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Cal · 01-17-2012, 01:18 PM

"The simplicity that is in Christ" is the literal biblical phrase used in 2 Cor 11:3. It's not an LRC phrase.

It implies first of all that there is something simple about following Christ which is crucial or Paul would not have worried that the believers could be led away from it.

My experiences tells me that when I'm in close fellowship with the Lord, being a Christian is simple. Yes, I do all sorts of things (Pray, serve, teach, preach, etc) but they all naturally flow from my relationship with Christ.

On the other hand, if I focus on the things I'm supposed to do (pray, serve, teach, preach, etc) and do not take care of my intimate fellowship with the Lord, then being a Christian becomes very complicated. Should I pray now, or preach? Should I become a missionary to Africa or a YMCA coach? Should I embark on producing a new translation of the NT or should I distribute food to the needy?

OBW, I think you overwork this concern about the LRC disdaining obedience and preferring "dispensing." I never felt the LRC taught me that I didn't have to obey the Word, just that my obedience had to be in the context of abiding in Christ, otherwise I'd just be "obeying" according to my own understanding of the word apart from the Lord's enlightenment.

Granted, the abiding camp can go too far, but so can the obedience camp. The point is we cannot really obey without abiding, and obedience is evidence of abiding. But simply doing nominally Christian works outside of abiding and claiming to be obedient doesn't cut it. Suppose for example I "obey" by becoming a street preacher, when in fact if I had sought the Lord he was leading me to become something entirely different. I was obedient to the word, but not in the context of a relationship with God. Possibly not the worst thing I could do, but certainly a bit out of whack.

01-17-2012, 01:18 PM	#3
Cal Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: USA Posts: 4,333	Re: The LRC Lexicon — Common Phrases "The simplicity that is in Christ" is the literal biblical phrase used in 2 Cor 11:3. It's not an LRC phrase. It implies first of all that there is something simple about following Christ which is crucial or Paul would not have worried that the believers could be led away from it. My experiences tells me that when I'm in close fellowship with the Lord, being a Christian is simple. Yes, I do all sorts of things (Pray, serve, teach, preach, etc) but they all naturally flow from my relationship with Christ. On the other hand, if I focus on the things I'm supposed to do (pray, serve, teach, preach, etc) and do not take care of my intimate fellowship with the Lord, then being a Christian becomes very complicated. Should I pray now, or preach? Should I become a missionary to Africa or a YMCA coach? Should I embark on producing a new translation of the NT or should I distribute food to the needy? OBW, I think you overwork this concern about the LRC disdaining obedience and preferring "dispensing." I never felt the LRC taught me that I didn't have to obey the Word, just that my obedience had to be in the context of abiding in Christ, otherwise I'd just be "obeying" according to my own understanding of the word apart from the Lord's enlightenment. Granted, the abiding camp can go too far, but so can the obedience camp. The point is we cannot really obey without abiding, and obedience is evidence of abiding. But simply doing nominally Christian works outside of abiding and claiming to be obedient doesn't cut it. Suppose for example I "obey" by becoming a street preacher, when in fact if I had sought the Lord he was leading me to become something entirely different. I was obedient to the word, but not in the context of a relationship with God. Possibly not the worst thing I could do, but certainly a bit out of whack.