Corruption

Deviance, distortion, and perversion permeate many churches in these last times.  Perversion does not always entail corrupt, sexual natures.  Perversion is anything distorted, corrupted, impaired, or wicked.  Many claim to know Jesus nowadays, but do they really know Him?  Countless disciples are disdainful, and of darkness rather than light.  Christianity steeps with compassionless, apathetic persons.  Jesus' name is thrown around as a marketed tool or as an avenue of judgment.  Perverted spirits malign the gospel of Christ with words lacking supporting lifestyles.

This is not something new.  The Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter one speaks of a similar sickness within the body of Christ.  "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--which is really no gospel at all.  Evidently some are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ" (1:7).  In Paul's day, Jews were trying to convince Christian Gentiles their salvation was worthless unless accompanied by circumcision.  In effect, their faith was only counted as righteous before God if they completed a certain task.  Salvation based upon works in other words.  Sound familiar?

However, today, not only is salvation through works promoted, other false aspects contaminate Christianity.  Such as love God, but don't mention Jesus--too controversial; such as worldly passions--homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, adultery are either condoned or overlooked;  such as retaliatory mindsets--fight back rather than turn the other cheek.  Many "Christians" are jaded.  Hard hearts herald a new religion, a man-made spirituality.  They negate the work of Christ on the cross, implementing human regulations which do nothing to restrain sensual passions and restrict regeneration by the Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:23).

Human regulations of "do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that" are take backs to the day of the Apostle Paul (Colossians 2:22).  They create a 'Pharisee on the street corner' religion.  And such a religion is stiff-necked and compassionless.  "Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.  You hypocrites!  Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men'" (Matthew 15:6b-9). This is proportionate to numerous 21st century churches.  Christianity is being used much like baseball's double play.  The truth comes at you fast and hard, but more often than not, it is scooped up and thrown hurriedly to first base to get the other team out.  It's an 'us against them' mindset instead of 'they are lost and need saving' mindset.

Salvation is being used as a defense rather than an offense.  We hangout in the outfield of life waiting for something spectacular to come our way, completely bobbling the small plays.  The small plays happen all the time--it's the attention to details which affect the outcome, not one miraculous make on life's stage.  If we allow perverted, misguiding's of Scripture--taught by "hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron" (1 Timothy 4:2)--to harden our hearts, then we have fallen from grace (Galatian 5:4) and there is nothing but a fearful expectation of judgment waiting for us (Hebrews 10:27).

Defensive postures are for those on guard--holding close themselves to themselves.  Love is seeking out the best interests of others regardless of one's actions.  Self-centered, prideful, dispirited carnal Christians are incapable of empathy and compassion.  Walking with Jesus is humility and submission to God, not surrender to man's teachings of logic, ethics, and tradition.  Walking with Jesus is placing Him as Head of the Church, as Head of our individual lives.  More often than not, He is an afterthought of religion--or even more reprehensibly, a means to an end other than glory to God our Father.

Those who claim God's love, while refusing to adhere to Jesus' example, corrupt the grace of God in the eyes of those who are weak in the faith, or who just outright deny.  They are lukewarm and will be spewed out.  Let us not continue today's perverted gospel!