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The "Purpose Driven Life" Heresy
selected
articles from:
©FOUNDATION
A MAGAZINE OF BIBLICAL FUNDAMENTALISM
Dennis W. Costella, Editor; Karel Beyer,
Production Manager; Matt Costella, Copy
Editor
M.H. Reynolds, Jr. (1919-1997), Founding
Editor
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An
Analysis of Rick Warren's The
Purpose-Driven® Life
by
Matt Costella
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Rick
Warren, renowned pastor of
Saddleback Church in Lake
Forest, California, and chief
architect of the Purpose-Driven®
ministry empire, has
influenced thousands of
pastors and Christian leaders
around the world with his
best-selling book The
Purpose-Driven-Church and
his Purpose-Driven® church
growth seminars. Now, Warren
has targeted the Christian
layperson with his latest New
York Times bestseller, The
Purpose-Driven® Life (Zondervan,
2002). Millions of people have
purchased The
Purpose-Driven® Life since
its release in September 2002,
and tens of thousands of
churches have either used or
are currently using this book
and other Purpose-Driven® materials
during special campaigns
called 40 Days of Purpose. The
object of the book, which is
divided into 40 chapters, is
to explain in 40 days the five
purposes of one's life.
Bruce
Ryskamp, president and CEO of
Zondervan Publishing, said The
Purpose-Driven® Life "is
more than a bestseller, it's
become a movement."
According to Warren himself, The
Purpose-Driven® Life is
more than just a book—it is,
in Warren's own words, "a
guide to a 40-day spiritual
journey" (p. 9). Because
Warren is admittedly leading
people on a spiritual
journey—a serious task with
profound
implications—believers must
carefully analyze and critique
the spiritual content of this
journey. Nothing on earth is
more important than
understanding the true will of
God as revealed to mankind in
His Word, the Bible.
Therefore, any Christian book
or "spiritual
journey" designed to lead
people to a closer
relationship with God must
conform to the truth—no room
for error is allowed! The
purpose of this article is to
analyze this particular
"spiritual
journey"—— The
Purpose-Driven® Life—in
order to determine whether
or not it is, in fact, true
and faithful to the Word and
will of God.
Rick
Warren is undoubtedly a
sincere and personable
Christian leader, and his book
is full of important,
practical truths—truths that
present-day believers often
tend to ignore or forget. For
example, Warren effectively
reminds believers that time on
earth is short and our
fruitfulness now will count
for eternity. He also
emphasizes the importance of
humility and servanthood in
the life of the
believer—something many
Biblical fundamentalists today
should take to heart. He also
effectively addresses the
reality of temptation and the
means to spiritual victory
over temptation. However,
despite the many positive
aspects of the book, one must
remember that Warren is
guiding millions of people on
a spiritual journey.
Therefore, any error must be
exposed and addressed in light
of the teachings of Scripture.
Many books written by
evangelical writers—and even
a few
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The
Purpose-Driven® Life is
more than just a book—it
is, in Rick Warren's own
words, "a guide to a
40-day spiritual
journey."
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written
by theological
liberals—contain a wealth of
applicable (and even Biblical)
truths. Almost every book has
its positive qualities and a
measure of truth to some
degree. Nevertheless, the
discerning believer and the
Bible-centered church must
ascertain whether any error is
present and then take the
appropriate action. Even a
small amount of error can
produce disastrous results in
the lives of men, women and
children.
Even
before opening the book to
analyze the content of this
spiritual journey, the
discerning believer will
question the doctrinal
soundness and spiritual
integrity of the book when
confronted with the
theologically diverse list of
denominations and churches
that have publicly endorsed
the book and
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churches
that have publically endorsed
the book and hosted a 40 Days
of Purpose campaign.
