A New Jesus? What does the Bible say?

 

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas with family and friends! I prepared Christmas dinner for the first time and it was quite an experience. I love to cook, but preparing so many dishes at once takes much coordination. However, sitting down and eating with family I love was such a great reward!

My last blog post left off with a case study of a woman named Helen Schucman. Schucman believed that she had a new revelation from Jesus. Her revelation is known today as A Course in Miracles, and has been further propagated through an author and speaker known as Marianne Williamson.

What is the problem with Schucman’s “new” revelation about Jesus? The problem is that it’s NEW! Scripture indicates that new revelation and knowledge of Jesus is impossible. The case is closed! All the knowledge we need to know about God, Jesus, and the basics of Christianity is given to us in the Bible. Read the following verse from Jude 3:

 

“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

Jude indicates that the faith has been handed down “once for all.” It is finished. The Greek word that is used for “once for all” indicates that something has been done and finished. It doesn’t need to be repeated. Therefore, the basics of Christianity such as the nature of God, Jesus, and method of salvation does not need to be revisited. It has already been revealed to us.

The apostle Paul tells us the following in Galatians 1:8:

 

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

 

Again, any revelation or teaching that is contrary to Scripture is false.

Now a few of you might be saying or thinking the following things:

• What about a dream that I or someone else might have where God spoke something to that person?
• What about a prophetic message that was given at my church or from someone I might know?
• What about those who claim to hear God speak to them in some manner?

My answer is this: If it does not agree with what the Bible teaches, then it is false. As Christians we should be talking to God all the time through prayer. It shouldn’t be surprising to hear back from Him through the Holy Spirit, in dreams and visions, or even hear His voice. There are plenty of people in the Bible that heard God speak to them in this manner. However, if you hear back a response that goes against the very nature of God or the personhood of Jesus Christ, then you can be sure it is false and is from the enemy and not from God.

Stay tuned for the next blog post that will introduce you to different methods that New Agers use to gain supposed new revelation about Jesus.

Ron Rhodes’ book, New Age Movement, was used as a reference for this blog post.

Case Study: Helen Schucman

 

Today I am going to present a case study of a person who believes and claims that God does give new revelation about himself today. This person is Helen Schucman. Have you heard of her? If not, you’ve probably been exposed to her teachings through an author and speaker named Marianne Williamson.

Marianne Williamson is the author of many New Age books such as Illuminata: A Return to Prayer, The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife, and the most widely known, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles.” Marianne currently has her own daily radio show on the Oprah channel for XM Satellite radio. On the show she shares her insights from A Course in Miracles and helps listeners apply these spiritual teachings to their everyday lives.[i] Moreover, Williamson writes articles and blogs for Oprah.com.

What is important to know is that Williamson’s book, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”, is a revamp of teachings from 1965 by Columbia University professor of Medical Psychology Helen Schucman.[ii] Schucman has said to have heard an “inner voice”, claiming to be Jesus Christ, say to her: “This is a course in miracles. Please take notes.”[iii] After seven years of writing down what the inner voice told her, Schucman created A Course in Miracles. The course teaches that God’s love is in everyone and everything, that we can be divine because Christ is within us, and that sin is an illusion.[iv] Read the following statements from A Course in Miracles:

 

 

• “God is in everything I see.”[v]
• “God is still everywhere and in everything forever. And we are a part of Him.”[vi]
• “The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself. There is no separation of God and His creation.”[vii]

 

These statements clearly show that A Course in Miracles is pantheistic.

Warren Smith, who was once a New Ager but is now a Christian, writes about Schucman in his book Reinventing Jesus Christ: The New Gospel:

 

In the seven and a half years of cumulative dictation that became A Course in Miracles, Schucman’s “Jesus” presents a whole new way of looking at the world. Using Christian terminology, sophisticated psychology, and convincing authority, Schucman’s “Jesus” teaches a completely different gospel than the one found in the Bible. His “new gospel” wholly contradicts the Bible’s Gospel of Jesus Christ. Schucman’s “inner voice,” while claiming to be Jesus, actually opposes everything for which the Bible’s Jesus stands.[viii]

