As with Part two Being a Christian after Salvation this article is designed and laid out to help the new Christian mature and grow in God’s Grace and His Word. Both articles are to be the basic building blocks of our Christianity that will guide us into being perfect in Jesus for salvation. (Hebrews 6:1)
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13(KJV)
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, the definition of indoctrinate is 1) to instruct in, or imbue with (to permeate or inspire with principles, ideas, emotions, etc.), doctrines, theories, or beliefs, as of a sect. 2) To instruct: teach. The definition of doctrine (the root word of indoctrinate), is 1) something taught, teachings 2) something taught as the principles or creed of a religion, political party, etc. belief. I beg you to look at both definitions critically and get a clear understanding of the difference in the meaning of each. Doctrine is the process of teaching the actual creed of a religion or political party, etc., belief, whereas indoctrination is the process of how to and the frequency of teaching.
I’ll start at the beginning, at our birth, from our first breath. From the very moment we came into this world to our last breath we will be indoctrinated by people all around us. Now don’t get away from the definition above because we want to stay with the facts of life! When we were toddlers our parents and other “big people” was always telling us things like “don’t touch! that’s hot!”, “stop!
You are going to get hurt.”, “2+2=4”, and as we grew older we were taught how to drive, yes, even “hey, it’s OK to have a few drinks everybody is doing it”, in advertising, they have become masters at indoctrination because they know that repetition drills their product into our minds for us to buy, just like the serpent did with Eve in the beginning, getting our greed involved in our decision making.
In my book, UNDERSTANDING THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, I asked this question: “Will I accept the “Doctrine of Christ” to be the primary focus of my new Christian Character?” (If you haven’t read the book, I strongly urge you to do so, then you will be better able to understand more of this article.)
Character is who we are all the way down to our toes especially when no one is around. We have made our own character through the guidance of our parents, friends, books, TV, movies, church, relatives…the list is endless. (This is part of Indoctrination, which is so deeply instilled into our mind that no human being, including myself, can fully and totally get away from it.) As we have already seen, our Spirit will live forever (not our bodies) and we have been given the privilege of making choices just like Adam and Eve had in the beginning of humanity (Genesis 1:16). Now, it is your turn to make that choice…Heaven or Hell. Remember…You have been given a powerful gift that started the very minute you were born, the gift of choice. After reaching the “age of accountability” only you can make or change your character and only you, with your character, will stand before God explaining why your character is what it is. We must start out on the right foot otherwise establishing a Christian Character would be impossible! We must be a Baptized Believer in Jesus.
I have lost count how many times I have heard this during my lifetime “We can never be perfect like God and Jesus”. We must look at this phrase from a different point of view.
First, literally it is true we can’t be exactly like Them because they were not born on earth and neither one of them ever sinned (Jesus took on the sins of the world but He never sinned).
Secondly, to be saved we must be perfect (having the Blood of Jesus wash our sins away through His grace), this is called Salvation. In the book I show that as we go down into the water it is there that all our old sins are washed away thereby making us perfect in God’s eye for Salvation. As we come out of the water we are given the Holy Spirit to live in us and with Him comes the “Fruit of the Spirit” to lay the foundation for our new character. There are many people in the world who believe and teach a “doctrine” called “Once saved always saved”. This is a man-made doctrine and has no scriptural backing to it at all, even though it is true for a true Christian who remains in the Doctrine of God all their life. (In chap8-Ways to lose our Salvation of my book I discuss several ways a true Christian can lose their salvation.)
After this (baptism)we must maintain this perfection through daily forgiveness by Jesus which can only be accomplished if we have a living relationship with Him. So, what does this perfection look like and how do we know if we are doing what God wants us to do?
We know that our current character will not get us into Heaven, therefore, we must develop a Godly Character (Christian Character) and maintain it until our death to receive salvation. Let’s see what God expects from us as His “adopted son”.
The Holy Spirit does not, cannot, and will not control your life or force you to do anything against your will. Because humans still have the freedom of choice no matter where we are in life but if we chose to not follow God, even after being Baptized, He will cut us off as it says in 1 Chronicles 28:9 and John 15:5.
Let’s review the “Characteristics of a Christian” that we looked at in the book.
