The Book of Romans
and the UPCI
Recently, I was asked this honest question about
the UPCI's use of the Book of Romans. I thought my answer (with a few
editorial changes) might be helpful for others who have a similar question, so
I am sharing it here. (The privacy of the inquirer is maintained.)
Question:
In reading your testimony I was
surprised to read your claim that the United Pentecostal Church, in your
experience, "neglected" the book of Romans and that you heard very little
preaching on this book. This year the United Pentecostal Junior and Senior
Bible Quizzing is on the book of Romans. If this book is so dangerous to
the theology of the United Pentecostal Church, why would we allow our
vulnerable children to memorize it? Just a thought.
Answer:
Thank you so much for taking the time to write. I appreciate your
interest in what I have written.
As you stated, my view is
that, in my experience, the UPCI neglected the Book of Romans, and that I
heard very little preaching on it. I stand by that statement. I was speaking
of my own experience. I heard very little preaching or teaching on many of the
significant sections of Romans. Most of the sermons centered on Romans 6
(baptism) and Romans 12:1-3 (with the emphasis on
personal holiness). In Bible college, the class on
Romans was lessons on selected verses which appeared to
support UPCI doctrine, while other just as significant
sections were not addressed. There was no instruction on the message of
the whole book and how each chapter relates to the
over-arching theme of Romans. I do not remember hearing any preaching while in
the UPCI on the basic teachings of Romans 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, which are the
core chapters, and lay out Paul's theology of salvation.
My experience includes 42
years in Oneness Pentecostal churches. I attended Apostolic
Bible Institute,
taught there for five years, spoke in 200 churches, visited many camps and
conferences, spoke at Oneness Symposiums, read
nearly every Herald, Conqueror, Home Mission,
Foreign Missions, et. al. periodicals. In all that
time, I heard very little preaching or
teaching based on the core teachings of Romans.
These statements about Romans
and the UPCI are not intended to question the general honesty of those in the
UPCI. They are intended to explain why I did not understand the Gospel and why
I was not taught it while in the UPCI. It was because certain verses and
sections of the Bible were (over) emphasized because they seemed to support
the UPCI doctrines, while other parts of the Bible were neglected because they
posed a challenge to the UPCI interpretation. I have concluded that, while I
was in the UPCI, I was not taught the true Gospel
because of ignorance or incorrect Bible interpretation. To be fair, most of
those in the UPCI are genuine, sincere and committed to what they believe
because they are convinced their teachings are the truth. The question, in the
main, is not honesty and integrity, as much as,
ignorance or misinformation about what the Bible
teaches about the Gospel.
For example, I never heard
anyone state the following passage in its full
context, let alone attempt to teach what it means (except
verse 23 which I heard many times,
but not in its proper context):
But now a righteousness from God, apart from
law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who
believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:21-24)
The same is true for,
"However, to the man who does not work but trusts God
who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."
(Romans 4:5), and "The words 'it was credited to him'
were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit
righteousness - for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the
dead." (Romans 4:23,24). Other passages in Romans were not commonly
addressed, such as:
For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live
by faith. KJV Romans 1:17
To declare, I say, at this time his
righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus. KJV Romans 3:26
Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
KJV Romans 3:28
Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
KJV Romans 5:1
So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
KJV Romans 9:16
In
addition, the passage from Romans 10:10,
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with
your mouth that you confess and are saved. (NIV),
was often handled in a way to avoid the most
straightforward meaning in order to try to make it conform with the UPCI
Acts 2:38 formula. This always troubled me, and I felt very awkward
trying to tell other non-UPCI Christians how that this verse did not mean what
it said, but that Acts 2:38 was the only formula for salvation. It was not until
I was able to see how that salvation was by faith in Jesus alone that both
Romans 10:10 and Acts 2:38 made perfect sense.
It more recent years, Dan
Segraves and David Bernard have written books on Romans. I honestly
appreciate their effort and intent. However, their view of Romans is
conflicted because they attempt to harmonize Romans with the UPCI doctrine,
rather than the other way around. This approach always leads to confounding
the truth of Scripture. We are to assert the Bible and allow it to shape, mold
and change our beliefs to it. This will bring some painful as well as
wonderful realizations - often that one has been
wrong and the traditions one has followed have been wrong. But, the truth of
Scripture will stand. And one will be true to God's Word.
I am
very thrilled that the quizzers work with Romans. I am an old quiz coach. I
believe quizzing is one of the best youth activities a church can have.
I commend the UPCI for using Romans as a study book.
But, citing the use of Romans in recent quizzing to
indicate a contradiction in my experience is
not valid. This has happened recently, while I wrote before
this of what happened in my past experience. What has happened in the
last few years is different from the time of my experience. I also wish that
the use of Romans as a quizzing book meant that the UPCI is moving toward
a greater understanding of Romans. Sadly, I have seen little evidence of this
in UPCI literature or from its pastors.
Memorizing, while a
tremendous means of learning, is very rudimentary. One
can memorize material without understanding what that content means. Thus, the
memorization of Romans does not indicate in itself that anyone is really
coming to the truth of what Romans teaches. However, positively, when it come
to Scripture, we may hide the Word in our hearts, believing it means one
thing, while the power of that Word can work on our thinking and bring us to
understandings contrary to how we first learned it. That makes me hopeful
about the UPCI youth using Romans for quizzing. I
believe that many of those who have memorized Romans will later see the
conflict between what the UPCI teaches and what Romans says. I also believe
this will lead many of them to the Gospel. That is certainly my sincere
prayer.
Further, to show you my effort
to make sure that I am not simply looking at the UPCI through only my
experience, I have asked many people, who either
were or still are in the UPCI, about how much
preaching or teaching from Romans they remember
hearing while in the UPCI . They all have shared
my same experience. I ask this kindly: if you believe that the UPCI gives
the Book of Romans great or sufficient attention,
then please send me any tapes, articles or books that you can find by UPCI
authors on either the above verses, chapters, on the meaning of Romans, or
on justification by faith. I sincerely wish to obtain this information, and
an willing to correct my view of the UPCI, if there is solid, convincing
proof to the contrary.
I do not wish to be offensive
to you. I pray that my response does not come across that way. I do hope that
you understand that I truly was dyed-in-the-wool UPCI until God opened my
eyes. I am now writing and preaching that Gospel. I do not write merely to
attack the UPCI or those in it. I write my faith in order that some will come
to understand the beautiful message of the Gospel and the great gift of
salvation that is our through faith alone in Christ alone.
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