For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. – Ephesians 6:12 ESV
Introduction
I have taped on the back of my cell phone a quote from Theologian Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer; it reads “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, matters in motion, but against isms; against the powers that seek to name and control reality.” It’s a well constructed paraphrase of Ephesians 6:12 that puts into common vernacular what Paul was teaching new Christians when he wrote it to the church in Ephesus all those many years ago. To the Christian, Paul made it abundantly clear there is most definitely a battle raging; to us, Dr. Vanhoozer’s makes abundantly clear exactly what the war is about. It’s about truth. It is a battle between those who are are fighting to preserve the truth, that is, those who are fully assured that truth and reality are unchangeable, tangible concepts rooted in empirical evidence that can be known, and those who are desperately and vehemently fighting to convince us, to the benefit their own nefarious agenda, that truth and reality are fluid concepts rooted in nothingness. Now, while this may sound like a new and unique war, there is really nothing new nor unique about it. The war we’re in today is the same war that was started back in a garden in Genesis chapter 3. And, although the war itself is not new, I would argue what is new is the degree and proliferation to which the war has risen since Christ first came to earth. As the war becomes more and more fierce, casualties continue to pile up as men and women, who were once regarded as pillars of theological soundness and sanity, are falling prey to obvious lies and cunning deception. More and more churches are being infected by a slow moving cancer as they inculcate humanist philosophies into sound theology and transform the Gospel from good news into a mutated and unrecognizable gospel which is no Gospel at all. What we are experiencing today is nothing short of a nuclear truth war.
Who Do You Say He Is?
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:13-16 ESV
So what is the central truth, or is there a central truth we are fighting for today? The short answer is, yes, there is a central truth we are fighting for. It’s the same truth we, as Believers, have been fighting for since Christ ascended into heaven. This war we are in is a two-fold war occurring in tandem. It’s two sides of the same coin. We’re fighting both to preserve the truth of who Christ is while simultaneously pushing back on the isms designed to reconstruct him into someone he is not. We’re fighting for the truth about Christ, about who he is and why he came. We’re fighting for the preservation of the central message of the Gospel, which is under assault by a wave of humanist philosophies and worldly ideologies.
One such philosophy taking America by storm today is the “He Get Us” movement. This now ubiquitous campaign surrounding the person of Jesus is being sent out on nearly every media outlet available and continues to gain enormous traction. Their television commercials pull at the heartstrings of the viewer and have cast a mesmerizing spell over millions of people in America today who are now embracing with open arms the anthropology of Christ but want little or nothing at all to do with the Bible. The central objective of the campaign is to present Jesus as the epitome of what it means to live as a kind and generous human. In their narrative, Jesus is portrayed as a loving and pious man who, had he walked on the earth today, would have been the most ardent social justice warrior the world has ever seen. His entire life would have been nothing short of a glorious love-fest between himself, pimps, transgenders, and drug-addicts. Oddly enough, all of their stories conspicuously leave out the white, heterosexual, upper/middle-class businessman who’s married with three children and drives a BMW. According to the thirty second narratives, “He Gets Us” would have you believe Jesus lived his life free of judgement and accepted all with whom he came in contact just as they were (except for the white, cisgender, heterosexual male of course) with absolutely nothing required of them; that his life championed the social upward mobility of the marginalized and the outcasts–the most despised and the most vulnerable of society only. He served them. He embraced them. He loved them. He accepted them. And he did all this for no other reason than to let them all know–he gets them.
As it relates to proffering the life of Christ to non-Believers on a global scale, I can think of no greater deceptive, secular philosophy of our day overtaking the American culture than that of the “He Gets Us” campaign. It is unparalleled in its ability to portray the wonder and beauty surrounding the anthropology of Christ while simultaneously ignoring the very truth and essence of who he is and why he came to earth, that is; he is God in human flesh who came to convict the world of sin and die for sinners, not to be a role model on how to make people better humans. The person of Christ has been so sensationalized by this movement, and by many others who regard love and acceptance as the magic potion for what ails all of humanity, that he has been reduced to nothing more than a weak and pathetic caricature of what Scripture actually reveals about the Lord of Glory. This campaign, and those who support it, completely besmirch the cross of Christ and deprecate his power and authority.
