It has been well stated the world over that America was once the Bible nation of the world. However that place in world history is fading away fast! That compliment of this nation is being replaced with syncretism.

Syncretism is a new syncretism of religion and that on a grand scale has been and is in process in protestant lands. It threatens to completely eradicate Christianity from Europe and to introduce instead a rationalistic Gnostic religion fashioned out of elements taken from the religions of all the ages and from every corner of the earth.

We have seen in America in the last twenty years especially raising its head, more and more religions each having their own set of creeds, manuals, rules and instructions, which tend to blend and confound Christianity with religions.

Example: It was this kind of mixture that caused the church in India and China to succumb to Buddhism leaving little of no trace of spiritual Christianity. Christianity was compelled to give way in Africa to Mohammedanism.

History is once again repeating itself. The world wide anti-evangelical type of religion recognized by both culture and politics is a fruit of the most grandiose mixing of religions known to man and his history.

Yet when we delve into the psychological minds of people we find that the one idea behind every syncretistic and speculative philosophy, is “I believe” and "this satisfies me." This self-willed belief teaches that the mental life is explicable and chiefly coming under the principle of association of different ideas. While this is true it is also true that syndicalism becomes a social and political theory proposing to substitute collectivism and capitalism through the taking over even by force and replacing Christianity with religion.

Some countries have experienced great violence especially when politics has control. At that point you begin to see the disappearance of moral Christianity the rejection of moral codes and rules executed by God. There has since the beginning Genesis 1:1 existed both “Good” and “Bad” there is no in between. If mans religion which he created is bad then Christianity created by God is good. Both cannot be good because God did not create religion. Genesis Chapters one and two informs us that each thing God created He was pleased and stated it is good. However something is amiss, there is no mention of creating confusion, no mention of creating religion. Religions were introduced by man, even from the first dispensation of time.

SYNCRETISM DEFINED

1. “An effort to reconcile and unite various systems of philosophy or religion and or religious opinions on the basis of tenets to all and that opponent being God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit against a common opponent.” Britannica World Language Dictionary, Funk & Wagnall's.

2. "Theologize" Defined: “To devise or fit something into a system of theology.” Britannica World Language Dictionary, Funk & Wagnall's.

3. International slang defined.

A. Open door policy.

B. Open Fellowship.

C. Acceptance of gay fellowship.

D. Gay ministers and elders.

E. Women pastors.

F. Universalism.

G. Humanism.

H. New age followers.

I. Satanic rites.

J. Saved by grace alone.

K. Exchange preachers.

L. Man boy relations.

When investigated carefully we may be surprised to know that synonymously, syncretism and theologize is all used in the same terms, equivalent in meaning closely related or nearly alike in meaning and in significance. We also can deduce from the above that to add syndicalism to the list of stumbling blocks for the Christian that as we look over the horizon we see daily that Christianity is succumbing to these elements. God is not executing these events, rather man with his rejection of God and his plan.

Crosses that are too heavy for the natural man to bear, Matt. 10:37-39 Jesus said, “he who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me and he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who has found his life shall lose it and he who has lost his life for my sake shall find it”.

Modern man no doubt feels that he encounters and intellectual cross in Christianity at nearly every step of the way, but modern man expects the experience with God to be simple and one which will meet his approval. 1 Cor. 2:14, “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”. Therefore man begins to theologize. He finds objects that he has no desire to deal with; they suddenly become burdens which if accepted would deprive him of his present life style sooner or later. Most of the time it is sooner that he will hear some evangelical preacher either in person or on TV inform him that all he needs to do is pray the sinner’s prayer. He then is saved, be in church on Sunday make his offering as his atonement and go about his life! That sounds good to him, he is now relieved of that cross which could have saved him but the burden was too heavy so he found a way out! He thought!

Little did this man know that Jesus said in John 9:31, "We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God fearing and does His will, He hears Him.” Man does not understand that the intellectual crosses of Christianity occur on various planes. So he follows the largest crowd hoping to find his answers.

The intellectual paradoxes of Christianity converge upon the miracle as their focal point. In the miracle it is the supernatural, which constitutes the intellectual cross. Not only because modern science with practical unanimity denies miracles but in particular because modern science excludes the very possibility of miracles by the method which it employs. So man is left with the idea that Christianity is a big hoax.

About this time man begins to theologize about what he wants to change in Christianity. Soon he becomes a change agent and acquires a following with determination the church goes along with his change in order to preserve the membership the church is divided!

