On the Authority of the Preacher and the Scripture Part II

Regarding rightly dividing the Word of God, some preachers give only one part of the Gospel.

In other instances, preachers behave in conduct which seems to go contrary to the grace message which they share at the pulpit.

When Joseph Prince gave his guest sermons at Pastor Joel Olsteen's church in late October 2011, I became troubled. Like Creflo Dollar and other American Preachers, Olsteen's messages lean on human psychology and self-improvement as opposed to the primacy and essence of Christ Jesus as our life, our identity, our strength, the much neglected second part of the gospel which many believers remain ignorant of long after confession Christ as Lord and Savior.

I did not agree with the warm compliments which Pastor Prince paid to Joel Olsteen, who just preaches "God is good." Even Pastor Prince has underscored at length in many of his sermons that it is not an "anti-God" spirit which threatens the world, but rather the "Anti-Christ" element, in which Jesus does not have central place in our pulpits, our churches, and our homes and lives. Olsteen tells us about Christ, yet our Savior's ministry, resurrection, and effectual power and presence in every believer is relegated to the secondary status of example, one whose life we seek to emulate rather than imbibe and work out by faith.

And no one can dismiss the sorrow and shame of a preacher who refused to answer Larry King's direct question whether Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Larry King asked, if a man does not believe in Jesus Christ, can he still be saved? Olsteen waffled, saying that "It's up to God."

It was a scandalous and erroneous answer, to say the least. Pastor Benny Hinn refused to let such a lukewarm denial off so easily, and neither should anyone who believes on Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Who else can make us righteous before God? We cannot obey the law, we can work up our own righteousness, no matter what system of rules we choose to live by. We all have a sin nature, we have fallen short of the glory of God, and only the glory of the Only Begotten Son can make us the righteousness of God in Christ. There is no other way!

Therefore, I became very shaken to see Pastor Prince  endorsing a preacher so out of synch with the gracious and grace-filled messages which he preached every Sunday broadcast for all to see. I began to think that I was also mistaken about the other things that he was teaching.

I tried to dissuade this troubling doubt with the skillful and blessed stress that Pastor Prince lays on God's Word, not just quoting one verse, not promoting human self-improvement, but teaching about Christ Himself -- the center and base of all Scripture -- the Author and Finisher of Our Faith. Of course, the source of Truth is the Word, not the preacher:

"Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live." (Deuteronomy 8: 3)"

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55: 11)

and

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

and of course

"But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." (1 Peter 1: 25)