Unholy Charade - Jeff Crippen

Unmasking the Domestic Abuser in the Church

Author: Jeff Crippen Page 21 of 88

How RASN’s Take Control

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On July 19, 2023

In Churches/Church Response, Narcissist, RASN

Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

In his rebuke of the Galatian churches, the Apostle Paul writes that he is astonished at how quickly these Christians had fallen for a false gospel. False teachers, false brethren, had crept into the churches and introduced a gospel of grace PLUS. Merit had to be earned, they said. And the way to do it was by works of the Law – keeping certain Old Testament ceremonies and such. But the moment even a crumb of our works are added, grace is no longer grace, the gospel is no longer the gospel, and those who introduce this infection are damned by God.

How had these counterfeits taken control of the churches there? I think we see the answer here:

Gal 4:17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.

They used flattery. They pretended to really care for these Galatians. They praised them. And this blinded the eyes of those gullible believers.

When we in Christ’s church begin to show partiality to anyone, we are opening the door to some RASN to control the church. That is what they had done – shown partiality. They were impressed with these false teachers. They failed to be consistent and obey this:

Gal 1:8-9 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. (9) As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Most all of us, myself included, have been guilty in this regard. We have shown partiality. Instead of testing and rebuking, we accepted. Then one day the Lord mercifully revealed who the wicked ones were and we realized we had been duped. And not just duped, but complicit in these wicked ones program to exalt themselves. Complicit because we failed to do this:

1Ti 5:21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

Jas 2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

Why did we do it? Well, in part because the RASN is very deceptive. He is a liar like his father the devil. But we also did it perhaps because we wanted to believe the RASN was who he claimed to be, by his disguise. One time a lady who was married to a RASN asked me, “I wonder why I married him?” I assured her that she was deceived by him as we all have been by this kind. But in later years I have realized that there may well have been something in it for her – economic security, reputation, etc. If so, she was showing partiality and suppressing the truth.

I do not say these things to condemn anyone – I have been guilty of partiality to these kind too. I hope I have seen the thing clearly now so that I won’t do it again. Pushing down red warning lights that we often feel more than we see. Because we don’t want to believe our RASN is anything less than what he claims to be. Taking his side in conflicts. Covering for him when his mask slips. All these things and more are partiality, and James tells us partiality is sin –

Jas 2:9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

If we reject this sinful partiality and stand for Christ’s truth when we see someone sinning, guess what other good thing is going to happen? The mask will come off completely if we are dealing with a RASN. These kind never repent. They never admit their own sin and guilt. They lash out when confronted or when told “no.” But as long as we show partiality to them, permitting them to be what they crave to be among us, the deception will continue and they will remain in control.

They Only Go Deeper Undercover

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On July 17, 2023

In Abusers, Narcissist, RASN

Job 20:12 “Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue,

Something that can make the book of Job a bit difficult to interpret is that his “friends” often speak the truth – but they apply it wrongly. That is the case here with Zophar. Evil is indeed sweet to the RASN, but he hides. He covers and disguises his evil ploys. The RASN speaks in words that sound right, but in fact they are meant for evil.

You may have experienced a supposed “repentance” on the part of a RASN. (ie, Reviler, Abuser, Sociopath, or Narcissist) in which he/she says something like, “I’m done with that. I’m over the hurtful sin.” And you were happy. He’s changed. He repented. He’s done with that.

But he hasn’t. He isn’t.

All that is happening is that his cover becomes deeper. His disguises and masks more deceiving. Knowing that he has been at least in part, discovered, he sets out to be more careful. He mouths repentance and claims a great change. And there has been a change – for the worse. He still is what he was. He still is what he is. He simply has resolved to be more crafty.

And thus, he sets you up again for the next fall of the hammer.

Can One RASN Recognize Another RASN?

