As before, footnotes have been added long after I left the ICC. I believe this study was done as a follow-up to the Discipleship study.

2/10/98

Matthew 7:13-14 The narrow road leads to life. Either you are following Jesus or you aren't.(1)
John 14:12 Anyone with faith in Jesus will do as he did. -> and even greater things(2)
John 1:6, 2:6
  • If we are claiming to be in Jesus, we must walk as he did.(3)
  • Our primary purpose as Christians is to be fishers of men (Mark 1:17)(4)
Matthew 26:34-46
  • Jesus struggled in his heart to submit his will to that of his Father.
  • We need to surrender on God's terms. If not, we cannot call ourselves Christians.

Footnotes

1. Although this interpretation is relatively sound compared to some teachings of the ICC, it appears they are including it here to create a polarized world with a sharp division between the saved and the unsaved. A somewhat less polarized example can be found in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. It appears from this text that some people follow Jesus less closely than others, but are still saved.

2. The ICC uses this verse to justify the claim that people who are not doing certain works (usuall, recruiting members) must therefore have no faith. However, I have yet to hear of a member of the ICC claiming to have raised the dead, turned water into wine (actually, wine is forbidden in some ICC congregations), or healing blindness simply by faith.

3. Again, the ICC uses this verse to claim they can determine who is saved and who isn't. Romans 3:23, and many other verses, make it clear that nobody is truly sinless.

4. Read in context, you will see this statement was addressed to Simon and Andrew. Out of the 12 Disciples, the Bible only records Jesus calling four to be "fishers of men." It is interesting to note that Jesus did not mention winning converts anywhere in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus does not say the greatest commandment is to make disciples, instead he says the greatest commandments are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:29-31). Interestingly enough, this passage about the greatest commandment is not mentioned in First Principles at all to my knowledge!

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