Church And Grace Age: Theological Explanation of State of Church, Nations, and the Cosmos at End Times

By Plammoottil V. Cherian Ph. D

From a thorough understanding of the human history from a Biblical perspective, and knowledge in science and theology author Plammoottil Cherian elucidates a vivid picture of the current state of the Christendom under the power of secularism, atheism, and apostasy in a confused and chaotic world. The Church is at the crossroads of confusion losing its power in spreading the Gospel at a time when it is most needed. The Book in five separate parts describes:

• Who is true God, the foundation of Church, and God's religion.
• What the mission of the Church is.
• Church and nations are living in an Age of Delusion, and a generation of compromised Christians.
• Apostacy is on the rise and Church without Christ like in Laodicea.
• Global Unhappiness because God is on the sidelines.
• There is perfect harmony between science and Christian faith.
• The world has been experiencing the bowls of wrath of God.
• Nations morally deteriorate by the spiritual blindness of leaders of Church and State.
• Humanity has been experiencing the hoofbeats of the four horses in the Book of Revelation.
• The nations and Church are in the state of Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.
• The Babylons of the world nations are about to fall, unless aligned with God.
• The Grace Age is ending soon, as scientific evidence proves the Biblical prophecies.
• The pressing need of the Church is to prepare believers for Christ's Second Coming.

As a scientists and theologian, Dr. Cherian analyzes the present world culture and explains the Biblical prophecies that we are at the threshold of Church that lost the faith, and calls church and nation's leaders to realign with God for his guidance and continued blessings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798891121485

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Disclaimers

Acknowledgment

Prologue

True God and Foundation of Church

1: Introduction: Church's One Foundation

2: God's Religion: Absolute Truth

3: I Am Who I Am: True God

4: Church at the Crossroads

5: Mission of the Church

Present Condition of the Church and Nations

6: The Age of Delusion

7: Compromised Christians

8: Church without Christ

9: One World Religion: Apostasy

10: Global Unhappiness

Harmony of Science and Faith

11: Faith, Religion, and Science

12: Science and Theology of Darkness

13: Spiritual Blindness Will Destroy the Nations

14: The Bowls of Wrath Being Poured Out

15: Scientific Evidence for the Gates of Hell183

Prophetic Hoofbeats in the Last Two Millennia

16: Urgent Message to the Church Now

17: Hoofbeats of Four Horses

18: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin

19: Babylon's About to Fall, Part I and II:Mystery Babylon, Mother of Harlot, Part I

20: Will Christ Find Faith on Earth?

Grace Age Coming to an End

21: End of Grace Age

22: Science Proves Prophetic Cosmic Changes

23: End Time Prophecies Under Our Watch

24: Need of the Hour: Adorn the Bride

25: I Am the Α and Ω: From Creation to Church to New Jerusalem

Epilogue

Appendix I

Appendix II, Part A

Appendix II, Part B

Finally

About the Author

cover.jpg

Church And Grace Age: Theological Explanation of State of Church, Nations, and the Cosmos at End Times

Plammoottil V. Cherian, Ph. D

ISBN 979-8-89112-147-8 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89112-232-1 (Hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89112-148-5 (Digital)

Copyright © 2024 Plammoottil V. Cherian, Ph. D

All rights reserved

First Edition

Scripture quotations used in the book, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New King James Version (NKJV).

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Disclaimers

Every effort has been made to review the manuscript error-free. Nonetheless, human frailty remains with me. The publishers and the author will be glad to make good any errors, omissions, and typos brought to their attention. Neither the author nor the publisher will be responsible for any references (notes) sourced from websites if the source site has removed the reference or the site is no longer available.

Figures and tables used in various Chapters, particularly chapter 14, are to indicate prophetic fulfilment of events in history. They do not indicate that all those who died in the global pandemics of the past, the present COVID-19 pestilence, and natural disasters like hurricanes, tsunami, earthquakes were all ungodly people. It only indicates that when disasters strike a lot of innocent people also die.

To my beloved family, who are faithful to the Lord.

To my beloved wife, Kay.

To my son, Sajeev, and his wife, Gina.

To my daughter, Sunita, and her husband, Rich.

To my grandson, Elijah.

