To bring us all to common understanding, what is syncretism, and why the alarm being raised today?
Religious syncretism. Religious syncretism exhibits blending of two or more religious belief systems into a new system, or the incorporation into a religious tradition of beliefs from unrelated traditions. It is contrasted by the idea of multiple religious belonging and polytheism, respectively. Instances of religious syncretism abound in the scriptures and its fundamentals were well captured in Exodus 32:1-4 (AMPC)
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, [they] gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. So Aaron replied, Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives, your sons, and daughters, and bring them to me. So all the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it a molten calf; and they said, These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!
Four triggers of syncretism
- Absence of understanding of God
- Ignorance of and absence of relationship with Him
- Impatience, and
- Self-prescription and self-determined idea of who God is, bringing Him down to the level of human thought!
Another example is 2 Kings 17:41 (AMPC), a stance that prevailed until the days of the earthly ministry of the Lord as shown in the argument of the woman who came to fetch water as recorded in John 4: 5-10, 20-23 (AMPC)
And in doing so, He arrived at a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the tract of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, tired as He was from His journey, sat down [to rest] by the well. It was then about the sixth hour (about noon). Presently, when a woman of Samaria came along to draw water, Jesus said to her, Give Me a drink—For His disciples had gone off into the town to buy food—The Samaritan woman said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan [and a] woman, for a drink?—For the Jews have nothing to do with the Samaritans—Jesus answered her, If you had only known and had recognized God’s gift and Who this is that is saying to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him [instead] and He would have given you living water. She said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with [no drawing bucket] and the well is deep; how then can You provide living water? [Where do You get Your living water?] Are You greater than and superior to our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well and who used to drink from it himself, and his sons and his cattle also? Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain, but you [Jews] say that Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary and proper to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither [merely] in this mountain nor [merely] in Jerusalem. You [Samaritans] do not know what you are worshiping [you worship what you do not comprehend]. We do know what we are worshiping [we worship what we have knowledge of and understand], for [after all] salvation comes from [among] the Jews. A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers.
You see the Lord affirming that knowing and worshiping the true God is neither based on tradition nor custom, neither yet place, but a spiritual relationship founded on the truth of who God is!
Sadly, in the days of the apostles, Gnosticism—a religious dualistic system that incorporated elements from the:
- Oriental mystery religions,
- Judaism,
- Christianity, and
- Greek religious philosophical concepts which were particularly prevalent during the Hellenistic period (c. 300 BC to AD 300) — was already present.
In our text today of today, 2 Kings 10:27-31 (AMPC) —
They broke down the pillars of Baal and the house of Baal, and made it [forever unclean] a privy to this day. Thus Jehu rooted Baal out of Israel. But Jehu did not give up the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, by which he made Israel to sin, that is, the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. And the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have executed well what is right in My eyes and have done to the house of Ahab as I willed, your sons to the fourth generation shall sit on Israel’s throne. [Fulfilled in II Kings 15:12.] But Jehu paid no attention to walking in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not quit the sins with which Jeroboam made Israel to sin.
—Jehu fell into the trap of foreign god versus domestic god, a clear indication that he did not have knowledge of the true God, neither had any relationship with the true God that enabled him achieve the overthrow of Ahab’s evil rule. Having kicked out Baal, the imported god, he submitted to the calves of Jeroboam (1 Kings 12). How many ‘believers,’ church goers truly know the God who revealed himself in Christ Jesus? Not knowing Him as He reveals Himself in the scriptures, many have fallen prey to deceiving leaders, who sell them what they want to hear! They are into religion, not into intimate relationship with Christ, which is Christianity!
Have you seen the growing practices in many local churches, here in Nigeria and in other parts of southern Africa where there is resurgence of bringing ancient African gods or worship into their religious practices? One such, after you have waited for God for the fulfillment of a promise or what seems to be delayed answer to prayer, you are advised to ‘do some work’, presenting certain things for sacrifice! They return to the myths and fables that Paul warned Timothy over.
- 1 Timothy 1:3,4 (TP)—I’m asking that you remain in Ephesus to instruct them not to teach or follow the error of deceptive doctrines, nor pay any attention to cultural myths, traditions, or the endless study of genealogies. Those digressions only breed controversies and debates. They are devoid of power that builds up and strengthens the church in the faith of God.
- 1 Timothy 4:7 (TP)—Be quick to abstain from senseless traditions and legends, but instead be engaged in the training of truth that brings righteousness.
- 2 Timothy 4:3-4—For the time is coming when they will no longer listen and respond to the healing words of truth because they will become selfish and proud. They will seek out teachers with soothing words that line up with their desires, saying just what they want to hear. They will close their ears to the truth and believe nothing but fables and myths.
This is a present danger to which your attention is being drawn. Take heed to yourself. Selah.
Leave a Reply