The Apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders that to take heed for yourselves and the flock given to them, for which the Holy Spirit made them overseers, and that Christ purchased with His blood. He continued: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:29-30).
I spoke about this in my sermon on Sunday. The problem is that when Paul describes these savage wolves, we imagine men who have a fiendish look about them, with blood dripping from their teeth and dead sheep all around them. The harsh reality is that these savage wolves always seem like very nice guys. They look and sound like guys that would be a joy to hang out with. What makes them so savagely is the fact that the message they teach and preach leads people to eternal damnation. It does not matter how nice a person is, if they preach a false gospel, they are the most wicked of men because the end result is that those who follow them, are damned eternally.
Case in point: Rob Bell, pastor, teacher, all around swell guy… but in reality a false teacher. He appeared on MSNBC recently with his book Love Wins, in which the premise is that eventually, all people go to heaven because… love wins. Watch the following video in which you will see MSNBC host Martin Basher pointing out that Rob Bell is twisting the gospel to make it palatable for the current culture.
It really sickens me when I see men who have such a large audience, putting forth such a dangerous gospel. Basher really did an excellent job showing Bell’s inconsistencies. O, the gospel is important now? But love wins, so what does it matter? Bell was being trapped and was too much of a touchy-feely guy to see it.
The problem with people like Bell, who focus solely on one attribute of God, that attribute being God’s love, is that he ignores the rest of God’s attributes as well. Specifically, Bell ignores God’s holiness which is spoken of far more in the Bible than God’s love. It is out of His holiness that God brings about His wrath and His judgment. (I feel like I’m repeating myself here… why, o why, do people listen to guys like Bell). That judgment for believes is dealt with on the cross. For those who reject Christ, there is no hope. We know this because of the countless times that Jesus tells us about hell. What Rob Bell wants to candy coat, Jesus spoke of more than anyone else in the Bible. He is the One that tells us there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. He is the One that tells us that there is a great gulf fixed between heaven and hell that cannot be crossed (Luke 16:19-31). He is the One that tells us that the worm never dies and it is better to maim yourself than to sin and be thrown into hell (Mark 9), showing us that going there has eternal consequences. Jesus is also the One that tells us there will be many who do things in the name of Christ, but will depart from Him, because He never knew them (Matthew 7:21ff). So in Bell’s view of the gospel, Jesus tells them to depart from Him on judgment day (the say with the goats in Matthew 25), but then says, “OK, come on back. I was only kidding!”
The reason that people do not change their minds once they get to hell is because they continue to hate God, and there is no longer an atonement for their sin. Jesus would have to die all over again for that to happen (Hebrews 6:4-6). The reason hell is eternal is because the sin they committed was against an eternal being. It takes the death of One who is eternal to satisfy God’s wrath. Jesus was that One and the One by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). He cannot die again, so it is vital to accept Him on this side of death. To reject Jesus is to reject the only means of salvation and once we die it is too late for that. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. There is no hope at that point. Remember the great gulf that is fixed between heaven and hell that Jesus told us about? Once one is found lacking, he is cast into that hell and there is no getting across that gulf. It is permanent.
But Mr. Bell would have us believe that eventually God’s love will win out and all those people in hell will be freed and invited into heaven. This ignores God’s eternal decrees of election (Ephesians 1:3-14). It makes God out to be me nothing more that a cosmic hand wringer who is hopeless with the lives of men on this side of glory. It also makes God out to be a liar for He would be contradicting His own word, which He cannot do. Poor Mr. Bell. He is trying so hard to be liked and make God likeable, that He makes God out to be a liar in the process. To make God out to be a liar is to show that the truth is not in us (1 John 1:10). Since this is true, the truth is not in Bell. He needs to repent.
I think that what Mr. Bell also needs to do is go into sales, selling used cars and quit trying to pass himself off as a pastor who cares. He does not care. He is very hateful towards those whom he pastors. He needs to be rebuked in the harshest terms, because he is leading his flock into everlasting punishment. I know, he is such a nice guy. And Satan presented himself as an angel of light too. Real pastors and those who love our Savior, get angry at guys like Bell. He truly is a savage wolf. What Bell does is wicked beyond hope. May God silence him soon.