What a perfect example of Matthew 24:5 which says, ” For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” In 1975, Schucman’s A Course in Miracles was published and had a small following through the 1980′s. However, it wasn’t until Marianne Williamson embraced Schucman’s teaching and wrote A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” that it really took off. In 1992, Marianne was featured and endorsed on the Oprah Winfrey Show, thus spreading Schucman’s false teaching of Jesus Christ across the world.[ix]

Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians:

 

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:6-9, NIV)

Helen Schucman is teaching another gospel different than what is taught in the Bible. Paul clearly demonstrates in this passage that people will try to pervert the gospel of Christ. If what is taught is different than what the Bible teachings about Christ, then it is false. We clearly see that this is the case with Schucman and Williamson’s teachings. For instance, Christ did not teach that sin is an illusion. If He did, then why did He die on the cross to free us from sin?

What do you think? Please leave comments! Stay tuned in for the next few blog posts where I will continue this discussion …

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[i] http://xmradio.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=press_releases&item=1550, accessed 8/6/09

[ii] Smith, Warren. Reinventing Jesus Christ: The New Gospel. (Ravenna:Conscience Press, 2002), 9.

[iii] Skutch, Robert. Journey without Distance: The Story behind “A Course in Miracles” (Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 1984), 54.

[iv] Smith, 10.

[v] A Course in Miracles. Vol. 2, Workbook for Students. (Tiburon: Foundation for Inner peace, 1975), 45.

[vi] Ibid, 92.

[vii] A Course in Miracles. Vol. 1, Text. (Tiburon: Foundation for Inner peace, 1975), 136.

[viii] Smith, 10.

[ix] Smith, 10-11.

Is New Revelation About God Still Being Given Today?

 

I posted a series of blogs over the past few weeks that gave short descriptions of different religious belief systems to show they do not all teach the same core truth. After examining these different religions, we came to the conclusion that it’s impossible for all religions to teach the same core truth. Many of these belief systems completely oppose each other. However, still New Age teachers make the claim that all belief systems teach the same core truth.

Well now I am going to take this one step further and show how New Age teachers use this claim to teach that new revelation is given today about God. By “revelation” I mean new knowledge or ideas about God that are different than what is given in Scripture.

The New Age thinking process goes something like this:

 

New Age reasoning #1: If all religions teach the same core truth, then revelation about God doesn’t just come from the Bible or Jesus Christ. Spiritual revelation about God also comes from Krishna, Buddha, and many others. Therefore, we should all consider and practice what these “spiritual gurus” teach and say.

 

 

New Age reasoning #2: If all spiritual teachers of the past (Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, etc.) have given us revelation about God, then it may be very well possible to receive knowledge of a spiritual kind through others today. New Agers believe that these new revelations should be considered and put into practice.

Over the next few days and blog posts, I am going to tell you why I think these two reasoning’s are false. You will learn how these reasoning’s logically do not make sense and how as Christian’s we are to approach and respond to new revelation.

To end this post today, I want to give you two questions to ponder, chew on, and think about before I address this topic again in the next blog post: Is new revelation about God still being given today? If so, do you think it is supported by Scripture?

Feel free to leave a comment!

The Righteous Ponder

 

 

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

(Psalm 1:1-3, NASB, bold added)

 

The righteous ponder …

The righteous repeat …

The righteous utter in a low sound …

The righteous meditate on the Word of God!

Psalm 1:1-3 gives a picture of a righteous person who meditates on God’s law. Verse 1:2 says that a righteous person “meditates day and night.”

Holman’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines the word meditate as,

 

The act of calling to mind some supposition, pondering upon it, and correlating it to one’s own life. Meditation by God’s people is a reverent act of worship. Meditation is the repetitious going over of a matter in one’s mind because it is the chief concern of life. In Hebrew, it means to be “to utter in a low sound” and to “be occupied with,” or “concerned about.”

I purposely highlighted in bold all of the action verbs in this definition of Meditation to show what meditating is … calling to mind, pondering, correlating, repeating, worshiping, uttering, occupation, and concern.

What might this look like when meditating on a passage of Scripture?

