ANOTHER GOSPEL

ANOTHER GOSPEL

by A. W. Pink

Introduction

SATAN IS NOT AN INITIATOR but an imitator. God has an only begotten Son - the Lord Jesus, and so has Satan - "the son of Perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). There is a Holy Trinity, and there is likewise a Trinity of Evil (Rev. 20: 10). Do we read of the "children of God," so also we read of "the children of the wicked one" (Matt. 13:38). Does God work in the former both to will and to do of His good pleasure, then we are told that Satan is "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). Is there a "mystery of godliness" (1 Tim. 3:16), so also is there a "mystery of iniquity" (2 Thess. 2:7). Are we told that God by His angels "seals" His servants in their foreheads (Rev. 7:3), so also, we learn that Satan by his agents sets a mark in the foreheads of his devotees (Rev. 13:16). Are we told that "the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10), then Satan also provides his "deep things." (See Greek of Rev. 2:24.) Did Christ perform miracles, so also can Satan (2 Thess. 2:9). Is Christ seated upon a throne, so is Satan (Rev. 2:13 - Gr.). Has Christ a Church, then Satan has his "synagogue"(Rev. 2:9). Is Christ the Light of the world, then so is Satan himself "transformed into an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). Did Christ appoint "apostles," then Satan has his apostles, too (2 Cor. 11:13). And this leads us to consider "The Gospel of Satan."

Satan is the arch-counterfeiter. The Devil is now busy at work in the same field in which the Lord sowed the good seed. He is seeking to prevent the growth of the wheat by another plant, the tares, which closely resembles the wheat in appearance. In a word, by a process of imitation he is aiming to neutralize the Work of Christ. Therefore, as Christ has a Gospel, Satan has a gospel too; the latter being a clever counterfeit of the former. So closely does the gospel of Satan resemble that which it parodies. multitudes of the unsaved are deceived by it.

It is to this gospel of Satan the apostle refers when he says to the Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ:" (1:6, 7). This false gospel was being heralded even in the days of the apostle, and a most awful curse was called down upon those who preached it. The apostle continues, "But though we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."By the help of God we shall now endeavor to expound, or rather, expose, this false gospel.

The "gospel" of Satan

The gospel of Satan is not a system of revolutionary principles, nor yet a program of anarchy. It does not promote strife and war, but aims at peace and unity. It seeks not to set the mother against her daughter nor the father against his son, but fosters the fraternal spirit whereby the human race is regarded as one great "brotherhood." It does not seek to drag down the natural man, but to improve and uplift him. It advocates education and cultivation and appeals to "the best that is within us." It aims to make this world such a comfortable and congenial habitat that Christ's absence from it will not be felt and God will not be needed. It endeavors to occupy man so much with this world that he has no time or inclination to think of the world to come. It propagates the principles of self-sacrifice, charity and benevolence, and teaches us to live for the good of others, and to be kind to all. It appeals strongly to the carnal mind and is popular with the masses, because it ignores the solemn facts that by nature man is a fallen creature, alienated from the life of God, and dead in trespasses and sins, and that his only hope lies in being born again.

"Salvation" by Works

In contradistinction to the Gospel of Christ, the gospel of Satan teaches salvation by works. It inculcates justification before God on the ground of human merits. Its sacramental phrase is "Be good and do good"; but it fails to recognize that in the flesh there dwelleth no good thing. It announces salvation by character, which reverses the order of God's Word - character by, as the fruit of, salvation. Its various ramifications and organizations are manifold. Temperance, Reform Movements, "Christian Socialist Leagues." Ethical Culture Societies, "Peace Congresses" are all employed (perhaps unconsciously) in proclaiming this gospel of Satan - salvation by works. The pledge-card is substituted for Christ; social purity for individual regeneration, and politics and philosophy, for doctrine and godliness. The cultivation of the old man is considered more "practical" than the creation of a new man in Christ Jesus: whilst universal peace is looked for apart from the interposition and return of the Prince of Peace.

Deceitful Workers

The apostles of Satan are not saloon-keepers and white-slave traffickers, but are for the most part ordained ministers. Thousands of those who occupy our modern pulpits are no longer engaged in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely ignorance or the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to "flee from the wrath to come" they make God a liar by declaring that He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to eternal torment. Instead of declaring that "without shedding of blood is no remission," they merely hold up Christ as the great Exemplar and exhort their hearers to "follow in His steps." Of them it must be said, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10.3). Their message may sound very plausible and their aim appear very praiseworthy, yet we read of them--"for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves (imitating) into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing (not to be wondered at) if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:13-15).

A "Famine" of the Word of God

In addition to the fact that today hundreds of churches are without a leader who faithfully declares the whole counsel of God and presents His way of salvation, we also have to face the additional fact that the majority of people in these churches are very unlikely to learn the Truth for themselves. The family altar, where a portion of God's Word was wont to be read daily is now, even in the homes of nominal Christians, largely a thing of the past. The Bible is not expounded in the pulpit and it is not read in the pew. The demands of this rushing age are so numerous, that the multitudes have little time and still less inclination to make preparation for the meeting with God. Hence the majority who are too indolent to search for themselves, are left at the mercy of those whom they pay to search for them; many of whom betray their trust by studying and expounding economic and social problems rather than the Oracles of God.

