False Premise: Some Leaven is Acceptable
Question: How much sin is allowed?
Continuing our discussions of sin and false premises let us apply what we have learned to our time. Christ told a parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened (Mt 13:33).” This highly controversial parable is often taught as leaven being a good metaphor; however, this ignores the fact that leaven everywhere else in the Bible is considered a metaphor for sin {“Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”} (1Co 5:6-8).
This apparent contradiction is actually an example of poor hermeneutics, poor understanding of Hebraic idioms and culture and the insertion of one’s modern worldview violating the intent and understanding of the author. This is a far too common approach to understanding the Bible leading to confusion, contradiction and incoherent theology. But it does illustrate how a false premise leads to a false conclusion.
The premise: Everything about the “kingdom of heaven” {“kingdom of God” in some passages} must be good! This common starting point is assumed without looking at other Bible passages discussing the “kingdom of heaven”. Yet, further in Matthew Jesus discusses another parable concerning the “kingdom of heaven” as a net that captures good and bad fish {metaphor for saved and lost people} (Mt 13:47-50). If one assumes “kingdom of heaven” refers to eternity future then these parables contradict each other. However, this would be an erroneous starting point. Clearly, “kingdom of heaven” must refer to events in this existence, therefore not heaven. This separation occurs at the end of the Great Tribulation when some nations (peoples) come into the Millennial Kingdom and others are ushered immediately into Hell. This could also refer to all peoples saved at the end of this creation with the saved ushered into eternity future with Christ while the lost stand before Him at the White Throne judgment before being cast into the Lake of Fire.
If our analysis is correct then the flour does not represent Heaven (God’s abode) but the “kingdom of heaven” on earth {the kingdom that Christ has been preparing for since creation: Millennial Kingdom. Thus, leaven as sin in this kingdom is coherent with other Scripture, removes apparent contradictions and gives us a clear understanding of the warning Christ is giving and Paul is reemphasizing in his epistle. Leaven, sin, once introduced into the body of believers will naturally grow to corrupt the entire body whether this body is Old Testament synagogue, New Testament church or the Millennial Kingdom of Christ on earth. This agrees with various warnings in Scripture such as, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Ga 5:7-9) and the warning to the church at Pergamum (Re 2:12-17).
Back in the 1980s Rev Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority movement. His goal was basically to promote morality in America by organizing the Christian vote to influence government. Demonstrating the power of Christian America would force government to make laws agreeable to the principles of the Bible. Did you notice the false premise; Christians, working with the lost, could influence government {all governments belong to Satan} to make laws to bring Christianity to all Americans and therefore to the entire world? Rev Jerry Falwell was actually guided by non-Christians and funded, at least in part, by the Unification Church {cult whose avowed aim was globalization based on a false gospel}. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, funneled millions of dollars to keep Rev Falwell’s Liberty University afloat during this period also (Rise of the Religious Right) {I do not agree with many of the author’s assumptions or conclusions though I accept her financial facts). Unknown to many Americans the Unification Church founded and published the Washington Times, conservative newspaper.
Here is a very clear example of American pragmatism: ends justifies the means. Rev Falwell, an evangelical Christian, partnered with an international cult to promote a morality apart from the Gospel to influence government to make laws forcing people to behave according to biblical morality. The Bible teaches that behavior follows belief; it rejects the premise that behavior leads to belief (Mt 15:10-12). By partnering with those who are clearly against God’s Gospel the Moral Majority clearly demonstrated a belief in works-based salvation rather than faith-based, as it claimed. Mr. Ronald Reagan used this organization to assist in winning his bid for President but never openly promoted the Gospel. The backlash from the majority of Americans legitimized and then legalized the early LGBT movements and did not overturn legal abortions. Clearly, it failed its goals. America did not embrace Christianity, nor did the world. Yes, the Bible does say to pray for leaders so that all people may enjoy a peaceful and quiet life but it actively discourages promoting these changes by force (1Ti 2:1-3; Mt 26:52). The result was the legitimization of those with a poor understanding of the Bible seeking to bring in the “kingdom of heaven” by force such as murdering doctors performing abortions which resulted in “hate crime” legislation {anti-Christian bias claiming to know a person’s mental state during the commission of a crime and ignoring the fact that all crimes are hate crimes against the victim} (Mt 11:12).
Unfortunately, Rev Falwell was not the first to accept this false premise to use government to accomplish good. Rev Billy Graham was probably his inspiration. He was known as the, “Pastor to the Presidents” having met with every president since World War II. His nationally broadcasted evangelical crusades electrified the nation, bringing the Gospel to millions. However, though he preached a biblical gospel, those who came forward were divided up among the various churches who sponsored Rev Graham’s crusades at each city. He required support from nearly every major church denomination and in return he would divvy up the converts. Many of these denominations did not preach the true Gospel; thus, these converts were probably not truly evangelized and certainly not mentored properly in the Bible. Much later it Rev Graham admitted to believing in universalism {false doctrine that no one goes to Lake of Fire; i.e., everyone eventually goes to heaven} (Youtube).
There are many more I could discuss to make the point that the false premise of working with the lost to promote God’s good is a fallacious methodology. It is based on expediency and pragmatism which stand in stark contrast to the absolutes of the Bible and the immutability of God. I hear this preached from many pulpits and accepted by many Christians as necessary to “live at peace with all peoples” (Ro 12:18). This is not true obedience to the Bible but the inclusion of leaven in one’s biblical interpretation which grows until there is no gospel other than the false gospel of Lucifer. Woman was deceived, Man willingly accepted the sin and today many Christians actively promote this leaven so that it is difficult to find a church that teaches proper hermeneutical interpretation of the Scriptures. Paul condemns this very approach from both the Old and New Testaments showing God does not condone these un-Christian philosophical premises or any of their supposed good results (2Co 6:14-18). It simply becomes a pathway to sin that destroys all who go through the wide gate. It is really a bowing down to a different “king” {Melek or Moloch (King)} that teaches children false faith while hiding the true Gospel (2Th 2:9-12; 2Ti 4:3-5).
