Let me say there is something distasteful about doctrinal controversy, none the less it must be kept in mind that several New Testament books grew out of doctrinal controversy. Undesirable as it is, in itself, controversy serves to make Gods truth more clearly distinct from the error that would distort and hide it. Is it enough to say or believe your own pastor or church is correct about any doctrine without requiring sound biblical research to defend their position? It is right to question all and call us back to the Bible to form our beliefs, not to be led by schools of thought where you may have attended. For it remains the individuals responsibility to personally explore the Scriptures for themselves. We should be challenged to study as did the Bereans and examine the Scriptures personally to see whether what things as our own pastors or churches say to is true. Not to take what they may say automatically as true and not to be afraid to listen to others that “may” know otherwise. Honest seeking truth pastors never mind being challenged, they do not have insecurities about themselves or feel threaten when challenged; for challenges or good questionable arguments are for the purpose knowing the truth and teaching. Sad to say, most men that march off to seminary get sucked into the “cult of personality”. They fall prey to whatever that seminary is teaching; when they should be in seminary to better learn more quickly to how to study God’s word on their own to know what God says, not to subscribe to some seminary’s own theology without first doing their own personal homework, like the Bereans. Just because a seminary teaches a theology does NOT make it true. The only way to know if something is true is to be biblical, to see what exactly what the scriptures say. We must only let the scriptures do the talking for us, not to let our own theology dictate, but correct theology is only obtainable by correctly letting the scriptures speaks for themselves, being biblicalist instead, that means we can NOT and must NOT add something to what the scriptures does NOT say exactly and we can NOT assume something the scriptures are NOT saying. If the scriptures do NOT explicitly say it then it’s NOT of God and NOT His word in the Bible. That’s how Jesus said you can tell the truth from falsehoods. It is important to recognize there are different subjects; for the subject of how to obtain eternal life is far different than the subject of discipleship. We must not confuse one for the other or mix the two together. Romans 11:6, “And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” ( this verse shows the distinguishing of 2 subjects, grace verses works) We must be careful of contradictions. For if you say one is saved by grace, NOT by works and then you say one can loose their salvation, then whether you recognize it or not, you have a contradiction because if you can not get to heaven apart from your works at anytime you have made works necessary to obtain eternal life; and that’s a contradiction of the PROMISE of John 3:16, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone ( for God does NOT want or desire anyone to go to hell, but people choose for themselves to go hell) who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” For notice carefully, it never says, everyone who behaves in Him, but believes in Him. Myself, I have always had an open mind to listen to others and consider others views. I have always been willing to be corrected if one can show me my errors in scripture. It is arrogance and pride to not question what you have been taught and believe. Only when freedom is allowed to be expressed in questioning all can one truly come to know truth; for those who do know the truth are not afraid to be tested, questioned to no end, for truth can be tested and proved, only those badly mistaken filled with pride and arrogance have problems being tested and COMPARING shown scripture. Luke 21:15, “for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.’ To contend that 150 passages in which believing alone appears are incomplete and to that extent misleading takes a certain type of mind, however, those ( which is most in the world) who seem able to construct all its confidence on an erroneous interpretation by mixing different subjects together of passages and to be uninfluenced by the overwhelming body of Scripture ( of faith a lone, John 3:16, Acts 16:31 etc. etc.) which contradicts that interpretation are not being Bereans. Practically speaking but theologically accurate, justification means “to be declared as righteous as Christ is righteous.” If one is as righteous as Christ, it might be asked what more is needed for eternal life? The answer should be evident: nothing more is needed to get to heaven than to be justified in the sight of God (Rom 3:20; 4:2). This is why Paul combines the two concepts in his phrase, “justification of life” in 5:18. For Paul and his epistle to the Romans, there is nothing more needed to get to heaven than to be justified by faith in Christ alone. The Bible has many, many subjects in it. So when your talking about a particular subject it is very important NOT to mix it with another subject, otherwise you get the wrong idea’s which cause falsehoods. Like “justification” and “sanctification”. Those are two different subjects. Most people confuse the two or do NOT recognize the differences. But with a close look you can see there not the same and do not belong together. Truth is always provable where as falsehoods are NOT. Why? Because truth is always consistent and NEVER contradicts itself. The greatest thing the Devil has done is to get people to ignore basic principles of contradiction. The Devil’s trick is to get people to ignore and not believe the most obvious and simple message of Jesus’ saving message in John 3:16. For God NEVER contradicts Himself, but that’s what most people end up accepting, believing for various reasons being blinded by the Devil. When Jesus says, all those who simply believe in His promise that He guarantees “eternal life” to those who believe in Him and they shall never perish He means what he says. Jesus saving message is always short and concise. And that’s the same message Paul told to unbelievers, Acts 16:31. And then you have Paul defending that same message of Jesus’ of John 3:16 over and over again and again in Romans 3:20-22, 24, 26, 4:5-6,13, 11:6, Galatians 2:16, 3:1-5, 7,11, 14,22 “But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” NOT works!!! Then in 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Jesus, Paul and John make and show the GREAT contrast between faith alone and works by using such words as “free, gift, grace, without cost.” See John 4:10, Romans 3:25, 5:15,16, 6:23, Eph. 2:8 and Rev.21:6 and 22:17. Actually the Bible screams loud and clear that works have NO part in salvation at ALL at anytime, it’s not a progressive salvation, but a complete salvation the moment one simply believes in Christ a lone!!! Now that’s what scripture says. To say otherwise is APPLES and ORANGES. When God goes to great measures to say all throughout the Bible using Jesus, Paul and John that people are saved by “grace”, that it’s a gift, salvation is free, without cost, it is absolutely clear He wants you to know it is NOT of works; OTHERWISE He is CONTRADICTING Himself and God does NOT CONTRADICT Himself and cannot CONTRADICT Himself. There are MANY subjects in the Bible and they MUST not be confused one for the other or mixed as Paul plainly says in Galatians 3:1-5. There are passages when Jesus or Paul are talking about if you love Jesus you will “obey, follow, live a good moral life style”, those passages are NOT talking about eternal salvation but fellowship and discipleship. Then there are passages that address rewards and loss of rewards and of discipline, sometimes serious discipline of believers, sometimes some speak of God bringing some believers home early because of serious discipline and because of unrepentant sin(s) in their life. Sometimes, the passages speak pretty harsh as any good parent warns their children of. But their still children of God’s whether the children obey or not. These passages the Devil uses to confuses people from knowing the GRACE of God. But any serious student, clear thinker can see that there is a difference in how God says we are saved by a gift that CAN NOT be earned and when He is talking about things that CAN be earned or when it’s about discipline. And sometimes passages are talking about false teachers and false doctrine. These things the Devil uses very well to his advantage to confuse and corrupt the Freeness of the Gift of Salvation. ACTS 10:43 states, “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone “who believes” in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Take note there is no mention of works at all, none, zilch! In the bible works are never mentioned as part of the process of justification for salvation. “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” (Romans 3:28). Look at the sharp contrast between works and faith alone in Romans 3:20, 4:4-6, 11: 6 and Galatians 2:16. The issue is simple faith alone in Christ. Trust in Him alone apart from anything else and you are eternally saved. “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly.” (Galatians 2:21). We must not take for granted what someone else says about salvation. We must look for ourselves to know. The bible tells us those at Berea searched the scriptures daily to know the truth and in Acts 17:26&27 that we should seek God. People take more time to examine a house, a car, a piece of clothing before they buy it than they do to know what the bible says about salvation. We must struggle to find the truth; God says in Hebrews 11:6 He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Kerygma, Brady
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:01:06 +0000
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