Is Today's Christianity Biblical?

Tom: Thanks, Gary. You’re listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a program in which we encourage everyone who desires to know God’s truth to look to God’s Word for all that is essential for salvation and living one’s life in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Our topic for this segment of our program is selections from Dave Hunt’s out-of-print book Beyond Seduction. And for those of you not familiar with the book, it was Dave’s follow up to The Seduction of Christianity, which was published nearly 20 years ago and it addressed issues that are just as pertinent today as they were when the book first came off the press. As a matter of fact, Dave, having just read the first chapter, in my opinion, it could easily be viewed as an article you just recently finished. That’s how relevant it is in light of the pervasive and questionable teachings and practices that are being promoted in the church today.

Chapter 1 is titled “A Return to Biblical Christianity.” Dave, I….

Dave: That’s a radical idea!

Tom: (laughing) It is, but….

Dave: I mean, why should Christianity come from the Bible? Why can’t we make it up as we go along?

Tom: And you know, Dave, that’s the scary part here…

Dave: Mm-hmm.

Tom: …because for many people, they don’t know. They’ve been listening to other people for so long and not putting their heart and mind and understanding—getting it directly from God’s Word.

Dave: Mm-hmm.

Tom: And then challenging everything else on that basis.

Dave: Well, Tom, let me just go back to—probably I’ve mentioned it before—you know, you get as old as I am, you can’t remember what you’ve said and what you haven’t said. But, I’m sure I’ve talked about being on radio in Washington, DC, with a Muslim who was trying to tell me Islam is peace.

Tom: Mm-hmm.

Dave: And I said to him, “Look, you want to make up your own religion, go ahead. Make up any religion you want, but you can’t call it Islam. Islam has a founding prophet, it has it’s scriptures, it has it’s tradition, it has it’s history.”

Tom: Mm-hmm.

Dave: And then I said, “And I say the same thing to people who call themselves Christians: You want to make up a religion? Go ahead; make up any religion you want. But don’t you dare call it Christianity, unless you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, unless you follow His Word, the Bible.” I mean, that staggers me, Tom!

Tom: Mm-hmm.

Dave: Maybe I have a simple mind, but I don’t understand how a pastor can stand in a pulpit and claim to be representing Christianity when he either isn’t even referring to the Bible, or he is really trashing the Bible because he’s reinterpreting it and saying what it doesn’t say.

Tom: Right.

Dave: He’s coming up with his own ideas. So, “A Return to Biblical Christianity.” Well, it’s the only kind of Christianity that there is, and I need to examine what I think is Christianity. You need to do the same...

Tom: Right.

Dave: …and our listeners need to do the same. Have we made up our own variety, or do we, even, perhaps, even know what the Bible says, and we are just ignoring it?

Tom: Mm-hmm. Dave, you begin with two quotes: 2 Peter:1:20-21 [20] Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. [21] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
See All... and then Deuteronomy:8:3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
See All.... Let me read them: “No prophecy of the Scripture is on any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter:1:20-21 [20] Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. [21] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
See All...).

Now, prophecy—it’s speaking about not just foretelling things to come, but God’s Word. What God is telling us—what He is saying to us. His revelation—things that we couldn’t know, we couldn’t come to an understanding of, unless He presented it to us.

Dave: The Bible is God’s Word, and, Tom, we’ve just finished talking about it in the last few programs. We mentioned Eugene Peterson’s The Message. There are many other paraphrases out there. He calls his “message” a version of the Bible! And they have just shoved God’s Word aside. And they put their own words in, even changed the meaning. This is God’s Word; the Bible is God’s Word. Ezekiel, I think, more than 50 times says, “The Word of the Lord came unto me, saying….” Jeremiah says the same thing.

Tom: In chapter after chapter, it begins, “The Word of the Lord came to me….”

Dave: Right.

Tom: Over and over—just check it out, folks!

Dave: This is God’s Word, and we don’t change it. So, do you want to know the true God, or do you want to know some God you’ve made up in your mind? Well, it’s up to you.

But the true God is the one who created the universe. He’s the one who holds our life in His hands. He’s the one to whom we will give an account after we pass from this life. And I don’t understand why we would want to try to improve the Bible. Science changes. The ideas of men change, but God’s truth does not change.

Tom: Mm-hmm.

