Trials and all.
Well, with recent trials inside of our bit of a family, our pastor encouraged me to read _God Without Religion_. As he handed me the book, he strongly intimated that he believes that he perceives a spirit of legalism in my beliefs and thus in my actions.
Well, I'm afraid I came at this book initially with the hopes that it addressed a subject which it doesn't seem to address. You see, our pastor has also been teaching us recently that when one is saved, the spirit is given a full and perfect life. That was a new idea to me. I haven't seen it specifically in scripture, so I'm still looking for evidence of that in scripture, but while I'm looking, I ponder that idea, and it seems not only plausible, but likely, and very empowering if it is as true as it seems to be.
Anyway, with my radar seeking scriptures to validate the message that we receive a fully sanctified *spirit* at the time of initial salvation, when I opened _God Without Religion_ the first time, I was hoping that GWR would have some scriptures dealing with that teaching.
I skimmed through the book in high hopes. That was my first mistake.
When I didn't see many scriptures (there are more than I saw at first glance, but still not as many as I had hoped for), and none of the material seemed to address this idea that the spirit is fully sanctified upon salvation (either for or against that interpretation of scripture), I was rather disappointed. Nor did I pray about my disappointment. Nor did I ask that same pastor for scriptures validating his teaching.
I simply set both projects aside for a while.
Well, issues in our family not settling, I was finally pushed to read this book, so I started in, and sure enough, I was flipping through the cyber-pages of BibleGateway looking for verses that, in my thinking, seem very much to say something quite different from this book.
I took lots of notes, began sharing them with my husband, then asked my younger sons to read through the book with me, as I thought they would rather prefer to agree with the book than with myself, so they would put up some stiff debate if they knew any angle from which to do so.
Sure enough, the debates began.
But then two things slowed the study down yet again:
1) vacation, retreats, and mission work......
*sigh*
AND
2) I lost my notes....... perhaps I deflate just a bit too readily, no? I set the book aside again.
.......
Well, it's time to get back at this study.
As for losing my notes again? After a while, I had begun writing notes in the book itself anyway, but not all of my notes are in the book.
If I can simply hold onto that book, there should be no trouble with my notes, right?
Well, books are all too often lost in this home, so I'm not taking any chances.
Notes are going in here and in the book!
Here's hoping our family can come to either a solid agreement, or a peace with disagreeing on some points......., Lord willing, in the long run, any differences which might not settle will not deal directly with the gospel/salvation-message.
May God grant full agreement........, that is my greatest hope, one way or the other.
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