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It's not just since the pandemic that Christians have been observed to be drifting into various doctrines and errors: Someone watches a Christian YouTube channel and begins to doubt the teaching about baptism with the Holy Spirit. Another encounters biblical criticism during their studies and can no longer trust the biblical creation account. One even hears, sometimes heated, discussions among Christians about whether the earth is flat...
These diverse examples all have the same serious consequence: Instead of focusing on God's Word and His power, and thus building up our faith, we become entangled in discord and strife. As born-again Christians, we should recognize the signs of the times and focus more strongly than ever on the Gospel and the truth of Christ! Deep down, we all know this. So how do such shifts occur among long-time and serious Christians?
Rationalism – trust in one's own reason
Proverbs 3:5 leads us to a crucial reason: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” In each of the mentioned cases, the person tries to immediately solve their uncertainties and difficulties using their intellect, instead of trusting in the Lord in faith and waiting until He reveals the truth!
This is partly because, unfortunately, for a growing number of Christians, "faith" no longer means daily, trusting, faithful, and unconditional discipleship, but rather is understood as a spiritual means to satisfy our selfish needs. This becomes apparent, for example, when we encourage one another to simply "believe in it very firmly" regarding a personal matter, or when we hear someone say they believe "for something" they are striving for.
Thus, faith transforms into a kind of positive thinking, into a "belief in one's own faith." But when Jesus urges Jairus, "Do not be afraid; only believe" (Mark 5:36), He is not expecting a strong clinging to one's own imagination, but rather He is simply saying, "Trust Me!"
On the other hand, some have been led to believe that knowledge is higher than belief, as suggested by the secular proverb "Believing is not knowing." The name Immanuel Kant may be unfamiliar to many, but unfortunately, his philosophy has taken root in many hearts. In short, it states: "Rely on your own understanding." This is precisely the flaw in modern, enlightened thinking. Everyone believes their own intellect is entirely sufficient to understand and correctly judge all aspects of life.
This elevates one's own reason to the judge of truth or error. This is arrogant and superficial. People believe they can form a sufficient judgment with the limited information they have; moreover, this information is not verified at all. Award-winning scientists in their fields only pass judgment on events with the utmost caution, while the rest of us (sometimes without any professional background) have a complete "know-it-all" view and contemptuously ridicule our fellow human beings: "People still don't notice anything" or "They still haven't woken up."
Indeed, we cannot expect the world and society to always bring us the truth. The church is the pillar and foundation of truth. But unfortunately, such patterns of behavior are increasingly observed here as well. Some, for example, claim that church elders have been teaching incorrectly for decades without knowing the history of our church movement and the background that led to a particular doctrine or practice! Once again, it is personal judgment that is supposed to decide between truth and error.
For many critics, both within the church and in society at large, the truth isn't the primary concern. Rather, it's a (perhaps unconscious) rebellion against "those in power." Unfortunately, Christians in particular spread many falsehoods directed against authority, research, or medicine. The superficiality with which this is done is appalling.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, someone in my community tried to warn me about doctors. Their argument was that most people die in hospitals. There was general astonishment among them. Until I had to point out that most people die in cemeteries, and that they should please keep things in perspective. This combination of distrust of authority and a naive credulity towards any dissenting "knowledge" is something one encounters again and again. And each time, people believe they are judging based on their own reason.
Even the mind is based on faith!
Certainly, God uses our reason. He even calls us to rational worship (cf. Prov. 13:16; Rom. 12:1). However, the Bible clearly shows that faith far surpasses reason (cf. Philippians 4:7). Faith is radically more honest: those who rely on their intellect imagine themselves to be wise enough and to possess comprehensive knowledge to judge things correctly. Yet, every rational decision is ultimately based on trust.
Probably none of us has measured the circumference of the Earth or the speed of light, yet we trust the relevant specialists in these fields. Very few of us even check or correct the maps on a navigation device before using it. Nevertheless, we rely on its information. We calculate prices or material quantities before shopping using a calculator that we didn't program ourselves. We imagine these are our own rational decisions, but they are based almost entirely on trust.
Therefore, faith is greater than knowledge: We are aware from the outset that we are entrusting our understanding to someone. And we consciously choose the anchor of our trust; for us as Christians, it is the Lord himself and the Holy Spirit, who speaks to us through God's Word. Especially nowadays, it should be clear to everyone how easily a false reality can be fabricated.
