Have you ever looked back at what you believe five or maybe 10 years ago and just cringed? Maybe you're embarrassed by how little you understood back then. Maybe you said things that now make you wince. And if you're honest, there's this nagging fear in the back of your mind. You're thinking maybe if I was wrong then, how do I know I'm right now?

Or maybe you've watched other Christians grow and change in their understanding, and you've wondered if they were even saved before, if they didn't understand correctly. Or maybe someone has judged you for where you are in your journey, making you feel like you're not a real Christian because you don't have it all figured out yet.

Well, here's something that might shock you. The Apostles themselves, the men who walked with Jesus, who were taught by Him directly, they didn't have it all figured out on day one either, okay? In fact, they were wrong about some pretty major things years after Christ's resurrection, believe it or not. And if they didn't have perfect understanding immediately, why do we think we should?

Welcome to the Pristine Grace Podcast. I'm your host, Brandon Kraft, and I'm really glad that you're tuning in today. This is a podcast series where I discuss various gospel subjects and aspects of Christian living. And if you're new to this channel or you'd like to see more of my content, I'd love for you to subscribe and check out my website at pristinegrace.org.

A little about me, I'm a Christian writer and speaker and I maintain my website pristinegrace.org. You can read all the articles I've ever written, they're all on there, and all my past podcast episodes are now on there as well. But enough about me, let's get right to the heart of the matter. We're going to talk about something that I think will bring some comfort to hopefully a lot of people. We're going to talk about how God teaches his children the truth. how he brings us into understanding gradually, patiently, and most of all, mercifully, and how our salvation doesn't depend on having perfect theology, but on Christ's perfect work.

Now, I want to say up front that I don't rush through these topics. I try to take my time. I like to settle in, so I'm asking you to settle in. Get a coffee or a tea or whatever you like to drink, because we're going to walk through this carefully, because I think it matters deeply. especially for those of you who are struggling with doubts about your own understanding or worse are being judged by others for not having it all together theologically because what we're going to see today is that God is incredibly patient with his children He doesn't expect us to understand everything perfectly from day one. Okay? He teaches us gradually. And our security, it does not rest in how much we comprehend. Okay? It does not rest in how much we comprehend, but it rests in, it rests on who we're trusting in.

So let me start by addressing something I've noticed. There is a tendency in some circles to act like the gospel depends on getting every word exactly right. Okay, like if you don't use the proper theological terms or if you can't explain every doctrine with perfect precision, then somehow the whole thing just falls apart. And if you can't get it right, then you're lost. That seems to be the tendency. I'm seeing it a lot these days in sovereign grace circles, believe it or not. And what happens is people start looking at other believers, especially believers from past generations, with suspicion. Well, they might say, well, they didn't talk about it the way we do. They didn't use our vocabulary, so could they have really been saved? And that same attitude, that same harsh attitude, unfortunately gets turned on believers today who are still learning. Someone who's just starting to grasp these truths gets looked down upon by someone who's been studying for decades. The message that gets sent is this. You're not really saved unless you understand all this correctly.

But here's what bothers me about that approach. It doesn't match what we see in Scripture, okay? The Bible shows us over and over that God teaches his people step by step. Understanding that grows over time. Nobody ever gets it all at once. And most importantly, our salvation doesn't rest on how well we can explain things. It rests on Christ, okay? It rests on what He did, on His finished work. And when we start making salvation dependent on correct understanding instead of on Christ, well, we've got it completely backwards. We've made it depend on us instead of on Him. And that is a dangerous, dangerous shift. Because none of us understand perfectly. None of us have it all figured out. We're all still learning. I'm still learning. You're still learning. We're all still being taught.

Now, I want to show you from Scripture today that this gradual learning is exactly how God works. I'm not making this up. It's in the Bible. And I'm going to start in a place that might surprise you. It's with the apostles themselves. All right, so we're going to go to John chapter 16, verses 12 through 15. We're going to hear the words of Jesus right here. Quote, I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine. Therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.

