So-Called “Religious Leaders” and Jesus
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ
Last week’s article addressed the hypocrisy of so-called “religious leaders” in their stand on abortion. As I pointed out, many community leaders and social activists have their roots in religious organizations and churches. They use their religious background and connections when it helps them, but too many of them compromise biblical morality in order to appeal to a broader audience. This compromise sometimes occurs on a much larger scale than on just one or two issues: some go so far as to reject the very foundation of Christianity.
Peter preached, “Neither is there salvation in any other (than Jesus), for there is no other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus here claims to be the exclusive Savior of mankind. He did not claim to be “a” savior (“one of many”): He claimed to be the Savior (the only one). This claim is quite contrary to the views of many people. For example, almost one fifth of the world’s population is Muslim (over one billion people). They believe that Mohammed is their savior. They view Jesus as being nothing more than a mere prophet in a long line of other prophets. Buddhists view Buddha as their savior. Members of the world’s third largest religion, Hinduism, claim no savior-figure, so they certainly reject the claim of Jesus Christ! Judaism also denies the claim of Christ, for it denies that the Jesus of the New Testament is the Christ of Old Testament prophecy. Of course, there are millions of others who also reject the John 14:6 claim of Jesus, including atheists and modernists.
With multiple millions of people rejecting the claim of Jesus, and with the rise of multiculturalism in our country, it is easy to see why some “religious leaders” would shy away from these words of Jesus. Any bold affirmation of Jesus’ claim will cost them precious followers! In the same way that some men compromise on abortion and gay marriage, some also compromise on the identity, work and role of Christ in an effort to win political favor. Such compromise proves that these men are using religion as nothing more than a political expedient. It is sacrilege for one to use spiritual things for a secular purpose.
View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.
