The Great falling away from the Holy Scriptures and tampering with the Word of God

THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
& the demise of the Compromising Church
by:  Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

"A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such a subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." (Titus 3:10-11)

About 30 years ago, the United Church of Canada embarked on a dangerous venture of tampering with the Holy Scriptures, in order to please the secular, humanistic and sensual appetites of their misguided theologians!

Since then, they have struggled against the tide of genuine Christianity, to re-indoctrinate their flock with sporadic doses of liberalism, secular humanism, situation ethics and blatant heretical error!

It has been a long and arduous journey as their leadership has fought privately and publicly to revamp that denomination in order to meet the demands of radical feminists, abortionists, animal rights groups, environmentalists and the homosexual/lesbian lobby, the majority of which dwell in our largest cities.

The agony of both camps - believers in the veracity and authority of the Holy Bible and those who want to make new rules for modern times - has been excruciating! And the results disastrous.

According to Peter Newman - one of Canada’s foremost authors - the free-fall of the United Church of Canada’s membership rolls continues, and their influence in society has greatly diminished during the past three decades.

In his recent best seller ‘The Canadian Revolution’, Newman writes, “The United Church, formed in 1925 through a union of Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists, suffered the steepest decline. Three million Canadians declared their United Church affiliation to the latest census takers but less than 380,000 bothered going to church. Although the most liberal of the mainstream congregations, allowing for the ordination of gay priests and promoting the social gospel, the United Church found itself paradoxically unable to attract the young."

A footnote says, “An increasingly typical event was the closing, during the fall of 1994, of Chalmers United Church in downtown Vancouver. There wasn’t a single member left on its congregational rolls who was less than 80 years old."

For years, University of Lethbridge sociologist Reginald Bibby has tracked the religious life of Canadians. In his book ‘Unknown Gods’, Bibby states: “Tragically, religious groups are failing in what appear to be spiritually prosperous times. The churches are inept religious companies that cannot get the faith out of the ware house …The news is that interest and intrigue persist, in spite of the problems of organized religion. The result may be a very sizable, ongoing spiritual vacuum."

The Anglican Church, according to the census has 2.2 million members with 784,000 active adherents. Addressing the church synod in 1994, Archbishop Peter O’Driscoll warned: “In the next ten to fifteen years the largest age group in the present Anglican Church of Canada will be dead. At the end of two generations, there won’t be enough people to say there’s still an Anglican Church alive in this country."

How sad and tragic!

While the Anglican Church lost 250,000 members from 1981 to 1991, and the United Church lost 665,000 members during that same period  ~ that is 10 % and 20 % respectively-the Pentecostal Church grew by 100,000 adherents and the Christian & Missionary Alliance doubled in size.

The November,1965 issue of Canada’s Revival Magazine, ‘Cry of His Coming’ carried the following prophetic headline: 1965 UNITED CHURCH NEW CURRICULUM SETS STAGE FOR MORE APOSTASY! MODERATOR REV. HOWSE DENIES PHYSICAL RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.

In that article I wrote under the by-line, ‘The Great Falling Away’- St. Paul warns: “Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

The ‘Great Falling Away’ is Here Now- with entire denominations of Christian Churches turning their backs on the Holy Scriptures, declaring them fallible and contradictory. They despise the great truths of the Bible, and exchange them for their own humanistic, man-made philosophies.

As strange as this may seem, these reprobate preachers actually play-out the exact role of ‘backsliding Israel’ in Old Testament times.

“For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)

HERE IS A LIST OF THEIR BACKSLIDINGS

1.- They have violated the sanctity of the Holy Bible, discarding the eternal truths of God’s Word. Man-made philosophies, secular humanism and blatantly spurious doctrines have filled the void.

2.- They rely almost totally on man’s wisdom and carnal knowledge, having rejected the wisdom that comes solely from the Holy Scriptures. This leaves them incapable of making sound spiritual decisions.

3.- They have rejected the counsel of the Holy Spirit- divine paraclete- and draw their inspiration from the teachings of others similarly deceived. Serious decision making regarding spiritual matters and doctrine is therefore prejudiced, flawed and compromised.

4.- Their emphasis is on good works, rather than the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. The ‘social gospel’ they preach is devoid of the grace of God and faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Their ‘good works’ message offers only secular and political rhetoric to undo social injustices, without a sound spiritual foundation.

5.- They have desecrated the Holy Scriptures by substituting their own verbiage instead of the correct translation of the original Hebrew and Greek, in reference to God Himself. These literary counterfeiters have unilaterally -without any jurisdiction- decided to change the gender of Almighty God from masculine (Father) to Mother . Instead of addressing God as He, they refer to Him as She and the Lord Jesus is not the Son of God, but the Child of God.

How dare these philosophizing theologians change the original manuscripts to please the radical feminists and lesbians and namby-pamby, milque-toast preachers?

The Word of God conclusively states: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2, 16)

AN URGENT WARNING IS ISSUED TO THOSE TAMPERING WITH GOD’S WORD

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [(but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also]. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."

“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?"