Anyone who has fallen victim to online fraudsters only realizes afterward that all their knowledge and intellect were useless in that instance – the scam was simply too well executed! Sales fraud is usually quickly uncovered, at the latest when the goods have been paid for but never delivered. Fraud in intellectual or spiritual matters is often more complex. This makes it all the more important to establish the right foundation and to critically examine any "knowledge" presented.
The source is crucial!
The Bible shows us that truth is not a concept, but a person: Christ himself! Here we see again how closely all knowledge is bound to relationship and trust—and to the source! It is no coincidence that every serious examination of information begins with a review of the source: Is the source credible and trustworthy? What has it already said on this topic or on other topics? What do other authorities say about this source?
In spiritual matters, this means, among other things, that we cannot trust the father of lies under any circumstances! It doesn't matter how plausible information presented by esoteric or occult sources (alternative practitioners, hypnotists, etc.) may seem. Such a source alone will never be sufficient to trust the information, because the source itself cannot be trusted!
We imagine that our decisions are based on our own reason, but they are based to a very large extent on trust.
Unfortunately, one often encounters a naive belief in facts. The more information one has, the better one believes oneself to be able to judge. People eagerly accumulate as much "knowledge" as possible from every conceivable source, without giving a single thought to its origin. The result of such an attitude can be seen in the example of Eve: The serpent approached her with "new insights," with new knowledge that contradicted what Eve already knew.
What chance did Eve have of discerning whether she was being deceived? She should have asked herself whom she trusted more—a strange animal or her husband, the serpent or the Creator of the universe. The Apostle Paul points in the same direction when he writes in his second letter to Timothy: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it” (2 Timothy 3:14).
When faith challenges our minds
Trust in God is especially important when, for extended periods, our intellect cannot keep pace with God's revelation! For many centuries, the wise men of this world laughed uproariously at 2 Peter 3:10 and the passing away of the universe described therein; today, no one laughs anymore. Yet the intellectual revolutions of recent centuries, particularly in physics, have demonstrated how quickly scientific findings considered certain can suddenly be cast in a completely new light.
Naturally, our minds might initially balk at the idea that the starlight reaching us has already traveled millions of years – measurably! Can we still trust the divine revelation that the Earth was created in just six days? Well, why not? Ever since Einstein, physicists have had to accept the notion that time doesn't flow everywhere simultaneously or at the same speed. So why shouldn't God have created the Earth in six "normal" days, while in the same period much longer time passed in distant parts of the universe?
Why do we so firmly believe that all the laws of nature were exactly as they are today at the time of creation? Anyone who seriously examines current physics will soon recognize the limitations of our knowledge. Therefore, it is all the more worthwhile to place our complete trust in divine revelation! Many thousands of years of biblical history have shown that this is still the surest path!
But couldn't my pastor also be wrong?
It can indeed happen that specific people and even authorities in our environment, our family, or our community are mistaken—at least seemingly so. How does one proceed biblically in such a case? The Apostle Peter recommends faith to us even in such a situation! In 1 Peter 5:1-9, he shows that all our shepherds themselves have a chief shepherd—Christ. Trusting in Him, we should humble ourselves under our shepherds. We are not to shepherd the elders, but the elders are to shepherd us.
When we discover perceived or actual mistakes, we should humble ourselves before God and wait for His time. Yes, perhaps there are indeed mistakes, but God uses these mistakes, guides us through these situations, teaches us patience, and brings us to spiritual maturity! Do we worry about the harm other souls suffer because of such errors? We should cast this worry on God and be sober and vigilant: The devil wants to devour us like a roaring lion, especially in this matter! We must resist him by holding fast to God in humility and faith!
"The first sip from the glass of science makes you an atheist, but God is waiting for you at the bottom of the glass." (Werner Heisenberg, German physicist and Nobel laureate)
Many Christians who don't currently hold significant responsibilities also underestimate the responsibilities and spiritual challenges faced by our elders and leaders. It's easy to criticize leaders from the sidelines and think you know exactly how to do things better. But when they themselves find themselves in positions of responsibility, many realize that these seemingly simple ideas aren't so easy to put into practice.
In their responsibility before God, they will then (hopefully) realize that they cannot simply impose any doctrines or principles in the church just because they seem righteous, holy, and good to them, as long as they lack a firm biblical foundation. And even the necessary, biblically required practices cannot be commanded from above, but must be instilled and cultivated with much patience and gentleness toward fellow Christians, and with much prayer.
