Time for Another Reformation by Marietjie Chase
On the 31 of October, 1517, Martin Luther wrote this pre-face to
the 95 thesis' that he nailed to the church in Wittenburg. "Out of
love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin
Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at
Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in
that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with
him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Amen. "
It seems now just like then, that there are many practices entered
into the church, global and as a whole, as well as doctrines that cannot be
found in the Bible. What will Martin Luther say if he would do this in our
time. Maybe it is time for another Reformation.
God
1. Man is NOT at the center of the gospel, God
is. [Genesis 1:1,
Isaiah 46:9, Acts 17:28, Romans 9:16, 2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 Timothy 6:13]
2. We serve, love and worship God in three persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The name of the son is Jesus, the Christ, the Lord.(Jesus
of Nazareth)[Genesis 1:26,
Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:7, Ephesians 1:17, 1 Peter 1:2, I Corinthians 6:11, Luke 12:12, John 14:26, Acts 5:3, Acts
28:25, 2 Corinthians 13:14]
3. In the beginning God, in three persons, created
everything. God reveals Himself first
as creator. Humanity owes our creator: honor, respect and homage. [Genesis 1 - 3, Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah
42:5, Romans 1:25, Ecclesiastes 12:1, Psalms
104:30, Malachi 2:10, Ephesians 3:9, Colssians 1:16,
Revelations 4:11 and Revelations 5:13]
4. God is omnipresent… everywhere and everywhen. He is outside
of time as we know it. He is not bound by our perception of time. The sun, moon and stars came into being on the fourth ‘day’ of creation yet God was already there from
‘day’ one. He is eternally in the present since past, present and future is all
open and the same to Him. He is everywhere, in all times and in all places. [Psalms 139, Exodus 3:6 , Revelation 4:8, Titus 1:2,
Genesis 21:33, Jeremiah 23:24]
5. God is
omniscient… all-knowing. He knows everything. There is nothing hidden
from Him. That is why the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. All
knowledge NOT based on faith in God is therefore only supposition and not the
truth. We know Him as He reveals Himself to us. [Luke 12:6-7,
6. God is
Omnipotent… All powerful, almighty… God can do anything, anything. Nothing is impossible for Him. The only limitations He has, He placed
on Himself. [Genesis 17:1, Mark 6:41,
7. God is just… “Vengeance
is Mine.” says the Lord. Because He knows everything, because He is everywhere,
He is the only One who can truly judge properly. Humanity needs God’s
intervention in our affairs in our judicial systems. God reveals truth.
God hates injustice.
8. God is love… self
sacrificing, giving love. He is the originator of love. He does not love, He is
love. True love comes from God. Without knowing God no-one can truly love. [ I Corinthians 13, I John 4: 8-9
, John 3:16,
9. God is light… There
is no darkness in God. Neither is He fickle. He does not change who is. He is
ever the same, not grey. He is light in His being, both literally and
figuratively. We see clearly because of His light. [James 417, 1 John 1:
10. God is unchangeable... He is all that He is all the time. He does not suspend a part of Him to be something else. He is not fickle and does not evolve. He needs nothing and is not growing, diminishing or changing in any way at any time. He is what He is. That is why He introduced Himself to Moses as "I am". [ Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, Hebrews 1: 10 - 12, Acts 1:11, Exodus 3:14]
11.We worship and pray to God, through Jesus Christ [Ephesians 2:18, Romans 1:8, 1 Peter 2:5, John 14:6 and 13] by the Holy Spirit. [Romans 8:26, John 4:24, Philippians 3:3, John 16:13-14]
11.We worship and pray to God, through Jesus Christ [Ephesians 2:18, Romans 1:8, 1 Peter 2:5, John 14:6 and 13] by the Holy Spirit. [Romans 8:26, John 4:24, Philippians 3:3, John 16:13-14]