To my granddaughter Jessica

To all faithful members of the church, who await the second coming of Lord Jesus Christ.

The cover picture illustrates the current state of Christendom under the power of secularism, atheism, and apostasy in a confused and chaotic world where church is losing faith and falling from grace. The Church is at the crossroads of confusion and chaos caused by New Age Theology, atheism, and cultish beliefs. The Church that has greatly influenced the development of faith, Christian culture, and spreading the gospel according to the Great Commission is now at the crossroads of confusion.

Top panel: The left is the picture of the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican, the headquarters of the Apostolic See of Roman Catholic Church). Top right is the Canterbury Cathedral that houses the episcopal chair of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the mother church of the Church of England as well as a focus for the Anglican Communion.

Bottom panel: to the left is the Washington National Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington DC, USA, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, the proud American Cathedral of the Episcopal Church. To the right shows the crossroads of the busy highways and byways in the world confused about the way to eternal life where truth is masked in the culture.

The churches are represented solely to depict the Universal Church, and the information in the chapters is not aimed at any single denomination but the general state of the Church of Christ as warned in the message of Christ to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. Pictures montaged by author Dr. P. V. Cherian and used under license of CC-BY-SA 3.0 and 4.0.

Acknowledgment

Ever since humanity was on earth, people in different generations have wondered and still wonder why God created man and placed them on planet Earth. Drawing together the history of humanity from the sacred scriptures, I emphasize that God created humans, his final and last creation, to share his love and glory with them. God made us in his image to reflect his character and have dominion over the Earth as his stewards and representatives under his sovereignty. He blessed them to multiply and fill the earth with godly offspring in all parts of the world. God created humanity with superior intellect and beauty above all other species by his sovereign choice and grace and not out of any obligation. Among all the space and planets God created, only planet Earth is conducive for the life of all organisms with a practical biosphere.

Having benefitted from my academic background in science and theology, I have examined the Bible daily and tried to relate the current world events, scientific discoveries, and the distress of nations, with perplexity that are signs of the end-time. The sea and waves roaring; peoples' hearts failing them from fear of the unexpected events that happen in various parts of the world, which show that the powers of the heavens are about to be shaken; and the antichrists being on the loose—these are signs that the Son of Man is about to appear in clouds with great glory, and I praise God for granting me wisdom to discern the times.

I express my thanks to the editors, designers, and the artists at Covenant Books, for their meticulous efforts in publishing this book. Thanks to my publication assistant, Denice Hunter, vice president of Covenant Books Inc., for her dedication from the editing to the publication phase of the book. I am deeply grateful to Wikipedia and Creative Commons for permission to use pictures under license CC-BY-SA.

Prologue

Writing a book on church and grace age at this time in history on the one hand is very challenging and fearsome when millions of people are falling into apostasy and, on the other, very fulfilling and rewarding as I can address several issues that face the church and the nations in a realistic approach of the world today. Culture has changed tremendously along with human thinking and beliefs and church conforming to the pattern of the world. While the general belief is that the universe has evolved by a cosmic evolution and life originated abiogenetically by transmutation of an original cell that has passed through billions of years on the wheel of evolution, spinning relentlessly, producing at every turn a new species which finally culminated in a human being from early forms of primates. Scientific incongruity must have a limit not to fool our brain cortex that an unguided evolution is the cause of the universe. It began with Charles Darwin, who published the Origin of Species in 1859, based on his journal notes made as a naturalist on HMS Beagle after he graduated with his basic degree.

Academic institutions were quick to jump to change their curriculum of all physical and biological science courses to teach young minds that the theory of evolution is a fact when it is not. Earlier, most universities and institutions like Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and many others were established primarily to teach biblical theology along with other courses. Courses in Bible were required for matriculation, which Darwin and his contemporaries had to take. Later, by influence of evolutionary scientists and atheistic philosophers, the curriculum was gradually changed, and courses in Bible theology were reduced and eliminated under the wave of secularism and atheism.