Churches and denominations
include: Baptist, United
Methodist, Nazarene,
Seventh-Day Adventist,
Presbyterian, Lutheran,
Assemblies of God, Church of
God, Vineyard, Calvary Chapel,
Christian, Evangelical Free,
International Pentecostal
Holiness and many others. In
addition, leading religious
figures such as Billy Graham,
Franklin Graham, Bruce
Wilkinson, Max Lucado and Lee
Strobel have strongly endorsed
and recommended The
Purpose-Driven® Life. In
order for the book to have
such strong appeal among such
a theologically diverse
spectrum of churches and
denominations, its content
must not pose a threat to the
teachings of these churches
and denominations. Likewise,
the book must either keep
silent regarding the dangers
of erroneous doctrine or
minimize the importance of
doctrinal differences
altogether. Immediately, one
should seriously question
whether or not the same
spiritual journey embraced
by a Seventh-Day Adventist,
Nazarene or United Methodist
is a spiritual journey
that is faithful to God's Word
and, therefore, worthy of his
use.
From
the beginning, The
Purpose-Driven® Life and
the 40 Days of Purpose campaigns
have been designed for
ecumenical appeal. In
promotional material,
Warren writes, "We're all
on the same team!" He
continues:
This
campaign is all about the
Kingdom of God, fulfilling
his agenda in His world.
Nothing brings more glory to
God than having his
churches, small groups, and
his people fulfilling His
Purposes. Because 40 Days of
Purpose is about God's
Kingdom, it is much bigger
than any individual, church
or denomination. We must
work together "to serve
God's purpose in our
generation. (Acts. 13:36). I
hope and pray that your
church won't miss out on
this movement of God. I
invite you to join us. We're
waiting to partner with you
on the journey of a
lifetime!
With
these introductory thoughts in
mind, an analysis of the
content of the book is in
order. As already noted, much
of The Purpose-Driven®
Life is Scriptural and
helpful. Yet several serious
problems exist with the book
that should cause any believer
to consider whether or not
this is a trustworthy
spiritual journey consistent
with the Word and will of God.
The following problems cannot
be ignored:
Problem
#1: Sloppy Hermeneutics
(Interpretation of Scripture)
For
any true believer embarking on
a "spiritual
journey," nothing is more
foundational, and thus
important, than properly
understanding the Word of God,
for God's Word alone provides
the believer with inerrant
instruction for
Christ-honoring Christian
living. In other words, how to
properly understand and
interpret Scripture is a vital
part of one's "spiritual
journey." Promotional
material for The
Purpose-Driven® Life and
the 40 Days of
Purpose campaigns
frequently stresses the
Biblical nature of the
program, for Warren cites over
1,200 Scripture verses in his
book. Yet The
Purpose-Driven® Life is
seriously flawed,
hermeneutically speaking, in
three ways: First, Warren
completely misinterprets and
misapplies certain texts;
second, Warren presupposes his
own ideas and beliefs and then
"proof-texts" his
points rather than exegeting
the Scriptural text in order
to discover its true meaning;
and third, several paraphrases
and translations used by
Warren may prove his points,
but they fail to relate even
remotely the true meaning of
the underlying Greek or Hebrew
text. Notice several quotes
from The Purpose-Driven®
Life which demonstrate
Warren's misuse and
misapplication of certain
Biblical texts:
"But
[God/ wanted to make you in
order to express his love.
God says, ‘I have carried
you since you were born; I
have taken care of you from
your birth. Even when you
are old, I will be the same.
Even when your hair has
turned gray, I will take
care of you. I made you and
will take care of
you.’" (p. 25). According
to Warren, this verse, taken
from Isaiah 46:3-4 of
the New Century Version
proves that God wanted to
create mankind in order to
express His love. Yet this
is God's message to Israel,
not to mankind in general
nor to believers in the
church today. Warren is
clearly misinterpreting and
misrepresenting the true
meaning of the text as the
Israelites—the original
recipients of this
verse—understood it.
"Wonderful
changes are going to happen
in your life as you begin to
live it on purpose. God
says, ‘I know what I am
planning for you … I have
good plans for you, not
plans to hurt you. I will
give you hope and a good
future.’ " (p.
31). Warren cites this
text (Jeremiah 29:11 from
the New Century Version)
several times in his book,
but this verse is not
informing the believer that
wonderful changes will
happen in his life once he
lives out his purpose, as
Warren would have one to
believe. This text contains
God's personal message to
the Israelites who were
enduring the Babylonian
captivity.
