The second book in line on FishHawk Droppings is [The Minister & The Crackerhead], and it is a fictitious account of an encounter between a more devoutly religious person (The Minister) and myself (The Crackerhead), based upon real events. This series will be just like it—only these encounters will be real. Granted, some of the text will have been changed in an effort to protect both the innocent and the guilty, but none of that will change anything about what was being conveyed. No, none of this is meant to cast aspersions towards anyone, nor to make myself good. In fact, be assured that I have been made all too painfully aware of the fact that most will not get the point of any of this. For only those who have been allowed and enabled to understand can, but just how many who can will want to? Therefore, if you have a question or an observation, please speak up—even if you sincerely believe that I may very well be one of Satan’s worst.
The Minister: As we have seen, Sola Scriptura is essential to genuine Christianity. Sacred Scripture is supreme and authoritative over the Church. It is the only ultimate and infallible authority for faith and practice. From Sola Scriptura flows Sola Graita, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria. The individual Solas cannot stand apart from the others. From them we state, from Scripture we learn that our salvation if by Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone. For instance, if someone says that they reject parts of this and simply want Jesus they are violating this and are out of balance theologically. This leads to all sorts of unbiblical behavior in the name of Christ.
The Crackerhead: How does, “In scripture alone we find Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone,” compare with, “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 Minister: Well, the difference is obvious. Jesus spoke those words to the scribes who studied the Law and the Prophets, but when they met Jesus they rejected him. On the other hand the Five Solas tell us about how God gives us His truth in His Word and from it we see the evidence of Christ being God and our Savior. From it we see that salvation is by Grace through Faith ALONE through Christ ALONE.
The Crackerhead: Be assured that I have not been given anything to say against the premise of the Five Solas. For it is indeed true that through the Word of God we come to know that salvation from the penalty of our sins is by the grace of our Heavenly Father through the having of faith in what He says is absolutely true about His only begotten Son, who truly is the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is, however, in regards to the presenting of the Word of God as being our Heavenly Father’s Holy Bible that I have been given much to say about. For the true Word of God is the Lord Jesus Christ—not the book that He had written about Himself in order to serve as written confirmation of what He wants to personally reveal to us.
Yes, it would be different if what is contained in our Heavenly Father’s Holy Bible was all that we were left of Him after His ascension into His Kingdom of Heaven before the day of Pentecost. For then it would have to be true that faith comes from hearing the Bible being preached, which is the way that [Romans 10:17] has been widely taught, but we have His Holy Spirit, which is One and the Same with Himself.
Hence, it remains the same today as it was during the days of the scribes and the Pharisees. For far too many have been led to believe that their salvation is the result of hearing the Bible being preached by us, and maintained by their knowledge of our Heavenly Father’s Holy Scriptures—instead of it being by the work of His Holy Spirit ALONE.
No, this is not just about the splitting of theological-hairs. For the unpardonable sin is the rejection of the work of our Heavenly Father’s Holy Spirit in our daily lives, and this certainly includes our acceptance of Christ Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior.
Moreover, this is also about not making it any harder for the lost and confused to want to truly be who we were all created to be. For if it is accepted that the hearing of the Bible being preached is the only way for someone to be saved, then it must be also accepted that all of those billions upon billions who were never given an opportunity to hear the Bible being preached down through the centuries were never meant to spend all of eternity with our Heavenly Father in His Kingdom of Heaven as heirs to all that is His in glory, and this certainly portrays Him in a very poor light—to say the least.
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While I won't go in to a long explanation of why, I will say that I agree with your final response here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by again, my dear Ann!!! It all comes down to a matter of intimacy, which is something that I had no concept of before our Heavenly Father made Himself real to me. For I have never doubted His existence, but He was really just a character in a book before. Tragically, far too many think that I am trying to discourage people from thinking as highly of His Holy Bible as they should when what I have been given to say about it is meant to place it in the proper perspective. For our Heavenly Father's Holy Scriptures were given to serve as written confirmation of what He Himself wants to personally reveal to us--not serve in His absence!
ReplyDeleteYou might find three chapters from Bittersweet Refinements at least interesting--if not helpful. For they go into greater detail about our Heavenly Father still speaking directly to us (including even those who do not want to believe that He is real) in this day and age. Please, if you believe that I have messed something up, do not hesitate to tell me about it.
http://fishhawkdroppings.blogspot.com/2009/10/chapter-xi-words-of-word-but-what-saith.html
http://fishhawkdroppings.blogspot.com/2009/10/bittersweet-refinements-chapter-xii.html
http://fishhawkdroppings.blogspot.com/2009/10/bittersweet-refinements-chapter-xiii.html
The preachers themselves must be good models so that those who are preached will be inspired by their credibility... do you agree?
ReplyDeleteYes, that is indeed true, my dear Webbielady, and the best way of doing that is to be as honest about themselves as they can possibly be. The Apostle Paul serves as a great example of that, and he was brutally honest about his own failures to be as good as he wanted to be in Romans 7:14-8:4.
ReplyDeleteOf course, just because one fails to do this or that does not make it okay for everyone else to be the same way. Subsequently, just because one can do this or that does not mean that everyone else should be able to do the same. For it all depends upon what our Heavenly Father wants to accomplish in and through each individual that determines when (and to what extent) they are made more like Him.
Alas, one of the hardest things for most to accept is that there is nothing good about ANY of us (including even those who do not want to believe that our Heavenly Father even exists) apart from Him. Thanks for stopping by again!!!