Dave: It never changes. Mathematics doesn’t change. Physics doesn’t change. Chemistry doesn’t change. Now, there may be things about physics and chemistry that they haven’t yet discovered. Probably not much about mathematics they haven’t discovered. But it doesn’t change. Truth does not change. So, we think that this new generation somehow needs a new truth? There is no new truth, and the heart of man is the same. We’re still proud, selfish, self-centered, self-willed, and rebellious against God. We’re raising a whole generation of rebels against authority, whether it’s in school, or parental authority, or government authority. And the Bible doesn’t change; God’s Word doesn’t change. We need to get back to it!

Tom: Deuteronomy:8:3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
See All..., Dave: “He humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger…that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.”

Dave: Tom, I’m just finishing a book, right now, that I’m writing. It’s called Judgment Day, subtitled “For Islam, Israel and the Nations,” and I’ve been going back and reading the Bible again—what it says about Israel—and you can take the last words of Moses, for example, in Deuteronomy. God is speaking through Moses…it’s frightening. He tells what’s going to happen to these people, how they’re going to rebel, how His judgment will come upon them and they’ll be scattered around this world. And a phrase that sticks in my mind…God says, “If I whet…” In other words, “If I sharpen my glittering sword…”—wow!

God says He’s going to bring judgment. Israel is a picture of all the rest of this. He brought them through the wilderness as you just read. Why? To test them, to check them out, to see what was in their heart—whether they would really trust Him or not.

You know the wilderness that He brought Job through, and finally, Job was at the point where he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” And when we get into Beyond Seduction, it has a bit to say about psychology, about the psychological approach to the Bible and so forth. People today are taught, you know, you take a drug…you feel down, or whatever, you know. Or you run to your psychologist or psychiatrist for every little thing. I don’t find that in the Bible. I find Job had to suffer to learn some things.

Tom: Mm-hmm.

Dave: I read the Book of Hebrews 11. Read what these men and women of faith suffered. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, they were destitute, tormented; they dwelt in dens and caves of the earth and so forth. But they all triumphed through faith. Trials and tribulations come because, first of all, we’ve brought them upon ourselves in many instances. Not necessarily—Job apparently didn’t bring this upon himself, but God loved him enough, He wanted to teach him some things. So that’s how we learn. And this is what getting back to biblical Christianity is about. Now do you want biblical Christianity? Well, it’s going to test you. It’s going to change your life. We’re going to have to submit to God. We’re going to have to learn what He wants us to do and to think and our attitudes and how we react to people.

You want an unbiblical Christianity? A self-centered Christianity? A feel-good Christianity? That’s what you will get from most of the churches out there today.  

Tom: Mm-hmm. Dave, you talk about knowing God, thirsting for God, and then you ask the question: What does it mean to know God? And how does one get to know Him in contrast with merely knowing about Him?

Dave: Yeah, you can know about George Washington, I guess (chuckling). You can know about President Bush, but knowing him personally is something else. And, of course, we come to know God personally through Jesus Christ. In John:17:3And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
See All..., Jesus said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.”

So, first of all, we have to know Him by trusting Him; putting our faith in Christ; coming to Him recognizing that we’re sinners, we’re rebels. We are deserving of His eternal judgment and that in His love, He sent His Son to die for our sins. Okay? That’s how we begin. We become acquainted with Him; we get to know Him.

It takes a passion for God, “As the hart pants after the water brooks,…” the psalmist said, “So panteth my soul after thee, O God.”

Tom, I used to illustrate it like this to college students or high school students: “Look, would you like me to introduce you to some famous athlete, or some famous actor, or some great world politician, or whatever? How about having them be your friend, your intimate friend, and so forth? Oh, a lot of people would like to sign up for that!

Wait a minute! How about getting to know the Creator of this universe, who is so far beyond all of us, that we can’t even imagine it! Now, He wants us as His friends. Abraham was called “the friend of God.” Well, you’re going to have to walk with Him. You’re going to have to change, to begin to do what He wants you to do. We’re going to have to read His Word. We’ll have to let His Word enter into our hearts and change us. Knowing God is a process, and I think we will spend eternity getting to know Him better.

Tom: Right. And to begin with, as you said, it comes through having a personal relationship with Him, understanding who He is, what He did for us, recognizing that we’re sinners, that we can’t save ourselves. But then, the content—and this is really where I’m going with this, Dave, you quote Jeremiah:15:16Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
See All...: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them: and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.”

Dave: Well, Tom, I often say it to audiences: “I get excited about the Bible. It is thrilling. You know, when I’m reading it alone, I just look up and I say, “Lord, thank you, it is so fantastic!” This is God’s Word. No human being could have written this.