The fruit of the Spirit, which is given to us by the Holy Spirit at our Baptism, will be the basic foundational traits of our Christian Character. Here is the catch, it is up to us as to what we do with these fruits. (1.) We can totally ignore them and stay as a “babe in the Word” or (2.) We can apply maturity to them and grow in the Spirit as God wants us to do, take your time and look at the growth pattern below to understand how your life will be changed.
If you decide to mature in the Word all these attributes will become your “Christian Character”. Understand this full well, your lifestyle will radically change.
Galatians 4:6-7 (KJV) – Sons of God
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Galatians 5:19-23 (KJV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Fruits of the Spirit
(foundation of our character)
Love
Joy
Peace
Longsuffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
Faithfulness
Meekness
Temperance
Look at the “Fruit of the Spirit” as a seed, when it is watered by God’s Word it will start sprouting roots beginning the growth process of developing our Character that will maintain our Salvation and gives us maturity in God.
James 1:2 – 4 (KJV) – Patience Leads to Perfection
Temptations develops patience,
Patience develops perfection
Romans 5:1 – 5 (KJV) – Tribulation to Hope
Tribulation worketh Patience,
Patience worketh Experience,
Experience worketh Hope,
Hope maketh not Ashamed the Love of God
2 Peter 1:5-11 (KJV) – Faith to Love
Faith gives Virtue,
Virtue gives Knowledge,
Knowledge gives Self-Control,
Self-Control gives Perseverance,
Perseverance gives Godliness,
Godliness gives Brotherly Kindness,
Brotherly Kindness gives Love
The hardest part of becoming a Christian is:
Changing our current Character into a CHRISTIAN Character.
“Fruits of the Spirit” develops into:
Fruits of the Spirit
Galatians 5:19-26 Temptations Leads to Perfection (James 1:2 – 4)
Love develops patience
Joy Patience develops perfection
Peace Tribulation to Hope (Romans 5:1 – 5)
Longsuffering Tribulation worketh Patience
Meekness Patience worketh Experience
Kindness Experience worketh Hope
Goodness Hope maketh not Ashamed the Love of God
Temperance Faith to Love (2 Peter 1:5-11)
Faithfulness Faith gives Virtue
Gentleness Virtue gives Knowledge
Self-control Knowledge gives Self-Control
Self-Control gives Perseverance
Perseverance gives Godliness
Godliness gives Brotherly Kindness
Brotherly Kindness gives Love
This is not a one-time action like Baptism but instead it is a daily repentance of our sins and a daily personal relationship with Jesus. Here is how God views this relationship, remember, Jesus expects and requires Perfection in-order to have a one-on-one relationship with Him and Eternal Salvation.
John 15:5,8 (KJV) – Vine and Branches
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Now that we have been saved and have risen to a new life, we are expected to maintain this saved/perfection state until our physical death. Going back to
Hebrews 5:12-14 (KJV)
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Hebrews 6:1-3 (KJV)
“1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
So, the #1 burning question is “How do I know that my character has all these attributes?” What has worked for me is understanding the process of how we build our character. My Great-grandmother had me memorize the following sentence.
“I don’t care what you do, as long as you:
please God first,
sit up straight,
look people in the eye,
and always tell the truth.”
After about 50 years of trying to understand this, God’s Spirit came into my heart and thoughts and showed me the following.
What we see/hear/touch/taste/and smell (our 5 senses)
Goes into our mind, which demands a thought,
Every thought demands an action,
Every repeated action creates a habit,
Every habit builds our character,
Jesus will judge every character.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (KJV)
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
The phrase, “discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” is a very critical point of this passage because it refers to our Christian Character. That word “discerner” is the word most people avoid or make up their own definition for it. According to the dictionary it means “to perceive or recognize: to make out clearly” and that is exactly what Jesus will do at our judgement.
