What is missing here is an understanding as to why Sound Doctrine is important. There are a lot of good verses here but there are two overall points that I would like to make.
I know people who are constantly erring in the faith and they think they are more spiritual because they are charismatic and yet they will believe in things that are constantly unscriptural and when I object, they say something like,"Why aren't we Christian?"
If we make something other than God the object of our desires, the major themes will be idolatry. Dinonysus was the god of sex so even though we don't understand sex as a god, the ancients did have them as gods.
Only the foundation of the Church (Apostles and Prophets) were given infallibility through inspiration and we can't claim that alone without scripture. We can make mistakes but scripture won't. People who try to build upon the foundation should be careful as to how they build because if it isn't scripture, it will just be a wind of doctrine that won't stand parallel to God's plumbline.
My reply:
Well put, Sothenes.
"Spirituality" does not always mean that a person is a true Christian. Jesus told us what is necessary. "You must be born again." It is only then that a person receives the Holy Spirit of God indwelling the soul. And, the work of the Holy Spirit is to lead them in understanding Scripture, as well as sanctifying them towards God's will in their lives.
The term "Christian" is misused all the time. When it is used to describe the true meaning of the label, it means "Christ in one." That only happens when the gospel message is heard, believed, and received through being born again in Christ. It cannot be faked. Perhaps some people will be fooled for a time, but God knows who is genuine. He will one day separate the "sheep from the goats" (meaning, true believers from false converts). Meanwhile, we will still evangelize, even with with the "goats" in our midst.
What you wrote here is so true:
"If we make something other than God the object of our desires, the major themes will be idolatry"
That object of idolatry can be anything. When people lift things, other people, or desires above their worship for God, it is then that they can easily decend into idolatry. Many are so self-deceived in this way, that the only hope for returning to God is to repent, confess, and ask for forgiveness for their sin. Those who love their idols don't want to do the very thing that can save them from deception. Giving up their pride of self and humbling themselves before the Lord is anathema to them.
God's Word even tells us how far their hardness of heart and refusal to repent and turn to the Lord will go; even during the Great Tribulation of the end times:
Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
How utterly foolish it is for people to think they can hide from God! How totally deceived and reprobate they will be to want to commit suicide rather than repent and be saved.
Where else in Scripture have we heard someone tell a believer to just "curse God and die?"
Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Nowhere in Scripture will you find someone telling another to "curse God and live."
Why?
Because we all have the need, if not just the desire, to be reconciled with God and live. To know and love God, and be loved by Him, despite our foolish sinfulness, is the ultimate desire of our souls. Nothing else in this world can ever satisfy our need for God.
Oh yes. Sin may be "pleasurable for a time," but ultimately we find ourselves to be "utterly wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked" because sin leads to nothing but death. Allowing sin to consume us and keep us in darkness and deception is the ultimate goal of the enemy of our souls. What he offers us is absolutely nothing but evil, sin, deception and death.
When compared to the agape love, mercy, grace and eternal life with God through Christ's gospel message, we see how ridiculous it is to be fooled by the "blue pill" of Satan.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Jesus' own words in Revelation 3:18-22 describe the truth (can be similarly described as being like the "red pill" of reality in the movie, The Matrix):
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
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4 comments:
This is another outstanding post and you, Christine, are an ambassador of Christ the Messiah to the world. Keep up the great job you are doing in the kingdom as you shed more and greater light in places of darkness:
Christine said: “To know and love God, and be loved by Him, despite our foolish sinfulness, is the ultimate desire of our souls. Nothing else in this world can ever satisfy our need for God.
Oh yes. Sin may be ‘pleasurable for a time,’ but ultimately we find ourselves to be ‘utterly wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked’ because sin leads to nothing but death. Allowing sin to consume us and keep us in darkness and deception is the ultimate goal of the enemy of our souls. What he offers us is absolutely nothing but evil, sin, deception and death.”
This writer was very deceived during more than 20 years of “living” in the homosexual “life” style. I also practiced drunkenness for more than 30 years. Jesus delivered me from homosexual acts in 1985 and from the identity of a lesbian in 1988. My deliverance from alcohol abuse came years later.