Here is more of his teaching.
Sounds good, but in reality he is dead wrong. Those outside of Christ are not spiritual because they are spiritually dead. Ephesians 2:1ff show that the non-believer is not spiritual at all. He is dead spiritually. This is why there is a need for new birth (John 3). Rob… read the Bible! This shows Bell to be more into New Age than true, biblical Chrisianity.
Here is another pastor, Cameron Buettel, discussing Rob Bell and his humanism disguised as the gospel.
Here is Buettel’s blog. I like what Buettel says close to the end of the clip. It is important that we point out false teachers and expose them for who they are. What a lot of people try to do is silence all criticism in the body of Christ. What this effectively does is keep men like Bell from coming under the Scrutiny of the authority of God’s word. Even the Apostle Paul was under this scrutiny. He commended the Bereans for checking out what he said (Acts 17:10-15). We should as well. That is how we know when men like Bell come along, the gospel they are presenting is no gospel at all.
We took our upper school students to a panel discussion about this book yesterday afternoon at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The discussion was headed by Al Mohler and seemed to be pointed at the seminary students who, it seems to me, are the demographic most likely to be targeted by Mr. Bell. No debate on the issue just four guys letting everyone know the insidious nature of the book.
Seems to me to be a whole lot of “what-I-feel-about-the-message” rather than what does the message say. Kind of like the New World Translation from the JWs. “I don’t really care for all this mumbo-jumbo so I’ll just pick and choose what I like, then draw my own conclusions.” Mr. Bell would do well to read “The Abolition of Man” by Lewis, as well as II Peter 1:20.
One of the fundamental questions that arose from listening yesterday was this; Even with the advent of technological advances that enable one to ‘span the globe’ as it were, is it right for a minister of the gospel to try to shepherd people that he will never meet? Is that the proper role for a shepherd? Can one shepherd a flock from afar?
The best point raised by Dr. Mohler, however, was that Bell’s take on God’s character is informed by his understanding of love, rather than defining love by the revealed character of God.
How soon to Tejas?
BTW, I guess I missed one line in the OP. Yes, the driving force behind all of this seems to be making the gospel palatable to the masses. THE fundamental question is this: Is Christianity exclusive or not?
Hi Lance,
Yes, that seems to be the point. He truly fails to see that the gospel is exclusive in its nature and ignores what the Bible says about election and calling, etc. Just another post-modern being driven by what feels right to him, instead of letting Scripture dictate his beliefs.
We are in Tejas now. I met with the executive director of the church planting organization here yesterday and it went well. I need to meet with Elliott as soon as I can, but he has been under the weather. So you might pray for him in that regard. We should be back into Tennessee later next week.
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“What a lot of people try to do is silence all criticism in the body of Christ.”
“No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.” 1 Corinthians 11:19 NIV 1984.
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Romans 14:19 NIV 1984. It is not edifying to the body of Christ to allow lies to to be called truth.
“Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.” 2 Peter 2:2 NIV 1984.
It is interesting how quick references re made to the bible about false teachers but the warnings about church leaders are ignored. Even Jesus was not impressed buy those in the ‘Church Business’ rather than Gods Business.
Rob Bell is opening discussion, one does not have to read the book; One does not have to attend his church; if one short book can cause so much hatred among church leaders what God do they believe in? Real teachers should look at a false teaching, which I am not saying Rob Bell is a false teacher, as an opportunity to expand their teachings, but no go for the simple solution attack, attack, attack – wasn’t that the reason Jesus was crucified for false claims by church leaders!
If Rob Bell is so wrong why does he worry you so much? Is your faith and that of your flocks that shallow?
Rob,
Had his statements just been for discussion, once the fact that he was wrong was pointed out to him, then he should have repented of his false teaching and admitted his book is wrong.
The problem is that so many teach that which is false and not what is true. To say that all eventually go to heaven is heretical because it teaches that we do not need to trust in Christ for salvation. Yet the Scriptures are full of admonitions to the contrary.
