Hello Gregory;
Hope you are having a great day.
All doctrine begins with God. The very basics of doctrine starts with mankind being cut off from God. Rom 3;23 Rom 5:12. What good is doctrine ? To communicate the gospel to people in need of hearing it.
How are we in need of doctrine ? By way of sin which isolates us from God. By being less than holy. Rebellion. Moral impurity. Wickedness. By being one's own point of reference. Gen 3:5 "Ye shall become as God's" Therefore are doctrine and the bible my God.? I sure hope not. But, the authority and power behind the Bible surely is.
To have the slightest chance of reaching you I must. First What ? Effectively communicate with you. How much of a chance do I have doing that on my own. Zero to nil. However with the leading and guiding of the Holy spirit you will eventually start to realize that the inexorable will and hand of God is committed to bring you to salvation right up and until the mere second before destruction comes upon you.
If you are looking for a message or a sign you will not find one for the direction I wish to lead you is to a person, not a message. Therefore the sincerity of your belief ( please get this--it is so crucial ) either before or AFTER, salvation, shock , shock !! after ? Too. Is not the answer you are searching for, nor the purpose of your faith, nor the reason for your faith. The answer you are searching for is in the object of your faith.
The object of my faith is therefore in Jesus. Through the process of justification there is a transfer of my sin to Christ and the righteousnes of Christ to me. Gal 2:20 Eph 5 :25 John 1 :29
This is a whole new discussion and one worthy of my study . It was like the Holy Spirit just tapped me on the head and asked me if Jesus Christ therefore becomes the standard ( as in flag or emblem ) for Christians. ?
Briefly, as long as the flag flies, the nation stands, correct ? So I would say that Christ does become our standard. As long as Christ lives, the Kingdom of God stands . Therefore, if Christ would not have risen from the dead, the kingdom of heaven would have fallen. Satan thought He had pulled it off when Christ was crucified.
Even for a devout, mature Christian to think that a sinless life , pleasing to God, is wrought by the desire to be so, is a philosophy that is doomed for failure. Look at the junk heaps the roads of life are littered with, many, those same Christians, included. So what then is your chance ?
Even for a mature Christian, faith becomes the key for victory. How do you get it ? First realize that it comes from Christ. Then realize the Holy Spirit is the agent of your faith, and a very important instrument of faith, the bible.
So remember that God did not spare the old world, nor the angels that sinned. II Peter 2:4,5,6 nor Sodom. But is able to just as Lot and Noah deliver the godly out of temptation. But the sins of the Sodomites were, sexual,despisers of government,presumptous, headstrong, reckless,self sufficient, self willed,rebellious of law,speaking evil, openly sinning in daylight,covetousness,boasters, braggerts,seducers.
Therefore Gregory, what ( II Peter 2:11 ) report will the angels bring to God about you. Even for the worst sinner, such as in Sodom they only report the facts, no railing accusations. They courteously report only the facts to God. They make up nothing. Do not embellish anything. Just the facts.
In Christ..gregor |