After analyzing these 5 points, immediately I realized why I sin so easily and why I feel so distant from God but when I looked closer, I saw that the same steps that were taking me away from God could be taking me closer to Him, if I just changed what I was looking at and thought about. Since I want to go to Heaven, I have made a covenant with God and my eyes (Job 31:1) that I will do my part in changing my Character for my servitude to God. Already there have been some changes made and those that know me have seen some of the effects already. Just wait a couple of months, or a year and neither you nor I will be able to recognize the person that I used to be. Why? Because God is now in control guiding me through His Word. Showing me how to become a righteous man and based on the examples I’ve seen in the Bible (Peter, Paul, Mark, etc.) my life will be totally different than what it is now. I am not being self-centered here nor am I being “holier than thou.” All I’m saying is when a person totally and willingly gives their life to God they will not be the same person they once were; the Bible is very clear on this.
- Thought…becoming a Christian
John 14:4 – 7 (KJV)
4And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
ALL our senses play a major role in developing our character, there is no getting around it, because they are tied to our brain and “heart”. An important point is to be made here: God requires a Christian Character to not only be a Christian but also being able to have access to Heaven (this is Perfection).
“I don’t care what you do, as long as you: please God first;”
Think about this phrase everyday:
What you see/hear/touch/taste/and smell
Goes into your mind, which creates a thought;
Here is an interesting fact about our 5 senses: four (4) of these deal with physical facts. See…touch…taste…and smell. Only one, hearing, goes directly to the brain and it is the brain’s responsibility to determine if what it heard is a fact or a lie…this decision is made through the other four (4) senses and by faith (in the Word of God). ALL the attributes we just looked at in one way or other deals with our five senses.
Luke 8:8 – 18 (KJV)
8… And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
10And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
16No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
17For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
18Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
- Actions… our daily life must be Christ centered
“Sinners reject the Holy Spirit and Christians resist the Holy Spirit.”
Auth unknown
Every thought creates an action;
“… sit up straight; look people in the eye and always tell the truth.”
Here is the truth…either God has total control of our life or no control (which puts Satan in control).
I am not asking a trick question here but a logical one: How many “actions” does it take to commit a Sin?…ONE!
I want to say this again… our actions are a direct reflection of our Character (attributes) and reflects our relationship with God. Character and relationship are almost the same thing but there are some differences. For example, a relationship is a daily interaction between two people and character is a daily habit (action) created by one person. God expects us to combine both into our Character daily.
We have already looked at making “God happy first” (becoming a Christian) so let’s look at the other three parts of what she said, which deals with Christian Pride. Note…Non-Christian Pride will always end up in Hell not Heaven, however, being sincerely “strong and very courageous” for God will lead to Salvation.
. “Sit up straight”:
It’s OK to have pride, just don’t be a “show off” like the “hypocrites Jesus talked about in Matthew 6:2.
Proverbs 20:11 (KJV)
11Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure,
and whether it be right.
Proverbs 27:2 (KJV)
2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger,
and not thine own lips.
Matthew 6:1-2 (KJV)
1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be
seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in
heaven.
2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a
trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
“Look people in the eye”:
Study the Bible and your schoolbooks so that you will know what you’re talking about and by looking the other person in the eye you are showing them that you are an authority on the subject.
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
“And always tell the truth.”
A good night’s sleep starts with being a truthful person because you have a clear conscience.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 (KJV)
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
- Habit… following God’s plan for our life (being perfected in Christ)
DEVELOPING CHARACTER
What you see/hear/touch/taste/and smell
Goes into your mind, which creates a thought;
Every thought creates an action;
Every repeated action creates a habit;
Here is another question that must be dealt with: How many habits does it take to sin? NONE! All habits are repeated actions, and we have already established the fact: it only takes one action to sin.
It is here that our Christian Character starts to take shape and becomes first nature to us by maturing in the Word.
1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (KJV)
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come (the Bible), then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
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.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
PROCESS OF MAINTAINING OUR SALVATION
Once we have received the Gift of the Holy Spirit we are expected to Change our current character into a Christian Character by;
- Following Hebrews 6:1-3
“1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
- And John 15:5,8 (KJV)
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
For me, I had learn to follow a process of developing my Christian Character using Galatians 5:19-23, James 1:2-4, Romans 5:1-5 and 2 Peter 1:5-11 as my guideline and understanding full well that I, personally, created my current character and I alone am responsible for not only maintaining it but changing it also to be pleasing to Jesus.
