Self-Love Theology: An Attack on Righteousness?

In Matthew 16, Jesus said “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

While this verse is very comforting, I believe it speaks to the danger the church faces, a warning that growing the church would not be without conflict and an attack on righteousness. Since the beginning, there have always been those who say they represent God, when, in fact, they represent satan, creating disruption and confusion in the church. I have always heard, “Where there is division, the devil is standing in the middle.”

The church has always been in a battle, under the constant attack of the enemy. In fact, Jesus made it clear that the church age itself would be plagued with false pastors, false Christians who would be very successful at leading people astray. False teachers and false doctrine give birth to false Christians, those who have been led to believe they are saved, when in fact, they are not.

Jesus warned in Matthew 7, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

And, in Acts 20, Paul warned that “wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert”

I believe that’s exactly the way it is in the church today, we shouldn’t be surprised that these self-serving shepherds of the flock are actually wolves, deceiving undiscerning people leading them away from the Truth of God. Because we have been warned.

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

All of these things spew out of self-love. Once a person becomes a lover of self, he has just made a decision that will destroy the possibility of every meaningful relationship, and wickedness will certainly ensue, because your agenda is you.

The self-love theology has elevated self to new heights and I believe the reason why we have conflict and chaos in our society on every level. Our culture is consumed with self, and that devastates personal relationships and the result is utter chaos. It is what has wreaked havoc on our entire society. You can’t claim to follow Jesus while you’re living like satan.

In speaking from my own experience, I’m always in the middle of a spiritual war, so I expect battles. I’m always under attack from something or someone. It’s difficult to fight all the battles that are going on all fronts, so I have to pick and choose my battles. Sin and damning false teaching must be spoken against.

Brian Monzón grew up attending church with his grandmother. Through her actions, she impressed upon him the power of the prayers of the righteous, as she herself spent many hours kneeling before God, praying for her family and the needs of others. Besides being a pastor, Brian has been studying and teaching the Word of God for many years. He has devoted his life to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, praying with and for others, especially the unsaved. Brian is also a proud father of four children. He challenges them to be their best and has strived to raise his family up in church and on the Word of God. To discover more about Brian and his ministry please visit Brian Monzón Ministries.

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