The Ways of Death

In Prov. 14:12 we read. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death." This "way" which ends in "death" is the Devil's Delusion - the gospel of Satan - a way of salvation by human attainment. It is a way which "seemeth right," that is to say, it is presented in such plausible language that it appeals to the natural man: it is set forth in such a subtile and attractive manner, that it commends itself to the intelligence of its hearers. By virtue of the fact that it appropriates to itself religious terminology, sometimes appeals to the Bible for its support (whenever this suits its purpose), holds up before men lofty ideals, and is proclaimed by those who have graduated from our theological institutions, countless multitudes are decoyed and deceived by it.

Counterfeit Christianity

The success of an illegitimate coiner depends largely upon how closely the counterfeit resembles the genuine article. Heresy is not so much the total denial of the truth as a perversion of it. That is why half a lie is always more dangerous than a complete repudiation. Hence, when the Father of Lies enters the pulpit it is not his custom to flatly deny the fundamental truths of Christianity, rather does he tacitly acknowledge them, and then proceed to give an erroneous interpretation and a false application. For example: he would not be so foolish as to boldly announce his disbelief in a personal God; he takes His existence for granted and then gives a false description of His character. He announces that God is the spiritual Father of all men, when the Scriptures plainly tell us that we are "the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26), and that "as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God" (John 1:12). Further, he declares that God is far too merciful to ever send any member of the human race to Hell, when God Himself has said, "Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the Lake of Fire'' (Rev. 20:15). Again; Satan would not be so foolish as to ignore the central figure of human history - the Lord Jesus Christ; on the contrary, his gospel acknowledges Him to be the best man that ever lived. Attention is drawn to His deeds of compassion and works of mercy, the beauty of His character and the sublimity of His teaching. His life is eulogized, but His vicarious Death is ignored; the all-important atoning work of the cross is never mentioned, whilst His triumphant and bodily resurrection from the grave is regarded as one of the credulities of a superstitious age. It is a bloodless gospel, and presents a crossless Christ. who is received not as God manifest in the flesh, but merely as the Ideal Man.

The Spiritually Blind

In 2 Cor. 4:3,4 we have a scripture which sheds much light upon our present theme. There we are told, "if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them." He blinds the minds of unbelievers through hiding the light of the Gospel of Christ, and he does this by substituting his own gospel. Appropriately is he designated "The Devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world" (Rev. 12:9). In merely appealing to "the best that is within man," and in simply exhorting him to "lead a nobler life" there is afforded a general platform upon which those of every shade of opinion can unite and proclaim this common message.

The Devil's Delusion

Again we quote Prov. 14: 12 - "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." It has been said with considerable truth that the way to Hell is paved with good intentions. There will be many in the Lake of Fire who commenced life with good intentions, honest resolutions and exalted ideals - those who were just in their dealings, fair in their transactions and charitable in all their ways; men who prided themselves in their integrity, but who sought to justify themselves before God by their own righteousness; men who were moral, merciful and magnanimous, but who never saw themselves as guilty, lost, hell-deserving sinners needing a Saviour. Such is the way which "seemeth right." Such is the way that commends itself to the carnal mind and recommends itself to multitudes of deluded ones today. The Devil's Delusion is that we can be saved by our own works, and justified before God by our own deeds; whereas, God tells us in His Word - "By grace are ye saved through faith . . . , not of works lest any man should boast." And again. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us."

Intellectual Assent - or - Saving Faith?

A few years ago the writer became acquainted with one who was a lay preacher and an enthusiastic "Christian worker." For over seven years this friend had been engaged in public preaching and religious activities, but from certain expressions and phrases he used, the writer doubted whether his friend was a "born again" man. When we began to question him, it was found that he was very imperfectly acquainted with the Scriptures and had only the vaguest conception of Christ's Work for sinners. For a time we sought to present the way of salvation in a simple and impersonal manner and to encourage our friend to study the Word for himself, in the hope that if he were still unsaved God would be pleased to reveal the Saviour he needed. One night to our joy, the one who had been preaching the Gospel(?) for seven years, confessed that he had found Christ only the previous night. He acknowledged (to use his own words) that he had been presenting "the Christ ideal" but not the Christ of the Cross. The writer believes there are thousands like this preacher who, perhaps, have been brought up in Sunday School, taught about the birth, life, and teachings of Jesus Christ, who believe in the historicity of His person, who spasmodically endeavor to practice His precepts, and who think that that is all that is necessary for their salvation. Frequently, this class when they reach manhood go out into the world. encounter the attacks of atheists and infidels and are told that such a person as Jesus of Nazareth never lived. But the impressions of early days cannot be easily erased, and they remain steadfast in their declaration that they "believe in Jesus Christ." Yet, when their faith is examined, only too often it is found that though they believe many things about Jesus Christ they do not really believe in Him. They believe with the head that such a person lived (and, because they believe this imagine that therefore they are saved), but they have never thrown down the weapons of their warfare against Him, yielded themselves to Him, nor truly believed with their heart in Him. The bare acceptance of an orthodox doctrine about the person of Christ without the heart being won by Him and the life devoted to Him, is another phase of that way "which seemeth right unto a man" but the end thereof are "the ways of death." A mere intellectual assent to the reality of Christ's person, and which goes no further, is another phase of the way which "seemeth right unto a man" but of which the end thereof "are the ways of death," or, in other words, is another aspect of the gospel of Satan.