• Bring your chosen passage to mind and ponder it during the day. Think about it.
• Write your passage on an index card and carry it in your pocket so that you can pull it out while you are at work, exercising, or taking a walk. Repeat this throughout the day and week.
• Think about your passage. What does it mean and how does it apply or correlate to your life? Think of one way you can put it into practice.
• Utter your passage! Say it out loud. It doesn’t have to be loud for everyone to hear, but just loud enough for your ears to hear.
• Occupy yourself with the passage. Take 30 minutes out of your day to be concerned about the passage. Journal about it and record any ideas or insight the Holy Spirit gives to you.

This is how Christian’s are to meditate on Scripture and the things of God. The world see’s meditation as the emptying of the mind. However, Scripture teaches that meditation is actually the filling of the mind! Fill your mind with God’s word today! Store it in your heart so the Holy Spirit can bring it up to you when needed.

God bless and have a great weekend!

Book Excerpt: One Important Thing!

Here is the one important thing you must know: The teachings of Christ do not change. The author of Hebrews makes this clear in chapter 13:8-9:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” (NIV)

It is apparent from this verse that if Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then His message is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, we need to be careful we are not carried away by any kind of strange teachings and ideas contrary to the teaching of Christ. Second Timothy 4:3-4 illustrates this reality:

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (NIV)

So then the question becomes: What must we do to guard ourselves against many of the lies brought to us through television programs and TV personalities? Just as discussed previously, God’s Word must be our foundation so we do not accept new teachings and ideas that are in opposition to the Word of God.

- Let Jesus Be Your Talk Show Host, Ch. 1

Survey: What Do You Think is the #1 Difference in Teaching that Separates Christianity From Other Belief Systems?

Today I’m asking you to be part of a survey based on the blog series I posted about different belief systems and if they teach the same core truth. Over the last two weeks I’ve posted blogs about Hinduism, Buddhism, Kabbalah, Islam, and Taoism. I contrasted their teachings to those of Christianity and came to the conclusion that each belief system has completely different teachings. There is no way you could say that they teach the same core truth. I’ve also shown how the New Age movement takes something from each of these systems and incorporates it into New Age spirituality.

Now I’d like to hear from you!

What do you think is the #1 difference in teaching that separates Christianity from other belief systems? There are many, but I want to know from you which one you think is the most significant! The following is a list of differences that I noticed right away. Which important element of Christianity do you think separates it from other religions?

• The belief in heaven and hell.
• The teaching of sin and the need for salvation.
• The belief that Jesus is God.
• The belief that Christians worship a personal/relational God and not an impersonal one.

These are just a few suggestions. Please leave a comment and let me know your answer. You can choose an answer from what I listed or add your own!

 

God Bless,

Gina

Clip art photo from Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Christianity vs. Kabbalah

 

Today’s blog features the last belief system we will be examining in this series about different religions. Our goal has been to see how each belief system differs from Christianity and also to show how each system does not teach the same core truth.

Our teaching today is about Kabbalah. How much do you know about Kabbalah and what is the first thing that you think of? Personally, the first ideas that comes to my mind are red bracelets and Madonna! The singer/celebrity Madonna has been the poster child for Kabbalah in the last decade. Sporting the red bracelet, she’s embraced this form of Jewish mysticism and has encouraged others to do the same. I have to admit, that’s pretty much the extent of my knowledge. I’m guessing that it might also be the same for you. Therefore, we are going to unpack this mystical practice and examine the basic beliefs that make up the system of Kabbalah that we see today.

The following is a list of basic beliefs and facts about Kabbalah:

• Kabbalah originates from Judaism and can only be completely understood in view of its Jewish roots.
• Kabbalist’s claim it is a hidden or secret doctrine. The Hebrew word Kabbalah means “to receive.” Thus, Kabbalah is to receive hidden knowledge.
• Kabbalah teaches that God gave Moses the written law and the oral law. Kabbalah comes from the oral law and is seen as feminine. The masculine side of Judaism is the written law.
• Hidden knowledge comes only from the oral law but is understood within the context of the written law.
• Kabbalah is a mixture of philosophy, white magic, and meditative practices.
• Even if a person does not fully understand Judaism, he or she can still gain many insights into life by studying Kabbalah’s concepts.
• Kabbalah seeks to understand the fusion between the physical and spiritual, how humans control the universe, and how they are one with God.
• The red string some Kabbalist’s wear is to ward off evil and misfortune.

