A lot of Christians were triggered by Marcionism recently. Somehow the noise has died down. I hope Christians will not fall into the same trap again. Following a pastor or a preacher without being a Berean (click the highlight to see its meaning).
Sadly, another heresy has been spreading for decades, in the guise of discipleship – the kenosis theory. Here is an excerpt from GotQuestion.Org on its error:
There are some false teachers who take the concept of kenosis too far, saying that Jesus gave up all or some of His divine nature when He came to earth. This heresy is sometimes referred to as the kenosis theory, but a better term is kenoticism or kenotic theology, to distinguish it from biblical understanding of the kenosis.
Click this link to read full article from GotQuestion.Org.
Keep in mind that Jesus Christ was of the virgin birth (Isa 7:14; Matt 1:23; Lk 1:35). An impossible task humanly speaking. Hence, Jesus Christ was divine at conception, He was born (Lk 1:30-35), grew up (Lk 2:22-52), and was crucified (Acts 2:22-24; Acts 5:30-31; Ps 2:1-8) without losing His divinity at any time, and yet He also was fully man during His incarnation.
It is therefore wrong to follow the teachings that Christ Jesus as a child was taught and discipled by His human parents, Joseph and Mary. See John 17:8, Jesus Christ said:
“For I (Jesus Christ) have given them the words that You (God the Father) gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.”
Again, Jesus Christ declared in John 14:24.
“The one who doesn’t love Me will not keep My words. The word that you hear is not Mine but is from the Father who sent Me.”
In Luke 2:52, Scripture’s intent was for the reader to understand that Christ’s divinity was demonstrated since childhood. Read the context, Luke 2:40-52. Not that, like us, we grew in wisdom as we aged.
Click on video below to see R.C. Sproul’s biblical exposition of Christ’s kenosis.
The apostle Paul in Ephesians explained the purpose of Christ’s gift for the office of pastors. See Ephesians 4:11-14.
“And He (Jesus Christ) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.”
In other words, pastors are tasked to stand guard against false teachings and teachers. They also are mandated to train Christians about the truth, teaching them to discern false teachings. Here, in this blog, I’m defending the biblical persona of Christ Jesus (Christology) that has been compromised by kenosis theory.
Ironically, unlike recent heresy in the form of Marcionism which began locally, the heresy on kenosis was imported abroad, and then locally spread in the guise of discipleship.
Shouldn’t we have learned from the recent pandemic? Borders control is needed to prevent the spread of deadly diseases. In the case of heresy, pastors are tasked to stand guard against heresy, false teachings, and teachers. They have to keep the sanctity of Christ’s body, therefore watching its borders. And yet, it was the local pastors who welcomed the said heresy into their congregation. Even aiding its spread, whether knowingly or unknowingly, with both Christ Jesus certainly has condemnations for such people. See 2Peter 2:1.
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”
See also Matthew 18:6, Jesus Christ said.
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to fall away — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.”
Now, let’s take a look at John 10:7-16, to discern whether you have under-shepherds of Christ Jesus or hirelings.
“Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep. “I am the good shepherd. I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
Christians, discern carefully if indeed your pastors are truly under-shepherds of Christ Jesus. Have you learned only the true teachings of Jesus Christ, therefore listening solely to Christ’s voice? Because only then are we part of God’s flock, with Jesus Christ alone our One Great Shepherd.
Once more, Jesus Christ said, “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand.” (Jhn 10:27-28)
Be watchful, we might have a false assurance of salvation. Salvation can be found in Christ alone, through the inerrancy of His Word. Listen and learn only from Christ’s voice (the inerrancy of His Word). Heresy can be a silent killer.
“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with Him (Jesus Christ), we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him (Jesus Christ and His Word), He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful— for He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2Ti 2:11-15)
Blessings!
If you want to follow our journey of unlearning tradition and relearning Scripture, you can stay updated just head to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Subscription is free.
Unlearning Tradition, Relearning Scripture 