The term Christian means something very specific: “follower
of Christ”. What does being a follower of Christ mean? Jesus said He did only
what He saw His Father doing. Being a Christian means actively submitting to
God---it means living the “Whatever!” Life in His will. How do we know His
will? He gave it to us in His Word, the scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments, and He sent us the third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit to
empower us to remember and do all He has commanded. Both His Word and the Holy
Spirit are essential to active submission. If we ask for and receive the Holy
Spirit, He will make God’s will and His Word alive in us and for us; known to
us at all times. In active submission to Him, we are capable of walking on the
path of perfect victory in our own lives, where there isn’t a shadow of defeat
or failure. Is that the life you yearn to live? If it is, then let’s look
together at what God says about our lives.
The Old and New Testaments are the foundation of
Christianity. To discuss Christianity, or Christian beliefs, we must be able to
agree that if there is a Christian God, by necessity He must be who He says He
is in His Word to His people. Without this agreement, we have no place from
which to rationally discuss the subject; the Old and New Testaments (from now
on, when discussed together, “the Bible”) are the Rule Book of Christianity.
Our premise is Christians must by necessity believe the things that define them
as Christian by the Holy Word in order to be Christians. Without this belief,
they are by requisite something else. Rejecting the fundamentals of the
Christian doctrine, as with any doctrine creates a separate system. For the
purposes of this writing, we will assume the Bible is the fundamental position
of Christianity, and from that assumption we can analyze Christianity as a
belief or set of beliefs.
We have committed to seeking God’s Truth, and believe that
when we hold our own “truths” too closely, we might miss what God has to say.
Key questions to ask ourselves are “What do I believe that is not true?” and
“What is true that I do not [yet] believe?” We have committed to scrutinizing
our own beliefs in order to make way for God’s wisdom. This commitment involves
placing ourselves under the spiritual authority that God chooses for us; giving
our spirit, minds and physical presence to our churches, Bible studies and home
groups.
Genesis 1:3 And saying is the Elohim, “Become
light!"And it is becoming light. 5
And calling is the Elohim the light “day,” and the darkness He calls
“night."And coming is it to be
evening and coming to be morning, day one. 6 And saying is the Elohim, “Become
shall an atmosphere in the midst of the water, and coming is a separation
between water and water." (Concordant)
God spoke words to bring the world into existence, and in
making man in His image, God chose only man to have the ability to speak words
in the world. The rest of the creation is described and called into existence
by God. After God created man, He commanded His man to speak over the creation
He had given man to manage and have dominion:
Genesis 1:26And
saying is the Elohim, “Make will We humanity in Our image, and according to Our
likeness, and sway shall they over the fish of the sea, and over the flyer of
the heavens, and over the beast, and over all land life, and over every moving
animal moving on the land." 27 And creating is the Elohim humanity in His
image. In the image of the Elohim He creates it. Male and female He creates
them. 28 And blessing them is the Elohim. And saying to them is the Elohim, “Be
fruitful and increase and fill the earth, and subdue it. And sway over the fish
of the sea, and over the flyer of the heavens, and over the beast, and over all
the earth, and over all life moving on the land." 7 And forming is Yahweh
Elohim the human of soil from the ground, and He is blowing into his nostrils
the breath of the living, and becoming is the human a living soul. 19 And
furthermore Yahweh Elohim, having formed from the ground all field life and every
flyer of the heavens, He is also bringing it to the human to see what he will
call it. And whatever the human living soul is calling it, that is its name. 20
And calling is the human the names for every beast and for every flyer of the
heavens, and for all field life. Yet for the human He does not find a helper as
His complement. (Concordant)
Words mean things, and words are spiritual; words call
things into being. This concept of the power of God’s words goes far beyond the
creation. In Romans, Paul explains:
Romans 4:16-17 (Amplified Bible) Therefore, [inheriting] the
promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that
it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and
valid and guaranteed to all his descendants--not only to the devotees and
adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is
[thus] the father of us all. As it is written, I have made you the father of
many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he
believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that
[He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.
