Wrong Assertions = False Teaching

Yeah, even when it's a church espousing it on their website.

From the Statement of Faith of a local church:

About Man...


We are created in the spiritual likeness or image of God. God gave us free will: we have the ability to choose to love as God loves, to choose to do right in the likeness of God's righteousness, and to choose to value what God values. God created us because He wants a family who will love Him because we want to love Him, and not because we have to love Him. The first man, Adam, chose to sin, and now every person lives in a marred creation with a marred spiritual nature. As a result, every person will eventually choose to sin and subsequently become separated from God.
Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:1-24; Psalm 8:3-6; John 4:24; Ephesians 1:4-6;Romans 3:23

This is, by far, one of the worst (unbiblical) descriptions of the nature of man that I've ever read.  No. No. No.  Wrong.  Uh-uh.  This is NOT what the Bible teaches, so let's take critical look at it.

We were created in God's image.  Correct.  Unfortunately though, I'm afraid the rest of it crashes and burns. 

God gave us free will?  Where do they get this?  None of the passages they cited support this notion; and the reason for that is that there ARE no passages that support this notion.  We have the ability to choose to love as God loves?  To choose to do right in the likeness of God's righteousness? (what does this even mean?) To choose to value what God values?  There's a lot of "choosing" going on here, but none of it's being done by God, who in reality, is the only one with the right and ability to "choose."  HE is the Sovereign, HE is the Creator, and HE is Ruler of the universe, the One declaring the end from the beginning.    What do they think the meaning of sovereign is anyway? Isa 46:9-10

And, what is "free will?"  Most people tend to mistakenly refer to it as the "free" or unhindered ability to make spiritual choices concerning God, and matters such as salvation, apart from any outside influencing factors.  This is known as libertrian free will, but no such concept exists in Scripture.  God's revealed word does indeed speak to the will of man, but certainly not in a favorable manner:    

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ~Gen 6:5

"...I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done." ~Gen 8:21

'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed. ~Jer 5:23 (There are actually many passages that address the stubbornness and stiffneckedness of God's people, Israel)

"The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? ~Jer 17:9

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."  ~Rom 3:9-12

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ~Rom 8:5-8

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. ~1 Cor 2:14

Well, these are but a very few passages that speak to the nature of man - that of being inherently sinful.  In this sinful state, man has not the slightest ability to 'choose' to please God or to do anything that God requires of him.  This brings me to the next point of the SoF, which I've taken a little out of order from how they wrote it.  As a result of possessing this sin nature, I submit that man is far, far more than "marred."  Man is flawed, yes, but using biblical language, man is, in fact, spiritually dead.  Dead in sin.  Ephesians 2:1-3 describes sinful human beings as dead in trespasses, even as children of wrath:  "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." 

Man's default nature is a sinful one with a bent toward rebellion and disobedience against God.  As a result, the only 'choices' unregenerate humans make are those in accordance with that nature - those which will please the flesh, not God.  Man is bound by and a slave to sin.   "...knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;"  ~Rom 6:6 and "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness." ~Rom 6:20  
See all of Romans 6

I can hear it now - "so you're saying we're just puppets," to which I reply, let's use biblical language when talking about biblical things, and the Bible doesn't employ the term, puppet.  However, it does assert that we are either slaves to sin or slaves to Christ, and there's nothing in between - no middle position.  If you are a redeemed believer in Christ, you have been bought with a price and you are not your own.  1 Cor 6:19-20

My, this is turning into a very long post for such a short little paragraph, but boy is it ever chocked full of error.  OK, two more things real quick-like.  "As a result [of this marred nature], every person will eventually choose to sin and subsequently become separated from God."  No!  We are born in sin; our nature is sinful.  "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— " ~Rom 5:12 and "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." ~Psalm 51:5  Because of the one man, Adam, a sin nature preexists a person being born. Also, the sin nature is one of self-centeredness and self-focus, and it doesn't take a baby any length of time to demand the attention be on him to meet his needs.  One needn't have to commit murder for his inborn sinful nature to be exposed.  The Bible assumes separation from God; there's no 'subsequently' becoming separated from God. 

God created us because He wants a family who will love Him because we want to love Him, and not because we have to love Him.  Man, I wish they had written this as an example of what NOT to say, because this is horrific theology.  Have they not read the Bible?  God is about God.  EVERYTHING He does He does for His own glory and for the renown of His Name!!!!!!!!  God doesn't need anything!  He IS everthing - and we need Him.  Consider Acts 17:24-28:

"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'

God, in His infinite wisdom, mercy and grace and before the foundation of the world, decided of His own accord to create a universe and to set His love on a people as a gift for His Son.   He then set His plan in motion, and in real time redemptive history is playing out.  Man falling was ordained by God; separation from Him - ordained; sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die in our place - ordained; His choosing a people to be adopted as His children - ordained. Eph 1

And considering I was His enemy initially, I THANK GOD that He didn't leave me to my own sinful, wicked self to somehow or another develop a love for Him and then 'choose' Christ.  The passages I cited above prove that would have been an impossibility.  THANK GOD His will is superior to mine and that he overrode my "free will."  THANK GOD He made me love Him, for I would have never done so on my own.

It's very simple.  ANY teaching that runs contrary to the revealed doctrine in the Scriptures is false.  And it matters not that it's well-intended, or that it sounds really, really spiritual, or that's it's a tiny paragraph in statement of faith.  Paul says in Gal 1:8-9  -  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! No doubt Paul is quite serious here as he repeats himself twice.  We would do well to heed the admonition.  Let us endeavor to be diligent to study and KNOW what the Word of God says that we might be equipped to discern what is false.


Yours in grace,