"You
may have been unaware that
God holds you responsible
for the unbelievers who live
around you. The Bible says,
'You must warn them so they
may live. If you don't speak
out to warn the wicked to
stop their evil ways, they
will die in their sin. But I
will hold you responsible
for their death’ "
(p. 283). Warren's claim
that God holds believers
responsible for the death of
unbelieving friends,
neighbors and acquaintances
is contrary to the teaching
of Scripture. Warren
attempts to find
justification for his
statement by quoting Ezekiel
3:18 in the New
Century Version. However, in
this text, God is directly
speaking to a prophet
—Ezekiel—to whom God had
given a particular, unique
task of communicating His
Word. Using Ezekiel 3:18,
Warren gives the reader
the impression that if the
friend, neighbor or
acquaintance of a believer
dies in unbelief, the
believer is at fault! Of
course, personal evangelism
is vitally important to the
spiritual life of every
Christian, but the believer
is not held responsible for
the unbeliever's
condemnation.
"For
instance, the apostle Paul
almost single-handedly
spread Christianity
throughout the Roman Empire.
His secret was a focused
life. He said, ‘I am
focusing all my energies on
this one thing: Forgetting
the past and looking forward
to what lies ahead…"
(p. 32). This quote is
an example of how Warren
intentionally seeks out a
particular translation of
Scripture to support his
point even though no other
translation lends any
support or credence to the
one used by Warren. This
quote from Philippians 3:13
of the New Living
Translation may prove
Warren's point—that
"knowing your purpose
focuses your
life"—but it does not
accurately relay Paul's
words. Paul did look
ahead rather than dwell on
the past, but he did not
"focus all [his]
energies" on doing so.
The New Living Translation
takes great liberty in
adding to the true meaning
of the text and, thus,
portrays the apostle as one
whose entire energies were
devoted to focusing on the
future rather than
fulfilling the glory of God
through faithful obedience
to Him.
"Jesus
will not return until
everyone God wants to hear
the Good News has heard it.
Jesus said, 'The Good News
about God’s kingdom will
be preached in all the
world, to every nation. Then
the end will come …’
" (p. 286). This
text, taken from Matthew
24:14 of the New
Century Version, is not
describing the prerequisites
for Christ's imminent return
for His church at the
rapture. Within the context,
Jesus is referring to the
period of time during the
seven-year tribulation prior
to His return to the earth
to inaugurate His millennial
kingdom. At that time, the
Gospel will be preached—by
natural and supernatural
means—to the entire world.
Then, Christ will return
with His saints to judge the
nations and rule and reign
on the earth.
"That
God would want me for a
close friend is hard to
understand, but the Bible
says, 'He is a God who is
passionate about his
relationship with you’
" (p. 86). In this
text, God is not saying He
wants Rick Warren—or any
other believer in the church
age—"for a close
friend." This verse,
which Warren quotes from
Exodus 34:14 of the
New Living Translation,
actually contains God's
words to Moses in which the
Lord declared, "For
thou shalt worship no other
god: for the LORD, whose
name is jealous, is a
jealous God" (KJV). Of
course God desires our
praise and worship and even
our friendship, but for
Warren to use this text as a
support for his statement
that God wants him—or any
of us—for a friend is a
misrepresentation of the
clear meaning of the text.
"One
of the ways God measures
spiritual maturity is by the
quality of your
relationships. In heaven God
won't say, 'Tell me about
your career, your bank
account, and your hobbies.
'Instead he will review how
you treated other people,
particularly those in need
(Mt. 25: 34-46). Jesus said
the way to love him is to
love his family and care for
their practical needs:
'Truly I tell you, just as
you did it to one of the
least of these who are
members of my family, you
did it to me … (p.
126).’ " This
text, taken from Matthew
25:40 of the New Revised
Standard Version, refers to
the judgment of the
nations which will occur
following Christ's return to
earth prior to the
establishment of His kingdom.
The text does not refer to
the manner in which
believers are to treat
people on the earth today.
