I have been preaching through the Sermon on the Mount for the last few months and I am almost at the end of chapter seven. At the conclusion of his sermon, Jesus gives his listeners (and readers) as series of statements to help them evaluate their lives and confront them with choices they must make. In verses 13-14, Jesus paints the picture of the wide and the narrow way.
There is no escaping it, the narrow road leads to heaven and the wide road leads to hell. Preachers and scholars may try to weaken this text by saying it does not or even weaken the Bible’s position and teaching on hell but that is wrong too. Our culture does not like to hear about the reality of hell. Therefore many develop elaborate doctrines to minimize it, redefine it or just ignore it altogether.
Perhaps this is why Jesus follows vv. 13-14 with the caution to beware of false teachers. It seems it never goes out of vogue to redefine hell and biblical doctrine in general. Liberalism comes in many forms and today she is finely dressed with lots of degrees, eloquent, sweet language, nice white teeth and perfect hair. She does many good things and tells half to three-quarter truths. There are fragments of light in everything she says and it fools many.
The problem is that underneath the sheep’s fur is the hair of a wolf and his teeth and claws have sunk deep in the flesh of his prey. The tree’s fruit is really thorns with barbs and hooks to keep all who are snagged. False disciples do not tell people they are false, wolves do not reveal their identity and thorn trees keep you a full growing season before you realize what the harvest is.
In other words, the wide road has a sign above it that says heaven. It is an easy road to walk and its doctrines appeal to the flesh and tickle the ear. However, the end of this road is death and destruction as John Bunyan so beautifully illustrates in the Pilgrim’s Progress. Wise judgment must be exercised or you will cast your pearls before swine and find yourself broke and broken because you were trampled under their feet.
Today’s emerging church makes such promises and offers doctrines that taste good to the flesh. They do not only say that their way leads to heaven but they say that there is no hell. They make these claims while embracing many orthodox doctrines. They do many good works in the name of Jesus but it is a social gospel they practice. They want to help the down and out in the name of morals but not for the glory of God or the sake of the gospel. Good works, like meeting the physical, social and financial needs, are good things but they will not save.
Even Muslims, with their false religion, practice a social gospel of sorts. Today in the slums of Kenya and in Eastern Kenya, in the city of Malindi, if you convert to Islam you and your family will receive food, water and free education for your children. These are very wonderful services for converting to Islam but it is the wide road that leads to destruction and many will enter it.
As followers of Christ, let’s tell the simple truth about hell and the glorious truth about heaven. Let’s make hell sound as horrible as it does in the Bible and heaven beyond what anyone could imagine (within Biblical description of course). Let’s serve and love and lay down our lives as followers of Jesus to reflect the true glory of God and show that true doctrine brings real life change that meets needs too because the grace of Jesus and the Spirit of God empowers it.
In addition to that, let’s not be afraid to identify the doctrine of wolves and call it what it is—deadly error. Dr. Al Mohler has a very nice blog on how the church, in recent history, has walked away from the biblical doctrine of hell. It is worth the read. Here is the link to his blog: http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/01/26/air-conditioning-hell-how-liberalism-happens/.
Dying 2 Live,
Michael
