[Biblemat] A) FUNDAMENTAL FEATURES OF CHRISTIANITY

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Friday morning
to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.  Here is an art-
icle from my files:

FUNDAMENTAL FEATURES OF CHRISTIANITY 

       Fundamentals are a vital concern for whatever the project or
enterprise.  Without a firm foundation, any endeavor is eventual-
ly doomed to failure.  Fundamentals are the things that under-
gird something, the foundation on whichthat thing rests.  The
Christian system has certain fundamental things that underlie it.
These are necessary fundamentals.  Here ad some suggestions
concerning those essential parts:

Conversion: -- Conversion indicates a change.  Change is what
the "new birth" is all about (Jno. 3:3).  Jesus said, "except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  That conver-
sion is a change of the whole man--a change of his intellect, brought about 
by faith; a change of his will, brought about by
repentance; and a change of his relationship, brought about by
baptism.  This fundamental change brings one "into" Christ, or
into a new relationship with Him.  "Therefore, if any man be in 
Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold
all things are made new" (2 Cor. 5:17).  "Except ye be converted
and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom
of heaven" (Matt. 18:3).  Conversion is fundamental to Christian-
ity; it's what makes one a Christian in the first place.

Conviction: -- Conviction issues in two different directions: it
may be the equivalent of faith, or it may be what is produced by
the knowledge of being found guilty.  First of all, it's being con-
vinced, fully persuaded.  That's faith.  "Without faith it is imposs-
ible to please Him,"  we are told in Heb. 11:6.  We must be fully
convinced that God is, and that He rewards those who diligently
seek after Him.  Faith is an essential part of Christianity; it is the
bedrock foundation on which the entire system rests.

       But conviction can turn in another direction as well.  It may
mean one who is convicted by the law, one who is guilty of a
crime, as charged by a judge or jury.  Man has to realize his lost
condition before he will turn to God.  The people on Pentecost
were "pricked in their hearts" (Acts 2:37) before they said, "men
and brethren, what shall we do?"  One of the purposes of the
Word of God is to identify sin for what it is, and cause men to re-
pent.  "Godly sorrow worketh repentance" (2 Cor. 7:10).  Sorrow
for sin comes as a result of a realization that one is not approv-
ed of God because of that sin.  In either case--whether it is under-
stood as faith, or being found guilty--conviction is a fundament-
al part of Christianity.

Consecration: -- To consecrate something is to set it apart, to
make it sacred.  In the case of Christianity, consecration is an in-
dispensable part of service to God.  As we have seen already, the Christian 
must be a new creature, one who had been born
again.  Once that is accomplished, he then must consecrate him-
self to God through His Son, Jesus Christ.  "Be not conformed
to this world, but be ye transformed," we are told, "by the renew-
ing of your minds" (Rom. 12:1,2).  Notice that one must renew
his mind in order to be consecrated to God.  He must have a new focus, new 
desires, a new attitude toward the world, all of
which has to do with his being set apart or consecrated to God.
"Set your affection on things above, not on things of the world"
(Col. 3:2), is another way of saying, "be consecrated to God rath-
er than the world."

Consummation: -- Consummation is bringing one's life to a suit-
able end or conclusion.  "Work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling," says Paul in (Phil. 2:12).  You have to work it out
yourself; and you have to work it all the way out to the end, or as
Peter says, "Given diligence to make your calling and election
sure" (2 Pet. 1:10).  Consummation, for our purposes, means to
bring your sanctified life to a conclusion.  "Gird up the loins of
your mind, and be sober," says Peter (1 Pet. 1:13), "and hope to
the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revel-
ation of Jesus Christ."  Live your life here in such a way that
when it is concluded you will hear the commendation: "well done good and 
faithful servant..."  Life is a miserable failure if it
doesn't, by the grace of God, culminate in a heavenly abode.

       Fundamentals.  Theyr'e necessary to who and what we are.
Let us not become so enamored with where we are that we for-
get where we are going.   -----  Dee Bowman via Gospel Power,
Vol. 15, No. 23, June 8, 2008.   </HTML>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.biblematters.net/pipermail/biblemat/attachments/20080808/709a94d5/attachment-0001.html