…Lies not truth prevail in the land…Jeremiah 9:3
First written in the late 1980s and early 1990s
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One: Are we able to keep the law?
Chapter Two: Do we have free will?
Chapter Three: Has the law been done away with?
Chapter Four: Guilty or not guilty, does it really make a difference?
What is imputed righteousness and justification?
Chapter Five: Am I guilty for Adam’s sin?
Chapter Six: What about eternal security?
Chapter Seven: What is repentance and restitution?
Appendix 1: Unteachable
Appendix 2: Dogma of Original Sin
Appendix 3: Sabbath
Introduction
Some people, including Christians, live to travel. They spend countless resources touring the world. Travel defines their identity. Others live for new adventures, with the riskier, the better. Still, some seek only new pleasures and uninterrupted happiness. Then there are those driven by the desire for fame and fortune. For all these individuals, the meaning of life revolves around self-gratification. But what can be more exciting and satisfying than finding God? What’s more rewarding than discovering the truth? Can life truly have meaning without an intimate relationship with the Creator? Is any adventure more compelling than a life entirely devoted to God? People spend millions seeking great experiences when the most incredible experience of all can’t be bought with money. What truly defines you? What would those who know you say defines you?
Before I dive into a serious discussion about truth, I would like to share a bit of my background and what motivates me to write. Many Christians find the idea of doctrine unappealing; it often seems so formal, unimportant, and uninviting. But it really isn’t. The pursuit of truth is the pursuit of true doctrine. It’s the search for truth that led me to the Bible, where I found what I was looking for. I’ve been there ever since, trying to understand and apply the truth. I regret to say that the institutional or visible church has generally hindered my pursuit of truth by teaching man-made traditions and doctrines. Before I got right with God, the pursuit of truth wasn’t even on my mind. I was too busy doing my own thing. When God got hold of me, everything in my life changed. It’s been a truly wonderful adventure. This desire to know the truth has been with me all these years, and it’s what motivates me to write.
I grew up in a religious home where church teachings were to be accepted without question. There was no such thing as the right of private judgment, even though I suspect most Roman Catholics believe such a thing exists. As far as I know, it does not. The church and the priest knew the answers, or the answers were beyond our knowing. If conscience and reason conflicted with church dogma, they had to be silenced. The church had to prevail. When the Bible seemed to contradict the church’s teaching, they would reconcile the difference based on the unanimous opinion of the Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church or some similar authority. But in all cases, their interpretation was to be accepted. Most people I know accepted this willingly. In many ways, it’s easier to believe when you don’t have to think deeply about it. Plus, you don’t even need to feel strongly about it or be passionately committed. Just accept it, do the minimum, and get on with life. That seems to be the motto of most so-called Christians, inside and outside the Roman Catholic Church.
Years later, I made a genuine commitment to God and left the Roman Catholic Church. I began attending other Christian churches (non-Catholic). Throughout my years in these churches, I’ve discovered that things aren’t very different. Far too many Protestants, like Catholics, unthinkingly accept false doctrine and relinquish their right to private judgment. They let someone else do their spiritual thinking for them. It’s hard to understand the nonsense that so many blindly accept. I can’t believe how much I blindly accepted! What truly surprises me is that Evangelicals abandon private judgment, just like Catholics do, even though they aren’t required to. In some Protestant churches, the faithful are even encouraged not to relinquish their responsibility of private judgment. Isn’t it true that sheep are sheep no matter where they graze?
Some sheep and shepherds love their denomination more than the truth. This helps explain why many accept false teachings and try to justify them. Some of the knowledgeable people I will quote hold to, dare I say it, some ridiculous ideas. Could it be that they love their denomination more than the truth? Maybe they love their education more than the truth. Perhaps they love their reputation more than the truth. It also relates to a lack of courage. Courage is very scarce these days. Honestly, aren’t there many shepherds just as cowardly as the sheep? I have often thought of myself as a coward.