All right, let's break this down. Jesus says, I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. Think about that. Jesus is speaking to his disciples, men who have been with him for, what, three years now? And men who had heard his teaching directly from his lips, and he's telling them, there's still a lot you don't understand. There's still a lot I haven't told you, because you're not ready for it yet. But when the Spirit comes, he will guide you into all truth. Okay, notice that language. When the Spirit comes, he will guide you into. Okay, Jesus doesn't say not hand it to you all at once, not download it instantly into your brain. Okay, it says guide you into. That means, as my wife likes to say, it's a journey, okay? It's a process, something that happens over time. The Spirit would teach them and He would reveal things to them. He would show them what's coming, but it would unfold gradually as they were ready, as they could handle it. And if Jesus himself said the apostles needed time, if he said they had to be guided into truth step by step, then why do we expect ourselves or anyone else to get it all immediately?

Now let me show you just how gradual this process was for the disciples. Because when you read the book of Acts carefully, you start to see that they were confused about some pretty major things for quite a while. It's actually startling when you read this. We're going to start right at the beginning. We're going to read Acts chapter 1, right at the beginning of Acts, verse 6. The disciples asked Jesus, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And I'm glad Luke recorded this. This is right after the resurrection. Right after the resurrection. This is after 40 days of Jesus teaching them about the kingdom of God.

And they're still thinking the kingdom is going to be a physical, political thing. All right. They're still expecting Jesus to overthrow Rome and set up an earthly throne in Jerusalem. And these poor disciples, these poor apostles, they just didn't get it yet. They hadn't quite grasped it. they were still thinking in physical not spiritual terms they were still expecting something that wasn't going to happen

and i love how jesus handles this he jesus could have stopped them right there and stopped them right in their tracks and corrected them and he could have said no you got it all wrong people let me explain this again he doesn't do that though He just tells them that it's not for them to know the timing and that they'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes. And he leaves the correcting to the Spirit. He lets them learn as they go.

And think about this. These are the same men who had watched Jesus die. who had seen Him rise from the dead, who had 40 days with Him after the resurrection listening to His teaching, and they still didn't understand the nature of His kingdom. If they could be that confused about something so fundamental, and Jesus still patiently worked with them, what does that tell us about how patient He is with our confusion? Think about that.

And this pattern continues all through the book of Acts. Let me give you another example. We're going to go to Acts chapter 10. This is years after Pentecost now, okay? The church has been going, the gospel has been preached, the Spirit has come in power, and yet Peter, he still doesn't understand that Gentiles can be saved without first becoming Jews. Okay? God has to give Peter a vision, not once, not twice, but three times, okay, of unclean animals that he's told to kill and eat. And Peter argues with God every single time. He says, not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or clean. Isn't that great? Okay, can you imagine that? Peter, who'd walked with Jesus, who had been filled with the Spirit, who had preached at Pentecost, and here he is arguing with God. Three times. About the same thing.

And God doesn't give up on him. God just kept showing him. God kept teaching him. God was patient with his incomplete understanding. And then God sends him to a Gentile's house, Cornelius. And while Peter is preaching, the Holy Spirit falls on these Gentiles. And Peter is shocked. Absolutely shocked. I can imagine, just imagine how Peter felt or how Peter reacted. And Acts chapter 10 verse 45 says, And they of the circumcision, which believed, were astonished. as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." They were astonished. They could barely believe it, because they thought, and they still thought, salvation required keeping the Jewish law. After all that, they still hadn't understood yet that the gospel was for the Gentiles too, exactly as they were.

And notice what Peter says in Acts chapter 10 verses 34 and 35. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him.

All right, let's focus on these words. Of a truth I perceive. Well, in other words, I'm just now getting this. I'm just now understanding this. And this is years after Pentecost, years after the Spirit came. Peter is just now grasping something fundamental about the gospel. Just now. And even after this revelation, Peter still struggles.

In Galatians chapter 2, Paul tells us he had to confront Peter publicly because Peter was being two-faced. Peter had been eating with Gentile believers, treating them as equals, which was nice and good. But when some Jewish believers showed up from Jerusalem, Peter backed off and acted like the Gentiles were second-class citizens. And Paul says in Galatians 2 verse 14, But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou being a Jew livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compelst thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

All right, Peter, one of the original twelve. Okay, the man who preached at Pentecost. He was still getting things wrong years later. He was still learning, still being corrected, and still growing. And if Peter could be confused about major truths and still be saved, still be an apostle, still be used powerfully by God, then what does that tell us about our own journey? What does it tell us about your journey? It tells us that God is incredibly patient, that he doesn't expect perfection of understanding, and that he works with us where we are and brings us along gradually.