12. Jesus did not use any of His divinity when He was on
earth. What He did, He did through the power of the Holy Spirit which is
available to every believer as well. He came as man, lived as man,
died as man and was resurrected as man. [John 3:34, Luke 4:1, Matthew 8:20 amp; 16:13 & 17:9
amp; 26:64, John 6: 53, Acts 2:22, Romans 8:11, I Corinthians 12, - compare
with all Jesus did, Philippians 2:7]
13. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in
Heaven waiting for His enemies to become His footstool. [ Luke 22:69, Colosians 3:1] The person of the Godhead that is now on
the earth is the Holy Spirit, [John 14:26 & 15:26] indwelling every born again believer
and the church as a whole. [
Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:14] We
are not to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit in one another's
life. It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict the world of sin, righteousness
and judgement. [ John
16:8-10,]
Salvation
14. There is NO other way to God but by Jesus Christ, His
Son. There is no true worship of God, apart from Jesus
Christ. [John 3:16, John 10:1, John 14;6, Acts 4:10 -12, Acts 16:31,
1 Thessalonians 5:9, 1 Timothy 2:5, 2 Timothy 2:10, Galatians
2:16 ]
15. God hates sin. All acts of disobedience is sin. All actions based on unbelief, doubt and lies are sin. All sexual behavior, apart from between husband and wife in marriage, is sin. The law was given to teach us about sin. [Genesis 3, Leviticus 18, Exodus 20, Romans 14:23, James 4:17, 1 John 5:17, Romans 7:7 ]
16. Jesus paid the full price and penalty for all the sins of all people, eternity past and eternity future. The removal of sin is complete. There is nothing that can be added to it. His work is complete. It is finished. Once and for all done.[John 1:29, Matthew 1:21, Hebrews 10:12, 1 Peter 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:3, Galatians 1:4, 1 John 3:5, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:28]
16. Jesus paid the full price and penalty for all the sins of all people, eternity past and eternity future. The removal of sin is complete. There is nothing that can be added to it. His work is complete. It is finished. Once and for all done.[John 1:29, Matthew 1:21, Hebrews 10:12, 1 Peter 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:3, Galatians 1:4, 1 John 3:5, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:28]
17. Salvation is
available to all. Not all are saved and not all will be saved. By saved I
mean Born Again.[1 Peter
1:23, Hebrews 7:27, Titus 2:11]
18. There are only two kinds of people: the saved ones and
the unsaved ones. All other distinctions,
discrimination's and segregation's are wrong and un-biblical. [ Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11, Titus
2:11, Hebrews 5:9, John 3:15-16, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:11-13, 2 Peter 3:9]
19. There is only one plan of salvation for all humanity. No-one is "borned"(in this flesh) into God's
kingdom. God does not have grandchildren. All have to repent and believe. All have to be born again. .[Romans 3:23, John 3:5-21,
Romans 14:12, Ezekiel 18, Jeremiah 31:30, ]
20. Only those who have given their lives to God have the
right to be called sons, children of God. The only way to become a
son/child of God is to be born again by accepting the life - eternal life - of
Jesus Christ and also giving, dedicating, one's life, as a response to the
death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to God. [ John 1:12, Romans 8:1 and 16,
Galatians 3:26, 1 John 3:2]
21. When our Lord Jesus Christ said, ``Repent'' (Mt
4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. Inner
repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the
flesh. Repentance is more than a simple change of mind. If you think it is as
fickle and inconsequential as choosing what to have for dinner, it will have no
eternal weight. It is the admitting of one's error, the resolution and
determination to turn away from it and turn toward God in humble contrition.
