Dear reader,
In Manhee Lee´s book, ¨The Creation of Heaven and Earth,¨ he uses harsh language against any Christian or church for using Bible commentaries. He gives readers the impression that no pastor or Christian community loves God´s Word or pays attention to it. Further, Lee´s book treats all explanations in Christian communities as opinions and traditions of men.
¨There is no salvation for those who have only learned the teachings of men, because revelation is the only path to eternal life and salvation¨ (p. 5).
¨While all pastors are teaching according to the rules and traditions of men, God again carries out an amazing work¨ (p. 9).
Are such statements accurate? What we notice is that Mr. Lee is employing language, like other apocalyptic groups, to create a tone that only makes him the final authority. Let´s look at this point in more detail.
Many deceptive movements in Christianity teach that they are the only ones who love God´s Word and follow it. Everyone else is deceived by demons and the kingdom of darkness. In fact, no Christian can use God´s Word to correct them because only their leader has the revealed knowledge to interpret the Bible.
Mr. Lee´s statements about traditions of men and commentaries are similar. But, when we look at the real situation in the Christian world, it is quite different. For example, many poor Christians in underdeveloped countries have no access to seminaries or commentaries. They truly love the Lord Jesus and strive to teach his ways to others. They are not following traditions, only God´s Word.
Second, sound biblical commentaries always submit to God´s Word. Their purpose is to shed background information on the historical, archaeological, and linguistic points in the Scriptures. Some commentaries focus on ways to apply the Scriptures for devotional purposes.
The deceptive and dangerous commentaries that Lee seems to be referring to are much different. These commentaries are from final leaders who pay little respect to the wording of the Bible and inserts meanings into the texts (like the leaders of the Jehovah`s Witnesses in the Watchtower Society). They teach that no other Christian group can understand the Bible because it is a closed/sealed book. Only they can rightly interpret the prophecies and deep meanings.
These types of commentaries give new meanings to words, make new connections between verses that the texts do not demand, and give new applications that change what the Holy Spirit revealed. In other words, they do not submit to God´s Word but become ¨Bible-twisters.¨ These commentaries are unsafe, not ones that give additional historical, biblical, archaeological, devotional, and linguistic information.
What kind of commentary is Manhee Lee`s own book?
He claims that the Bible is sealed until he comes, making him the sole revealer (interpreter) of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Using his authority, he gives new meanings to verses, parables, prophecies, etc. As a result, the irony is that Mr. Lee`s book becomes another final-leader commentary of the Bible.
In Manhee Lee´s book, ¨The Creation of Heaven and Earth,¨ he uses harsh language against any Christian or church for using Bible commentaries. He gives readers the impression that no pastor or Christian community loves God´s Word or pays attention to it. Further, Lee´s book treats all explanations in Christian communities as opinions and traditions of men.
¨There is no salvation for those who have only learned the teachings of men, because revelation is the only path to eternal life and salvation¨ (p. 5).
¨While all pastors are teaching according to the rules and traditions of men, God again carries out an amazing work¨ (p. 9).
Are such statements accurate? What we notice is that Mr. Lee is employing language, like other apocalyptic groups, to create a tone that only makes him the final authority. Let´s look at this point in more detail.
Many deceptive movements in Christianity teach that they are the only ones who love God´s Word and follow it. Everyone else is deceived by demons and the kingdom of darkness. In fact, no Christian can use God´s Word to correct them because only their leader has the revealed knowledge to interpret the Bible.
Mr. Lee´s statements about traditions of men and commentaries are similar. But, when we look at the real situation in the Christian world, it is quite different. For example, many poor Christians in underdeveloped countries have no access to seminaries or commentaries. They truly love the Lord Jesus and strive to teach his ways to others. They are not following traditions, only God´s Word.
Second, sound biblical commentaries always submit to God´s Word. Their purpose is to shed background information on the historical, archaeological, and linguistic points in the Scriptures. Some commentaries focus on ways to apply the Scriptures for devotional purposes.
The deceptive and dangerous commentaries that Lee seems to be referring to are much different. These commentaries are from final leaders who pay little respect to the wording of the Bible and inserts meanings into the texts (like the leaders of the Jehovah`s Witnesses in the Watchtower Society). They teach that no other Christian group can understand the Bible because it is a closed/sealed book. Only they can rightly interpret the prophecies and deep meanings.
These types of commentaries give new meanings to words, make new connections between verses that the texts do not demand, and give new applications that change what the Holy Spirit revealed. In other words, they do not submit to God´s Word but become ¨Bible-twisters.¨ These commentaries are unsafe, not ones that give additional historical, biblical, archaeological, devotional, and linguistic information.
What kind of commentary is Manhee Lee`s own book?
He claims that the Bible is sealed until he comes, making him the sole revealer (interpreter) of the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Using his authority, he gives new meanings to verses, parables, prophecies, etc. As a result, the irony is that Mr. Lee`s book becomes another final-leader commentary of the Bible.
