By: Dale Weckbacher
Romans 12:2
And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
NKJV
Even though God commends the church for remaining true to
the faith in the middle of great animosity from the pagan worship of the city,
the church was not perfect for some in the congregation held to the teachings
of Balaam. (2) There were also some in
the congregation holding to the teachings of the Nicolaitans. Balaam’s teaching was an effort to entice the
Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols (Numbers 25:1-3, Numbers31:15-16). Even though we are free in
Christ and at liberty to eat all foods, not all believers share that knowledge
and may equate eating of food offered to an idol as permission to worship that
idol (1 Corinthians 8:4-13). The church
in Pergamum
most likely consisted of many coming out of pagan worship so the teachings of
Balaam would be an obstacle to these new believers and represented a
danger.
As for the teachings of the Nicolaitans, theologians are
mixed. One view is that they were a cult
either following, or perverting, the teachings of Nicolas, one of the seven men
chosen by the congregation in Acts 6:5. It
is interesting to note that the Balaam and Nicolaitans have similar meanings in
their derivative languages with Balaam meaning “swallowers of the people” and
Nicolaitans “conquerors of the people.” (4) In
other words, in his letter to the Church in Pergamum , John is warning them of false
teaching that threatens to swallow and conquer the church.
In our post-modern society, churches today face similar
pressure to compromise on beliefs clearly outlined in scripture. Christian business people come under pressure
to compromise on their values by facing fines for not baking a cake for a same
sex wedding. (5) Christian government
employees face jail time for refusing to license same sex marriages, which
violate their Christian values, values protected by the First Amendment of the
U.S. Constitution. (6) (7) Christian owned businesses are also mandated
by law to provide health insurance, which includes contraceptives and abortion
inducing drugs. (8)
These well known cases do represent a threat to Christian
values but the pastor of my church recently made our congregation aware of
something even more disturbing. In a the
spring 2009 issue of Knowing and Doing, cited a major study conducted by the
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life on religious affiliation, beliefs, and
practices in the United States. The
study’s findings revealed that 70 percent of all Americans believe that many
religions can lead to eternal life. On
its own, this finding would not be surprising in the context of our post
modernistic society. However, the study
also revealed that 65 percent of all self-identifying Christians believe in
multiple paths to eternal life. (9)
This is in direct opposition to Jesus statement that He is
the only way to salvation and eternal life (John 14:6-7). Therefore, for a professed believer in Jesus
Christ as savior to claim there are many ways to salvation and eternal life is
to say that Jesus statement in John 14:6-7 is untrue. If Jesus statement is untrue, Jesus lied and
if Jesus lied, he is not without sin and therefore disqualified from being the
sinless Lamb of God. Fortunately, for us
all, Jesus claim is totally true.
What is disturbing about this finding is that it illustrates
how many Christians have compromised their faith by accepting other ways to
salvation. Perhaps these people see
other well-meaning people who have morals and have difficulty believing that a
loving God would condemn them to death for not accepting Jesus as their
Messiah. However, the belief in other
paths to salvation is a slap in the face of God who gave the world his only Son
as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of fallen humanity. I urge anyone reading this that has fallen
for this Balaamic and Nicolaitianic type compromise to search scripture and
realize that Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation and eternal life.
It is great that the Church takes a stand politically and
socially against issues like abortion and gay marriage but like the Church in Pergamum , let us not
compromise on the foundational belief that Jesus Christ is the only way to
salvation for the only answer our lost and dying world has to its problems is
Jesus Christ.
1. The 700 Club.
The Seat of Satan: Ancient Pergamum .
www1.cbn.com. [Online] CBN. [Cited: October 11, 2015.]
www1.cbn.com/700club/seat-satan-ancient-pergamum.
2. Got Questions.org.
What was Jesus' Message to the Church in Pergamum
in Revelation. www.gotquestions.org. [Online] Got Questions.org. [Cited:
October 11, 2015.] www.gotquestions.org/church-in-Pergamum.html.
3. Biblegateway.
The Message to Pergamum .
www.biblegateway.com. [Online] Biblegateway.com. [Cited: October 11,
2015.] https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/rev/Message-Pergamum.
4. Biblestudytools.com.
Nicolaitans. www.biblestudytools.com. [Online] Biblestudytools.com.
[Cited: October 11, 2015.]
www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/revelation/related-topics/nicolaitans.html.
5. Smith, Samuel. Oregon christian Bakers Ordered
to Pay $135K After Refusing to Work Gay Wedding; Told to Stop Speaking About
'ObeyGod, Not Man'. www.christianpost.com. [Online] The Christian Post,
July 3, 2015. [Cited: August 26, 2015.]
www.christianpost.com/news/oregon-christian-bakers-ordered-to-pay-135k-after-refusing-to-work-gay-wedding-told-to-stop-speaking-about-obeying-god-now-man-141137/.
6. AP. Kentucky
Clerk in Gay Marriage Case Ordered to Jail. www.6abc.com. [Online] ABC
6, September 3, 2015. [Cited: September 7, 2015.] www.6abc.com/news/kentucky-clerk-in-gay-marriage-case-ordered-to-jail/968407.
7. The U.S. National
Archives & Records Administration. The Constitution of the United States :
A Transcription. www.archives.gov. [Online] [Cited: August 6, 2013.]
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/print_friendly.html?page=constitution_transcript_content.html&title=The%20Constitution%20of%20the%20United%20States%3A%20A%20Transcription.
8. Patterson, Tom.
Patterson: Hobby Lobby decision a narrow win for liberty. www.eastvalleytribune.com.
[Online] East Valley Tribune, July 11, 2014. [Cited: July 11, 2014.]
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/columns/east_valley_voices/article_b1c88b88-0892-11e4-b2c7-0019bb2963f4.html.
9. Ph.D., Dennis P.
Hollinger. Is Jesus Really the Only Way to God. Knowing & Doing. 2009,Spring 2009.
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