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On July 12, 2023

In Abusers, Churches/Church Response

1Jn 2:19-20 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. (20) But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

The Apostle John, in warning the church about the presence of the antichrist’s servants, explains to the true body of Christ why a group of people had abandoned them. They were not of us. They were not anointed by the Holy One. They were counterfeits.

Now, this means that these wicked ones were able to see that Christ’s true people were indwelt by His Spirit, and that they were not. Of course they would not have admitted this – they no doubt claimed to be the real thing, fine saints and all that. Nevertheless, they all detested Christ and all who truly belonged to Him.

This seems to me to indicate that they recognized something else. Namely, that THEY were one. That THEY were of the same brand. They departed together. They were not “of” these believers to whom John is writing. They didn’t like the smell of Christ’s people (we are a stench of death to those who are perishing). They knew who THEY were so like birds of a feather, they gathered against the truth of Christ and left.

I think that one RASN can recognize another RASN. And frankly, I think that this is very often the reason you see church leaders allying with RASNs in their churches. You know how it goes. Someone in the church is married to an abuser and the church leaders end up standing with the abuser rather than with the victim. The victim is either formally or informally put out of the church while the abuser remains a member or even an officer in good standing. The thing is mind-boggling, and yet it seems to me that the fog of confusion is largely lifted when we realize that the same species of fish gather together in schools.

Do I believe that this is always the explanation? No, but it may well explain things in many cases. RASNs stand together.

There is still another dynamic in all of this that I think needs to be mentioned too. And that is that ultimately RASNs will often turn on one another. If you have more than one narcissist in the room, eventually one or the other is going to demand to be top dog (apologies to my canine friends. I prefer their company any day to that of many people!). I bet that the group which left the church John wrote to did not stand together very long. I have seen all of this in action personally. Eventually they split up and go their separate ways. There just isn’t room for more than one of them in the same church.

Wise Words from J.C. Ryle – Following Christ is a Fight

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On July 10, 2023

In Biblical Teaching

True Christianity! Let us mind that word “true.” There is a vast quantity of religion current in the world which is not true, genuine Christianity. It passes muster, it satisfies sleepy consciences; but it is not good money. It is not the authentic reality that called itself Christianity in the beginning. There are thousands of men and women who go to churches and chapels every Sunday and call themselves Christians. They make a “profession” of faith in Christ. Their names are in the baptismal register. They are reckoned Christians while they live. They are married with a Christian marriage service. They mean to be buried as Christians when they die. But you never see any “fight” about their religion! Of spiritual strife and exertion and conflict and self denial and watching and warring they know literally nothing at all. Such Christianity may satisfy man, and those who say anything against it may be thought very hard and uncharitable; but it certainly is not the Christianity of the Bible. It is not the religion which the Lord Jesus founded and His apostles preached. It is not the religion which produces real holiness. True Christianity is “a fight.”

The true Christian is called to be a soldier and must behave as such from the day of his conversion to the day of his death. He is not meant to live a life of religious ease, indolence and security. He must never imagine for a moment that he can sleep and doze along the way to heaven, like one traveling in an easy carriage. If he takes his standard of Christianity from the children of this world, he may be content with such notions, but he will find no countenance for them in the Word of God. If the Bible is the rule of his faith and practice, he will find his course laid down very plainly in this matter. He must “fight.”

With whom is the Christian soldier meant to fight? Not with other Christians. Wretched indeed is that man’s idea of religion who fancies that it consists in perpetual controversy! He who is never satisfied unless he is engaged in some strife between church and church, chapel and chapel, sect and sect, faction and faction, party and party, knows nothing yet as he ought to know. No doubt it may be absolutely needful sometimes to appeal to law courts in order to ascertain the right interpretation of a church’s articles and rubrics and formularies. But, as a general rule, the cause of sin is never so much helped as when Christians waste their strength in quarreling with one another and spend their time in petty squabbles.