Another cross too great to bear is the fact that God has decreed eternal punishment for sin. The nature of sin, namely that man is evil from his youth as God revealed in Genesis 8:21. Man cannot be saved of his own accord, but must submit to God’s plan of redemption. This becomes a terrible shock to him he thought he had a plan. So then syncretism begins to work. He rationalizes that God created Gay people and they need saving so he goes back to his plan to theologize them into the church! Today its working, man is happy he has changed God’s plan, he thinks!

Another popular phrase is “reformed” many people within the church becomes displeased when teachers and preachers expel the truth, soon a group is formed to oppose certain teaching. The movement begins to reform the church and many elders and deacons are not qualified biblically to suppress the issue. And soon has joined the movement! But it becomes disgracefully sad when Christians schools, colleges and university’s support such reform, which leads to division in the body of Christ. But what is worse is when man fails to accomplish his reform program he leaves and goes to another church causing division there.

The reformation movement in years gone by has been praised as the greatest thing that has happened in this country in regards to “religion”. I fully agree for it divided the body of Christ in its original form. It has created today more than twelve hundred different religions entities all teaching a different gospel other than the Apostolic plan directed by the Holy Spirit. This produced the most offensive expression against the doctrine of God. This concept is so fundamental to both the Old and New Testament that salvation is in reality salvation from the wrath of God, Romans 5:9. Most people feel that it is more like profanation than any thing else to speak of the wrath of God. Therefore the Grace of God is no less and intellectual cross to bear.

Regeneration is not fully understood by man, for it emphasizes strongly more than any thing else Christianities view of man. No one can enter into Christian fellowship with God by his own moral efforts only by a divine “New-creation”. The apostle Paul fully explains this point in Romans 6:4-11, that the man of sin in a contrite heart actually is put to death by God. That is the old man of sin he is made over through the act of regeneration. Regeneration is fully explained in Acts 2:4-40, Peter preached he preached the truth simply because the Holy Spirit spoke through him. His object was to convince the Jews that they were guilty of the murder of Jesus Christ; they knew they were guilty. They heard the guilty verdict and were pricked in their heart. They believed what they heard and said, “What shall we do”. Peter had no need to say you must hear and believe this had already been accomplished. Thus his next instructions were to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Three thousand did but for many thousands this was too much of a burden it would interrupt their theology.

Syncretism and theologizing leads to some factors that needs discussion; first those who reject Christianity entirely because of the crosses they must bear is on such a low plane that no modern man who is somewhat informed and intelligent can take notice of it. Second place those who think that it is necessary to reject Christianity because of the crosses they must bear; pleasures they have known, the so-called friends who has influenced their lives to the point of rejection, this produces more doubt in regards to Christianity being a burden. In the third place those who reject Christianity in its Apostolic form is not only un-modern but also impractical and a hindrance to modern day Christianity. Such is humanistic.

Moreover we can trace these intellectual crosses all the way back to the time in which Christianity originated and to its documents the New Testament writings. This historical fact makes clear the relationship to Christianity. It informs with authority that these crosses are organic, indispensable and a part of genuine Apostolic Christianity.

So many people think that modern man is the first to have experienced the crosses. They think that men in ancient times did not feel them as such, however this idea is not based upon any real study of the sources; it is an arbitrary assumption. The epistles and the book of Acts in the New Testament inform us something very different about ancient man. The gospel was a stumbling block to the Jews, Luke 19:14. If they are people of the critical type they calmly set aside Christ and the cross and live their paradox-less religion with something they call the “Fathers”, all according to their disposition or environment. Sometimes it is Christianity’s demand that have frightened and still do frighten modern man and will so through eternity. Man refuses to meet God through Christ, for he feels that such a meeting will deprive him of his self-centered life.

Every problem man encounters the Bible has a remedy for that problem. Every problem the Bible gives instructions as to the cure. The Bible also gives the side effect of continuing in sin, Romans 8:8-9. Many more passages confirm this. God will bring the sinner to his knees it may be in sickness, it may be in poverty, it may be the loss of a home, it may be the loss of a job, it may be the loss of a love one but every knee shall bow to Christ, Romans 14:11. Then we shall hear Him say “I never knew you, turn away from me”, Matt. 7:23. Now to make sure we understand the difference between the word “punishment” and that of “suffering” consider the following: We may have within our life span been a sinner but have turned to Christianity. We are now Christians therefore we may “suffer” with the same sickness as does the sinner, however the state in which we exist as a Christian we “suffer” as a Christian not as a sinner. Thus we suffer with Christ and are to be joyful because it is in Christ.

