Rob Bell Quotes That Undermine The Biblical Doctrine Of Forgiveness

I guess I've started a little series on false teacher quotes and the ramifications some of these quotes have on the Biblical doctrine of forgiveness. My last post looked at some of the tripe that Marcus Borg serves up at numerous speaking engagements and book writings. Today I want to examine one of the latest heretic flavors of the month...Rob Bell. Here is one of a multitude of blasphemous utterings from Bell...

"What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was really just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births?

But what if, as you study the origin of the word “virgin” you discover that the word “virgin” in the gospel of Matthew actually comes from the book of Isaiah, and then you find out that in the Hebrew language at that time, the word “virgin” could mean several things. And what if you discover that in the first century being “born of a virgin” also referred to a child whose mother became pregnant the first time she had intercourse?"
-Velvet Elvis, p. 26

In Luke chapter 1, verse 27, we see the word "virgin" used in reference to our Savior. Dr. Strong in his Exhaustive Concordance says the word means a "marriageable woman, a woman who has never had sexual intercourse with a man". I guess Rob Bell was using some other scholarly source huh? Virgin has pretty much always mean't what we have always thought it to mean. You might be wondering why it's such a big deal. I mean, after all, where is my compassion and tolerance right? Well when it comes to the Scriptural record as to the person and work of Jesus Christ it is a big deal. You see if Jesus was not born of a virgin then He was not God. If He was not God then He couldn't have presented Himself a sacrifice for our sins and He couldn't have risen from the dead. If He didn't rise from the dead then we are of all people most miserable!!!

I Corinthians 15
  ¹⁷And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

 ¹⁸Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

 ¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 

You see, Rob Bell has the same problem that Dr. Borg has, he just doesn't see the Bible as the Word of God. He's got lot's of degrees and earthly accomplishments but he just doesn't grasp what is truly important.

  2 Timothy 3:7
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Ever learning, ever piling up degrees, ever writing books, ever speaking at conferences, ever blaspheming and never coming to the knowledge of the truth. How do these false teachers recite the Apostle's Creed every Sunday? "He was born of the Virgin Mary"...Amen! Jesus is the way, the truth and the life... John 14:1-6. He is the only way to Heaven and the only escape from Hell (Bell doesn't believe in Hell either, more on that in a later post!). Dear Reader, steer clear of such wolves! Come to Jesus in child-like faith today. Watch the little video in the right sidebar and let me know what you have decided. Come to Christ!

 

Marcus Borg Quotes That Destroy The Biblical Concept Of Forgiveness

Jesus said that one of the distinguishing signs that we could use to identify the last days would be an increase in false teachers. Writers of the epistles emphasized this sign as well. Listen to what Peter had to say about these times we are living.

2 Peter 2

 ¹But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

I  bring up Marcus Borg in today's post because he has become  a very popular speaker in ELCA churches and some other mainline protestant churches. You might recognize his name as being part of the Jesus Seminar. The Jesus Seminar was a small group of very liberal Bible scholars who set out to cast doubt on the Word of God by making a determination as to the authenticity of various Scripture passages. After "studying" the Gospels they came to the incredible conclusion that Jesus really didn't say or do  about 82% of the things that the Bible records Him saying and doing. Only 18% of the things identified as quotes or actions are really true! I don't know about you but I find that type of so-called scholarship to be nothing more than disguised unbelief! Here is one of Marcus Borg's blasphemous statements concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ!

 "Seminary also introduced me to the historical study of Jesus and Christian origins. I learned from my professors and the readings they assigned that Jesus almost certainly was not born of a virgin, did not think of himself as the Son of God, and did not see his purpose as dying for the sins of the world" - The God We Never Knew

After hearing a statement like that I am saddened and concerned for Dr. Borg's soul. I am also angered that the Wolves in his seminary that taught him that bilge have led so many to the abyss of perdition. You might be wondering "what's so bad about that statement"? Well it's really quite simple, Borg denies the Virgin Birth of Christ and  Christ's foreknowledge concerning His destined work on the cross. Clearly, Luke 1:27-35 records the announcement of the angel to Mary that she would indeed conceive "without ever knowing a man" and that the product of that conception would be Jesus. Jesus was Divine because He was born of a virgin, born from above! Because He was born of a virgin and God was His Father He is divine! If He was anything less than God on that cross 2000 years ago then we are all in big trouble! The second thing I would point out is that Jesus knew all along that He was the Son of God and that He was going to die on the cross. 

