Lesson 10: The Holy Christian Church, False Teachings, and The Last Days

What is the Holy Christian Church? There are five things the Holy Christian Church is. First, the Christian Church is One. This is evidenced in Roman 12:5. "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.". It is also evidenced in Ephesians 4:4-6. "there is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over and all and through all in all.". 

Second, the Christian Church are saints. Being a saint means that although we are sinners that have sinned, we are people who have been made holy. This is evidenced in Hebrews 10:10. "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all". 

Third, the Christian Church is, of course, Christian. Christ is the one who lays the foundation, and our identity when we follow Jesus is "Christians", little Christs. Evidence of Christ's foundation is in 1 Corinthians 3:11. "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

Fourth, the Christian Church is universal. This means that the Christian Church is all around the world. This is evidenced in the first lines of 1 Corinthians, Galatians 1:2, and 1 Thessalonians 1:1. "To the church of God in Corinth.", "To the churches in Galatia.", "To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ". And to this day, there are still churches around the world. You can find churches in any of the United States of America and churches in other countries! 

Fifth, the Christian Church is invisible. The Church is not something physical that can be seen or touched. Consider Luke 17:20-21. "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, Here it is, or There it is because the kingdom of God is within you.". Also consider 1 Samuel 16:7. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart". 

How is the Church recognized? Is everyone who belongs to a visible church part of the Church? No, not everyone. And why is this? Because in this modern day and age, false teachers have invaded the church by bringing in their heterodox teachings. The word "Orthodox" simply means "right teaching". Therefore, "heterodox" is the opposite, meaning "false teaching". 

What did Jesus have to say about false teachers? First, let's look at Matthew 23:27. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean". Whoa, did Jesus really say that? I thought Jesus was nice and loved people! Well, He does love people. He loves all of us. But he wasn't always nice. He judges false teachers, and rightfully so! This is very serious. Furthermore, Jesus also said in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, Lord Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven". 

The Church is recognized by the Gospel being rightly taught, and the Sacraments rightly administered. Consider John 8:31 in the NKJV. "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him. If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed". And what did the early believers do? Acts 2:42 says "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer". It is very important to cling to the true Gospel and the teaching of the apostles. 

We must test those to come to us, to see whether or not they are false teachers. We are commanded to do so in 1 John 4:1. "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.". It is also commanded in Galatians 1:8. "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!". We are to test those who come to us with the Bible. What happens to false teachers who add or take away from the Word? The answer to that question is in Revelation 22:18-19. "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.". Those who add to or take away from God's Word will suffer very serious punishment. 

What do we do when we find out someone teaches falsely? Romans 16:17 commands "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them". 2 John 10-11 also commands "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work". We are to expel false teachers from the Church, and stay away from them. 

Why do we avoid false teachers? For a very good reason. Consider Galatians 5:9. "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough". If we let a false teacher influence us with false teaching, it destroys our faith from the inside out. It is extremely dangerous to carelessly welcome those who are potentially teaching something false. Also consider 2 Corinthians 11:3. "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray for your sincere and pure devotion to Christ". 

But since no one is perfect, a little error on the part of a church should be tolerated, right? Actually, no. No false teachings should be tolerated. No matter how big or small, a lie is a lie. We are to seek the teaching of scripture. You might say, "Oh well what's the big deal? It's just something small. Why can't we all just get along?". It's not simple to just "agree to disagree". We are expected as the Church to be on the same page, that page being the true Gospel and the apostles' teaching. 

Now let's talk about the forgiveness of sins. How do we get the forgiveness of sins? Consider 1 Corinthians 12:3. "Therefore I tell you that no one who is peaking by the Spirit of God says, Jesus be cursed, and no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit". The forgiveness of sins was won by Christ and given by the Holy Spirit, through the Word and the Sacraments: Baptism and Communion. These sacraments are essential steps. It takes more than just a sinner's prayer to become part of the family of God and receive the forgiveness of sins. 

Now, we will discuss the Last Things. We will discuss the resurrection of the body. Physical death is a welcome for the Christian? Why? The answer is in Romans 6:6-7. "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin". 

Who will be raised from the dead? All people, both the righteous and the wicked. Acts 24:15 declares "There will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked". Daniel 12:2 also declares "Multitudes to sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt". 

When will the dead be raised? When Christ returns. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, the so called "Rapture passage", describes this event: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air". The dead will be raised when Christ returns, and believers who are still alive on earth are also taken to heaven. Christ's return will not be a quiet, secret return. Consider Revelation 1:7. "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen". 

What happens to unbelievers on the Last Day? There are plenty of clear passages. A simple one would be Revelation 20:15. "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire". Also consider Matthew 25:41. "Then he will say to those on his left, depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels". Hell is a real place of fire and torment. Luke 16:23-24, a segment of the story of the rich man and Lazarus, describes the eternal agony of Hell: "In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire". How long will the torment in hell last? For eternity. Even the Old Testament describes the eternal agony of hell in Isaiah 66:24. "And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind". Does it scare you to think about burning forever, flames all around you, no way to escape from them? We deserve this wrath because we sinned. But thanks to God that Jesus died in our place! 

What happens to believers on the Last Day? Revelation 21:3-4 describes our final reward: "And i heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their god. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away". On the Last Day, we will enter Heaven. The new heavens and the new earth, made just for us! Our joy in heaven will last for eternity. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 declares, "And so we will be with the Lord forever". 

What will our bodies be like after the resurrection? 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 gives a description: " I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.". Our bodies will be glorious, immortal, and imperishable bodies. 

Why are we certain that this heavenly glory will be ours? Because the Father chose us before creation, the Son died to redeem us, and the Spirit created faith. Lutherans have an emphasis on Predestination. However, this is not the Predestination that is taught in Calvinism. Calvin's error is double Predestination, in which God also chooses who will go to hell. This removes God's Grace. Although we are chosen by God to be redeemed, it is also the sinner's fault that they are condemned if they choose against following Christ.  

When searching for a church, don't seek a church with a pastor, people, or building we like. Because what if the pastors are false teachers? We should not find a place just to feel comfortable. We should find a church that affirms the true Gospel and the apostles' teaching. There is no salvation outside of the Holy Christian Church. Even though God is love, those who don't believe will be punished by God in hell forever. When unbelievers go to hell, are they separated from God Himself? Actually, that is a misconception. They are certainly separated from the Love and Grace of God since God is present in Heaven, but God is also present in hell, for Hell is the place of God's wrath and condemnation. If God is present in Heaven, yet not present in Hell, God is not omnipresent. 

If you are caught up in false teaching, run away and come embrace the true Gospel! If you are an unbeliever, it's not too late to escape the wrath of God! Run to the cross of Christ and become part of the Holy Christian Church, so that you may have your sins forgiven as you repent and are baptized! And your name will be written in the book of life so that you may inherit Heaven and be in the presence of God's Grace and Mercy! There is still hope! Believe in the Gospel before it's too late!