Is it really important what we believe? Is it enough to just love the Lord Jesus Christ and be a worshipper? After all, doctrine doesn't unite us but seems to divide us and aren't we seeking unity? Does the statement "I'm free in Christ, I don't need doctrinal beliefs," carry any Biblical weight as a true or false assumption?
These are some of the questions I get from the body of Christ regularly. Over the next few blogs we will address these questions and more. One of the plans of the enemy is to bring a substandard substitute to the real things of God and make it sound "super spiritual," and make the real things of God sound like religious bondage and unscriptural. If the doctrines of God were not important the enemy would not have introduced the doctrines of demons and the doctrines of man. Mankind really likes to do that which is right in their own eyes. We find this by the introduction of the doctrines of men. The false half-truth doctrines of demons and man are the things that divide us. A Statement of Faith, like all doctrine and theology, is a declaration of truths about God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Under the umbrella of these doctrines we find the sin condition of mankind, the need for salvation, and God's plan for that salvation. Doctrine is an attempt to give us a handle on the full Gospel, as we understand it from God's Word. Why is this important? Because we, the church, have been recently flooded with the doctrines of demons and the doctrines of man. We don't know what we don't know. This means that we each have more beliefs that are rooted in the doctrines of man and the doctrines of demons than we realize. After believing them and living them out over a period of time we become emotionally and mentality bound to our doctrines which causes a multitude of internal thoughts and feeling if anyone challenges them. That is why our Lord commanded us over 20 times to have ears to hear and to be teachable. Ephesians 4:14 KJV That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Colossians 2:22 KJV Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 1 Timothy 4:1 KJV Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1 Timothy 4:16 KJV Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. Hebrews 13:9 KJV Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. Revelation 2:14-15 KJV But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. More later...
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It would be a point for us to remember that when our Lord Jesus Christ spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness being tempted by the enemy He used the Word of God to overcome His tempter.
I have been in many doctrinal conversations with believers who responded to me with “I don’t believe what you are saying because my church doesn’t teach that.” What our church and denomination teaches will deem very insignificant when we are in the fire and are being tempted by the enemy unless the church and denomination is teaching the truth of God’s Word. We no longer need to be satisfied with words that imply truth, philosophies that exalt man’s intellect, and convenient doctrines that allow freedom to be worldly and sinful. We need to be fed that which is truth and life from God’s Word and not given the powerless, fruitless traditions and religious teachings of man. When the tempter comes, and come he will, we need to be armed with THE WORD OF GOD and have the boldness to say verily, verily I say to you... Matthew 4:4 ESV But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” John 6:32-35 ESV Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. (33) For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (34) They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” (35) Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. REWARD #2 Turning from evil
The rewards of developing the fear of the Lord are emphasized throughout Scripture. Having the fear of God gives strength to turn away (truly repent) from evil. I have people tell me all the time that they have repented of such-and-such sin, only to have them fall back into it in the matter of a short time. The problem was that they did not really repent, but confessed. The word "confession" means to come in agreement with. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of a sin and we confess it, we are coming in agreement with the Holy Spirit that we had unconfessed sin in our lives we needed to deal with. When we confess our sins to the Father we are not telling Him something He does not know. When we confess we are coming in agreement with what He knows and has revealed to our heart. The same is true about a spiritual truth we read from Scripture. When we confess that we are a royal priesthood, an overcomer, and a child of the King we are not confessing what originated with us. We are confessing or agreeing what the Word of God has already said about us. But repentance is different. To truly say we have repented means we have made an about face and headed away from the sin and to the opposite, which is what God says in His Word. Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of heart, which results in a change of behavior. The greatest asset to true Biblical repentance is having the fear of God. The fear of God causes to hate the sin within us the way the Father hates it. One of the problems among many believers is that they have a love/hate relationship their sin. I have been in to many services when the preacher will mention a sin he does and then makes a joke about it. This si especially true when it comes to gluttony. The issue is that the sin is either nor really regarded as sin or there is no fear of God concerning it. Proverbs 16:6 KJV By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. Proverbs 8:13 KJV The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Proverbs 14:16 KJV A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident. 2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. |
AuthorCharles Morris. Founder and Senior Pastor of RSI Ministry, RSI School of Ministry, and RSI Publishing L.L.C.. Archives
March 2021
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