Repentance is deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin,
wrongdoing. True repentance will have fruit, evidence manifested. It will bring
about change. To the extent of the transgression, to that
extend, should be the restitution and repentance.[Matthew 3:8, Mark 1:15, Luke 3:8, Acts
2:38, Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21, Acts 26:20, Romans 2:4, 2 Corinthians 7:10]
22. Salvation is an experience that includes emotion. We
experience God in our lives but do not make doctrine based on experience. Experience
and emotion follows doctrine, not proceed it.[Deuteronomy 28:7, Nehemiah 8:10, Luke
15:7, John 15:11, Galatians 5:22]
23. We are brought into this Kingdom of God for a
purpose. We are saved by grace, a gift of God, not by works but after
salvation we are designed for good works. We are not to settle in hammocks, rocking chairs and couches to await a reward of salvation. Laziness is not godliness and apathy and in-action as sinful as rebellion.[Ephesians 2:10, Titus 2:7, Titus
3:8, Hebrews 10:24, 1 Peter 2:12]
24. The salvation of the soul, sanctification, is
a process that lasts a lifetime. While the human spirit is made alive at the
moment of new birth, the human soul are being changed from one degree of glory
into another as we behold Jesus. The soul are generally accepted to be the
person or mind, emotions and will. [James 1:21, Galatians 3, Colossians 2 and 3, ]
25. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit does not end
with the speaking in other tongues/languages. The evidence of power, divine
ability, to be a witness is. (or martyr) Any manifestation of the Holy Spirit has a purpose. He is not an entertainer or into showmanship. [Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49, Luke 4:14, 1 Corinthians 2:4,
Matthew 3:11] [1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12]
26. Healing, miracles and signs and wonders are
still the children's bread. It is as part of our salvation as the saving of our
souls. Miracles, signs and wonders will follow those-who-believe, those-who-believe do not follow miracles, signs and wonders. [Isaiah 53 :5,
Matthew 21:21, Mark 16:17 and 20, Acts 2:43, Acts 5:12, Acts 15:12, Hebrews
2:4, 1 Corinthians 12, James 5:16, 2 Peter 2:24]
27. Water Baptism follows
repentance and is a sign of the covenant of the New Birth. The ritual of
Baptism is as the ritual of marriage, yet not bride and groom but God and
believer. In water baptism one identify with the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ making a public display of an inward reality. [Acts 2:38, Acts 8:12, Romans 6:3,
Galatians 3:27]
28. God is
never going to change His mind about sin. God does not change. The best way
to deal with sin, is to agree with God about it and accept His answer for it.
No matter how good we excuse or dress up sin, it will never be acceptable to
God. God hates sin, all sin. Addictions and controlling,
manipulating spirits are sins like any other sin. It should be repented of
and deliverance sought as with any other possession. There is no big and small
sin. Sin is sin.[
Deuteronomy 12:31, and 16 :22, Isaiah 43 : 24, Isaiah 59:2 ]
29. One
cannot serve God and sin, satan and self at the same time. Death to sin,
satan and self will mean life in the spirit. One cannot
be friends with the world and a friend of God all at the same time.
One will hate the one and love the other. Trying to be acceptable to the world
is not Christianity. By it's very essence, Christianity is offensive.[Matthew 6:24, James 4:4, 1 Corinthians
1:23, Galatians 5:11]
30. Holiness is
still the requirement to see God. Sanctification is still the will of God for
us all. When we see the reality of our own crucified life, [Galatians 2:20 etc] this becomes a side effect of our
relationship with Him. As He is, so we are in this world. Outward appearance does
not make one holy. One cannot become holy by the way one dress, walks, worships
or talks. One's actions will change but it does not in itself make one
holy. Character means something. Being a Christian means being good
as God is good.
31. Our Citizenship is not of this world.
Therefore politics, customs and traditions mean little in the Kingdom of God.
It can actually become a hindrance and
distraction. The church does not belong in politics other than
praying for the leaders. The resources wasted on political interests would be
better spent in fulfilling the function of the church in society.
32. The Bible is
the word of God. You may not believe all of it or understand all of it.
But changing it will not change the reality of it being the Word of God.
Attempting to know God without knowing the Bible will lead to heresy. The Bible
is to be understood literally unless it says not to. No man's word
and will is above the Word of God. [Matthew 4, Mark 14:27, Psalms 119, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy
3:16, Galatians 3:8, Proverbs 30:5, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 1 Peter
1:23]
33. Relegating any part of the Bible as outdated
or not for today, unless the New Testament repealed an Old Testament law, is to
preach something other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels we often read: "so that the scripture
will be fulfilled.." Jesus also refer to the Law and the Prophets. [ John 13:18, Luke 16:31, Matthew 5, Revelations 22:18]
34. God speaks in
many various ways by dreams, visions, other people, allegory, music, pictures
etc. But it all have to agree and NOT disagree with the Bible.Those who are born again hear the voice of God. It is the leader's and spiritual overseers' job to help them recognize this.
