Lots of Scriptural Knowledge - but do we have LIFE?

[Marathoner]

1 minute ago, Vine Abider said:

Amen!  I was in a quasi-cult for some time with a group that thought they had the way to be the church, to meet, etc.  While the teaching was pretty good and seemingly based on scripture* and at first things were VERY living, eventually the adherence to the form took over.  Then elitism set in and the group started believing it had something better (all the while advocating that they had the one, true path to Christian oneness).  After I got out I saw a good amount of similarities with the Amish . . .

* Paul tells the ones in Corinth that some say, "We are of Paul" and "I am of . . ."  and still others said, "We are of Christ!"  While the ones saying "We are of Christ" are doctrinally correct, it lacks love and is haughty, therefore just another division.

Indeed. You'll recall my experience with that certain fellowship a long time ago, brother. Were they a cargo cult seeking to recreate "Acts Christianity?" 

Yes. It evolved into a cult dominated by one elder and his cadre, all in the name of the Lord. 

[angels4u]

6 hours ago, enoob57 said:

You cannot separate God from His Word many try...

Amen, its only by the Word and the Holy Spirit we can receive life ever lasting.

Romans 8:11

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

[BibleStudent100]

20 hours ago, AnOrangeCat said:

Be active. Bear fruit. Demonstrate your faith. Show that you're alive in Christ

Amen Orange Cat!

Jesus Christ, after identifying his disciples as “the light of the world,” told them: “People light a lamp and set it, not under the measuring basket, but upon the lampstand, and it shines upon all those in the house.”  Christ used the basket illustratively as a covering. Jesus encouraged his disciples not to hide their spiritual light under a figurative “measuring basket.” Instead, he admonished them: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heavens.”—Mt 5:1, 2, 14-16 
 

[christsavedme]

21 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

With this devotional (Daily Open Windows) I am reminded that it is not about knowing a lot of scripture and having my doctrines all lined-up.  No!  It is about daily coming to Christ to experience His life!

 

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life. (John 5:39-40 NIV)

The value of everything is its livingness. The value of the Scriptures is not that we know our Bibles and can handle our Bibles and can give addresses, wonderful addresses, from our Bibles, and that we can quote Scripture fully and accurately and all that sort of thing. It is not that we bear the name of associates of Christ, Christians, not that we have this great inheritance and tradition. It is the livingness of it all which is proving itself in all ways, that this risen Life of Christ should prove itself.... That is a strong thing to say, it is a searching thing to say. You have the Christian tradition and a great deal of Christian teaching, perhaps you know your Bibles very well, or think you do, perhaps you have many advantages in your associations, but the question arises. Not do you know it all, have you got it all, all the teaching, the truth, the Bible knowledge, the association, and that you are at all the meetings and you have heard it for years and years past and your association with it has been very close. That is not it. You can have all that and yet you yourself not be marked by this vital something that you become a vital factor in the whole thing. You are still a passenger, perhaps a parasite; not really in the good of it yourself. Let us be frank about it. We must face this as a personal matter.

The answer is in the resurrection.... Resurrection is not to be only something that happened with Jesus, but it is something that has happened in us and taken place inside of us. There is a counterpart of that by His risen Life imparted, that we have been raised together with Him. And that is not just doctrine either. That is real, that is vital truth and something to happen in us as well as in Jerusalem so many years ago. It is not just history and tradition, it is experience.... We have not only to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, but we have got to be alive ourselves with Him in that resurrection and on that ground.

By T. Austin-Sparks from: The Testimony of the Christ - Chapter 9

This passage from T. Austin-Sparks reminds us that our faith must be experiential, not just theoretical. We must allow the resurrection of Jesus to become a reality in our own lives, to awaken us from the slumber of mere religiosity and bring us into the vibrant, pulsing life of the Spirit.