Image source: AdobeStock_143712208 @ Aerial-Mike
Trust that it is God who leads the community
In addition, we must have humility before God regarding the teachings and practices of the church and know our roots. No child chooses its parents; it is God's decision. If I am "born into" a church (whether physically or spiritually), I am initially connected to the teachings and practices of that church. We should not despise our own pastors and our own church by seeing ourselves merely as victims of a flawed environment.
Instead, we should contribute our healthy share to the growth of our church. If we don't understand any teaching or practice of the church, or if we believe we have a different understanding of it, let's first approach our own elders and pastors and ask. Perhaps we've simply misunderstood something. A blunt "Where is that written?" or "Isn't that just a Russian tradition?" isn't enough!
God has led our movement or church, our pastors or elders, and their predecessors along a very specific path, teaching them a great deal along the way. They, too, have read the Bible for decades and have seen their insights confirmed by God's actions in their lives!
Have we taken the trouble to find out under what circumstances, with what considerations and justifications, certain developments were decided back then, the effects of which we still see in our practice and teaching today? And all this in a time of persecution, in which our brothers had little room for development, but were all the more devoted to God and willing to sacrifice, and therefore also experienced God's guidance! Even things that are actually "only" traditions and cannot be literally justified by any scripture have their origin and meaning.
Often, they don't correspond to Scripture literally, but to its spirit; in any case, they still possess spiritual value! Instead of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" and rejecting all unwelcome traditions "for lack of scriptural proof" (and thus also the blessing that accompanies them), we should search for their origins, for the underlying spiritual values, in order to "rescue" them for our present-day practice and apply them to our lives! Such a search can be arduous, but it can unearth many precious gems.
We should believe in God and understand: He has planted me in this church, and He knows why! Therefore, it is important that we first seek the guidance of our own church in spiritual matters! We should not evaluate our church based on the teachings of other sources, but rather allow differing doctrines to be assessed and contextualized by the pastors of our church.
Even in the unlikely event that I am indeed in an erring church, God will find a way to lead me into a true church if I humbly submit to Him and uphold His principles of spiritual parenthood and sonship.
The church of God is not virtual!
Of course, in this day and age we can no longer avoid receiving spiritual nourishment from outside our own church. Previously it was books, later cassettes and CDs, today it might be links to relevant explanatory videos on spiritual topics that young people share with each other.
The danger lies, on the one hand, in the sheer volume of new media and, on the other hand, in the unreflective use of it. Just because something I've seen somewhere or read in a book seems more plausible to me than the teachings and practices of my community doesn't necessarily make it correct! Otherwise, we would once again be judging solely according to our own intellect.
In the past, when a cassette or CD was passed around, there was almost always a recommendation or assessment; if in doubt, the pastor was consulted. In any case, there was a discussion among the members about what they had heard, and necessarily, an evaluation. This opportunity for contextualization is largely neglected today. Certainly, people discuss digitally distributed content, even if only partially. But young people, in particular, often remain isolated, entirely without the experience and perspective of older members. Considering the scriptural admonition that only mature Christians are capable of critically examining spiritual nourishment, this development is dangerous.
It is worthwhile to place your complete trust in divine revelation! Many thousands of years of biblical history have shown that this is still the safest way!
This, along with the one-way communication of the internet, leads to the loss of what constitutes a true church community: the fellowship of young and old and the genuine exchange about the Word of God, deepened and tested through practical experience! On the surface, new media seem to offer a multitude of opportunities for fellowship and responses. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that a genuine, substantive exchange between the recipients and creators of Christian content is very rare; reactions are largely limited to acceptance or rejection.
Some providers even deliberately avoid being subordinate to a specific congregation or any elders in order to "remain independent"—or so they say. But that's not how the church of God works! We need one another and mutual exchange! We need the spiritual guidance of elders, pastors, and teachers! We mustn't despise our own church and enthusiastically follow the various autonomous leaders on the internet just because everything is explained so clearly there, in a sleek presentation and with pretty pictures.
If the topics discussed there are truly so important, why shouldn't we approach our youth leaders or elders and ask them to work through these topics with us on a biblical basis? Or do we not trust that God can also give sufficient wisdom to the ministers of our church for this purpose?
Let us believe!
Brothers and sisters, let us beware of relying on our own understanding! Let us instead trust in God! Faith is more than knowledge! If we truly believe in God, we are ready to humbly follow Him even when we cannot see or understand the way. From our relationship with God comes trust in our relationship with the church into which God has placed us. Let us hold fast to our faith in God and wait until He brings the truth to light; He is never too late!
John Nazarov
Lappenstuhl Municipality