From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part three of a series. Read part two.

The first false principle of the Auburn Affirmation was actually an evil tactic: conceal the theological liberals' true intentions to destroy the church's foundations.

The first false principle emanating from the Auburn Affirmation[1] was that liberals are sound men, true disciples of Christ, true defenders of the faith, and true adherents of the Reformation. The Auburn liberals said:

At the outset we affirm and declare our acceptance of the Westminster Confession of Faith, as we did at our ordinations, "as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures." We sincerely hold and earnestly preach the doctrines of evangelical Christianity, in agreement with the historic testimony of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, of which we are loyal ministers. For the maintenance of the faith of our church, the preservation of its unity, and the protection of the liberties of its ministers and people, we offer this Affirmation.

As we shall see, none of this was true. Today in many parts of evangelicalism, liberals and their supporters use the same ploy to claim liberty to preach another gospel. They twist the terminology of Scripture to redefine the Gospel, to turn justification by faith in Christ alone into justification by faithfulness (i.e., good works), to deny God's order concerning male and female, to denigrate the person and work of Christ, and much more - perverting and denying point after point of authentic Christian doctrine.

In the name of unity, they claim the right of existence and toleration for conflicting versions of "truth" within the church. All the while they claim to be loyal to the Scriptures and loyal to the doctrinal standards of their churches, true defenders of the faith, true disciples of Christ, and true sons of the Reformation.

The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter described the liberals and their lies in no uncertain terms:

But there were also false prophets among the people [in ancient Israel], even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) - then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority.

They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime.

They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.

They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. (2 Peter 2:1-19)

And indeed, the liberals and their followers have been brought into the bondage of Satan.

References:

1. The full text of the Auburn Affirmation appears here.

Next - False Principle Two: Put a Positive "Spin" on Doctrinal Compromise

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