Now, let me show you something else from Acts, because in those early chapters you see the apostles and believers continuing in Jewish practices that they'd later understand weren't necessary anymore. Okay, so what did they do? Well, they kept going to the temple. Acts chapter 3 verse 1 says, Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer. Okay, so Peter and John, they're still observing the Jewish prayer times, still going to the temple. All right, they're still abiding by the law. All right, they kept the Jewish feast days, and they kept offering sacrifices, and they still practiced circumcision. They thought all that was still required.

But here's what's remarkable. God didn't immediately tell them to stop. He let them continue for a time, and he was patient with where they were. Think about that. God could have told them on day one, you don't need to go to the temple anymore. You don't need to do the sacrifices. You don't need circumcision. All that's fulfilled in Christ, and Christ has done away with the law. But he didn't. He purposed for them to continue in those practices while he gradually taught them the full implications of Christ's finished work. Okay? Because that's how God teaches. Step by step, patiently, and gradually.

All right. Now, let's look at another thing here in Acts. Baptism. All right. In early Acts, baptism is tied very closely to forgiveness of sins. Take a look at Acts chapter 2 verse 38. Peter says, Okay. That verse trips a lot of people up today. Now, We understand today that baptism does not cause forgiveness. Okay? Forgiveness comes through Christ's blood alone, received by faith. Okay? We receive knowledge of that forgiveness through faith. And Christ, He bore our sins in His own body and then treated His wounded for our transgressions. And it's His blood that cleanses from sin, not water. Okay? I think most Christians today that are sound in the gospel can agree on that.

But, in those early days, they still connected baptism with the old Jewish washings. that symbolized cleansing from sin, okay? They hadn't yet fully grasped, they hadn't fully grasped yet that all those ceremonies had been fulfilled in Christ. And God was patient with that incomplete understanding.

In Acts chapter 8, when Philip preaches in Samaria and people believe and get baptized and the Holy Spirit doesn't come on them until later when Peter and John show up and lay hands on them. God accommodated where they were in their understanding.

But something changes. In Acts chapter 10 with Cornelius and his household, the Holy Spirit falls on them before they're baptized. Okay? This is a change in the pattern. And this is right in the middle of Peter preaching. And Peter recognizes that this is significant because he says in verse 47, can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?

All right, here's another instance where God was teaching them. Step by step. That salvation doesn't come through ceremony. It comes through faith in Christ's finished work. The Spirit comes first. The water follows.

Now let me show you something else about the apostles journey. Let's let's look at how they understood Jesus's death initially versus later. Okay, so before the crucifixion in Matthew chapter 16 verses 21 through 23, Jesus tells them he must go to Jerusalem and suffer and be killed. Peter's response. Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto unto thee.

Hmm. Peter's got a lot of nerve, that's all I gotta say. Peter rebuked Jesus here. He told Jesus, no, that's not going to happen because I'm not going to let that happen. And Jesus says to Peter, okay, get behind thee, get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offense unto me. For thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Peter, poor Peter, he didn't understand that Jesus had to die. He didn't grasp that Christ's death was the whole point of him being there. That without Christ dying as a substitute for his people, there would be no salvation. And it's not like Jesus hadn't been telling him this entire time. He'd explained it. Christ had explained it to his disciples over and over and over again. Yet, they couldn't grasp it. and their minds just couldn't accept it.

Even after the resurrection, look at Luke chapter 24, the disciples are on the road and they're talking about Jesus's death and they're confused and sad and they say in verse 21, but we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. And you can just hear the sadness and despair in their voices when they said that.

But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel. We trusted. Past tense, okay? They thought Jesus was going to redeem Israel. This is where the disciples were in their heads. And now Christ is dead. So obviously that's not happening and they're trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. They didn't understand yet that his death was their redemption, that his blood was the price, that a sacrifice accomplished what all the Old Testament sacrifices had only pointed to. And Jesus has to open their understanding. Well, I love this Luke chapter 24 verse 27 says and beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself Jesus he had to teach them again Again he had to teach them again step by step Opening their minds to understand how all of scripture pointed to his death and his resurrection his resurrection And even then even then after all this teaching they still had more to learn

