Part of the Body of Christ
In our efforts to understand the truth in and of Christ, we must first recognize the role of the Holy Spirit as our primary means of gaining that insight. With the vastness of God’s will, purpose, and character it prevents any one man (except Christ) from fully comprehending him.
This is where the body of believers can edify each other. Each is gifted in such a way as to add to the whole of our understanding of God and his Christ. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. This seems fitting. Though we share the same calling and the same opportunity for salvation, our individual needs, gifts, and experiences will yield some unique perspectives not obvious to others. By gleaning the fruit of other’s insights about God and his Christ, we can broaden our own understanding.
However, this process is not without risk. Each must be diligent to prove all things. This leads us back to God’s Holy Spirit. Though we rely on others to discover insights we are not gifted to see, we must always take responsibility to search the scriptures to show whether these things be true or not. Patience too is required as the Holy Spirit leads us into understanding. It doesn’t happen overnight. The deeper one digs the more challenging this process becomes. The rewards, however, are indescribable.
Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
FOURTH GOSPEL(1) 17:1-5
Footnotes:
1) Due to the dispute over the authorship of the Fourth Gospel, traditionally attributed to John, I will refer to this book as the Fourth Gospel. I have concluded on the side of such authors as J. Phillips (ISBN13: 978-0-9702687-3-0) who has shown conclusively John could not be the sole author and instead attribute primary authorship to Lazarus – the disciple whom Christ loved.
The Unfiltered Gospel 