For God is not God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.- I Corinthians 14:33
but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and shall remind you of all things that I said to you. – John 14:26
And, brothers, I was not able to speak to you as to spiritual ones, but as to fleshly ones, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, and not food, for you were not then able, but neither now are you yet able. For you are yet fleshly. For where among you is jealousy, and strife, and divisions, are you not fleshly and walk according to man? For when one may say, Truly I am of Paul, and another, I of Apollos; are you not fleshly?
What then is Paul? And what Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, and to each as the Lord gave? I planted, Apollos watered, but God made to grow. So as neither he planting is anything, nor he watering, but God making to grow. So he planting and he watering are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are fellow workers of God, a field of God, and you are a building of God. According to God’s grace given to me, as a wise master builder, I laid a foundation, but another builds on it . But let each one be careful how he builds. – I Corinthians 3:1-10
But even if we, or an angel out of Heaven, should announce a gospel to you beside what we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, and now I say again, If anyone announces a gospel to you beside what you received, let him be accursed. – Galatians 1:8-9
As Christians we have all probably heard, or read these passages from time to time. But, watching media, looking at the Internet, and being involved in social-networking sites has shown an all too predictable trend among those who claim Christianity as their belief. There are many who adhere to the letter of these passages, yet there are few who agree completely on any given point of doctrine.
Among those who are “fundamental” in their beliefs are many who try to assert their own authority over scripture. From time to time the temptation to assert a sense of superiority over some doctrine or another is introduced into every devout believer. The question one must ask is whether or not that doctrine is an imperative, or superfluous. One of the most common arguments is over the method of baptism. Is immersion the only true baptism, or is pouring acceptable? This argument is superfluous, but some have made it an imperative. The question is, on what basis do I assert this argument to be superfluous?
It is for this reason that the passage has been written: “For many are called, but few chosen.” – Matthew 22:14 and . “Go in through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are the ones who go through it. For narrow is the gate, and constricted is the way that leads away into life, and few are the ones who find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14
How do I know that my particular interpretation of scripture is correct? I don’t; but, then again, I never assumed it to be.
As one grows in the faith one matures in their understanding. However, if one ceases to grow, they will also stop maturing. Many people who begin down the path towards salvation gain a set of axioms on which they make certain assumptions. These axioms can come from many sources; pastors, books, media, friends, etc. This is how many cultural idioms are transferred from one generation to the next. I recently heard from a young person that she had learned some people were executed as witches for having moles on their faces. This is an absurd twisting of the circumstances surrounding the Salem witch trials. Yet, this information somehow has found it’s way into the classroom. How does this happen? Simple; laziness.
With so much information bombarding us every single day, it’s easy to become nibblers, instead of eaters. The television shows us a broad overview of a subject and we feel as though we have a good grasp on the topic. From there we make assumptions of the details, without ever actually researching the details. Christopher Columbus is often accused of having brought disease, destruction and slavery to the islands of the Caribbean. This is patently false, yet many believe it. If, however, one takes the time to read the actual diaries of Columbus, or his last will and testament, or the histories of the court in Spain during that time, they will find a much different picture concerning Columbus. But, how many of us take the time to do that?
In today’s society we are too busy chasing down a career, chasing after our children, and trying to keep some sense of normalcy in a world gone wild. We take the short route to entertainment through television and movies and games. Imagine the learning that could be had if cable television didn’t exist. This is what it means to become an eater. Our founding fathers didn’t have television. They didn’t have video games. They didn’t have movies. They had books, and generally those books were the classic works of antiquity. These men read Latin, Greek and some even read Hebrew. They were well versed in Aristotle, Plato, Augustine, Rousseau, and many, many others. Names that we, in the modern world, find in specialized studies at the collegiate level only.
