Systematic theology was required study for my seminary studies. basically, systematic theology is the reflection on and the ordered articulation of faith. the reality of faith itself in our commitment to god revealed in christ.  Sound systematic theology functions within the life of DISCIPLESHIP (stanley j. grenz). today, We live in a society where liberal theology has overtaken the church. it has many names and faces. But at the end of the day, liberal theology tends to make scripture a pick and choose option to defend one’s opinion instead of the true gospel. commonly called liberation theology. what liberation theology does is it neglects the whole counsel of god by ignoring the unity of scripture that focuses on the crucially important things such as god’s sovereign love, his wrath and judgment, our need to repent and believe, and the cross and the resurrection of Christ. instead, liberation theology discards the proper freedom and worship of god for all kinds of totalitarian and evil governments to accomplish marxist philosophy. its use has quickly spread to include feminism, inclusion gospel, universalism, social gospel, prosperity gospel, new ageism, and so on. it has led to many older Christians being misled and believing they are too old to be fruitful or to take a stand for the gospel. psalm 92 tells us a different story. It says, “they will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him (Psalm 92:14-15). there is an old folk tale about a woman who carried water home every

day from a river using two buckets at either end of a long pole. one bucket was new and solid while the other was old and cracked. When the woman would get home, the new bucket was full, but the old bucket almost empty. the old bucket felt bad and apologized. but the woman would point back to the road and tell the old bucket, do you see all those flowers growing on your side of the road? every day you water them, and my walk to and from the river is filled with beauty. that is wisdom. that is understanding the glory of the lord’s creation.  we live in a world that the younger generations believe they have a better grasp on the world than we seasoned citizens. yet the bible in psalm 92 clearly tells us of a righteous beauty that comes from the elders. some may think of themselves as cracked and leaky, yet we are instructed, that the righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in lebanon (psalm 92:12). what this tells us is the palm tree and the cedar symbolize permanence and strength. they are in contrast to the fleetingness of the wicked. we will always encounter many forms of liberal or counterfeit christianity. we live in a world that does not share our biblical world view. even in many churches today, they have chosen to depart from scripture and follow marxist beliefs, or embrace new ageism to satisfy the masses. it is not enough for us to know our biblical values alone, we must be aware of what others are believing, and how to react to it. we are living in hostile territory. even so, we as christians must be active. we have got to come together as believers in Christ. we must learn to articulate our biblical world view. the lost souls actively attack us because they consider us an economic threat for biblical stands on issues such as prostitution, gambling, alcohol, and abortion. early christians were so radically different than the world it made others look bad by rebuking the immorality of that period through the christian lifestyle.

the liberal theology church seeks to reduce scripture to a social justice program. i’m not a subject matter expert in hebrew or greek languages, but i cannot find anywhere in scripture that tells us to ensure we implement social justice. We are to ensure justice, but not a liberation theology. Jesus never once called for the government or the church to seize from anyone and redistribute wealth. those defending this false theology are defining today’s time period as a post christian society. we are at a point where we must be willing to defend what we believe in. we have given into the idea that we have no say what our schools teach our children. we already have succumb to liberal parenting. liberal parenting is also known as gentle parenting, which is another part of liberal theology. it is twisting scripture. instead of children obeying the fifth commandment, honor thy father and thy mother, today, parents are obeying their children. this has been carried into the school system where teachers are afraid of the principal. the principal is afraid of the school superintendent. the school superintendent is afraid of the school board. and the school board members are afraid of the parents. and the parents are afraid of the Children. the second problem is we are allowing our tax dollars to pay secular humanist teachers to systematically seduce our children in the classroom to a world view that we do not hold. as bible-believing christians, our worldview affects everything in our lives. this post-christian society is hostile to those who view the world as we do. many christians are tempted to retreat in today’s society, but for a scripturally obedient christian, there is no place to hide. When we turn from standing on christ, we are led into a liberal theology of cheap grace, which is a counterfeit