Sickness, which the Christian encounters in many events, can be the consequences of a past life style, which the body was abused in some way. The sinner that Paul speaks of in Romans 2:8,9 represents the person who continues to rebel against God and His plan for man. Thus Paul says he will receive punishment as a sinner, there is a difference.

Christianity Defined

“Relating to or derived form Christ or His doctrine. Professing or following the teaching of Christ. Manifesting the spirit of Christ or of His teaching, characteristic of Christianity.”

In this section and especially at this point of defining Christianity for sure we have a pressing need to discuss the statement above, which states “manifesting the spirit of Christ”. This one statement is what separates Christianity from religion. I am eager to hear from the person of Christ and to better know Him to hear Him speak of Himself.

Proverbs 8:22-30

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,

Before His works of old. From everlasting I was established,

From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.

When there were no depths I was brought forth,

When there were no springs abounding with water.

Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills I was brought forth;

While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,

Nor the first dust of the world.

When He established the heavens, I was there,

When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,

When He made firm the skies above,

When the springs of the deep become fixed,

When He set for the sea its boundary,

So that the water should not transgress His command,

When He marked out the foundations of the earth;

Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;

I was daily His delight.”

“And I was His daily delight”. This one statement says it all. Now we know more about the statement brought out in the title “Christianity defined”, which read “Manifesting the spirit of Christ”, even before the earth was brought forth Christianity was in the plan of God. Therefore we must take note of some other things in regards to Christ; namely, that the scripture infers that heaven was indeed the first object to be created. Using Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4, we must know that angels were created before the earth read again Proverbs 8:22 ff. Why? First Genesis 1:26 God said, “Let us make man in our image and according to our likeness”. There was at this time and assembly of the Spirit world and Jesus said in Matt. 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name there I will be in their midst”.

In the second place it is written in Psalms 148:1-5, “Praise Him all His angels”. Verse 5, “For He commanded and they were created”. Therefore Christ stated that He was there with God even before the works of old before the earth was created, “I was there”, Proverbs Ch. 8. Since God is spirit and demands that those who praise and worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth, John 4:24. Then we who are in study must accept the fact that when heaven was created it was created to encompass a host of angels, which in turn constituted a spiritual realm and therefore instituted the spiritual assembly in heaven. It would seem that as God drew up His plan of redemption there was in the mind of God a foresight of every event throughout eternity with this knowledge. God was able to look into each dispensation of time, to allocate, to locate or localize people or events allowable under the law, which as judge became the judicial endorsement or writ of order that He, God might be all in all, 1 Cor. 15:28.

I cannot form a mental image or imagine that God would not prepare a spiritual system in heaven for Him to be praised and worshipped. If true without doubt we can better understand why some of the angels rebelled against God’s rule. Such thing set a pattern for eternity and for sure proves God’s ability of prescience and prescient. For in today’s world we see this same pattern being followed when man turns and rebels against God that man God condemns and is cast into outer darkness.

Now we come to the remedy. God being a merciful God established a spiritual system, not only for worship but wherein man could be reconciled back to God, which included the angels also. Christ being the head of the body of believers the assembly then we must keep in mind that God is and was never the author of confusion, 1 Cor. 14:33. I cannot with a clear mind imagine what it would have been like in heaven, with a host of unruly angels out of control without any judicial restraint. Another reason why the spiritual assembly was established first in heaven, when ratified by the Judge, the Executor the head of the assembly could administer proper discipline. Therefore when Adam and Eve were created the assembly was transplanted at the entrance of the garden as the spiritual tree of life. They as some of the created angels used their choice to say no to God; they rejected the spiritual and chose the physical by doing so they and all their posterity suffered the consequences of their evil, Col. 3:25, Rom. 8:8,9, thus the pattern continues. However the spiritual benefits of the tree of life was taken and its spiritual way guarded; but it would be restored at the proper time, Isaiah chapter 51-53 then in Revelation chapter 22 it is restored fully.

A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

Please allow for a brief introduction in reference to the spiritual awakening. Consider a good religious person he is a good respectable, useful perhaps a good-hearted person. He has no time to prove what the will of God is, Romans 12:2. Such a person may not be opposed to religion as such if there is not too much of it and above all if it does not hinder him from living his own self-guided- earthly minded life. Some religious people of this type feel they have reached and agreement with the Lord and have found a form of religion and morality, which has the approval of God. And never does the person become more pleased with himself and surer of himself than when he has provided himself with a religion by means of which he can “manage even our Lord Himself.