Because of the confusion created by evolutionists and false prophets, the world is awash with problems, trials, and temptations that deprive millions globally of their peace, security, not to mention shattering their faith that gave people hope of eternity. While people know of the social and political situations in their own local community only, the present predicament is a global situation. There are millions following the Christian faith today. But Christ and apostles gave ominous warnings that many would come in his name, teaching a different message that would deceive many creating a counterfeit faith, supplanting the true faith and church. "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name saying, ‘I am Christ' and will deceive many" (Matt. 24:4, 5). Paul warned that it will be the result of the lawless one who creates delusionary confusion (2 Thess. 3:13). Because many people have rejected true faith in the daily grinds, many find it difficult to cope with life and are unhappy.

Though many people believe that slavery is abolished, millions are still in bondage of different nature. Gallup, one of the most trusted News and Survey reported an alarming situation of suffering (September 20, 2022); that is, the rise in modern-day slavery globally, almost everywhere. This report underscores the scale of the challenge facing the global community from a sociopolitical viewpoint in the short period remaining to meet these ambitious targets of social justice, individual freedom, and quality of life.¹

However, the most serious slavery humanity faces at the present time is captivity to sin and moral decadence, which are interwoven. And church is the only institution and authority that can address these issues, as prophets of old delivered God's message to the leaders of ancient Israel. Ezekiel was shown a valley of dry bones that will come alive one day as living beings in one nation under one King (Ezek. 37). The dry bones are a symbol of moral depravity of nations, but God can revive and bring new life. Israel was released from the graves of captivity with dry bones, and millions regathered in their homeland in 1948 when the state of Israel was reorganized as a nation.

The twentieth century had seen some most brutal people on earth like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini among others who had the worst impact in the world. In addition to the deaths and suffering caused by two World Wars (WWI, 1914–1918; and WWII, 1939–1945), the Spanish flu and other pandemics; these brutal dictators killed millions of their own people in addition to many other comrades in other countries. The twentieth century could be called the Bloody Century, an epoch that has seen mayhem since human civilization. However, during the century, the world also had great leaders like Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and many others who were able to quell the axis of evil of their times and bring peace and order to the world.

Moreover, on the positive side, science, medicine, and technology have reached the zenith of development, and the quality and longevity of life have increased enormously. Space exploration, the moon landing, Mars digging, scientific breakthroughs like finding water on exoplanets, and the discovery of the God particle (Higgs Boson) that gives everything in universe its mass and shape—these are proofs science deciphered for the existence of God. Mass gives the weightiness of a substance and thus gravity, which Isaac Newton explained and was later modified by Einstein by his Theory of Relativity. The atom smasher at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire [CERN]) discovered the God particle.

No one has seen the God particle physically, and yet it gave rise to heaven and earth and the entire universe and everything within it. Scientists are eagerly trying to see its physical shape, but until now, it is invisible, like the spirit within the human body. There is one another spirit that is invisible. That is God, who is invisible to most people. A pertinent verse I see is in Scriptures about the invisible dark matter is, By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible (Heb. 11:3 NKJV).

It is amazing that even an ordinary human author (most likely Paul) by divine revelation knew that everything in the universe we see or have not yet seen is created out of invisible things. The invisible hand of God created both the visible and invisible things in the universe from invisible dark matter and the God particle.

Millions of people live in anxiety, fear, and distress worrying over what they may wake up to face in the morning against the promise of the Scriptures, In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety (Ps. 4:8). People are distressed not because of their fault always but for the conditions they are subjected to by others, as well as poverty, hunger, injustice, war, ethnic hatred, and the like.

The last fifty years have made tremendous changes in the world noticeably, but some of them have negative influence on spiritual life. Vanishing conscience is one of the most serious moral issues in the world today followed by hypocrisy, dishonesty, greed, and conceited and flippant character of leaders and people. When people lose moral character, they are prone to engage in corruption, bribery, sexual immorality, lack of respect for human life, and become unconscionable against evil actions.

Vanishing conscience does not matter to many anymore, it appears. The daily news of the world contains many issues that can be debated right or wrong, depending on what direction the pendulum of one's conscience and political ideology swings. We are living in a time when politicians place party ideology over the country, disregarding truth and God, fogging the conscience of party adherents.

The world is facing ever-increasing danger. The Ukraine War has entered the second year with much loss to both Russia and Ukraine and suffering to millions. In an address to the nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the use of nuclear weapons as he ramped up his invasion of Ukraine (Business Insider, September 21, 2022). He said Russia may use them in defense, baselessly accusing NATO of nuclear threats. Is Armageddon in the making and Gog Magog War about to begin in fulfilment of Ezekiel's prophecy (Ezek. 38, 39)?

