Make Us Free
Over breakfast at Mr. Burger, a friend explained to me how he felt about Reformed churches. "They're too concerned about doctrine!" he lamented. His position is basically this: the only thing we need to know as christians is what Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount. All this other stuff like Calvinism is way too boring and just divides the church. This is not the first time I've had a discussion with a "No Creed but Christ" type. To them, Systematic Theology is a dinosaur which snuffs out love and peace. The more ism-s you use when talking to them, the more disgusted they will become. Calvinism is something akin to National Socialism. I believe this is an infantile view of Christianity, and one which will never result in becoming more sanctified.
You cannot separate faith from knowledge. We are called in scripture to add knowledge to our faith (II Peter 1:5). In II Corinthians 8:7 we are encouraged to abound in all faith, utterance, knowledge, and love. I've recently been dealing with another group of people who can't seem to build their theology beyond the crucifixion of Christ. They might as well just cut John 3:16 out of the Bible, tape it on their refrigerators, and simply throw the rest away. Don't read this the wrong way: the saving work of Jesus Christ is the absolute foundation of Christianity; it has to be. However, the Bible tells us that our faith must grow.
Paul says this in his letter to the Hebrews, chapter 5:12-13: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe."
The “first principles” spoken of here are the basics: the saving work of Jesus Christ and his authority over our lives as our Lord. The “new birth” analogy is so strong throughout the New Testament, and it is no less applicable here. Even as an infant becomes a child and eventually an adult as exemplified by food that is required for nourishment, so must we as Christians progress from the simplicities of the faith to the complexities.
The Corinthians were in this position when Paul wrote his first letter to them, and we read these words in chapter 3:2: "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."
The Christian life has two parts: Justification and Sanctification. Justification is the act of salvation that God performs in our lives for the sake of His only begotten Son. Sanctification is the process by which we as Christians become more holy; become more like Jesus, the only example of perfect holiness. It’s progressive; we must never be satisfied with how holy we have become. We must continue the march toward perfection.
So how do we become more sanctified? In John 17 is recorded a prayer which Jesus offered on behalf of his disciples. In it he prays, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” So we see that the study of Scripture is the key to progressing in our faith. It is our calling as Christians to search it within and without, and not to just stop at John 3:16 or the Sermon on the Mount and call it good. The real challenge for us as fallen human beings is to take what we learn, especially regarding unity and love among the brethren, and apply it.
You cannot separate faith from knowledge. We are called in scripture to add knowledge to our faith (II Peter 1:5). In II Corinthians 8:7 we are encouraged to abound in all faith, utterance, knowledge, and love. I've recently been dealing with another group of people who can't seem to build their theology beyond the crucifixion of Christ. They might as well just cut John 3:16 out of the Bible, tape it on their refrigerators, and simply throw the rest away. Don't read this the wrong way: the saving work of Jesus Christ is the absolute foundation of Christianity; it has to be. However, the Bible tells us that our faith must grow.
Paul says this in his letter to the Hebrews, chapter 5:12-13: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe."
The “first principles” spoken of here are the basics: the saving work of Jesus Christ and his authority over our lives as our Lord. The “new birth” analogy is so strong throughout the New Testament, and it is no less applicable here. Even as an infant becomes a child and eventually an adult as exemplified by food that is required for nourishment, so must we as Christians progress from the simplicities of the faith to the complexities.
The Corinthians were in this position when Paul wrote his first letter to them, and we read these words in chapter 3:2: "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."
The Christian life has two parts: Justification and Sanctification. Justification is the act of salvation that God performs in our lives for the sake of His only begotten Son. Sanctification is the process by which we as Christians become more holy; become more like Jesus, the only example of perfect holiness. It’s progressive; we must never be satisfied with how holy we have become. We must continue the march toward perfection.
So how do we become more sanctified? In John 17 is recorded a prayer which Jesus offered on behalf of his disciples. In it he prays, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” So we see that the study of Scripture is the key to progressing in our faith. It is our calling as Christians to search it within and without, and not to just stop at John 3:16 or the Sermon on the Mount and call it good. The real challenge for us as fallen human beings is to take what we learn, especially regarding unity and love among the brethren, and apply it.