The Broad Road - or - The Narrow Way?

And now, where do you stand? Are you in the way which "seemeth right," but which ends in death; or, are you in the Narrow Way which leadeth unto life? Have you truly forsaken the Broad Road which leadeth to death? Has the love of Christ created in your heart a hatred and horror of all that is displeasing to Him? Are you desirous that He "reign over" you? (Luke 19:14). Are you relying wholly on Hisrighteousness and blood for your acceptance with God?

"Religion" - or - Faith?

Those who are trusting to an outward form of godliness, such as baptism or "confirmation"; those who are religious because it is considered a mark of respectability; those who attend some Church or Chapel because it is the fashion to do so; and, those who unite with some Denomination because they suppose that such a step will enable them to become Christians, are in the way which "ends in death" - death spiritual and eternal. However pure our motives, however noble our intentions, however well-meaning our purposes, however sincere our endeavours, God will not accept us as His sons, until we accept His Son.

"Easy Believism" - or - Repentant Faith?

A yet more specious form of Satan's gospel is to move preachers to present the atoning sacrifice of Christ and then tell their hearers that all God requires from them is to "believe" in His Son. Thereby thousands of impenitent souls are deluded into thinking they have been saved. But Christ said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). To "repent" is to hate sin, to sorrow over, to turn from it. It is the result of the Spirit's making the heart contrite before God. None except a brokenheart can savingly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again; thousands are deceived into supposing that they have "accepted Christ" as their "personal Saviour," who have not first received Him as their LORD. The Son of God did not come here to save His people in their sin, but "from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). To be saved from sins, is to be saved from ignoring and despising the authority of God, it is to abandon the course of self-will and self-pleasing, it is to "forsake our way" (Isa. 55:7). It is to surrender to God's authority, to yield to His dominion, to give ourselves over to be ruled by Him. The one who has never taken Christ's "yoke" upon him, who is not truly and diligently seeking to please Him in all the details of his life, and yet supposes that he is "resting on the Finished Work of Christ' is deluded by the Devil.

Conclusion

In the seventh chapter of Matthew there are two scriptures which give us approximate results of Christ's Gospel and Satan's counterfeit. First. in verses 13 and 14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Second; in verses 22 and 23, "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied (preached) in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out demons, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." Yes, my reader, it is possible to work in the name of Christ, and even to preach in His name, and though the world knows us, and the Church knows us, yet to be unknown to the Lord! How necessary it is then to find out where we really are; to examine ourselves and see whether we be in the faith; to measure ourselves by the Word of God and see if we are being deceived by our subtle Enemy; to find out whether we are building our house upon the sand, or whether it is erected on the Rock which is Christ Jesus. May the Holy Spirit search our hearts, break our wills, slay our enmity against God; work in us a deep and true repentance, and direct our gaze to the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.

hmmhmm,

This covers pretty much it, doesn't it?( in light of another gospel. )I just discovered that Arthur Pink had written quite a great deal of gems.

Can't wait to read them later, thanks!

www.eternallifeministries.org/pink/gems

yes this article covers it good i think, the small and the broad road....its important to understand that the sign on the broad road doesent say "HELL" on it....im quite sure satan has put a big flasching sign that says "heaven" there... so we must be careful that we are not decived.... im sure we all agree on that one

wow.

what an incredible article. thankyou so much for sharing that.

He definitely hit the nail on the head there.

May God revive this sleeping, ignorant church.

posted twice

Yeah, I see what you are saying. Overall, this article is not too bad. Thanks for making your point.

At least I probably won't need to spend more time reading Mr. Pink's writings, ( I barely have time to spend on my Bible these days :( ) . It just goes to show, never take man's writings too seriously, they all have flaws here and there. No worries, I read books and articles like I read newspapers,yeah, even with the greatest saints', I never allow myself to believe everything I read.

Discernment is very important, as you pointed out that Bartle, thanks, praise God !

Bartle wrote:

There's something about that message that doesn't ring right.

It does not promote strife and war, but aims at peace and unity.

satan doesnt promote strife or war?

read a newspaper.

"advocating education" is the "satan's gospel"?

you know, there is this whole tension between what some call the salvation gospel and the social gospel as IF there is a dividing line, when there really is none.

