Former Prime Minister:
Gordon Brown and “Hope 08”
In a recent news article on the Hope movement [1] the Prime Minister ‘applauds those involved in Hope08’ in the past many godly men in the past warned against Christians making alliances with the world.
We do see one example of this in the Bible, [2] “the Israelites entering into Canaan they were forbidden to make any league with the people of the land, they were not to show them any mercy, nor to make any marriages with them, Deut. 7: 2, 3; and later, when Joshua was about to die, he said to them, that with the nations that were still left they were to make no marriages, nor to go in unto them. If they did, God would drive out no more of the nations, and they would be snares and traps unto them, and scourges in their sides and thorns in their eyes. Joshua 23: 12, 13. Joshua and the princes of Israel were, alas, deceived by the Gibeonites, and without seeking counsel of God they made a covenant with them. Joshua 9: 3-21. The failure of the Israelites in this particular (cf. Ezra 9, 10 ; Neh. 13.) is typical of the church making alliances with the world which have so sadly dimmed and destroyed the testimony which should have been borne by a heavenly people.”
What does this mean for today, has God’s position changed ?
The role of a Christian steward, he has to have a clear distinction between the Christian and the World. If our own hearts and our minds are not strictly devoted to God alone we would have a hard time understanding this concept. If it is the duty of every believer to look after the world and the people around us, then we must have a clear understanding of what we ought to love and what we ought to hate. Love is firstly measured by our absolute obedience to God, and so it would be impossible to love the world. The nature and system of the British government (or any worldly government for that matter) is inherently wicked and corrupt, even though ordained of God.
What does this system promote ?
1) Promoting Homosexual Practices [3]
2) Abortion [4]
3) Gambling [5]
4) Anti-family Values [6]
6) Sexual promiscuity amongst Children [7]
7) Removal of Judeo-Christian influences out of society [8]
What does God teach us ? 1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
When we make alliances with the world, and enter into friendship, it is clear from the scriptures that this is not pleasing to God “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” it is clear that Hope 08 promotes the opposite of this and is in direct rebellion to Him.
If you’re in Christ you then you should not love the world. Jesus said you cannot serve God and Money, in the case of Hope 08 it is driven by the love of money. The argument is “you can do allot more with it“.
If you are a conservative evangelical Christian they will call you a God-hater whether you think you are or not. God teaches us clearly “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” this is the first reason why the Holy Spirit through John tells us not to love the world.
God manifested His love, not because he accepts it, but inspite
of the world’s rebellion and hatred for Him, as it has been explained in the Bible “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
God has no love of the world. The world is excluded from the love of God, because sinfulness cannot inherit God’s kingdom. This is exactly why a unbeliever cannot be part of the Body of Christ, the Church, and places of fellowship are only sacred between believers and God.
The world cannot co-exist with Love for God, nor can the world love God, nor receive God’s divine love. The world is dead in sin, this is why it needs to be convicted of sin.
If you look at verse 17 it says “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:” no one invests in a business that is about to go into recession simply because it would cease to exist.
I doubt any integrity in Hope 08. It seems that Hope 08 does not carry pure faith, because it is in league with the world, and a wide road leading many astray. Our main focus and right desire should be not for influence and popularity, but rather absolute purity. Christ rejected worldly power and popularity.
Hope 08 is based on worldliness, its determination is in no doubt anchored by British society which by nature does not know God, and is ultimately inclined to reject him. A Christian’s love needs to be directed righteously to our brothers in Christ first. We are supposed to live in the light, not in darkness.
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
When we do things in the name of Christ we cannot have any involvement with worldly things. This is a correct view of agape love. Agape is not unconditional love towards unbelievers but it is our unconditional love in obedience to God. Our love should never be directed simply towards reforming unbelievers. This is purely humanistic. “Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister said that “People of faith have been at the heart of just about every social movement that has transformed society in this country, from the abolition of slavery through to Make Poverty History. I applaud all those involved in Hope08”.
He states.
“People of faith have been at the heart of just about every social movement that has transformed society in this country,”
Is this what Hope ’08 is ???
