The Non-Negotiables.
5/24/2017 10:34:59 AM
Day Five of 11 foundational truths of our Christian Faith.
The Non-Negotiables.
What Should a Christian Believe? Day Five.
We all have them, but may be unaware. They are the things that are not open to negotiation in our lives ~ usually follow our core values. Might involve parenting, work, exercise and certainly, our belief system. Like, as a mother of four - I never ever failed to get up and get my school-age children off for the day, all the way through high school, making sure they ate, had their books and team workout clothes, and a kiss 'good bye'. Non-negotiable. So, some of our non-negotiables are individual, personal - not absolutes that have no gray. But with God, as laid out in the Scripture, there are distinctives1 that are absolutes.
Friend, I am not talking about denominational stuff or religious falderal, because God is not religious and Jesus, well-he didn't care too much for the religious folk, now did he? These are the basics that form the foundation of our Christian mindset.
Among those, we have looked at eight:
1. God is eternal ~ no beginning, no end. From Genesis 1.1 to Revelation 22.13
2. God is triune ~ Father, Son, Holy Spirit three Persons, one God
3. God is the Creator ~ and he created us in his image
4. Sin separated us from God ~ because God loved us, he gave us free will
5. Grace ~ God's way of redemption.
6. God's instrument of grace was Jesus Christ, God Incarnate
7. Jesus Christ defeated death - he rose from the grave!
8. Jesus ascended into Heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father
And finally, you must be aware that:
9. Christ will come again-in the same way he left-in the clouds.
This is not the end of the story; one day, Christ is coming back for his children. I have stood atop the Mt. of Olives where Jesus ascended into Heaven.
this is a pic I snapped from a road across from the Mt. of Olives, but this is it
Of that time, Luke further recorded, "...This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."2
Paul gave us a further description: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.3
10. The Bible contains the words of God, and is without error. Scripture is purposed to inform, instruct, inspire, correct and lead us to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is the Word of God, breathed out by him. "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."4
Also: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%203.16-17&version=NASB&interface=print
11. We are called to be followers-not just fans--of Jesus Christ.
Some of Jesus' last words: 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'5
Disciples = students of Jesus' words and life.
Disciples study God's Word, go to him in prayer, obey, follow Christ in baptism, partake of the Lord's Supper, and share the good news ofthe Gospel.
Study . . . talk to Your Father . . . grow.
Always "be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope you have..." 1 Peter 3.15
'Call yourself a Christian, or
do you now have enough information that you want to do that?
Tell Jesus you want to follow him,
that you recognize that among all other religious leaders,
he is the only one who came to live with us, die for us, and then rise again-he is indeed the Son of God, the Messiah, and he is alive!
Ask him to help you follow him ~ acknowledge that you sin,
and you want him to forgive you, to come and purify your heart and mind,
and then, Friend, begin to look for God,
be aware of his presence, his leading ...
because he makes all things new-especially you.
Christine
This is interesting, because it seems like oft times when I look up something in Urban Dictionary, it has prurient value, this does not. Thankfully
2 - Acts 1.11b
3 - 1Thessalonians 4.16-17
4 - 2 Peter 1.20-21
5 - Matthew 28.18-20