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9.28.2005

Divisions and heresy exist, by decree of God, and it is good


These are powerful verses:

18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. I Cor. 11:18-19

This is God saying: don't allow those who whine or accuse or shame regarding divisions in the visible church to pull you off of what you know to be true. God has decreed there be divisions and heresy -- so that His own will manifest in it all by contrast.

God is wise.

When you come to the truth of the five solas and the doctrines of grace (when you come to the truth of biblical doctrine that makes no concessions to your vanity, worldly pride, and self-will or the demands of the world and the devil) you will have a thousand-faced monkey eeeh! eeehing! at you continually, and throwing things at you, and mocking you, why? because you have the truth and they can see that.

From your point-of-view of all this know that it is God Himself who has set it up like this so that His elect - you - will become manifest by contrast with all that make up that monkey face. Divisons and heresy exist to make manifest those who are able to know and who hold to and defend the truth.

Thank God He has enabled you to know the truth. Thank God you see the Bible as authority and not man. Thank God you fear God and not man.

This is why doctrine is serious and important and more than mere intellectually grasped ideas. Doctrine is faith itself. Doctrine is how you commune with God. (Read John Owen on doctrine in the right hand margin of this blog.) Five solas is not merely one theological reading or formula among many, it is apostolic biblical truth. It is on-the-mark biblical doctrine. See it, hold to it, defend it, and your state and your being manifests as the very elect of God, in contrast to all that are - and that is - off-the-mark and against the Word of God.

Hold to the truth against the assaults of men and devils. Run the race to the finish.

Posted by c.t. at 9/28/2005

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

How can you have five (5) solas? Sola means something is by itself.

September 30, 2005 at 6:18 PM  
Blogger c.t. said...

Christ alone (and no other mediator(s).

Grace alone (no works salvation).

Scripture alone (and no traditions of man taken as authority).

Faith alone (and no ritual salvation or any other false salvation that the devil pushes to keep people in illusion and darkness)

To the glory of God alone (and no glory ascribed to myself or any other humans or other false idols).

October 1, 2005 at 5:23 AM  

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