China is under lot of internal tension and turmoil as well as with the status of Taiwan. Every Middle East state, except Israel, is under duress. In most sheikdoms, people do not have true freedom. The Arab Spring stated in 2010 did not bring liberty in any of the Arab nations. Yet Israel must be watchful of a missile attack from everywhere in the Middle East. Islam is the most violent, militant, and extremist religion against Christianity, Judaism, and Western civilization. According to Pew Research Center, Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe by birth, while Christianity is dwindling in the West as people are falling from faith by apostasy. Islam has a vested interest to conquer and rule the world by birth.

God's prophets directly addressed the leaders of the nation of Israel, and all of them conveyed God's message of correction, warning, and impending destruction faithfully, but many kings did not like it. As I am a citizen of the United States of America, I must point out our shortcomings as faithfully as I can because I love my country that had been the world leader and champion of moral and ethical principles. In my theological interpretation, America is the second Israel of God and the bastion of democracy but is experiencing tremendous challenges, including distress of the nation, and our democracy is cliff-hanging. The whole world is in distress according to prophecy (Luke 21:25).

The United States has been battling reckless propagation of misinformation and lies since the 2016 presidential election, creating confusion to millions and bring defamation to the nation. These actions send chilling shockwaves to the souls of the Founding Fathers of the nation. One reputed media, their hosts, and top leaders deliberately propagated lies, knowing what they spread is not truth about the result of the 2020 presidential election of the United States—a total reckless disregard for truth. If this is not delusionary, what is it?

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, most Americans believe US democracy is under attack with the rise of neo-Fascist tendencies. According to reports by the Guardian:

At hand is a plot to destroy American democracy from within. Its organizers have infiltrated the highest echelons of state and federal government and have instigated and condoned acts of violence directed against our elected officials. This might sound far-fetched. But the threat is real, and the seditious group is none other than the Republican party. Its target is the 2024 presidential election.²

The silence of party leaders and the pulpit will only accelerate the destruction of the stronghold of democracy.

Moreover, the United States is embroiled in hyperpolarization, irreconcilability by political parties that cut through the remaining fiber of the moral core of the nation. One political party is acting like children, not mature adults, and it sounds like they won't mind wrecking the world economy. We all know the truth of many issues facing the nation but refuse to accept the truth and act on them only, bringing the wrath of God. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness (Rom. 1:18 BSB).

Humanity is greatly divided by religions and different doctrines, and most people have a shared desire for better life, hoping to find the meaning and purpose of life through their religious beliefs. Modern intellectuals consider all religions the same and provide opportunity for better life and hope of eternity through many paths. However, this concept has only added confusion to the millions of Christians.

Church at present is at the crossroads of confusion, chaos, apostasy, secular faith that shows different roads to heaven. Thus, many are falling away from faith, which is predicted by Christ and apostles. At that time, many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another (Matt. 24:10).

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1).

Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God (Heb. 3:12).

Even in Old Testament times, prophets lamented the apostasies of the people. Jeremiah lamented, "Your own wickedness will correct you, and your apostasies will reprove you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God, and the dread of Me is not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts (Jer. 2:19).

Is anyone wondering if there are deceitful spirits and we are hearing demonic doctrines perhaps, except me?

Recently, I came across a book, Heaven and Hell: A History of Afterlife, which describes Jesus had not written even a single word, and we have only accounts written by others which are likely alleged in the author's view. Just because Jesus did not write down a word about reward for the righteous in heaven or damnation for the wicked, the whole Christian doctrine is schism, and views of New Testament authors and Paul's personal views about eternal gospel and salvation are alleged according to the author, who even doubts Paul met Jesus on his way to Damascus.³ This is even written by the head of a department of religious studies in a university. Today, faith is attacked from different angles, including so-called theologians.