Okay, and things still get more they still even get more interesting. All right Paul God raised up Paul And through Paul, God revealed the complete picture of the gospel, the full understanding of grace, of being made right with God through faith alone, of the law being finished and completely done away with, completely abrogated, and of Gentiles being included on exactly the same terms as Jews. Grace. And Paul says in Galatians chapter 1, verses 11 and 12, he says, But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Okay, Paul received revelation, new information, fuller understanding, Not that the gospel itself had been changed with this revelation. Christ's work was completed at the cross, but the understanding of what that meant, the full implications of it, that was being revealed over time. And this, oh, this caused arguments. Big ones, big ones. Acts chapter 15 records a huge controversy in the early church. And some believers from Judea, they were teaching that Gentiles had to be circumcised and keep Moses' law to be saved. And there was a very sharp disagreement about all this. Paul and Barnabas were on one side. and these other believers, they're over on the other side.

So think about what this means. It was their version of a modern day Facebook battle. No, I'm just kidding. But think about it. Years after the cross, okay, this is years after Christ has been resurrected and ascended into heaven. Years after the resurrection, okay, years after Pentecost. And the church is still arguing about whether you need to keep the law to be saved. Okay, and it's recorded right there in Acts. They hadn't fully grasped yet that Christ's righteousness is what saves, not law-keeping. that we're clothed in His perfect obedience, not on our own. Not in our own obedience. That salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. They might have had some inklings of it, but I don't think it was fully settled in their mind, at least.

So what do they do? They call a meeting in Jerusalem to try to sort it out. And even there, even with all the apostles present, it took discussion and debate and looking at what God had been doing before they got clarity. And Peter, he stands up and says in Acts chapter 15, verses 7 through 11,

Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us. And he put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Here we go. Through grace, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they. Not through law keeping, not through keeping rules, not through circumcision, through grace alone, through what Christ has done, not what we do. And it took time to get there. It took the spirit working. And it took God revealing more truths. It took God patiently teaching his children.

And then look at what James says in verses 19 through 21. He agrees, but he also suggests they ask Gentile believers to abstain from certain things for Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.

All right. Okay, even in agreeing that Gentiles don't need the law for salvation, James is still thinking about the law. He's still stuck. He's still concerned about Moses, still in that transitional phase of understanding. And God was patient even with that. He worked with them where they were and gradually brought them to fuller understanding.

And here's what I want you to see. None of this means the Bible has errors, okay? What this means is that God chose to reveal truth gradually. He chose to teach his people step by step. He chose to be patient with incomplete understanding while he brought them along. Luke recorded those events accurately under the Spirit's inspiration. But not everything that early believers said or thought reflects complete understanding. Luke, he faithfully recorded what had happened and what was said. But later revelation would clarify and correct some of those early beliefs. That's God's method. That's how he chose to work. That's his sovereign way of teaching his church.

And if that's how he worked with the apostles, if that's how he brought the early church into fuller understanding, then that's how he's working with us today. Think about the Apostle John, the same John who wrote the Gospel of John, who recorded Jesus saying, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And in Mark chapter 9 before the crucifixion, John came to Jesus and said in verse 38, Master, We saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us, and we forbade him because he followeth not us. We forbade him because he doesn't follow us. John was being territorial. He was being exclusive. If you're not part of our group, you can't do ministry in Jesus' name. And what does Jesus do? He corrects him. Verse 39 says, John had to learn not to be so narrow, not to draw his circle so tight, to recognize that God works beyond our little groups and our little understandings. And if John needed to learn that, maybe we do too.

Now, let me address something important. I've had a few people on the internet write to me and accuse me of thinking that doctrine doesn't matter. They don't like my teachings on my website. And I don't know why these rumors get started about me, but they do, and they sadly persist. But for the record, I do not believe that you can believe anything as long as you're sincere, okay? That's not what I'm saying. I'll repeat this, I think, in every podcast from here on out, I think. Doctrine matters, and truth matters, and sound teaching matters. And Paul constantly wrote about the importance of sound doctrine, of guarding the truth, of not being blown around by every new teaching.

