I was not raised as a Christian. I was taught to believe and follow a lot of teachings that could not be substantiated by the word of God. After coming out of denominationalism and talking with people regarding their souls, I witnessed first hand the reality that many people believe what they believe on a purely emotional and subjective basis. I have seen people time and time again reject truth because of that emotionalism. Many have even rejected their own eternal salvation because they couldn’t bring themselves to believe that their position could be wrong, or they valued their love for family members more than their love for the God that literally died for them. Proverbs 28:26 is exactly right when it says “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” I have also seen this emotionalism exhibited relating to many issues in the Lord’s church. So when any Biblical topic is discussed or approached, it cannot and must not be approached on a purely emotional or subjective level, because emotionalism clouds even the clearest of issues. We are to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Our emotions are God given and not evil in and of themselves. Yet, our love of God must transcend a mere emotional “feeling in our hearts”. One of
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the necessary four components involved in loving God is our “mind”, indicating that we need to have an educated relationship with God. For a Christian, our education comes from the knowledge of His Word (the Bible), and nowhere else. This word has been so painstakingly preserved through the ages by God, even though there have been many attempts by people to destroy it.
I began writing this study on my own because I felt that this topic was something that needed to be addressed on a brotherhood level. As time went on, it became obvious to me that I needed additional input, so as the study progressed, it became more of a collaborative effort between my son Brian and I. Due to that fact, you will notice the words “I” and “we” being used interchangeably throughout this study.
