In an earlier article, I wrote, “…if we are wrong in our understanding of the theology of God, then all of our other doctrines are equally as wrong. The knowledge of God is fundamental and foundational to all other beliefs.” I believe the same thing is true of our understanding of the kingdom of God and how Jesus fits into God’s plan for that kingdom.
To simply believe that Jesus is Lord or is the Son of God is not sufficient to gain salvation. There are thousands or maybe millions of people in church (and not in church) who profess to be Christians bound for heaven simply on the basis that they believe.
The knowledge of sin in a biblical sense comes from a personal encounter with the word, or the Word, of God. Thus the first step in repentance is not sorrow for sin, but revelation – a decision made, not by man, but by God.
Part 2: The first step in repentance is not admitting one is a sinner, but having a personal encounter with the living Christ.
There is no Scripture that requires anyone to admit they are a sinner before they can be saved. Even Baptists believe that there is nothing a person has to do before they are saved.
God created man to worship God, not simply for the things that God does – creating, sustaining, redeeming – but for who God is. God is much, much more than the sum of all of His actions. That is why He identified himself to Moses as “I AM” and not as “I DO.”
While it is true that God is the God of redemption, there is so much more for us to understand about who He is from what He has revealed of himself in the Bible.
The nation of Israel is in slavery in Egypt, yet God was the one who put them there. He must have had a purpose in doing so, but why?
Does God take risks? Is He a gambler who is willing to accept a loss in order to achieve particular gains? Can God actually suffer loss?
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