To counter these atheistic authors, who shatter the foundation of civilization and the faith of millions, I must point out that modern culture and civilization of the Western thought and philosophical arguments were greatly influenced by Socrates (469–399 BC), Plato (428–347 BC), and Aristotle (382–322 BC), of which the former two were more prominent. Socrates was born and lived 465 years before Jesus was born and the greatest of the Greek philosophers who taught by argumentative dialogue or dialectic. Socrates did not write a word of his thoughts himself (not because he had no pen); however, his dialogues were recorded by his student and protégé, Plato.

The Church of England had apologized to Darwin and accepted evolution as the cause of all; most members of the Anglican Church and Episcopal church follow the dictum. And I am not surprised, once orthodox in belief, few churches in full communion with the Church of England, the Anglican and Episcopal church silently accept this stand, hoodwinking their congregants. I am sure there are many clergy and bishops who offer the Holy Communion (Eucharist, Mass) without believing in the death or resurrection of Jesus Christ, let alone salvation in Jesus Christ. If man is an evolutionary product, why do we need Eucharist? Oxen and buffalos do not take part in mass. Is it any wonder that Jesus asked, When the Son of Man comes shall he find faith on earth? When faith is vanishing, Christian theology is bashed, apostasy is high, and falsehood and hypocrisy triumphing, the question is apt though he will find a few.

Prophecies about apostates are being fulfilled. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Mark 13:22).

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves (Matt. 7:15; 2 Pet. 2:3).

Apostle John warns, Test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

Even the Old Testament's powerful Jewish prophet Ezekiel warned there will be false prophets who will deceive people. Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says'—when the Lord has not spoken (Ezek. 22:28). When faith is lost, people's conscience vanishes.

People must understand that God can give them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done (Rom. 1:28). Many nations, including the United States, are experiencing distress on many accounts that are signs of the end-times along with occurrences of pestilences, earthquakes, false teachings, false prophets, etc. Although they are sure signs of end-times, I don't believe the world will end next week or next year, although it could happen at any moment.

God is patient and giving us time to know the truth and accept it. The COVID-19 pandemic killed more than seven million people in the world and more than a million of my fellow citizens in the US and still is a threatening menace in world and is an end-time pestilence that may linger.

These world events, the delusion of millions, the several scientific discoveries that prove the Bible prophecies that the end is near are the birth pangs. When the Bible uses birth pang as a metaphor, it is in relation to the rapture of the Church, the redeemed that form the bride for the groom. Many erroneously believe that the promise of Abrahamic covenant that Canaan is an everlasting possession for the Jewish people only (Gen. 17:8). Ancient Canaan was a large territory which included the nearby states, and Israel has Jews, the West Bank, and Gaza are occupied by Islamic as well as Christian Palestinians. Israel was well established as a nation since 1948, and those scattered Jews who wanted to come home had already done so. Yet Canaan is not their eternal possession.

Abraham, to whom the land was promised and who occupied it, had to buy a plot with a cave in Machpelah, paying four hundred shekels of silver, a hefty price at the time. He told the sons of Heth, a Hittite. I am a stranger and a foreign resident among you; give me a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead out of my sight (Gen. 23:4–6).

A stranger in his own land according to God's promise? What happens here? The entire Canaan was promised as inheritance to Abraham and his posterity, and he says he is a stranger and a foreigner in Canaan. That is the eternal truth. That is why in Hebrews, it is said, By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God (Heb. 11:9, 10 NASB).

Thus, geographical Canaan is not an everlasting possession for the posterity of Abraham. No land anywhere is everlasting possession for anyone, for we are all sojourners here, while we may borrow the land from our forefathers for our temporary residence before we return it to our offspring.

For those who believe in the promise—Jews, Christians, and other Gentiles—Palestine or Canaan is only a mere temporary land, and everlasting Canaan is beyond the skies where Abraham looked.

But the vision of one nation under one King has yet to happen, which shall be at the return of Christ, the Messiah. And the remaining mission of the Church is to prepare Jews and Gentiles for that glorious event when Christ will reign as King of the world. But the Church is divided on teaching and interpretation of the gospel and failing in their ultimate mission. The Church's overall mission is to preach the true gospel to observe all things that Jesus commanded, not just ordinances and regulations by the leaders (Matt. 28:20). The Church's mission is to preach the gospel, feeding the sheep and lamb with both the physical and spiritual food.

