Las Vegas, Nevada Church
Affiliated with the Intercontinental Church of God and the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association

 
 

Faith Cannot Be Legislated!!   MP3     

God does not have a "Thus saith the Lord" for each and every little situation that may come up with in a firstfruit's Christian life.  When we do not have a specific law or scripture to cover the specific instance, we then look to specific or overriding biblical principles.  Side-by-side with this is something we read about in Romans 14.

                                                                 ...for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. –Romans 14:23

Paul is writing to Romans about members weak in the faith and one or more who could not bring themselves to eat meat which had been offered to idols.  Paul writes:

Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. –Romans 14:22-23

Notice the commentary

22–23. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Faith here means a firm conviction before God that what you believe is right. Paul remarks that it is proper to have and cherish a conviction, but we must not force our convictions upon others. We do not have the prerogative to do so. We must hold that conviction before God. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat. For the translators of the AV the word damned did not have the force it does today. It did not mean that if someone violates his conscience by eating that which he feels is wrong he will be damned to (the lake of fire). Rather the meaning is that he is condemned in his conscience for doing that which it will not allow. If he does not eat in faith believing that it is acceptable to God, he eats in sin for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. If our actions do not arise from our convictions then they are sinful actions and unacceptable to God. –KJV Bible Commentary ( red emphasis mine)

The point is this:  Within the various elements of belief, each member stands alone before God in the Salvation Process as to how he or she will conduct themselves in and with that element of belief.  Neither the church nor the ministry can micromanage your Salvation Process or issue lists of rules about every subject or element of belief under the sun.

The firstfruit member, as Paul states, must act on conviction or his or her conscience as driven by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.  Clearly the more immersed one is in the Word of God, the more effective and spiritually practical his or her convictions and conscience is going to be.

Some personal elements of belief are:

1] How we keep the Sabbath - what we individually feel we can and cannot do.
2] How to tithe or give offerings.
3] When and How to pray.
4] When and What to eat (beyond clean and unclean meats).

The church and ministry can and does preach from the Word of God on these subjects, but in the final analysis, the individual member must decide all the little details regarding each personal element of belief.  The church cannot legislate personal elements of belief or the minute behavior of the firstfruits.

The Major Pitfall of all This
Problems arise when someone writes down his or her convictions or belief systems in a paper and distributes it locally or within the greater Body of Christ in hopes of getting members to agree or identify with the belief system.  Sometimes a "bandwagon" effect takes place and a portion of a local congregation will look down on those in the congregation who do not go along with or agree with their belief system.

One such recurring point of contention is members eating in restaurants on the Sabbath or a Holy Day.  There is no "thus saith the Lord" on eating in restaurants on the Sabbath or Holy Days either for or against.  I say this despite one or more papers currently floating around the Body of Christ that purport to show scriptural or biblical principle against eating in restaurants on the Sabbath or Holy Days.

Having said this, I, as a minister of Christ do not specifically care what side any firstfruit comes down on in this matter.  This is my point.  It is a matter of personal belief and specific conviction of the individual member.  Eat in restaurants on the Sabbath or don't, it is up to you, but in doing so, please heed Paul's words in Romans 14...

Romans 14:10-13, 19
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Regardless of what you do regarding an element of belief, do nothing that will bring division in the church just because you believe you are right in your conviction.  Do not look to the church to legislate the congregation to an ideal based on your specific convictions.  Do not judge your brother if he believes differently from you on the matter.  Do not be casting stumblingblocks in your brother's way.  For example, if you eat in restaurants on the Sabbath, don't invite those you know who don't and do not, during fellowship, flaunt your belief in front of those with an opposing belief.

Follow after those things which make for peace.  Edify one another.

The church cannot and will not legislate behavior on elements of belief.  The members are encouraged to promote unity and edification.

 
 

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Las Vegas, Nevada Church of God - part of The Intercontinental Church of God and The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association - Tyler, Texas