Cultivating a love for the truth… The Doctrine of Christ.

[JLB]

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:16


Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. 1 Timothy 4:1



The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason Godwill send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2Thessalonians 2:9-12

• Do we love the truth?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

• Jesus Christ is the truth.
• Every word that proceeds out of his mouth is the truth.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32


The fullness of the truth is expressed through:

• His Gospel,
• His Doctrine
• His Commandments.

 

[Follower Of Christ]

I have been reading 1 and 2 Timothy repeatedly in the last week and wanted to post something very much related to the gist of what you are after JLB but you took the initiative first.

I don't have much time except on holidays to follow all that is being done here in this forum but if you all allow me I shall contribute every now and then. In my words one of the signs that differentiates a faithful in Christ is an embrace of genuine simplicity in the truth contained as you said in Christ's commandments, doctrine and gospel.

From Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

In my words the burden of Christ's truth is light on one's soul mind and heart. What burdens us is futile speculation and dissection of every line in the scriptures.

From 2 Timothy 2:14-17 "Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene."

By the way I was educated on some of the world's best universities and participated in various conferences and seminars etc way beyond my doctorate degree requirements which is in a very quantitative field. What happens in this forum, resembles a lot the secular academic debates I was involved in my past. People get so emotionally and psychologically invested in man made doctrines they take on the task of justifying the heavy burden of rationalizing their own preconceived notions or that or their fellow men teachers.

I shudder when I read in this forum references to bible scholars, church fathers etc. From Matthew 23:9 "And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven." And let's not get started on people who think that only being able to read the scriptures in Hebrew and Ancient Greek is the only genuine key to understanding the simplicity of God's Truth.

Be well brothers and sisters in Christ! And avoid futile speculation.

 

[JLB]

I have been reading 1 and 2 Timothy repeatedly in the last week and wanted to post something very much related to the gist of what you are after JLB but you took the initiative first.

Please do share what is on your heart.

We need to hear what the Spirit is saying through His people.

 

[Follower Of Christ]

Please do share what is on your heart.

We need to hear what the Spirit is saying through His people.

Right and I thank you for saying that. From Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

I took up my cross and crucified the flesh a while ago. In the process I had to abandon all that I had spent so much intellectual energy in creating and defending. It was a very tormenting experience for it's not easy to let go of the deceptions of Satan and my former core self did not want to give up. Notice I say my former core self for I am all in Christ now and I am dead to the world. Yet giving up my former self was a tormenting experience due to Satan. In God there is only love though.

Anyway, this does not mean one should not interact with the world once in Christ. In this American society we live in we still have to participate in a game that feeds and entertains and clothes people. I know the rules of the game and I play by them so I can provide for my wife and kids. And Paul himself worked as a tentmaker from Acts 18:3 "and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them."

Anyway, that is all for now. Blessings!

 

[JLB]

Right and I thank you for saying that. From Galatians 3:28 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

I took up my cross and crucified the flesh a while ago. In the process I had to abandon all that I had spent so much intellectual energy in creating and defending. It was a very tormenting experience for it's not easy to let go of the deceptions of Satan and my former core self did not want to give up. Notice I say my former core self for I am all in Christ now and I am dead to the world. Yet giving up my former self was a tormenting experience due to Satan. In God there is only love though.

Anyway, this does not mean one should not interact with the world once in Christ. In this American society we live in we still have to participate in a game that feeds and entertains and clothes people. I know the rules of the game and I play by them so I can provide for my wife and kids. And Paul himself worked as a tentmaker from Acts 18:3 "and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them."

Anyway, that is all for now. Blessings!

Absolutely beautiful!

Very few understand this.

Many claim, "I am crucified with Christ", simply because Paul said that.

Yet, If one has not surrendered to the Spirit, the self nature from which fleshly inspirations spring forth, then that person is walking in a state of delusion.


Please continue sharing about the details of how the Spirit took you through.


Be blessed.


JLB

 

[Follower Of Christ]

JLB, I thought I quote from Colossians 2:1-10 first then share some reflections:

"For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

​

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.​

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority."

I quoted above for I have seen long expositions in the type of a PhD dissertation on the nature of God, how to be saved etc, coupled by many really long youtube videos say.

It's as though the authors are unknown to themselves Machiavellian, that is the end justifies the means. The end is salvation and walking in Christ yet the means are philosophical expositions built on secular traditions. So it goes, yes I shall bore you to death with all the intellectual knowledge thrown to you and here is the hope that intellectually you can perceive Christ.