christianity. this liberal theology is what dietrich bonhoeffer said is a preaching of forgiveness without repentance. cheap grace is grace without discipleship. grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ. it is the new ageism of theology of the heart to validate how we feel instead of standing on the true gospel. we are living in a world that calls themselves churches, but does not share the understanding that we are covered by the blood of jesus, and it alone. They have fallen back to believing that a loving god won’t send people to hell. liberal theology is a feel-good philosophy that doesn’t understand that repentance and belief by faith through surrender is required. the gospel is not salvation for everyone, rather salvation for believers. for everyone else it is a fateful sentence. it is not a theology of reparations, restitutions, compensations, or even personal freedoms.Paul tells us in philippians 4, “not that i speak in regard to want or need, for i have learned in whatever circumstances i am to be content” (v. 11). here the greek term for content means to be satisfied. “i know how to get along with humble means, and i also know, HOW-TO LIVE-IN prosperity; in any and every circumstance i have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (v.12). paul knew how to get along with humble means. today standing firm to preach the true gospel to liberal or progressive christians is to engage in more spiritual warfare than preaching the gospel to the world of the lost (john macarthur). because of counterfeit christianity, we live in hostile territory. we remain under attack by those who sell an easy salvation. we are called to speak up and defend the gospel, or we will eventually submit in silence. if we do not stand now, we will be required to allow our children to be indoctrinated in satanic ideology where the state assumes ownership of our children. We have been given a second chance by god, so we dare not be silent. consider esther where god used her to rescue the jews from satan’s plan to jeopardize the unconditional covenant promises god made to abraham and david. we have been given the same lesson that god gave Esther to carry out. “for if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. and who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this? (esther 4:14). are we not royalty? in 1 Peter 2:9 it says, “but you are a chosen race, a royal preisthood, a holy nation, a people for god’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” yes, peter is using the old testament emphasis to emphasize the privileges of christians. let us not forfeit this privilege through apostasy, but unite with our royal priest, Jesus Christ, as the church, his bride, to serve and exercise his command to be bold to share the gospel. christians must be active. we must come together as believers in Christ. we must learn to articulate our world view. if we don’t know the bible, if we don’t know doctrine, if we don’t know theology, it is virtually impossible for us to identify false teachings and false prophets. (voddie baucham). make up your mind today that nothing will stand in the way of obedience to the lord Jesus Christ. don’t settle in thinking your baptism was some sort of fire insurance to go to heaven rather than hell. everything in your life must be lined up behind the lordship of Jesus Christ.

are you ready to answer questions regarding your faith? we must not be saturated with ignorance or arrogance, but we are to have a lifestyle of meekness. meekness is not a weakness; rather it is strength under control. we change others not by winning arguments, but by knowing the truth and walking humbly before god. we will be called all manner of names, but we have to out love, and out pray because of the assurance we have in Jesus. this will drive them to want to know why we are different. it is tough, but we have to be careful not to show hostility or negativism because we have to remember we live in a world that is hurting. the world is looking for answers. the church under persecution has multiplied more rapidly than the church that has enjoyed its freedom. we must be a witness wherever god has placed us. our job is not to save or preserve our freedoms, rather to stand up for Christ and witness to the world. we are at war! we are dealing with spiritual warfare. it has a spiritual and a physical dimension. Think the book of job, and what he went through. now, We are told to put on the full armor of god, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (ephesians 6:10). just as important is where paul writes to timothy, fight the good fight of faith in 1 timothy 6:12. we are to continue so that in our life we can stand firm to say, “i have fought the good fight, i have finished the race, i have kept the faith” (2 timothy 4:7). we are in a fight for our lives, like it or not. to paraphrase a.w. tozer, we need to be reminded lest we forget that this world is not a playground. it’s a battleground. and we are living behind enemy lines. liberal theology is used by satan to produce counterfeit christians, to lure more and more people to try to fit in. but we are not called to be of this world. we are set apart, which is why we are at war. remember, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, PRINCIPALITIES and powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (ephesians 6:12). this is because many are ignorant of the devil’s schemes. in 2 corinthians 2:11, paul says, “lest satan should get an advantage; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” which means, we know satan’s strategies and plans. but do you remind yourself of that daily. we’re talking about an adversary against god and his followers. satan has a lot of power, and he has a host of helpers. the malignant minions, that we call demons. so, are you constantly aware of that? do you remind yourself when you wake up in the morning to be vigilant to pray for god to keep you vigilant? i was reading portions of a book named, “understanding spiritual warfare,” by sam storms. Now, i’m not recommending his book, i was interested where he discusses an interview by new york magazine with the late supreme court justice anthony scalia. the magazine interviewer went into a tizzy when justice scalia confessed, he believed in a literal, personal devil. the interviewer, jennifer senior, stated, is it wise to spend time talking about it? scalia said, yes it is. i would go so far to say that few things are more important, especially given what we’ve been seeing and experiencing in churches across america. i believe far too many christians think far too little and lightly of the extent of satan’s influence in our world. sadly, and dangerously, many christians treat satan and his demons in the same manner we treat breathing or gravity. people ignore the spiritual realm. they live life as if it doesn’t exist or has little to no bearing on their lives. whether through ignorance or outright neglect, or more likely, because of the fear of EMBARRASSMENT, or being laughed at by others. there are many recommendations or arguments as to why we are often ignorant, but i believe the number one is ignorance of the bible. it has been said that the largest denomination in the world is the church of the ignorant BRETHREN.

we have a lot of people called christians who don’t know their bibles or theology. the apostle paul writes in 1 corinthians 12:1, “now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, i would not have you ignorant.” the meaning is pertaining to the spiritual, referring to spiritual qualities or characteristics. and in 1 thessalonians 4:13, “but i would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep.” paul is clear that the people come to believe in and hope in the savior’s return. the people, in ignorance, believed those who die before christ’s return missed out on the glorious event. and back to 2 corinthians 2:11, paul is stating i don’t want you to be ignorant of satan’s devices. we are to avoid liberal theology, counterfeit christianity, and remember we are in spiritual warfare. satan is the prince of power of darkness and the ruler of this world, which makes him the author of physical and moral evil. he constantly seeks whom he may destroy, seducing people into sin, blinding minds with skeptical thoughts. if all this is true, which it is, then to be ignorant of it, or to deny it, is to rush blindly into destruction. but we have christians today blindly believing this world is a playground instead of a battle ground. that is the true ignorance and indifference towards the enemy that i believe comes because of the ills of liberal theology, which creates counterfeit christians. as i previously stated, EMBARRASSMENT or being laughed at causes christians to downplay this issue of spiritual warfare. due to biblical ignorance, we don’t understand what we are up against. the natural man of this world of advanced technology, sees the idea of a real devil and demons as a mockery to be ridiculed.

try talking about the devil next time you’re with co-workers. suddenly they look at you in disbelief and say nobody believes in ghosts or goblins, which in today’s society makes you embarrassed to talk about the realities of satan. but we must not downplay this issue. we must ensure we study scripture to understand what we’re up against. do not let your pride become a snare. do not seek your desire to be accepted or to fit in with the crowd get in your way of you understanding the reality of spiritual warfare. that’s why it was important for justice scalia to openly speak about it. he was no intellectual slouch. he was a brilliant man who stood by his convictions. justice scalia gave a great answer about what the devil is up to today. he said, the devil is getting people to not believe in him as well as not to believe in god. what i believe justice scalia was pointing out is that satan is making god and heaven less appealing as well as downplaying the separation from god that hell delivers. i recommend reading the book screwtape letters by c. s. lewis. and if you’ve read it before, read it again! justice scalia responded when asked by jennifer senior isn’t it terribly frightening to believe in the devil?  