I was recently searching for the definition of 'ecumenical' when I happened upon this article describing a joint agreement between modern Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism in October 31, 1999, called 'The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification,' and it had a link to this interesting article: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2212" title="http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2212" target="_blank"http://www.lcms.org/pages/int... I will give a summary of the article, and then some important key info. below.

It describes how this agreement carefully avoids defining what they agreed upon, and that it was a bowing down of the Lutheran church of today to the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification as a valid interpretation of the doctrine. The true doctrine screams of faith without works being what is used in the doctrine of Justification, but Roman Catholicism mixes Justification with their definition of Sanctification, saying that works is the bible's acceptable means of justification, that one can merit God's grace through good works and teach that 'something other than trust in Christ' is necessary for salvation through His grace. The agreement says that we're saved by both faith and works, which is just not found in the Holy Bible.

No one will stand before God and say that they got there on their own merit. The bible speaks radically against this misinterpretation of the facts: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast, being justified by faith alone, not by the deeds of the law, and His grace is given to us through that faith, which is not of ourselves. This is (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:28).

If Roman Catholicism believed the biblical, historical, classical definition of the Justification rather than its own definition it would immediately have an impact on its view of indulgences, prayer to saints, prayer to Mary, and other extra-biblical tradi tions (extra-biblical means it's not in the bible).

Lets study doctrine - the bible says, to 'exercise ourselves unto godliness' (1 Tim. 4:7), and that doctrine is according to godliness (1 Tim 6:3). This same area of scripture exhorts us the present church following Jesus long after it was written (as God designed it) to give attention to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine (1 Tim 4:7). Adding, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Tim 4:15)

If you read any post in my blog before a certain date in 2005, you'll read all sorts of false doctrines and false teachings from spurious sources - some of them televangelists, some of them gnostic teachings I was reading. This isn't giving attention to the doctrine...Christ's doctrine. It says in the Word, Acts 2:42 that the apostolic, first-generation of the church continued daily in fellowship and the apostle's doctrine, which was taught to the apostles by Jesus. We are to continue even today in the apostle's doctrine, as revealed in scripture. Anything else is a study on heterodoxy, not on orthodoxy, what is orthodox. On false doctrine, not what Christ's taught. So, this area of scripture the Lord used recently to put an urgency in my spirit. To 'exercise' myself to Godliness - to give attention to reading, exhortation, and to doctrine. That word exercise means somewhat to train. It says that bodily exercise profits little but exercise unto Godliness is profitable here and in the world to come.
I started bodily exercising, and now I'm going to give attention to that godliness the scriptures so willingly presents.

I've heard things tonight... that in the scriptures, it bears the very image of Christ. Very interesting, but if I don't judge these things on what the bible presents, then I'm no good. Don't listen to me - I'm full of false doctrine, or will soon be full of it. I'm unstable, untaught, in the Word of truth, and deserve no serious attention. But if the Word of God says it, and it's the clear, consistent teaching of scripture, then it's the Lord speaking through me a meer man, and it's to be listened to, because the Lord Jesus Christ said and taught it and backs it up by honoring His Word even today.

So lets train. Spiritual Sweat. I remember that on this blog, I once posted a yearly bible outline to read the bible in a year. And then never followed it myself. Rediculous. Hypocrisy. That will get me in a lot of trouble when I give my account before the throne of Jesus. No - we must study doctrine, according to godliness. We must be practicing what we're studying!

If we could only say and do what we were practicing out of scripture, in the Word of God, out of Jesus's mouth, and what Jesus did... how would be? I myself would be able to say very little, and to do very little. We need to study, because how do we know that it's acceptable to God or not? The bible never institutes the office of a Reverend, yet we have thousands of them today - it calls them Elders, in 1 Tim. 5, that I learned in church last Sunday. If we could only do and say what we were practicing from the bible... So lets go for this, to give attention to proving what we are doing now, at least, as biblically what the Lord wants us to do. For example, Daniel 1 - the Lord will give us knowledge and wisdom in school in studying in order to be a better witness. This is clear and consistent because Moses was trained in all the wisdoms of Egypt before he separated himself from Pharoah's daughter. Paul's wisdom as a Master Builder in Christ, as he put it, was to relate - to become weak or to become like one without the law in order that at least some might be saved through his suffering; so it's okay to go to school and to learn and to study hard. That's just an example. Now, where in scripture does it say to go to church? Hebrews 10:25. Anywhere else? I mean, lets find biblical reasons for what we believe, and why we believe it! Lets separate ourselves from the world by practicing godliness... By holding that the Word of God is true... By living to do every thing to the glory of God, blessed forever amen.

That's what the law does - it stops the mouths of sinners, from justifying themselves. Well, through grace, lets open our mouths! We've been given this grace by God! Lets walk, fully pleasing Him in conscience and word and deed. Loving on Him. All we have to do here is to love Him with everything that He's given us to be, and as Christians! We're so afraid of legalism. And boy, no one is more afraid than I am - I was a legal eagle - I didn't eat certain meats, I kept the Sabbath holy, and though it was a sin to do otherwise - legalism. But God says in His Word, that He's prepared for us good works, in our sanctification (we've been saved, so lets do x to glorify the Lord that saved us out of gratitude). Not out of compunction, but to press towards the mark of the high calling of God - because we love Him, because He loved us and first gave Himself for us! Lets not be afraid of good works - knowing that we're not saved by those works, and VERY IMPORTANT - that we're already fully pleasing to God through faith in His Son without the works, and we already have His full attention, but out of sacrifice to the Lord for being so good, do it because we want to, because we love Him... Make sense?

I hope that I wont read what I wrote in 10 months... and just cringe on how far off I was... -_- Arrr... Well.

Cheers, mates!
Isaac D.