You know, as the revelator, the Holy Spirit uses illustrations, analogies, allegories and concepts to communicate a truth. However, the way of man is to fixate on the concept or allegory, etc., and miss the point. He so fixates on the concept that it becomes the whole truth to him. The resulting cost is that he generally rejects all other concepts and thereby misses any further truth revealed. When and where this happens the concept you love becomes a problem rather than a blessing.
There are many examples of this, the most common one being that "Jesus saves". There are those so fixated on that concept that no other truth ever enters their head. There are those so fixated on that truth that they reject divine healing, Holy Ghost baptism, gifts of the Spirit, etc. How about the "new birth"? Or, the "family of God"? Push those concepts too far, commit to them exclusively, and then you will have eliminated, even rejected a lot of other truths that are not expressed in those concepts. You may even arrive at a spoiled child viewpoint, thinking you can do no wrong, you can't be lost and you can have or do anything you want - you are family. There are other concepts that so elevate who a Christian is, his blessings, his authority, etc., that they consume people and turn them totally inward, yet every word may be true. All those and many other concepts, allegories, illustrations, etc., can be true, yet without understanding the truth being communicated, can become misleading. They notoriously are divisive with man picking his favorite concept and only associating with those who share his favorite concept.
How about the concept of us as the "body of Christ" and other similar concepts? These concepts are used to communicate precious truths to us, but if not viewed for what they are, they can blur that distinction between man and God. When you read Revelations, you get the eternal truth that was there all along, through every teaching, every illustration and concept and it is the truth we must remember. When we gather round the throne, this eternal truth comes into view. There is God, on the throne, and there at His feet is man. When glory is revealed, there is God and then there is man, there is God and then there is me. Yes, I am in the family. Yes, I am a part of the body. Yes, I am a soldier in the army. Yes, I citizen of the Kingdom. However, there at the throne, from my bowed position, there is God and there is me. I am one of the people of His hand, a sheep in His pasture. In the end, I am not God. In the end, He is there on the throne and there I am, at His feet. And, you know, in the end, we will all discover that we were all made by Him and for Him and for His pleasure we were created. This is eternal truth.
How about the concept of us as the "body of Christ" and other similar concepts? These concepts are used to communicate precious truths to us, but if not viewed for what they are, they can blur that distinction between man and God. When you read Revelations, you get the eternal truth that was there all along, through every teaching, every illustration and concept and it is the truth we must remember. When we gather round the throne, this eternal truth comes into view. There is God, on the throne, and there at His feet is man. When glory is revealed, there is God and then there is man, there is God and then there is me. Yes, I am in the family. Yes, I am a part of the body. Yes, I am a soldier in the army. Yes, I citizen of the Kingdom. However, there at the throne, from my bowed position, there is God and there is me. I am one of the people of His hand, a sheep in His pasture. In the end, I am not God. In the end, He is there on the throne and there I am, at His feet. And, you know, in the end, we will all discover that we were all made by Him and for Him and for His pleasure we were created. This is eternal truth.
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