The Building Material of the Glorious Church – Part 2

THE SOUND DOCTRINE OF JESUS CHRIST

In Part 1, I took some time to share scriptures pertaining to who God is, who Jesus Christ is, and who the Holy Spirit is. To basically recap prior to moving on to the sound doctrine of Jesus Christ:

God is the Creator of all things. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof and all the inhabitants of the earth. He is the righteous judge of the universe. He established the heavens above, the waters below. It is He who gives and He who takes away. He causes the sun to shine on the good and the evil. He does everything for His holy name’s sake. Everything good and right comes from Him alone. He has never forsaken or left man. It has always been man that has forsaken or left God. It is God that made every living thing unique in its own special way. The list goes on and on. He is that I AM. As humans, we are not placed on this earth to question His existence; we are here to know Him, to walk with Him, to talk with Him, to do that which He has called us to do, to worship Him, and to bring others to Him through His Son, the living God. He is the first and the last. His word is the living Word, His Spirit is real, His Son is the burning bush incarnated in each of us so that we can be one with Him.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not —to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:26-30

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” —but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 1 Corinthians 2:6-12

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:16-21

…because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:14-17

Return to the Sound Doctrine of Jesus Christ

The Holy Scriptures in the Old Testament which God had given directly to Adam, then to Noah, then to Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were to be passed on forever more. God said to keep His commandments, walk in His statutes, and abide in Him. He will then abide in us. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not to break it. When Jesus and His disciples preached throughout the land and brought the good news of a new kingdom, it was the Holy Scriptures they referred to…remember, the New Testament had not been written. Jesus spoke about the hypocrites in the synagogue. He said, “Do as they say, but do not do what they do, for they are hypocrites.”

Jesus was adamant about how the “teachers of the law” the Pharisees had twisted the law of God to their own statutes, commandments, and if the people of God did not abide in their law…well, it wasn’t good. Our Redeemer was sent to mankind and creation to reconcile all back unto Yahweh. His disciples were trained and equipped in the sound doctrine of the early church and ended up bringing a whole lot of correction to the church for falling out of the sound doctrine. Paul even wrote about how in the end times, many would stray from the sound doctrine and follow their own. We must return to the sound doctrine of Jesus Christ and come out from among the twisted doctrines taught today!

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Titus 1:9-11

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Titus 2:1-8

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage —with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine; instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5

How To Return Or Learn The Sound Doctrine?

Go back to the basics if you never learned them or didn’t understand them, i.e. Repentance, Faith, Baptisms, Laying on of Hands, Resurrection (die to self), Eternal Judgment (life or death). Forget all the legalism and religion you learned…remember, it is all about relationship and fellowship with Yahweh, through the Son Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit of Truth. We can learn all the history of the Bible, which is important, but without the relationship and communion, we will just be learned people full of head knowledge. Once we walk in relationship and fellowship, we desire to walk in the sound doctrine, the sound character, and sound deeds of Jesus Christ. This study will be on the topic of the elementary (foundational) doctrines, beginning with Repentance.

Disclaimer: I was never taught these in all my years attending a church. Over the course of my life, I have attended a Baptist, Evangelical Free, Calvary Chapel, Non-Denominational Community, and Charismatic. Each church I attended, I would hear the Holy Spirit say, “There is so much more, Norma, there is so much more.” For years I sought Yeshua and cried out for the Holy Spirit of Truth to teach me Truth. In my seeking and searching for the wisdom of Yahweh, He brought key people in our path to help fill in gaps. This particular study on the elementary doctrines came from Sam Soleyn ministry, and boy did it bring much into perspective that I was missing in my relationship. Once I understood and began applying these to my life, my relationship blossomed with the Father, through the Son and the Holy Spirit. I pray you will experience and apply these as well to your life. They are critical aspects of the building foundation of the Glorious Church.

Elementary (Foundational) Doctrines of the Glorious Church

If you’ve been a believer in Jesus Christ for very long and/or attended a church for a long period of time, at some point you may have found yourself saying, “There has got to be more to it than that.”

So where does this “more” come from and where can we find out more? Paul dealt with the same issue when in Corinth:

“When I came to you brothers I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (Inserted – I Corinthians 2:1-2)

Paul said, “I made a conscious decision that while I was with you—you Corinthians—I wouldn’t say anything greater than the elementary, foundational, rudimentary elements of our faith—“Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Often, we hear leaders say, “Listen, I don’t know anything except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Paul didn’t stop with the above but had more to say:

“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual” “ but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” (I Corinthians 3:1-3)

When Paul speaks of being a worldly, or carnal Christian, he is not speaking about being immoral. He is not speaking about being adulterers and fornicators and the like. He is using the term “worldly” or “carnal” in the same way that he would use the word “immature.”