As my great-grandmother taught me …
“I don’t care what you do, as long as you:
please God first,
sit up straight,
look people in the eye,
and always tell the truth.”
Which led me to this process …
What we see/hear/touch/taste/and smell (our 5 senses)
Goes into our mind, which demands a thought,
Every thought demands an action,
Every repeated action creates a habit,
Every habit builds our character,
Jesus will judge every character.
Which is based on …
Hebrews 4:12-13 (KJV)
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
As a Disciple of Christ we are expected to grow in the Faith and become mature Christians “rightly dividing the Word.” According to verse 11 above, when we mature in the Faith (became a man) we moved from the “basics” of Christianity into the mysteries of the Word. This is where we reach “Perfection in Christ”. ( 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.)
1 Peter 3:14-17 (KJV)
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
NOTE: the verse says “REASON” NOT “what is your belief?,” “what is your opinion?” Or “what does your Denomination teach?” Being a perfected Christian is all about producing good fruit daily, for the rest of our life! This is a learning and growing process that must be done for us to have Salvation.
This article has been designed and laid out to only be a guide to get you started down the road of becoming a mature “Believing Christian”. Therefore, there is no way that anyone can tell you everything you need to know about God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit and that is why this part will never end.
We’re still learning ourselves and will continue learning to our last breath, so will you.
Understand this very clearly, we are still human, and we will continue to sin but if we sincerely repent of them and ask Jesus for forgiveness, on a daily basis, He will forgive them.
May 13, 2025
Ken F. Miller
As with Part One being a Christian after Salvation part two is designed and laid out to help the new Christian mature and grow in God’s Grace and His Word. Both articles are to be the basic building blocks of our Christianity that will guide us into being perfect in Jesus for salvation.
WEEK ONE
Never change …the words of the prophecy of this book…If you do, be prepared to accept the consequences.
13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14(KJV)
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:29-31 (KJV)
To get the most out of this article you should read Part One being a Christian after Salvation to get a full background of what is being discussed here.
In part one I established that our indoctrination began at our birth and will continue until our physical death. Both articles deal with the doctrine of Christ, dealing with the subject “Laying a solid foundation for my Christian character”.
With that in mind let’s start with Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 above. Notice how close the wording is to Hebrews 4:12-13, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 are the last two verses of this book written by King Solomon. When he said “let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter”, he was summoning up the whole book of Ecclesiastes.
This same conclusion is stated in a different way in the New Testament, but the meaning is the same.
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:12-16 (KJV)
However, there is one warning in the New Testament that is not found in the Old Testament. Jesus’ warning to every human who reads His Word, Christian or not, Never change …the words of the prophecy of this book…If you do, be prepared to accept the consequences.
- For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
- And if any man shall take away from the words of the
book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18-19 (KJV)
Ladies and gentlemen, in the words of my great-grandmother “this is just plain and simple and there is no argument”. Therefore, we can honestly and safely say that since the creation of Adam and Eve up to this very minute and even all the way up to the second coming of Jesus mankind’s sole purpose on this planet is to …“Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” We must also fully understand that the Word of God “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. I’m not through yet, just hang on. God ended the Bible with a very powerful statement concerning His inspired Word.
Never change …the words of the prophecy of this book…If you do, be prepared to accept the consequences.
Here is a FACT that is very, very hard to digest and accept (at least it was for me). All denominations who twist and change God’s Word to fit their doctrines have clearly disregarded this warning.
I challenge you to discuss this subject with fellow Christians in a small study group to get a deeper understanding of God’s expectations He expects of His disciples. There are many other verses that describe and explain His thoughts. Here are two verses to get you started.
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:30-31 (KJV)
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. Hebrews 6:4-6 (KJV)
WEEK TWO
Since Hebrews 6:1-20 is the basic scripture of my book Understanding the Doctrine of Christ, according to Hebrews 5:12-14 & 6:1-20 we now need to go back to these verses and study them.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:12-14 (KJV)
1.) Doctrine of Christ: – Six Major Points
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
2.) Can lose our Salvation:
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
3.) Living in Perfection:
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
4.) Not maturing as expected:
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
5.) Must maintain our Faith and Service to God till our Death:
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
6.) God’s Infallible Purpose in Christ
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 6:1-20 (KJV)
WEEK THREE
‘I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 1 Corinthians 3:10 (KJV)
In Part One study we saw how to lay a basic character-building process and how the fruits of the Spirit guide us in this process. From this moment on we will be building our character on those basic principles. WARNING! To do this we must totally understand what Paul is saying in the above verse and apply the same process/principles/actions/beliefs into our own life. This is the first step into spiritual maturity.