Pink said in regard to Satan's counterfeit gospel:

It propagates the principles of self-sacrifice, charity and benevolence, and teaches us to live for the good of others, and to be kind to all

Grace and peace
Olan

his first and greatest commandment is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength" (primary). The second is like it, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (secondary). [b]Reverse these two and you have a social gospel that deceives and destroys.[/b] This is the essence of philosophical humanism. In liberal theology it works itself out in a form of socialism. In conservative theology it works itself out in a form of man-centered, seeker-sensitive, purpose driven evangelism.

Wow !!

"Heresy is not so much the total denial of the truth as a [b]perversion of it[/b]. " A. W. Pink

hmm, I'd better go back and re-read the article.

bartle wrote:

remember this, A.W. Pink is a man, his writings are NOT canon, and if you want to defend him, go for it, but you fall into that whole "I follow Paul, I follow Apollos" sort of thing.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
this is a truth we all must consider, everything outside of scripture can be wrong, much is great and good but still its not our foundation to stand upon, i liked the article becuse there are many truths there, i dont agree on everythink Mr Pinks says in all his works, i dont agree whit leonard ravenhill in everything he says either,but i do agree on what the bible says, i respect them and i hope and strive for to know god like these men knew god, but as bartle said, lets not follow men, lets follow our Lord JESUS,

Luther says it best here i think,
How to Study Theology
Martin Luther

I want to point out to you a correct way of studying theology, for I've had practice in that. If you keep to it, you will become so learned that you yourself could (if it were necessary) write books just as good as those of the fathers and councils. This is the way taught by holy King David (and doubtlessly used also by all the patriarchs and prophets) in Psalm 119. There you will find three rules, amply presented throughout the whole psalm: prayer (oratio), meditation (meditatio), and testing (tentatio).

Prayer
First, you should know that the Holy Scriptures constitute a book that turns the wisdom of all other books into foolishness, because not one teaches about eternal life except this one alone. Therefore you should straightway despair of your reason and understanding. With them you will not attain eternal life, but, on the contrary, your presumptuousness will plunge you and others with you out of heaven (as happened to Lucifer) into the abyss of hell. But kneel down in your room and pray to God with real humility and earnestness (as David did), that he through his dear Son may give you his Holy Spirit, who will enlighten you, lead you, and give you understanding.

Meditation
Second, you should meditate not only in your heart, but also externally, by actually repeating and comparing oral speech and literal words of the book, reading and rereading them with diligent attention and reflection, so you may see what the Holy Spirit means by them. Take care you do not grow weary or think you have done enough when you have read, heard, and spoken them once or twice, and that you then have complete understanding. You'll never be a particularly good theologian if you do that, for you will be like untimely fruit which falls to the ground before it is half ripe. God will not give you his Spirit without the external Word.

Testing
Third, there is testing. This is the touchstone that teaches you not only to know and understand, but also to experience how right, how true, how sweet, how lovely, how mighty, and how comforting God's Word is, wisdom beyond all wisdom.

David, in Psalm 119, complains often about all kinds of enemies, arrogant princes or tyrants, false spirits and factions, whom he must tolerate because he meditates, that is, because he is occupied with God's Word in all manner of ways. For as soon as God's Word takes root and grows in you, the Devil will harry you and will make a real theologian of you, for by his assaults he will teach you to seek and love God's Word. I myself am deeply indebted to my critics, that through the Devil's raging they have beaten, oppressed, and distressed me so much. That is to say, they have made a fairly good theologian of me, which I would not have become otherwise. And I heartily grant them what they have won (honor, victory, and triumph) in return for making this of me, for that's the way they wanted it.

Learn from David
Now, with that you have David's rules. If you study hard in accord with his example, then you will also sing and boast with him, "The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (Ps. 119:72). And it will be your experience that the books of the fathers will taste stale and putrid to you in comparison. You will not only despise the books written by adversaries, but the longer you write and teach, the less you will be pleased with yourself. When you have reached this point, then do not be afraid to hope that you have begun to become a real theologian, who can teach not only the young and imperfect Christians, but also the maturing and perfect ones.

If, however, you feel and are inclined to think you have made it, flattering yourself with your own little books, teaching, or writing, because you have done it beautifully and preached excellently; if you are highly pleased when someone praises you in the presence of others; if you perhaps look for praise, and would sulk or quit what you are doing if you did not get it--if you are of that stripe, dear friend, then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey ears. Then do not spare any expense! Decorate them with golden bells, so that people will be able to hear you wherever you go, point their fingers at you, and say, "See, See! There goes that clever beast, who can write such exquisite books and preach so remarkably well." That very moment you will be blessed and blessed beyond measure in the kingdom of heaven. Yes, in that heaven where hellfire is ready for the Devil and his angels.

thease words are true true true....

quote:
irst, you should know that the Holy Scriptures constitute a book that turns the wisdom of all other books into foolishness, because not one teaches about eternal life except this one alone. Therefore you should straightway despair of your reason and understanding. With them you will not attain eternal life, but, on the contrary, your presumptuousness will plunge you and others with you out of heaven (as happened to Lucifer) into the abyss of hell. But kneel down in your room and pray to God with real humility and earnestness (as David did), that he through his dear Son may give you his Holy Spirit, who will enlighten you, lead you, and give you understanding.

christian

Bartle, at the very beginning of your polemic against the article that hmmhmm posted by Pink you inserted your apostrophe (your digression from Pink’s teaching and hmmhmm’s thread), you wrote:

heres where we part company:

What is going on in the Body of Christ today?!?

