“Church, your messed up! Your terrible. You claim many different things about God and your confusing people. Some folks are going to Hell cause you can’t get your story straight. What is the matter with you. Is there not ‘one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all?’ How are you exemplifying this? You are hypocrites for teaching something that you don’t live. Prostitutes of the spirit! “
This morning, I had an opportunity to talk with a lady who has a beautiful spirit about her. These were the very emotions going through me as she spoke about how two different denominations that she had tried to attend had such differing views about certain scriptures that she is so confused, she feels Hell bound because she doesn’t know what to believe.All this she spoke through tears to me.
Oh yeah, it all lies on the once saved always saved, and predestination. I have often told my pastor that I hate biblical theology. I really do. Because in order to make an understanding in biblical theology, you have to read into the scripture. Some scriptures are just not plain. They didn’t just come out and say what they meant. Alot of scripture is left up to interpretation and this is where we build our differing doctrines. This is where we mess up. One church will say it MUST be this way angering another church who disagrees. This is not unity. This is not the unity that Jesus prayed for us in John 17:20-21-
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
My heart sat there and broke as she shed tears in front of me because she didn’t understand that if some are predestined to go to Heaven, then that must mean some are predestined to go to Hell and she fears that she might be one of them going to Hell. I tried to comfort her and reassure her that if there were any conviction whatsoever in her heart about that, she can be sure that God is calling on her and that she is not predestined to go to Hell.
I have the same questions. My pastor once opened my eyes to predestination and I’ll be honest. I done alot of studies, and I almost agree with predestination, however, I am not fully convinced. I am unsure.
She asked me about once saved always saved and she mentioned that one time in her life, she accepted Christ but had turned from him and had walked away from him. I tried to reassure her that once saved always saved is not necessarily true. I don’t believe in the phrase, “You can LOSE your salvation.” Freewill allows us to give it up, but lose it? NO! You can’t lose something your trying to keep, but screw up every once in a while. Where’s the grace in that?
CHURCH! We have got to stop basing our church doctrines on scripture that leaves ideologies out in the open for interpretation! Sure, these are biblical ideas, but they are so left open to interpretations they can’t be agreed on and we’re saying, “You can’t worship here if you disagree with this doctrine”.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me.” Paul said, “Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you shall be saved.”
Bottom line folks. We need Jesus and we he wants our hearts. Not our good deeds. Not our aching desires. Not our feeble attempts. Just simply our hearts. What are you giving your heart to? That’s all he wants. For by grace through faith we are saved. Not by works so that no man may boast! Man, that my friends is grace. And that is what we need to base our church doctrines on. I don’t care if your Baptist, Church of God, church of Christ, Methodist, Presbyterian, Assemblies, Catholic. It doesn’t matter to me. Are you preaching JESUS!? That’s the only thing that matters.
We need to be unified! For the Christs name sake, we need to straighten our act up, come together, become unified. Forget all this music in the church crapola, whether speaking in tongues and prophecy still exists, how often we take communion, reserved worship or excited worship. Petty arguments is making us (Christians) look like idiots to the world. IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why do you think they love this Jesus we talk about but hate our churches?
***SIGH***
Amen!