Visited by Abundance

I had a random commenter drop by today who used the moniker "Rob". Rob took issue with my brief post entitled Prosperity Doctrine wherein I made the case against the word-faith fetishist's fixation on worldly riches in contradistinction to obeying the Lord's admonition to take no thought of such things and instead store up our treasures in heaven.

You can read our exchange in its entirety here, but in a nutshell Rob used his time (and my comment space) to passionately defend the practice of carnally focusing on - and striving to obtain - ever increasing temporal substance. In order to make his points Rob, unsurprisingly and futilely, took his position upon the shifting sands of Dominion Theology. This is a doctrine which is wholly fallacious, Biblically unfounded, and is in truth the invention of demons. It's clear from the content and tenor of Rob's comment that a little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Let it be known that the Word Faith adherents of the false Dominion Theology are fundamentally and unrepentantly Biblically compromised. As such they are outside the orthodox Christian faith and thus are at enmity with Christ's true church.

It was on this key point - his grossly erroneous stand on Dominion Theology and the resultant perversion of the atonement which follows such false doctrine as surely and naturally as night follows day - that I took Rob to task in my reply:

Thanks for stopping by, Rob.

You've made a number of points upon which I should comment, but I'll deal with the one which perhaps has the most far reaching and spiritually deadly implications.

I'm deeply concerned by your emphatic assertion that Christ "came to restore us to the dominion we had before sin separated us NOT FROM GOD but from our rightful place as rulers over the works of His hand."

If one misses the entire purpose of Christ's atoning work on the cross - which was to make the way for sinful and doomed men to be reconciled unto a Holy God by imputing His righteousness to those who by faith through grace believe on Him - then everything else is irrelevant.

I fear that by building one's house on the shifting sands of temporal worldly concerns such as our subjective feelings, the wealth we attain, our so-called "abundance, bounty, and style", that when the storms of life come - and they will - great will be the fall thereof. Our lives on this side of glory are but a vapor, therefore let us store up our treasures in heaven as we pass through this sin sick and dying world all the while exhorting men to abandon their sins in repentant submission to Christ.

A true Christian's faith comes from God. It isn't man's gift to God; it's God's gift to man. We don't exercise our faith by "believing for big things", rather our faith is worked out by trusting solely in God and His revealed Word despite our worldly circumstances.

It's hard for me to imagine the carnal "increase and abundance", name-it-and-claim-it style theology being propagated by the apostles as they spread the Gospel to a hostile, contemptuous, and unbelieving world.

It seems out of place to think that the early church was busily counting the nickels and noses within their fledgling congregations as they were being fed to lions for sport and being burned alive as human torches.

It's also hard for me to pretend that the reformers - as they were being slaughtered like cattle by the RCC for their unwavering faith in Christ instead of the Pope - gave a moment's thought as to whether or not they would "ride into heaven with style".

Friend, I'd like to let you in on a little secret; if there's a tiny corner on the utmost fringe of even one small rooftop in heaven that might have enough space for a wretched and unworthy lump of sin like me then I'll give praise to God Almighty that He made such a remarkable thing possible.

Why it's wondrous beyond words that the Infinite Creator and Judge of the universe should open the way of eternal salvation and joy unspeakable in His resplendent presence to one such as myself.

What grace is this? What kind of God should show such care for a wicked and ungodly man such as me? Who is this God which by His sovereign will and good pleasure alone would choose to allow me to spend eternity with Him? Isn't such grace and mercy but to His glory alone forever and evermore?

No friend, I'll never think so highly of myself as to pretend that I can please God by my faith or works, since He alone is the source of anything of value which He may have placed within my life. If I've done anything according to His will then I count myself as an unprofitable servant for I've only done that which is my duty.

Friend, I pray you'll reconsider this matter in the light of inspired scripture and abandon what appears to me to be a variant form of man-centered Dominion Theology in favor of the whole counsel of God.

In Christ,

CD