Then God came along and disturbs the whole thing. To their utter dismay these people learn that god is not the same as religion. They now see that with all their religion they have not experienced God for God did on no occasion authorize religion. Also they learn that God does not care for their religion, for God had only one assembly in heaven, one tree of life in the garden, one mountain of the Lord as chief Isaiah 2:1-3. There is one body, one assembly, which Christ is head, Col. 1:18, Eph. 4:4,5, Acts 4:11,12, Rev. 22:1-3.

So the natural man feels bitter toward God, when he with a heavy hand breaks down his health, deprives him of strength to work, frustrates him in his plans and hopes or breaks into his family circle and removes his dear ones with brutal hands demolishes his religion! Here now we can see the miraculous aspect of spiritual awakening with its new creating power, which the Holy Spirit directs in conversion from religion to Christianity. With a mind being scrambled in religion we may know that there are mistakes and choices involved in conversion to true Christianity. Acts 2:1-46, is a classic and perfect example of conversion as well as the attributes of God.

Conversion

Conversion is a choice in conversion the choice is between my own will and that of God. This in itself produces anxiety connected with conversion this is involved in spiritual awakening. The natural man has been shown an inbred distrust of God’s will and a natural confidence in himself. This is the reason for his association with religion. Religion he can control. He cannot control spiritual Christianity, he must submit to God’s rule. To be converted is therefore nothing more than to permit the voice of God through His word to be heard. That voice which before hand was permitted to go unheeded. Now I will, I chose that God shall be able to guide me in my spiritual awakening and that I hear Him and Him alone. That I believe, trust and have confidence to prove His will in my life.

During Faith’s Early Struggle

Some are plunged into violent spiritual struggles at once they would so much like to believe and have peace with God. But they do not succeed it seems that they cannot pray right and able to read with faith. Conversion is the results of a divine miracle by which God destroys the old man of sin. This miracle wrought by God causes man to despair of everything that is his own, especially my own will. Therefore, man must follow the instructions the apostle Paul gave to the assembly at Corinth, 2 Cor. 13:5,6. Now is the time for man to prove himself. Before his death Jesus said, “Seek you first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you”, Matt. 6:33.

The scripture tells us that God kills before He makes alive, Deut. 32:39. Only he who is willing to lose his life, his old self-life shall find life to be unto death, Romans 7:10. Here is the crossroads, which divides awakened souls into various groups. Paul recommended in 2 Cor. 13:5,6, “Test yourselves” don’t fail the test. Don’t give up.

I mentioned earlier in regards to Acts chapter 2 being a classic example of spiritual awakening and conversion. Notice the facts.

1. Acts 2:4, the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles inspired utterance which was designed to convict the Jews of murder, wherein the end results would be obedience to the gospel of Christ.

2. The Jews heard the message they believed, they cried out “what shall we do”?

3. Peter knew that their question was based upon what they heard and believed. Therefore he informs them of the next steps they must take.

4. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. So then those who chose Christ rather than religion were baptized and 3,000 were added to the assembly.

5. They continually devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. Those who made the choice kept themselves busy and were together in fellowship and they had all things in common.

This is truly Christianity and evidence of spiritual awakening which religion does not offer. For if it is not of God it may be of gods, but not Jehovah God, it is counterfeit.

Observations

It is next to impossible to try and define the word God. However it is not impossible to describe God. The name alone denotes good so God is the good being a fountain of infinite benevolence and beneficence toward His creatures. A general description of this great first cause as far as the human words dare to express may be given: The being whose purposes and actions spring from Himself without foreign motive or influence: He who is absolute in dominion, the most pure, the most simple and most spiritual of all essences; infinitely benevolent, beneficent, true and Holy. The cause of all being, the upholder of all things; infinitely happy, because of being infinitely perfect and eternally self-sufficient, needing nothing that He has created: illimitable in His immensity inconceivable in His mode of existence and indescribable in His mode of existence; known fully only to Himself because an infinite mind can be fully apprehended only by itself. In a word a being who from His infinite goodness and wisdom cannot err or be deceived; and who from His infinite goodness and love can do nothing but what is eternally just, right and kind. This description for sure designates God as the Sovereign God of all creation and therefore He shall reign as the Sovereign God of eternity.