Judeo Christian influences are being removed from society. Society is not being transformed it is being reformed into secularism. Hope ’08 merely seeks to christianise culture and become a dominant influence where the Bible is no longer the plumbline and Christians are being duped into believing that they are having a lasting impact. This is far from the truth considering that we live in a society which is debt ridden, bankrupt and morally sold out. The organisers behind Hope 08 have replaced the gospel of Christ with “carnal hope”. At its best it is simply Humanism under the guise of so-called Christian religion.
In the books of the Bible, Revelations, John and 1 John refer to the wicked, or the wicked world system, which excludes believers. It is puzzling that there are many believers who would integrate the church system into a world that God calls wicked and even be apart of it.
The Bible teaches us “Separate yourselves” for the world is in rebellion to God. 2 Tim 3:1, 13 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come Evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving (lying) and being deceived.”
They also say that some good can come from communities, again this is against scripture. Romans 3 says no one can be good, in fact as believers we ought to reject our love for a fallen humanity and our love for the world that we live in.
Jesus did not say redeem communities, nor does the bible teach us that we should work with corporate sponsorship. The truth is we live in a world that stands in opposition to God, John Calvin rightly stated, “By the world understand everything connected with the present life, apart from the kingdom of God and the hope of eternal life. So he includes in it corruptions of every kind, and the abyss of all evils. In the world are pleasures, delights, and all those allurements by which man is captivated, so as to withdraw himself from God.” John Calvin, Commentary on 1 John.
Jonathan Edwards stated “The gods, which a natural man worships, instead of the God that made him, are himself and the world. He has withdrawn his esteem and honour from God, and proudly exalts himself. As Satan was not willing to be in subjection, and therefore rebelled, and set up himself, so a natural man, in the proud and high thoughts he has of himself, sets up himself upon God’s throne. He gives his heart to the world, worldly riches, worldly pleasures, and worldly honours: they have the possession of that regard which is due to God. The apostle [John] sums up all the idolatry of wicked men in their love of the world. 1 John 2:15-17.” Jonathan Edwards, Works, Misc. Discourses, Men Naturally are God’s Enemies, Section 3
John Owen said the same, “If any man do make the world his chiefest good, if any man put the world in the place of God, then the love of the Father is not in him; he hath either received no love from God, or he hath no love to God as a Father in Christ.” John Owen, Works of Owen, Volume 9
John Owen also stated “I press these things at present no farther but only to allow how dangerous a thing it is for any to incline in his affections unto the things of this world, wherein an excess is ruinous and hardly discoverable. Surely no wise man will venture freely and frequently unto the edge of such a precipice. He will be jealous of his measures, lest they will not hold by the rule of the word. And a due sense hereof is the best preservative of the soul from cleaving inordinately unto things below. And when God in any instance, by afflictions or otherwise, shows unto believers their transgression herein, and how they have exceeded, Job 36:8,9, it makes them careful for the future. They will now or never be diligent that they fall not under that peremptory rule, 1 John 2:15.” John Owen, Works of Owen, Volume 7
AW Pink exhorts us to make a differentiation between committing sin and loving it, “To love sin is far worse than to commit it, for a man may be suddenly tripped up or commit it through frailty.” AW Pink, A Fourfold Salvation, Page 9
This is what John Gill says about the “world system” that we are to supposed to hate, “Errors in the mind, false opinions of things contrary to the word of God; all unreasonable doubts, even in saints themselves; and all the actings of unbelief, which proceed from an evil heart, come under this sort of sins, internal ones, or sins of the heart.” John Gill, Complete Body of Divinity, Page 700
Refs
[1] http://www.hope08.com/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=134877
[2] http://www.stempublishing.com/dictionary/028_053.html
[3] http://www.christian.org.uk/html-publications/pub_homosexualrights.htm
[4] http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2009/01/13/opinion/391320.txt
[5] http://www.christian.org.uk/news/20090109/fruit-machines-hit-new-jackpot/
[6] http://www.christian.org.uk/html-publications/pub_marrfamily.htm
[7] http://www.christian.org.uk/html-publications/promotingpromiscuity_2001.htm
[8] http://www.christian.org.uk/news/20090116/secularist-mp-questions
-contracts-for-faith-groups/
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