I recently saw that Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz appeared on ABC's "The View" where, when pressed on sin (specifically abortion and homosexuality), his response was: "I mean, God's the judge. People have to live to their own convictions." To be fair, more was said, and for full context you might want to watch the entire interview. However, the fact remains that given the opportunity to share the gospel with tens of viewers, he instead chose to throw applause lines to the audience of "The View", a misguided lot to say the least. And this is only the latest high-profile example of a "pastor" compromising the Word of God and his own calling. We have also seen Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen make similar statements in widely circulated TV interviews. Today we are surrounded by pseudo-pastors who have abandoned the Word of God, the gospel message, the acknowledgement of sin, and repentance (without which there is no forgiveness). It has become difficult to find a Bible-teaching church, and it has become very easy to find churches where Biblical illiteracy is no problem (and is probably even preferred), and where most congregation members, leadership included, would be incapable of or unwilling to correctly explain the gospel and what it means to be a Christian.
In 2 Peter 1:19-2:6 we are taught some very important principles concerning true prophecy vs. false prophecy. Verse 19 teaches that we "do well to pay attention" to "the prophetic word...as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises" in our hearts. As Romans 10 teaches, we can't entrust ourselves to a gospel that we have not heard. The truth of the gospel must be faithfully taught by the church. Verses 20-21 teach that "no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." The Word of God does not depend on my interpretation or that of anyone else. It is our job to study the Bible faithfully, enlightened by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), and by doing so to learn the objective truth of the Word of the Lord. 2 Peter 2:1 teaches that there will be "false teachers" among us, "who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." We need to recognize the danger of false teaching, and that to compromise the gospel is to lead people away from the gospel, which is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). Verses 4-6 teach that the Lord's judgement will come quickly against those who distort the truth in unrighteousness, but that God "preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly..." And we will be saved the same way Noah was, by faith. And faith, as I have often written about here and is demonstrated in Hebrews 11, is to walk according to God's Word.
I am convinced that false teachers do what they do because they are seeking to make a home for themselves here. They want to make peace with this world. In 2 Kings 18:31-32 and Isaiah 36:16-17, King Sennacherib of Assyria made an offer to King Hezekiah of Judah and the people of Jerusalem. If they would only surrender and agree to his terms of peace his mighty army would not attack until he would come and take them "to a land like" their own. Many of our "pastors" and churches have taken that offer, and have been "rewarded" accordingly.
We, however, are "strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them" (Hebrews 11:13-16).
So we make up our minds to take our stand on the Word of God and to train our children and anyone else who will listen to do the same. And we will never accept this dying world's terms of peace, but instead we will live as strangers and exiles on the earth. Like Abraham we will leave no permanent dwellings, but we will leave an altar wherever we have gone. "For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:14-15).