In a podcast I listened to this morning, a Bible scholar and professor said that one of his students recently told him that the Old Testament portrays God as having “anger issues,” whereas the New Testament portrays God as loving, compassionate, and merciful.
This characterization of the Bible makes me want to facepalm—not simply because the so-called “God of the Old Testament” is loving, compassionate, and merciful, but also because the “God of the New Testament” (if you’ll allow a distinction for a moment) is a God of judgment and wrath. Indeed, he is a God who sends people to hell. Jesus says so. The epistles say so. Revelation says so.
The reason that many Christians believe that the “God of the New Testament” is different, I suspect, is because they believe that Jesus’ many frightening words about judgment, hell, and wrath don’t apply to them. In my sermon yesterday on Matthew 7:13-29, the series of warnings at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, I asked myself and my congregation to imagine that they did. (Because they do!)
And lo and behold: without even trying, I preached a pretty good Lenten sermon on the first Sunday of Lent!
Among other things, my sermon included some words about the LGBTQ issue, which threatens to split our denomination (literally) in the next two years: by 2019, a specially called General Conference will decide once and for all how to move forward—together or separately. I said the following:
Have you entered the narrow gate, are you traveling on the hard road that leads to life? If so, shouldn’t your life look noticeably different from the vast majority of people who are just “going with the flow” on their way to hell?
I mean, right now in our own denomination, bishops and church leaders are meeting—they’ve met this month and they’ll meet in the months ahead—and they are deciding whether or not to change our church’s doctrine concerning sex and marriage. And I completely agree with theological progressives in our church when they say that our doctrine is hopelessly out of step with our culture—that it’s offensive to most people; that it’s difficult to follow.
And why wouldn’t it be? “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Beware of false prophets who tell us that the gate is much wider and the way is much easier than Jesus says! And I’m afraid that too many of our bishops and church leaders are doing just that!
But even as I say this, I risk coming under judgment for my own self-righteousness, for my own anger, for my own pride. Because this “narrow gate” and “difficult road” also demands that our lives bear fruit—which isn’t simply adhering to all the right doctrines, but rather, being inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the “fruit” Jesus refers to in verses 15 to 20 is what Paul calls the “fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Is our life showing evidence of this fruit? If not, we may be entering through the broad gate, and traveling on the easy road that leads to destruction.
As has been the case throughout my present sermon series in Matthew, Frederick Dale Bruner’s commentary inspired and convicted me. Concerning the “false prophets” of vv. 15-20, he writes the following:
If we are not to enter the Broad Way to destruction we will need to be continually liberated from those who beckon us to it. Moreover, “[t]he difficulty that there is even in finding this [Narrow Gate], requires that right guides should point it out to us” (Tholuck, 417). Jesus now tells us how to defend ourselves from false prophets. First of all, recognize their traits. False prophets almost always wear sheep’s clothing, that is, they have seemingly Christian ways. “Sheep” in Matthew are symbols of present or future believers… This presents us with a difficulty: what is the difference between a Christian appearance (sheep’s clothing) and a Christian effect (good fruit)?
It is the first subtlety of false prophets that they appear Christian. False prophets rarely wear wolves’ clothing. They are often (though not always) sheep-like, Christian-seeming, in earnest, and apparently the real item. This is why Jesus has to warn us about them at all.
Betz, 527, notices that the greatest danger facing disciples is not persecution but false prophets, luring us on to the easy road. His observation is corroborated by the multiple appearances of false prophets (from within the church) in Jesus’ warnings in the Sermon on the End of the World (see 24:4-5, 11, 24). Henry, 94, observes that “Every ‘hypocrite’ is a ‘goat’ in sheep’s clothing; but a ‘false prophet’ is a ‘wolf’ in sheep’s clothing, not only not a sheep, but the worst enemy the sheep has.”[1]
Many people, including colleagues and even friends in ministry, would strongly disagree with me (and Bruner, I’m guessing) that the effort to revise the United Methodist Church’s stance on sexuality and marriage represents the work of “false prophets.” But if Bruner is right that false prophets are people in the church—our church, any church—who seek to “lure us on to the easy road,” shouldn’t we consider the possibility? To ignore it, after all, is to put our souls at risk—again, if Bruner’s interpretation of Jesus is correct.
For my progressive colleagues who tend to give extra weight to the red-letter words of Jesus, please consider his words here, too. Please heed these warnings!
As always, I write this as a fellow sinner in need of God’s grace at every moment.
1. Frederick Dale Bruner, The Christbook: Matthew 1-12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004), 352-3.
Absolutely there are “false prophets” or “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in our churches! Those who “call white, black, and black, white,” or “good, evil, and evil, good” are certainly among the prime suspects (though it is possible SOME are merely “blind followers of the blind” as opposed to being “blind leaders”–but both of whom will “fall into the ditch”). The LGBTQ debate in particular is a watershed in that regard.
Also, although we all sin, Jesus indicates some sins are “worse” than others as to their effects and judgment. For example, he who causes one of these little ones to stumble, it were better for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and thrown into the ocean!
I know, Tom! The responsibility that we pastors have in this regard is daunting—or it ought to be. There was a time in my own ministry when I didn’t feel the weight of that responsibility. I do now! It’s frightening to consider the harm that I can do, and that my clergy colleagues can do—even unwittingly.
The “wolves in sheep’s clothing” don’t know they’re wolves, do they?
Well, an interesting question, as to “knowing,” I think at least some DO know, especially with Paul saying some are just out to “feed their own belly,” etc. I don’t think, though, that ones who themselves have been “duped” necessarily are “wolves.” If I may illustrate, some who teach the “prosperity gospel” are “out-and-out bad guys.” while some may have been led astray by them and actually believe they are telling the truth. Not always easy to know which is which (though in some instances it IS easy to spot a “bad guy,” in my estimation). But the “cure” in either event is just to keep preaching the Word.
“The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Beware of false prophets who tell us that the gate is much wider and the way is much easier than Jesus says!”
Amen to that!!
When you point to Scripture like this, and there are so many others, those who disagree just dismiss them. I have never found a one of them that makes a cogent argument for their position that’s rooted in Scripture.
The United Methodist Church is going to split over this. I guess it will be “United” no more. I know which way I must go, but it will be painful nonetheless. Satan has the Church under attack, and a lot of good folks are being led astray.
“A lot of good folks are being led astray.” By the devil. Therefore compassion is called for. I need to remember that.
Recall, though, how Jesus castigated the Pharisees (and Sadducees) who were doing the leading astray. Also, he pointed out that detractors could be “children of your father, the devil.” So, while an effort to ascertain “who is who” is in order, I don’t know that we always need to be “delicate,” especially with CLERGY who are preaching the LGBTQ agenda from the pulpit (or social media).
Not delicate. I agree. The stakes are too high.
Oh, by the way; I found out that I am “Cisgender”. What a relief. LOL 🙂
That’s an interesting point Tom. But, when we are “indelicate” and speak plainly about what we believe to be the Truth, the liberals do what they always do…….they accuse us of being mean, hateful, – – – – phobic (pick your cause), or otherwise “UnChristian”. It’s their favorite tool for silencing dissent. That’s why I don’t think anyone is going to “win” this argument. Best we just go our separate ways.
True enough. But, just recall, the prophets of old were sent by God to contradict the false prophets that were “tickling the people’s ears,” even if the true prophets were not listened to (such as Jeremiah). However, I accept your point that we don’t want to appear more “belligerent” than necessary to give any unnecessary fodder to the opponents.
I don’t mind being belligerent if it did any good. But, I think this horse is out of the barn.
And, you’re right, they killed the prophets…..