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| Photo by FatherRon 2011 |
So now that we’ve examined the definition of an evangelical Christian, what do those who identify as evangelicals actually believe? Could
it be that some nominal Christians differ from core doctrine not only in fine
points over the meaning of a few controversial verses, but also in basic
concepts about Jesus Christ, salvation, and God’s Word?
And does it really matter? As long as they prayed the
“sinner’s prayer” and “asked Jesus into their heart,” isn’t that enough? Or
does accepting heresy as truth really mean that the “Christian” doesn’t know
Jesus at all, and therefore is not truly saved? Jesus Himself warned that not
all who did good works in His Name or claimed to know Him belonged to Him, for
He never knew them, and banished them as workers of evil (Luke 13:23-30).
To find out what those meeting their research definition of
an evangelical Christian actually believe, Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research surveyed 3,002 Americans in 2018, including
518 identified as evangelicals. Their findings regarding agreement or
disagreement with 34 core beliefs about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible
are published in the October 16, 2018 issue of Christianity Today. The survey was repeated in 2020.
Not surprisingly, the overall proportions of Americans
disagreeing with Bible-based doctrine has continued to increase since previous
surveys in 2014 and 2016. But more disheartening is the widespread, increasing,
deep confusion about core Christian beliefs even among so-called evangelicals.
Among Americans with “evangelical beliefs,” nearly all (97%)
endorsed the true statement that “there is one true God in three persons.” Yet 78% (2018) and 65% (2020)
agreed with the statement that “Jesus was the first and greatest being created
by God the Father,” attesting to their overall confusion. As Scripture clearly
states, Jesus Christ is God, the Word Who was present with God the Father since
the beginning of time (John 1:1).
Not only was Jesus Christ not created, but He actually is the Creator of all
that there is and ever was (John 1:1-3).
If our thinking relegates Jesus to the status of a mere
created being, it not only strips Him of His divinity, but it invalidates the
miracle of salvation. The mystery of salvation is that God Himself, the Creator
of all, willingly left His throne in Heaven, took on human form (John 1:14), and suffered an
agonizing death to pay our sin debt in full (Romans 3:25). He then
rose again on the third day, proving His divinity, so that all who believe this
and trust Him have eternal life (1
Corinthians 15:1-4; John 3:16).
About half (52% in 2018; 46% in 2020) of “evangelicals” agreed that “Most
people are basically good,” which flies in the face of the curse of sin
affecting every human since Adam disobeyed God (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12). Jesus in His earthly
ministry reaffirmed that only God is good (Matthew
19:17), and the apostle Paul wrote that no person is righteous (Romans 3:10-12), for all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans
3:23). The prophet Isaiah wrote that our so-called righteousness as a
claim to salvation is as offensive as filthy rags in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6)
Even the apostle Paul, arguably the most devoted Christian ever to walk
the earth, acknowledged that he had to die daily to his sin nature (1 Corinthians 15:31), which was
constantly at war with the Holy Spirit (Romans 7:4-25) living in His
heart since the moment he was saved (John
14:16-17).
Perhaps even more shocking than their belief in man’s
goodness is that 51% of “evangelical Christians” in 2018 and 42% in 2020 agreed that “God accepts the
worship of all religions.” Yet all other religions deny the divinity of Jesus
Christ, claiming instead that he was a good man, wise teacher, great prophet,
or even the brother of Lucifer. Jesus Himself proclaimed that He is the only Way to the Father (John 14:6),
and that the gate to salvation is narrow, whereas the gate to destruction is
broad and captures the souls of many (Matthew
7:13-14).
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved.
In keeping with this all-inclusive, yet tragically
erroneous belief of many paths to Heaven, nearly one third (32%) of
“evangelicals” agreed that “religious belief is a matter of personal opinion
[and] not about objective truth,” as did 60% of all Americans surveyed.
But if evangelicals put no more stock in their religious
belief than they do in any personal opinion, they slide down a slippery slope
that ends in denying the absolute truth of the Bible. We cannot “cherry-pick” verses to match our
idiosyncratic beliefs or to justify “lifestyle choices” that are actually sins,
for “no prophecy of the scripture is of
any private interpretation” but rather was inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).
2
Timothy 3:16: All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
If we give way to popular opinion rather than Bible truth,
for example by endorsing evolution rather than a literal six-day creation by
the Triune God (Genesis 1,2),
then we are falling prey to “cunningly devised fables” (2 Peter 1: 16) that erode the very core of our faith. The
theory of evolution calls for ongoing and repeated cycles of death to “improve”
the gene pool, which in itself is ludicrous since observed mutations lead to
disease rather than to better function.
More importantly, it denies the power of God to speak the
worlds into existence, including mankind created in His image (Genesis 1:26). If we evolved from
the animals, we are no better than the beasts, and there is no absolute standard
for morality, and no rationale for or consequences of the construct of sin.
Even worse, striking at the heart of Christian faith is
that if we are not all sinners through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, we
have no need of a Savior. Christ’s death on the cross was therefore in vain,
totally unnecessary, and irrelevant, because there is no God, no Heaven, and no
meaning to our existence beyond the stark biological reality. Doubting portions
of God’s Word ultimately leads to rejection of its saving power (Romans 1:16).
Sadly, Americans as a whole are at even
greater odds with Bible truths than are those who claim the Name of Jesus. So,
born-again Christian, know what you believe, make sure it lines up with Bible
truth, and be prepared to defend it to others!
© 2018 Laurie Collett
Edited and reposted from the archives