An intellectual understanding is just that knowledge about God wrapped in a package of systematic thought at the vain hope the reader internalizes the mystery of Christ.

I think T.S.Eliot put it very well:

The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to God .
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries
Bring us farther from God and nearer to the Dust.

 

[Follower Of Christ]

John 21:25 "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."

 

[Whatever]

• Every word that proceeds out of his mouth is the truth.

You say Jesus came to save the world and that means everybody in the world.

John 17:2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
John 17:9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
John 10:15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
John 10:26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

Jesus clearly says that the Father has given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father have given Him. Then He refuses to pray for "the world" but only for those the Father has given to Him. These "ones given to Him" are apparently what He calls sheep. Jesus says He lays down His life for the sheep. Then Jesus tells some people they are not of His sheep. This makes it apparent that Jesus did not lay down His life for everybody.

These are the red letter words of Jesus, not John Calvin.

 

[Follower Of Christ]

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 "But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

Many people act like attaining the title a member of God's Kingdom or saved is akin to following the team that wins the Super Bowl. Paul strictly instructed us not to identify as Apollonists (Team of Apollo) or Paulists (Team of Paul).

 

[JLB]

You say Jesus came to save the world and that means everybody in the world.

That’s what He says. I just quote Him.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17

Based on this passage, who is excluded from God’s plan of salvation; who is excluded from God’s love?

 

[JLB]

You say Jesus came to save the world and that means everybody in the world.

John 17:2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
John 17:9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.


These are the red letter words of Jesus, not John Calvin.

The context is He is referring to His Apostles.

“Them” refers to His twelve disciples.

You took the passage out of context since you used verse 2 then skipped to verse 9.

John 17:1-5 Jesus is praying for Himself.

John 17:6-19 Jesus is praying for His 12 disciples.

John 17:20-26 Jesus prays for everyone else whom His disciples will reach.

 

[Whatever]

That’s what He says. I just quote Him.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17

Based on this passage, who is excluded from God’s plan of salvation; who is excluded from God’s love?

But you just quote one passage and interpret it so that it contradicts others. This is not proper Hermeneutics or Exegesis: Hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation, focusing on understanding the meaning of texts, while exegesis is the specific process of analyzing a text to uncover its original meaning as intended by the author. Essentially, exegesis is a part of the broader field of hermeneutics.

John 17:4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

Did the Father give Jesus the job of saving every person in the world?

John 17:6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

How many people were there in "the world " in the first century? You interpret John 3:16-17 as if the Father gave Jesus the job of saving every one of those persons. Jesus said He finished the work the Father gave Him to do. Very few of them were saved.

John 17:20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
John 10:16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Those in 17:20 are the "other sheep" in 10:16. They are people in the future.

The "world" is saved through Jesus' work. But you know yourself that does not include every single person.

 

[live2blive]

• Do we love the truth?

Do we love the truth? For example, do we know or want to know the true names of the Father and Son and glorify them?

 

[live2blive]

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

In this statement the Savior says that the truth will save the believers from the slavery to sin.

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:34-36).

Many Christians confess that they still commit sins. Do they know the truth?

 

[jonathanbrickman0000]

Certainly. What's missing in much teaching, is the developmental. He reveals truth to us over time. He does not dump it all on us at once. "Sanctification" is one word for this.

Another way to see it, is to remember that the only one who is good, is God. We are not God. We have much in each of us, which is not good.

 

[JLB]

Did the Father give Jesus the job of saving every person in the world?

No. Jesus didn’t live long enough to reach every person in the world. That’s our job.

 

[JLB]

Do we love the truth? For example, do we know or want to know the true names of the Father and Son and glorify them?

That’s a question for each and every person to ask themselves.

 

[JLB]

In this statement the Savior says that the truth will save the believers from the slavery to sin.

I don’t see where Jesus said the truth will save believers from the slavery to sin.

The truth can not produce the intended results unless you know he truth.

 

[jonathanbrickman0000]

I don’t see where Jesus said the truth will save believers from the slavery to sin.

The truth can not produce the intended results unless you know he truth.

I imagine we are talking about this:

31 Jesus, therefore, said to the Jews who believed in Him, “If you may remain in My word, you are truly My disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:31-32

 

[JLB]

I imagine we are talking about this:

Yes knowing the truth because we continue in His word is how we become free.