Following After Life

We only have two choices while we live here on this earth. They are the same choices that Moses presented to the children of Israel, upon delivering to them the summary of the law: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live" (Deut. 30:19). That’s it, we have life or death to follow after, and there’s no space for in between or neutral. Jesus said that he came "that [we] might have life, and have it more abundantly" (Jn 10:10). That life is his Spirit, which is the life that dwells in both himself and the Father (Rom. 8:2,10; Jn. 5:26). So the only way we can follow after life is to follow after the Spirit of God, which obviously is why the apostle Paul made the following statement: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). The point I would like to briefly make today is that the only doctrine that keeps us following after the Spirit of life is the one that the Spirit teaches. And guess what the Spirit teaches? That’s right, it teaches us to follow after the Spirit, and nothing else. Why? Because the Spirit is that abundant life that Jesus came to make available, and everything apart from it is death. And because the only way we can truly follow after Jesus is to follow after the Spirit, for "the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (II Cor. 3:17). Yes friend, wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty from sin and from death. Anything we are following other than what the Spirit teaches us, is imparting death to us and not life. You see, one place that the Spirit is not at, is in erroneous doctrine. And you can follow after life in some things and after death in others, at the same time. That is not a good mix, and I think it’s apparent that it is not a good practice,, or at least it should be apparent.

I’m going to give some for instances where the body of Christ has been taught by men to follow after death. Believing the universally accepted teaching of ‘getting saved’ is not in keeping with the teaching of the Spirit of God through the scriptures. The baptism of the holy Ghost, evidenced by speaking with other tongues, is the only biblical new birth that exists (II Cor. 5:17; I Cor. 12:13). Believing that we receive salvation at the beginning of our faith in Christ is contrary to the Spirit of truth, and to the scriptures as well (I Pet. 1:3-9). Believing in the ‘trinity’ doctrine, or the ‘Jesus Only’ doctrine is contrary to the truth about the Father and the Son, and the oneness that exists with them (Jn. 17:22-24; I Cor. 1:10). Practicing and regarding ceremonial ordinances of any kind is contrary to following after life in Christ, and is opposite of the leading of the Spirit (Jn. 4:24; Philip. 3:3; Gal. 5:18). Believing that the holy Ghost baptism is a secondary ‘Christian’ experience is death, because it is setting something else as the new birth experience before life from above is imparted unto us (Jn. 16:7; Acts 1:4,5; Rom. 8:9). Now these are by and large the main points where death has been ministered to the body of Christ, and I’m aware that many will find these things to be "a hard saying,” but they are true sayings nonetheless (Jn. 6:60). If you would like more detailed confirmation of these things, then look into our other daily posts that have been put up since mid May, 2011; or you can check these things out on our social media site at http://byonespirit.tumblr.com/. In any event, if life and liberty is what you’re after, then seek God as to the validity of these sayings, and search the scriptures. Just be willing to see what God is willing to show, for it’s certain that we can ill afford to lose any advantage in this highest of stakes race that we are in (I Cor. 9:24; Heb. 12:1). Amen.