Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith: #1

Jesus is both God and man

References: Genesis 3:22, John 1:14, Colossians 2:9, and I John 4:1-4.
Excellent Site for further study: Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

To me, John 1:1-5 are the most awesome verses that describes Jesus' essence:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All thing were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

This is an ESSENTIAL belief that if denied, then it seriously questions one's Salvation. It is this essence of Christ that allows Jesus' Death on the Cross and Resurrection to Atone for our Sins. It He was/is not God, then the Cross was just the cross, another crucifixion by the Romans.

Denial of this Number One essential shakes the entire foundation of Christianity, and the authenticity of the Bible.

Jehovah's Witness and Christian Science both deny this essential. Of course all other religions such as Islam, reject this belief.

PostNeoEmergoUniContaplagianism

A new religion has been established. Here are some key terms:

1. Feeler: The person who espouses the nebulous beliefs of PostNeoEmergoUniContaplagianism.
2. Feelism: The belief of the PostNeoEmergoUniContaplagianism.
3. Feelology: The study of PostNeoEmergoUniContaplagianism.
4. Head Feeler: The current unofficial leader of Feelism. It is unofficial because not everyone Feels the same way.
5. Feelosophy: The quest for understanding Feelism. This is a futile quest because understanding Feelism is like Nailing Jello to a Wall: I cannot be done. See prior post.
6. Feelogian: one who dedicates one's entire Feeler-being to the quest for understanding of Feelism. Feelogians, if truly scholarly, eventually require medical attention to repair physical damage done to joints by the endless twisting and contortions required to understand Feelism. As #4 and #5 state, it is futile. Following Biblical Theological Rehabilitation (BTR), these people see the error of their ways and become Former Feelers who have seen the Light or 'F2WHSTLs.


We will continue to study and discern this new religion based on the Truth of Scripture.

1 John 4

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has com in the flesh is from God;

3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Nailing Jello to the Wall...

Just to get some thoughts off my chest: Trying to pin down an answer to a question with most 'Emergent' people, and those who are 'Contemplative' is like trying to nail JELL-O to the Wall!

IT CANNOT BE DONE!!! It is humanly impossible. However, Emergents (as will we all) will some day stand before Almighty God and have to answer one important question.

Let us begin the I FEEL Meter Running! It is a good tool for us to determine the level of Biblical knowledge. It is an inverse relationship: The higher the number, the deeper the slide into the Theological Pit of Pseudo Humility (aka 'Arrogance')

Last year the Baptist Press ran an article where Al Mohler (President of Southern Seminary) and Brian McClaren, the Premier Emergent of Today (henceforth known as PEOT). A question was asked of both of them:

"When asked whether a person must trust Christ as dying on the cross to make atonement for their sin in order to be a Christian:"

Dr. Mohler: "Absolutely."

McClaren: "I (1) wouldn't say that having that understanding is all that it means to be a Christian. I think (2) that some people might have that understanding and not be interested in following Jesus. They want Jesus' blood to pay for their sins so they can go to heaven, but they aren't really interested in following Jesus in this life." (Has he answered the question, yet?)

McClaren on Homosexuality, Adultery, Divorce, etc: no comment, except: "This issue has become inappropriately political. I (3) have my own opinions, but I (4) don't believe that the smartest thing for me (5) to do is to go around and make those varying opinions a reason to separate myself (6) from other Christians. I (6) fellowship with Christians who have a diversity of opinions of homosexuality." (How about the Bible, PEOT? What does it say?)

Huh? McClaren = 6


Dr. Mohler: When it comes to issues such as the exclusivity of the Gospel, the identity of Jesus Christ as both fully human and fully divine, the authoritative character of Scripture as written revelation, and the clear (Hey, PEOT: There is a hint for you!) teaching of Scripture concerning issues such as homosexuality, this movement (Emergent) simply refuses to answer the questions. (Amen!) A responsible theological argument must acknowledge that difficult questions demand to be answered. (What PEOT is incapable of doing) We are not faced with an endless array of doctrinal variants from which we can pick and choose."

Dr. Mohler = 0

FEEL Meter:
Mr. McClaren: 6
Dr. Mohler: 0

Matthew 7:20-23

Ways Contrasted, Fruits Contrasted

20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.

21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father, who is in Heaven.

22 Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

That is the last thing anyone wants to hear on Judgement Day. Over the next few weeks, we will be going through the basic doctrines of the Christian Faith. There are some that are ESSENTIALs of the Christian Faith, or specifically spoken and commanded in the Bible. Then there are those that divide us among denominations that are merely opinions or interpretations of Scripture on which Scripture is not explicit: these are the NON-ESSENTIALS.


A denial of an Essential- is a Denial of God. Scripture is 'crystal':

1 John 2:23 is clear: "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also."

Matthew 10:33 is 'Waterford' here too: "But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in Heaven."

And for those of you who say that God is all about love, peace, and that we need to 'agree to disagree' and get along: How about we read the NEXT VERSE, putting the whole passage in context:

34 Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Others...

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels: and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.

In Matthew 23:1-36 'Woe to you' seven times to the Pharisees, then proceeds to call them (in public): Hypocrites,
False Teachers
Fools
Blind Men
Blind guides
Rotting on the Inside
Serpents
Finally: Verse 33: "You Brood of Vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?"

The Bible was written to Believers in Jesus Christ. These verses are to show us how serious Jesus is when He was on earth. It is not to be taken lightly. We are in a spiritual battle. We cannot let the enemy into our camp. Jesus is clear about false teachers. What constitutes a false teacher?

Discernment. Judgement is for God, Discernment is for Christians.

Nailing Jell-O to the wall- only God can do it!

Tuba Correction!

Florida Ohio State
1st Downs 21 8
Total Yards 370 82
Passing 214 35*
Rushing 156 47
Penalties 6-50 5-50
3rd Down Conversions 10-19 1-9
4th Down Conversions 2-3 0-1
Turnovers 0 2
Possession 40:48 19:12

My mistake. The Tuba Player ran the same amount of yards that Troy Smith passed for against The University of Florida

41-14 Football & Basketball, UF and SEC are King

Coming Soon: Stats from the Game.

Guess What- the Tuba Player who dotted the "i" for the OSU Band Monday Night ran 30 yards to do so. That means he had more rushing yards than the OSU Offensive Line!

Heh...

Celebrate Recovery

Just a link to an editorial on Celebrate Recovery. Wifey and I are dealing with some 'quickening' of our spirits in relation to CR, and this article comes pretty close to pin pointing it.

http://www.thebereancall.org/Newsletter/html/2005/oct05.php

This comment alone is worthy of not allowing this program into a church:

"Pastors and elders can be small group leaders, but not for teaching purposes. No leader may biblically instruct or correct but may only affirm the “transparency” of the participant sharing his feelings."

So when a CR participant says "Elvis came to me last night in a vision and told me to stop doing drugs and eating peanut-butter and banana sandwiches", all a pastor or elder can do is sit there and smile and not correct (like the Bible commands us to do!)

Hmm...

This needs more Biblical Research.