Friday, August 7, 2009

Thoughts on Doctrine

As I sit here today, my heart races, and my palms sweat. It seems to always be so when I approach the ultra reverent, super personal, way too easy to offend someone subject of... duh duh duh duhnnnnn.... doctrine! Gosh this whole process we (wes and I) have been on is driving me crazy. In our pursuit to honor God, and seek His will, to establish the truths according to His word (note: not mans) I have found myself more confused than I was when we began. I can't help but wonder that this is NOT glorifying Jesus Christ.
So these are my thoughts, take them or leave them, its ok, I will continue to understand (well sort-of) you and love you inspite of any disagreements these opinions bring:) That being said:
How can we talk about the Gospel, but not mention Jesus?
How can we focus on sin but not forgiveness?
How do we battle spiritual warfare without showing some semblance of inner focus?
How can we offend God by worshipping Him? Hymn, praise chorus, tongues, dancing, is it worship? Yes, then how can that be wrong?
Why does Jesus feel more distant the less I think on Him, and the more I focus on God? And how can there be any difference when I believe in a Triune God?
Where do we go wrong in living out the law with in the bosom of the Gospel?
Why is focusing on the law wrong, if we have already been saved? And how can a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as His savior, and all that that entails, not be saved?
I am sinful, I am a new creation in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ, yet how is it possible that while I am a new creation, I am still the old daily?
Yes, some state I think too much, and I have been called a ridiculously deep thinker, but I ask this... If we stand before God someday, and I believe Jesus will stand as my mediator, and I say to Him, I worked hard, and I labored over your word, and yet I still did not understand you? I cried out to you in the darkness of the night, and still I cried myself to sleep, I spoke the wounds of my soul into the presence of your light, yet walked back into the darkness, I... I... I... and in the midst of the I's, you were not there. So are you in the midst of the you's instead? Somehow if I changed my thinking would I then have felt your presence more real, more deeply, more consistenly?
Of this I am certain. Psalm 16 assures me: "LORD you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is my right hand I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence with eternal pleasures at our right hand." vs 5-11
Once again my heart races, and my palms sweat, but this time it is with assurance and expectation of the certainty I have in Christ Jesus. The LORD will not abandon me, He will keep me secure, and my joy will be overflowing on that day I stand before God with Jesus as my mediator, because (and this is the key for me) Jesus IS standing there as my mediator! All praise and honor be His alone on that day, and today.

1 comment:

  1. If you could understand God fully, he wouldn't be God.

    When you are tyring to grow closer to God and understand him more, the word "me" has no place.

    There's my wisdom, hope we can talk soon!

    ReplyDelete