In the remaining time left for the Church, the important mission is to strengthen and prepare the faithful members from falling so that they are adorned with the gospel and strong faith to be the bride. That is the message apostle John concludes in the book of Revelation, when he was told by Jesus, Look I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll (Rev. 21:7).

Then John was told one important thing: "Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near. Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy" (Rev. 22:7–11 BSB; emphasis added).

John was told not to seal the scroll whereas Daniel was told to seal the prophecy (Dan. 12:4–12). Daniel wrote his prophecy in 535 BC, when Israel was in captivity in Babylon when there was general apathy for God's Law and Word, and God warned of a time when many will frantically be searching for God's Words and interpretations. John must leave the book unsealed as the end-time is near so that all can read, understand, and be saved if they opt to.

Some strange things are happening in the cosmos that scientists cannot explain, such as mysterious, ultra-low-frequency noises seventy thousand feet above the earth (in the stratosphere) detected in Earth's atmosphere, and the source of these ultrasounds scientists can't explain. They are further studying the unknown source as announced by scientists at the 184th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America held in Chicago on May 11, 2023. Some other strange things are happening in the earth's magnetic field that are widening between South America and southwest Africa. NASA and scientists cannot explain the reason, while scientists expressed concerns about the magnetic field that shields Earth from deadly solar radiation in 2019. Yes, cosmic and geologic changes will occur at the end of time.

Human beings are immortals living in a mortal world but have deviated from God and operate without his guidance. But as Christ's return is closer, we must know the truth that we are only being saved and not already saved as some denominations wrongly teach. If our salvation was guaranteed forever, Paul would not have warned, I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me (Phil. 3:12 NLT). Therefore, it is of paramount importance that the Church prepares every single faithful one to reach that perfection to be his Bride. With that call, I submit this book to the public.

Part I

True God and Foundation of Church

1

Introduction: Church's One Foundation

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

—Apostle Paul, AD 52, 1 Corinthians 3:11 (NIV)

While there are several books written on the foundation of the Christian faith by learned scholars of the past, my intent here is to examine the Christian faith in the present culture and world events as instructed by Christ and the apostles (Luke 18:8; 2 Cor. 13:5). For true Christians, it is a moral mandate to examine what we hear from the pulpit and charismatic preachers as to whether their message is centered on the holy Scriptures as the Bereans who scrutinized, investigated, interrogated, examined, and judged even Paul, who was the greatest of the Jewish and Christian theologian when he said that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead (Acts 17:11). Christians are warned, Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God (Rom.12:2, CSB).

The Christian faith, to many, has become irrelevant today when hypocrisy and falsehood appear to be winning the battle under a delusion. Christian foundational doctrines are that the Bible is the authoritative Word of the true God; God is three persons in one and one in three; God is the only one who does not change when everyone and everything else changes; God created man, and he became a living being by his breath alone; God saved humanity from the free fall by becoming Christ incarnate who was sacrificed on the altar of Golgotha, rose from the dead, giving hope of eternal life to those who believe; that Christ is fully God and fully human; and that humanity is now under the guidance of the Holy Spirit during the Church (grace) age.

Furthermore, humanity needs a new birth and new life; that man is justified only by faith alone (sola fide) and not by works and law; that Christ established his church who is to become his Bride bought by his precious blood, and that Christ shall return at the end of the grace age to receive his faithful; and there is a Great White Throne Judgment for the wicked, who shall be thrown into the lake of fire when faithful believers will be in their eternal home with Christ at last. These foundational doctrines are interpreted in different ways by different denominations. Where do we stand in faith and doctrine today, when the grace age is overshadowed with secularism?

No doubt, Christians are among the generations greatly profiting from the highly advanced technological age, but we are a compromised generation enmeshed in the present culture, conforming to the world in every aspect, contrary to the biblical instructions. We live in a culture which demands deny God, truth and conscience or face consequences or become ostracized in the society and be shunned and ignored. Today, the world culture teaches to build our house on sandy shores and not on strong foundation of the solid Rock as illustrated by Jesus (Luke 6:48, 49).