Celebrity Equals Credibility
And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. – 2 Cor. 11:12-14 ESV
As is with the “He Gets Us” movement, there has also been a rise in Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes, coaches, politicians, and businessmen who now give compelling, powerful, and inspiring speeches about how Jesus is their hero; how he showed them what it means to be compassionate, what it means to give to the poor, what it means to love your fellow man. They will tell you Jesus has changed their life and they are now are striving to be more like him, to live their life after his similitude, that he is their “role model”. These cheerleaders for Jesus will tell you how his suffering on the cross and his willingness to say “Father forgive them…” showed them the importance of forgiving people even in the midst of their most despised critics. Jesus inspires them to be be better humans, to live their life in a way that brings peace and joy to to their fellow human and ultimately to the world. They will captivate audiences with their insightful and compelling stories about the earthly life of Jesus. They will pontificate endlessly on his life and ministry and encourage you to follow Jesus and live your life as he lived his. And yet, in the midst of these seemingly heartfelt sermonettes, I find myself not only unable to accept or affirm their message, but rather, I find myself compelled to undermine their message. Their message, while compelling, is theologically and tragically flawed; rooted in half-truths and in some cases outright lies. Whether by design or default, their messages are nothing more than an extension of the “He Gets Us” movement, championing the goodness of humanity and ignoring the sacrificial and redemptive work of Christ completely. These spiritual gurus take no issue with the anthropology of Jesus. To the contrary. The earthly life of Christ is the central tenet of their messages. And while they tout the earthly life of Christ, they are incapable of recognizing their need for for him as a Savior who was crucified as a direct result of their own sin. These people are moralists at best and deceitful workmen disguising themselves as angels of light at worst. They are not smiting their chest in repentance and anguish saying “God be merciful to me a sinner.” They follow Christ as one would follow Buhudah or the Dalai Lama. They are not seeking repentance for the forgiveness of sin, but rather they are seeking a more peaceful and loving way to live their life. Just as the crowd was seeking Christ for what they could get from him and not for his Lordship (John 6:26), these people also seek Christ for what he can offer them in this life and not for his Lordship. I say these things, not because I am against the moral teaching of Christ, but because we need to understand there is a serious and marked difference between those who have come to a salvific understanding of their sin and their need for a Savior, and those who have simply had a Jesus experience. I believe many whom we see today talking about the life of Jesus have simply had a Jesus experience and not a salvation conversion. That is, these are people who have been marginally informed about the life of Jesus, believe he came to earth to demonstrate what it means to imbibe social justice and love for humanity and have chosen to follow his earthly way of life because they want the world to be a more loving, inclusive, and peaceful place to live. They see his seemingly non-judgmental pacifism and supposed carte blanche acceptance-based relationship to humanity, and because they believe by living this way and using their influence to encourage others to live the same, we can create a better, more loving and peaceful society; one that will benefit all of humanity. These are well-meaning sinners with a very misguided understanding of the Gospel. Moreover, the fact that they have a celebrity status should have zero impact on our response to their message, that is; celebrity does not equal credibility.
Creating A Better World
No matter who the messenger is, be it a Hollywood celebrity, a politician, a sociologist, psychologist, activist, a “progressive christian” or a secular movement — I have no interest in the end-game of creating a better society or in creating better humans, and neither should you. Educators and secular humanists would have you believe Christianity is just another religion among the many; or worse yet a behavior modification program. Therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists are all too eager to encourage you in whatever religion you find that will make you a happier, healthier, more successful, and centered human, and this for me is the most damaging and dangerous part of this secular movement eager to embrace the anthropology of Jesus. By using Christ as the poster boy for a secular movement, you miss the Gospel completely. Secular humanists will always be eager to teach the morality of Jesus because they desire to create a better world where we can all live in harmony. They are simply doing what every human has been trying to do since being expelled from the Garden of Eden; return to the Garden. But as always, they want to return on their own terms and without God. You see, the reason I have no interest in creating a better society or creating better humans is because there is a finality to this life on earth and an eternity to the life hereafter. If it were possible, and we could create the most well-behaved, kindest, tolerant, and accepting society on the planet; at the end of the day what we would have would be the most loving, mentally and emotionally healthy people in all of history who are prosperous, happy, tolerant, and fulfilled in every way humanly possible, and who will be spending an eternity in Hell when they die because they never saw their need for repentance from sin and have rejected the salvation offered to them which comes only through Christ. Instead of God being acknowledged and worshipped as the preeminent being who upholds the universe and all things therein, we have become gods. We are now the center of the universe. Our happiness, our fulfillment, our success, our health sits atop the epicenter of our world; and if Jesus can deliver all of my earthly desires and there is nothing required of me, then yes; please give me Jesus. I am more than happy to continue my life as it was before and enjoy these new found benefits of peace and prosperity. Please don’t misunderstand me, I also desire to live in a world that is safe and healthy as well, but it is clear to me; so long as these superficial and decaying attributes remain as the goal, we shall forever be blind to our own depravity and need for Christ’s sacrifice.
