Twitter

I want to start with a parable of sorts. I want you to imagine that you are in a library that you own, and it is filled with books. The books have titles like True Doctrine, and How to Have Faith, and The Importance of Righteous Works, and How to Be Saved, and Why the Sabbath is For Christians. There are books about health reform, about conditional prophecy, and the true nature of the Godhead.

In short, these all look like really good and important books. But as you look at them, you notice that they are multiplying. The books are increasing in number, and you see some new titles that weren’t there before, like New Testament Feast-keeping, and The New Moon for Sanctification. Every time you look there are more and more books, cramming the shelves, almost to bursting. And then you notice something else… the books are getting bigger. In fact, soon the books are getting so plentiful, and so big, that you find you have less and less room to move around.

Eventually, the books start to push against you, squeezing you against one of the walls. And as you turn, you see that there is a door in the wall with an inscription on it that reads “Faith and Freedom,” and below it a subtitle, “Sabbath Rest.” The books in the library are pressing you against the door. Now, what do you do?

The proper thing, the natural thing, would be to open the door and step outside, into freedom. All you need to do is turn the handle. When you are outside, you still own the library. You can expand it, upgrade it, so it has room for all the books that you own, no matter how many there are, or how big they get.

The library is actually a very good thing. And those books were just doing their job. The purpose of the books was to fill the library and to push you toward freedom in Christ, and spiritual rest. The problem is, some people don’t know why they own those books. They see their collection, and they become satisfied, maybe even proud, that they own all these wonderful volumes.

But the purpose of those books is not to sit passively on your shelves. They are not to be read for curiosity’s sake, and then returned to their places. They are living things, and they grow, they push you, they press you against that door. But again, some say, “I cannot go outside. I can’t leave, because all of my books are here. What would I do if I didn’t have these books with me?” And so even as they are pressed against the door, even though the titles they own are guiding them, even forcing them, to freedom, they refuse to just do the natural thing and step outside. Eventually, there is too little room for both them and their books, and they are crushed, and they die. They knew everything they needed to know to escape into life. They had every opportunity, and in fact an irresistible force practically compelling them through the door, but they were afraid of losing knowledge, or at least, afraid of relying on something other than the literature, and so they never found those things that they read about in the books that they owned, and spent the time to collect.

This has been, and is, the experience of many who consider themselves to be Christians. They have the right “books;” and I am speaking spiritually here. They understand all the truth that there is to understand, but as we were discussing last week, merely knowing the truth does not convert the heart, and so the testimony they give is no better than that of someone who never learned these wonderful things that we know. In fact, to know more truth, and yet refuse to step through the door of freedom only increases the pressure, only deepens the accountability, for those things that they face in the judgment, until they have no choice but to either become hypocrites, or backsliders… and in either case, they die in their sins, right next to the door of faith and freedom.

The purpose of the truth, the purpose of sound doctrine, is to guide you toward Christ, toward freedom in Christ. The Scriptures tell us this; we read, “Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Gal 3:24) The word “schoolmaster” is actually better translated as “guide.” The connotation of the word is definitely educational, but not in the sense of a lecturer. Rather, it is one who guards and leads along the way to a goal in a manner that is practical as much as it is theoretical.

The Law, the writings of Moses, and in this generation the writing of the Apostles as well, form the foundation of our doctrines, our teachings. Their purpose is not to make us better educated sinners, not to lecture us on righteousness, but rather to guard us, to guide us, to go with us, on the way to faith and the righteousness of Yahshua. But some collect the books, read them once in a while, and they think that they can lock them in their minds and benefit from their mere presence.

We as a Church have known people like that over the years. The Scriptures describe those who are crushed to death in my parable in this way: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, [Disobedient to parents… that’s an interesting one, and it is actually a topic I will touch on next time] unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such turn away.

“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2Tim 3:1-7)

That is quite a list of character defects that Paul provides; but he is explaining why something so basic, something as natural as turning a handle and walking through an unlocked door, eludes so many of Yahweh’s professed people. It is not because they are incapable; it is because they choose these selfish desires and broken states, rather than a life of faith and righteousness. Because of this, as much as they learn, and study, and grow in Biblical knowledge, their choices keep them from realizing the gift that Yahweh has given then; they never come to really “know” the truth.

The purpose of doctrine is to lead people to a choice between life and death, and to teach them to step into freedom. That is the knowledge that they need.

We do not down-play the importance of doctrine here. Paul asks, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14) And then, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the Word and doctrine.” (1Tim 5:17)

So we see that this is very important, doctrine and those who teach it; it is how people even know that they have a Savior, and what He is like, and what He did for them, so that they may choose to call on Him and accept Him into their hearts.

