People tend to focus on their interpretations of Bible doctrines rather than letting their eye be single and focusing on Jesus Christ who lives within them! In short, they lean towards their own understanding.
This is a trap of the enemy, assimilating facts and scriptures into the memory and leaning to one’s natural understanding rather than following Jesus in Spirit and in Truth. Spiritual Crucifixion of the “old man” must continually be put to death in Christ. Even seemingly good things done without the leading of the Holy Spirit must go if we are to be transformed into Christ’s image by way of the cross.
In the modern era, walking in the spirit of truth (who is Jesus Christ) seems ridiculous especially to the Western mind, it is considered emotionalism to many, and even worse sometimes unbiblical. But the truth be known, walking in the spirit is the ultimate in Biblical correctness!
What the Apostle John first coined as “Antichrist’s” were actual brethren who started with Christ, yet became diverted away from the cross, as their minds wanted to preach another gospel rather than total dependency on Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is the same today, systematic theologies (religion) would rather learn up scripture in their heads and supplant the headship of Christ, often to be seen as “a leader” to others in the world, rather than walk in humble and simple obedience to Christ’s leading within them. The Apostle Paul called these “enemies of the cross” and the Spirit of antichrist has become the predominant spirit within Christianity as a whole! The word antichrist has been overused so much, that it has taken on a whole new meaning. The correct meaning is an alternative to Jesus Christ; and not some raving demonically charged hater of Jesus Christ, with the Hollywood version being portrayed as Satan incarnate.
Used in a historical sense, “The Antichrist” would be the man orchestrated placement of another man, who claims to represent Christ on earth. This would be in holding the office of the Pope of Rome, the mother of Harlots, and her bastard children (other whores). Who will reveal (Satan) the “Man of Sin”, “That Wicked”, King of Babylon, and so forth who is found in Revelations 17-18 and worshipped as God by all the world, prior to his destruction with the world.
Back to my main point of this article: the Smorgasbord of different “so called” Biblical doctrines are mind-boggling today, all types of Salvation by Gnostics, Legalisms, Lineage, Mysticism, Pantheism, Penance, Universalisms, to name a few and specific twisting to individual scriptures by all types of cults to achieve their ends. Whereas the Gospel of Jesus Christ is quite simple for us who know him, it is to simply follow him (and no other) in spirit and in truth, as we have a love for the truth (Jesus Christ) that we “might be” saved ultimately!
On a personal note: I have never been an academic in being able to rely on myself to function using rote memorization, even when referring to the scriptures. In fact, I have found that the Lord God normally frustrates any of my attempts to sound educated in the flesh, unless He be pleased to quicken a part of my 40 years of Bible or name and place of historical events which I have absorbed into my ADHD brain over time. This quickening has only happened once in my life on a massive scale; when I was trying to prove to the Church leadership that I was equipped to be an Elder. But the real problem was, that they didn’t want someone of “a different spirit” around, showing them up (so to speak) and making them feel bad. I was even able to confound a Harvard-educated Elder who the board of directors looked to for advice… but no appointment to that level of leadership was ever obtained, as they did not want the power of “Jesus Christ” in me to disrupt their institution! I was so frustrated by this rejection by those who claim Christ’s name as their Lord and savior, that I started searching elsewhere for acceptance to some other reformed denomination.
I was casting my pearls before swine, and they trampled and attacked me with a type of sympathetic love in an effort to hide their venom for anyone who could actually move and function in Jesus Christ, in being a living testimony to His work! People call me spiritually proud, or even bitter for the rejection I experienced within the leadership, but the truth be known – John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Of course there is no convincing others many who have taken the broad road away from Christ, that indeed you are in the right place, (and they are not) when discerning their independence from the Lord God in being enemies of the cross. Nor can you teach someone who has never been born again of spirit, how to move and function in the things of God.
Thus, for a mental bridge, even devoid of different doctrines, you have 3 types of Christians:
- The disciple who moves and follows Christ alone in spirit and in truth;
- The broad roader with the (spirit of antichrist) who has replaced Christ in their lives to be comfortable in the world in some way;
- And finally, false brethren who have never been elect towards salvation, but have learned up Bible doctrines in their intellect.
I would like to say in closing, that although it was painful in suffering rejection from the world and it’s institutions to a large degree within my life, and being loathed (especially by man orchestrated Chuuurch) it has been well worth these trials in being able to move, understand, and function in Jesus Christ which few others can understand simply because I am graced by His work in my life through dependency, rather than being stumbled in my own understanding!
Lightship Ministries 