Tom: Mm-hmm.

Dave: And when we get into the Word of God, we study it. Of course, much of it involves an understanding that only comes from reading the entire Bible because, as I read the Bible, this verse reminds me of another verse, and another verse. And you see how the whole thing ties together.

Tom: One verse explaining another verse.

Dave: Absolutely. And in a way—look, we’ve said it many times. Written by 40 different men over a period of 1,600 years. Most of them never knew one another; came from different cultures, different times in history, and yet, you can follow a theme woven all through the writings of these different ones who were inspired of God. It could only be inspired of God. And, Tom, it just rejoices your heart and then God lets you in on His love and His plans for eternity, for this world; you see how prophecy has foretold the events that have happened. And that gives us confidence that what He says will yet happen is going to.

It’s a thrilling book to read, Tom. Now, there are difficult passages; some boring places, you would think. Begats and begottens—get through them, keep going, they are there for a purpose.

Tom: Right. For one thing, Dave, it tells you that this book isn’t just about platitudes. It’s about history, it’s about real people….

Dave: That’s right.

Tom: …and certainly the genealogies are critical….

Dave: Right.

Tom: …to demonstrate that this is a historic book.

Dave: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Tom: And many other things as well.

Dave: Of course, Tom, we live in a time when people are too smart now. We’re so scientific; we think we’re so brilliant, and so we have university professors and even professors in seminaries who try to tell you, well, you know, this is human opinion, and so forth. And I think we get into that a little bit in the first chapter, Tom—it’s what? Nearly 20 years as you said. We probably talk about what’s-his-name? Linton? What’s his first name?

Tom: Irwin Linton. For all that you’ve been saying about it, the Bible is the number one world’s bestseller. Bibles are given away or sold…thousands upon thousands per day. And I think it’s even down to hours.

Dave: And scarcely read.

Tom: That’s the irony here.

Dave: Yeah.

Tom: It’s neglected. People have them, but they neglect them.

Dave: The most honored…

Tom: How does that make any sense?

Dave: It is at one and the same time the most honored and the most neglected book in the world. Incredible! Well, people have good intentions. What’s the old saying, Tom? “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” That’s the book “we’re going to get around to reading sometime.” We want to have it for prestige, you know. So people can see a Bible on our shelf.  

I’m not judging people. I’m sure a lot of my books have been purchased that have never been read, but they’re not in the category of the Bible. But if we would recognize this is God’s Word, wow! A letter from God to man! Well, let’s get into it [and] see what He has to say.

Tom: Mm-hmm.

Dave : it’s thrilling.

Tom: Dave, you quote James Montgomery Boice, and he writes:

“If Madison Avenue executives were trying to attract people to the Christian life, they would stress its positive and fulfilling aspects…. Unfortunately, we who live in the West are so conditioned to this very thinking (and to precisely this type of Christian evangelism or salesmanship) that we are almost shocked when we learn that the first great principle of Christianity is negative. It is not, as some say, ‘Come to Christ, and all your troubles will melt away.’ It is as the Lord himself declared, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up the cross and follow me.’”

So, once people start to get into it, it’s a little hard to take because it….

Dave: Well, Tom….

Tom: …It tells us who we are.

Dave: But, Tom, if we have any desire for truth—you look into your heart and I look into mine—I just tell the Lord over and over, “Well, Lord, you know, I am nobody, I am nothing.” I can imagine that I am something. But when I think of who God is, how great He is, His holiness, His righteousness, His standards—what does He want for my life? And then I think of what I have done with my life—Tom, I have no basis for holding my head up anywhere, or being proud. I don’t care who you are. The Apostle Paul—we would probably hold him up as one of the greatest Christians that ever lived, and he called himself, “Less than the least of all saints.” So….

Tom: Chief of sinners.

Dave: Exactly. So, if I get a true perspective of myself—and that’s not what the world wants. The world wants to build you up, make you feel good about yourself. But when I get a true perspective of myself, and I begin to look at Him…. What was the old saying, Tom? “If you want to be discouraged look around; if you want to be disgusted, look within. If you want to be delighted, look at Him!”

So we turn from ourselves and we begin to rejoice in the Lord and who He is—getting to know Him—and then we realize that He loves us. And His Word is so powerful, we begin to let it bear fruit…

Tom: Mmhmm.

