Study historical theology and one of the trends you will notice is that churches and institutions almost always drift into apostasy and spiritual decline. Earthly organizations seem to have an almost unavoidable tendency to degenerate—and if they continue to exist at all, they will for all practical purposes become totally secular. The ones that continue as religious institutions (like the papacy and the eastern orthodox church) grow corrupt, both doctrinally and often morally, and wherever they remain dominant they produce spiritual blight.
I suppose that's because human institutions are built and populated by people who suffer from total depravity. And it usually takes only a generation or two before the founding principles are abandoned or amended beyond recognition.
My faith is not shaken by that. The Lord is not building an earthly temple or a worldly society, so the dissolution of human institutions, while sad and deplorable, is not a disaster of eternal proportions. The only Christian institution God is building is the church of Jesus Christ, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her. Individual churches may fail; the church universal will ultimately be the Church Triumphant...
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“ Great Sermon! ” For most of her life ( Praise God she came to faith), my sister, who was a University lecturer in Philosophy, looked on me a a credulous simpleton because of my faith. However, this same Intelligent woman would tell me that her stars said that such and such would happen to her today. So the world long can’t say they deny the supernatural, just that they prefer to choose the o RD that leave God out. A most informative and sound message. Thank you very much.
Raymond (7/19/2022)
from Newtownabbey
“ Great Sermon! ” A powerful defence of the truth and exposure of the great slippages today
Lottie (8/7/2018)
from Ohio
“ Great Message!!! ” This was a very good message. I'm still surprised by the different heresies, and how many are just old heresies repackaged.
BWS (6/10/2018)
“ Even more relevant today! ” Powerful historical and biblical message that strongly demonstrates how Liberalism invades the churches over time from one generation to the other bringing apostasy through destructive heresies. Note the evil principle of Socinianism on which he justly dwells for considerable time to identify it.
Now's the Time to strongly urge an application of this message to reviewing the decline and fall of Southern Baptists climaxing now in the SBC in 2018, how the churches departed from Revelation to Human Reason and socialist doctrine (i.e. first abolitionism, then feminism, egalitarianism, MLKism) Socinian thinking came in to be Politically Correct and relevant, condemning their godly fore-fathers and apologizing for slavery to appease the world, and now it's bearing its fruit & consequences and dividing and conquering the entire SBC into total social liberalism while pretending to be remain orthodox; Destructive heresies under pretense of love equality bringing revolutionary change as if the Bible is errant & wrong in its social instructions, as if God's law is not holy, Jesus & the Apostles teaching imperfect, and his Word can be set aside, in order to conform to Democratic expectations even for "conservatives". Now tumult and schism are evident and a Social Gospel rising up.
Www.cfcnb.org (5/1/2013)
from NJ
“ Great Sermon! ” Phil is my favorite expositor when it comes to trends in the church.
Hank Hudson (4/26/2013)
from Deerfield Beach, Florida
“ Strong Sermon! ” Phil gives a great, detailed presentation of some of the liberalizing factors that are moving into our churches and giving the listeners weak Gospel messages.
janine elizabeth (4/24/2013)
from louisiana
“ Great Sermon! ” Excellent. Thank you. I learned much.
Phil Johnson is Executive Director of Grace to You, the media ministry of John MacArthur. Phil is also an elder at Grace Community Church, where he pastors the GraceLife fellowship group. He is probably best known for his websites, which include The Spurgeon Archive and The Hall...
#12 - Top Played Sermon (48-Hours) on 8/7/2018
