January 21st, 2011 VW
"The danger of a scripturally based faith"......THIS HEADER ALONE SPEAKS VOLUMES
Most of us believe, because of scripture, because of the testimony of scripture, because we can see the truth contained in scripture. And we are content to stand on this belief, and on the scripture which our belief is based upon. But what does this say to our God? Have we ever thought through to the end of what we believe and why? Where does this belief based upon the scripture lead, with what mind set, and with what kind of heart?
I never asked these questions, not for many years, until I was confronted with a simple and incontrovertible fact. I was not like Jesus, not in any way. And the longer I maintained the belief based as it was on scripture, I became less and less likely to become like Jesus. The image of who I was becoming was lost, and the hope of becoming like Him was at best, very faint. But, I believed more and more in the scripture, and placed my hope in the promises contained therein. I was in for a rude awakening.
When I believed because of scripture, and my understanding of scripture, I became a person who held God in a certain contempt. Oh, not intentional contempt, but contempt all the same. My thoughts naturally were, "If you promise to save me, then I believe that it is so, even though I see in the scripture that something else is needed, something I am not willing to give or endure." There is something else, hinted at in scripture. We become very good at ignoring what we do not wish to see, and even in this we lie to ourselves, with complete certainty that we know what we are doing. It is written in scripture that we are to work out our own salvation, in fear and trembling. But then, it gives us no instructions on how to do just that, and so we ignore it, and thus take another step on the path to destruction. (The path to salvation is very narrow, such that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. The path to destruction is very wide.)
The very first thing we must learn is that our salvation is not for us. Yes, we benefit from being saved, from receiving eternal life, but that is not why God saves us. Who we are in this world dies as the result of the work of God in saving us from destruction. If we are holding ourselves up as worth anything at all in our own hearts, then we have not understood the complete and utter depravity of our old lives, and just how unsuited they are to God, to even be in His presence, much less to live and reign with Him for eternity. Our salvation is for God, because what He wants is what He will have, children in the exact image of His Son Jesus Christ. Nothing less will suffice. The entire creation is for this very purpose. In fact, the creation has been subjected to sin so that in the end, when the sons of God are revealed, all can glory in God.
But we do not even know Jesus. Why? Because we have a faith based upon scripture. Jesus is the exact representation of God's heart. One can only come to know another person's heart when they come to know them, personally. This is why Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice. He talks to His sheep, so they can come to know the One who loves them more than His own life, who gave Himself for them. His sheep hear His voice. This is the basis of their faith. And this faith is like the faith Abraham had, who heard the voice of the Lord and believed, and this belief was counted to him as righteousness.
Scripture based faith says to God, "You cannot tell me anything other than what is contained in the scriptures which I believe in and which have caused me to believe in You. You will not talk to me, because You have already said everything You want to say to me in the scriptures. Therefore, I reject any subjective experience as from the devil. Don't speak to me."
Sound familiar?