Why do certain Christians claim that getting a person into scriptures is all you need to do; the Holy Spirit then will change them?
My response : Definitely Not True (I will address the why part at the very end)
That is downright unscriptural. The Bible Does Not Acquit The Mature Believer From All Responsibility To The Spiritual Well-being Of Others.
The Lord Almighty who created us and gave human beings “freewill”, wants each of us to love Him voluntarily. God essentially wants an intimate and close relationship with each one of us as is clear
"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." [1 John 1:3; KJV]
However, it is impossible for fallen man to have any relationship with a Holy God. It is essentially this question that God poses in the Book of Amos (ref Amos 3:3).
… And it is this that God seeks to rectify.
- The initiative for Everything is in the hands of the Lord. Faith in the Lord is essential but God has seen to it that the one who is a sincere beleiver, can get it even if they don't have it (ref Romans 10:17). God - who is Love (ref 1 John 4:8) - wants us to love Him with all our hearts and let our obedience stem from a heartfelt desire to be pleasing in His sight.
- He draws us to Himself through His word, through His Holy Spirit who is responsible for our regeneration
- While this seems to convey an air of passivity, nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible does say that the evil one flees IF we stand strong in the faith (ref James 4:7). However, this is a very big IF and this is exactly where the mature believers in the Lord should step up to help the others.
.There is nothing passive about mentorship (ref Colossians 3:16) and/or Intercession (ref Colossians 4:12). Read my post on Intercession here π
Intercessory prayer is placed at the forefront of Christian duty and not as an afterthought (ref 1 Timothy 2:1). Praying for others is central to spiritual leadership and selfless love.
- The Great Commission calls for dynamic training and rectification of errors. It is about making disciples and discipleship is not merely about transferring information or doctrine; it is about shaping lives to reflect the character of Jesus as is stated explicitly in Philippians 2:5.
Infact, this is quite clearly stated in scripture π
God has always called His ardent followers to be the Watchman On The Wall. We are the Bride of Christ, His Body but we are also called to be the “salt” on this earth … and salt preserves from rot and corruption.
Failing to warn our neighbour if he/she strays away from the truth of the gospel, can be construed as Not fulfilling the responsibility of a “spiritual watcher”, and thus by extension Not obeying the Lord.
Now we come to the “Why” part of the question :
From the above it should be clear that there are many factors at work here.a combination of
- wrong doctrines
- pastors who value the number of church attendees, over the undiluted word of God
- The predisposition of the lukewarm christian
They all contribute to this wrong notion.
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