Rather, it details how the
believing Gentiles during
the time of the
Tribulation will treat the
believing Jews who will
suffer for the cause of Christ.
"In
fact, the Bible tells us
that God has given us the
ministry of restoring
relationships (2 Corinthians
5:18, God’s Word
Translation) … As
believers, God has 'called
us to settle our
relationships with each
other (2 Corinthians5:18,
The Message) " (pp.
152, 154). Both
translations of 2 Corinthians
5:18 may support the
point Warren is trying to
make— that believers
should strive to be
peacemakers who restore
broken relationships with
one another—but both
translations have destroyed
the true meaning of the
text as revealed by the
context. Second Corinthians
5:18 does not refer
to relationships between
individuals but to
relationships between
individuals and God. The
Lord has given Christians
the "ministry of reconciliation"
(v. 18) and the "word
of reconciliation"
(v. 19) as "ambassadors
for Christ" (v. 20) to
declare that unbelievers can
be reconciled to God through
faith in the person and work
of Jesus Christ (vv. 17-21).
To use this text as a
Biblical support for
relationship restoration
between individuals is to
grossly misinterpret and
misapply the Word of God.
It
is evident that, in many
instances, Warren has
formulated his own thoughts
and ideas and then attempted
to find verses or phrases of
Scripture to support his
presuppositions. Clearly,
anyone can cite portions of
Scripture to support almost
any point they desire to make,
but Christians who are
interested in discovering what
the Bible truly says
and means must never take such
an approach. Rather, they must
carefully read the Bible and
understand each phrase and
each verse in its proper
context (local and remote) and
determine how such texts
relate to all other teachings
of Scripture.
Problem
#2: Integration of
Psychological Speculation and
Application
The
Purpose-Driven® Life cannot
claim to be a Scripture-only
approach to living the
Christian life. Throughout the
book, Warren supplements
Scripture with psychological
principles and speculation in
order to allow the reader to
better analyze and understand
human behavior. Notice the
following examples from the
book:
"Many
people are driven by guilt
… guilt-driven people are
manipulated by memories.
They allow their past to
control their future. They
often unconsciously punish
themselves by sabotaging
their own success" (pp.
27-28).
"Bringing
enjoyment to God, living for
his pleasure, is the first
purpose of your life. When you
fully understand this truth,
you will never again have a
problem with feeling
insignificant. It proves your
worth" (p. 63).
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"In
his book Sacred Pathways, Gary
[Thomas] identifies nine of the
ways people draw near to God:
Naturalists are most inspired to
love God out-of-doors, in
natural settings. Sensates love
God with their senses and
appreciate beautiful worship
services that involve their
sight, taste, smell and touch,
not just their ears.
Traditionalists draw closer to
God through rituals, liturgies,
symbols, and unchanging
structures. Ascetics prefer to
love God in solitude and
simplicity. Activists love God
through confronting evil,
battling injustices, and working
to make the world a better
place.
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Is
the same "spiritual
journey" embraced by a
Seventh-Day Adventist, Nazarene,
or United Methodist, a spiritual
journey faithful to God's Word
and worthy of the believer's
use?
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Caregivers
love God by loving others and
meeting their needs. Enthusiasts
love God through celebration.
Contemplatives love God through
adoration. Intellectuals love
God by studying with their
minds" (p. 103).
"Most
conflict is rooted in unmet
needs. Some of these needs can
only be met by God. When you
expect anyone—a friend spouse,
boss or family member—to meet
a need that only God can
fulfill, you are setting
yourself up for disappointment
and bitterness. No one can meet
all of your needs except
God" (p. 154).
"For
God to use your painful
experiences, you must be willing
to share them … Paul
understood this truth, so he was
honest about his bouts with
depression (quotes 2 Cor.
1:8-10, The Living Bible). If
Paul had kept his experience of
doubt and depression a secret,
millions of people would never
have benefited from it"
(pp. 247-248).
"You
will find that people who do not
understand your shape for
ministry will criticize you and
try to get you to conform to
what they think you should be
doing. Ignore them" (p.