Of course, the house referred here is our spiritual lives and the spiritual Rock, Christ the Savior. The Bible refers to God as Rock, fortress, etc. (Ps. 18, 2, 31:2, 42:9, 92:15; Isa. 44:8). Scoffers do not realize that in the daily grinds of life, pressures, stresses, facing envy, disappointment, discouragement, hard work, failures that wear us down, the Bible has answers to all these. Searching for answers to individuals' life and a nation's problems in the Bible is not fanatic. It is the source of spiritual strength. The Church's foundation is Jesus Christ, the Lord.

Jesus Christ not only established his church but is the Cornerstone of the church on which the apostles, the prophets, and all believers are added (Eph. 2:20). Isaiah prophesied that, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken" (Isa. 28:16).

Prophet Zechariah foresaw that the cornerstone would come from Judah, the tent peg from him, as well as the battle bow and every ruler together (Zech.10:14). Peter, quoting from Isaiah, stated that, "Behold, I lay in Zion a cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on him will by no means be put to shame; The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone; and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" (1 Pet. 2:6–8; cp. Isa. 28:16). For many, Christ today is a stumbling rock.

The church built on the "foundation of Christ as the Cornerstone" is the most beautiful explanation we can have. Old Testament prophets stated that Christ will be the Cornerstone chiseled out of Zion, and the apostles are the pillars of the church. Yes, there is only one foundation. That is Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone to which all believers, the living stones built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:5). We have no intellectual reason to believe otherwise.

Christ being the Cornerstone of the Church bears a very distinct contrast when he said to Peter, "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock [petra, a massive rock] I will build My church. It is the solid faith of Peter the subject here, and not the person Peter. The gates of Hades will not overpower solid faith in Christ, whereas those with wavering, shallow faith will yield to the hades."

Some have misinterpreted this verse to mean that Christ founded his Church on Peter, the individual. But such an interpretation overlooks some very important elements in this conversation between Peter and Christ. It is plain and simple to see that Christ was referring to Peter's solid faith. Peter and rock are Petros and petra in the Greek. The Church is not built on Peter or on any other individual as Christ is the cornerstone, the sinless one who became sin for the whole humanity. Peter himself made it clear that Christ is the cornerstone of the Church (1 Pet. 2:4–8.), thus the foundation. The same doctrine is explained in Ephesians 2:20–22.

It all precipitated when Jesus asked the disciples, Who do you say that I am? While all of them were looking at each other in dismay and wondering what to answer, only Peter said the eternal truth.

Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. He said to them, But who do you yourselves say that I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. (Matt.16:13–19 NASB; emphasis added)

By referring to Peter as the Rock, Jesus implied that the Church is built on the solid faith of those who confess and accept him as Christ, the Son of the only living God. The Church is built on the person of Jesus Christ, and her membership includes only those who have confessed him as Lord and King, as Peter did. Against such solid faith of those who believe, "the gates of Hades cannot prevail. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" are not the keys of the church but the keys to open the gates of kingdom of heaven to those who seek to enter.

Members of the church are not those who claim to be Christians by observing mere traditions and annual rituals only but those who worship him in Spirit and truth and have a mutual relationship with Christ living in us. Faithful Christians will always observe all the required traditions and commandments but one who observes the traditions without the substance of not knowing Christ personally is no Christian.

Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church, and the apostles sharing the foundation as the pillars, and true believers are the spiritual living stones built into the cornerstone. John the Apostle saw in his revelation that the foundation of the New Jerusalem bears the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Rev. 21:14). John records that "the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The plural usage, foundation stones," is not a doctrinaire passage for argument and does not deny Christ the headship of the Church, being her Cornerstone on which other stones are added. The genius, therefore, of the passages in Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 2:20, and Revelation 21:14 is supported by numerous other cognate passages that lead us to what may be granted a perfectly intelligible expression. The apostles and prophets are the foundation, yet only as setting forth by the Word who is Jesus Himself, the Cornerstone.

Today, for many people, the Cornerstone has become a stumbling rock to them.

And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Eph. 2:17–22)

Church's one foundation

There is beautiful hymn we sing on important ecclesiastical days, which is the Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord. The hymnal is written by Samuel John Stone in 1866, based on 1 Corinthians 3:11, and the hymn is set to the tune of Aurelia by Samuel Sebastian Wesley.⁴ The song was written as a direct response to the schism controversy in the Anglican Church in South Africa caused by John William Colenso, first Bishop of Natal, who denounced much of the Bible as fictious, just as many people today. Colenso was deposed for his heretic views and teachings; however, there are many leaders today who do not believe in the Bible but pose as Christians to gain power like Mussolini and Hitler.

