Saturday, January 5, 2013

The Doctrine According to Godliness



Points of Fact


  1.    Peter teaches  that Christians have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2Pet 1:3-4).
  2.   Paul teaches that Christian’s have crucified their flesh with the passions and desires (Gal 5:24) 
  3.  James teaches that men are drawn into sin by the lusts of their flesh (Jam 1:14-15).
  4.  Peter teaches that those who suffer with Christ have ceased from sin and that they no longer walk according to the lusts of men (1Pet 4:1-2) 
  5. Paul teaches that if we walk after flesh we will die but if we, through the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body then we will live (Rom 8:13).


Question

How is it possible for a Christian to claim that he is saved and yet at the same time yield to the lusts of their flesh in an unlawful manner? 

A professing Christian who engages in such behaviour is obviously violating all the above mentioned points which pertain to the actual walk of a Christian.

Jesus did clearly state that if you sin you are a slave to sin (Joh 8:34). Jesus did also say that He came to set people free indeed (Joh 8:36) from their sin.

Can one be free indeed if they are still yielding to the lusts of their flesh and sinning? The plain statements of Jesus clearly refute such a position.

Paul was in perfect agreement with Jesus on this matter for he taught that we are slaves to whom we obey whether sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness (Rom 6:16). There was no third option presented where the two somehow mix, yet most people sincerely believe that the two do mix.

Immediately after teaching that we are slaves to whom we obey Paul taught in the very next verse that obedience from the heart (Rom 6:17) was the method by which people had been set free from serving sin and had thus become slaves of righteousness (Rom 6:18).

There are many people today, who will read the above and deny it because of the implications it brings in regards to their own theology. Instead of addressing the very specific and simple points made they will, instead, brush it off with rhetoric and appeal to other isolated portions of scripture in an attempt to dismiss what the Bible plainly teaches.

I have found through experience that many will portray the theme expounded above and imply that somehow it translates to “saving oneself.” The fallacy here is that the dynamic of yielding to God is no more the saving of oneself than Noah was saving himself when he yielded to God’s instruction and built the ark.

There are many today who sincerely believe that God “makes” you do everything and that to imply that YOU have to actually do something is an infringement on the sovereignty and glory of God. Such a position is pure nonsense. Ask yourself as to whether Noah was glorying in himself by yielding to God through the action of building the ark? Of course he was not, and neither is a Christian who willingly walks after the Spirit in humble obedience to their Creator.

A vast system of error has completely overtaken what is nominally called Christianity today

The plain and simple teachings of Jesus have been supplanted by a vast system of theology which removes all human responsibility along with any fear of judgment.

The  doctrine of Christ is according to godliness (1Ti6:3) and whoever sins and does not abide in this doctrine does not have God (2 Joh 1:9). One must abide in this doctrine to have the Father and the Son (2Joh 1:9) and this is why Jesus would teach the following…

Joh 15:3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Joh 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.


John mirrored this sentiment when he wrote...

1Jn 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1Jn 2:6  He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
1Jn 2:7  Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
1Jn 2:8  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
1Jn 2:9  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
1Jn 2:10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.


God Bless.


Scott.

3 comments:

  1. If you took the whole counsel of God, you would also know that a slave to sin has no ability to set themselves free. This is done only by the mercy of God. He has mercy on whom He has mercy and He hardens whom He chooses. It is not therefore he who wills, it is God who shows mercy.

    Jesus John 6:44 NO MAN can come to me unless they are DRAGGED to Him by the Father.

    Jesus John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

    When you take part of the word, in carnal understanding you get a works based gospel, that is all about man saving himself. That is what you are preaching my friend. As I have shared with you, the admonishment against sin is not for our salvation, it is written only for the ELECT and them remaining faithful, God Willing, and be counted worthy to make the blessed and first holy resurrection.

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    1. As you claim, a works based gospel doesnt save, which would mean earning salvation. There is a false statement. Works=\=merit, no one is claiming we earn forgiveness becuase God owes us for being good. I recall Jesus telling us to do many things, but this is not a merit system. We are saved on his terms. In Matt 6 15 Jesus states, "if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you." Forgiveness of others is mandatory for salvation, but do not think we earn salvation this way, it is not merit, it is obedience.

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  2. Who is claiming that we set ourselves free Pete?

    We are set free through the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ (Rom 8:2) whereby we are led by the Spirit by which we mortify the deeds of the body (Rom 8:12-13). That is the road to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Works based Gospel? Faith is a work (1Th 1:3) Pete.

    Jesus taught that we are to strive.

    Luk 13:23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
    Luk 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

    G75 - Strive - agōnizomai
    From G73; to struggle, literally (to compete for a prize), figuratively (to contend with an adversary), or generally (to endeavor to accomplish something): - fight, labor fervently, strive.

    Paul taught that we are to "work out."

    Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
    Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

    G2716 - Work Out - katergazomai
    From G2596 and G2038; to work fully, that is, accomplish; by implication to finish, fashion: - cause, do (deed), perform, work (out).

    God does not do it for us, God works in us the will and to do but we have to yield to that and put it into action.

    When the Bible teaches that it is not of works it is speaking of the "works of the law" or "works apart from the grace of God." This is because the issue is heart purity and outward works can never purify a heart.

    Faith purifies the heart (Act 15:9) because it yields to the leading of God whom is the source of all righteousness. God does not FORCE YOU to yield like you are teaching Pete. The Bible implies men can chose from Genesis to Revelation.

    Yes the Father draws or drags us indeed, yet you cannot rip that scripture out of context to deny that men can choose. God is not going to drag you against your will. He didn't drag Israel against their will, they had to be willing and obedient in order to be reconciled of their sins.

    You are teaching an elitist doctrine where God is a respecter of persons and chooses the elect apart from any choice that they made. You also teach that the non-elect will be saved in the end anyway. Thus your doctrine breeds complacency in the sinner because YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING. God MAKES YOU DO EVERYTHING thus YOU WAIT ON GOD.

    If you have sin in your life your doctrine teaches that God will get rid of it and that you don't have to because you can't do anything. Basically you are a robot enslaved to a computer program and God has to change the program apart from any conditions needed to be met on your part.

    Now I see you referencing Romans 9 in the cotnext of individual salvation when that passage is clearly in the context of the nations.

    So far Pete I have seen you rip Jer 18 out of context, Php 2:13 out of context, Rom 3:10-12 out of context, Rom 7 out of context, now Romans 9 out of context, as well as a few others. You might as well have been following the Reformed Theology Playbook if there was one.

    The bottom line is that you are teaching that men CAN SIN AND NOT SURELY DIE. Strip all your rhetoric away and that is your message in a nutshell.

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