254).
"[A
weakness] may be an emotional
limitation, such as a trauma
scar, a hurtful memory, a
personality quirk, or a
hereditary disposition" (p.
273).
"Your
greatest life messages and your
most effective ministry will
come out of your deepest hurts.
The things you're most
embarrassed about, most ashamed
of, and most reluctant to share
are the very tools God can use
most powerfully to heal
others" (p. 275).
"Gideon’s
weakness was low self-esteem and
deep insecurities" (p.
275).
"The
Bible gives us plenty of proof
that God uses all types of
personalities. Peter was a
sanguine. Paul was a choleric.
Jeremiah was a melancholy. When
you look at the personality
differences in the twelve
disciples, it is easy to see why
they sometimes had interpersonal
conflict. There is no 'right’
or 'wrong’ temperament for
ministry" (p. 245).
"Today
there are many books and tools
that can help you understand
your personality so you can
determine how to use it for
God" (p. 246).
"When
you attempt to serve God in ways
you're not shaped to serve, it
feels like forcing a square peg
into a round hole. It's
frustrating and produces limited
results. It also wastes your
time, your talent, and your
energy. The best use of your
life is to serve God out of your
shape. To do this you must
discover your shape, learn to
accept and enjoy it, and then
develop it to its fullest
potential" (p. 249).
"The
best style of worship is
the one that most authentically
represents your love for God,
based on the background and
personality God gave you"
(p. 102).
Clearly,
Warren has integrated
psychological principles and
speculation into his understanding
of living the Christian life. The
Bible does not support the idea
that one must understand his
"shape" and personality
in order to effectively minister.
The Bible does not support the
idea that a believer's "most
effective ministry will come out
of [his] deepest hurts" or
that the things he is most
embarrassed about and ashamed of
are "the very tools God can
use most powerfully to heal
others." The Bible does not
support the idea that "most
conflict is rooted in unmet
needs," for the Bible
describes man as a sinner who does
not even truly know what he
"needs." The Bible does
not support the idea that we
"prove our worth" when
we understand our purpose for
existence. And certainly, 2
Corinthians 1:8-10 does not
support the idea that the apostle
Paul experienced clinical or
psychological "bouts of
depression" just as the Old
Testament does not describe
Gideon's weakness as "low
self-esteem" and "deep
insecurity." Warren has
clearly forced his own
understanding of humanistic
psychological principles upon the
Biblical texts. Such an approach
is certainly not a healthy, sound
part of any spiritual journey.
Problem
#3: References to Untrustworthy
Sources for Spiritual Guidance
When
embarking upon a spiritual
journey, one should obviously
exercise discernment and
discrimination when determining
who should be consulted and
trusted for advice and inspiration
and who should be shunned. Of
course, Bible-believing Christians
should seek instruction and advice
from those who, first of all,
possess a relationship with God
and who have subsequently
demonstrated through their lives,
ministries or writings a
dedication to God and a love for
Him—a dedication and love
demonstrated by faithful obedience
to Him and belief in the inerrancy
and sufficiency of Scripture. Yet,
in The Purpose-Driven®, Warren
frequently quotes men and women of
the past and present who cannot be
trusted in any spiritual
sense by believers today. In fact,
several of Warren's quotes come
from the lips of those who are not
only unregenerate but who are (or
have been) active opponents of
Biblical orthodoxy. Consider
several individuals to whom Warren
refers and quotes in a positive
manner in order to support his own
principles:
C.
S. Lewis—although loved and
lauded by many Evangelicals
today, Lewis' theology of the
inspiration and inerrancy of
Scripture and even the
doctrine of salvation is
unorthodox.
Brother
Lawrence—a Roman Catholic
mystic who wrote Practicing
the Presence of God, and
advocated a "higher"
form of prayer.
Mother
Teresa—a Catholic nun who
believed that her service to
others and sacrificial manner
of life procured the favor of
God.
Billy
Graham—a renowned evangelist
who has publicly committed to
working with Catholics,
Orthodox, theological liberals
and others who embrace and
propagate all manner of false
doctrine.