So what I'm saying is this, your salvation doesn't depend on having perfect doctrine. Okay? That's all I'm saying. You don't need to have perfect doctrine. Your assurance doesn't rest on being able to explain everything correctly. Salvation is found in Christ. It's not necessarily found in understanding all the mechanics of grace. Okay? You're standing before God doesn't go up and down based on how much you understand. Your salvation, your assurance, your standing, all of it rests on Christ alone. It rests on His perfect work, on His death in your place, on His righteousness credited to your account. And when Christ died on the cross, He didn't just die as an example, He died as a substitute. He took the place of His people, He bore the wrath they deserved, And he satisfied God's justice completely. And that work doesn't depend on how well we understand it. It's effective because of what he did, not because of what we comprehend. So when God looks at us, if we're in Christ, he doesn't see our confusion. He doesn't see our incomplete understanding. And he doesn't see our theological struggles. He sees Christ's righteousness as perfect, complete, and sufficient. And that's where our assurance comes from. Not from how much we know, but from whose work we're trusting in. It's not from our ability to explain things, but from His finished sacrifice. And here's the beautiful thing about this, because our standing before God is secure in Christ, we're free to learn. We're free to grow. we're free to change our minds as the Spirit teaches us. And we're free to say, I was wrong about that. And we can say that without our salvation being at risk. Okay? Ephesians chapter 4, verses 20 and 21 say, You have not so learned Christ, it so be that you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus. Okay? Learning Christ is a process. Being taught by him is ongoing. The truth is in Jesus, not in our perfect grasp of Jesus, but in Jesus himself. In Colossians chapter 1 verse 21 reminds us, Okay, we were enemies in our mind. Our thinking was hostile towards God. Our understanding was darkened, and yet God reconciled us. Not after we straightened out our thinking, not after we understood correctly, He reconciled us while we were still confused, still wrong, and still opposed to Him in our minds. And then, having saved us, He begins to teach us. He begins to guide us into truth, and He begins to bring us step-by-step into a clear understanding. But the experience of salvation comes first. The reconciliation in our minds and our hearts comes first. And the work of Christ comes first. Okay? And the understanding that follows, that comes as God graciously teaches us. Okay? And Philippians chapter 3 verse 15 says, Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus mighted. And if anything ye be otherwise mighted, God shall reveal even this unto you." If you're thinking wrongly about something, God will show you. He'll teach you. And He'll bring you along. You don't have to panic that maybe you're not saved because you haven't figured it all out yet. And God will reveal it when you're ready, in His way, in His time. And notice who Paul is talking about here. As many as be perfect. Okay? That's a little bit ironic, don't you think? Because he just said in verse 12, not as though I had already attained, either we're already perfect, but I follow after. Okay? Paul himself, the Apostle Paul says he hasn't arrived. He's still pursuing. He's still learning. He's still growing. The Apostle, the Apostle Paul himself who wrote half the New Testament, And verse 13 and 14 he says, brethren I count not myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." I don't count myself to have fully grasped it, he says. I haven't mastered it all. I'm still pressing forward. I'm still learning. That's what Paul says. So, if Paul could say that, If he could admit he was growing in understanding, then surely we can be humble about our own journey. And surely we can be patient with others who are on theirs. Now, I like to bring practical examples into these podcasts. I know some people don't like them, but I think it's important. But here's where I want to get practical. Because this matters for how we view ourselves and how we view other believers. And first of all, all I have to say is just be patient with yourself. Be patient with yourself. If you're struggling to understand something, If you're confused about a doctrine, if you're working through theological questions, all I have to tell you, all I have to say to you is, that's okay. Man, that's perfectly normal. That's how God teaches His children. And you don't have to have everything figured out today. You don't have to have perfect clarity on every point. And God is patient with you, and He's teaching you, and He's guiding you. And your salvation doesn't depend on getting it all right. It depends on Christ getting it all right. And guess what? He did. He did it perfectly and completely, once and for all. And second, be patient with other believers, even unbelievers. If someone's at a different place in their understanding than you are, don't judge them. Don't look down on them. Don't question whether they were really saved because they haven't grasped what you've grasped. Remember, you were once where they are. And by God's grace, they'll grow just like you've grown. But it takes time. And it takes the Spirit working. It takes patient teaching. And honestly, You might be the one who's wrong about some things. You might be the one who needs to grow and change. So approach other believers with humility, not with harsh criticism. And remember Peter, one of the most important people in church history, and he got major things wrong years into his ministry. But God was patient with him, and God taught him, and God used him mightily despite his incomplete understanding. And