The Amplified goes on in Romans 4:23-25 to say:
But [the words], It was credited to him, were written not
for his sake alone, but [they were written] for our sakes too. [Righteousness,
standing acceptable to God] will be granted and credited to us also who believe
in (trust in, adhere to, and rely on) God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the
dead, who was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised
to secure our justification (our acquittal), [making our account balance and
absolving us from all guilt before God].
God speaks things that do not exist into existence, and we
are made in His image and commanded to have dominion in the earth. Our words,
although not creative in the same sense as God’s, are powerful and able to
bring blessing and cursing into our lives and those with whom we interact. God
required Adam to name all the living things. The scriptures describe the
importance of our words over and over. For this reason, we take words very
seriously.
Looking at God’s words closely is critically important when
learning about God’s covenants, as covenants are by definition legal frameworks
for agreements between parties. In any legal framework the words are chosen
carefully and are precise to allow the greatest clarity and understanding to
exist. As our God is omnipotent and omniscient, we must believe He is able to
say exactly what He means to say.
We will use several versions of the Bible in this series,
but we will rely on those who are striving for literal translation from the
original language to begin our discussions on the words we review in an effort
to remain as true to the original intent as is possible. Interlinear Scripture
Analyzer 2 (ISA Basic 2.0 Andre de Mol Copyright 2007) will be used for the
original language translation, usually the Concordant Literal New Testament and
the Concordant Version of the Old Testament. Authorized Version 1769 (also
known as King James Version or “KJV”) and Young's Literal Translation 1898 are
also used. Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek Words taken from Strong's
Exhaustive Concordance will serve as lexicon aids. The Amplified Version is
also used extensively in an attempt to bring full explanation of the scriptures
where expediency in translation has edited the scripture to a point where the
author feels more information is helpful. A More Likely Truth Publishing
believes that God supports His Word, and scripture is under the description of
2Timothy 15b-17:
“...the Holy Writings thou hast known, which are able to
make thee wise -- to salvation, through faith that [is] in Christ Jesus; every
Writing [is] God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for
setting aright, for instruction that [is] in righteousness, that the man of God
may be fitted -- for every good work having been completed.”
First Things First Discussion
1.What
does being a follower of Christ mean?
2.Do
you believe the Old and New Testaments are the foundation of Christianity? Do
you believe they are “the Rule Book of Christianity”?
3.Do
you know why we would say “to discuss Christianity we must first agree that God
is who He says He is in His Word”? What would happen if we agreed that anyone
is a Christian without regard to what they believed?
4.What
do you think about the statement “Christians must by necessity believe the
things that define them as Christian in the Holy Word in order to be
Christians”?
5.Do
you believe words are spiritual; that God’s words call things into being?
6.Do
you believe God is able to say exactly what He means to say in His scriptures,
or do you think the fact that men translated the words may cause them to be
changed from God’s intention?
7.Do
you believe that “every Writing [is]
a.God-breathed,
and
b.profitable
for teaching,
c.for
conviction,
d.for
setting aright,
e.for
instruction that [is] in righteousness, [so]
f.that the man of God may be fitted -- for every
good work having been completed?
The authors of the “what does GOD say about...?” Series are
self proclaimed, born again, Spirit filled Christians. We believe the Old and
New Testaments are the Word of God and the promises of God. We believe the Holy
Spirit is sent to us according to the description of Jesus by God the Father on
Pentecost: “Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener,
Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place,
to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He
will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance)
everything I have told you.” (John 14:25-27 Amplified Bible) We choose to actively
submit our lives to God, knowing that He will work His will in our lives when
we surrender our will to Him. All the writings in this series will reflect
these fundamental beliefs.
We have committed to seeking God’s Truth, and believe that
when we hold our own “truths” too closely, we might miss what God has to say.
Key questions to ask ourselves are “What do I believe that is not true?” and
“What is true that I do not [yet] believe?” We have committed to scrutinizing
our own beliefs in order to make way for God’s wisdom.
All of us at wdGsa pray that you, our reader, will choose to
fully and actively submit your own life to the One God, through His Son Jesus
the Chosen, and ask Him to fill you right now with the Holy Spirit.