No, indeed! The principal fight of the Christian is with the world, the flesh and the devil. These are his never-dying foes. These are the three chief enemies against whom he must wage war. Unless he gets the victory over these three, all other victories are useless and vain. If he had a nature like an angel, and were not a fallen creature, the warfare would not be so essential. But with a corrupt heart, a busy devil and an ensnaring world, he must either “fight” or be lost.

[Sermonindex.net J.C. Ryle, The Fight]

Are you in a battle with evil? So is every true Christian. Are you hated by this world and its people? So is every true Christian. Have you suffered loss at the hands of wicked men? So has every true Christian.

In fact, where there is no fight with the world, the flesh and the devil, there is no faith. No salvation. No new birth. We must examine ourselves? Has my profession of Christ every cost me anything? Does the world scorn and mock me – or am I quite popular with the “earth dwellers”?

These are points for self-inquiry. But they are also points of real encouragement for the true Christian. True faith is a fighting faith. The New Birth removes us from Satan’s camp and places us in the kingdom of Christ. And the battle rages. It will rage until Christ the King returns.

Are you in the fight?

“You Talked About Me” – The Unpardonable Sin

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On July 5, 2023

In Abusers, Evil

Mat 15:12-14 Then the disciples *came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” (13) But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. (14) “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

One of the chief ways a RASN’s wrath is ignited is when he/she learns that their victim told someone about the RASN’s sins and tactics. They become a fire-breathing dragon seeking revenge.

Here is the irony. The RASN commits evil deeds daily. He views himself as a god and demands worship. YOU are to supply him that adoration – that is your only purpose. But over time, you begin to realize that this little tyrant is very abusive. As the fog of his deceit begins to clear a bit, you see this abuse. How he works to elevate himself and magnify his superiority over all others. How he is driven by a profound sense of entitlement. How he is devoid of love and empathy.

And so, you tell. You talk about these evil deeds to someone. If you are lucky, that someone listens and understands and validates your observations. It is a great help to unload.

But what happens if the RASN finds out? He learns that you “talked.” Does he respond by being grieved that he has made you feel the way you do? Does he acknowledge the many selfish, wicked, self-promoting sins he is guilty of? You know the answer – NO! Never, ever will a RASN respond in sorrow, in empathy, or in repentance. Never, ever will his concern be to heal and restore the relationship. Instead, his response will be (you can count on it) rage, an intense desire to punish and exact revenge. You told. You talked about him.

Suddenly all the evils he has done are swept off the table. His sins don’t matter. The only thing on the agenda now is your unpardonable sin – you talked. You told. It is irrelevant that he tried to destroy your successes. It is irrelevant that he worked to turn family and friends against you. It is irrelevant that his claim to be a Christian is shown to be false by the rotten fruit of his life. It is irrelevant that he committed adultery or that his habitual words are reviling, assaulting, missiles launched from his mouth. NONE of this now has any bearing at all. It’s as if he, as judge, has ruled all his evils inadmissible in his courtroom. The ONLY “sin” to be punished is yours – you talked. You told.

This was the typical response of the Pharisees to Jesus when He exposed them. They were “offended.” They hated Him because He shone light upon what and who they really were.

I have experienced this many times. Once, a woman phoned me. She had been a church member for years and her husband had recently died. She called and she said, “Pastor, I just wanted to let you know why I haven’t been in church lately. I can’t come to church right now because I am in a ‘relationship.'” I asked her for further details. She said “well, I am in a relationship with a man.” “Please define this ‘relationship.” “We are dating,” she said.

It was now time to get down to it – “Are you having sex with him?” “Well, yes. As a matter of fact he is living here with me in my house. But I think I can lead him to Jesus.”

What was she after? She actually was demanding that I respond with some kind of acceptance, something like – “Oh, I know its been hard. I understand. God understands. He is very forgiving.”

That was not my response. I told her she must repent of this sin, break off this sinful relationship, and never see him again. She refused. And before very long after this, she phoned me and raged at me for “talking about her.” I was never really sure exactly what she meant by this – her sin was open for all to see. It didn’t take long. But she raged. I had talked, she said. Her evil sin was no longer to be discussed. It was as if her sin never happened. It was irrelevant. All that mattered was, I told.