We consider ourselves smarter and better equipped simply because evolution tells us that we are progressing towards a better tomorrow. Yet, for some reason we all can’t seem to agree on the simple, basic ideals of society. Thus, we are told that all ideals are equal. We are told that all cultures are acceptable. We are encouraged to be “tolerant” towards our fellow man. All of this infers that all behaviors are acceptable, so long as those behaviors don’t immediately endanger another’s well being. But, what about the future? What about tomorrow? For many, tomorrow will take care of itself. Then, all too quickly, they find themselves living out tomorrow.
So what does all of this have to do with Christianity and the interpretation of doctrine? Simple; there are many who have been called, but there will be few who are chosen, simply because Satan has introduced the most subtle form of confusion; pluralism. When we get our talking points, our general outline, concerning the things of God we begin to form a platform of understanding based upon this outline. It becomes a matter of convenience; a systematic way to eliminate the difficult, day to day work of growing, not in a religious system, but in a relationship with a living, personal God. And here is where the modern discrepancies in doctrine occur.
Yet, these discrepancies aren’t all that modern. Luther fought against a corrupted Roman Church, Augustine fought against a corrupted pagan church, Paul – in Corinthians – was warning against divisions in doctrine a mere thirty years after the death of the Christ. People have been, as they are now, struggling to find a clear understanding of the Faith. Yet, for some reason they look to their fellow man for that understanding, despite the fact that Jesus promised that our primary instructor was not man, but the Holy Spirit. But, relying upon a thing that is unseen, inaudible and untouchable is – for many – an impossible task.
If I write that God is a person, many will have a lump in the back of their throats, because when I use the word person, it seems as though I am trying to bring God down to a human level. However, if one understands the meaning of person, a new understanding of God begins to emerge. God is a spiritual being, with intellect, purpose, and integrity. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, but those are his characteristics, not his character. God has a character. He is love, order and justice. God is the origin and meaning of the word person, and He is also personal. We know that He takes a personal interest in His creation and in His creatures. He expects each of us to take responsibility for our own person, just as he takes responsibility for Himself.
It is those who come to understand God as a person who begin to understand that systematic religion is a false concept, introduced by Satan as a means of dividing us all into small, discernible groups. Socialism is a satanic construct, and as a satanic construct it shows us the character of our enemy. He clearly understands that by dividing us into groups he accomplishes many goals. First, we squabble amongst ourselves so that we do not look at our similarities, but at our differences. Second, we clearly identify ourselves and begin to emphasize our own group identities, thereby introducing false doctrines into scripture in order to secure our position, and the position of power of the leader of the group. Third, we identify ourselves to society at large as divided, weak, and impotent. We become just another world religion, among many worthless world religions. While we are engaged in class warfare against each other, he marshals his forces and attacks us one by one, group by group. Soon we find ourselves accepting the things of the world as common practice and then we find ourselves defending the things of the world against other Christians who seek to stand against them. The modern, organized “church” – in many cases – has become an advocate for their enemy.
Many who claim Christianity do so from a sense of responsibility. Others accept it as a hereditary tradition. Still others recognize the merits of the faith, but don’t understand the foundational principles. A few, a small, select few, put aside the trappings of religion, the systems of doctrine and the performances of denomination and look to God as a person. These people clearly understand that the Christ is not a religion, He is a person. These people do not suffer from the problem of confusion, though from time to time they too may be tempted to fall into it’s grasp. These people don’t need to have an answer to every minutiae of doctrine, but they continue to seek the truth and lay aside their own preconceptions. But, most importantly, these people are filled with sorrow for those who they know are following after confusion; because they know that those who, “1)being once enlightened, 2)having tasted of the heavenly gift, 3)becoming sharers of the Holy Spirit, 4)tasting the good Word of God, and the works of power of a coming age; then falling away, it is impossible for them again to renew to repentance, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God, and putting Him to open shame. – Hebrews 6: 4-6 They have made themselves an anathema to God. These people have blasphemed the Holy Spirit.
And everyone who shall say a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven Him; but the ones blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. – Luke 12:10
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