So are you saying that we sit by and approve of Bell’s ministry? You might want to spend some time reading 1 & 2 Timothy. Paul warns us over and over again to teach sound doctrine, knowing that there will be a time when those will come that will not teach sound doctrine and end up tickling the ears of their listeners.
BTW, he was the one that went public with his false teaching. He invited the criticism by doing so. We have done so, yet still not repentance on his part.
Hi Timothy,
Thank for your reponse and I apologise for the delay in reponding to you.
I examine all I read and hear from others and am willing, and do, reject that which I consider, based on my understanding and belief value system, is ‘off the mark’. I don’t condem others for what they have written and/or said for it may not be exactly what was meant to be conveyed. I know I have often spoken and regretted that I did not, or could not say it somewhat differently.
My interpretation of Rob Bell’s message is that everyone is capable of obtaining God’s priase and forgiveness, if, and it is a big if, they truly repent and seek to find God through Jesus Christ.
Rob Bell observes that in many Churches the Gospel is taught soley as a reward or punishment choice, with some earning ‘entry points’ to God’s kingdom over a long period of thier life here on Earth indicating by way of an undertone that for some people the way to Heaven is out thier reach for ever and so walk away from Christ and therefore God’s Kingdom.
I do not hold to those teachings. I do hold that it is open to anyone to find the way to God at any time, given that they seek God through Jesus and they repent with all thier heart. God knows the intention of each individual; indeed he knows each of us intimately.
Neither I, or from my understanding, Rob Bell is suggesting an ‘easy’ entry into Heaven for everyone the discussion revolves around the staus of death. Is death in this life the end, or is this life a physical exsistence being a portion of our enternal lives? Rob Bell holds that all have to repent to get into Heaven and accept Jesus and through God into thier souls.
Maybe you could outline where you think Rob Bell is in total error.
Hi Timothy,
Thank for your reponse and I apologise for the delay in reponding to you.
I examine all I read and hear from others and am willing, and do, reject that which I consider, based on my understanding and belief value system, is ‘off the mark’. I don’t condem others for what they have written and/or said for it may not be exactly what was meant to be conveyed. I know I have often spoken and regretted that I did not, or could not say it somewhat differently.
My interpretation of Rob Bell’s message is that everyone is capable of obtaining God’s priase and forgiveness, if, and it is a big if, they truly repent and seek to find God through Jesus Christ.
Rob Bell observes that in many Churches the Gospel is taught soley as a reward or punishment choice, with some earning ‘entry points’ to God’s kingdom over a long period of thier life here on Earth indicating by way of an undertone that for some people the way to Heaven is out thier reach for ever and so walk away from Christ and therefore God’s Kingdom.
I do not hold to those teachings. I do hold that it is open to anyone to find the way to God at any time, given that they seek God through Jesus and they repent with all thier heart. God knows the intention of each individual; indeed he knows each of us intimately.
Neither I, or from my understanding, Rob Bell is suggesting an ‘easy’ entry into Heaven for everyone the discussion revolves around the staus of death. Is death in this life the end, or is this life a physical exsistence being a portion of our enternal lives? Rob Bell holds that all have to repent to get into Heaven and accept Jesus and through God into thier souls.
Maybe you could outline where you think Rob Bell is in total error.
Regards
Rob Blakeman
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your thoughts on the matter.
I am sorry, but I don’t have it in me right now to give this much thought. I gave it all the thought I wanted to when I wrote it, and left it up to Rob Bell to clarify what he has meant. He has not, so the responsibility is on him to do so.
In either case, let Scripture be your guide to your beliefs and understanding of the gospel, not Rob Bell or Timothy Hammons.
Blessings
Dear fellows,
You cannot label someone as “false” “wrong” or “worthless” simply on the grounds of the fact that you don’t agree with them. On that basis we could call all of our peers and family and fellow peoples wrong because you will rarely meet someone who agree with your every value. I have been attending Mars Hill for 4 years now, and I can honestly say that I am more of a person because of it. Rob’s teachings have really helped me look deeper into my own life and faith and sort out my priorities. He never once said that he is right and others are wrong; he always made it very clear that this was just one out of thousands of ways of looking at the bible. His sermons were like none I have ever heard before in the sense that it goes BEYOND the Bible. For some people this is dangerous, but for others it is the only way to truly grow.
