Easy Believism

[Steve Hackett]

Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897 - 1963) railed against the corrupted faith of many in his day. 

To me, this seems to epitomise the “easy believism” of the church’s drift away from Biblical teaching: 

• ‘Believism’ - because it refers to the belief that church members have taken hold of; and

• ‘Easy’ - because it makes no demands on them.

It results from a false Gospel that accepts:

• God’s love, but not his wrath on sin; 

• Forgiveness, but not judgement;

• Heaven, but not hell;

• Faith, but not repentance;

• Christ as Saviour, but not as Lord. 

A gospel that holds to Christ as Saviour, but not Christ as Lord, may sound like “good news”, but it is not God’s Gospel of Grace: for forgiveness offered through the free gift of God’s Grace can be received only through true repentance and faith. True repentance forsakes the world and the flesh to accept Christ as Saviour and Lord (Gal 1:6-7; 1 Jn 2:15-17). 

A heart that has received this false gospel is a heart that remains unrepentant, unchanged, and ultimately unforgiven! The Bible refers to them as “unbelievers” (2 Cor 4:1-6); we are not to be yoked with them (2 Cor 6:14-18). 

How did this happen? 

• Was it the preacher who failed to preach on sin, judgement, hell, repentance, and the Lordship of Christ?
• Was it the recipient who misheard the message?
• Was it the serpent who asked “Did God really say, ‘You must not ...’?” (Gen 3:1)
• Was it the recipient who “cherry-picked” the message? (Heb 10:26; 1 Jn 1:6-7,10)
• Was it the absence of God’s Holy Spirit without whom the true Gospel is rejected as foolishness? (1 Cor 2:14) 

Lord have mercy upon us!