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Introduction
My purpose for writing this book is to provide a clear understanding of the logic of God using the revelation given to the Apostle Paul with support from the other Apostles in the New Testament. God is not depending on us to live the Christian life. He is depending on Christ in us by the leading and power of the Holy Spirit as we acknowledge Jesus as indwelling Lord. The doctrines which explain the change over from the Old Testament to the New Testament in the Epistles of the Apostle Paul are not explained in many of today’s Churches. Paul said. “We must learn Christ.” He meant the two parts of the gospel are, (a) believers have been placed in Christ on His cross to be justified before the perfect righteousness of God, and (b) as a result of Christ’s death and His resurrection from the dead, He will come alive in us as our indwelling Lord. We respond by exchanging our self-absorbed life for Christ’s life in us as new creations. We become new creations in Christ while retaining our uniqueness as individuals. That creative action on God’s part is what it means to be born again, born of His Spirit. Jesus told the woman at the well that if she drank from His well, her spiritual thirst would be quenched and it would be an inward spring of water in her, both in this life and the life to come. Paul expanded that statement with his many ‘Christ in you’ statements. The Christian Life is the out-living of the in-living Christ Jesus by His Spirit who is in union with our spirits. As a result we see living the Christian life is not something we have to do; it is something we get to do. When we acknowledge Christ’s Holy Spirit in us we can depend on His help leading and guiding us through the tough times in life, though we must be patient. The Apostle Paul is always saying ‘know’ this important fact. I noticed in my own life that when I know the subjects in my book I live my life according to these truths. That is very important because your emotions cannot be trusted. Paul’s goal was to ‘know Christ and the power of His resurrection.’ As I run the 20 chapters of this book through my mind, chapters two through twenty covers that statement. The first chapter is for atheists and agnostics because this book is also reaching out to them. Then I explain the Apostle Paul so the new believer knows the Apostle is qualified to explain the subjects I will be discussing. The rest of the book reveals God’s plan for our learning Christ and the power of His resurrection. Life will be tough for God’s children. His children are receiving a complete Spiritual education here on earth. This Spiritual education is by the study of God’s plan in Scripture, prayer, learning through all the troubles and trials of life, and the beauty of His creation. We are being disciplined by our ability to trust and obey here on earth for the privilege of managing and ruling in the New Heavens and New Earth. Another reason for our troubles and trials here on earth is that we need to be made into reliable people so we can correctly handle the inheritance we will receive with Christ for doing God’s will. This is why believers are being ‘conformed to the image of Christ.’ When we focus our attention on God’s kingdom and His righteousness, nothing will defeat us. The choice we make then is to give our will to God. I cover subjects which show the New Testament is intensely logical. After studying God’s Word and living the Christian life for 35 years, I find myself agreeing with Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones. He said, “If your life and your mode of living is not the outcome of your doctrine, it is not Christian living. You can live a good life without being a Christian. The Christian’s life is a result of his doctrinal beliefs. There is nothing more horribly wrong and unscrupulous than to divide doctrine and life.” It is important to know the sequence of this scriptural non-fiction writing: Facts > Faith > Knowing/Experience/Growth Who would be interested in this book? This teaching of the indicative, that which is already true, will enlighten, encourage and motivate people. The imperative, that which is commanded by God, will then be received enthusiastically. Those already in Christ will find many ideas on how to explain the good news to the people they meet. In the past, evangelists explained two subjects: humans as sinners and their need to be justified before God through the shed blood of Christ on the cross. This book explains many aspects concerning the good news of Christ. Pastors should know that I often write out scripture to get the reader into studying God’s Word for his/her spiritual benefit. I cover most subjects in a concise manner so as not to bore the reader. Enough is said to be complete. I suggest high school and college students take their time reading it. I believe high school students should take two years to study it. Please give the Holy Spirit enough time to enlighten everyone’s understanding. |