Matthew 16:24

King James Version (KJV)

 ²⁴Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 9:12

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹²And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

Mark 8:31

King James Version (KJV)

 ³¹And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Luke 19:10

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁰For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Jesus knew who He was and He knew where He was going. He knew that His death would involve the cross and He knew that His blood would have to be shed and He knew that after 3 days He would rise from dead! And He did all of it for me and for you. He made the forgiveness of sins attainable to all who would simply believe on Him and trust in what He did to be sufficient payment for sins. I become angry when so called scholars try to seduce people into the same ditch in which they reside. It is a big deal because the souls of men and their eternal destiny is at stake. Dr. Borg makes such outrageous statements because he does not see the Bible as a Divine product but a human product.

  “I let go of the notion that the Bible is a divine product. I learned that it is a human cultural product . . . As such, it contained their understandings and affirmations, not statements coming directly or somewhat directly from God" P.25, The God We Never Knew

Now I'll confess to you, I'm not a professor of theology at Oregon State University and I'm not a scholar by most definitions. But I will also tell you that I believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the Bible and I believe that it is "directly" from God as His Holy Spirit moved men to record His very will.

The Bible tells us that just a simple child like faith in Jesus, the size of a mustard seed, is what is required to be forgiven. But all of that is assuming that you have a child like faith that the Bible is a Divine product...God's very Word! I hope that Dr. Borg will come to that child like faith before it is eternally too late. More importantly, I hope that you will not be led astray by so called scholarship that denies the Lord. Have you trusted Jesus as your Saviour? I implore you to believe on Him and receive Him today! Watch the little 3 minute video in the right sidebar and let me know what you decided.

 

Not Forgiving Is Like A Poison!

The following is an excerpt from an excellent article that I read by Terri Cole entitle "An Exercise In Forgiveness"...

“Not forgiving is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”—Unknown

Are you a good forgiver? As a therapist for fifteen years in both Los Angeles and New York City, I have found forgiveness to be one of the most misunderstood concepts from coast to coast.

When I encourage clients to forgive a grievance, many of them feel I do not really comprehend their situation. They believe my advice should be to never talk to the person again, NOT to forgive them. This is a common reaction due to the misunderstanding of what forgiveness is all about.

The most common misconception about forgiveness is that two people are required for it to work. This is not true. You can forgive people who are no longer here, or with whom you no longer have contact. Forgiving is all about you. Deciding whether to hold anger or release it occurs in your mind. How do you want to feel? What do you want taking up space in your brain and body? It’s your choice. Forgiveness is not condoning the actions of the other party. It is not rolling over and giving up. It is not giving in or losing anything. Forgiveness frees YOU from resentment prison.

Need another reason to give up your grudge-holding habit? Consider this: not forgiving also creates feelings of constriction and those feelings (which are energy and attract like energy) block the flow of your abundance.

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.”—Paul Boese

Those are some great thoughts on forgiveness. I believe that many physical ailments and illnesses are caused by the toxic build up of unforgiveness. I also believe that the best "forgivers" should be those who have tasted the grace of forgiveness from the greatest Forgiver of all time - the Lord Jesus Christ. He suffered the excruciating torment of crucifixion and the emotional torment of being taunted by heathens and yet He forgave us "all" our sins. He expects us to forgive as well.

 

Ephesians 4:32

King James Version (KJV)

 ³²And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 3:13

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹³Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

 Forbearing is an interesting word. It is the Greek word ἀνέχω anechō and it means to "sustain" or"endure". It basically means to "put up with" someone. Let's face it, there are times when we genuinely need to confront others with our grievances but most of the time we need to learn how to put up with most of their behavior. If we can learn to endure others more often it will make it easier for us to learn to forgive. For the most part we are too sensitive and too interested in protecting our self interests. We need to forbear and forgive as often as possible. Still, we will never be equal to the great Forgiver. Have you been forgiven for all your sins? Trust in what Christ did on the cross to be sufficient payment for your sins! Do it today.