Compromising the Word-Pergamos

Revelation 2:12-17, "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans; which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who ovecomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'

False Doctrine

Our premise for this series is that the letters to the 7 churches have a practical application for all of us, as in the body of Christ their are representatives of each of the 7 churches. At Ephesus, we saw the church leave it's "first love," essentially take their eyes off of Jesus and function in the flesh. I stated how Ephesus was the key, that if we leave our "first love," dire consequences will eventually occur. At Smyrna, we saw a church that remained faithful to their "first love," and the price we have to pay for living a life for God, progressing in our faith. Here, at Pergamos, we see the consequences of remaining seperated from the will of God, not keeping our "first love, " God Himself, and the regression that inevitably happens. The first thing that will occur, if we do not "love God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength" is, we will lose our doctrine, our foundation in the word of God.

Notice here Jesus comes bearing the "sharp two-edged sword," and that sword, my friends, is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the "sword of the Spirit" is the "word of God." Why does Jesus come bearing His word to this church? Because they have compromised His word and allowed false doctrine, false teachings, to take root in the church. The "doctrine of Balaam(compromise) and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans(also compromise) were tolerated. And it was the sound doctrine of the bible that had been compromised. These compromises led to idolatry and sexual immorality. False doctrine, when permitted and embraced in our lives and churches, becomes a "stumbling block" to those who seek to live for and love God.

Apostasy

We do not have to look far to see how false doctrine and false teachings have taken root in the church, and thus believers lives, today. The clear teachings of sexual immorality, most recently homosexuality, have been abandoned by many liberal wings of the mainline denominations(Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist) in our nation. They have departed to the point that they sanction homosexual marriage and openly ordain homosexual clergy. It is even present in liberal Baptist churches.

These liberal(not a political term, but in reference to not adhering to and proclaiming the clear teachings of the bible) "churches" departed long ago from the inerrancy of scripture. Some even deny the attonement offered by Jesus on the cross, the resurrection, the virgin birth, that Jesus is God, etc. Friends, they preach "another Jesus," most certainly not the Jesus of the bible. And this departure has led to acceptance of all sorts of sin. They couch their departure as "love," but the love they claim to show is not a biblical love, love of person but hatred of sin, but rather, a worldly love of tolerance that allows the people they claim to love to live a lifestyle that God says will prohibit them from inheriting the kingdom of God(1 Cor 6:9-11, Gal 5:19-21, Eph 5:1-7, Rev 22:14-15), or does not clearly teach the doctrine of salvation.

The bible calls this apostasy, a falling away from the truth as revealed in God's holy word, and it is one of the most discussed doctrines in the New Testament. Whole books in the New Testament such as 2 Peter and Jude were dedicated to discussing apostasy in the church. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 the apostle Paul gives us a detailed look at the last days church that has fallen into apostasy. Through the Holy Spirit he writes, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying it's power. And from such people turn away!"

In His Name?

Jesus said of the church at Pergamos, they held fast to His "name" and did not deny His "faith." And that is the great danger for many Christians. These liberal churches and Christians that have fallen into apostasy still claim Jesus and Christianity. But friends, we cannot claim to represent Jesus,to be His ambassadors here on earth, if we abandon His word.

This does not mean we cannot have dissagreements regarding scripture, different interpretations. As Southern Baptists we disagree with many Pentcostals on the issue of tongues in the church, or about losing our salvation. We disagree with conservative Presbyterians, Lutherans and Anglicans about the rapture and how "end times"will unfold. However, and this is a big however, we are in total agreement regarding Jesus, the inerrancy and inspiration of the bible, salvation, heaven and hell. The same cannot be said for those who have departed from the clear teachings of the bible.

How to Overcome

Just as with the church at Ephesus, the command from Christ here is to repent. What I am about to say may be hard to take, but I believe is what the bible teaches. If you are in a church that does not proclaim the inerrancy of scripture, that it is God breathed. If you are in a church that preaches a Jesus that is not the Jesus of the bible. If you are in a church that departs from the bible as it's main teaching resource, take a stand for God. Fight the battle with the sword, the bible, the bread of life, the "manna" that is hidden. And if they will not see the truth, GET OUT OF IT! It may be the church you've attended for years, but it is no longer the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus warns us to beware the "leaven(false doctrine, sin) of the Pharisees." Paul warns us a "little leaven" will work it's way through the "whole loaf." When we tolerate false teaching and tolerance of sin as clearly defined in the bible, we have fallen away from the truth. As Paul said in 2 Timotht 3:5, "....And from such people turn away." That's tough teaching, but it is what the bible teaches. Any church or Christian that does not believe the bible is God's revelation to His people; God inspired, inerrant, immutable, has departed from the teachings of God for the wisdom of man. They seek to tickle "ears" and please people, not God.

Tomorrow we will look at the consequences of what happens to a believer and a church that has left biblical doctrine. Once again this will not be a pretty picture, but I believe an accurate one of what happens when we abandon the bible. When we leave our "first love," regression away from the will of God is inevitable. We lose our sound doctrine, and sin enters the church and the heart of the believer. God bless and have a great day.