Friday, September 05, 2014

Concession equals Compromise



Dangers of Dialogue
Isa.45:18-25.  (Pray)

Our text is very clear and to the point.  There should be no misunderstanding it.  God is real.  He is the only true God.  He has spoken and He does not lie.  He is the creator of heaven and earth and the sovereign ruler of all creation.  Salvation from sin comes only by and through His sovereign grace.  There can be no compromise on these things.  We hear talk about how Christians should engage in dialogue with other religions and philosophies.  If it is merely a conversation, that is one thing but usually – the design is for two points of view to reach an amicable agreement or settlement.  That is when a red flag should go up for the Christian because it is an old Jesuit principle called dialectic.  This principle teaches that agreement comes when one point’s thesis and another point’s antithesis are transcended from thesis vs antithesis into synthesis.  Be advised that any time a thesis of Biblical Truth is synthesized with an antithesis of non-biblical rhetoric, you have a compromise that is not Biblical Truth and the antithesis of non-biblical rhetoric wins.  So, be very careful about so-called dialogue with false religions and philosophies.  Truth cannot be compromised.  When that happens, it is no longer truth.  Consider the following points.

The only true God created heaven and earth.  Isa.45:18. 
1.  Our thesis: We are here as result of the direct creation of God.  Gen.1:1.
2.  The antithesis: There is no God and we are here due to the mutations of evolution.  The Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin 1859.
3.  The synthesis: The creation “days” were not literal days and god used      evolution to bring man into existence from lower forms of life over ages of time.
                   A.  The Bible Truth of creation is compromised.
          B.  The theory of evolution wins by calling it “theistic evolution.”
                   C.  The Inspired Word of God is marginalized and undermined.    

The Words of God are open, trustworthy and right.  Isa.45:19.
          1.  Our thesis:  God as spoken and cannot lie.  Ps.50:1, Titus 1:1-2. 
2.  The antithesis: There is no absolute truth.  Everything is relative. Gen.3:1-5.
3.  The synthesis:  The Bible is a good book but there are others just as good.
A.  Biblical authority is compromised and made equal to other “truth”. 
B.  The theory of no absolute truth wins by introducing relativism. 
                   C.  The Words of God are marginalized and undermined. 

The one True God is not worshiped in pagan idolatry.  Isa.45:20-21.
1.  Our thesis:  The Triune God of the Bible is the only true God and faith in Christ is the only way to be right with Him.  Jn.17:1-3.  Jn.14:6.
2.  The antithesis:  There are many acceptable ways to worship and be right with God.  God will accept anyone that comes to him any way they can. 
3.  The synthesis:     Billy Graham has said, “I used to play God but I can’t do that any more. I used to believe that pagans in far-off countries were lost and were going to hell—if they did not have the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached to them. I  no longer believe that,” he said carefully. “I believe that there are other ways of       recognizing the existence of God—through nature, for instance—and plenty of other opportunities, therefore, of saying ’yes’ to God.”  This is called Inclusivism.  According to Wikipedia, other notable Christian names and certain Christian Denominations have taken this position. 
                   A.  Biblical Truth and salvation in Christ is compromised.
B.  The “many ways to God” theory wins by introducing Inclusivism.
C.  The True Way of Salvation is marginalized and undermined. 

Conclusion:  We need Christians today who will stand for the truth like the three Hebrew children did in the book of Daniel.  They did not have a dialogue with the King in order to reach an amiable agreement.  The truth in their thesis could not be synthesized with the King’s antithesis.  Dan.3:8-18.  AMEN. 

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