Faith Quickly Fading Upon Earth
…Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth. Lk. 18:8b
As I approach my 81st year, and the 51st anniversary of the evening I heard the glorious gospel and placed my faith in Jesus Christ, I marvel at how in just a few short years the Christian religion that was once revered and respected in our great nation is now characterized as not only dangerous, but subversive to “Democracy.” Not only that, but Christ’s followers are accused of all manner of heinous crimes from subverting youth, denying women “healthcare” which is the popular euphemism for abortion, to domestic terrorism.
Such accusations should be no surprise to those familiar with Christian history, and the ongoing efforts of the evil one to suppress true Christianity. By true Christianity, I mean what the Bible calls the faith which was once (for all) delivered unto the saints. Jude 3. This is not the faith that is regularly preached in the majority of the main line denominational churches of America today, which teach that baptism in infancy, plus numerous good works, alms-giving, and participation in various sacramental rituals is required to gain favor with God and assure their place in heaven. Such doctrine is not only highly erroneous, but will lead those who blindly embrace it to a Christless eternity in a place of unspeakable horror.
By true Christianity I mean what the Apostle Paul taught the Corinthian church, which he outlined in I Cor. 15:3-4. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Jesus Christ came to earth for only one ultimate purpose, to offer Himself to God as the only acceptable sacrifice to atone for the sins of mankind. Absolutely nothing else would appease the wrath of God against sin. Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be crucified in order to have His life’s blood drained from His body and, thereby fulfilling the biblical demand that …without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Heb. 9:28b. He then spent three days and three nights in the grave to fulfil His prophecy recorded in Matt. 12:40, and then rose triumphantly from the tomb to fulfil His prophecy in Matt. 16:21.
Paul, who characterized himself as “the chiefest of sinners, made Christ’s sacrifice a very personal thing when he wrote to the Galatians; I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Gal. 2:20. True Christianity requires only one thing of the guilty sinner, (that’s you and I) that we believe with all our heart that Jesus loved us so much that He offered Himself a sacrifice in our place in order that we might be delivered from the eternal punishment that we so richly deserve for our sin, and that He rose from the grave the third day. No works of righteousness, however wonderful or generous; no religious ritual, regardless of its ancient origins or the effectiveness professed by its practitioners, can ever appease the wrath of God. Only the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can do that. He went willingly to the cross for you and for me. …Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved… Acts 16:31b. This then is True Christianity.
A comparatively small cadre of Progressives (so called) have captured the levers of power in government, media, education, and religion, and are attempting to transform our beloved nation into their dreamed of Socialist utopia. They continue to refer to our Constitutional Republic as a Democracy, a form of government which our Founders despised and warned us against. To achieve their goals, one of their highest priorities is to destroy faith in God and replace it with faith in government. Such tactics have succeeded in nations such as Russia, China, England, and Germany, to name just a few. When the Lord Jesus asked the question in Luke 18, He was referring to, as C.I. Schofield observed, “…the whole body of revealed truth.” These Progressives are hell-bent to destroy and remove from our everyday lives the biblical principles upon which our nation was founded, and which holds our society together, based upon the revealed truth of Holy Scripture. Can Christ’s return be far away?
One of the basic principles of revealed truth is the preciousness of human life. God created man in His Image in order that He might have meaningful fellowship with His created beings, and that they would bring Him glory and enjoy Him forever. The abortionist and those who support him have robbed Almighty God of fellowship and glory of now over 66 million unborn. Thankfully, the infamous Roe-V-Wade decision has been overruled, but the battle is far from over. Now the individual states have been assigned the responsibility to decide how they will deal with the issue. Please pray that the state legislatures would refuse to pass laws that allow abortion to continue within their borders.
Happily, the state of Wisconsin has had a strong anti-abortion statute on the books since the 1840’s, which sadly the Roe-V-Wade decision temporarily nullified. Please let your representatives know that you oppose any revision to this long standing law.
Submitted by Philip W. Croom
Member of the Executive Board, BFLW
Member of the Board of Directors, Access Women’s Center, Madison
Deacon, Waunakee Baptist Church, Waunakee, WI