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Author Note: In a previous post I began detailing the subject of the Tonex Concept – If you have not read that post please do so before reading this post-
Tonex’s promise to scour the scriptures to discover the real teaching of the Bible concerning the practice of homosexuality and whether there are eternal punishment consequences associated with that practice is nothing more than an attempt to find a nuanced alternative meaning and therefore justification for that sin – though we are certain that none exists. It is as ludicrous a pursuit as being suspicious that the real meaning of an octagon sign painted red with a white border displaying four big and bold letters emblazoned in its face stating with simple elegance “STOP” is in fact a command to cease your vehicle’s forward motion.
Debating with the sign that “Stop,” must mean something other than discontinue my forward motion because you don’t feel like moving your foot while you’re barreling down the road towards it and the intersection on which it is posted will not keep you from a horrible accident. Your rebellion against its unemotional and totally fair presentation designed to manage the traffic at that intersection is foolish.
My point is that the stop sign will be a witness to your destruction having great confidence that its message was clear. In like manner the Bible that cannot be manipulated by the decision of presumptuous people to redefine for them its plain message will be the condemning witness at the judgment. Many people throughout time have made similar attempts to modify, discredit or destroy the Bible’s message. Indeed one ancient king thought to liberate himself from the Word of God’s condemnation of his actions by cutting up the pages upon which God’s message was displayed and casting the pieces into a consuming fire. Much to his surprise and I’m sure dismay he learned that the Word of God is alive. The scrolls, parchments or India paper are but displays of that living Word. The Word itself cannot be changed or its message nullified.
Tonex, along with a host of others, assumes that his platform that affords him access to masses of people also allows him to shape opinions and therefore amass a predominance of opinion to his position. He, as do others, falsely assumes that the predominance of opinion held by people must somehow influence the decisions of God because they are so successful in manipulating the opinions of men.
Doesn’t the Bible however demonstrate that God is not so inclined? Isn’t there a scriptural declaration acknowledging that God is perfectly willing to “let every man be a liar and God be true? I think so. Tonex would do well to remember that the actual immutable word of God is forever settled (and I might add warehoused) in heaven. Puny man whose person cannot be perceived by another man a mere 5 miles up in the sky certainly does not have access to the heavenly abode of God’s word and therefore has no chance of having an effect on its content or existence.
Let me conclude by strongly affirming that I hold no malice to Tonex the person. I see this discussion as being a rebuttal of Tonex the concept. Specifically, I believe that the retort that all those who oppose the idea that the Bible can be made to support alternative sexual lifestyles or practices are nothing more than haters or phobic must be challenged.
The evangelists of the sexual alternative lifestyle seek to convert the minds of people (especially believers) in an effort to make their practices accepted and embraced. They are bold and blatant in their crusade. They attempt to mute other voices by claiming that their opposition is not showing love. I strongly disagree.
I believe that helping to rescue a person whose life is in danger because they are on a collision course with an eighteen-wheeler truck weighing 8 tons and traveling towards them at 70 miles per hour is a wonderful expression of human compassion and love. I believe that anyone who tries to make the Bible say something other than what it plainly says has put themselves on that collision course with the eighteen-wheeler truck of God’s judgment.
But this is not just a discussion about lifestyle choices. It is also a defense against the whimsical practice of abusing scriptures for the purposes of legitimizing human practices that the Bible in its natural state does not condone. If human beings are ever really successful in making the Bible say whatever they want it to say, whenever they need it to say it, we are all doomed. Let God be true and every man a liar. I need God to be true because my future depends upon his Word meaning what it states. I have invested my life on it being so. I recommend that you do the same.
Author’s Note: This is the first of a 2 part article. As the original article was too long for a blog post it will be published in 2 sections. Part 2 can be found here.
I’ve never been a champion of the theory that the Seven Churches of Asia presentation in Revelation is a prophetic outline or schematic of a linear timeline of the Christian Church. That is I don’t subscribe to the idea that the Ephesian church and her reputation (faults and triumphs) indicated the predominant attitude and practice of the church right after Jesus’ ascension. I do not believe that because the Church at Laodicea is the last church discussed in that passage, it must represent the state of the church that would exist in the last days or the days adjacent to the second coming of Jesus.
However, if we could surmise a proper exegesis of scripture on the basis of the practices of people, our time would present an attractive argument in persuading me to change my mind. For indeed, what we see now is a well-defined system where the pew (or people in general) are being allowed by the pulpit or church leadership to formulate theology and preach it to each other. Their theology is formed on the basis of their own “whimsical” convoluted logic ladened personal ideas. Their tacit allusion to scripture, in an effort to validate their positions, is both intellectually irresponsible and spiritually criminal. They neither know the scriptures nor are authorized to speak on their behalf. It is what the Bible calls teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Actually, that is not even accurate because they are teaching their own ‘off the cuff’ ideas and opinions as if they were well thought out Bible alternatives or what the Bible calls Man’s Commandments.
An example of their cavalier manipulation of scripture can easily be displayed in the self-serving ranting of a disillusioned and deceived Tonex in his interview with Lexi. You can watch the interview below. He claims that his relationship with God is intact and that his access to the eternal joys of Heaven is secure because he told the truth about his sexual orientation and “sexual experiments.” He uses as his proof text the presentation in John 8 where the Bible states that “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” He, like so many others, surmise from their casual observation of the scriptures that the text teaches that knowing and embracing factually accurate statements [truths] will and do set you free (where the presumption is free is synonymous with saved). Such nonsense would be laughable if it weren’t for the fact that this “wresting of the scriptures” endangers the eternal destinies of people.
There are a whole host of factually accurate truths that will not and do not set you free. Admitting that you robbed the bank in the presence of a judge having authority to decide your future may indeed indicate that you “know” the truth. But far from setting you free, such an admission will most surely result in your incarceration.
Let’s cut to the chase for a moment and understand the actual lesson the ‘set free’ passage in John 8 presents. In John 8:32 Jesus addresses the Jews who believed on him after his defense of whom he was. (30 As he spake these words, many believed on him. 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (Joh 8:30-32 KJV))
He encourages these believing Jews to continue in his words and then states “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. The truth here represents two aspects of Jesus: His word and his person. For if we confer with verse 36 we will have a clear indication that the truth is in fact Jesus and not a generic factually accurate statement. “If the son, therefore, shall make you free you are free indeed.” In verse 32 ‘truth’ is the agent making someone free. In verse 36 ‘truth’ is the son (i.e. Jesus) that is making someone free.
Therefore, this passage only allows us to correctly understand its meaning when we associate freeing truth with Jesus. All attempts to make the passage legitimize the idea that stating, presenting or espousing independent sets of factually accurate statements are freeing as in salvific and enjoy a Biblical endorsement is a gross abuse of scripture. Consequently, any confidence in the belief that having embraced said liberating facts has secured a place in peaceful heaven is nothing more than a false and dangerous hope.
