Jesus answered them and said,
'My doctrine is not Mine,
but His who sent me.
If anyone wills to do
His will, he shall know
concerning the doctrine,
whether it is from God
or whether I speak on My
own authority.'
John 7:16-17
The word translated "doctrine" is to a teaching, a doctrine and is translated in the King James Version some 29 times as doctrine. Therefore let no one translate this word to mean anything else, it is doctrine from God that Jesus taught, that is that which God spoke about His Son, and His will for men to exercise. When Churches leave out teaching on doctrine then they have removed the Church from the primitive Church that was founded on doctrine, not just a way of life. To hold fast to doctrine or to a creed is considered by some pastors, teachers, professors, to be dogmatic and this is not to be desired. But is this so? The Christian faith does not have as its base, principled ethics for if this is so then how does ethics aid a person to hold fast to the faith? To say that Jesus taught ethics and it was by this ethics that a person's faith had foundation then to live an ethic life shows that a person is Christian. Is this so? Many people live an ethical life, Mahatma Ghandi lived an ethical life, George Washington lived an ethical life, John Calvin lived an ethical life, in fact you can find people of all walks of life living ethically. Does this make them Christian, or Hindu, or Mormon, or Jehovah Witnesses? Yes, we are to live ethically, that is true that this is part of the message of Jesus Christ, but it is not the foundation for the Christian faith. When times get tough ethics will not necessarily get you through the tough times, in fact many will make changes to meet the troubles and even change their ethics to relieve the pain or struggle they may be going through. Men have done such for centuries when they opposed true Christianity as it was just to tough for them to follow, they did not like the Doctrines and changed their teachings to a teaching that would be more accepted by the people, no matter how honest they were in their thinking, that they were doing the right thing, they were not! Liberal Christianity is one such belief system that has changed and teach other than what the Bible teaches for they teach that man must live ethically, must do things to make Christianity more palatable for people, and this they do by emotional appeals, dressing and acting like the world, and by using Scripture to prove that this is ok. It is not! These men sound the cry: "Back to Christ" and this to them, their message is principle ethics, and to be non-doctrinal.
The disciples of Christ after having gone into discouragement, disillusionment, sadness, for their friend, their teacher, the Messiah, had died. Then Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to them and the message became clear and plain and it is this message that is the foundation for Christianity: Christ has risen and by His resurrection men can be saved. The narrative is this, Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried, these words can be found in the Creeds, and this is history, but this is not an isolated message for there is more; Jesus love me and give Himself for me; this is doctrine, and it is this doctrine that changes lives, lives that will live ethically not because society demands such, or that a person receives some feeling of being holy and acceptable to God, no, it is the fact that God Himself came to earth in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, His very Wisdom, the second Person of the Trinity, to die! It is His death, and resurrection, the fact that He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God that is the doctrine that is foundational for the Christian. The message that spread the Christian faith was not principled ethical living, that alone was not enough and was already being practiced in some form by all peoples, no, it was that Jesus died for the sins of man, period! This is the heart of the message and it is this message on which we place of faith. The two messages, those by the liberals who call themselves Christian and that by those who have taught the Doctrine of the Bible with all it clearness and plainness demonstrate that the liberal theology is not Christianity at all, it is another message outside the Bible, and that for those who hold fast to the Doctrines of God, those found in the Bible, those Doctrines that from the beginning of Christianity, that are the foundation for Christian faith, this is the true message, and the foundation for Christian faith.
When a person speak of Doctrine and especially of the Doctrine of Predestination and election those liberals change the message and deny that the Bible teaches such Doctrine, preying on those who will not study to show themselves approved by God, and listen passively to false teaching, that cause confusion when the truth is taught. The good news is that God did before the foundation of the world choose those who He would save and those He would not and to say anything different is not to teach what the Bible teaches and demonstrates. God by His omniscience, His Providence, His dispensation, and by His economy, has kept in force His purpose for creation and we may cavil, even vehemently object to such a Doctrine but to no avail, for it is the Doctrine of God. Jesus Christ did die for the sins so man, and His death is sufficient for all, but only applies to those who God will give to Him, those He chose. If God willed that all men would be saved, then they would be saved, for God to will a thing then that thing will happen. The Bible is clear some will be thrown into Gehenna, and others will live eternally with God immortal and as new creatures living in a world designed for God's children. How do you know that you are chosen? This is a good question. Do you desire to know God, do you desire to live a life that is founded on the Doctrines of God? Where is your heart, and your devotion? Yes, it is a growing sanctification, but it must be growing, and you will know for a fact that you are becoming sanctified in this life by the exercise of your faith, living ethically according to God's standards, no matter what, all because the foundation of your faith is on the Doctrine of God who chose you.
On the last day, that great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried out,saying, "If anyone thirsts,
let him come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, out of His
heart will flow rivers of living water."
John 7:37-38
Thank God for He chose you
Richard L. Crumb
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