Today was also my appointment with two women leading the women's bible study. I wrote a post about it (lacking peace), but the LORD has humbled me between then and now. They were gracious. I was gracious. We had a wonderful time of discussion and prayer.
They had never heard of Lordship Salvation, but, because of what I delivered to them, they researched and realized that it was error. They were grateful. The new meaning to the saying "the sovereignty of God" was something they desired to steer clear of.
We also talked about the nature of Christ considering how his mission while on earth was to do the Father's will. She read 1 cor 15:24-28:
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
I replied that this happens to be a favorite JW passage to "prove" the diminutive nature of Jesus Christ, but the only word I have found which speaks to Jesus Christ's diminutive place in relation to the Father God, is the term "greater" which is used maybe some fifteen times in the gospels. As far as I am aware, however, the term "greater" speaks to rank or class, not to nature or especially deity. I believe that while a man Jesus was still the sovereign God, but submitted to Another in free will and by love.
Then we moved into the topic of obedience, and they affirmed me that faith is the only way to please Him once we have become children of God. I stressed how important freedom is and quoted Romans 4:15, which says:
...for where there is no law there is no transgression.
Believers are without commandment because commandments were nailed to the cross in Colossians 2:13-14:
He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
In Christ we are free from any requirement. These ladies automatically shared their concern for licentiousness or false profession, and I said, "can we just say that eternal rewards (or loss) are due for those who think they can conduct themselves as they please? For that which is done in the dark will be made plain on that Day, and each one will receive what they have sown. Therefore walk in the Spirit and you will not obey the desires of the flesh." Both ladies appreciated this approach.
I found out that their heart was just like mine; they too were concerned over stirring faith by the Word of God and avoiding the mistake of pharisaical "churchianity." I was greatly pleased and satisfied. One of these ladies has taken my materials to another bible study and used them for starting discussion.
(A little earlier in the morning, my husband went to the men's bible study and they had a short discussion over whether or not they thought that the "doctrine of eternal rewards" was biblical. They went around the room and each man spoke, and all but one said that eternal rewards is not scriptural. Then, later this evening my husband came home and we had another discussion about it.)
It's hard to be a single voice. Day one was tough. But so far I am not discouraged. :D
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