So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Peter 2:1-3, ESV
Challenging, convicting, wonderful message this morning in our Sunday School Class.
The main text was Galatians chapter one, the grace upon grace that God has poured out on us through His Son, the glorious gospel that He has given to us. In vs. 6-7, Paul is astonished that anyone can be attracted to anything other than the grace of God. We are not saved by the gospel plus any other doctrine. . . . . .we are saved by the gospel. The pure milk of the gospel.
Oh, how I need to hear that. How I need to remember that. How I need to live that.
This is the land, you know, of churches that split over paedocommunion or credocommunion, over eschatology, over family-integrated vs. non-family integrated, contemporary vs. traditional. You name it, we'll divide ourselves about it.
How sad.
And while I'm still - personally - wrestling through the whole concept of "When is a doctrinal difference important enough to leave a church" - today was a strong, needed reminder.
Look at 1 Corinthians, chapter 1. After a discussing believers quarreling over baptism, Paul writes:
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
What is Paul preaching? The gospel. The power of the cross of Christ. What was Paul's main thing? Preaching the gospel. All the time. Everywhere. To all people.
Oh, that my heart would beat to such a tune. So tonight I am begging - no pleading - that the Lord would cause to grow in me such a desire for the gospel, that I could truly be satisfied with nothing else.
That I would taste - and see - that the Lord is good.
And keep His glorious gospel of grace the main thing.
That, I think, would be enough.
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