Don't people realize that there is NO division between salvation gospel and social gospel?!?

: What A. W. Pink had to say was and is in-line with God's Word. Here's where we part company:

and you even had the good grace to punctuate this statement with an apostrophe. Thank you, grace and peace to you also,

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12758&forum=35&4

We are called upon by the Lord to contend earnestly for the faith. (Jude 3) That does not necessarily involve being contentious; but it involves avoiding compromise, standing forth for what we believe, standing forth for the truth of God-without welching at any particular moment. Thus, we are bound to meet, at various points and various levels, people with whom we disagree

I have not meant to be contentious but I have meant to contend earnestly for the faith; avoiding compromise; standing for the truth of God – “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).

Now as for your exposition of Matthew 22 you contradict yourself. You stated :

Jesus UNIFIED them, He didnt say one commandment was a prime product and one was a by product, a nice do-gooder afterthought... they were one, because what He was preaching was that without Loving God first, how can you love your neighbor?

EVERYTHING else hangs on these two fundamental precepts, which is why I say that this man-made division between salvation and social gospel is counterfeit,

Maybe you have forgotten Jim Jones: http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_jones.htm

The Peoples Temple was initially structured as an inter-racial mission for the sick, homeless and jobless. He assembled a large following of over 900 members in Indianapolis IN during the 1950's. "He preached a 'social gospel' of human freedom, equality, and love, which required helping the least and the lowliest of society's members. Later on, however, this gospel became explicitly socialistic, or communistic in Jones' own view, and the hypocrisy of white Christianity was ridiculed while 'apostolic socialism' was preached."

Jonestown survivor: 'Wrong from every point of view'
CNN.com/November 18, 2003
By Laura Johnston Kohl
San Francisco, California -- A memorial service Tuesday at a mass grave will mark the 25th anniversary of the Jonestown massacre, in which 913 men, women and children died in the worst mass murder-suicide in recent history.
They had followed their charismatic leader Jim Jones from San Francisco to a jungle settlement in the South American nation of Guyana, believing he was leading them to a utopia of racial harmony and social justice.
http://www.rickross.com/reference/jonestown/jonestown22.html

What was the lure?
Twenty-four years later, religious scholars are re-examining the hold Jim Jones had on his followers

The Sacramento Bee/November 23, 2002
By Jennifer Garza
Peoples Temple started in Indianapolis in 1955. Jones, a minister with the Disciples of Christ, then preached a Pentecostal message of Christianity and social justice. Unlike many other churches of the time, Jones made sure his church was racially integrated.
In 1965, Jones and about 70 followers relocated to Ukiah, in Mendocino County. Jones claimed they moved because he and others associated with the church received death threats. Jones also said he decided to make the move to Ukiah after reading an article in Esquire magazine saying it would be one of five places in the world to survive a nuclear attack, says Fielding McGhee, editor of the "Jonestown Report," which publishes data on the church. "This was the beginning of his apocalyptic viewpoint."
Jones' sermons -- which normally ran two or three hours -- gradually became more socialist in tone, according to McGhee, who has listened to 50 of Jones' sermons.
"It's subtle. People listening to him probably thought it was a natural progression of his previous sermons," says McGhee, adding that the church also has to be considered in the context of the times.
When the group arrived in San Francisco in the early '70s, Jones was preaching a message that was "a combination of socialist/revolutionary message with sprinkles of Christianity."
"He never abandoned the Christian message because that's what he used to bring people to the church," McGhee says. "But he became more revolutionary."
He says Jones also had an incredible ability to quote and cite Scripture. At the same time, he also chastised people who relied on the Bible.
http://www.rickross.com/reference/jonestown/jonestown16.html