Aldous
Huxley—an English writer who
published an influential study
advocating the use of
mescaline to expand perception
and consciousness. Huxley, a
guru among California hippies,
used LSD and became a
proponent of New Age and Hindu
philosophy.
Albert
Schweitzer—one of the
leading theological liberals
in the 20th century; known for
his "quest for the
historical Jesus."
Madame
Guyon—a 17th century French
Catholic mystic
Anais
Nin—a 20th century feminist
writer of erotic literature
William
James—a 19th century
philosopher and psychologist
of religion and an advocate of
pragmatism and religious
pluralism. James wielded a
pervasive influence in
American religious liberalism
as he denied the reality of
absolute truth.
Henri
Nouwen—cited several times
in The Purpose-Driven®
Life, Nouwen was a
Roman Catholic priest,
ecumenist, educator and
psychologist; one of the
leading figures in introducing
psychology into the Roman
Catholic Church.
The
personal beliefs and spiritual
condition of the aforementioned
individuals have a profound impact
on their own worldviews, and their
worldviews strongly influence
their actions and writings.
Believers who desire to glorify
God and embark on a spiritual
journey with Him must rely on
God's Word, heeding only the
teachings of Godly pastors and
teachers whose beliefs, worldviews
and subsequent actions coincide
with the will of God as revealed
in His Word.
Problem
#4: Absence of Important Spiritual
Truths for Anyone's Spiritual
Journey—Holiness and Separation
According
to The Purpose-Driven® Life,
the second purpose of a
believer's life is to learn to
love others (p. 125). Warren says
believers have been formed for
God's family, and as part of that
family, they must experience life
together, cultivate community,
restore broken fellowships and
protect their church. Certainly
these aspects of the Christian
life are important, but God is
just as concerned about personal
holiness and the purity of His
church. Sometimes this demands
separation or a word of reproof
and rebuke, which then leads to
broken fellowship and disharmony
at times. According to Warren,
love is the essence of God's
character (p. 24). Yet the Bible
declares that God is also a God of
holiness, and holiness is just as
important to God's character as
love (1 Pet.1: 15-16). Noticeably
absent from Warren's book is any
emphasis on the need for personal
holiness and purity of doctrine.
Certainly, in any believer's
spiritual journey, pure doctrine
is vitally important, for the only
truths anyone knows about God and
the process of living the
Christian life stem from the
teaching (doctrine) of God's Word.
In fact, any acceptance of false
doctrine or those who propagate it
actually hinders one's
relationship with God and
usefulness for Him (Psa. 66:18; 2
Cor. 6:14-7: 1; 2 Tim.
2:16-21)—certainly something to
consider when embarking on a
spiritual journey. Warren,
however, never warns the
believer to watch out for false
doctrine or harmful
fellowships—in fact, he
minimizes the need for doctrinal
purity by stressing the importance
of "love" and
"unity" above anything
that would cause strife or
division. He emphasizes that
believers should refuse to let
anything divide them and
castigates any judgmental
believers or those critical of the
beliefs, actions or teachings of
others. In other words, he
believes "love" and
"unity" should take
precedence over
"doctrine" and
"purity" in the
church—despite the fact that
God's Word frequently links true,
Biblical, agape "love"
with "obedience" to the
commandments of Jesus Christ (Jn.
14:15; 1 Jn. 2:3-5). This is a
serious flaw. Notice several
examples:
"Real
community happens when people
know it is safe enough to share
their doubts and fears without
being judged" (p. 149).
"God
warns us over and over not to
criticize, compare, or judge
each other (Rom. 14:13; James
4:11; Eph. 4:29; Matt. 5:9;
James 5:9). When you criticize
what another believer is doing
in faith and from sincere
conviction, you are interfering
with God’s business. 'What
right do you have to criticize
someone else’s servants? Only
their Lord can decide if they
are doing right’ (Rom. 14: 4
CE V)" (p. 164).
"Paul
adds that we must not stand in
judgment or look down on other
believers whose convictions differ
from our own: 'Why, then,
criticize your brother’s
actions, why try to make him look
small? We shall all be judged one
day, not by each other’s
standards or even our own, but the
standards of Christ’ (Rom.
