Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
Integrity is the spiritual strength to use the shield of faith, and it comes from inculcation of Bible Doctrine.
Thursday, October 23, 2003
REV 12:11 Furthermore, they [believers in TLJC] overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and [they overcame him] because of the doctrine applied by means of their testimony,
a. Refusing to hear the teaching of the word of God on a consistent basis, HEB 10:25-26 – sinning willfully.
b. Hearing the teaching of Bible doctrine but refusing to metabolize it – the failure to convert gnosis [knowledge in the Greek] into epignosis [wisdom in the Greek], HEB 4:2.
c. Metabolizing doctrine so that it exists in the soul but refusing to apply it when necessary,
JAM 1:22-25.
First, there is the accumulation of scar tissue formed in the soul.
Secondly, withdrawal occurs resulting in the accumulation of trash or garbage in the soul.
When a believer has too much garbage or trash in the soul and maximum scar tissue of the soul, that believer is extremely vulnerable to the function of his old sin nature, and he enters into a state of confusion.
This state of confusion overflows from the cosmos diabolicus [the devil’s world system], so that the thinking of the believer involved cannot be distinguished from the thinking of the human viewpoint of the unbeliever.
We are hindered continually by these three enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The world attacks us through people and presents to us temptations on every side to try to discourage us from following the plan of God and to frustrate our pursuit of seeking the things above and setting our mind on those things, COL 3:1.
GAL 5:17 The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
If we overcome the world and the flesh, we will get personal attention from Satan and the kingdom of darkness which will try to destroy our fellowship with God, EPH 6:12.
His schemes are innumerable and nothing but omniscience can guard us against them and nothing but omnipotence can enable us to have victory over him.
Application of doctrine is the only way to handle people.
When believers have too much garbage in the soul and when believers have maximum scar tissue of the soul, there is nothing you can do to satisfy them.
Implacable believers must still be treated in grace.
Beware that you do not lose your own integrity or spiritual strength in interacting with such persons.
a. You must have the foundation of humility. When you are criticized, there is always something you can learn from it, but you must have humility.
b. You must have the proficiency of understanding the mechanics of God’s will, plan, and purpose for your life as well as the problem-solving devices and you must use them.
c. You must have the spiritual strength to use the shield of faith (the faith-rest drill) in the environment of confusion and disaster.
LUK 23:34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
When it comes to overcoming these problems because of the doctrine applied by means of your testimony, you have to remember –
a thought can make or break you.
Confusion demands concentration – bringing reality from doctrine into the consciousness of the soul.
PRO 23:7 “as a person thinks in his heart, so he is.”
GAL 6:3 “if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
EPH 4:23 “then become refreshed [renewed] by means of the Spirit by means of your thinking.”
1CO 10:12 “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.”
PHI 2:5 “Keep on having this mental attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
PHI 3:15 Therefore, as many as are mature believers, let us continue objective thinking. Furthermore, if you have a different mental attitude in something God will reveal that to you.
COL 3:2 keep thinking objectively about things above [divine viewpoint] and not about things on the earth [human viewpoint].
a. It produces confidence in time, JOB 5:24-27;
2CO 5:6-8; HEB 10:35.
HEB 10:35 therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
b. It produces divine viewpoint of life and establishes right priorities in the soul,
ISA 55:7-9; 2CO 10:5.
2CO 10:5 we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
c. It orients the believer to the plan of God,
ISA 26:3-4; ROM 8:28.
d. It produces stability of mind, JAM 1:8.
JAM 1:8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
e. It is the basis for divine guidance and the execution of the will of God, ROM 12:2-3.
f. It leads to occupation with Christ, your social life with Christ, and the capacity and ability to love God and appreciate Him as the source of blessing when it comes,
PHI 3:10; EPH 3:19; HEB 12:1-2.
PHI 3:10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
EPH 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
HEB 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
g. It attains and holds maturity, PHI 3:12-14.
PHI 3:12 not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
PHI 3:13-14 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
h. It attains eternal grace blessing,
HEB 11:9,10,13; JAM 1:25 cf 2:12-13.
JAM 1:25 but one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
a. Toward God includes worship, personal love for God, and occupation with Christ.
Toward people means impersonal love for all mankind.
Toward self refers to spiritual self-esteem.
d. Toward dying means the application of the doctrine of dying grace.