Why We Need a Second Reformation

Five-hundred years ago today, a German monk named Martin Luther inadvertently started a revolution. His 95 thesis statements nailed to a church door began the reformation of Christianity.

For a thousand years, the Word of God was taken out of the hands of ordinary Christians. The church at Rome took over the management of the scriptures, confining it to priests and other professional ministers.

I believe it's time for a second reformation. Because many people don't know how to read the Bible for all it has to offer, they fall into error. Cults twist the scriptures and so do certain sects. As Psalms 56:5 (KJV) laments, "Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil."

And as we read about the Apostle Paul in 2 Peter 3:16 (KJV), "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."

Also, as we're admonished in 2 Peter 2:1 (KJV), "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

Heed also the warning in 1 John 4:1 (KJV) which reads, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." This doesn't mean that we should listen to ghosts but that we must discern truth from lies.

Let's not be like the people who Paul wrote to in Galatians 1:6 (KJV).  "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:"

There is no other gospel but the one proclaimed by Jesus and his apostles. Therefore, I'm working on a book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? From the so-called prosperity gospel to seeker-friendly outreaches, many believers are missing the truth of the real gospel and buying into lies. May this second reformation come soon since so many false teachers are impoverishing believers, both monetarily and spiritually.

What's With All These Denominations?

This question confused me too, along with arguments about the right Bible to read,  when I was a new believer in Christ. I remember how every church used to believe that they were the best or only church Christians should attend. Each claimed all the rest were wrong or, even worse, heretical. Thanks to excellent biblical apologists, I now know How and why we came to have so many sects.

The answer is quite simple. Satan hates the truth so he infiltrated the churches from the beginning to confuse people and lead them astray. Even in the first few decades of church history, people were attempting to distort or nullify the gospel.

For a thousand years, the church at Rome, now known as the Roman Catholic Church, restricted the study of the scriptures to the priests and monks. They feared that if lay people read them, they'd come up with a plethora of blasphemous ideas.

Martin Luther, translators,  and the printing press made it possible for ordinary people to read the Bible. Though cults have arisen and churches have divided over doctrinal differences, the gospel and the scriptures have survived.

I learned from excellent scholars that misunderstandings happened due to people not knowing the cultures, customs, and nuances of the ancient languages. Proper biblical scholars and translators take all these factors into account whereas unscrupulous individuals seek to build up their own followings.

An example of false teachers is portrayed in my How I Was Razed book. Contact me regarding how to purchase this marvelous memoir of God's providential guidance.

In my next post, I'll deal with pastors who abuse their congregants and teach heresy. These are wolves in shepherd costumes and must be avoided.