35. It is the will and way of God that we ask. Without prayer, individual and
corporate, no-one will know the will of God. There are many different
kinds of prayer. Without prayer we lose the essence of our faith. Pray in the Name of Jesus to
receive anything from God. God does answer prayer. God moves on behalf of those
who seek Him in prayer.
36. Fasting still
benefits a believer and the abstaining from food and drink will not kill your
body but do wonders for your prayer life.
37. Suffering will come to those who desire to
live Godly lives. It does not need to be sought, it will come by itself. There
will be suffering. To deny this reality or to dismiss this reality is heresy.
38. Revival is
not an end in itself. It cannot, must not be a goal. We will never experience
revival by seeking it or praying for it. Revival happens when a people seek the
face of God with the overwhelming realization that they have no-where else to
go. Desperate people begging God to intervene, desperate determined people, who
will not take no for an answer... So revival is the side effect of people
seeking the face of God. [Luke 2:36 - 38, Acts 3:19, Psalms 69:32, Psalms 27:8]
39. Faith is
the currency of the Kingdom of God. Yet, it is a gift received from God. Faith
always includes risk. Unbelief is
the opposite of faith, not fear. You can have faith and fear at the same time.
It is not mutually exclusive. [Judges 6,
The Church
40. Alone, as an individual, we are not the Body/Church of
Jesus Christ but only part of it. We need one another for the
full expression of the Church. We will spend a life time doing all the “one
another” s in the New Testament
41. It
is God's church. It does not belong to a man, men. It is His responsibility
and He is able to take care of it.
42. Church is not
a democracy. It is a Theocracy. Find the will of God and do that. No
matter how long it takes.
43. All believers in a city is the church in that city. Denominations are
not Biblical.
[1 Corinthians 12:13,
Ephesians 4:4, Philippians 1:27, Ephesians1:1, Revelations 1-3]
44. Our unity comes from the one God we all serve
and not by any other means, conviction, tradition or doctrine. We are one
because we worship one God. We ought to question anything that brings a spirit
of division into the Body/ Kingdom/ Church/ Bride of Christ.
45. Church is not business. It is
ministry. There is no CEO's only servants.
46. “Love God
and love one another” is the only New
Testament command.
47. Tithing is an Old Testament concept that has never been
repealed in the New Testament. It holds manifold blessings for those who keep it God's way. The tithe is God's portion and should only be used as He purposed. Tithes can only be used to take care of God's ministers and the needy in the family of God.
Giving one's all is the New Testament concept. We give in the same measure Jesus gave: all. In the Kingdom of God one grows and matures by what one gives out. Give money and lay up for oneself treasures in Heaven. Give energy and worship and prayer and grow in one's intimacy with God and knowledge of Him. Give ministry and service and grow in one's stature as an ambassador of the Kingdom.
Giving one's all is the New Testament concept. We give in the same measure Jesus gave: all. In the Kingdom of God one grows and matures by what one gives out. Give money and lay up for oneself treasures in Heaven. Give energy and worship and prayer and grow in one's intimacy with God and knowledge of Him. Give ministry and service and grow in one's stature as an ambassador of the Kingdom.
[Genesis
14:20, Leviticus 27:30, Numbers 18: 26, Deuteronomy 26 : 12-13, and 14:24-25, Malachi 3:10, 1 Corinthians 9 :7-14, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, 1 Timothy 5:17-18,
Philippians 4:16-18, 2 Timothy 2:6-7, Galatians 2:9-10, Luke21:1-4]
48. We do not serve God to get rich. This is
heresy. Giving God, or the person who supposedly stand in the service of God,
money will not make one rich.
49. Poverty has no glory. Godliness is not
poverty. God does not want us poor and miserable. Piety is not equal to being
miserable. We are instructed to take care of the poor. How are we going to do
that if we are the poor?
50. It is the churches responsibility to take
care of the poor, widows and orphans, but first to those who are believers.
