As disciples of Christ, we believe that the Bible is the very word of God given to us by his prophets and apostles and the Bible reveals the heart of God to us, his will and purpose for us.
As a new Christian we may have developed our beliefs from Christian family members, Christian friends, a pastor, Bible teachers, Christian speakers, and from Christian books you read because you trust that their words were true to God. And by believing in them this became your doctrine.
I have shared that Paul told Timothy that his doctrine is what will save him if perseveres in them and this is true for our doctrine. Do you believe your doctrine will save you? When you look at your doctrine who or what influenced what you believe to be true to God? I believe it is very important to know how you form the foundation of what you believe is true to God.
When you were a new believer you were not spiritually mature to filter what you were taught by others through the Holy Spirit teaching of Scripture. So, every new believer will be developing their doctrine by those who they put their trust in.
New Christians who love Jesus are the most vulnerable because of their spiritual immaturity in understanding the heart and mind of Christ. When they go to church, they can be taken advantage to do things in church Jesus has not asked believers to do but do it out of guilt or obligation to God.
Jesus commissioned mature disciples to go make disciple which is to nurture new believers to mature in knowing Jesus as their Lord by always put their trust completely in God’s word because it is active and alive to correct their heart in knowing God.
Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
It is God’s word that is spiritually active and alive that judges the thoughts and attitude of our own spirit to makes us mature in our knowledge of Jesus and grow in the wholeness of Christ, knowing how to obey his Father’s will.
For us to spiritually mature it will require our spirit to always remain new so that it can grow in its understanding of God’s word so that we do not remain fixed on what we believed as immature believers.
Jesus tells us to remain new in this parable.
Mark 2: 21 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.
22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst
the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."
Jesus was speaking to the Jewish leaders who were fixed in their own traditions and beliefs making them unable to hear God’s Son telling them to repent and believe in him who his Father in heaven has sent to give them a new convent promising them eternal life.
To find the ever-abundant treasure of God’s truth is to always be new to the Holy Spirit’s teaching as you mature in God’s word and the more you understand God’s truth the more it will set you free.
But we must always be aware that not everyone in church will choose to be new to the Holy Spirit’s teaching just as Paul had this challenge with his listeners in:
Acts 28: 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect." 23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 " 'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." 27 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
To grow in your understanding in Christ is to remain new to hear and see with spiritual eyes and ears and not remain calloused and hardly hear and have your eyes closed. Repentance is not a one-time event it’s a forever renewing of the mind and heart as a disciple of Christ growing in the knowledge of your Lord Jesus.
Please be true to Jesus and refine your doctrine of faith to be Holy Spirit defined by his word in Scripture.
Be safe in Jesus.
Ps Glenn