecuted by both Catholics and Protestants in history. Christianity today means embracing anything and everything so long as it does not include what I call the 3 things that have always made up the pilgrim church: Christ-centeredness, Bible in focus and pilgrim in character.

Today, the pilgrim church is facing the dividing line. The voice of Wisdom cries loud (Prov 8:1); The voice of Scriptures speak (Matt 24:24; Mk 13:22; Jude 4); the voice of the Lord Jesus calls (Matt 11:28; Rev 3:20); the voice of the apostle is heard (2 Cor 6:17), a voice from heaven pleads (Rev 18:4); the example of saints are recorded (Heb 11:15).

What the pilgrim church needs to do (and has always done) is to get out of the murky waters, this time of evangelicalism and Protestantism and go back to its simple, pilgrim roots that stem from the varied persecuted groups that have, through history, sought to remain true to God’s Word.

Leaders today need to understand that there is a battle going on, not to rid the world of Christianity, but to rid it of the type of Christian who is Christ-centered, Bible focused, and pilgrim in character. And we need to stop following the world, stop thinking that bringing the world into our churches is going to help us and start to separate from the world again as all true believers have and always eventually will. MAS 052909