All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
Doctrine vs Preference
We often see people existing in one extreme or another. There are some who would ignore doctrine for the sake of unity, but can there really be unity in the body if doctrine (teaching found in God's Word) is ignored? There is another group that has taken mere prefernces and elevated them to the level of doctrine, at least in their teaching. An example of this can be the style of worship. Some are more demonstrative than others, but neither is wrong if the heart is right. Style of worship is a preference, not a doctrine.
What do you think about the importance of sound doctrine in one's life and in the church? Have you seen things that are preferences turned into doctrine? If so, give an example, but leave names and organization names out of the comment. How do we stay centered on Christ in the midst of the chaos?
Lord Bless,
LT
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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When so many of the people in the Bible and even the apostles of Christ failed, how can we expect anything less?
We learn from our failures. To expect that we will always succeed is to set ourselves up for deep discouragement when we do fail and also for becoming arrogant and conceited when we succeed. The glory would then seem to go to us, not to God.
We can expect too much from ourselves and from others.
Grace does not give us a license to sin. God has shown grace because God knows we need it.
All I know is if I change my focus to becoming something, like becoming 100% surrendered, then I won’t succeed because I won’t be focused on Jesus anymore but upon myself and how I am measuring up instead of just on allowing Jesus to live His life through me.
Even as Jesus lives in and through me, I know there will still be times of failure and I can respond by feeling defeated or I can allow Him to "wash my feet" and to use those times to teach me lessons about how to give up my desire to get it right or to work things out on my own … and about me learning how to just let Jesus show me the way.
I have a very tender conscience and feel conviction for the slightest things. So maybe what I am counting as sin is not even sin. I don’t know. Like thoughts of death and suicide. Maybe those are not sin but acting on them would be. I feel terrible about them. We cannot always do the right thing no matter how much we want to do it because we are still in the flesh. I’m just glad that Jesus is my Savior and that he understands the human condition.
(Romans 7:15-25). Jesus is my Deliverer. I look for Him to come and rescue me from the body of this death.
Besides, what you call being 80%, 20%, or 100% surrendered may not be the same standard that I would call it. We have to look at weaknesses and strengths as outlined in Romans 14, too. An example is that I think it’s horrible to crack jokes about sex even between a married couple but someone else may be able to do it without any problem.
How do we judge?
2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.Maybe I in God’s eyes am more surrendered than fill in the blank.
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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>>We often see people existing in one extreme or another.
It's unfortunate but true; we tend to fall into extremes instead of balancing our doctrinal stances by the full consul of the Word of God. We must learn to see a biblical/doctrinal topic as it is taught in its entirety, from Genesis to Revelations, to avoid falling into such extremes.
>>Have you seen things that are preferences turned into doctrine?
Women wearing pants, veil on the head, gold/pearls and makeup have been elevated to doctrine in some denominations, when it has to do with preferences, modesty and cultural practices.
>>How do we stay centered on Christ in the midst of the chaos?
First and foremost, we study the word, so we can rightly divide it. We concentrate in edifying the body in such chaos and determine not to add to it. The problem is perpetuated not so much because you have leaders who teach preferences as doctrines, but because the majority of born again believers do not know the Word of God.
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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First and foremost, we study the word, so we can rightly divide it. We concentrate in edifying the body in such chaos and determine not to add to it. The problem is perpetuated not so much because you have leaders who teach preferences as doctrines, but because the majority of born again believers do not know the Word of God.
Amen and amen!!! I especially like the part I underlined and italicized.
Lord BLess,
LT
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Permalink Reply by a servant (Chris) on
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Not to be a fly in the ointment. Did you guys just say, "it's not the leaders who teach fault, but the followers for not knowing?"
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Key words in the statement: "Not so much because you have ... but because the majority ... do not know the Word of God."
Yes, there are false teachers, but there is a responsibility on the part of the child of God to know the Word of God to help safe guard against such teachings. If the person only rests in what others say they will be blown about from teaching to teaching. There is a personal responsibility to know the truth personally. This is what I see and took from Roy's comment.
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Forgive me Lt I have a very dry humor. I was really just kidding. We all shoulder our responsibility, for we will give account on day. I meant no offence.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.Matthew 19:21
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.Hebrews 2:10
In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he sufferedHebrews 10:14
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.Hebrews 11:40
since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
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