But Elijah’s purpose is not to make well-educated sinners. His purpose is to use the truth, to use the doctrine, to turn the hearts. And so, he does not lecture, he guides. He is not so much a schoolmaster as a guardian, showing willing students the way in which they are to walk.

But those who will not believe in the things that they have read, believing in Yahweh and His messengers, they do not do the obvious, natural thing. They do not trust in Yahweh, and that pressure, the books of knowledge pushing them up against the door, that is accountability for the light they have received, guilt for not living up to that light, and they will eventually be crushed by the weight of those books. When “every knee shall bow” before the Son of Yahweh, it is the weight of this guilt that bends the sinners’ knees.

The door of faith and freedom is unlocked. It requires individuals only to turn the handle, only to act on their convictions that they want to be outside in safety. But it involves placing trust in Yahweh’s power, rather than their own understanding. The Scriptures say that too, “Trust in Yahweh with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Pro 3:5)

There is the decision of what to trust for your salvation: Yahweh, or your own understanding. Understanding is good, but it does not save. The verse does not say, “Trust in Yahweh with all thine heart, and disregard everything you understand.” No, it just says not to “lean” on it. Don’t consider your understanding to be infallible, something on which you can rest all your weight. Our understanding can be a fragile thing, often shifting, often changing, but Yahweh, who wants our salvation to be secure, to be guaranteed, tells us to lean on Him instead, One who does not change, and whose stability never shifts.

He wants us to understand, to “know” Him, and to agree with the direction in which He guides us, but in the times that we do not understand, when the way forward is not clear, He does not want us to think that He loves us any less, or that He is no longer guiding us because we cannot clearly see the way forward. He wants us to rest, to Sabbath-rest, in His promises, and then, and because of this, we always speak, and act, and testify, with confidence. That is what doctrine is for, its purpose, to teach us to grasp this reality… but those who do not actually grasp it, well, all they are doing is collecting books… sometimes literally collecting a lot of books, and in their labors they construct a deadly library, the means of their own destruction in the judgment.

Yahshua said this to the Pharisees, who were well known “collectors of books” to use my metaphor: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.” (John 5:39, 40)

Among people who are not that religious, they will often say that Jesus was “A good man, and a wise teacher.” They don’t usually consider the statements He made such as this one. This is not the way any teacher, or rabbi, or prophet spoke. It was not, “Ye will not come to God,” but rather, “Ye will not come to Me.” He says, “I am the One that the Scriptures speak about,” because He is the Word of Yahweh made flesh, not merely a good man, or a wise teacher. He made claims that no wise teacher would ever make, if He were merely a man, however good.

But note the statement to the descendants of Abraham. He said, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life.” He did not tell them to disregard the Scriptures and come to Him; no, Christ and the Scriptures are one, and in perfect harmony. He said, “You think you have eternal life in these Scriptures.” He didn’t say they were wrong to think that, but it was only true in a certain sense, that they were to guide them to Him. They weren’t wrong in principle, just unbalanced.

And we might say the same, the right doctrines are salvational… but only as they lead one to choose salvation, so that the stony heart is taken out of their chests by a divine operation, and it is replaced with a heart of flesh, on which is written the Law of Yahweh.

I mentioned this last time… a non-Trinitarian who does not claim and testify to victory over sin has the same destiny as a Trinitarian who does not claim and testify to victory over sin. A seventh-day Sabbath-keeper who does not have righteousness by faith in all things will share the same reward as a Sunday-keeper who does not have righteousness by faith. They are just book collectors, and not saints. But I made that point last week, and I don’t need to press it too emphatically here again.

The point I am making this time is that opening a door is natural, easy, especially if you are being pressed against it. Last week, or two weeks ago, in our discussion session, R. asked me, “How do I have faith,” or “How do I know I have faith?” I don’t recall her exact words, but that was the essence of the question.

I replied that it is very simple. We trust that our Father is who He says He is. We accept His promises to us, claim them as real and applicable to ourselves. Then we pray and thank Him for giving us this gift, this gift of faith, and then we act according to that faith, never again doubting that we have it.

Her reply was, “Oh… that is simple.”

And yes… yes it is. Opening a door and stepping through it is simple. It just takes a choice, and then an action in harmony with that choice: to accept Christ, to pray, and to live the rest of your life until probation closes and beyond, believing with all your heart, above all doubts and feelings, that your prayer has been answered. Who can overcome that child-like confidence? Little children probably find it easier to do this than hardened adults who have been exposed to the “theories” of Christianity for many years, but never just took Him at His word.

