We live in a country where we are pretty self-sufficient and man has accomplished great things in the last one hundred years. Look at any timeline and you will see major changes in how society operated and along with those, major inventions that have changed how we do things in North America all the while growing pretty self-sufficient. The church also has joined in with that self-sufficient mentality. There is such a desire to be like the world and to be relevant that we have made God irrelevant. Most will not admit to the extreme of a post theistic (God belongs to a stage of human development now past) description of themselves but that is where much of the church has gone. Now this is an extreme and vocal example of post- theism. For example Gretta Vosper who is an ordained United Church of Canada minister believes in neither God nor Bible. “She said she is prepared to fight an unprecedented attempt to boot her from the pulpit for her beliefs. (Remember she is an admitted atheist) In an interview at her West Hill church, Rev. Gretta Vosper said congregants support her view that how you live is more important than what you believe in. “I don’t believe in...the god called God,” Vosper said. “Using the word gets in the way of sharing what I want to share.” She said, “Is the Bible really the word of God? Was Jesus a person? She said, “It’s mythology. We build a faith tradition upon it which shifted to find belief more important than how we lived.” “Her place, she suggests, is inside the church, helping it to “evolve” towards a world in which no one believes in the supernatural.” One person said, “It is agreed in UCC circles that many pastors are in this position, but mostly they choose to keep quiet about it. There exists a growing movement of “deconverted” former priests and pastors, which includes some closeted associates who are still on the job — and many of these, in turn, were pushed over the edge of unbelief.” A new form of this is called the new theists (Still atheists). They say, “Reality is our God, evidence is our scripture, integrity is our religion, and contributing toward a healthy future is our mission.” Here is what they say about the word of God- “By "evidence is our Scripture" we mean that scientific, historic and cross-cultural evidence provide a better understanding and a more authoritative map of how things are and which things matter (or what is real and what is important) than do ancient mythic writings or handed-down wisdom.” Jude 1:3 “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign (Master) and Lord.”
Yes this should make you sick to your stomach and at the same time make you humble yourself before God and though we have not got there yet, we should fear God and His wrath because of this. But I ask how different is it from all the churches that are trying to make God relevant in our day. They work so hard as to not offend the community that they offend God daily. In their attempt to be relevant they have themselves become irrelevant before God. They really do not need God and have gone so far as theologizing, no they won’t call themselves post-theistic just yet but they will say God does not do that any more which I feel is basically the same thing as post-theistic. They say He has ceased to pour out his power. Even though scripture clearly says that is not true, they refuse to repent and change their ways and so just like Gretta, they will stand accountable for all the people they have lead astray. This teaching is nothing but the doctrines of satan. 1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils- KJV)) 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” As we see, all through scripture God only ceased when we ceased following his word. So as you can see there are many levels of post theism, and none will see God. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. Hebrews 3:12 “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Isaiah 40:28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Just because we live in a country where we have great abilities and resources does not mean we should reject God and do things ourselves. Who fights the battles if God is not for them? I love this passage of victory because the battle is the Lord’s even though the army was well trained.
1 Chronicles 5:18 “The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20 They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. 21 They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.” The key to victory is not in our own strength. It is not how well you were trained or the extent of your military prowess, victory is about whether you call out to the living God for help trusting that he will answer. God will answer our prayers if we trust in Him.
How sad that so many are turning away from the living God Hebrews 10:38 “but my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” 39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.” 2 Chronicles 14:11 “Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. Lord, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you.” 12 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, 13 and Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar. Such a great number of Cushites fell that they could not recover; they were crushed before the Lord and his forces. Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”
2 Samuel 22:1 “David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me. 4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies. 5 The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.” What exactly do these post theistic atheists have to offer people? The battle is the Lords, accept these people are fighting against God and instead of fighting for them is against them. How shocking it will be when they stand before the sovereign king and be judged. As God said to Job what exactly can you do compared to me? Job 40:9 “Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his?”
Today bow before the Sovereign Lord and confess with your life Nehemiah 9:5 “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. 7 You are the Lord God”