There is so much more to learn about Kabbalah than what I’ve indentified in this list. Therefore, for the sake of this blog post and length, we are going to focus on the aspect of Kabbalah as a secret knowledge. You can learn more about Kabbalah from the links listed below.

Christianity doesn’t teach that there is a secret knowledge. The New Age movement, like Kabbalah, claims that the Bible teaches a secret knowledge that must be looked for beyond a passages literal interpretation. However, when looked at closely, this is not the case. Even when Jesus speaks in parables, He reveals the true meaning to the disciples. The disciples were they only people who were willing to hear and understand the Kingdom of God, unlike the Jews whose ears and eyes were hardened (See Matthew 13:13). Jesus spoke in parables to fulfill prophecy and also because if his adversaries knew what He was talking about, it would create chaos and persecution. In the end however, Jesus wanted everyone to know about the Kingdom of God. He didn’t keep it a secret!

The Kabbalist’s approach to finding truth is very different than the Christian’s approach. A Christian reads the Bible for what it is. A follower of Kabbalah reads Torah and looks beyond it’s most simple interpretation to find other meanings. They also rely on other teachings and writings beyond the Bible. In addition to Kabbalah’s rejection of Jesus as God and other important doctrine we hold to as Christians, this approach shows again that Christianity and Kabbalah do not teach the same core truth. This is because they are not coming from the same sources. If they do come from the same source, they are not interpreted in the same way. Thus, resulting in two different interpretations and meanings.

I hope this post is clear and easily understood. Again, this is only a very brief survey of a few beliefs taught from Kabbalah. For more learning and information see the links that I posted below!

www.kabbalahmadeeasy.com, www.wikipedia.com: red string

Christianity vs. Hinduism

Today we will examine Hindu beliefs and how they compare or contrast to Christian doctrine. Before I start, I just want to say that these blog posts are just surveys of each belief system and are in no way exhaustive. I’ve made an effort to include a web page or source that anyone can turn to if they wish to learn more. My purpose is to identify the core beliefs that make up each system so that we are able to examine and see if it’s really possible that all belief systems can be true at the same time and teach the same thing. This is what New Age teachers claim.

All comments are welcome and very appreciated! Now, to Hinduism …

Hinduism is the dominant religion in India. Hindu’s practice the worship of many gods. However, throughout history the worship of many gods has been expressed in different ways. Years ago Hindu’s worshipped a myriad of gods and goddesses. But today, most focus on worshipping the three gods known as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

Some Hindu’s have an impersonal relationship with the god they worship and some have a personal relationship with him. This personal relationship is a result of the Hare Krishna movement. There are many sacred books in the Hindu religion and they are categorized by whether they are direct revelations from God or lesser vehicles of religious truth.

Hindu’s believe this world is just an illusion. Man is responsible for his actions and beliefs. To achieve enlightenment, one must realize that he is god (Brahman). A person must be one with god.

Lastly, salvation is attained by following moral duties. Hindu’s believe that man is caught in a cycle of life that consists of birth, death, and afterlife: Reincarnation. If I understand this correctly, a Hindu’s only hope for salvation is by moving beyond the negative karma (the moral law of cause and effect).

There are two ideas that I want to address after doing this research. The first is the issue of achieving enlightenment by realizing you are one with god. This idea is found everywhere in New Age teaching! This is one more idea that New Ager’s take from other belief systems to create their own philosophy and belief. Second, again this is another religion of works. You have to work your way toward salvation by doing moral duties.

Hinduism is not similar to our Christian beliefs. We believe that because of God’s mercy and Jesus’ sacrifice, we are forgiven for our sins. It isn’t a cycle of reincarnation or the attempt to get rid of negative karma. Christianity teaches that there is a separation between the Creator and the created. We are never one with God. There are many more differences, but we can already see, through the limited information presented, that Hinduism and Christianity do not teach the same thing. Therefore, again, we’ve come to the conclusion that all religions do not teach the same core truth. They both teach very opposite things and cannot be true at the same time.

For more info on Hinduism, you can visit http://www.hinduismtoday.com/. My research today came from the book Religions A to Z.

Christianity vs. Taoism

Have any of you ever heard of Taoism (also spelled Daoism)? Or, perhaps you are more familiar with the Ying Yang symbol shown above? This symbol is very common in our society today. People wear the Ying Yang like it’s the peace symbol of the seventies, when actually the symbol is connected with the belief system of Taoism.