This thing is of the devil. He is a liar and a deceived, and so are his servants. No matter to them that they have rebelled against the Lord of the universe. No matter to them that they have brought the curse, murder, darkness, death, and every other evil thing upon all creation. No matter. The only thing that matters is that the Son of God has come into this world to destroy the works of the devil. To expose him for all to see. To defeat him at the cross, and one day to cast him into hell forever. How dare He? How dare the Lord talk about the devil!

Thus the old serpent rages and seeks revenge. The Day is coming when the only relevant subject will be his evil, his sins, and the sins of all who followed him.

Freedom of Thought is Not Allowed

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On July 3, 2023

In Abusers

Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Eph 1:16-18 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, (17) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, (18) having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Sin has darkened the mind of the unbeliever. It darkened OUR minds before the Lord shone His light upon us and regenerated us. His work of transforming our minds, of increasing the light in our thinking, is part of His ongoing work of sanctification in us.

One aspect of this transformation of mind is that we are less and less deceived by Satan’s lies. We increasingly see evil for what it is and we recognize righteousness more and more.

The wicked one does not like this business. He prefers to keep us in darkness. Through his lies and deceptions he intends to interfere with the Lord’s transforming work in us.

Enter the RASN, the servant of the devil.

RASN’s want to dictate to us not only what we say, but what we think. They actually work to force us to think the thoughts they insist upon. As you consider this more carefully, you begin to realize the incredible nature of this kind of propagandizing control.

In any tyranny, propaganda is the common instrument of “group think.” And anyone to dares to think thoughts not in line with the “company,” is deemed an enemy of the regime and either “re-programmed” or murdered.

Your RASN is just such a tyrant in his/her little kingdom. He is constantly at work ensuring that his target only think approved thoughts. It isn’t merely that the target is not permitted to SPEAK such thoughts. It goes further. They are not allowed to THINK thoughts which are the truth about the RASN’s wickedness.

So, for example – if a victim of the RASN speaks truth about the RASN, it is the result of a kind of renewing of the mind. An enlightenment which exposes the evil one’s deceptions. It is this mind renewal, these true and new realizations that the RASN hates and works to destroy. The priesthood of an idol temple not only wants outer conformity – bowing down to the idol – like Antichrist, it demands that people really BELIEVE in their thoughts that the Baal is god.

See it? When you are the target of a RASN, war is being waged against your right as a human being to even think truth, let alone speak it. Unlike a normal person who realizes that someone does not think highly of them or does not really like them, and therefore walks away, the RASN declares war. How DARE you think any thoughts except that the RASN is a god.

To live under the tyranny of a RASN is to live in bondage. It is to live in a kingdom run by a tyrant who dictates not only what you can or cannot do, but who demands that you only think the thoughts he/she allows.

Therefore, as the Lord increasingly enlightens the minds of His people, there is necessarily going to be a war – a war between truth and falsehood, between light and darkness, between good and evil.

It’s Those Brief Unguarded Moments

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On June 28, 2023

In Abusers, Counseling, Narcissist, RASN

Mat 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

Most all of you know that RASN’s wear saintly disguises. If they claim to be a Christian, they wear a mask of righteousness. But it’s only a mask. Others who make no claim to religion at all still put on whatever type of mask which brings them praise and hides what they really are.

But all masks slip. Often these slips are very brief and usually go unnoticed because most people aren’t looking, and even if they are, they don’t understand. They write off the glimpse they caught of what was behind the mask as their imagination, and of course the gas-lighting of the wicked one encourages that.

Nevertheless, if we know that RASN’s exist and how they hide and function, we can grow in our ability to recognize the reality behind the disguise. I will give you an example.

