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- Bill Gothard, leader of the renowned Institute in Basic Life
Principles seminars, is a popular speaker in many churches today.
He conducts his seminars either in person or by videotape in
a variety of Evangelical and even Fundamentalist churches throughout
the United States. Gothard has amassed many faithful followers
who would strongly object to any warnings given against any aspect
of his ministry. Yet Fundamentalists should be aware of several
theological and practical problems that exist in Gothard's teachings
and institute programs, which are often ecumenical in scope and
founded upon a combination of Gothard's faulty theology and human
psychology.
One of the foundational problems with Gothard's teaching of which
the believer must beware is his unbiblical emphasis on the Old
Testament Law in the life of the New Testament believer. Gothard's
undue and unbiblical emphasis upon the Law stems from his failure
to either understand or accept the dispensational distinctives
between Israel and the church. His misunderstanding, or rejection,
of dispensational truth are revealed not only by his principles
and theology but also by his misuse of Scripture to support his
teachings.
In his advanced seminar handout titled "Appendix on the
Place of Old Testament Law in the Life of New Testament Believers,"
Gothard makes it clear that he does not believe that keeping
the Old Testament Law will save any individual. Yet he advances
the idea that the Old Testament Law plays a vitally important
part in the life of the believer who desires to fulfill God's
will. He said Jesus "understood the continuing value of
the Law in the lives of believers" and added, "The
Holy Spirit will guide our daily lives by all Scripture, including
the Law, and give us the power to obey His Word." He believes
"the [Old Testament] Law is God's infinitely wise and masterful
'blueprint' for success in personal living, financial decisions,
marriage, family, health and community life." Gothard plunges
into great detail to explain his ideas, but he continually uses
Scripture out of Its proper, dispensational context or even edits
the Scripture verses so as to force the text to support his own
theology.
Fundamentalists should be extremely wary of any who teach that
God requires the practice of the Old Testament Law or portions
thereof in order to become successful in one's spiritual life.
On the contrary, the apostle Paul tells believers that they are
"delivered from the Law" and are "become dead
to the Law" (Rom. 7:4). He adds, "Now we are delivered
from the law ... that we should serve in newness of spirit, and
not in the oldness of the letter' (Rom. 7:6). The Law revealed
sin (Rom. 7:7) and served as a "schoolmaster," pointing
forward to Christ. The New Testament believer is to derive his
instruction for "successful" living from the New Testament,
realizing that the power to accomplish the obedience of faith
comes from the Holy Spirit. Mixing law and grace inevitably results
in the confusion of basic, theological principles. (An in-depth
exposé of the teachings of Bill Gothard can be obtained
from Biblical Discernment Ministries at http://www.rapidnet.com/-jbeard/bdm/).
- http://www.fundamentalbiblechurch.org/WTrumpet/fbcwt004.htm
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