What has become evident to me as I speak to survivors and to fellow travelers during the movement's years in San Francisco is that participants in the movement "kept the faith" in a multitude of ways. Some black members kept the faith of orthodoxy--the faith that Jesus was Lord and Savior, the faith that God had sent a servant to lead the people out of bondage in biblical times and would do so again, the faith that all people were the children of God and ought to be accorded equal privileges and opportunities. Other members--black and white--who were driven by secular ideals of racial harmony and socialist communalism lived out the social mandates of the gospel in the extraordinary political and social service programs that they conducted through Peoples Temple. It was this public modeling of "church" that gained so much support for the Temple from government officials, church officials, the black press, and individuals like myself.
Untold numbers of us who were in the San Francisco area at the height of Peoples Temple's activity experienced the movement as "church." A voice that comes to me across the chasm of time is that of Mervyn Dymally, lieutenant governor from 1974 to 1978 of the State of California. I remember him exclaiming to me, following one of his visits to Peoples Temple, "This is what church ought to be about--community and a concern for social justice. Peoples Temple," he said, "is a real church."
That Peoples Temple was "real church" to Carlton Goodlett and Thomas Fleming, the publisher and editor respectively of The Sun Reporter, the largest black newspaper in the Bay Area, was attested in their laudatory editorials on behalf of the Temple. In like fashion, recent conversations reaffirm that it was "real church" to Donneter Lane, the executive director of the San Francisco Council of Churches during the mid-1970s.
Conservative black ministers initially embraced Jim Jones as a gospel-preaching "brother," disregarding his genetic whiteness in the face of his public ministry to "the least of these," but subsequently became hostile as members of their churches left for Peoples Temple. A few of the progressive black ministers in the Bay Area were skeptical of Jones, but others were laudatory of his ministry and the work of the Temple. A letter written to Jim Jones by one representative of this group eloquently and poignantly reminds us of what many saw in the movement:
Dear Pastor Jones,
More than anyone of us in the ministry, I can truthfully say that you and your members live courageously and dramatically in deep action programs which reflect the spirit and work of Jesus Christ. Like our Savior, you identify with the plight of the poor. Like Amos, you are a prophetic voice crying out for justice. Like Moses, you are a respected leader of the masses. If the Pharoahs of our time endeavor to discredit your deep devotion toward correcting the evils of our day, it is because their status quo power legitimizes oppressive power and conscienceless expediency. Know full well that truth which is crushed to earth shall rise up again. If either (our) church or (I) can lend the stubborn ounces of (our) weight to support you and Peoples Temple, please issue the Macedonia call.
Some of us perceived Peoples Temple to be church not only on the basis of its social gospel-type programs and projects, but on the basis of the spiritual support we drew from the Temple's services--which always had the ambience of black church services--and from the fellowship we experienced with the members. Among the progressive politicians, black and white, who left mass meetings at the Temple inspired and rejuvenated was San Francisco gay rights leader and board of supervisor member Harvey Milk who, along with Mayor George Moscone, would himself fall to an assassin's bullet a scant ten days after the Jonestown holocaust. Wrote Milk, following one such visit: "Rev Jim, It may take me many a day to come back down from the high that I reach today. I found something dear today. I found a sense of being that makes up for all the hours and energy placed in a fight. I found what you wanted me to find. I shall be back. For I can never leave."
http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/

You wrote:

Would to God a congregation get together and take out a HMO policy, canvass the neighborhood, assess the poor families with children without adequate medical care in their neighborhood and offer to insure these dear ones....and oh yeh, and by the way, do you see the Light in my eyes poor family?....thats not neil, thats Jesus in me, and if you want, why don't you join us at our church, because there we love God , we love Jesus, and because of Him, I love you AS MY FAMILY.

is that "philosophical humanism" to you Olan?

You wrote:

remember this, A.W. Pink is a man, his writings are NOT canon, and if you want to defend him, go for it, but you fall into that whole "I follow Paul, I follow Apollos" sort of thing.

Grace and peace
Olan

Bartle, at the very beginning of your polemic against the article that hmmhmm posted by Pink you inserted your apostrophe (your digression from Pink’s teaching and hmmhmm’s thread), you wrote:

heres where we part company:

What is going on in the Body of Christ today?!?

Don't people realize that there is NO division between salvation gospel and social gospel?!?

: What A. W. Pink had to say was and is in-line with God's Word. Here's where we part company:

and you even had the good grace to punctuate this statement with an apostrophe. Thank you, grace and peace to you also,

https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=12758&forum=35&4

We are called upon by the Lord to contend earnestly for the faith. (Jude 3) That does not necessarily involve being contentious; but it involves avoiding compromise, standing forth for what we believe, standing forth for the truth of God-without welching at any particular moment. Thus, we are bound to meet, at various points and various levels, people with whom we disagree

I have not meant to be contentious but I have meant to contend earnestly for the faith; avoiding compromise; standing for the truth of God – “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).

Now as for your exposition of Matthew 22 you contradict yourself. You stated :

Jesus UNIFIED them, He didnt say one commandment was a prime product and one was a by product, a nice do-gooder afterthought... they were one, because what He was preaching was that without Loving God first, how can you love your neighbor?

EVERYTHING else hangs on these two fundamental precepts, which is why I say that this man-made division between salvation and social gospel is counterfeit,

Maybe you have forgotten Jim Jones: http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_jones.htm

The Peoples Temple was initially structured as an inter-racial mission for the sick, homeless and jobless. He assembled a large following of over 900 members in Indianapolis IN during the 1950's. "He preached a 'social gospel' of human freedom, equality, and love, which required helping the least and the lowliest of society's members. Later on, however, this gospel became explicitly socialistic, or communistic in Jones' own view, and the hypocrisy of white Christianity was ridiculed while 'apostolic socialism' was preached."