14:10, New Testament in Modern
English)" (p. 164).
"Servants
think about their work, not what
others are doing. They don t
compare, criticize, or compete
with other servants or ministries
… Competition between God’s
servants is illogical for many
reasons: We’re all on the same
team … we've been given
different assignments" (p.
268).
"When
you're busy serving, you don't
have time to be critical. Any time
spent criticizing others is time
that could be spent ministering
… It is not our job to evaluate
the Master’s other
servants" (p. 268).
Of
course, anyone should feel free to
share his doubts and fears with
other believers and speak his
mind, but a truly loving Christian
will also "Judge" the
doubts, fears, beliefs and
teachings of the individual if
such are harmful to his spiritual
well-being. Likewise, believers
are commanded by God Himself to
"judge righteous
judgment" (Jn. 7:24) and to
discern between truth and error,
good and evil. Discernment entails
righteous judgment. Warren claims
believers are not to judge or
criticize another believer who is
ministering "in faith and
from sincere conviction," yet
the Bible clearly declares
repeatedly that man is capable of
being deceived! Self-deception is
a real danger among believers
today. False teachers are not only
"deceiving" others but
are "being deceived"
themselves (2 Tim. 3:13).
Sincerity cannot be the test of
truth! Yes, God forbids malicious
ill-will and unwarranted criticism
among believers, but a child of
God is not exempt from inspection
and criticism simply because he is
a believer or because he is
ministering in sincerity. Personal
attacks against any person are
unbiblical. Yet, God Himself
requires analysis and discernment
of one's doctrine or teaching.
Notice several other quotes by
Warren:
"Conflict
is usually a sign that the focus
has shifted to less important
issues, things the Bible calls
'disputable matters’ (Rom.
14:1; 2 Tim. 2:23). When we
focus on personalities,
preferences, interpretations,
styles, or methods, division
always happens. But if we
concentrate on loving each other
and fulfilling God’s purposes,
harmony results. Paul pleaded
for this: 'Let there be real
harmony so there won't be
divisions in the church. I plead
with you to be of one mind,
united in thought and purpose’
(1 Cor. 1:10 NL T)" (p.
162).
"We
share the same salvation, the same
life, and the same
future—factors far more
important than any differences we
could enumerate" (p. 161).
"Because
you were formed to be a part of
God’s family and the second
purpose of your life on earth is
to learn how to love and relate to
others, peacemaking is one of the
most important skills you can
develop" (p. 153).
"But
for unity’s sake we must never
let differences divide us. We must
stay focused on what matters
most—learning to love each other
as Christ has loved us, and
fulfilling God’s five purposes
for each of us and his church (pp.
161-162).
"Nothing
on earth is more valuable to God
than his church. He paid the
highest price for it, and he wants
it protected, especially from the
devastating damage that is caused
by division, conflict, and
disharmony" (p. 161).
God
does love His church and
paid the highest price for it, and
He does want us to protect
it. However, believers do not
protect it by clamoring for peace
at any price and minimizing
important doctrinal differences
for the sake of a false unity.
According to Warren, God wants His
church protected
"especially" from damage
caused by division, conflict and
disharmony. According to the
Bible, however, God wants His
church protected
"especially" from
contaminating agents such as false
teachings, false teachers and
wicked behavior (Acts 20:273 1;
Rom. 16:17; 1 Thess. 4:1-3; 2
Thess. 3:6, 14; 1 Tim. 1: 18-20; 2
Tim. 2:16-22; 1 Jn. 4:1-6). The
church is protected when believers
in the church exercise discernment
and judge all teachings,
philosophies and programs by the
Word of God and subsequently
separate from any that conflict
with the doctrine of the apostles
as given by God Himself.
Problem
#5: Doctrinal Error Regarding
Important Biblical Truths
The
Purpose-Driven® Life contains
other doctrinal problems that
could adversely impact the life of
a believer who truly purposes to
glorify God in his daily Christian
walk. Three problems in particular
are worth noting.
