3 Paralyzing Theological Mindsets, and the Gospel Truths to Overcome Them
By Michael Brown Published on July 7, 2016
https://stream.org/three-paralyzing-...ical-mindsets/
There is no way a professional athlete could be successful if she was convinced that her team was destined to lose. There is no way a soldier in the army could be successful if he was convinced the enemy was going to triumph. Yet many Christians labor under a similar mindset, convinced that the world will only get worse before Jesus returns, convinced that Satan will win the coming battles before the coming of the Lord.
Not only is that attitude unhealthy and self-defeating. It is also unbiblical.
Allow me, then, to confront three paralyzing theological mindsets.
"The Last Great Apostasy!"
The first mindset sees every spiritual and moral setback as evidence that we are living in the final apostasy prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24. There He said, "And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold" (Matt. 24:10-12).
Like clockwork, as soon as a new, heretical teaching begins to spread, or as soon as a Christian denomination denies a fundamental doctrine, or as soon as a prominent leader falls, believers begin to say, "This is it! This is the falling away Jesus spoke of! This is the last great apostasy!" ...
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"So Why Bother?"
The second paralyzing mindset believes that, because the last days will be marked by ever-increasing darkness and we are living in the last days, things in the world will only get worse, so there's no use fighting against it. This, we are told, is what Paul warned about in 2 Timothy 3:1 where he wrote, "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come" (NKJV).
But did you ever ask yourself why Paul would be warning Timothy about something that wouldn't happen for at least 2,000 years? Does this make sense? And when you read Paul's description of the last days in vv. 2-5, does it sound unique to our generation, or does it describe the state of humanity throughout the generations?
If you have a Bible handy, read 2 Timothy 3:1-5, and you'll immediately see three things: 1) Paul was giving Timothy practical instructions for his own life; 2) Paul's description of the evil of the last days applies to past generations as well as the present generation; and 3) Paul ended his exhortation by saying, "Avoid such people."...
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The Fatalism Trap
The third paralyzing theological mindset believes that since everything is foreknown to God and predestined by Him, there's nothing we can do to change the future. What will be will be, and so there's no reason to rock the boat or risk our lives or make sacrifices for the gospel. Just chill! It's all going to work out the way God planned it.
That mentality is completely foreign to the Scriptures, and whatever the Bible does teach about divine foreknowledge and predestination, it does not teach that, a mentality more akin to fatalism than to biblical thinking....