Once a person sees his/her need to study with the help of God’s Spirit and well established, well balanced teachers, what is it they should be taught?
The Bible explains that it is not enough to merely be taught, but rather, the believer needs to be taught something very definite.
II Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…”
Christians may think by attending services where they hear preaching, where a point here and a point there are being expressed, that they are gaining a well balanced spiritual meal that will somehow, someday lead to maturity.
But, without adopting a consistent, systematic training pattern at one's beginning, growing up in the Lord can be truly frustrating as one sifts through much of what passes for sound doctrine, but instead is merely a favorite few messages that are taught over and over again ad nauseum.
“The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them,” Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “because he knoweth not how to go to the city.” Or, in other words, the student needs less to listen to preachers and teachers, or to read books and listen to CDs, than he needs to know what is in season for him/her.
Christians ought not deceive themselves regarding their spiritual growth. Newborns in the Lord, Peter wrote, need to be fed the “milk” of the Word (I Pet. 2:2), fed to them via a slow, steady, “precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isa. 28:10) systematic study.
Through this patient adding of principles, a strong, solid foundation is built, believers remain planted, and are not easily shaken when their faith is being tested.
So what is it that should be included in one’s academic start? The writer of Hebrews (6th chapter) lists six principles that make up the “first principles of the doctrines of Christ.” Without these truths deeply rooted in a believer’s beginning, such lack often leads to a bad beginning; and, as was written to the Hebrews in 5:12, the resolution of a bad beginning is to go back to the beginning, to start again the right way.
For, even with the children of Israel, the Lord had to many times “restore as at the first…as at the beginning.” (Isa. 1:26) “This is the commandment,” wrote John, "that as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it” (verse 6)
The Bible explains that it is not enough to merely be taught, but rather, the believer needs to be taught something very definite.
II Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…”
Christians may think by attending services where they hear preaching, where a point here and a point there are being expressed, that they are gaining a well balanced spiritual meal that will somehow, someday lead to maturity.
But, without adopting a consistent, systematic training pattern at one's beginning, growing up in the Lord can be truly frustrating as one sifts through much of what passes for sound doctrine, but instead is merely a favorite few messages that are taught over and over again ad nauseum.
“The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them,” Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “because he knoweth not how to go to the city.” Or, in other words, the student needs less to listen to preachers and teachers, or to read books and listen to CDs, than he needs to know what is in season for him/her.
Christians ought not deceive themselves regarding their spiritual growth. Newborns in the Lord, Peter wrote, need to be fed the “milk” of the Word (I Pet. 2:2), fed to them via a slow, steady, “precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isa. 28:10) systematic study.
Through this patient adding of principles, a strong, solid foundation is built, believers remain planted, and are not easily shaken when their faith is being tested.
So what is it that should be included in one’s academic start? The writer of Hebrews (6th chapter) lists six principles that make up the “first principles of the doctrines of Christ.” Without these truths deeply rooted in a believer’s beginning, such lack often leads to a bad beginning; and, as was written to the Hebrews in 5:12, the resolution of a bad beginning is to go back to the beginning, to start again the right way.
For, even with the children of Israel, the Lord had to many times “restore as at the first…as at the beginning.” (Isa. 1:26) “This is the commandment,” wrote John, "that as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it” (verse 6)