Now, in case you don’t remember, great Christian leaders we look up to (such as Paul) were often called liars and false teachers as well. We all interpret life, love, and faith differently, Rob is allowing room for that.
I’m not asking you to agree with what he believes, but just to respect him enough to not put him down. After all, we will never know who is “right” or “wrong” until our time is done, so the best thing to do is to keep an open mind.
Jessica,
We call someone wrong based on Scripture, not on our own opinions, or the opinions of those we like. You have submitted to Rob Bell and his leadership, and I’m glad he has blessed you. But the moment he begins to preach and teach something contrary to Scripture, is the moment he needs to be called out on it. If he repents, then great, we have gained a brother. But he has not. He remains sinful because he is preaching contrary to Christ and the apostles about heaven and hell. Hebrews 10 tells us that it is appointed to man to die once, then judgment. Jesus taught the same thing, and made it clear that judgment awaited all. See Luke 16, the rich man and Lazarus, as well as Matthew 25, and other parables as well. In fact, we know more about hell because of Christ’s teaching than anyone else in Scripture. Jesus made it clear that hell exists, that the wicked go there, and He is the expert on hell since He created (Colossians 1:15ff).
So what your going to do? Keep listening to a man who will not take rebuke and submit to his elders, or find a church where the pastor is actually held accountable for what he teaches and has to submit to other pastors? BTW, both 1 & 2 Timothy deal with pastors and our role to teach and preach sound doctrine and how to deal with those who don’t. Yes, as a pastor, it is my job to teach and preach the word of God faithfully, and warn others when godless, unrepentant men teach heresy. This is not a matter of agreement, but of sound doctrine, which Jesus calls all of us to.
Blessings
Timothy,
I read your reply to Jessica with interest and would make the following comments.
Rob Bell does not deny Heaven or Hell. He does not Deny Judgement by God, so on those points you are in agreement, by your own words.
If Rob Bell is a false teacher, which I do not believe he is, it is up to God to make that judgement not yourself, or other Pastors.
As Christians we are all responsible to teach the Gospel, whenever the opportunity arises, it is not our responsibility to pass Judgement on others. If you think Rob Bell is wrong pray for him; pray that God will show him the truth and maybe at the same time, pray for yourself, that God will also show you the the truth rather than rely on the acceptance of what you preach, by other men.
God looks at what is in our hearts, not at the words we speak. To try to convey Gods works and glory in language is an awesome task.
May God be with you
Robert
Robert, again, read 1 & 2 Timothy. Paul was constantly warning against false teachers. To say what you are saying is to say the church can never tell who is and isn’t a false teacher. We do not have that freedom to ignore false teachers. It is a pastor’s responsibility to watch out for the flock of God, and that includes saying who is and isn’t a ravenous wolf when that can be determined.
Your view is part of the anti-authoritarian view that is so contradictory in our culture. For on the one hand you say we cannot determine such, but who are you to determine such?
And Jesus has given us offices that carry authority, that of pastor and teacher (since we do not have apostles and prophets with the closing of the canon). But to say we are not to judge another man’s teachings, goes against the very heart of the pastoral epistles, and qualifications for pastors/elders.
Hi Timothy,
I have got some tough questions for you. First, the Bible says “…God is love…”. Second, your understanding, being something close to TULIP, predestines the majority of humans to hell (and you don’t mention that there are different Greek words for hell). While I am not totally persuaded by Rob Bell, I just find so difficult to believe millions of humans are going to be tortured by a God of Love. Whatever hell is, I believe that Love is greater than hell.
Hi Earl,
Let’s start with your premise: God is love. First off, is that all the Bible says about God? Are we saying that this is all that there is to God? Is there any other attribute to God besides love? And what does love mean in the context that it is given? How do you define love and is that the same way that Scripture defines love?
