Identity in Christ —Life or Doctrine?
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Jesus taught in parables or word pictures to convey spiritual truth —because words are never sufficient. God even had Ezekiel (ch 4) lie first on one side and then on the other as a parable to help the children of Israel understand what was happening in their lives. We all think in pictures as we attempt to get understanding. My picture will always be different from your picture.
When we get hung up on the accuracy of the picture or the correctness of the doctrine, we can miss Life altogether —as did the Pharisees. That’s what we don’t want.
Every doctrine ever espoused by man can be proved with Scripture. Every doctrinal argument coming from any Christian is backed up with, “The Scripture clearly states …”; and I am no different. I too use Scripture to make my points. But the Scriptures, even if inspired by God, are not themselves the Life; they are that which point us to Life.
2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
For years, nay decades, I followed after correct doctrine; now my only desire is to know God (Life). I’ve come to realize that my doctrine will never be either completely accurate or completely consistent; but life in God can be completely satisfying.
Who Is Your Teacher?
I can teach you nothing. Nor can anyone else.
1John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
You already know all things.
1John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
And yet Paul warns us that “if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know” (1Corinthians 8:2). The word I want you to take note of here is “man.” Earlier in 1Corinthians Paul quoted Isaiah 64:4: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1Corinthians 2:9). Then he goes on to make a very important point: Man in himself CANNOT know spiritual truth; it must be revealed by the Spirit because it cannot be learned.
1Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
He reiterates this in Romans 11:33: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?”
The Mind of Christ
Paul answers his own question. To know the mind of God, we cannot depend on the mind of man, but rather on the mind of Christ.
1Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
The Holy Spirit is in you to guide you into truth and bring to your remembrance what you already know in the mind of Christ that is yours.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Recognize Your Blindness
We need to be guided because we are blind. But we must recognize our blindness. I cannot be guided so long as I am, as the Pharisees, certain that I already know which way to go.
John 9:39-41 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
Notice in the verse quoted above that the qualification for being free from sin is knowing that you are blind and need to be guided; when you, like the Pharisees, think you can see, you are not free from sin. Paul tells us that “our Lord Jesus Christ … gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Galatians 1:3-4). Take note of the phrase “that he might deliver us from this present evil world” being the reason Jesus” gave himself for our sins.” See One with God and the Purpose of the Cross.
The Fear of Deception
Now we come to a BIG hurdle: Do I? Can I? DARE I trust the Holy Spirit in me to guide me into truth?
The church has taught us for centuries that we cannot —that we need some man to interpret for us what we read in the Bible and also what we hear from the Spirit. It has been, and often still is, a means of getting people’s money and controlling their lives. Fear, not love, has too often been the means by which the church has attempted to get people “saved.” If we do not accept their interpretations, we are almost certainly succumbing to “seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” (1Timothy 4:1). This is a central point which I return to in the Authority of the Bible. But for now I don’t want you to lose sight of my original point —that you don’t need me (or anyone else) to teach you.
We are all on the same journey, seeing the truth only “in part,” but all being transformed “from glory to glory”
as we renew our minds and demonstrate more and more the perfect will of God in our lives. (1Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 2Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.)
Jesus said that He came into the world to “bear witness unto the truth.”
John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
He also said that He would give us the Spirit of truth to guide us into all truth, emphasizing (as did Paul) that this Spirit would be IN us. (John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Romans 8:9-11 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.)
In John 7:38 Jesus made this statement, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” This “belly” is the center of our being —the place where truth is recognized and responded to by the Spirit of truth INSIDE bearing witness to the truth. We want to become sensitive to both positive and negative responses —to discern what is truth and what is not.
We know that the path of the righteous grows ever brighter.
Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
And where does that “light” come from? John said that Jesus became flesh and came into the world to enlighten every man who comes into the world. (John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.) Jesus said that I am also the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.)
My desire is not that I can teach you, but rather that I might shed some light on the truth that you already know, but may have forgotten.
On many occasions Jesus said that we must have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying (Matthew 13:15; Revelation 2:7). The Bible refers to the voice of the Spirit as a still small voice (1Kings 19:12). There are many voices clamoring for our attention (1Corinthians 14:10). What voice are we heeding?
Jesus often spoke of those who have ears but cannot hear, but He also said “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). The only reason we cannot hear is the same reason the Pharisees couldn’t hear Jesus when He walked this earth —we already have our version of the truth wherein lies our security (security in right doctrine). It is very difficult to let go of that which makes us feel secure; but until we are willing to let go of what we BELIEVE to be true, we’ll never come to the place of KNOWING truth. When we KNOW truth, all debate and argument is over for us. As I said in the beginning, we all use the Scriptures to support our doctrines. But Jesus told the Pharisees that they would never find everlasting life by searching the Scriptures, but rather by finding the One the Scriptures were pointing to (John 5:39). When we really KNOW God (by being still and LETTING Him reveal Himself through the Christ mind that we have), we won’t need to prove what we know by quoting Scripture; for we understand that God cannot be contained in a book.
Paul says I have to “let” the mind of Christ operate in me (Philippians 2:5). But I will not, and indeed can not, as long as I am afraid of being deceived if I do.
Perhaps our fear of deception comes primarily from the deeply ingrained belief that we must interpret the Bible as we have been taught by those in charge of our religious education —or else risk being deceived. I address this further in the contemplation entitled Authority of the Bible.