Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Written by: April J. Buchanan

Slaves to false doctrines do not break free by their own free will; they must hear the truth, and it takes the sovereign work of God in them to destroy their beloved delusion. They are convinced of a lie. The enemy sold them a counterfeit that promised all they desired and God—so they took it. They sing with passion and boast much of their faith, the power of their faith, and the power of their words. Their lives are not marked by genuine humility but by false humility. They are convinced that if they just keep claiming, keep decreeing, and keep declaring, they will have what they desire—and that they must continue to do so. Why? Because others’ salvation, they believe, depends on their testimony, their faith, their breakthrough. At any point, if they begin to think critically or biblically, they snatch themselves away from such thoughts, convinced those are doubts sown by the enemy.

At this point, tears sting my eyes. I hate these lies! To many, such words sound offensive. How could I use a word like hate? (Insert their rebuke of me here.) But do you not hate evil? How can you love the truth if you do not also hate that which is evil and leading many blissfully to hell?

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

Many live as slaves to some of the most blasphemous, heretical, cruel, and evil doctrines—doctrines they believe set them apart as the most loving, as those who know God better, because they claim to hear Him speak all the time. They believe themselves to be more anointed, to have authority like Jesus, so that whatever He did they can do. They prove themselves bankrupt of the truth, lovers of lies, blissfully deceived. It is a counterfeit faith that promises all their sinful hearts desire—and then adds it to the Gospel.

“Nothing is more perilous to our salvation than a distorted and perverted worship of God.” ~ John Calvin

My words, nor your words, have any power to change their minds or their hearts. Sharing Scripture with them is like talking to a delusional person. They smile. They agree. They listen. They check in and out. They pity you, as if something is wrong with you. They are there, but they are not listening. They work with different definitions. They are deceived.

What then? We must not forsake praying for them. And while it may be offensive to them, we must share the Gospel with them. How dare someone share the Gospel with them? Do we not know who they are—how anointed, how powerful, how special?

But the true believer is never offended at hearing the Gospel again. We need it every day.

“The Gospel is meant to be medicine for the sick, not a show for the curious, nor a cloak for the proud.” ~ J.C. Ryle

They are stubborn in their beliefs. They are unwilling to have their hearts or minds changed. Their will is set hard against the truth. They could not possibly be wrong. They are convinced they are special, that they hear God speak to them personally, and therefore the problem must be with you.

It is by grace alone that they will come out of false doctrine and into the truth. Some are regenerate, and God will bring them out. Many, however, are false converts. They have a jesus, a gospel, and a spirit—but it is a different jesus, another gospel, and another spirit.

“It is not by our free will or strength that we come to Christ, but by the grace and working of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Martin Luther

It is God alone who works by means of His Word faithfully exposited and the Gospel rightly proclaimed to take out hearts of stone and change the will of man to delight in the truth. Many love a Jesus, but they do not love the Jesus of the Bible.

“The Scripture is the only rule of the knowledge of God, and of the obedience which he requires of us.” ~ John Owen

Your friends and neighbors caught up in these evil doctrines make them appear attractive. They seem so happy and promise all you desire. But they are deceived. When they get sick and when they battle the same health issues we all face, they speak their native tongue: they lie, but they call it faith. They claim their healing, their breakthrough, their miracle. That is not faith! That is the opposite of faith in a sovereign God. They demand what they desire and do it in God’s name. This is not a faith to be admired but to be rejected.

You are drawn to what they offer because they promise all your sinful heart desires—and heaven too. But they are deceived, and they are deceiving many.

This burns in my chest. These doctrines are a slow and deadly poison. They have captivated the hearts of massive numbers of professing Christians. And when these suffer, as we all do, they will not let go of their delusion. They will claim their healing, their breakthrough, their miracle—until the last. That is not faith! Faith trusts the sovereign will of God, even when His will is that we suffer.

“The truth is not popular, but it is the truth. We must preach it whether men like it or not.” ~ Martyn Lloyd-Jones

If they were to read what I just wrote, they would rebuke me and these words. They have no power to do so, but fear compels them to silence anything that challenges their desires. They do not have faith; they have superstition and religious mysticism. They have counterfeit beliefs. They are deceived.

Please, find a church that preaches expositionally. You don’t need what they are selling. It is a cruel and evil counterfeit.

Scripture calls those who teach these evil doctrines “springs without water.” They promise you power and authority. They make you feel special. But they bring God low, exalt man, and burden you with egregious lies and bankrupt doctrines. When you suffer, as we all do, you are left with a false faith that places the entire burden on you.

I once believed many of these lies. I know the wrestling between reality and delusion. I know the words spoken over the suffering that are cruel, but called love. But I also know the grace of God—powerful to bring His own out and into a love for the truth. I also know the sovereignty of God in suffering, and that what He does in us is far greater than any sinful desire promised by liars and deceivers.

“We never truly glory in Him until we have utterly discarded our own glory.” ~John Calvin

I wasn’t a victim of bad theology; I believed it, taught it, and was convinced of those lies. I know the pride and delusion. It is evil. I have repented of all my former false beliefs. I pray you will too.

Grace and peace, y’all.

Soli Deo Gloria.