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Some understand the doctrine of Reformed Theology to be soft on holiness or worse, against it altogether. It's easy to understand why there are Christians that would feel that way concerning this theological position. If it is true that we are saved by grace and God is completely and totally sovereign in all things at all times and in all circumstances, then what responsibility do we have as God's people to "do" anything? We must remember that grace isn't the only doctrine associated with reformed theology. Reformed Theology is just a descriptor or summary of a theological perspective. Those of us that agree with the tenets of Reformed Theology believe that all the contents of the Word of God are important and that we are to exalt Jesus Christ through its preaching and the implementation of its teachings in our world. Holiness is a standard that all of God's people should align themselves to regardless of their doctrinal stance. “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” - A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God As Tozer points out, if we would all collectively as a people willfully decide to align ourselves to God's Word as our only standard for worship, liturgy, academics, relationships and all the rest of life, we could definitely have a greater impact in our communities for the sake of Christ and His Gospel.
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We had a great and lively discussion last night concerning the qualifications of elders (pastors, shepherds, bishops).
We spent quite a bit of time discussing whether or not divorce disqualifies and elder. As we were focusing on the "husband of one wife" (Titus 1:6) portion of the verse we commented on the life-long bond that occurs when God has joined a man and a woman together in matrimony. We saw that once a woman marries she is never allowed to be married again for any reason. We also saw that if either of a divorced couple remarries for any reason, including sexual immorality that the man and woman are now adulterers. It seems that a simple fix is that no one should ever get remarried if a divorce does occur. Below are some scriptures to investigate so that we can continue the discussion in a biblical way: matthew 5:31-32; mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18; 1Cor. 7:39; ephesians 5:33; matthew 19:6-7; romans 7:2-3 Please remember, this is not a salvation issue. This is a holiness issue. We are striving to live a life that more properly reflects God's work in our own lives. As always, there is a great danger when discussing holiness to become legalistic or Pharisaical and self-righteous in our attitudes. It is a careful path we must walk concerning holiness and always hold fast to the doctrines of grace. Blessings, Desi |
Word of God Church Forum
Doctrine, Theology, Church Life, Liturgy Archives
June 2017
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