Many of the doctrines of modern Evangelicalism are not pardonable misunderstandings of theological details. They are of the spirit of deception. They come from the enemy. They are destroying the work of God in the earth.

True faith in the Lord Jesus Christ produces honor and integrity in the human personality. The maturing Christian learns to act righteously, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.

We are not teaching that men can save themselves by good works. We indeed are teaching that Christianity apart from godly behavior is dead, worthless, fit only for the garbage dump. True salvation results in godliness of character but faith without works is dead.

The eight teachings we are discussing (in the previous essay) have destroyed the righteousness of the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as a result, of the nations of the earth. The nations are affected directly by the testimony of the churches.

Our lampstand has been removed from its place.

Humanism, a religion based on the supposed welfare of the individual, has entered Christian thinking and colored it so it has become man-centered. God is seen as existing for our needs and purposes. Christ suffered in the flesh so we do not have to suffer. Christ became poor in material goods so we can become wealthy in material goods. Christ is our bondservant, waiting to attend to our every desire.

The Gospel of the Kingdom has become a plan for self-improvement instead of deliverance from the wrath to come.

"God loves you," we gush to the sinners of the world and of the churches. This is not what the Apostles preached, as recorded in the Book of Acts.

The Scriptures are not man-centered, they are God-centered. The emphasis of the Scriptures is not on what we need or want, it is on what God needs and wants. It does not matter whether or not we get what we want when we want it but it is of supreme importance that the Lord God get what He wants when He wants it.

In current teaching, the Christian faith holds out only pleasure to him who assents verbally and mentally to the facts of the atonement and the resurrection. We are not hearing deny yourself, hate your own life, be faithful to death, endure to the end, carry your cross in obedience to the Lord Jesus.

What we are hearing is, no matter how you behave you will not be punished, or even rebuked, at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is supposed to be the Word of God to us.

The bulk of today's Christian teaching and preaching is manmade. It cannot be found in the Scriptures.

The Word of God has been made of none effect by our traditions.

The Kingdom of God is first, "righteousness" (of character and behavior). After that, the Kingdom is "peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Our doctrines have destroyed actual righteousness, setting in its place an imputed righteousness, a righteousness ascribed to us because of Christ's personal righteousness.

It never was God's intention that the Christian salvation produce only an assigned (de jure) righteousness. The end of the work of redemption is an actual (de facto) righteousness of behavior—a new creation.

To be continued.