X-Theology

Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA was the venue for X Games 13 last week (August 2-5, 2007). The X Games is an annual multi-sport event with a focus on eXtreme action sports. The games are broken into seasons: the Winter X Games are usually held in January or February in Aspen, Colorado (through 2010), and the Summer X Games are normally held in August in Los Angeles (through 2009). Competitors perform in many different categories and styles, trying to win bronze, silver and gold medals, as well as prize money. The competition often features never-before-seen "extreme" tricks.

Out of curiosity I "googled" the word "extreme." In .14 seconds that "extreme" search engine displayed 298,000,000 matches - identifying every kind of extreme one can imagine - from the extreme sports channel to extreme videos to extreme trivia to extreme pumpkin carving to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." (Okay, I'll admit it - it is one of our favorite "reality" TV shows that Win and I watch religiously).

One site defined the word "extreme" as . . . "most remote in any direction; outermost or farthest: the extreme edge of the field."

That got me to thinking . . . I've got one to add to the list. I call it "X (extreme) theology." (Although, according to Google, apparently I am not the first one to coin the term).

For example . . . Recently a well-intentioned individual (at least I think he was), who left the church I pastor over major "theological differences" (those were his words), apparently felt led of the Lord to send me some papers written by someone he referred to as his "teacher." One of them had to do with the purpose of the local church. In this paper the author criticized local churches that emphasize the importance of "winning souls," which he called a "misdirected effort" obviously based on what he would deem erroneous statements such as "Jesus loves sinners" and "Christians are to love the lost." Then the author made the following statement: "A careful examination of Scripture shows that Jesus saves no one . . ."

I could not believe what I had just read. So, like the Bereans of old I knew I needed to search the Scriptures to find out whether these things are so (Acts 17:11).

Here is what I discovered . . .

The angel Gabriel said to Joseph, "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).

Then there was this angelic announcement to the shepherds on the hillside outside of Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born, "Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).

In fact, when He walked this earth, Jesus said of Himself, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

That is why the Apostle Paul could say in 1 Timothy 1:5, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." And then the Apostle Paul refers to Him as " . . . our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).

In the light of these passages - and many others - how could any "teacher" make the statement "a careful examination of Scripture shows that Jesus saves no one?" At best that statement is misleading, even with the following "qualifying" phrase in the context: "He provided the work necessary for salvation."

The truth is that Jesus saves from the penalty of sin. Indeed, the Bible says that "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Jesus also saves believers from the power of sin. Hebrews 7:25 says that "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost (extreme?) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

And one day He will save us from the presence of sin when He comes for His "Bride". The Apostle Paul explains in Philippians 3:21, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (Maranatha! Even so, quickly come, Lord Jesus!).

Jesus saves NO ONE? What kind of convoluted, distorted, perverted and twisted teaching is this?

It is X theology (extreme theology). And there is a lot of it out there today . . . from the old ultra (hyper/extreme) dispensationalism that Harry Ironside warned the church about in the early 20th century to the so-called "evangelical postmodernism" of this early 21st century.

We'll pick up from here in a future blog. But for now, I will soon retire for the night with a song on my heart. It's an old gospel song that goes like this . . .

Christ has for sin atonement made - What a wonderful Savior!

We are redeemed the price is paid - What a wonderful Savior!

What a wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Jesus!

What a wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord!

Actually, it would not be an overstatement to call Him an X (EXTREME) Savior!