My greatest deception was to believe I could not be deceived. That continues even now as the pride of self-righteousness and “holiness” often try to creep into my thoughts. We are transformed from glory to glory as we are being molded into the image of God’s Son, because He is the radiance of God’s glory (see HEB 1:3).
I love you, Christine. God has used you immensely to minister to my needs. God bless you this day. (ss)
Susan,
You're sweet words of encouragement help to keep me going here at this blog. Thank you for that!
God's Word tells us to lift each other up, and you certainly do that for me each time you comment here.
When you first posted the phrase, "my greatest deception was to believe I could not be deceived," at this blog a while back, it had a startling impact on my Christian walk. I realized that without God's Word, we could all be hopelessly deceived in this fallen world. Even fellow Christian believers who are not diligent in discerning truth (again, through knowing Jesus Christ and by studying his Word of Truth!)from error can allow themselves to fall into deceptive ways if they are not careful.
Let me ask you this question. Would you ever want to go back to who you once were or what you once believed now that you have been delivered from it through Jesus Christ?
That might sound like a foolish question. But I like to ask people that so they can share what they have gained once the scales of deception have fallen off of their eyes.
What the enemy of our souls meant for evil, God turned towards good in your life. The same can be said for me; as well as every other born-again believer and follower of Jesus Christ.
Our God is so awesome! When redeemed, our sins are as far as "the east is from the west." Yet, as Hebrews 1:3 informs us, we are being transformed and molded into the image of Jesus continually, each and every day. It is the joy of our lives. As you hinted in your comment, we will never completely "arrive" this side of heaven because it is a lifelong journey. Isn't it?
This sanctification process has a distinct purpose and helps us fall even more in love with our Savior! He gives us the agape love that cannot be matched by mere humanly-motivated love, yet increases our brotherly/sisterly love with our families, friends and other believers. In marriage, the agape love of God is present in the relationship and strengthens the eros kind of love between husband and wife, too.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our souls nudges us towards Jesus' command of the Great Commission, and gives us the heartfelt desire to share Christ with the lost.
For me, I can look back at my previous God-ignoring willful life filled with sin and see the levels of deception that were constantly at work in my life. This makes me aware of the need for Christ's "it is finished" sacrifice at the cross for all my sins in order to be reconciled back to God. Once again, I am humbled and led into joyful praise to God the Father for sending our Savior! I am again renewed in faith and strength with gratefulness to God for His transformation in my life!!
I'm so glad that God has allowed us to meet via this blog and continue to minister to each other as sisters in Christ!
I love you, too, and may God send many blessings your way today and always.
Love in Him,
Christine
Christine asked: “Would you ever want to go back to who you once were or what you once believed now that you have been delivered from it through Jesus Christ?”
To answer your question, please allow me to quote from a Joyce Meyer daily word not long ago:
“There is a life to be lived that is so superior to anything the world has to offer that no comparison can be made, but we must die to self and all its ways and demands in order to attain it. We must die to our own ways of being and doing – the fleshly ways of handling situations. We must also die to our own thoughts and our own idle, willful and contrary talk. We must learn to live beyond our feelings.
The ‘bottom line’ is that God relentlessly pursues the flesh and is intent on setting us free from its control.”
Joyce Meyer put into words, the answer that is in my heart. I totally agree with what she said.
Shabbat Shalom, my friend. (ss)
I think that often, we seek out things that are sinful to try to fill the void we have when we don't know Jesus. Unfortunately, I don't think many people realize that's what they're doing. They jump from thing to thing...promiscuity, drugs, alcohol etc., searching for something to make them feel whole, loved, worthy and valued. It's only when we know Christ that we can feel those things without needing the temporary fixes. People seek things which are "pleasurable for a time" because they don't know the love of God and salvation through His Son.
Of course, we're human, and even when we know Christ, even when we're born again by water and spirit, we still sin. However, we are better able to recognize that sin and we can repent for it. That's part of how we learn and grow closer to God.
This was a great post, Christine. I also enjoyed the responses from Susan Smith.
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