Many among the lost will mourn, saying, “I knew this. It was no difficult task. Why didn’t I just do it?” May that not be so for anyone who reads these words.

And yes, some people may need to collect more books than others. Some people may read a few books and say, “Oh, there is a door here labeled ‘Faith and Freedom,’ labeled, ‘Sabbath Rest.’ Let me open that door and go through it.” Others may need to collect and read more books before the pressure of their knowledge squeezes them a little to the door. Some people, maybe many people in these last days, will need to be pressed, almost to the point of death, by their consciences and their guilt for sin, before they will consent to turn the handle and be free…

But until they do, and unless they do, they are trapped in a most dangerous place, their own carnal minds.

Until they do, and unless they do, the truth that they have learned is only a set of words, without life or power. In Christ, those truths, and those words, have the ability to cleanse the soul, and prepare it for Heaven, but only in Christ, where no sin may enter to corrupt the process.

This is why the saints of God are not, in the big picture, called to be champions of any individual doctrine. We are called to be champions of the simplicity of faith in Christ Yahshua. We are called to be Comforters, as we have recently seen, agents and incarnations of the Holy Spirit, which brings us to an interesting understanding. Is the Holy Spirit a person? Yes… the Holy Spirit is a Person, because Christ is a Person. Yes… the Holy Spirit is a Person because you and I are persons, and we are the persons through whom God’s Holy Spirit speaks, and acts, and lives in this world. We do not become God, because “God the Holy Spirit” is not a Biblical idea; but we become like God, in that we are One with the Father and Son, and share in Their same Spirit.

But we are not sent to make anyone understand this exactly, or to understand salvation in just this way. We are not sent to contend for the perfect way to express divine things in human language. The things of Yahweh are not like anything we can explain, even in parables. And so, while the occasional discussion may be used to bring light to those who are able to accept it, the Gospel, the Good News about what this all means, is always to be the goal. We cannot explain much of what is known by Yahweh to be truth. However, what we can explain is how easy it is to believe in Him, to change your mind, to make a decision for life, to take an instant of time to choose, “I will let Yahweh teach me, I will let Yahshua live within me.” That decision only takes a moment… and then we are given the power to live with that decision, to live in the power of that decision, for ever after without end.

We are to tell people, “It really is that simple. Open the door. Step through.” The power to do so is within our power to choose, because the grace of Yahweh IS that power of choice, as expressed by our words.

Remember that even the worst of sinners was made in Yahweh’s image, and He creates by His word. When He says, “Let there be light,” there is – instantly and every time without fail. When we say, “Let there be light in our hearts,” there is – instantly and every time without fail, because Yahshua is that Light, and He is knocking at the door to come in. We go out a door, and Yahshua comes in a door, and everything is balanced and perfect.

We have the power to choose, because Christ died for every one of us. Grace is an undeserved power that has been given to us by our Father, a free gift because of His love for us. We are called to create with our words the commitment to freedom from sin. We let our lips declare, “I have the victory.” And why is that important? Why do we need to “declare” this victory that we have obtained?

When a man and a woman are married, it is because of their words, because they say, “I do,” or “I will.” The priest officiates and the guests witness. That is what salvation is. Yahshua as the High Priest gives us the authority, and officiates. We say, “I do,” and then it is done. Many people feel different things the instant after they are married… joy, excitement, a little bit of fear. Some might not feel all that different than the moment before they were married… but the marriage has taken place. They are forever changed, regardless of what they feel, because their words created a covenant.

One who believes “in” victory over sin, but does not declare that he has it, is like a man standing at the altar, but refusing to say, “I do.” He may be dressed up… he may be standing before a priest and witnesses, but unless he declares with his lips that He will, that He does, agree to be in a covenant-relationship with his beloved, there is no covenant. He is not married.

We are called to create with our words the covenant of victory, the dedication to Christ for the rest of our lives, and we also create with our words love for the Bride. We declare, when we are converted, that we desire baptism, membership in the true, united Body of Christ… that is also as natural as opening a door. Inspiration tells us that this is the natural progression: Repentance from sin, Faith in Christ, and Baptism into His Body. By using our words, we call forth the grace that our Father has given us to choose, and by declaring these things in faith, and turning that doorknob to the library, we step out into victory, ending the days, or months, or years in some cases, of the deadly pressure of guilt and accountability. We let all that go; we let that burden roll away, and then we will have truly understood those things that were written in our books, so that we may use them to make those steps of everlasting life, and to guide others to follow our example.

David.

Home | Contact | More Articles