First,
Warren paints an inaccurate
picture of the Judgment Seat of
Christ—both its participants and
its purpose. On page 34, Warren
writes:
"One
day you will stand before God,
and be will do an audit of your
life, a final exam, before you
enter eternity. The Bible says,
'Remember, each of us will stand
personally before the judgment
seat of God… Yes, each of us
will have to give a personal
account to God.’ (Rom. 14:10b,
NL T). Fortunately, God wants us
to pass this test, so be has
given us the questions in
advance. From the Bible we can
surmise that God will ask us two
crucial questions: First, 'What
did you do with my Son, Jesus
Christ? 'God won't ask about
your religious background or
doctrinal views. The only thing
that will matter is, did you
accept what Jesus did for you
and did you learn to love and
trust him? … Second, 'What did
you do with what I gave you?.
Preparing you for these two
questions is the goal of this
book."
|
Despite
Warren's claims, Jesus will be
concerned about a believer's
doctrinal views at the Judgment
Seat of Christ, for what one
believes determines how one
thinks and acts.
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Warren's
claim that God will ask,
"What did you do with my Son,
Jesus Christ?" is unfounded
in Scripture. The participants at
the Judgment Seat of Christ will
be those who have believed in
Christ already. Second Corinthians
5: 10 says "we" must
appear before Christ at the
Judgment Seat. Likewise, in Romans
14: 10, Paul writes that "we
shall all stand before the
Judgment Seat of Christ." In
these verses, Paul is writing to
Church-Age saints—this includes
all believers today. The apostle
Paul also exhorted Timothy to
labor fervently for the Lord since
Christ will judge both the living
and the dead at His return (2 Tim
4:1-2, 8). Timothy, like each
believer today, lived during the
Church Age and will be judged at
the Judgment Seat of Christ. The
apostle John told believers to
monitor their actions and conduct
in order to be certain that they
do not lose reward (2 Jn. 8). It
is evident that all believers
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during
this Age of Grace will one day
stand before Christ at the
Judgment Seat. Unbelievers will
have no part of this gathering,
for the judgment at the Great
White Throne is reserved for them
alone (Rev. 20:11-15).
Warren
then adds, "God won't ask
about your religious background or
doctrinal views. The only thing
that will matter is, did you
accept what Jesus did for you and
did you learn to love and trust
him?" This statement is
entirely inaccurate. Whether a
believer accepted Jesus Christ as
Savior and learned to love and
trust Him is not "the
only thing that will matter."
Despite Warren's claims, Jesus
Christ will be concerned about a
believer's doctrinal views at the
Judgment Seat, for what one
believes determines how one thinks
and acts, and the Judgment Seat of
Christ revolves around the works
(or lack thereof) and thoughts
(including motives) of believers.
Doctrine is extremely important to
God! According to the Bible, the
purpose of the judgment Seat of
Christ is to determine the
believer's rewards according to
his works while on earth. Second
Corinthians 5: 10 says Jesus
Christ will judge the believer's
earthly deeds to determine whether
or not they were worthy of reward.
Paul told the Corinthian
believers, "Every man's work
shall be made manifest" (1
Cor. 3:13). All Church-Age
believers will either receive
reward or loss of reward according
to their works (2 Cor. 5: 10) as
well as the motives behind their
works (1 Cor. 4:5). Paul describes
all the believer's works as
"good or bad." Good
works are any deeds accomplished
according to the will of God which
He classifies as "rewardable."
The Lord will reward a believer's
works on the basis of their
quality (1 Cor. 3:13), the
attitude and manner in which they
were accomplished (1 Cor. 4:2)
and the motive for which they were
accomplished (I Cor. 4:5).
"Bad" works are those
deeds that are not accomplished
according to the will of God which
He does not deem to be rewardable.
Bad in this context means
"good for nothing" or
"worthless" in the eyes
of God. It is important to
understand that the purpose of the
Judgment Seat of Christ is not to
determine one's eternal destiny,
for those who will stand before
Christ at this judgment are
already believers and will spend
eternity with Jesus Christ.
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