a friend of me wrote this
The Nature of GOD...
Certain doctrinal issues have been perennial instigators of strife and division among those seeking membership in the body of Christ. If we honestly consider the implications of strife and division vs. one accord in unity--why do we still strive to prove one side or the other of these issues?
They are basically the same ones, over and over, and over again. Never does a conclusion arise that settles the contention. Yet we insist that those who don't see our side of it are surely condemned, but that's meaningless because those we condemn feel the same about us.
Do we really think that what we might be able to prove somehow is going to actually change or determine anything about the structure of God's holy temple? How can we believe that any source of disagreement would be put before God's true congregation to cause division such as is the way in man's religious congregations? We can't prove ourselves worthy of membership in Christ's true church by showing ourselves to be 'right' in any precept, and another 'wrong', by default. That's man's way, not God's.
So if in our hearts, we know where our place is, mustn't we let go of vain contentions that never rest--since obviously they are things that He has not given us to worry about, because those things He does not hide or conceal from our understanding. God never defeats any of our efforts to love and obey Him, we defeat ourselves by trying to determine what we must believe in order to Believe.
I only want to show one example right now, and that is the trinity thing. It's the leading cause of my being banned from countless christian forums and boards...being seen as someone who does not subscribe to the traditional religious version of the trinity seems to be a very very heinous crime in the CX...I know everything comes in three's...but it isn't in their canned format...so I've been shunned and banned and rebuked.
I love it.
This is a perpetual fountain of confusion. God is not the author of confusion. Therefore God did not determine any laws regarding this--this is an invention of man, and any stringent prescriptions about it are men's snares, not God's law.
Straight from the mouth of Jesus:
Therefore I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins. Then they said to Him, Who are you? And Jesus said to them, Even the same which I also say to you. I have many things to say and to judge of you, but He who sent Me is true, and I speak to the world those things what I heard of Him. They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you shall know that I AM, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things which please Him.
John 8:24-29
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.
John 3:35-36
For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life within Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
John 5:26
Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent.
John 6:29
Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven.
Matthew 10:32-33
I pretty much see 3 things to believe:
That Jesus is 'I AM'.
That God, the Father has given all things unto the hand of the Son.
And that the work of God is: that we believe on Him who He has sent.
Nothing, anywhere, in any way, even SUGGESTS that we are capable of understanding the essence of God, whether as spirit, man, or Sovereign LORD--much less lays it out for us. I personally don't try to think there's even a chance for me to understand the details of God--I'm still trying to understand his Word--and worrying about details we cannot determine is dangerous distraction...therefore we should just trust GOD...to figure it out...because we can not...and do not even need to...what would it gain?
I like GOD to be rather mysterious, anyway...it keeps me occupied and infatuated.
We don't need to know the organization of the divinity. We need not define and delineate relationships within that divinity. We have enough to do with just believing. Why make it harder to do so? Do you think that the love of God is the author of such a heavy yoke?
We've even got a clear example laid out for us, like a four leaf clover--we seem to overlook it's value--the Pharisees were confounded about Jesus' identity, and they sought answers within that which they could not know. In so doing, their lack of faith cost them.
All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out. For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 6:37-38
Do the sheep follow the shepherd because they know His voice--or do they seek to identify and define Him? How can a sheep know the nature of a man? And how can man know the nature of God?
The Nature of GOD...
Certain doctrinal issues have been perennial instigators of strife and division among those seeking membership in the body of Christ. If we honestly consider the implications of strife and division vs. one accord in unity--why do we still strive to prove one side or the other of these issues?
They are basically the same ones, over and over, and over again. Never does a conclusion arise that settles the contention. Yet we insist that those who don't see our side of it are surely condemned, but that's meaningless because those we condemn feel the same about us.
Do we really think that what we might be able to prove somehow is going to actually change or determine anything about the structure of God's holy temple? How can we believe that any source of disagreement would be put before God's true congregation to cause division such as is the way in man's religious congregations? We can't prove ourselves worthy of membership in Christ's true church by showing ourselves to be 'right' in any precept, and another 'wrong', by default. That's man's way, not God's.
So if in our hearts, we know where our place is, mustn't we let go of vain contentions that never rest--since obviously they are things that He has not given us to worry about, because those things He does not hide or conceal from our understanding. God never defeats any of our efforts to love and obey Him, we defeat ourselves by trying to determine what we must believe in order to Believe.
I only want to show one example right now, and that is the trinity thing. It's the leading cause of my being banned from countless christian forums and boards...being seen as someone who does not subscribe to the traditional religious version of the trinity seems to be a very very heinous crime in the CX...I know everything comes in three's...but it isn't in their canned format...so I've been shunned and banned and rebuked.
I love it.
This is a perpetual fountain of confusion. God is not the author of confusion. Therefore God did not determine any laws regarding this--this is an invention of man, and any stringent prescriptions about it are men's snares, not God's law.
Straight from the mouth of Jesus:
Therefore I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins. Then they said to Him, Who are you? And Jesus said to them, Even the same which I also say to you. I have many things to say and to judge of you, but He who sent Me is true, and I speak to the world those things what I heard of Him. They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you shall know that I AM, and that I do nothing of Myself, but as My Father has taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things which please Him.
John 8:24-29
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. He who believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.
John 3:35-36
For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life within Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
John 5:26
Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent.
John 6:29
Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven.
Matthew 10:32-33
I pretty much see 3 things to believe:
That Jesus is 'I AM'.
That God, the Father has given all things unto the hand of the Son.
And that the work of God is: that we believe on Him who He has sent.
Nothing, anywhere, in any way, even SUGGESTS that we are capable of understanding the essence of God, whether as spirit, man, or Sovereign LORD--much less lays it out for us. I personally don't try to think there's even a chance for me to understand the details of God--I'm still trying to understand his Word--and worrying about details we cannot determine is dangerous distraction...therefore we should just trust GOD...to figure it out...because we can not...and do not even need to...what would it gain?
I like GOD to be rather mysterious, anyway...it keeps me occupied and infatuated.
We don't need to know the organization of the divinity. We need not define and delineate relationships within that divinity. We have enough to do with just believing. Why make it harder to do so? Do you think that the love of God is the author of such a heavy yoke?
We've even got a clear example laid out for us, like a four leaf clover--we seem to overlook it's value--the Pharisees were confounded about Jesus' identity, and they sought answers within that which they could not know. In so doing, their lack of faith cost them.
All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will in no way cast out. For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.
John 6:37-38
Do the sheep follow the shepherd because they know His voice--or do they seek to identify and define Him? How can a sheep know the nature of a man? And how can man know the nature of God?