Once I was in the home of someone I had known for quite sometime. Professing Christian. Regular church member. But the occasion was a dinner for a fairly large number of people and this fellow was able to pay caterers to set up the dinner. I was standing off at the edge of the kitchen visiting with someone when I noticed two ladies from the catering service come in with large trays of food to be served. One of them looked at the host and smiled and said, “Oh, hey, I know you! We went to high school together.” She called him by name and said it was good to see him.

His reaction? The mask slipped. He gave her what I would call a look of contempt, said something like, “oh, yeah,” then turned his back on her and walked away. After all, you see, she was just the hired help. A servant to be used. And no doubt she knew that he claimed to be a solid Christian.

When I saw that mask slippage and that quick look of contempt and air of superiority flash through for just a few seconds, I was seeing what this man really was. But I didn’t realize the significance of it at the time. Those slips happen so quickly and as I said we blow them off as something perhaps we are imagining. After all, the rest of the time we see the mask.

I can’t tell you how many times I have seen these mask slips and yet I still didn’t get it. I think I am finally starting to wake up, but I still have to fight the temptation to just blow off what I thought I saw. After all, we don’t want to believe someone we think we know is actually someone we don’t know at all.

Whitewashed tombs full of rotting bones. That is the reality.

Refusal to Repent Exposes the Hypocrite

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On June 26, 2023

In Abusers, Counseling, Narcissist, RASN

Mat 3:8-12 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. (9) And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. (10) Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (11) “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (12) His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Repentance is an essential element in genuine faith and salvation in Christ. A person who refuses to repent is not a Christian. And as most of you know, the RASN (Reviler, Abuser, Sociopath, Narcissist) is not known for his/her repentance. The Bible is quite clear:

1Jn 1:8-10 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Listen to John Calvin on this. The quote is taken from one of his sermons on this scripture:

Act 2:37-38 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (38) And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

[Note: Calvin is speaking about man the sinner in general. When he says “we” or “us” here he means how man is apart from Christ]

“Now we must not be surprised if we are unable to prick our own conscience, because we do the very opposite. We are grieved if someone speaks of our vices in public. We do not want anyone to reproach us for them. We do not want to think about them in private either….”.

“We should be quick to confront our vice head on and take heed to correct it while God gives us the grace to put our minds to it. Now, since very few of us do that and are blessed, many more of us do not do that and are not blessed. And no matter how much we might boast of being a Christian, we indicate clearly, unless we change our ways, that ours is but empty boasting.”

“For we should know that Christian teaching consists of these two points, namely, repentance and the remission of sins. We have no other instruction from God. After Jesus instructed his apostles, he said, ‘Preach repentance and the remission of sins’ (Luke 24:47).”

“And that is why we see many people who are far from being Christians. For as I said earlier concerning repentance, they never want to acquire knowledge of their sins and do not want to be badgered about them, and yet it is in repentance that all our well-being lies.” [John Calvin, Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles, Banner of Truth Trust]

The thing is quite plain and clear –

Luke 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.

Act 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

2Co 7:10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Calvin also states just what genuine repentance is –

The Christian must experience personal grief for offending God….Repentance is, in a word, the turning of a man to God. Repentance has its seat in the spirit and in the heart. It is a turning around to contemplate God face to face rather than having one’s back turned to Him. Repentance must produce fruit; otherwise we will not recognize that a man is converted. ‘Bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance’ (Matthew 3:8). It will only be boasting filled with lies if we say we are repentant but our lives do not reflect our words.

Still another point in this regard is this: the genuine Christian continues to repent daily. This is another certain mark of the new man in Christ. We continue – even increasingly – to see our sin and confess it, asking the Lord’s forgiveness. We continue daily to hate our sin and battle against it by the Spirit in us. The hypocrite is characterized by none of this.

Note then what I said at the beginning (quoting Calvin). The hypocrite has no pricked conscience. (That is, his conscience does not cause him to grieve over his sins). If anyone speaks of his sins, then he is grieved – savagely so. He lashes out in rage. He does not want anyone to reproach him for his sins. He will not even think about his sins in private. His boasting about being a Christian is a lie.

