I see what Hiz is saying. That our understanding and doctrine should come from the Word of God and not through man's religious traditions or rudiments of the World. That we should listen to God and Trust His Word, over the Word of Man.
Jesus Focused on keeping Himself in submission to His Father's Word, which included His Fathers instructions. WE can't "Walk even as he walked" and not acknowledge His attention to His Father's Word.
Matt. 4:
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
He spent a great deal of time exposing a Mainstream religion of His time that claimed to serve God, but in "works" denied Him. This same "exposing" of man made religions in the name of God, was going on for a long time, as Stephen points out in Acts.
As "Believers" we are to continue to expose doctrines that are from man, and not from God out of both our Love for God, and our Love for the Brethren. Paul was doing this in Col. 2.
First we let
His Light expose the evil within us, so we can see it and rule over it as God/Jesus instructed Cain from the very beginning.
Rom. 6:
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should
obey it in the lusts thereof.
Then we use this same "Light" to discern the words and traditions of man's traditions around us.
Matt. 24:
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them,
Take heed that
no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many.
How can I help a brother if I am blinded. As Paul says;
1 Cor. 9:
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But
I keep under my body, and
bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others,
I myself should be a castaway.
What does Paul keep his body in subjection to? Man's Righteousness, man's religious traditions? Or did he trust God's Word and "believe" the teaching of the Law and Prophets that Jesus walked in?
Rom. 7:
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind
I myself serve the law of God; but with the
flesh the law of sin.(Death)
Rom. 6:
14 For sin(Transgression of God's Laws) shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law,(Dead) but under grace.(Alive through Christ)
15 What then?
shall we sin, (Continue to follow traditions and doctrines of man that transgress the Commandments of God?)because we are not (dead) under the law, but under grace? (Alive)
God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom
ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to
whom ye obey; whether of
sin(Disobedience to God)
unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked,
that ye were the servants of sin,
but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made
free from sin, ye became the
servants of righteousness.
So as the scriptures and Hiz is saying, we all have sin(men's religious traditions and rudiments of the world, our own righteousness) in us, and we all have the Words of God in us. As Jesus declared before becoming a man.
Duet. 30:
19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,
that I (Jesus) have set before you
life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed
may live:
20 That thou mayest
love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that
thou mayest cleave unto him:
for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
I believe we should focus on the Choice Jesus set before us. That is the reason for my posts.
