Blessed is the man who walks not
in the counsel of the ungodly.
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night...
For the LORD knows the way of the
righteous, but the way of the
ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 1:1-2,6
It has been pointed out several times in these blogs; what a person comes to belief determines their theology, and their theology determines their behavior, and their behavior determines their character. It is a person' belief that determines their doctrines, and their doctrines determine their theological understanding. If your beliefs are inadequate understanding of Jesus and the work of the cross, often then a person' faith causes that person to accept God on performance, religious experiences, and legalism would be generated. A hallmark of those believing in doctrines that are not Authentic Biblical Doctrines is one of control; do this, or do that, i.e., you must give 10% of your income, or, You must go from door to door, or, you must have a second baptism of the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, and do wonders, etc. Look into the New Testament and try and find that there is doctrinal warrant for such control. Are you living for Jesus Christ because this is what is mandatory by some Church, or some organization, or is it because of the work of Jesus Christ and your acceptance of what He taught, which is doctrine, doctrine that makes cause by your acceptance to live seriously righteously. If this is not what is driving you to be what God has revealed in Scripture, and you are following a Church, rather than Jesus Christ then there is a production of standards of behavior that fit theirs/yours own lifestyles. When a person comes to believe in the way that make cause to live which is not Authentic Biblical Faith then the outcome is a way of life that is characterized by ignorance and conceit. It is prideful, there is no desire to listen to reason; hold the course no matter whether it is right or wrong, it is what they have come to believe because it seems so right. Is it? A person will never know if they do not investigate and be an honest person that they will follow the truth no matter where it takes them. Think of the disciples of Jesus Christ, Peter, John, Matthew, etc., they were good Jews, they kept the Sabbath, they believed in Jehovah God, they expected the Messiah to come, but all in all they were Hebrews who love God as they were taught. Then Jesus entered into their lives and they made the changes necessary as they learned the truth, not just that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, they learned what God intended for them to be and do and this they did leaving behind their Jewish practices. What good examples for us that we can as they did when we learn the truth to make the necessary changes. In this dispensation of the New Testament, with the Messiah that was promised having come and did the work that He was assigned to do, we live under this dispensation and not the old dispensation that the Jewish nation was under for so many years. The Law is the same, the promises of old that are yet to be fulfilled will be, did He not keep other promises, yes! Our hope is sure, built on the foundation of the doctrines of Jesus Christ for His people in this dispensation. A caveat: when I speak of dispensation do not confuse this with Dispensationalism which is taught in some Churches; dispensation is a word that means organization. It would be just as well to speak of God's economy, the Messiah has come, we are under the work of Jesus Christ. We are to live as Jesus Christ instructed.
How many people today say that they are "Christian?" Having admitted to this they do not know what it really means, but if that person, whether they are truly "Christian," lives accepted cultural morals, no one questions whether or not that person is truly "Christian;" an Authentic Biblical Christian. For many people to be "Christian implies no more than some general assent, to have some sense or degree of morality, but this life or moral acceptance of the culture or what is accepted by their Church is akin to a good Hindu, or Muslim, or Buddhist.
Oh! You are so harsh, you might say, to state this that some are nothing more than good people of other religions that don't believe in the Bible. Am I? Ask yourself, would most cultural Christians experience any change in their behavior if it were irrefutably proven that Christianity is wrong? Would they still attend church as a social responsibility? Would there be a change in the way people sought counsel, or a way of modeling of their behavior, or a seeking for some sense in purpose if the knowledge that the Bible is not true? The world is full of examples of people that don't believe the Bible is the word of God who live wonderful moral lives, even to have a morality that is superior to those claiming to be "Christian." Just because we have a superior moral system ever to be in existence; what good is it if we do not live by that system?
Have you ever said, "Jesus is my Savior?" Did you forget that He was also our example? We are to believe on Him, this He taught, but also He taught that we are to follow Him. As mentioned about the disciples and others, they lived as Jesus lived, and the world took notice. Are you living in such a way that the world in which you have influence taking notice due to you living as Jesus Christ? These are important questions to ask and examine, for if we are honest and desire to live for Him, then we must be ready to change from the inside out. It is the heart that God judges, then the heart must, if it is to be acceptable to God, have flowing from it the truth. It must be Authentic Biblical Faith. Here is the good news: we are not left destitute to do this on our own; we have the Holy Spirit living within us to guide us in truth. We must be open and ready to accept the truth and to examine what we now believe so that our theology is correct, and our behavior is according to His word and not due to influences outside of His word. We study, as God said we should, we listen to preachers who are assigned by God whether or not what they are preaching is Biblical, we are not apathetic, we don't just accept without taking the time to examine what is being taught. This is work! Think of it as too what has been taught us from His word: we are in a war, we must put on the full armor of God, the Devil is seeking to destroy God's people. Our children are affected, our friends are affected, and even those who watch us from afar. God has entrusted us with His work, what a privilege. Don't take it lightly.
I will praise You, O LORD,
with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your
marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice
in You;
I will sing praise to Your name,
O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-2
God Is Your Refuge: Praise Him
Richard L. Crumb
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