This is the reality of the RASN, and knowing these truths serves as a great encouragement to the victims of these evil ones. It clears up the fog and confusion. He is not in Christ. He is dead in his sins. And his refusal to repent proves it.

Finally, a word to pastors –

The one who preaches to us must reprove us daily for our faults. Otherwise we would have a gospel made to our order. It would not be the one God has given us. That fact greatly annoys us, whatever the situation. Some are vexed and others gnash their teeth, but we must nonetheless uphold the teaching of God in the midst of his church. If we think we are doing them a favor by being lenient, we shall be contributing to their ruin. It is a great pity that we cannot be persuaded that this is true. As I have already said, when God calls us, a change must take place in us, as if we had become new men. That is how Scripture speaks of it and how we must use repentance to advantage.

[John Calvin, Sermons on Acts, Banner of Truth Trust]

I Cannot Teach this Scripture Too Often

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On June 21, 2023

In Abusers, Biblical Teaching, Evil

Heb 5:11-14 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (12) For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, (13) for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. (14) But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

This is a kind of supplemental post to the one I wrote Monday, But I Just Want to Think Good About Everyone. What the Apostle is saying here is that those kind of people are at best babies in the faith. I say at best because they may well not even be saved at all.

Many professing Christians are dull of hearing God’s Word. You can’t even hardly talk to them about God’s Word. They don’t get it. They are dull and deaf to truth. And they may have been professing Christians for years and years – some were raised in Christian homes and cannot remember a time when they weren’t “Christians.”

But something happened. They kept sucking on their bottles. They choke on God’s Word that is anything beyond “believe in Jesus and you can go to heaven.” Their “Christianity” consists primarily of traditions handed to them, not from diligent digesting of God’s Word. They are still children.

Now, notice what maturity in Christ entails. It is to have our spiritual senses trained by constant chewing on the meat of the Word in order to be able to distinguish good from evil. Get it? There it is. Boast all they want about how mature they are in Christ, the fact is that they cannot see Satan when he is right in their face. In fact, they are so inept at discernment that this scripture tells us that they confuse good and evil. They will defend the evil one and condemn the righteous.

It is very dangerous to have babies leading local churches. All they can consume is milk and all they can serve up is milk. Everyone who says they are a Christian is to be believed no matter their fruit. Sound doctrine taught in-depth is just to divisive – they choke on it. So they stay in diapers and take many others with them.

Keep Away from a False Gospel

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On June 20, 2023

In Evil

Act 2:40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

There are many professing Christians who do not wish to be full-blown hypocrites. They adhere to sound doctrine – to a point. But their half and half Christianity reveals itself when they are challenged to publicly renounce the errors and false teaching which characterizes the local church they are in. They balk. They have been in that church for many years. They have friends there. To depart would be accompanied by a heavy price.

I recently read a challenge to such people issued long ago by John Calvin. He was referring to people who acknowledged the false gospel of the Roman Catholic church, but who refused to separate from it. He said:

Must we not cry out, ‘Keep yourselves from this perverse generation,’ when we realize that everyone is going to hell?

Sermons on Acts

Further, we see the impudence of such [half and half preachers/Christians] when they accuse us of excessive severity and say, ‘You do not need to lash out this way against the pope and his people and call him Antichrist. You can preach the gospel well enough without such accusations. What good does it do to say that priests are ravenous wolves who will devour the flock of Jesus Christ and poison everyone with their false doctrine?’

Such men are really dreadful teachers. They should have been born sooner so they could have taught Peter how to preach and instruct him what to say.

Not so for us. We preach what we have been taught by God and if we wish to come to him through our Lord Jesus Christ, we must rid ourselves of this perverse generation. We cannot do that unless we separate ourselves from their lies and deceits.

Ibid

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