I wrote this letter this morning, thought I would share it with you. Any further thoughts on the matter?
I have been thinking about our discussions as of late, particularly as it regards assurance of salvation and the goodness of God.
It seems to me that there are four things that work in harmony with each other, where if they get out of sync or one overpowers the other it can cause problems of doubt.
They are:
Faith
Grace
Knowledge
Responsibility
Faith is informed. We have been led to believe. Someone or something has led us to faith. It isn't blind. But, If we put all our understanding in faith, eventually we will ask, "what was it we have faith in?" and we could get shallow, trite or naive.
Grace is the power God gave us to come to him. Its getting something we don't deserve because of our sin nature. But over emphasis on grace can lead us to sin (see Romans 6).
Knowledge is often ripped on in the NT, but we need to KNOW what it is we are to believe and he we are to live. Romans 10 addresses this. The reason I want to do missions or engage with people at home depot is to share truth with them, so they will know the savior. But, if we lean to heavily on knowledge, eventually we will derail because there are so many things in the world/life that just don't make knowledgable sense to me.
Responsibility is ever present. The bible is clear that we are to work out our salvation. There is accountability all over the bible. For me, if I put too much stock in my responsibility, I feel close to God when I'm doing good, and I feel far from God when I'm living sinfully.
I know the word balance has often been overused, but I can't think of a better word.
In my own life, when I'm feeling askew, I can usually pin it down to one or more of these principles being misappropriated.
Just a Monday thought for you brothers. Hopefully it brings some peace amidst a bummer of a game last night.
Phil
It seems to me that there are four things that work in harmony with each other, where if they get out of sync or one overpowers the other it can cause problems of doubt.
They are:
Faith
Grace
Knowledge
Responsibility
Faith is informed. We have been led to believe. Someone or something has led us to faith. It isn't blind. But, If we put all our understanding in faith, eventually we will ask, "what was it we have faith in?" and we could get shallow, trite or naive.
Grace is the power God gave us to come to him. Its getting something we don't deserve because of our sin nature. But over emphasis on grace can lead us to sin (see Romans 6).
Knowledge is often ripped on in the NT, but we need to KNOW what it is we are to believe and he we are to live. Romans 10 addresses this. The reason I want to do missions or engage with people at home depot is to share truth with them, so they will know the savior. But, if we lean to heavily on knowledge, eventually we will derail because there are so many things in the world/life that just don't make knowledgable sense to me.
Responsibility is ever present. The bible is clear that we are to work out our salvation. There is accountability all over the bible. For me, if I put too much stock in my responsibility, I feel close to God when I'm doing good, and I feel far from God when I'm living sinfully.
I know the word balance has often been overused, but I can't think of a better word.
In my own life, when I'm feeling askew, I can usually pin it down to one or more of these principles being misappropriated.
Just a Monday thought for you brothers. Hopefully it brings some peace amidst a bummer of a game last night.
Phil
Phil Carlson Custom Woodcraft LLC
651.246.7359
Sent from my mobile phone.
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