This simple book addresses an unfortunate situation within the nominal or visible church. Dressing a lie in spiritual clothing —language, religious tradition, and ritual — makes it seem true. Sheep aren’t very discerning. Now, I come along without the typical religious credentials, daring to challenge some sacred Protestant doctrines. The many unbiblical teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are not the focus here. Instead, this book examines the doctrines of the evangelical community, which I believe are unbiblical, unreasonable, and illogical. These doctrines are often accepted without question, just like in the Roman Catholic Church. Some lies may seem harmless, but others can have serious consequences.
I will undoubtedly but unintentionally offend some of you. I know from personal experience that the truth hurts. If what I write is false, why would that bother you? Why would that personally offend you? Isn’t it true that if we don’t remain teachable throughout our lives, we will inevitably fall into error? Over the years, I have been corrected many times. I try to cultivate a heart open to correction. I pray for and welcome God’s correction. A thick skin is essential for all of us, not just preachers. Don’t you agree that what is truly important is the truth, not our feelings? If we disagree, let’s do so in love. It’s okay to disagree based on honest, thoughtful research into what God’s Word teaches.
What I write may differ from the teachings of some of your favorite leaders in the evangelical community. I can honestly say that I love these men. Most, if not all, are greater than I am in almost every way. But they are not greater than the truth. Can we agree on that? Their prominence in the church does not make them infallible. My personal journey with God truly began under the teaching of men like Charles Ryrie, J. Vernon McGee, Charles Swindoll, and John MacArthur. For years, my favorite Bible was a NASB Ryrie Study Bible. I have spent countless hours in it. It’s one of my most valued possessions. However, I disagree with many of its footnotes. I will voice my disagreement strongly, not out of ill will toward him or any man, but because sometimes, that’s the only way to get through to the hard of hearing. Which one of us isn’t hard of hearing from time to time?
My journey in Christian theology has exposed me to many different perspectives. While it’s impossible to list every author who has influenced me, a few that have significantly shaped my path include Leonard Ravenhill, A. W. Tozer, Richard Wurmbrand, David Wilkerson, John Wesley, Charles G. Finney, and Asa Mahan. I can confidently say that everything I believe today has been taught to me by God’s people. I do not claim anything original on my part. If I overlook giving credit where it’s due, please excuse the oversight and understand that I have learned what I believe from these brothers in Christ and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God. The most important and influential figure has been the Ministry of Charles Finney. That said, there are some teachings of Finney with which I, as yet, disagree. I trust God to correct me when I am wrong. Truth is more important than my feelings or my reputation.
As a student of the Bible and of revivals, I am not a scholar or a prophet. I have struggled through the issues I write about. These questions haunt me, “How can I be right when it seems most believers accept what I reject?” Isn’t the majority right? They are so sincere in what they believe; how can they be wrong? I hope to convince you that neither sincerity nor experience determines the truth, although, for many, it does. This is a significant error that must be overturned. We are all tempted to reinterpret scripture to fit our own experiences. It happens all the time. I am told that what I believe can’t be true because it doesn’t align with that person’s Christian expertise, with what they believe to be the experience of the vast majority of Christians, or with what prominent figures in the Christian faith believed. Sorry to disappoint you, but Augustine, Arminius, Calvin, Luther, Knox, Wesley, Whitefield, and Edwards had no more corner on the market of truth than did all the past popes combined. As for the unanimous consent of the Roman Pontiffs, it’s nonexistent. Nor have all the Protestant “fathers” agreed. Unfortunately, many Protestants have unwittingly turned the teachings of great men of God into a non-catholic papacy. Instead of searching out the truth for themselves, they accept what these men believed, even if it makes little or no sense. The problem is that neither Catholic nor Protestant leaders delivered to us a perfect body of systematic theology. Both still believe in ridiculous and, might I add, unbiblical dogmas. Unfortunately, the sheep eat it up. Do you think God wants us to submit to the authority of some religious expert blindly? Listen to the powerful language of the prophet of the living God, “Thus says the Lord, cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord” Jeremiah 17:5.