“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 2:22-23; 4:1-3; 5:1, 4-5, 9-12)

“The new United Church curriculum- now taught to thousands of children- denies the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, leaving the inference that Joseph or some other man was Jesus’ father. This would indicate that His mother Mary was sinful and promiscuous, instead of a chaste virgin and that Jesus Christ was not divine.

Have you heard of such SACRILEGE? And this- not from an atheistic journal- but from the official organ and pulpits of Canada’s largest Protestant denomination.

That same ‘curriculum’ calls the first eleven chapters of Genesis- which deal with God’s marvellous creation, Noah and the flood- a fable or myth! It denies the miracles in the Bible, rejects the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and ridicules His ascension and second coming.

Read the blasphemous statements made by Rev. Ben Smilie- United Church chaplain at the University of Saskatchewan, as chronicled by Regina Leader Post’s Tom Jarvis in an article titled, ‘A MASSIVE IRRELEVANCY’.

“The Toronto Telegram printed it in full with the somewhat shocking passage in large type which speaks of fundamentalist belief in “ clay-made man, a floating zoo, an amphibious-footed Jesus, a son of God who was a home brew artist, and an ascension that looks like a Cape Kennedy blast-off”.

Have you heard of anything more blasphemous and anti-Christian, coming from the pen of an ordained Protestant clergyman.

We’ll let the moderator of the United Church speak for himself. The following was carried by the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, June 5, 1965. ‘HOWSE SAYS LITERAL BELIEVER IN BIBLE LACKS UNDERSTANDING'

“The moderator of the United Church of Canada says Christians who believe literally in all of the ‘ metaphors and imageries’ of the Bible exhibit ‘lack of understanding’.

“The Rt. Rev. Ernest Howse of Toronto, in an interview Thursday said that one of the most significant religious trends today is the movement away from ‘medieval imagery and hypocrisy’.

“Dr. Howse, who had been in Banff for a meeting of the United Church’s Alberta Conference, said people should not take literally such events as Christ’s physical resurrection and the virginity of Mary. The moderator said the United Church’s new curriculum which allows for liberal interpretation of the Bible, is ‘really nothing new at all’.

“There is nothing in the curriculum which was not accepted when I was in College thirty years ago. If people are shocked by it, then it is evident our ministers have not been adequately teaching their congregations”. Bill Phipps probably learned ‘apostacy’ from professors, who were themselves corrupted while in College.

The new moderator of the United Church is Rev. Bill Phipps- a little known Calgary pastor- who is making big waves with his outspoken, irreverent and blasphemous remarks. It appears that he has excelled in unlearning the basic, fundamental doctrines of Christianity, in the tradition of the Rev. Howse and the liberal theological College to which he referred.

‘AN ACTIVIST MODERATOR IS ROCKING THE UNITED CHURCH’

In a major news story carried across Canada in the Southam Press, Nov.1, 1997, Rev. Phipps made these statements: “I don’t believe Jesus is the only way to God. I don’t believe he rose from the dead as a scientific fact. I don’t know whether those thing happened. It’s an irrelevant question."

In a follow-up article, the ‘Ottawa Citizen’ wrote: ‘Church Moderator A Heretic, Professor Says’- “The moderator of the United Church of Canada is a heretic, says a professor of modern Christian history.

“A heretic is defined as someone who chooses a doctrinal path other than that of the church to which he belongs, says John Stackhouse, of the University of Manitoba.

“By that standard, Rev. Bill Phipps “is a heretic according to the United Church of Canada’s own standard of doctrine. He’s also a heretic in generic Christian terms, because he denies the creeds that all Christians have subscribed to, whether they’re Catholic, Protestant or Eastern Orthodox."

“In interviews with media organizations, Phipps denied the divinity of Christ, denied the reality of the resurrection as a historical fact, and said he was unclear ‘The historic Church says there are such realities, which are crucially important to human life,’ said Stackhouse, a former president of the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association."

Jesus Christ warned of “blind leaders of the blind”, who would both fall in the ditch. And the remarkable thing is that our Lord advised in such cases to ,”let them alone.” Why, since He had come “to seek and to save the lost”? Here is His answer: “…Every plant, which My Heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” (Matt. 15: 13-14)

St. John wrote about “a sin unto death”, for which there is no forgiveness unto those who have sinned or opportunity to pray to God for their salvation! This is extraordinary, because we know that “God is love” and “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners…” of whom Paul said he was the chief. (1 Jn.4:8)(1 Tim.1:15)

We know that Paul was a murderer before he turned to the Lord, and yet God forgave him. Why are there some who cannot receive forgiveness? We’ll let Paul answer that one: “…but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (I Tim.1:13-14)

What is “the sin unto death” ? It is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ’s deity, after having known and proclaimed Him! The Bible says: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and been made partakers of the Holy Ghost. And have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.” (Heb. 6: 4-6)

St. John-the apostle of love-declares: “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”(1 Jn.5:20)

Then he declares, “For many deceivers are gone out into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an anti-Christ.

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son"

“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (2 John 7-11)

MORE LIGHT ON ERRONEOUS TEACHING

No. 1 - They have violated the sanctity of the Holy Bible, discarding the eternal truths of God’s Word. Man-made philosophies, secular humanism and blatantly spurious doctrines have filled the void! One of their major doctrines is ‘the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man’, meaning: God is everyone’s Father regardless of belief or lifestyle, and we are all brothers.