third, and this one's really important, and I've known a lot of believers who have struggled with this. Just don't despise where you were, okay? It's easy to look back at your earlier beliefs and just cringe. You think to yourself, how could I have thought that? How could I have believed that? And you get angry. about where you were and that's an easy thing to do because you look at some of the things you believed and how awful they were. But here's the good news. You went through all that for a reason and it was all purposed in your life. And God was patient with you then. He didn't reject you for being confused. Even if you were in false religion, He didn't reject you. He loved you. He loved you from before the foundation of the world. And He taught you. And He brought you along. So, don't be ashamed of the journey. Don't beat yourself up for where you've been. Just be grateful for where God has brought you. And fourth, keep learning. Keep growing. Keep studying. Keep asking questions. The Christian life, it isn't static. It's dynamic. And we're always being taught. And we're always being shaped. Always being conformed more and more to Christ's image. Proverbs chapter 4 verse 18 says, but the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter, clearer and clearer as you walk with the Lord, as you sit under his teaching, as the Spirit works in you, you understand more and you see more clearly. The light increases, but it happens gradually. step by step, day by day, more and more. And that's God's method. That's how he teaches his children. And we can trust him with that. And we can rest in it. And we can be patient with it. Now, let me warn against one danger before we close, because there's a ditch on the other side of this road. All right, the danger is using this truth as an excuse for laziness. Well, I don't need to study. I don't need to care about sound doctrine. God will just teach me whenever he feels like it. You might be thinking that. Well, that's not the attitude Scripture calls for. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, verse 15, Study, be diligent, and work at understanding. And don't be lazy, and don't be careless, and make every effort to grow. But do it humbly, and do it knowing that God is the teacher and you're the student. Do it knowing that you don't have it all figured out. Do it knowing that your salvation doesn't write on getting everything perfect, but on Christ who is perfect for you. And don't use this as a weapon against others either. Don't say, well they just haven't been taught yet, in a condescending way. Don't say it that way. Say it humbly, remembering you were once in the same place. Remembering you might still be wrong about some things yourself. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 2 says, And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. If you think you've arrived, if you think you know it all, you're fooling yourself. Because there's always more to learn. There's always deeper truth to grasp and always more understanding to gain. So stay humble. Stay teachable and stay open to the Spirit's work. And give that same grace to others that God has given to you. So let me close with this, God is patient, he's incredibly patient, and he's patient with his children as he teaches them. And he's patient with their questions, and patient with their confusion, and patient with their mistakes. And he was patient with Peter when Peter didn't understand about the Gentiles. He was patient with the disciples when they thought Jesus would restore Israel's kingdom, physical kingdom. And he was patient with the early church when they continued in the temple to worship and be involved with Jewish ceremonies. And he's patient with you. He doesn't expect you to understand everything perfectly from day one, and he doesn't demand that you explain every doctrine flawlessly. Okay, he doesn't require you to have it all figured out before he saves you. He saves you first, in Christ. Actually, He saved you in Christ, if you believe. And that was all by grace. And you experience it through faith. And not because of perfect understanding. Not because of theological precision. Not because you got all the answers right. And then, having saved you through Christ's substitutionary death and imputed righteousness, he teaches you gradually, patiently, lovingly. And he guides you into truth. He opens your eyes and he brings you step by step into fuller understanding. And through it all, your security never wavers, because it doesn't rest on you. It rests on Christ. It rests on His finished work, on His shed blood, and on His righteousness, which has been given to you. And you're secure in Him, and nothing changes that. Not your confusion, not your questions, not your incomplete understanding. Okay? So rest there. Rest in Christ. Rest in His finished work. Rest in His perfect righteousness that's yours through faith and given to you before the foundation of the world. And as you rest there, trust that God is teaching you. Trust that the Spirit is guiding you into all truth and trust that the light will keep getting brighter. Okay? And you don't have to have it all figured out today. You just have to trust the One who does. And that is very, very good news. Okay? And that's about all I have for you today. I hope it has brought you some comfort. And I hope it's freed you from feeling like you have to be perfect in your understanding. I hope it's helped you see that God is patient with you, just like he was patient with the apostles. And I hope it's encouraged you to be patient with other believers who are on their own journey. If you have any questions or need to talk, you can come to my website. There's a contact form there you can fill out. And I'd be honored to hear from you. So that's about all I have to say. So grace and peace to you. Goodbye.