Am I Being Deceived is a book I am currently reading and I am so "blown away" by what I have read so far that I am compelled to share some of the ideas and perspectives of the authors Mark and Patti Virkler. I may be writing several blogs based on this book because the content is crucially relevant for Christians now.
The basic gist of the book is a comparison between true Christianity, Phariseeism, and the New Age movement. A brief description of the three is presented in the introductory chapter of the book and goes something like this:
PHARISEEISM: (p. XV) The Bible without the Spirit
1. Claiming to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
2. Not expecting any feelings because that is emotionalism.
3. Never expect to hear God's voice because we now have the Bible.
4. No expectation of His vision, because dreams and visions were for the older Bible times and not for today.
5. No expectation of the anointing power of God because "the age of miracles has passed."
THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT: (p. XVII) The Spirit without the Bible
1. Rejects the Bible as the inerrant Word of God.
2. No absolute truth -- truth is relative
3. Whatever is experienced in the spirit world dictates to be true is true and is god.
TRUE CHRISTIANITY: (p.XVIII) The Spirit and the Bible
1. Seek a genuine personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
2. God still speaks and moves in His power as He did from the beginning of time. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 (ESV) "For I, the Lord, do not change; ...." Malachi 3:6 (ESV)
3. The Holy Spirit is God. We are to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit ("When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, but whatever He hears He will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." John 16:13 ESV) and be filled with the Holy Spirit ("And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit." Ephesians 5:18 ESV)
4. The Bible is the true, inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God. ("All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16,17 ESV)
There is enough truth embedded in false doctrine and philosophies that it becomes believable. If a person is not grounded in the Word of God and walking in the Holy Spirit, he is in extreme danger of being deceived, believing lies.
Phariseeism: Bible without the Spirit
New Age Movement: Spirit without the Bible
True Christianity: Spirit and the Bible
Two of these religious philosophies will take you to hell. One will take you to eternal life.
5 comments:
Thank you for this . Extremes in both viewpoints are erroneous. We should be balanced.
Spirit with the Bible
Sounds interesting. I would be interested in know the authors background, etc.
Pharisees were a distinct group of religious leaders who were "legal" experts on the law of God. They were the guardians and interpreters of the law. They were committed to the daily application and observance of the law.
Of course that is what the trouble with the Pharisees was, they looked at the legal issues without involving the Spirit of God and therefore were both lost and hypocritical.
Phariseeism is often misunderstood and then turned into a straw dog to make a preconceived point. Watch out for that.
Certainly the Pharisees were legalists, sought to maintain righteousness by thier own efforts, in their failing made themselves to be hypocrites and were rightly opposed by Jesus and Christianity.
Thanks, by the way for your great comments on my site.
Thanks for sharing. I had not heard of this book, but now I will try to get a copy and read it.
You are so right that legalism and new age religion miss the mark of "Real Christianity", in God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) and the Word of God found only in the Holy Scpirtures of the Bible. John 3:3 "Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." People who do not see the truth grasp for answers within theirselves. The four areas of true Christianity that you give from the book are point on to see the Truth, the Way and the Life. Without these, everyone is blinded and in bondage from that truth. John 8:31-32 says that To those who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
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