From Doctrine to Christ...

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The leaders of the Jewish people have a high regard for the Scriptures. So high a regard that when the Author of the Scripture taught in their cities they hated Him, preferring to "search the Scriptures." How can this be? Do the Scriptures, which came God through Christ, tell us to ignore Christ when He comes? How can this be? Does it happen today?

(1/2/2011). When I first became a Christian I came under the influence of fellow Marine Christians. They were adamant about the importance of the written Word. Some of them were followers of Dawson Trotman and stressed memorization of many passages of the Bible.

Being a new Christian I was impressionable. From that point forward I memorized many verses. Also, I embraced the attitude that the entire Bible is the infallible Word of God. I hold to that attitude to the present hour. I believe God has put His blessing on the accepted Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic translations of the Received Text.

Since I left the Marine Corps, at the end of World War Two, I have found several errors in the beliefs of fundamental Christian believers. While most fundamental believers subscribe to the full verbal inspiration of the Received Texts, they have adopted a number of traditional beliefs, such as the goal of salvation is escape from Hell and eternal residence in the heavenly Paradise. Any individual can read the New Testament and notice that nowhere is the heavenly Paradise presented as the goal of the Christian redemption.

Perhaps the most destructive of the adopted traditions is the misunderstanding of the Apostle Paul's doctrine of "grace." "Grace" appears to be regarded in our day as an alternative to righteous behavior. Much of the writings of the Apostles make this definition of "grace" violently unacceptable. What Paul meant by "grace" is that we are to serve Christ through the Spirit of God rather than by obeying the Law of Moses.

Such a simple misunderstanding, but so terribly awesome in its effect on the spiritual maturity of the Christian believers throughout the world.

I have discussed this issue in many of my writings. I wish to veer now to a different, although related, issue. But first I had to assure my readers that I subscribe wholeheartedly to the full, verbal inspiration of the Received Text. I consider every word of the Bible to be heavier than the combined weight of the sand on the shores of every ocean, sea, and lake in the world.

The Bible is, in fact, the very Word of the living God. The Old Testament and the New Testament were spoken by the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ, although human vehicles were employed in their transcription. These are not the words of men but of God!

The different issue about which I am writing is the way the New Testament is to be interpreted and obeyed. The New Testament, unlike the Old Testament, is not to be interpreted and obeyed in the same manner that was true of the Old Testament. The Old Testament was to be read and obeyed. Righteousness and prosperity were given to those who learned the Law of Moses, and the words of the Prophets, and obeyed them.

To a certain extent this is true of the New Testament. It may be noted that adherence to the text of the New Testament is the basis for the numerous divisions among Christian churches. Some scholars interpret and stress passages of the Bible in one manner, and some in another. We see this in the disagreement concerning the Sabbath day, some pointing toward Saturday, and some, Sunday.

How can this be, given the scholars on both sides are godly, competent people? It was true even before Christ, wasn't it, as we see the Pharisees and the Sadducees arguing about the resurrection. Everlasting disagreements, and yet but one God and one Christ.

Why is this? It is because the Bible so often is interpreted and obeyed by the human mind. And humans in all kinds of endeavors, whether scientists or artists, disagree one with another.

The Apostle Paul told us that the Lord's desire is that we become one in Christ. We never can be one in Christ on the basis of theology or doctrine. It is not going to happen. Unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God is arrived at only when people are filled with Christ, regardless of their doctrinal understandings.

It may be true that we have gotten into the incorrect doctrines that we have as a result of our cutting and pasting verses from the New Testament to produce a simplified "plan of salvation," which we then have the unsaved recite (the famous "four steps of salvation).

But we have ignored the description of the new covenant presented in the Book of Hebrews. There we are told that the new covenant is the writing of God's eternal moral law on our heart and mind. This means that the new covenant is one of personality transformation rather than one primarily of forgiveness; and certainly is not a pass out of Hell into everlasting residence in Heaven.