War? Sounds A Little Extreme
Unfortunately, there are many Christians today who would bristle at the idea that we (Believers) are in a war at all. In fact they might tell me I’m just being melodramatic and irrational. Worse yet, they might say for me to suggest we are at war is violent language and unfitting for any Christian to engage in such extreme rhetoric. My response to those critics is simple; the tenants of Christianity have been under assault since the Resurrection and it is up to us to not only defend the truth of Scripture as it has been known since it was first breathed out by the Holy Spirit but to ensure (as our brothers and sister before have done at the cost of their own lives) its integrity is not compromised. And if you happen to be one of those reading this right now who believes we are not in a war, then I am sad to say, not only you have not been paying attention, you’ve not read your Bible. No matter where you turn today, there is most definitely a war that seeks to control truth and reality as we have always known it. Truth and reality are either being redefined or their veracities are being denied altogether. In either case, the assault rages on, and whether you chose to acknowledge it or engage in the war, makes no difference. Your denial of the war does not make it any less real nor will it make it go away. Christ tells us in Matthew 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and [has been coming violently].” To be clear, this passage is not a call to physical violence but rather a reminder we do not have the luxury of living a spectator’s life. We are reminded by Christ in Matthew 12:30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” And what should we say of Paul who commands us to “[T]ake up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” [emphasis added]. Stand firm, that is to say, we do not bend the knee to the present evil which is committed to destroying truth and reality. We do not stand on the sidelines and hope for the best. To the contrary, we are commanded to daily take up our sword, which I remind you is an offensive weapon.
When We Get It Wrong
Why is it so imperative the truth of Christ is not misunderstood? What are the consequences if we do get it wrong? The critical nature surrounding how accurately we understand the truth about Christ cannot be overstated. If our understanding of who Christ is is not correct; if we attempt to define him in any way that is independent of what Scripture teaches about him, we will always, always arrive at heresy. Take a look around and see if this is not true. Look closely at the many preachers and teachers of this age who are either incapable of or unwilling to rightly divide the Word of Truth, and see what they are teaching. Look critically at their message and what you will ultimately find is someone whose belief about Christ is askew. Look at the “Prosperity Gospel”, look at the “He Gets Us” campaign, look at Catholicism, look at Mormonism, look at the Muslim religion; think critically dear Christian about any religion or teaching that attempts to define Christ outside of Scripture and what you will find is no short supply of heresy and blasphemy. If we are unable to get Christ right, then we are unable to get any of it right. He, Christ, is the singular reason why we have breath in our lungs and have any hope of any kind in this life or the life to come. He, Christ, came to this earth to expose sin and call all people to repentance, and to give his life as a ransom to many. He, Christ, did not bear the shame and pain of the cross so you and I could be prosperous, wealthy, politically powerful people who can now live a life of complete ease and comfort. To the contrary, without Christ, we remain lifeless and dead in our sins, fully disconnected from the God who created us.
I leave you now with a quote from Sermon 44 “Original Sin” preached by the great Methodist preacher John Wesley in the late 1750’s. In this sermon, Wesley makes clear the dangers of preaching any religion which does not bring us to our knees to find the cure for that which ails all of humanity. He minced no words with respect to how we need respond to any religion, any teaching, which would attempt to define Christ outside of the truth of Scripture; it should be rejected wholesale.
Ye know that the great end of religion is, to renew our hearts in the image of God, to repair that total loss of righteousness and true holiness which we sustained by the sin of our first parent. Ye know that all religion which does not answer this end, all that stops short of this, the renewal of our soul in the image of God, after the likeness of Him that created it, is no other than a poor farce, and a mere mockery of God, to the destruction of our own soul. O beware of all those teachers of lies, who would palm this upon you for Christianity! Regard them not, although they should come unto you with all the deceivableness of unrighteousness; with all smoothness of language, all decency, yea, beauty and elegance of expression, all professions of earnest good will to you, and reverence for the Holy Scriptures. Keep to the plain, old faith, “once delivered to the saints,” and delivered by the Spirit of God to our hearts. Know your disease! Know your cure! Ye were born in sin: Therefore, “ye must be born again,” born of God. By nature ye are wholly corrupted. By grace ye shall be wholly renewed. – J. Wesley
Sanctuary and Stone 