Hebrews chapter 5, starting with verse 12.

He says, “For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For every one who only partakes of milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to them that are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.” “Therefore leaving the discussion of the elementary principles (of the doctrine) of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permits.”

There comes a time when we all must become mature Christians, but you can see the reason that some people who, when for the time they ought to be teachers, still have need for foundational things, because so many believers have never been taught the elementary principles things. Paul says, “Before you can go on to maturity you must at least have grasped the elementary things.” Now the word “elementary” does not mean “simple” or “unnecessary”. You go to elementary school when you are a child because you are to learn the basics.

Rarely will you meet someone who has any maturity in the things of God. You will know them by their fruit (i.e. the evidence is that the moment there is conflict and discord, people toss off all of their religious pretenses and they go after each other with the same fervor and zeal as they would have almost as if they didn’t know Christ. The fruit of the Spirit is not in them).

What is this all about? Paul lists six things… six things that he calls the elementary doctrines and here they are: the first is “repentance from acts that lead to death.” The second is “faith toward God.” The third is “baptisms.” The fourth is “the laying on of hands.” The fifth is “the resurrection of the dead,” and the sixth is “eternal judgment.”

Every believer should have a complete mastery of these six things in order to grow into maturity in Christ, being skilled in the word of righteousness of Christ. Is it any wonder that the church is filled with people who “when for the time they ought to be teachers still have need for milk,” that they are unskilled in the Word and as a result they are carnal.

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLE OF REPENTANCE

Why should we repent of dead works and what are dead works?

Scripture makes it clear that when we are born again, there are works that God had prepared in advance for us to walk in. The book of Ephesians lays out this plan for those called by His name. Specifically, in chapter 2 Paul brings home this point:

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

The answer to why we repent of dead works is because many people turn back to the things that they have found to be convenient for the distraction or the diversions that got them through another day or got them through another night. They fall back into complacency and when you go back to that old way, you open once again to the enemy the opportunity to “beat you up.” For example, if—before you were a believer—you dealt with problems of inadequacy and unworthiness through sexual activity, and when you were an unbeliever you were trapped in a cycle of pornography, what the enemy does is that he would remind you of that when you now again feel inadequate; and, if you are open to it, he will reintroduce that spirit to you. Perhaps you were raised in an abusive situation and were trapped in a cycle of fear and anger or trapped in a cycle of depression, anxiety, rage.

Repentance from acts that lead to death is a way of canceling your association with the former life, with the way you used to be, so that, if the enemy in fact is resident within you—if an evil spirit has gained a foothold in you—by repenting from acts that lead to death you have now the freedom to expel that spirit and to continue to pursue your place in God. Understanding the importance of this elementary doctrine, you won’t have to defend the fact that believers may have demonic spirits living in them that are controlling their emotions in certain areas.

Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 23. —“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If you were taught from the beginning of your decision to follow Christ that you should repent from acts that lead to death, you would have always known that not only can the Christian have a demon spirit living in their souls, but you would have always known that by repenting of that control, that area of sin in your life, that you could get rid of the demon. Deliverance would not be somebody’s special ministry, deliverance would be what people do all the time to themselves and for one another so that the body of Christ would walk in the freedom and the peace of hearing God and operating in the Spirit.

It is not a shame to have a demon living in you. “It is only a shame,” as someone said, “to have a demon living in you that you won’t get rid of.” People want you to believe that it is such a huge religious thing. It is an elementary thing; it’s a very basic thing. When you repent, you cancel the right of your enemy to operate in your life and when you do, you acknowledge that God has a particular purpose for you and you are here on earth to live out that purpose.

I was taught that all I had to say was a sinners prayer and all would be good. Well, I can tell you that the enemy knows the cracks in each of our amour and he exploits those when we are at our weakest or tested to the limit of our faith. The fruit of the Spirit falls right out of the basket and those works of flesh take over. We see many believers suffer with works of the flesh. These are acts that will lead to death. True repentance is elementary. It is foundational and without it God’s people will suffer and/or be destroyed due to a lack of knowledge. You can no longer claim ignorance, beloved, but you can make a decision to truly repent.

Repentance – reviewing one’s actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better.

I want to add that Jesus also addressed a works that lead unto death in Matthew 7:21-23:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”

I close with the reminder that the Glorious Church is one who hears the Shepherd’s voice and does His will. It requires a relationship and fellowship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit of Truth. it requires time, discipline, and a desire to know Him.

Thank you for joining me in this study on the Foundational Doctrines. In Part 3 we will study Faith. You won’t want to miss it and, as I was, you will have a much clearer understanding of growing your faith. Until then, Blessings.

Norma Umphress

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