51. Evangelism, the
proclaiming of the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the churches
primary responsibility to the unsaved.
52. If you are not being equipped or equipping the
saints for work of ministry, you are failing to use the gift that Jesus Christ
gave to the church, the Body, the Kingdom of God.
53. There is no Biblical foundation for the "five-fold-hierarchical"
system based on one single scripture verse, Ephesians 4:11, amidst a chapter
dealing with unity.
54. Eldership is always plural.
55.
56. Authority is received from God. It cannot be assumed or taken or cajoled or manipulated or bought. Those who abuse their place of trust and authority will be exposed and brought to judgment. God is a righteous judge. Respect is earned not demanded. Manipulation is witchcraft. Manipulation is not godly authority.
57. Submission is not a dirty word. Submitting to God first and then to one another. When submission to God contradicts submitting to people, we are to submit to God. [James 4:7, Ephesians 5:21, Romans 13:5, Titus 3:1]
58. Worship (the music part of a meeting) is to honor God. It is never sensual or for the reason of a show or a party. It is always God-focused, God-centered and God-directed. ( God in three Persons) If it is not, it is not worship. [Revelations 19:10, Exodus 34:14, Psalms 29:2]
59. We always have a choice. Christians become slaves to what they yield to. As a believer our will has been freed to choose and we live as the result of our choices.
60. We cannot judge one another's relationship with God. All we can judge is the fruit, whether it is good or bad. [John 15, Romans 6:21-22, and 7:4-5,matthew 7 ]
61. It is right and proper to question words and practices that does not line up with the Bible. The only reason why these are allowed to continue is because believers do not have the fortitude to stand up against the arguments and persecution that will follow. The truth is mostly simple and will stay the same no matter how many times it is repeated. Heresy, on the other hand, is often very complicated and becomes even more twisted with every time it is retold. Truth pressed to the extreme and to exclusion becomes error.[Matthew 7:15, Matthew 15:7-9, Acts 20 :29, Titus 1:11, Colossians 2:21-23, 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, Galatians 1:7]
62. The supernatural is real. Angels and demons are real. Yet, we do not seek these or worship these. We deal with these when they show up and seek God. [ Genesis 16, Genesis 22:15, Exodus 23, Numbers 20 and 22, Judges 6, Zechariah 3, Matthew 1 and 28, Acts 5, 6, 7 and 12]
62. The supernatural is real. Angels and demons are real. Yet, we do not seek these or worship these. We deal with these when they show up and seek God. [ Genesis 16, Genesis 22:15, Exodus 23, Numbers 20 and 22, Judges 6, Zechariah 3, Matthew 1 and 28, Acts 5, 6, 7 and 12]
63. Deliverance is part of the ministry of the church. Possession/oppression is real. Jesus did it. The apostles did it and so should we. The enemy/devil/satan/ is a vicious legalist. He has been around for many years and although he has limited power, he still has power. [Job 1 and 2, Zechariah 3, Matthew 4 and 12, Luke 22:3, Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 7:5, 2 Corinthians 7:14, Ephesians 4:27 and 6:10- 18, I Timothy 3:6-7, Hebrews 2:14, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelations 2 and 20, Matthew 8, 9:33, 10:8, 12, Mark 16:17, Luke 11:18-20, Revelations 12:9]
Family
65. Marriage, one man and one woman for life, is still a God-idea. God hates divorce. All sex outside of marriage is sin. Husbands are to love their wives as Jesus Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her. Wives are to respect and submit to their husbands as the church respect and submit to Jesus Christ. [Genesis 2, Psalms 128:3, Malachi 2:16, Matthew 19, Hebrews 13:4, Revelations 19:7, Ephesians 5, Colosians 3:17-19, 1 Peter 3]
66. Training of the children is the parent’s responsibility. It cannot ever be handed over to the church or the state. Children have to obey their parents, respect and honor them. [Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Matthew 15:4, Colossians 3:20 - 24, Psalms 78:4, Psalms 103:13, Psalms 127:3-4, Proverbs 13:22, Proverbs 17:6, Ephesians 6:1-2]
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