Good teaching is hard to find. Mostly any place you go you hear a sermon about YOUR life. About practical things for YOUR life. Now, I am not opposed to teaching and training the saints in a practical form. Giving them good advice on raising kids, and remaining married, and how to develop a servant’s heart. These are all wonderful and necessary teachings. But sometimes I think we forget to teach the old truths, the doctrines, the creeds, the parts of Chrisitainity which are not so “practical”, but are still essential.
I so often hear from people who think “If it isn’t going to affect my salvation, or change my perspective, why does it matter? And why should I care?” The reason you should care is because GOD does. He cared enough to teach these things in His Word, and ALL of His word is important. I used to believe that you could grade the Word on what was important and what wasn’t “as important”. I no longer think that. It is all important, some of it is FIRST, for example it is necessary to come to the Lord FIRST, to recieve the HOLY SPIRIT, to be baptized, and THEN to learn how to trust and obey. We can understand just from reading the Word that the saving work on the cross is the prime point! Everything from Genesis leads up to His birth, death and resurrection. And everything written after that reflects upon it. But those smaller, less spoken about concepts which are neatly tucked into the Word of God are still important. They are still God Breathed! Still Living Word.
Does the Word of God transcend culture? I say yes. What does that mean you say. Well, it means that the Word of God, though written during a certain culrure, and reflecting that culture, does not become void simply because we are living in another culture. If it is mentioned in His Word, it is supra-cultural.
So how does all this play into the widened road? Well…
Just think. Today we have “churches” that believe homosexuality is OK with God. “Churches” who believe that abortion is the mother’s right to choose! “Churches” who do not require their pastors to teach that Christ is the ONLY way to salvation. THAT IS A WIDE ROAD INDEED…
And I believe that part of this is caused by the lack of teaching of doctrines in the church. Now I could be wrong, it could be that the lack of teaching is the result as opposed to the cause. But either way, teaching the stricter things of the Word would help to solve this epidemic.
I recently realized that someone I know who is saved, and has been for quite some time now, is not convinced of the Trinity. THAT is a pretty big basic doctrine… but why doesn’t this person have conviction of it? Because it was never taught to them, they were never lead through the scriptures to help them reach this understanding. Why does it matter? Because it is TRUTH, and all truth that is revealed is useful. It is important that we believe the truth over a lie, even when we do not see exactly how that works out in OUR life.
Beyond that there are many things that ought to be taught, such as submission to your husband, and the husbands role to provide, protect, and lead, to LOVE his wife. This is important. It is important that the church not sway on how the Bible talks about raising children! These are pretty practical applications. How about, the doctrine of the Trinity, or the Doctrine of Bodily Resurrection? or the Doctrine of Grace? (No I am not professing Calvinism here, I remain un-convinced.) or any number of other doctrines that are more than likely important, simply because they are truth.
So many times I hear Christians tell me that head coverings are a cultural thing. They no longer apply (boy that will lead us down an ever widening path!!)
Or I hear that having many children is a cultural thing. It no longer applies, even though the Lord said “Go forth and multiply”, and calls having many children a blessing, and a reward!
How long until we hear that the Great Commission is no longer applicable? It was only a cultural thing of the time.
Or that loving your neighbor is no longer applicable, after all we hardly know our neighbors!
How long until we start stanging up and defending the borders of this NARROW road?
How long?
–Meg
“my people perish for lack of knowledge” (can’t remember where that one is! but boy is it true!)
"MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6)
Praise God for your zeal for holiness and the pursuit of Truth Meg!
Keep working on those Doctrines of Grace sister, they have the potential to shake up your passion for God, like it's never been shaken before! It's been my experience.
BTW… it's interesting, when the Jews returned to their land after the Babylonian captivity, you know what was the first thing Nehemiah had the Jews rebuild? The Wall. Nehemiah knew that it was the Walls of the city that kept the enemy out, and kept the people within the Walls safe. Isn't it time that the Church put up the holiness wall, keeping false religion and ungodliness out?
Take care,
Rand
Couldn't agree with you more. I think that people are more interested in ways of the world because it looks good despite the fact that those ways are harmful and only give temporary satisfaction.
All sin is merely an attempt to run away from yourself. This escape is (as we have been repeatedly warned by the Lord) self-destructive.
To run from yourself is to desire and attempt to destroy yourself. All sins involve some sort of death of a part (or the whole) of you not to mention those around you. Sin is both the ultimate selfishness and the ultimate self-loathing.
Jesus said the 2 greatest commandments are "Love your neighbor as you Love yourself" and "Love the Lord your God above all things".
For the first commandment: as you sin you both are engaging in hatred of self and harming your neighbor.
If it is bearing false witness you are both harming someone else's good name (and freedom) and making of yourself one to be avoided and left in times of need.
If you engage in addictions you both destroy your health and fail those who depend on you and in the end you will commit crimes against others to support your addictions.
If you dishonor your family you bring them to shame and possible harm by the community and in the end the people who would help you the most will turn from you unto death.
If you covet, you will harm others to engage your desires and will receive the wrath of the community.
If you are adulterous you will destroy the family of others and your own. In the end you will have lost the gift of help and succor that comes from your mate and you will never find joy in the stolen sex. Either you or the one whom your desires have chosen will betry the other and move on to the next sinner. A sinful soul has only desire and no fulfillment in another.
In all of these things you destroy yourself who was created by the Lord, which brings a mighty pain to His Heart as He must by His very Nature reject your sin and this grieves Him that you Love Him not.
In the end the wages of sin are truly death and while the definitions of what dies are many in the end the final death is of the sinner which is truly Satan's real goal. Evil in its misery wants company.
Wayne, I do not fully understand why you posted this under this blog. I agree with what you said, but what is the connection to my post? Could you clarify?
Thanks for commenting, come back again.
Meg
I certainly won't argue that churches are playing fast and loose with sin. I would express though, that we do need to understand Scripture in context and a few things fall into that category. It's impossible to slip homosexuality into that category however.
The thing about teaching doctrine from the pulpit is that it IS relevent to today's life. Everything is there for our learning and understanding… even if it's simply a way to get to know our Creator and Savior better.
Uhm, did I just hear you right Rev Ed, that you do not think that scripture calls homosexuality a sin??
Meg
No, I must be mumbling.
What I was saying was that there are issues where you can make a cogent opposing argument from Scripture without understanding the context. Homosexuality is NOT one of those issues. Any attempt to justify homosexuality must twist Scripture beyond being cogent.
Meg, Good post. I agree 100% and then some. So much is accepted in what is seen as the church, it sometimes makes me wonder what the difference is between the "church" and the world. I am not talking about musical styles and dress either (except for immodest, of course). I am talking about attitudes, satanic doctrines, foul language, extra-biblical studies, factionalism (causing church splits- evil in themselves), etc.
yes all good points Pete. Nice to see you here!
I particularly am grateful for including the factionalism. That is a particular sin that drives me nuts! *grin*
Meg