Merry Perry Noble Christmas

We ventured into a Family Bookstore a couple of days ago to pick up an extra Bible and some books for a small group study.  While the kind clerk rang us up, she described a program for troops to receive teaching from top Bible teachers.  So, there's that awkward moment: I told her that I couldn't recommend anyone to listen to half the teachers on the advertised list. "Uh-oh" and a moment of silence followed.

Perry Noble, pastor of the multi-site NewSpring Church in South Carolina, prominently featured with the other teachers. Fumbling the ball on what Noble and other like-minded pastors call "Superbowl Sunday," a.k.a. Christmas, Noble taught a mix of semi-Pelagian theology and legalism in calling people to embrace the "promises" known as the Ten Commandments.  How?  Noble is under the false impression that the word "command" doesn't exist in Hebrew, and that we could understand the Decalogue to be "the Ten Promises" to every believer who says "yes to Jesus." Give Chris Rosebrough's excellent critique a listen (it begins at 32:50) and, if you can stomach it, watch the entire sermon here.

Perry Noble expounding the first of the
Ten Commandments.  

Now, the Law has its place, even in a Christmas sermon.  By the Law, we know that we are sinners in need of a Savior.  Christ was born under the law (Gal 4:4) and sinned not (2 Cor 5:21), and through His obedience to the Law we can be made righteous in the eyes of God (Rm 5:19).  As a result of Christ, we can be counted righteous apart from works (Rm 1:18-19; 4:6).  What wonderful news, then (read: gospel), that God would send us the Christ-child, peace on earth with whom God is pleased (Lk 2:14)!

If you're looking for non-Scripture-twisting recommendations to send our troops, tell them to download the GTY or SermonAudio apps for better teaching resources, to name a couple.

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