Jonestown survivor: 'Wrong from every point of view'
CNN.com/November 18, 2003
By Laura Johnston Kohl
San Francisco, California -- A memorial service Tuesday at a mass grave will mark the 25th anniversary of the Jonestown massacre, in which 913 men, women and children died in the worst mass murder-suicide in recent history.
They had followed their charismatic leader Jim Jones from San Francisco to a jungle settlement in the South American nation of Guyana, believing he was leading them to a utopia of racial harmony and social justice.
http://www.rickross.com/reference/jonestown/jonestown22.html

What was the lure?
Twenty-four years later, religious scholars are re-examining the hold Jim Jones had on his followers

The Sacramento Bee/November 23, 2002
By Jennifer Garza
Peoples Temple started in Indianapolis in 1955. Jones, a minister with the Disciples of Christ, then preached a Pentecostal message of Christianity and social justice. Unlike many other churches of the time, Jones made sure his church was racially integrated.
In 1965, Jones and about 70 followers relocated to Ukiah, in Mendocino County. Jones claimed they moved because he and others associated with the church received death threats. Jones also said he decided to make the move to Ukiah after reading an article in Esquire magazine saying it would be one of five places in the world to survive a nuclear attack, says Fielding McGhee, editor of the "Jonestown Report," which publishes data on the church. "This was the beginning of his apocalyptic viewpoint."
Jones' sermons -- which normally ran two or three hours -- gradually became more socialist in tone, according to McGhee, who has listened to 50 of Jones' sermons.
"It's subtle. People listening to him probably thought it was a natural progression of his previous sermons," says McGhee, adding that the church also has to be considered in the context of the times.
When the group arrived in San Francisco in the early '70s, Jones was preaching a message that was "a combination of socialist/revolutionary message with sprinkles of Christianity."
"He never abandoned the Christian message because that's what he used to bring people to the church," McGhee says. "But he became more revolutionary."
He says Jones also had an incredible ability to quote and cite Scripture. At the same time, he also chastised people who relied on the Bible.
http://www.rickross.com/reference/jonestown/jonestown16.html

What has become evident to me as I speak to survivors and to fellow travelers during the movement's years in San Francisco is that participants in the movement "kept the faith" in a multitude of ways. Some black members kept the faith of orthodoxy--the faith that Jesus was Lord and Savior, the faith that God had sent a servant to lead the people out of bondage in biblical times and would do so again, the faith that all people were the children of God and ought to be accorded equal privileges and opportunities. Other members--black and white--who were driven by secular ideals of racial harmony and socialist communalism lived out the social mandates of the gospel in the extraordinary political and social service programs that they conducted through Peoples Temple. It was this public modeling of "church" that gained so much support for the Temple from government officials, church officials, the black press, and individuals like myself.
Untold numbers of us who were in the San Francisco area at the height of Peoples Temple's activity experienced the movement as "church." A voice that comes to me across the chasm of time is that of Mervyn Dymally, lieutenant governor from 1974 to 1978 of the State of California. I remember him exclaiming to me, following one of his visits to Peoples Temple, "This is what church ought to be about--community and a concern for social justice. Peoples Temple," he said, "is a real church."
That Peoples Temple was "real church" to Carlton Goodlett and Thomas Fleming, the publisher and editor respectively of The Sun Reporter, the largest black newspaper in the Bay Area, was attested in their laudatory editorials on behalf of the Temple. In like fashion, recent conversations reaffirm that it was "real church" to Donneter Lane, the executive director of the San Francisco Council of Churches during the mid-1970s.
Conservative black ministers initially embraced Jim Jones as a gospel-preaching "brother," disregarding his genetic whiteness in the face of his public ministry to "the least of these," but subsequently became hostile as members of their churches left for Peoples Temple. A few of the progressive black ministers in the Bay Area were skeptical of Jones, but others were laudatory of his ministry and the work of the Temple. A letter written to Jim Jones by one representative of this group eloquently and poignantly reminds us of what many saw in the movement:
Dear Pastor Jones,
More than anyone of us in the ministry, I can truthfully say that you and your members live courageously and dramatically in deep action programs which reflect the spirit and work of Jesus Christ. Like our Savior, you identify with the plight of the poor. Like Amos, you are a prophetic voice crying out for justice. Like Moses, you are a respected leader of the masses. If the Pharoahs of our time endeavor to discredit your deep devotion toward correcting the evils of our day, it is because their status quo power legitimizes oppressive power and conscienceless expediency. Know full well that truth which is crushed to earth shall rise up again. If either (our) church or (I) can lend the stubborn ounces of (our) weight to support you and Peoples Temple, please issue the Macedonia call.
Some of us perceived Peoples Temple to be church not only on the basis of its social gospel-type programs and projects, but on the basis of the spiritual support we drew from the Temple's services--which always had the ambience of black church services--and from the fellowship we experienced with the members. Among the progressive politicians, black and white, who left mass meetings at the Temple inspired and rejuvenated was San Francisco gay rights leader and board of supervisor member Harvey Milk who, along with Mayor George Moscone, would himself fall to an assassin's bullet a scant ten days after the Jonestown holocaust. Wrote Milk, following one such visit: "Rev Jim, It may take me many a day to come back down from the high that I reach today. I found something dear today. I found a sense of being that makes up for all the hours and energy placed in a fight. I found what you wanted me to find. I shall be back. For I can never leave."
http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/

