“In the Beginning…”

If you were asked, “Do you take God at His Word?” I don’t think there is a single Christian that would say, “why no! No, I do not.” Yet look at how much division exists in the Body of Christ. Clearly, the division of Christians would not exist if we all took God at His Word using only Scripture to interpret Scripture.

God warned His people of the dangers of external influences in both the Old and New Testaments:

“Do not be misled: “Bad companionships corrupt good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26).

When we follow the journey of God’s People in the Old Testament, we see how quickly they went from saying, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.”, (Exodus 24:3) to see God’s anger burn against a people who fell away from His Word so quickly. 

Do you remember what God’s People did after Moses went up the mountain to receive God’s Law? They felt he took too long and that it would be a good idea to create a golden calf. They reasoned that they needed to have an icon with which to direct their worship. This influence came by way of their previous captivity under Egypt. Look at God’s response! “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:7) This example reminds us of what we are up against. If a people who just witnessed the Power of God seen in all manner of signs and wonders fell away, how much easier is it for us to be influenced by this World? Consequently, in 2 Peter 2:20 we Christians receive this warning, “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.” So, how shall we proceed?

Specifically, the Bible tells us how to, “Watch your life and Doctrine closely”. (1st Timothy 4:16) We also find God’s Game Plan in John 15:4, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.” What I like to point out is that God does not tell us to remain in what your Pastor teaches, or church teaches or even what you or the world teach. Instead, God keeps it simple by saying, “Remain in Me.” Jesus encourages us to remain in His Living Word because He IS the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 

Be encouraged that nobody who has been fed by God’s Word does so believing they will drift away or be influenced by teachings that do not belong to God. But we are like the proverbial frog that does not jump out of the pot when the heat is added gradually. Therefore, it is good and right to continue in reading, marking, learning and inwardly digesting the Word of God so that we can be strengthened daily against the devils’ schemes. It is my goal to help you in your journey. To do this we must begin our study of God’s Word with a Clean Slate!

When we approach Scripture with a clean slate, we are oddly following the advice of the fictional character YODA who said, “You must unlearn what you have learned”. This means we question every doctrinal position and leave all preconceived notions at the door, allowing only God’s Word to guide. We look at each Word God provides as having meaning and purpose and we certainly do not ignore one verse if it conflicts with our understanding of another verse. We will also recognize the value of the original language, immediate context, Biblical context and Word Morphology to guide us.  Word Morphology is no different a thing than what we learned when studying the English Language.

God brings the Body of Christ together under these conditions, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Together we will lean on God’s Understanding. With the Foundation He has established, we can be certain of owning a Clean Slate Confession of Faith.

Doug W. Koehler