The Doctrine of Christ

What is the Doctrine of Christ?

All of the sayings of the Lord Jesus are His doctrine; and about His doctrine.

 

2 John 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abidest not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

2 John 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:

In the context of the second epistle of John, the doctrine of Christ is all contained in Truth and Love.

It is in Truth and Love.

 If we truly have these, then all else will ensue. 

 

John writes 2John 9, in the context of truth, and commandments, and love.

 2John 1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;    2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever.    3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.    4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.    5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.    6 And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning,  ye should walk in it.

 

The law of love.

 

Mt.22:36 Master which is the great commandment in the law?    37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.    38 This is the first and great commandment.    39 The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.    40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Mk.12:28b Which is the first commandment of all?    29 And Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strenght: this is the first commandment.    31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Why did Christ say that these were the first and great commandment and the second commandment, when these two commandments are not included in the ten commandments? (Ex.20:1-17; Deut.5:6-21).

 They are implied, however, in the 10 commandments.

If we obey these two commandments that Jesus taught, we will obey all the 10 commandments. If we obey the first and great commandment of Christ, we will obey the first four of the 10 commandments. If we obey the second commandment of Christ, we will obey the other six of the 10 commandments. 

Mt.22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testamony, seal the law among my disciples.

Isaiah 8: 20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

This Hebrew word for testimony, is used only three times to denote testimony, and so has a special meaning. (Testimony: Hebrew; teh u dah (teh oo daw): attestation, witness. Teh u daw comes from the hebrew word uwd, which means to duplicate or repeat, or reiterate.) The testimony spoken of here by Isaiah refers to the repeating of God's word, by the prophets, by the Lord Jesus Himself, by the writers of the Gospels,  and the epistles, and by all those attesting to the truth throughout the bible, from the Prophet Moses in the Pentateuch, through to the Prophesy of John in the Lord's Revelation.

The whole council of the complete witness to God's purpose, words, and works  is all out worked in these two commandments.

 And;

 John13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another as I have loved you.    35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testamony, seal the law among my disciples.

This is the only time in the old testament that the Lord God has mentioned "My disciples". The whole of the doctrine of the Bible is done by the disciples of Jesus Christ in loving the Lord our God with all of our heart, and all of our soul, and all of our mind, and all of our strength; and to love our neighbour as ourself; and to love one another as He has loved us.

Not as we love one another, but as He has loved us. He gave His life for us.

The Royal law.

James2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

Leviticus19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

Romans13:8 Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loves another hath fulfilled the law.    9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.    10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Of course, our love must be the true love from God.

If we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, and all of our soul, and all of our mind, with all of our strength (the strength of our will); we will love our neighbour as ourselves, and we will love one another as He has loved us; then we have fulfilled all the law and all the testimony; including the law of faith.

The Law of Faith.

Galatians5:6b but faith which worketh by love (agape, Godly love).

Ephesians 2.8a For by grace are ye saved through faith;

1Peter 1.9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

 

Faith, to be saving faith, must have works.

The work of faith is to love and obey to God.

 

If we love God we obey God.

If we love Jesus, we obey Jesus.

If we do not obey Jesus, He is not our Lord, and in vain will call upon Him in that  day of judgement, "Lord,Lord".

(see teaching on 'Faith toward God' in 'First Principles' on this website.)

In the teachings on 'First principles' is the milk of the Word. These principles are called the first principles of the oracles of God, and the principles of the doctrine of Christ. 

These principles must be understood before all knowledge and doctrine can be understood.

Isaiah28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge ? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine ? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

If we fear God, which is the beginning of knowledge, and the beginning of wisdom, we will try to obey Him; but if we love God, we will obey Him.

This commanded love, is Godly, agape love.

