HOW HAVE WE COME TO THIS?

How have we come to this?

Tonight, I asked Jesus to show us the truth again. You see, there is so much doctrine in existence, that it contradicts itself in some places.

Take for example the person who doesn’t believe God is just if hell exists. This person will judge God as abusive, and unmerciful if even one soul is destroyed. At the same time, this person has nothing bad to say about God slaughtering His own Son, taking the blame for all of mankind’s sins. This person calls that slaughter love. Something is wrong with that type of theology. I think you know what it is, but no one wants to talk about it.

Or, take the example of predestination verses free will. If predestination is true, then it means God knows before hand whom He will save. If free will is true, than all this is a crap shoot. There’s just one problem with free will. If it is true, then the gospel of grace is a lie. You see, a choice is a work, and it is definitely something to boast about. If any of us freely chose to believe in Christ, then it is by the merits of our choice that we were saved, not by the merits of grace. Yet Paul clearly told us salvation was by grace alone, not through works, so that no one may boast. You may think a choice is just a small work, or maybe not even a work at all, but if that choice leads to the greatest thing that can ever happen to us, then how small is that choice, really? Not by works, but by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, so that no one may boast. Free will isn’t spoken of there, yet there is a mountain of doctrine regarding the role free will plays in salvation.

Paul was clear, free will plays no role in salvation, none whatsoever. Only grace and faith play a role. So how did we get so far from the truth? And, does free will play a role, but the Bible forgot to mention what kind of role it really plays?

There is confusion in the church, and it is no wonder there are so many labeled as heretics, and so many who are under the thumb of someone who claims to have studied, or been given special revelation from God.

All of Christianity is again a mirror of Judaism at the time of Christ. Only those with degrees, and doctorates, and pedigrees are listened to. Only those who have gone to seminary really know the truth, right?

Wrong! God does not need a degree to speak the truth. If Jesus walked into any church, be it a home church, or a corporate church, few would listen to Him. “By what authority do you do these things?” is what He would be asked.

For a young man, unordained, to tell a bishop, a deacon, a pastor, anything of the truth is considered to be one who is disrespectful. Well, I am going to be disrespectful then, because I am tired of being a slave to the machine. I love my church. I love THE church. My pastor understands my drive for the truth, and encourages me. Few others will.

As I have traveled across the land of Blog, I have seen so many who have left the church, being disillusioned. Many are alone now, seeking fellowship desperately, and finding it in few places. This ought not to be.

Since when is Christianity about sin management? Since when do we believers jump quickly to judge people we don’t understand? When did that become part of our doctrine? And if I hear one more person say, “Well, I doubt he ever really was a Christian,” I am going to smack them. What a height of spiritual arrogance!!!

The Bible teaches us to consider all as above us. How well do any of us do that?

I seek the truth, to know it, and live it. Fact is, if we don’t live the truth, then we don’t really know it, do we?

So, start over.

Must I?

Possibly.

It can’t hurt. There is so much garbage out there that calls itself doctrine. I think we are better off throwing it all away, if all we do with it is argue, and judge.

At the beginning of this post, I listed two hotly contested doctrines. Fact is, my trust and love in God depends in neither of these. Either way can be true, and I will still love Jesus. This post wasn’t written for debate, so I really don’t care what I, or you think about any doctrines.

Not circumstances, nor conditions, will dictate to me love for God. Only God will dictate to me, and the words He uses are not sounding anything like what man says.