PART 14 CHURCH TEACHINGS
TO LEARN ABOUT TEACHINGS THAT EXERCISE AN UNREASONABLE USE OF POWER
AUTHORITARIAN DOCTRINES
THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS
This is a very interesting doctrine that I became aware of in my younger years in ministry; however, I was not fully aware of its actual meaning and destructiveness in the lives of believers. What does it mean when it’s said that the end justifies the means? From what I’ve learned, what this essentially means is that at times certain decisions can be emphasized by leadership that the assembly of believers should support unequivocally even if the avenue for implementing such is sinful as long as the end result promotes the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
What is meant concerning the sentiment of promoting the Kingdom of God could mean many different things depending on the faith at hand. It could refer to increasing the capacity to reach more souls for Christ. It could mean enhancing the financial status of those in leadership. It could mean the allowance of the leadership hierarchy to have many wives. However, what we could infer as to what it’s really all about is simply to have the ability to exert control over the assembly of believers by means of Scripture for power, money, and sex.
When certain Scriptures are used in this manner, they might appear to support God’s kingdom. If you are going to follow God, then you will be told to follow Him with no reservations. Probably one of the main scriptural sections that are used to support this perspective is found in the book of Joshua. Let’s go there and see what this was all about.
Suggested Reading: Joshua 2:1-24
The Lord has chosen Joshua to lead the Jews out from the wilderness wanderings by crossing over the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, the land that God promised them for an inheritance. This land would be theirs by means of conquest. The first place that Joshua sets out to conquer is a place called Jericho.
He sent out two spies into the city, who eventually lodged at the dwelling place of a prostitute named Rahab. While there, it was their mission to obtain information about this fortress - its gates, fortified towers, military [forces,] and the morale of its people.201 In the meantime, somehow, the king of Jericho was made aware that there were two spies sent from the children of Israel who could be residing at Rahab’s house. So, he sent messengers there in order to apprehend them. She, finding out about this before they arrived, being aware that all of them were in danger for their lives, asked the spies to hide on the rooftop under the flax fibers which were attached to the stalks of a plant that were placed there. In those days, flax fibers were laid out in heaps where the sun would dry them so that they could be used for weaving them into linen cloth.
5 And it came to pass about the time of shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.
When the king’s messengers arrived at her house, they asked her where the spies were. And here is where the end justifies the means. She told them that they had already left. In other words, she lied. Some would say that the situation was such that lying or committing sin was the appropriate response. And because the result was beneficial, that being of the saving of the spies’ lives, therefore, this story is about a type of sin that could be accepted by those in the leadership of the New Testament church as warranted by the situation at hand as long as it promoted the Kingdom of God.
Let’s take a look at another Scripture that could be used to convince God’s people that the end justifies the means. Please go to the book of Matthew.
Matthew 16:24
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
This is a powerful Scripture, especially when presented over and over again. All of us want to do God’s will. For many believers, they don’t know what God’s will is, so this verse sounds like what this could be all about. If we deny ourselves for God’s sake and take up our cross, then we’re told that He will be pleased with us. Deny in what way? There could be many ways that believers could be told to do such and such for the benefit of the kingdom. One of them, which we’ll take a look at next, is in the area of financial giving that is also found in the book of Matthew.
Matthew 19:29
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
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