Let us not forget that the true measure of our faith is not in the quantity of Scripture we can recite or the depth of our theological knowledge, but in the quality of our relationship with the Risen Christ. I see so many people trapped in a cycle of intellectual assent, never truly allowing the living Word of God to penetrate the depths of their being.

The Word of God is not a museum piece, but a living, breathing instrument that must be played and sung in the midst of the people. Let us not be content with simply knowing about Jesus, but rather, let us strive to know Him intimately, to experience His risen life coursing through our veins.
 

[Neighbor]

22 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

With this devotional (Daily Open Windows) I am reminded that it is not about knowing a lot of scripture and having my doctrines all lined-up.  No!  It is about daily coming to Christ to experience His life!

Good Morning,

I do think it is the egg before the chicken; that life comes before knowledge of it's (Life's) workings. For without the specific call by the Holy Spirit to turn about from sin against God and toward worship of Jesus as Lord God and savior the facts ( Bible) are just so many words on a lot of pages.

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

And even the above is just so many words on a page to those that have not yet  received and heeded the specific call to them  by the Holy Spirit. 

[enoob57]

19 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

The living word was not meant to be separate from The Living Word (Christ).  But Paul does warn of the dead letter which just kills (2 Cor 3:6).

hope you're not thinking this is referring to Scripture (which is a work of The Holy Spirit)... for else how could this be written:

John 8:32 (KJV)

[32] And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 17:17 (KJV)

[17] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

2 Timothy 3:15 (KJV)

[15] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

 

 

[Vine Abider]

7 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Good Morning,

I do think it is the egg before the chicken; that life comes before knowledge of it's (Life's) workings. For without the specific call by the Holy Spirit to turn about from sin against God and toward worship of Jesus as Lord God and savior the facts ( Bible) are just so many words on a lot of pages.

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

And even the above is just so many words on a page to those that have not yet  received and heeded the specific call to them  by the Holy Spirit. 

And good morning to you!  Yes, I believe it is life first too.  I knew nothing of Him, and just opened in a small way, and then His life came rushing into me!  This made me alive and aware of what was really going on around me.  Through this, He spoke a number of things to me that I later learned were in scripture.  When I read them, they just reinforced and encouraged me, that He had spoken.

CC:  @enoob57

[farouk]

Remember that the Word of God has a special instrumentality in the work of the new birth in the sinner's heart:

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

²⁴ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

²⁵ But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." (1 Peter 1.3-5)

[Marathoner]

3 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Good Morning,

I do think it is the egg before the chicken; that life comes before knowledge of it's (Life's) workings. For without the specific call by the Holy Spirit to turn about from sin against God and toward worship of Jesus as Lord God and savior the facts ( Bible) are just so many words on a lot of pages.

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

And even the above is just so many words on a page to those that have not yet  received and heeded the specific call to them  by the Holy Spirit. 

Agreed. How the Lord called us is something we share in common with regard to our testimony. He called me from "out of nowhere" as it pleased Him and suited His purpose. What did the Spirit declare? 

It was time. There is an appointed time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3). 

[Cyoder]

So much of this confuses me.  I am very new to this, and I really want to understand.  So many talk of feeling the Holy Spirit.  I don't feel anything.  Do I believe? That is a very difficult question.  I know the Bible is true. I understand Jesus is real, was crucified and has risen, but even the Apostles had to see Jesus rise before they truly believed.  I believe as much as I can is the best answer.  Everything is so cryptic, and scripture can be very difficult to understand.  I've been listening to the Bible for several months and reflecting on my life.  The Bible in a Year has been helpful in explaining things.  I just finished the Gospel of Luke.  This whole experience has gotten me very emotional and changed me.  I've been reflecting on my life and trying to repent for every sin I can remember.  I've gone to church a few times.  I am trying to obey God's laws the best that I can and have been praying for help to stay true to them.  I have been more charitable and helpful to those in need I come across in life.  I am making God more of a priority in my life.  I am not saying any of this looking for praise or approval just wondering, is this what a relationship with Christ looks like?