The goal of the Christian faith is for people to find forgiveness from God and freedom with others from the corruption that exists in human nature that the Bible commonly calls sin. In order for that to happen, there has to be some basic Christian beliefs that everyone uses as a starting point if they are going to find FREEDOM FROM SIN to go along with their FORGIVENESS OF SIN.

I want to start by laying down some boundaries we have to stay within if we want to find FREEDOM FROM SIN to go with the FORGIVENESS OF SIN God offers. These boundaries have been called doctrines by past generations of the Church who were closer to God then we were when we first received FORGIVENESS OF SINS. They also reflect lines we should not cross if we, having received FORGIVENESS OF SINS, want to move closer to God by ascending into heaven, rather than simply moving left or right without climbing any closer to God’s presence.

The Doctrine of the Word of God

The Doctrine of the Word of God is our belief that God has been speaking to people from every generation alive in this world since human history began. God’s voice can be heard before we receive FORGIVENESS OF SIN OR FREEDOM FROM SIN.

Hearing God’s voice is an invitation to obtain both of these things. This is why in Psalm 95:7 (ESV) we are warned that “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” The people outside the Church are warned not to refuse the offer of FORGIVENESS OF SIN if they hear His voice inviting them to receive it, and at the same time people inside the Church are being warned not to refused the invitation to gain a deeper level of FREEDOM FROM SIN.

Some of these invitations that God gave in both of these areas to people who lived in the past were written down so they could be used as guides for us to follow today. The detailed explanations of what God said and how He said it serve as a border and boundary to help us blend into a healthy, well balanced Church.

Discussion Question:

#1. Have you ever heard of the Doctrine of the Word of God before?

Hearing The Word of God

We have looked at the importance of the Doctrine of the Word of God, but there is another question we need to consider if we are going to successfully replace the Works of the Flesh with the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

The question we need to consider is simply this: how exactly does God speak?

We need to be clear on this if we are going to recognize when God is speaking to us so we can follow His guidance in our lives. There are three ways God has spoken in the past that I want to help you become familiar with if you are a new believer in the Message of Christianity.

The first way is simple this: sometimes God will approach you directly when He speaks. There have been many times when God will present Himself to you when you are struggling to replace the Works of the Flesh with the Fruit of the Spirit so you can obtain FREEDOM FROM SIN in your own life to help you.

There are a lot of examples of this in the Bible, and we have a lot of examples outside of the Bible to confirm that what I am saying here is true. There have been people in every generation since the Bible was completed who experienced the present reality of God’s voice the same way it is presented in the Bible.

For example, in Genesis chapter 2 verse 16 the (ESV) Bible says “The LORD God commanded the man” and ever since that one encounter took place there have been many other times in history where other people were approached in the same way because God can use the direct approach with us any time He wants.

Discussion Question:

#1. Has God ever used the direct approach to try and communicate with you? (What happened as a result?)

The Human Messengers of God

Now we can look at the second way God speaks to us. The second way happens when God sends another person as one of his personal messengers to help guide us to the place where we can receive FORGIVENESS OF SIN or FREEDOM FROM OUR SINS.

In Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 9 the (ESV) Bible says “I have put my words in your mouth” and then Jeremiah went to deliver a message to the people alive in his generation that was written down so it could be preserved to help us today.

While Jeremiah is just one example, there have been many times in the past when God chose another person to deliver the Word as one of His human messengers to help people alive at that particular time receive guidance to the FORGIVENESS OF SINS or FREEDOM FROM THEIR SINS.

There are going to be times when God chooses another person to deliver the Word of God to you as one of his human messenger when we are struggling with the problem of allowing the Works of the Flesh to become more important than the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives and relationships.

Discussion Question:

#1. Has God ever sent a human messenger with the Word of God to guide you? (What happened as a result?)

Oral Communicators (Those Who Cannot Read)

There is one more thing to consider about hearing the Word of God. We have to recognize that there are a lot of people alive in the world today who cannot read. God has not left these illiterate people behind.

Just because a certain group of people cannot read we should not assume God is limited by their lack of literacy. We need to recognize that God used writing to create a standard and then used oral communication methods to reach people who could not read. This allowed the written word of God in the Bible (all 66 books) to be memorized by those who could not read, and it was completely committed to memory after hearing it recited in public one time.

Discussion Question:

#1. Does your local Church have a strategy for helping people who read to hear the Word of God?

#2. Does your local Church have a different strategy ready to help people who cannot read?