Call Me A Stickler, Flying Sola

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

I’m going to fly ‘sola’ on this one (pun intended). There is only one Word of God (John 1:1) and one Bible that speaks of Him. When Paul wrote to Timothy and said that ‘all scripture’ is given by inspiration, he meant ‘all.’ From Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” to Revelation 22:21 and the final words written: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”   Believe me, it will only be by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that we will cross that great expanse from the beginning to the end of our own lives. And it will be by ‘sola scriptura’ (the Bible alone) and ‘sola fide’ (by faith alone) we, with our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15) will traverse that expanse, valley and mountain peak; oceans and continents, as aliens in this world, wearing our breastplates of an alien righteousness. It is not our own. It is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. He is our strength and shield. There is nothing that we could do or offer Him. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

Call me a stickler. It drives me crazy when I hear my brothers and sisters in the Lord try to explain the Bible, but due to their neglect in prayer and private study they lose much in translation. I am not talking out rightly false teachers here. I am speaking of my brothers and sisters; even as the Corinthian brothers and sisters were to the Apostle Paul although he wrote them twice for correction and instruction. Please know that I do not think of myself as the Apostle Paul, who was taken up into the third heaven for his glorious instruction (2 Cor. 12). However, I have noticed that since Jesus said, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it,” the Devil has done much to put a bend in our paths and to widen the lanes, resulting in the eternal death of many.  Jesus knew Satan’s effort and because of that, few would find the gate and narrow; even as Jesus spoke of the scattered seed and how few would take root. (Matthew 13)

Call me a stickler, but our doctrine is often flabby; imprecise. It doesn’t take much of an error in what we think we know to bring disaster to our souls. Consider Eve, the moment that she added that God said ‘not to even touch the fruit!’ Oh boy! The moment that we are caught questioning or doubting, how quick the serpent comes as he did to Eve, offering her his most expected and deceitful counter: ‘Did he say that?’ The doctrine was not to eat of the fruit. In this case, the doctrine that Adam and Eve followed; e.g., not to touch or eat, was not profitable; in fact, it led to their expulsion from the garden and eventual death. Sometimes such subtleties lead us to lives of total confusion, although we are told that God is not the author of confusion. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Cor. 14:33 And why is it that we don’t have peace in all the churches of the saints? Because there is confusion and disagreement in our doctrine; fraught of men’s pride; their follies and fancies.

As for the subtleties of error (and it is appropriate to call whatever is not in accordance with the whole counsel of God as error), the pastor of the church that I attend taught on Romans 6:1,2. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Before this point, Paul explained to the Romans how we had received as a gift of grace the righteousness of Christ, and through His death on the cross, we were justified in the eyes of God. Justified means that God declared us righteous because of what Jesus did, as was written in Hebrews “…and without shedding of blood is no remission (of sins).” How wonderful is that? So, when the pastor got to Romans 6:1, I was really pumped. I waited and waited and waited for him to even once mention the word ‘willful,’ ‘premeditated,’ or ‘deliberate,’ in connection to the meaning of this verse. Okay, it wasn’t explicitly there, but it was implicit, e.g. ‘shall we continue?’ The fact is that when a good student of the Bible studies, the student uses scripture to interpret scripture; not his personal inclinations, mentors, church upbringing, experiences and so on. So, as good students, let’s go to another verse, Hebrews 10:26: “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.”  So, can we appreciate the difference in how 6:1 reads by adding willfully, premeditatedly or deliberately to ‘continue in sin that sin may abound’? For those who believe such, what a mockery to Christ! How Antinomian (those that teach there is no law, and we are at liberty to do whatever we please!) They are the false teachers, liars. To me there is a world of difference when including the word willful to 6:1. Why? Because we  will sin! Sin continues as it is a consequence of the flesh that remains in us, and in times of great temptation, difficulty, and depression, we will sin again, but that is not to say it is willful; that we intended it!  Sin that is not willful exists in the context that Paul wrote in Romans 7:18-21, “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.”

Did you notice what Paul said here? He’s said that he willed to do good; but he couldn’t. That is not the same as what Paul wrote in 6:1, and that might be correctly read as should we ‘willfully continue to sin that grace will abound?’ I don’t know about you, but that is a critical distinction. For those who ‘willfully’ continue in sin; they are thumbing their noses at the cross, and I pray God’s mercy on them. You deceive yourselves. However, there are many dear brothers and sisters who sin as a consequence of the flesh; when there is no premeditation or deliberateness. Often they lay in anguish; weeping and saying to God, as Paul, said, “I love God’s law with all my heart.” To them I say, we can rejoice because, “….of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” 1 Cor. 1:30,31, even as Paul concluded his glorying in the Lord by exclaiming, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

All I’m trying to say here is this: if you are flying sola; then you are also flying sola fide, and ‘fide’ means by faith. Faith means taking God at His Word, but understand too, you must know it with precision and deliberateness; through prayer, supplication, meditation; as illumined by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us to apply the wisdom and will of our Father to our lives.