- We must be a wise master builder guided/directed by the Holy Spirit.
- We must lay the foundation(s) of salvation and spiritual maturity.
- We must make sure that these foundations/doctrines are consistent with God’s Word.
- We must make sure that the person we are teaching understands fully what we are teaching them. Stressing the importance of knowing that they have built their character and only they can change it.
I understand that I am on a very thin line of over emphasizing a critical spiritual point here but I believe, as Paul did, that when it comes to teaching and explaining God’s Word we must teach the “Big Picture” without twisting or “cherry picking” it, because …”It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God”. If you have read my book, Understanding the Doctrine of Christ, or read any of the blogs on my website, www.thedoctrineofchrist.net, you would know by now that when we became a Christian (saved) we were born again into Jesus. This “birth” made us a baby in Jesus with no understanding of the deep meaning of His Word, which means we must be taught by a wise/mature Christian and this takes time …the rest of our life.
As Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 3:10 there is a four step process to becoming a wise/mature teacher and we are expected to become this wise teacher and not remain as babes.
1 Wise Builder – directed by the Holy Spirit
Without Jesus we are nothing
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:5,8 (KJV)
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. Hebrews 5:12-13 (KJV)
These two scriptures do not need any comments or explanation, but we do need to apply them to our character and life. To do this (as with salvation) we must want to live for, in, and through Jesus on a daily/hourly basis, without this commitment we will remain unskillful in God’s Word. As verse five says “for without me ye can do nothing”.
- We must lay the true foundation based on God’s Word
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
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.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:15-21 (KJV)
Unfortunately, mankind has been so indoctrinated into believing and doing things a certain way for so long that we have lost sight of how to look at the big picture of the subject. Instead, we have created a short version of the big picture just to “save time” and “effort” which may be okay for some subjects but as for the Word of God this action must not be used. Why? The short version always leads to “doctrine of men”.
- Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
- This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
- But in vain they do worship me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men.
Matthew 15:7-9 (KJV)
3 We must make sure that these foundations/doctrines are consistent with God’s Word.
Look very hard at verse nine above, now honestly in your mind tell your self how true you’ve been to God’s Doctrine. Every biblical teacher that has ever lived has been guilty of not presenting God’s Word totally and completely the way God wanted it presented, me included. Class discussion exercise. Look at these verses and apply it to what was just said.
8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Col 2:8 (KJV)
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
4 But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:9-12 (KJV)
I will use this illustration in explaining this process that will stick with us. Look around in this room and in your mind figure out exactly what you would do from the beginning to the finished product in building a room exactly like this one. Every builder has a reputation for the quality of work he has done in the past and his customer expects the same work to be done on their project.
Instructions for building a room
- Must be knowledgeable in building rooms…To become a biblical teacher one must be a Christian and have the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
- Create and understand a set of building plans. If we don’t do this as our starting point the room will never be exactly like this one. This is the third time I’ve used the word “exactly” because we are to teach God’s Word exactly as He has intended it to be. Not twisted, interpretation, not opinionated, or any other way except God’s way. The exact same principle must be applied to the biblical teacher. If he/she does not know God’s plan of what value are they?
- Gather all the tools and material needed to build with. (Make sure you read all the instruction manuals before you hook up to the extension cord and don’t act like some of those people on You Tube!) There are a lot of good biblical teaching material available but you must be able to recognize false teaching in them.
- Fine a lot to build on. There are plenty of people who need to mature in God’s Word but dedication and sincerity are short in supply.
- Hire electrician, plumber, construction helpers, roofer, etc. Sometimes even the most mature, seasoned, and knowledgeable teacher needs help, don’t be afraid to ask for it.
- Start building FROM THE GROUND UP. There is no way you can build this room from the roof down, it must be built from the foundation up!
There will be more on these subjects coming soon.