God does not force His love upon us. God does not force anything upon us. It is up to us to open our hearts to receive God's love; to open our spiritual eyes and see the glorious things He has already given us; to realize the deepth of His love in giving us His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sin, to accept Jesus' love for us as He suffered and died in our stead, to appreciate the hope of eternal life as God's children, and the wonderful things He has given us and has promised to us; to perceive His goodness which led us to repentance, and His longsuffering and mercy toward us; to look upon the glorious earth and skies, and appreciate the wonder of it all, life itself, the air we breathe, the food, the water, the birds and the bees, the colours of the trees, our families and loved ones, rainbows, the sun rise, the sun sets; as we appreciate these and the many many more things, our love for Him will manifest and grow in us.

To love the Lord our God with all of our heart, is to love, and desire nothing but God; to love the Lord our God with all of our soul, is to deny self completely, and die truely to the things of the flesh; to love the Lord our God with all of our mind, is to still our minds from all worldly, everyday thoughts, and stay our mind upon Him, knowing that He is God; acknowledging His life in us, and trusting Him to lead us in everything that we do.  If we do this, in spirit and in truth, with all of our will power, He will renew us in the spirit of our minds, unto the mind of Christ; He will conform us unto the image of His Son; He will quicken our mortal bodies; He will sanctify us wholly, and make us holy.   If we actually do it. 

How do we keep our hearts and minds upon the Lord our God? Where is He?

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

The Holy Spirit of the Son of God is in our hearts, and the very life of Christ is in us.

Jerremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

When we keep our hearts still, and open to receive the love that God has given to us, and we keep our minds on Him in our hearts, where He is, and we pray to Him, and sing to Him, and praise Him, and pray in the Spirit to Him, and thank Him, and tell Him that we love Him, and ask Him to help us to love Him with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength; and to help us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, and to help us to love one another as He has loved us; then we begin to manifest His true, eternal love.

God does not force anything upon us; it is up to us to do the things necessary to receive the promises of God.

 We do not receive the promises of God by just "believing" that we have them; that is relying on blind, dead faith. Living faith is obeying God.

1Jn.4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

His Love is already given to us, now it is up to us to receive His Love, by loving Him, and our neighbors and our berthren in the Lord.

1Jn.4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God; and knoweth God.    8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.    9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.    10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.    11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.    12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us.

1Jn.4:16 And we have known and believe the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.    17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as He is, so are we in this world.    18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.    19 We love Him, because He first loved us.    20 If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?    21 And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Perfect Love casteth out fear. If we manifest this perfect Love, we will no longer fear God casting us into hell, but will have boldness in the day of judgement. Hallelujah!

1Jn.5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and everyone that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him.    2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments.    3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.

Revelation 22.14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Live in Spirit and in Truth;

Love God, obey His commandments.

Be among the chosen few.

2John 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Son.

 

a warning.

We must love the Lord our God with all of our heart, and all of our soul, and all of our mind and with all of our strenght in truth; and not assume, as many do, that we are already manifesting this perfect love.

Our heavenly Father wants to replace our human eros, erotic, sentimental love; with His true, pure, holy, eternal, agape love, and phileo, brotherly love.

 In these days of apostasy and gathering darkness, all of God's people need to know this doctrine; for upon these commandments hang all the law and theprophets.

Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

Isaiah has written of this time, when the religeons of man are beginning to unite together in an eccumenical "brotherhood of all believers".

Isaiah 8: 9 Associate yourselves O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.    10 Take council together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us. 

God is with us, and it is the Lord Himself who builds the Church of God, the Body of Christ.

Man is beginning to associate all the denominations, and also those other religions that believe in a god; and is, once again, girding himself with false doctrines, as he did when he divided the believers into seperate denominations.

Isaiah 8:11 For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,     12 Say ye not, A confederacy (Heb. qe sher; an unlawful alliance), to all them to whom this people say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.    13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.    14  And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.    15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken (Is.28:12,13 [see study on: 'Resting in the Lord']).    16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.    17 And I will wait upon the Lord ( see study on "Resting in the Lord"), that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.    35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

1John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.    3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

 

John15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.    14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Hebrew 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;    9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

 

Be there.