Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Debelak
Organic Salvation
This teaching is something I learned in the local churches and from reading Witness Lee – and it is a cornerstone of my faith.
I agree there is a danger in mechanizing this concept into a simple “eat Christ” through defined practices like calling on the Lord, pray-reading and prophesying from the HWMR.
But when this concept of “organic salvation” is tied to the Biblical truth of God’s “multifarious wisdom” and “varied grace” – then its limitless how God can operate in one’s life.
The alternative to “organic salvation” is WWJD (what would Jesus do) – salvation by imitation. (I talk disparaginingly, but there is also a value in WWJD which James talked extensively about - but evidence of "works" seems to me to more of a "barometer" of one's health, not a prescription to "just do it.").
...
This fundamental faith in the Spirit which indwells me – albeit in humility (which I picked up after the LC) – is actually the very thing that has enabled a critique of the LC’s more abusive doctrines and practices. But I did learn it there. And it was a central teaching from Witness Lee.
Even as I rely on it to criticize the LC, I would be remiss if I neglected to emphasize that I initially learned it there.
Thoughts?
In Love,
Peter
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At it's core it's the fundamental chicken-or-egg thing. Does God draw us or do we seek God? Does he choose us or do we choose him? The Bible plainly states the former, but it also seems to imply the latter (choose life, seek his face, etc).
It's too deep for me. I can't even understand why a bike doesn't fall over when it's moving forward. But I know that's what happens. Faith is like that. When it's in action it flows. When we try to analyze it it doesn't quite make sense.
Everything cannot be explained because if it could we would begin to worship the explanation and not the source. Christ is the only true image of God, the
only begotten Son. Any other image of God, including our explanations of him, must by necessity be imperfect and incomplete. If they weren't we would have to worship them as we do the Son.
As to actually having learned something worthwhile in the LRC, who is to say you wouldn't have learned it somewhere else as well? Many people understand the "organic" aspect of salvation without using that term. Actually, I don't like the term "organic" because it seems impersonal and clinical and just a tad pretentious. Why not just say "life relationship?" Organic makes me think of organic compost, or a biology experiment.