It was then that Reverend Samuel Stone became involved in the debate. He was concerned about people saying the Apostle's Creed in a perfunctory (automatic or mechanical) manner, saying the words without a clear understanding of what they were reciting (just as many who mechanically recite the Nicene Creed during church services today). It inspired him to write a series of twelve hymns, each explaining a section of Creed and defending the fact of the inspiration of the Scripture and the need for reverence to words of the Creed. The Church's One Foundation explains the ninth article—I believe in the Holy Catholic (Universal) church, the communion of saints.

This series of hymns were titled Lyra Fidelium (Lyre of the Faithful), Twelve Hymns on the Twelve Articles of the Apostle's Creed (1866). The work has been selected by scholars as culturally relevant and is part of the knowledge base of human civilization as we know it. The work has been reproduced from the original and remains as true to the original work with copyright and present in many libraries around the world.

There has been some controversy regarding the hymn's third and fourth stanzas. Though there be those that hate her, and false sons in here pale… With a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder by heresies distressed. In 1868, this hymn was included in Hymnals with five stanzas. Most hymnals use this version.⁵, ⁶ As always, there are schisms in church.

Figure 1. The Church's one foundation; composer Samuel Sebastian; Hymnal 545 of the United Methodist Church (https:// hymnary.org/hymn/UMH/545)

In the early Christian church, the formation of a distinction between the concepts of heresy and schism began. In ecclesiastical usage, the term heresy refers to a serious confrontation based on disagreements over fundamental issues of faith or morality, while the term schism usually means a lesser form of disunity caused by organizational or less important ideological differences. Heresy is rejection of a doctrine that a Church considered to be essential. Schism is a rejection of communion with the authorities of a Church, and not every break of communion is necessarily about doctrine as is clear from examples such as the Western Schism and the breaking of the communion that existed between Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and Archbishop Christodoulous of Athens in 2004.⁷ In Christianity, there are too many different denominations that formed out of doctrinal differences, misinterpretation of doctrines, schisms, and power politics by leaders.

Most people unfamiliar with denominational doctrines would find it difficult to differentiate between a Catholic, a Lutheran, or other denominations like the Anglican, the Presbyterian, or the Methodists. However, there are doctrinal and interpretational differences between them. Moreover, Christians who call them Independent, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals are very different than the mainline Western Protestant churches and Eastern Orthodox Church in rites, doctrine, and interpretation of the Word of God with fundamentalistic views and the ideas set by charismatic flamboyant leaders.

Christianity has suffered from handful of schisms, each of which has left a lasting mark on the religion. The Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther is considered one of the largest breakups to occur in Christianity with Martin Luther's 95 Theses nailed on the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg in AD 1517, based on doctrinal differences and religious practices that paved the way for Protestantism worldwide. Luther was not involved in schism but was correcting the unbiblical, unsound rituals and practices prevailed in the church. Since then, hundreds of denominations have arisen and are still arising with the whims and fancies of a leader, and few of them mere cults.

One of the earlier and great schisms within the church resulted in the division of the ancient Catholic Church into Eastern orthodox and Roman Catholic Church in 1054. In that year, full communion between the See of Constantinople and Rome was broken and—somewhat unexpectedly—never again restored. That said, communion between the Eastern and Western Churches was not entirely abrogated until much later, and then only by a very gradual process.⁸

Be that as it may, in Christian Theology, the concept of the unity of the Church was developed by the apostles, holy fathers, and apologists. Most denominations sprout today by quarrelsome members for leadership and rarely on doctrinal difference. The greatest contribution to the doctrine of church unity was made by Apostles Peter and Paul, who had difference of their own in doctrinal concepts earlier but reconciled it for the unity and progression of evangelization of the world. Later, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyons, Cyprian of Carthage, Basis the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, and John of Damascus stressed the importance of the unity of the Church. As John Chrysostom wrote: the name of the Church is not one of separation but of unity and harmony.⁹

Different Views of Peter and Paul on the Gospel and Theology