Dave: …in our lives and we get a whole different perspective on ourselves and on this world. Tom, there is nothing in this world that I want. I can tell you that honestly, and that’s not a great thing to say. There’s nothing in this world that is worthwhile. All that I want is to be what He wants me to be. Now if anyone thinks that’s a great sacrifice, wouldn’t God’s way be better than my way? Isn’t He smarter than I am?

Well, then to want what God wants from me—He surely wants the best for me. He really loves me. So, I begin to realize that His ways are not my ways, His thoughts are so far above mine, that I’m willing to abandon my pride, my self-centeredness, my selfish desires, my ambitions and I’m willing to put myself in His hands. And then life takes on new meaning, and it becomes really thrilling.

I want to go back to—you know, because there are a lot of skeptics. And they say the Bible isn’t true, nobody with any sense believes the Bible and I think we quote a few people in this chapter.

Tom: Simon Greenleaf, Joseph Story, as you mentioned before, Irwin Linton, these are people who had trouble with the Bible—big-time trouble. From agnostics, to atheists, to….

Dave: Right, right.

Tom: …And so on.

Dave: Irwin Linton was a lawyer. His book is called A Lawyer Examines the Bible. Simon Greenleaf was the co-founder of the Harvard Graduate School of Law. We won’t go into his conversion…we don’t have time for that, but it’s a thrilling story how he came to Christ. He was an agnostic, and after he did, he wrote a book to his fellow lawyers called The Testimony of the Evangelist. And in it, he said, “You lawyers claim that you want to examine the facts, to come at the truth. I’ll give you the facts. Here they are, and you cannot deny that the Bible is God’s Word, that Jesus Christ is God, who came to this earth as a Man to pay the penalty for our sins. There is no way you can get around these facts.”

And this is what actually convinced Simon Greenleaf, who, in his day, was the highest authority on legal evidence, quoted by the Supreme Court. So, Tom, for some university professors and seminary professors to say, “Yeah, this is old stuff,” you know, and “Nobody really goes for that any more. No one with any intelligence,” we list a number of them, and there are many more, some of the most brilliant people the world has ever seen!

Tom: And, Dave, they’re hardly ecumenical. Let me quote you from Professor Simon Greenleaf.

Dave: Yes.

Tom: He says, “The religion of Jesus Christ aims at nothing less than the other overthrow of all other systems of religion of the world, denouncing them as inadequate to the wants of man, false in their foundations, and dangerous in their tendencies. These are no ordinary claims, and it seems hardly possible for a rational being to treat them with mere indifference or contempt.”

Dave: He’s a very logical man (chuckling), and God says, “Come now, let us reason together.” I believe the Bible is logical. I believe that if you are willing to follow the evidence, you are willing to be reasonable and go by what is true, you cannot deny the Bible. It is logical, it is factual, it is God’s Word. It is true.

So, we quote a number of these people in there: some of them the greatest historians the world has ever seen.

Tom: And, Dave, you mentioned earlier about people having the Bible and people not using it. I grew up Roman Catholic, as you know, and we had a Bible. I’m a pre-Vatican II, so we’re talking about the ‘50s and early ‘60s, and we had a Bible on our coffee table. It gathered dust, and you would open it up…the only time we’d open it up would be to see our names and confirmation and baptism, and so on—kind of a historical record. But we never went beyond the first couple of pages, and so on.

But, you know, I could understand that at that time in Roman Catholicism. But…

Dave: Tom, let me interrupt a second—they did offer you so many weeks or months or days knocked off of purgatory if you read so much of the Bible, didn’t they?

Tom: Yeah, but it was kind of a double thing. In other words, where somebody would read the Bible and have questions and take it to their priest, they’d say, “Listen, don’t bother with that. We’ll give you all the information that…” You know, I know some things are changing within the Catholic Church. They do have Bible studies, and so on. Yet many things are still the same, and…

Dave: God expects us to think for ourselves, to go to His Word receive the truth as He presents it.

Tom: But my concern here is now I’m seeing this among evangelicals. You talked about paraphrases and all of these other things. Well, we’re moving into visual presentations, and so on. We are being taken away from the Word of God, and how then can we uphold biblical Christianity if we don’t read the Bible?

Dave: Biblical Christianity simply comes from the Bible, and the Bible is God’s Word, okay? Whatever it is, we’re going to check it out. Check us out! This is why we call this program Search the Scriptures Daily. We go back to it hundreds of times—the Bereans…first of all, we don’t often quote that part of it, Tom: “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily to see whether what Paul said was true.” We’ve got to get back to the Bible and biblical Christianity.