Do you recall the story of Israel rejecting God as their King and demanding a human king instead? Trouble never left them as a result. We are not that much different, are we? Instead of looking to God to lead us, we look to a man to be king and lord over our spiritual lives. We become sheep, not to the Great Shepherd, but to some man. Is there any hope for us?
If this book does nothing more than get you agitated enough to think, it will be worth the effort. I love the truth for it set me free. I love studying the Word of God. I love talking about the things of God. I would rather do that than most everything else. Who thinks it strange to be visibly excited about a ball game? But to become genuinely enthusiastic about the pursuit of the truth is incomprehensible even to some who claim the name of Christ. I don’t understand it at all.
What else does the Spirit of God use to reach us if not the truth? Will not the truth bear witness with logic and reason? Or do we have to set aside these God given powers to believe? I hope to present to you biblical truth that aligns with reason, logic, and what we know to be true. If I am successful, these faculties will rise with one accord and testify to the truth of God.
In my observation, those who teach God’s word frequently do so in such a way that the listener can wiggle out of personal application. They think it applies to everyone else. Preachers are not direct enough because so many carnal believers are as sensitive as babies. Say one thing to upset them, and they will whine for hours. Or they will take their marbles — or, even worse, their cash —and play church somewhere else. If you are satisfied with playing church, this book will likely hold little interest.
Some of you will begin reading this book, get offended by my delivery, and stop reading. Or you will get offended because I challenge a teaching you have believed for years. You will not leave your pasture (denomination) and their teaching. Because you are not teachable, you will stop reading (Read Appendix 1). It takes courage to examine a challenge to what you believe. As you make this decision to read on or not, please remember the words of Jesus. Jesus said that if the blind follow, the blind both will fall into the pit. Is it a fair statement to say that most Christians are too easily offended? It’s our responsibility to know the truth, and we abdicate that responsibility at the risk of our eternal souls.
I will pose lots of questions for your consideration. I use questions to invite thought and dialogue, rather than relying solely on dogmatic rhetoric, hoping they will prompt you actually to consider what you are reading. Many authors use a dogmatic style that doesn’t invite dialogue and thought. Convince me that I am wrong by logic, reason, and the Word of God, and I will change my views. Will you change your views? Over the years, I have found that very few Christians are teachable, which is one of the primary reasons things are as bad as they are.
It seems that each new generation believes, unlike the preceding generation, that it is right about theological and religious matters. Much of what you will read in the following pages will be new to you because it is not commonly known among most Christians in the past. And today, they are not teachable and willing to think about what they believe and why. Take, for example, the reception Jesus received from the religious leaders in His day. Jesus was met with hostility by the very ones who thought they had superior knowledge of God and an intimate relationship with God. And most Jews followed them blindly, just like today. These same people killed Jesus (and the prophets before Him), thinking they were doing God’s will. I believe that our present generation is no better than the previous one, neither more enlightened nor more righteous. Today, what passes for Christianity would not have been accepted years ago, yet most Christians today think they are the gold standard. How far we have fallen without even realizing it.
For centuries, Christians believed the Earth was the center of the universe, only to discover it was not. For centuries, Christians believed that heavier objects would fall faster than lighter objects, only to find out that this is not the case. Augustine, the early church father, lived in the 5th century. Some of his unbiblical and erroneous ideas have been repudiated, while others have not and are still part of Christian Theology today. We will address these in this work. I will challenge some doctrines that have been believed for a very long time by most, not all, Christians. What the majority believes doesn’t become true just because the majority wants it to be true. The truth stands because it is true to reality, reason, logic, and the Word of God, even if only a few believe it.
If we seek Him (truth) with all our hearts, we will find Him (truth). Are there still those who desire the truth no matter the cost? Truthfully, I don’t believe there are very many “followers” of Christ who really care. So many professing Christians appear to be very comfortable with a lukewarm walk with Jesus. Are there those who care enough about the pursuit of truth that they will accept correction? God uses the truth to change lives and nothing else. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” May God have mercy on us and send His Spirit to ignite a revival. May truth not lies prevail in our hearts and this great land of ours.
May God bless you beyond your greatest expectations!
Robert G. Hall
