A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®

Reformed. Christianity. Evangelism. Modern Culture.

Error always lures the Heart away from Christ.

error and moneyWhy do so-called Christians forsake the pure wine of Gospel joy for the adulterated poison which the whore of the world smilingly holds out to them in her golden chalice? Is it because the message of the Gospel, which once sparkled in the preached Word, and furnished comfort to mourners, has now gone stale? Or has that stream of spiritual joy which has run through the lives of saints for so many generations, without mingling with the world’s polluted pleasures, at last fallen into them and lost its divine nature? No, the Gospel stays the same. . . and the joy it brings is as refreshing and restoring as it has always been. It will be lovely as long as God and Christ continue to be life, for it flows and is fed from their heart.

The problem is not in the Scripture; it lies in those who say they hold to it. Those who insist that they obey this Gospel are not like holy men and women of earlier times. The world has grown callous, and men’s priorities and affections have chilled and become cold. Our palate is no longer chaste; it no longer prefers the heavenly foods served in the Gospel. The cheer is as lively as ever but the guests are as deadened by constant contact with the world. We have grown debauched in our judgments and corrupt in our principles; no wonder that our joys are carnal.

Error is a whore that lures the heart away from Christ and His spiritual joys. Once the mind is confused by error and begins to malign the truth, it affects the heart, poisoning it with carnal joys. Here, then, is the root of the misery of our times.

Satan has played his game cunningly among us in that he has often changed his instruments into angels of light and made gullible souls think they might find more grace and power in this artificial light than in the revelation God provides.

Quoting William Gurnall  via Old Truth.

3 responses to “Error always lures the Heart away from Christ.

  1. willyt1 August 5, 2013 at 14:01

    So many times these kinds of commentary are so general and accusatory in tone without supporting illustrations that they end up being useless. We can all set back and nod our heads in agreement without knowing what we are agreeing to. In what ways have we gone after error? Is it doctrinal? Whose doctrines are the correct ones? When the printing press was invented, and Scripture became available in the various languages and was inexpensive to own, and could be read by the masses, the door was opened to misinterpretation and all kinds of misunderstandings by the masses. Heretofore the Roman Catholic Church held sway over the interpretation of Scripture only allowing the church leadership to dole it out and it was written in a language that precluded most common people from understanding it so it had to be translated for them, allowing the church to control what was taught.
    Since this control is no longer essentially containing the dispersion of the Word, it has been good and bad. Good that all have it available and can read and study and apply it. Bad in that misinterpretation can mislead and cause lots of error. The common mistake is that we call “error” those teachings and doctrines that are not what we agree with, or support our worldview or our theological bent. So, who is in error? We must support our declarations with the Scriptures themselves, and not just rant in general. Let the Scriptures speak for themselves, and let us examine them for what they tell us. Perspicuity of Scripture in Basic Doctrines is plain and clear. Let them be the judge of our lives.

    • Acidri August 5, 2013 at 15:22

      True scripture is the one total authority that we should hold the feet of any teacher to. If they deviate then we lovingly correct them. if they are adamant and continue to teach error even after admonition then they will be exposed and called to repentance. scripture is more perspicuous than my own delusions.

      • willyt1 August 5, 2013 at 15:51

        All Scripture is true. Deviate interpretations cause the problems. Putting out fleeces, building hedge around people, prayer of Jabez, “Touch not thine anointed”, are examples of misapplied interpretations or out of context examples. Using OT meant for Israel applications to today’s world are rampant. Using Law instead of Grace is widely taught. Legalism. The list goes on.

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