There is no need for a Saviour because everyone will be saved in the end; just do the best you can and it’ll all come out in the wash. God is too good and kind to allow anyone to “go to hell”. And besides, there is no hell.

But They Have A Big Problem: What To Do With the Holy Bible

God’s Word states: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) “Surely He hath borne our griefs (sicknesses), and carried our sorrows (pains): yet we did esteem Him smitten of God and afflicted. But He was wounded (pierced through) for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed."

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah  53: 4-6)

Here is the bad news and the good news! “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten (one and only) Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

“For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Jn.3:16-19)

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (Jn. 3:36)

No. 2- They Rely Almost Totally on Man’s Wisdom and Carnal Knowledge, having rejected the wisdom that comes solely from the Holy Scriptures. This leaves them incapable of making sound spiritual decisions! They teach: “It doesn’t really matter what you believe so long as you are sincere and believe something! All religions are good because all paths lead to God, anyway!"

The Bible states that carnal wisdom “descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.” When we receive Jesus Christ, however, He enters into us and we are born-again. He gives us His wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.” (James 3:15; 1Cor.1: 30)

St. Paul emphasized: “For the preaching of the cross is to them perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

“For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” (1 Corinthians1: 18-21)

JESUS DECLARED HIMSELF THE SON OF GOD AND THE WORLD’S ONLY SAVIOUR! He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” (John14:6) “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me were thieves and robbers. I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved...”(John 10:7-9)

Again He said: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life ,that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me , but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of My Father.”(Jn.10:11,17,18)

Jesus Christ conclusively contradicts Rev. Bill Phipps and his co-horts. In the foregoing Scripture, He prophecies His own death and resurrection for the sins of the world! And both St. Peter and St. Paul confirm His death and resurrection, according to the old Testament Scriptures!

“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 rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians15:3-4)

“Neither is there salvation in any other -than Jesus- for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Who gave Himself a ransom for all…”(1 Timothy 2:5-6)

“Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:3-4)

It matters very much what we believe, and in Whom we believe. Our Lord rebuked some of the pharisees with these words: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.

“He was a murderer from the beginning’ and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (Jn. 8:44) St. James warned: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble.” (James 2:19)

The Bible says: “Beloved , believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” (1 Jn. 4:1- 3)

No. 3- They Have Rejected The Counsel of The Holy Spirit- divine paraclete- and draw their inspiration from the teachings of others similarly deceived. Serious decision making regarding spiritual matters and doctrine is therefore prejudiced, flawed and compromised!

The totally anti-biblical and grossly immoral position taken by the United Church of Canada’s Congress ( ) on the issue of ‘ordaining practicing homosexuals’ into the MINISTRY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, proves without a doubt, that they did not ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance.

When an individual or a company of people reject the Holy Scriptures, they automatically reject the blessed Holy Spirit, Who is the author of the Bible.

How could the Holy Spirit bless such a sinful act, which is totally condemned by God’s Word?

The answer of course is -He cannot!

No. 4- Their Emphasis is on ‘Good Works’, rather than the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ ‘on the cross’ for our sins. The ‘social gospel’ they preach is devoid of the grace of God and faith in the blood of Jesus Christ! Their ‘good works’ message offers only secular and political rhetoric to undo injustices, without a sound spiritual foundation.

The Southam News report states: “Rev. Bill Phipps, moderator of the United Church of Canada, says the divinity of Jesus and the reality of heaven and hell are irrelevant. W hat really matters, he says, is ‘mending a broken world’. Phipps, a long time social activist, says the church needs to push harder on issues such as gay rights and putting a stop to what he calls the cultural genocide of Canada’s First Nation."

The Bible says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift from God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:8-10)

St. James made it very clear that we need both faith and works, in order to please God. He writes, “What doth it profit my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? Even so faith if it hath not works is dead, being alone.” (James 2:14,17)

Clearly then, we are saved by God’s grace alone through our faith in Jesus Christ, but we are saved to serve! John Calvin-the great reformer- said it so well: “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is not alone.

No greater work can be done in helping the poor and needy, than that of General William Booth-founder of the Salvation Army-who literally dug out of the slums of England the lowest and most derelect of all peoples, transforming them through the preaching of Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And what was- and still is- their slogan? Blood and Fire! The blood of Jesus Christ shed for our sins and the fire of the Holy Spirit! The Salvation Army became famous for their ‘soup, soap and salvation’.

I would to God that Rev. Phipps would take a lesson from General Booth and the Salvation Army, or from John Wesley-the founder of the Methodist Church-who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ with such power that England was literally transformed; spiritually, morally and economically.

Historians credit the work of John Wesley and the early Methodists, in helping to save Great Britain from a similar fate as befell France, due to their ill-fated revolution.

If that’s going too far back in history, how about emulating Mother Teresa? Just give the love of Jesus to the poor, sick, needy and sinful, Rev. Phipps! Then You will be doing the real work of God!