he responded, are you so out of touch with most of america, which believes in the devil? Jesus Christ believed in the devil! it’s in the gospels. i’m dumbfounded that people in this world travel in circles that are so removed from mainstream america that they become appalled when anybody believes in satan! because of liberal theology and counterfeit christianity, people get uneasy with the idea that they may be going to hell. satan has produced a culture that finds it embarrassing to talk about it. we know satan is the father of lies, so the greatest lie he can tell is that he doesn’t exist. this is why people downplay it. we must be loud and clear concerning the victory of the cross. liberal theology teaches that we do not have to worry because jesus defeated satan through his atoning work of his CRUCIFIXION, burial, and RESURRECTION. yes, someday, jesus will bring history to a close and satan will be cast into the lake of fire. yes, satan is defeated, but he’s not dead. satan knows the end is coming, and that makes him desperate, angry and vicious. he still possess power and fights. satan refuses to give up. he wants to do damage before the end comes. so, be very aware. in today’s world, we are blinded by scientific rationalism where angels and demons are not part of conversations. the conversation is measured by what we see, hear and taste. this gets in the way of ephesians 6 which instructs us to put on the full armor of god. our position comes from fear. the fear of not reading scripture, and not getting serious about it. when we look at the world from politics to education, to philosophy to entertainment, we know that the devil rules over this world. this world apart from christ is a world under the sway of the wicked one. satan’s effects are seen, but he is not seen. christians have the holy spirit dwelling in them, but we can still be oppressed by satan’s attacks. jesus warned peter in luke 22:31-34 – peter’s denial. he tells peter satan has demanded permission to sift peter like wheat, but jesus told peter, i prayed for you that your faith may not fail. peter said to jesus that he is ready to go to prison and to death. jesus tells peter, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times. what jesus is warning peter and us is beware of our fleshly confidence. it tells us that trials and tribulations are part of our spiritual warfare. we may fail like peter, but our faith will not be overthrown. ephesians 6:13 we are instructed to take up the full armor of god to be able to withstand the evil day. since the fall of man, the evil day is everyday which will persist until christ returns and establishes his righteous kingdom on earth. paul is telling us that we cannot afford to be weak spiritually. we must be dressed in the armor of god continually. we are to stay strong in god’s might. the journey to heaven is going to be a fight, a struggle, not with flesh and blood, but something greater. we’re going to wrestle against principalities, powers, and the forces of darkness. we cannot call a truce, and we can never lay down our sword. it is a fight to the end. the entire journey home to heaven is a fight to the end. the christian life will never get easy. now, with Jesus, we have a satisfying and blessing of joy in our christian walk. BUT satan is going to fight over every inch of our spiritual growth. this will require you to fight and push back every moment of everyday. the christian life is a struggle against the flesh, the world, and the devil. it sounds exhausting! that’s because it is! that is why we must keep putting on the armor of god for the rest of our lives. by this, Jesus will lead us in triumph and allow us to stand in the evil day. that’s why paul says i have fought the good fight, i have finished the race, i have kept the faith (2 timothy 4:7). he’s telling us it is a fight to the end; the whole way in. it’s a long war. it’s a hard war. we must always be vigilant. it is a fight worth having. because what’s the alternative? surrender to the enemy and satan’s wicked plans for you? we are involved in a long war. a spiritual war. you are satan’s target for life. surrender is not an option. the enemy wears us down. at times, prayer doesn’t come easy. reading your bible doesn’t come easy. but you’ve got to force yourself. you’ve got to force your way to remain in scripture because there are so many things in life pushing and pulling you in different directions. to become a true and deep studied disciple of Jesus doesn’t come easy. soul winning for Christ doesn’t come easy. why? because we live in the flesh, we live in the world, and the devil fights against us. when you step into the waters of serving Christ, when you seek to make progress, satan turns the tide against you. the devil creates resistance. that is why we must be strong in the lord because we alone are no match for the enemy. the devil is real, he is not some imaginary figure. he’s a fallen angel, and as such, he is aware of our strengths and weaknesses. in the midst of spiritual warfare, we become preoccupied with blaming demonic activity on everything from debt to divorce. unfortunately, many people believe they are fighting demons when in reality the entire time they are fighting the consequences of their own choices or actions. living in their own selfish decisions. living outside the boundaries of disciplined discipleship. so, let us remain in scripture to ensure we don’t succumb to satan’s deceptions, or fall into liberal theology through our own rationalized disobedience. instead, with the whole armor of god, let us fight the good fight, let us finish the race, and let us keep the faith!