The founder of Taoism, Lao-Tse, is believed to have lived 500-600 years before the birth of Christ, around the time of Confucius. Taoism began as a philosophy, but evolved into a religious belief system around 440 A.D when people began to worship Lao-Tse as a deity. The religion become one of three religions practiced in China. Today, Taoism has 20 million followers and is centered mainly in Taiwan.

The following are some basic beliefs that make up Taoism:

• Tao (pronounced DAO) is described as the way or the path and must be experienced. It is the first cause of the universe and is the force that flows through all life. The Tao is indefinable.
• The goal of a person who believes in Taoism is to harmonize themselves with the Tao.
• Listening to the Tao around you will bring you enlightenment. You do this by meditation and outer observation.
• The Ch’i is the breath or air given to a person.
• Taoists do not pray to God but rather seek the answer to life’s problems.
• The Ying Yang symbol represents the opposites of the universe in balance. In some traditions it is taught that the Ying represents the breath that formed the earth and the Yang represents the breath that formed the heavens.
• This information has been taken from http://www.religioustolerance.org/taoism.htm. Check out this website if you want more info.

Do you think Taoism is similiar or different than Christianity?

The most noticeable difference between Taoism and Christianity is the recognition of sin. I didn’t find anything in my research of Taoism that acknowledged sin. In fact, they believe that if people are left to their own devices, everyone will eventually be compassionate to one another without expecting anything back. Taoism doesn’t recognize the need for redemption or salvation. Instead of worshiping the God who created the heavens and earth, Taoism says “God” is just a force that people need to harmonize themselves with. There is no personal relationship between you and the Tao.

As Christians we can pray to the Father that created us, we can have a personal relationship with Him, and we have the ability to know who God is from the Bible. In contrast, Taoists do not pray or have a personal relationship with anything. Their “God” is indefinable. In my research I wasn’t able to find anything that gave any clue to what Taoism teaches about the after life. If any of you know, please comment. My wild guess is that it teaches reincarnation, but I could be wrong.

After doing this research, I found many parallels between Taoism and New Age teaching. The most noteworthy is the need to harmonize ourselves with a force. This concept is taught all throughout New Age teaching. Where have you seen this concept taught? Books, television, or school?

In conclusion, is Christianity and Taoism teaching the same thing or the same core truth? NO

What do you think?

Christianity vs. Islam

Today we are going to examine what Islam believes about Jesus and salvation. Islam is one of many different belief systems that we are going to look at this week. Our goal is to determine if all belief systems teach the same thing. New Age author Eckhart Tolle teaches in his book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, that all religions are equally false and equally true (pg. 70-71). In this week’s series of blogs we will see this is false. If all belief systems are equally true, then shouldn’t their ideas and claims agree with each other?

We have already established that New Age teachers like to take a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make up their belief system. One of the religions they like to grab from is Islam. So let’s see if Islam teaches the same thing as Christianity:

Who is Jesus?

Islam teaches that Jesus is a prophet from God, but is not the Son of God. Islam does not believe Jesus died on the cross and that He rose from the tomb.

Immediately we see a conflict between who Jesus is: God or prophet? And we also see a difference in belief about Jesus on the cross, dying on the cross, and rising from the grave.

Do these religions agree? NO. Either Jesus was either on the cross or off the cross. He either rose from the grave or did not rise from the grave. Two conflicting accounts, they cannot both be true.

What about salvation?

Islam teaches that Allah, their god, will ultimately determine if a person is saved by deciding if that person has followed god’s law. Allah chooses whether a person will go to heaven or hell. This is based on works.

Again we see a conflict of belief between Islam and Christianity. The Bible teaches that we can never live according to the law. Therefore, God sent His own son, Jesus, to be a sacrifice on the cross for our sins so we could have fellowship with God. When we choose to believe that Jesus is God and has died for our sins, we are forgiven and gain salvation. All we have to do is choose to follow Him and let Him change our lives.

Here we have examined just two aspects of the Islamic and Christian faiths, salvation and Jesus, and have concluded that they teach two very different doctrines.

Islam and Christianity cannot be equally true.

Any thoughts?