You wrote:

Would to God a congregation get together and take out a HMO policy, canvass the neighborhood, assess the poor families with children without adequate medical care in their neighborhood and offer to insure these dear ones....and oh yeh, and by the way, do you see the Light in my eyes poor family?....thats not neil, thats Jesus in me, and if you want, why don't you join us at our church, because there we love God , we love Jesus, and because of Him, I love you AS MY FAMILY.

is that "philosophical humanism" to you Olan?

You wrote:

remember this, A.W. Pink is a man, his writings are NOT canon, and if you want to defend him, go for it, but you fall into that whole "I follow Paul, I follow Apollos" sort of thing.

Grace and peace
Olan

Bartle, don't let your anger blind you to the truth. Your statement was false - a fact to which I have born witness and given support to show. This has been done in no way to condemn but only to correct. Here is the source of your anger, you said:

okay, in my understanding, false statements can only come from men who are false.

but now, in your latest post, you bring up Jim Jones, who I know nothing about other than he and his "follower's" murdered themselves in South America. and when I gave an example of an act of Godly benevolence to the poor, and asked you if that was "philosphical humanism"

shame on you, grouping me with an apostate murderer. or the implication that my walk is akin to his "walk", or even that I indulge in the wasted exercise of "philosophical humanism". Shame on you.

I'm a high school drop-out, and do the best I can.

ps....in your exuberance, I think you made a double post....I give you the floor, the last word.

Grace and peace
Olan

I'm leery, very leery of "discernment ministries", to me they are just avenues for guys to get caught up in "theology" (forgive me, nothing personal) and spend a lot of time focusing on 'sawdust specks'.

bartle,

First off, knowing a little of your testimony and your background from your prior posts, I want to tell you how grateful I am to the Lord whenever I saw your zeal and love for the Lord Jesus Christ manifested in your posts.

Do you realize that this thread was carried on because of your discernment and your theology over A.Pink's article ( I used to find theology very futile and burdensome, but have long since studied some and came to appreciate some of the sound ones, for sound theology serves as a great tool in understanding Scripture, especially in learning the more difficult areas in It). Every one has a set of theological viewpoints, whether one realizes it or not.

Sound theology, in my mind, shed great light for bible students,can be just as edifying as biograhies of great saints.

For a high school dropout, you sure write very well. I have a dum college degree (took me 12 years to get it) and I can barely spell right half the time. What's the point, the point is, that you, Olan, me, we all do try our best to voice for His glory. Sometimes we do well, sometimes we are misunderstood, sometimes we get offended, and sometimes we misunderstand others. Education or intellectualism should have no bearing pertaining to spiritual matters.

Brother Olan tries, just as you try, we all try, and that's all we can do. I honestly think, as 'lay' people, or brethren,( thank GOD that HE didn't make me a Bible teacher, which comes with such accountability,) whenever we try to speak right of HIM and for HIM, I think HE is pleased.

Remember how HE commended Job in Job 42:7

7And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not[b] spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.[/b]

Hmmhmm tried to speak right of God by posting this thread.
You tried to speak right of God by discerning errors.
Olan tried to speak right of God by refuting errors.

And I'm saying Hallelujah, because you all care so much and love Him so much !!

Praise God for all your labor with your posts!

Dear brother Bartle: Thanks for the clarification. You wrote:

I enjoy missionary biographies and I veer away from the totally corrupt depraved apostate denominations like the PCUSA, ECUSA and UMC, who rely solely on what they call the "social gospel", while dragging down congregants to hell, allowing gay people to become clergy and "sheperd the flock", thats wrong.

I'm disappointed in traditional evangelical denominations that ignore or give short shrift to benevolence in Jesus' Name, or become caught up in the realm of caesar, ie...the "religious right", or intent on fighting what is called the culture wars. I'm leery, very leery of "discernment ministries", to me they are just avenues for guys to get caught up in "theology" (forgive me, nothing personal) and spend a lot of time focusing on 'sawdust specks'.

fast from using the word "false" for a week, and secondly, why don't you wash somebodie's feet?

Thanks for understanding and thanks for clarification. I humbly receive the correction.

Grace and peace
Olan - in Jesus' love

PS. "Hmmhmm tried to speak right of God by posting this thread.
You tried to speak right of God by discerning errors.
Olan tried to speak right of God by refuting errors." Thanks Mamaluk! Good balance!