1. God has many attributes, of which love is one of them. Mentioned far more than love though, is God’s holiness. He is a holy God and this leads to His judgments of sin. This is why He hates the sinner and the sin, because both are an affront to His character, which is holy and without sin. He must deal with sin and has chosen to do so in two ways: the first of which is to send those who are unrepentant and without faith in Christ to hell. Yes, there are differing words, but this does not reduce the picture of hell we are given in Scripture. Also realize that Jesus gives us more information about hell, since He created it, than any other person in the Bible. The other way that God has chosen to deal with sin is on the cross. Those whom He chose before the foundations of the world (see Ephesians 1.) That is a reflection of His love. But God is far more concerned about HIS holiness than He is our definitions of His love. No where does scripture allow for: “God is love, therefore will not send anyone to hell.” Please read Genesis 6 to see what He did then and will do again according to the book of Revelation. He must deal with sin, those who refuse Christ/gospel, etc., are without excuse (read Romans 1:18ff).
2. It says God is love in twice in the Bible, once in 1 John 4:8, the other time in 4:16. John is writing to believers, not non-beleivers and therefore is doing so with the condition that they understand God’s love and what it means. What so many are in the habit of saying when they say “God is love” is that they are defining that love according to their standards, i.e., two men loving each other, etc. They are ripping the verse out of context and God’s love never endorses sin or heresy or false teachers.
Just the very context of “God is love” in 1 John 4 prevents your view and interpretation of “God is love.” Just look at 4:1, before he states that God is love, John is telling us to test the prophets because false ones have gone out into the world. The entire book is showing those who are true believers, and recipients of God’s love, and those who are not. My point is that “God is love” shows us who He is in relationship to the believer who is in Christ. That love that He is, does not apply to the non-believer. As Paul shows us in Ephesians 2, the non believer is a child of wrath.
Rob Bell has turned from the truth of Scripture because of his love for the world. What is his latest? He agrees that homosexuals can marry? Really? Where in Scripture? Well, that’s another argument. But the point is that Bell has turned from what Scripture says and embraced what the world wants to hear in order to sell more books. This is the very world that 1 John condemns, and the rest of Scripture.
Pastor Timothy you wrote: “This is why He hates the sinner and the sin, because both are an affront to His character, which is holy and without sin.”
Perhaps, it was just a typo, but just the same we know God loves the sinner so much that he gave his only begotten Son (ref. John 3.16).
Earl, there is a sense in which God loves the lost because they are part of the creation. But to say that He loves them in the same way He loves those who are in Christ is a stretch. There are far too many passages in Scripture that show His hatred for the wicked.
As for John 3:16, John is saying, just as he does in 1 John, that the gospel is not just for his immediate audience and community, but goes to the entire world. So yes, God loves the entire world, in that He saves people from every tribe and nation. But to say that He loves the wicked the same way He loves those who are His children is reading into John 3:16 what it does not say. So no, it was not a typo. Also, look at the context. Those who reject Christ are already condemned, and will perish in hell. So, if what you say is true, then why would God send people to hell, in order to perish, that He loves?
Again, understand what John means by “love” and “world” is really helpful. Remember, at the time, the fact that the gospel went beyond the borders of Israel was revolutionary. It is only in modern times that we have twisted the understanding to mean that He loves all equally and with the same affection. That just isn’t supported in Scripture. Just read 1 John in its entirety and you will see what I mean. There are those who are in Christ, and those who are not: light vs. darkness. No middle ground. It’s an either/or proposition.
http://timothyjhammons.com/2012/02/02/im-done-with-john-316/
Pastor Timothy writes: “How do you define love and is that the same way that Scripture defines love?”
__________
I’ve long thought that “God is love”, the first Bible vs. every toddler learns in Sunday School, is the most universally & perilously misunderstood three words in the Bible. We all think we know what love is – limitless unconditional acceptance & approval, never a harsh word, never even a frown that’s not belied by the indulgent twinkle in His eyes – so we feel we can forget all that tiresome stuff about His holiness/righteousness/jealousy/vengeance, His anger at the wicked every day.
I believe we have that little clause exactly backward & upside down because we stop reading too soon:
“…God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world [to be poor, homeless, stalked, derided, humiliated, tortured, killed in the most ghastly, agonizing way known to man]…..”.
What that says to me is that until we know God we don’t have a clue what love is. I greatly fear that people who define God by the Oprah-esque notion of love are in for a really big surprise.