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The foundation we build on We in the church are united by our Christian distinctive. Christ is the foundation for the church. The core doctrines are our foundation of knowledge. If the foundation which we build on is not straight then it will be crooked. Think about how a house would look, if the house was slanted, and how long would it last? Now ask how many people you know that have fallen away that looked like they built on the foundation of Christ. Why are they no longer among the church? The answer is simple and obvious. They never really understood, so how could they hold to the core teachings. I can’t say it is wholly their fault, because many in the church do not teach the core doctrines. So then how are the new believers being disciple? And furthermore how can they disciple others. This one of the main reasons evangelism as it is given is failing. Of the 4 soils the seed falls on Matt 13:23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Luke 8:11-16 “The seed is the word of God.” He speaks basically the same as Matthew and in v.15 “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.” It is important whom you learn from, how you learn to interpret scripture. If you learn to apply it all to yourself you will then take scriptures that are historical and used for a certain time or person and spiritualize them, allegorize them. Then on the other hand if you do not learn the difference between what is historical and what can be applied to you, you may never walk with the Lord and grow into what He has for you. Because the majority of the church is not grounded in scripture they have no defense for what is false. So they allow Yoga, eastern type meditation, even blatant occult teaching such as words have power, or new revelation from so called prophets to be taught in their church. This is where we find ourselves today, where many do not use the word in context as the basis for living. When God gave the task for Israel to build the tabernacle he gave specific instructions on how it was to be built. It would be like someone saying they are going to build the house you want from a picture without any measuring and hope of their accuracy. Paul used himself and Apollos as an examples. 1 Cor. 4:6 “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written.” not to go beyond what is written John writes us in 2 Jn. 1:9 “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God.” We abide by teachings that are written. There are core doctrines that give the Christian distinctive, this why there are those called cults because they do not acknowledge or distort the core doctrines. The majority of the church cannot distinguish from a false teacher or prophet and those who speak from the word of God accurately. Why? They have not been taught the basics, the core doctrines correctly or not at all. Doctrine is teaching, which is to affect the heart, it is not just head knowledge. We are to be trained in doctrine, which is the word, it is our blueprint to living a life pleasing to the Lord. There are core teachings, doctrines that we hold to be in the historic biblical faith, the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. Paul wrote to Timothy “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.” Paul termed this sound doctrine. 1 Tim 1:10 sound doctrine; Titus 1:9 sound doctrine; Titus 2:1 sound doctrine
The main doctrine that all of Christianity hinges on, that all are connected to is that Jesus is God. That the preexistent Son of God took on human flesh by a virgin conceiving. Isa. 7:14 is a foundational doctrine to the incarnation. He who had pref-existence with the Father became man, Jesus. Scripture declares in 1 Tim.3:16: “God was manifested in the flesh.” Paul tells us the second man (2nd Adam) is the lord from heaven.
If you do not have this correct you have nothing, salvation is not yours. You have no foundation to build on. There are numerous core doctrines, but there are none more important than the deity of Christ which is connected to our salvation. Bible doctrines are an organic unit. The Incarnation is the beginning. The Christian distinctive are the essential doctrines. The faith that was once delivered to the saints. It focuses on the person of the gospel, who are you saved by? The “who” is our foundation, our new life begins with the gospel. To call Jesus the savoir is to call him God -- because according to the Bible only God is the savior. Titus 2:13 Jesus is called “our great God and Savior.” 1 John 4:14-15 “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” Without understanding the core doctrines we are unable to protect ourselves—unable to refute and rescue others that claim the name of Jesus who are not in the truth. You can’t honestly teach the Bible’s words by purposely changing or adding to the Bible’s words to change its meaning such as is being done today by new revelation. When you hear people say he came to earth as a man, not as God who became man through the virgin Mariam (left his deity discarded it), you have a different Jesus. And there are many saying this today. We are warned of The OTHER GOSPEL (Gal. 1:8, 9) and ANOTHER GOSPEL (2 Cor. 11:4) If they do not have the incarnation correct, if they do not have Jesus as God. Being God born as a man, dying as God being man, and being raised as God in the man Christ Jesus. Then they have a different gospel. Because the gospel encompasses both the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is a departure from the word that tells us “God was manifested in the flesh.” (1 Timothy 3:16). Revealed, made known to man by the incarnation. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor. 5:19) 2 Peter 2:1-3 “There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words.” Do you know who these teachers are among you? Heresy is a departure from Christian orthodoxy, i.e. the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). Certain core teachings are changed or replaced. Biblical heresy is often a denial of, or diminishing of one or more of the core beliefs found in the Bible. This is especially crucial when it is about who Jesus is. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name, (Immanuel) God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14) We are told to “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition” (Titus 3:10). The Greek word for divisive is hairetikos, it means a schismatic: someone that is a promoter or follower of a false doctrine, this specifically is applied when being a denier of the nature of Christ. How do you reject someone when you don’t know what they are teaching?
* Coming soon will be an article on many of those in the past and on radio and TV today who deny Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh. |
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