Believing God: Twelve Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept by R. C. Sproul Jr. & R. C. Sproul

Author:R. C. Sproul Jr. & R. C. Sproul
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Promises, Bible, Promises - Biblical Teaching, General, Religion, Christian Theology
ISBN: 9781567691122
Publisher: Reformation Trust Publishing
Published: 2009-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

C H A P T E R S E V E N

OPEN WINDOWS

OF HEAVEN

MALACHI 3:10

he Indians of the old West, we are told, were a resourceful bunch. When they killed a buffalo, they did not merely take home the tastiest portions and leave the rest to rot on the plains. Instead, they found uses for the hide, the bones, and the sinew. Even the horns were put to good use.

Likewise, the Devil is not only terribly crafty, but resourceful as well. His schemes are rarely discreet, operating on one level only, and with only one goal. When, for instance, he came up with the silly notion that there is no objective right and wrong, he was not merely seeking to confuse the gullible. That's all well and good, but there is more he can achieve through this strategy. For instance, actual Christians can lose a degree of confidence in the Bible. They may not embrace relativism, but they may feel intimidated by its general acceptance. Perhaps most subtle is this eventuality, which affects even the most ardent defenders of the biblical truth account: when we come to the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, we are told what God really requires, objectively. But the Devil succeeds if we come to this text believing that its ultimate purpose is to refute relativism. The Ten Commandments do not merely tell us that there is an objective right and wrong. They do even more than tell us what that objective right and wrong are. We have missed the power of the Ten Commandments if we miss their exposition of the glory of God-if we miss the beauty of the calling He has placed on our lives.

The Devil has gotten much the same kind of mileage out of what has come to be known as the "health-and-wealth" gospel. This is a school of thought, far too common on "Christian" television, that holds that God's desire is for all His people to enjoy perfect health and astonishing wealth. Adherents of this view, sometimes called the "word-faith" movement, argue that their own lavish lifestyles are a sign of God's blessing on their lives and ministries. They argue in turn that others can be so blessed by giving generously to these ministries.

The Devil scores points when some people believe that God wills all of us to enjoy unlimited health and wealth. But many, if not all, of the proponents of this doctrine teach other grave heresies as well, and seduce the ignorant into those heresies. However, the Devil does not merely encourage adherents of this doctrine to embrace theological error. It isn't as if all that happens is that they misunderstand the nature of the Trinity. No, they are not only wrong about this doctrine and that, but are positively encouraged toward particular sins, such as covetousness and greed. As in Gordon Gekko's Wall Street world, greed in this worldview is good. This particular temptation is all the more potent, of course, when the "health-and-wealth" gospel "works." That

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