When we speak of the writing of God's eternal moral law (not the Law of Moses!) on our heart and mind, we are referring to the creation of Christ in us. He alone is the Word of God. And this is exactly what the new covenant is. It is the forming of Christ in us, for which the Apostle Paul travailed in birth.

To a very great extent our teachers today are stressing doctrine rather than interaction with the living Jesus. We search the Scriptures, hoping to find eternal life therein. But perhaps we do not come to Jesus Christ Himself. There is no eternal life in the Scriptures. The eternal life is only in Christ, who Himself is the Resurrection and the Life.

When we emphasize doctrine rather than Christ we create division and death. When we emphasize the living Jesus we emphasize unity and life.

I have been impressed during the last several months to stress that we Christians need to invite Jesus into our life–not just once, but continually in all that we are doing during each day and night. If we are to stand during the Divine judgment on America, we cannot be relying alone on our faith in doctrine.

We must be living by the Life of the Man, speaking to Him constantly; asking for His wisdom and strength in all that we are and do. When two people are doing this, they may discover that they are dwelling in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Doctrinal agreement never will accomplish such unity and knowledge. It is difficult for us to understand that the new covenant is one of the Spirit and not of the letter.

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (II Corinthians 3:6)

Now, exactly what is a covenant of the Spirit?

Paul gives us the answer is the Book of Romans:

In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:4)

The righteousness of the Law of Moses is ascribed to us if we live according to the Spirit of God. This is the covenant of the Spirit. We do not make our daily decisions on the basis of the letter of the Testaments but on the basis of what we are hearing from the Lord Jesus. We walk in close fellowship with Him.

What, then, is the role of the written Scripture? The role of the Scripture is that of a slave who brings us to Christ. The New Testament commands us to study the writings of the Apostles, and the Old Testament Prophets as well. It takes a considerable period of time before we can follow the Spirit without being deceived. This is why continued, daily meditation in the Bible is absolutely essential if we are not to fall into the traps of Satan.

I believe it is the role of the elders in the churches to watch over the younger believers as they seek to follow Jesus. Each of us can learn to follow and have fellowship with the Lord; but such ability requires a lifetime of patiently pressing ahead, meanwhile confessing our mistakes when we make them and then fighting forward.

Christianity is not a philosophy. It is not even a religion, although people have made it a religion. In actuality, our salvation, our redemption from the hand of Satan, is found in our ever increasing knowledge of Christ. "I want to know Christ," Paul exclaimed. And this when he was a mature, experienced Christian.

We are in a new day, the third day of Hosea, Christ is raising us up. For those of us who are pressing forward, the vestiges of churches and religion and doctrine are slowly passing away.They have accomplished their mission. In their place is Jesus Himself to worship and obey.

Religion has gone. The Lord is here. All who truly are growing in Christ are entering the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. This is the message, the burden of the hour.

When we die and pass into the spirit world, or when Jesus comes, the trappings of religion will exist no longer—church buildings; liturgies; ceremonies peculiar to our particular denomination or sect. For example, the Communion service will endure only until he returns, according to what he told us. We are to proclaim the Lord’s death "until he comes."

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. ( Corinthians 13:12)

However, instruction in the Bible will continue—persisting, perhaps, into the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. It appears there always will be a need for moral instruction; also for the knowledge of how God has worked in time past.

The following passage tells the story quite clearly:

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. (II Peter 1:19)

I believe Peter is telling us here that we must pay close attention to the written Word. As we do, a day dawns within us. The "morning star," Christ, rises in our heart. It is the purpose of the written teaching to bring us to Christ. The Bible is not a substitute for an intensely personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

It is necessary that we read the Bible and pray every day. When chaos comes to our country, as it surely shall, we need to know the living Jesus. He will guide and protects us if we follow Him obediently and diligently.

We had a prophecy in our church last Sunday morning. It was to the effect that the Lord Jesus said He is lonely. It reminded me of the old saints who spoke of the "Lonely God."

Why is Christ lonely? Because He is standing and waiting while our attention is on our church and our doctrine. He will enter and dine with each of us every moment of every day and night if we will keep opening our heart to Him. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5:39,40)

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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