Why am I blogging? What am I hoping to accomplish by adding another voice to the millions or billions of others that make up the cacophony that is the internet? Well, I have many views that are biblically based and yet not commonly practiced anymore; and so I like to use the internet as a way of reaching people who have different views than I do and engaging them, without forcing myself on them. I post on Facebook, and I use this blog to share these views and if it interests you, you can read it and discuss it with me, and if it doesn’t, then you can keep scrolling. Dialogue is important and it’s the only way to come to a consensus where there is division. The purpose of this particular blog is to address some concerns that people have shared with me about the types of things I am posting.
For starters, some people don’t understand the terms I’m using. I can appreciate that, and I will try to be clearer in the future. Please feel free to ask me to define my terms or you could also “google” them. Some of the terms I use these days were very new to me at one point, and I had to look them up just to figure out what people were talking about. Fortunately, with the technology at our fingertips today, it’s so easy to educate ourselves. We really are blessed with tremendous resources that are no further away than our computers or even our phones!
Another issue that seems to put people off is the implication that I am right and others are wrong. People find this offensive, but I don’t share these things to be offensive. The fact of the matter is that Truth is by definition, Exclusive. Contrary to the postmodern view that society tries to ingrain in us, truth is not relative. The Bible knows nothing of the idea ‘what is true for me might not be true for you’. Jesus in John 17:17 speaking to God the Father, says: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” There is only one truth, and it is God’s truth. What we need to realize is that when it comes to the teachings of the Bible, if people have opposing views on a particular topic, they both can’t be right. Obviously, both think they are right, but at least one of them is wrong! Now, it is very common for us to subscribe to the doctrines of the church that we either grew up in or first came to when we got saved. Naturally, you would expect that those who exposed you to the truth of the Gospel would also have the truth of the rest of God’s word. However, given the numerous denominational divides, we realize that can’t always be the case. The fact is, while the true Church is united because of the Gospel of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, we do divide ourselves into different denominations due to different understandings of what the Bible teaches on a variety of subjects. However, when God gave us His Word, there’s only one correct way to interpret or understand it. People sometimes say, ‘doctrine divides’, but that is not the case. It is doctrinal error that divides. In 2 Tim 3:16-17, it says, ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ God uses the apostle Paul to first tell us that all scripture is inspired by God, and the next thing He tells us is that it is useful for doctrine. Based on God’s Word, we should have a profound appreciation for doctrine!
In all these different denominations, the first and most important issue is having the gospel right, which indeed tells us whether they can even be considered part of the true church or not. When it comes to the teachings that separate us as a Church into different denominations, if it’s based on the word of God, it’s not about personal preference. It’s about a correct or incorrect understanding of what God wants us to know. I don’t think we should be content to sit in our separate denominations if we have not first studied the different teachings and come to an understanding of what we see scripture teaching. With all these divisions due to opposing doctrines, obviously some of us are wrongly interpreting Scripture. How do you know if you are being taught the truth? Just because a Pastor or teacher opens up the Bible and points to a verse does not mean he is teaching it correctly. We must be Bereans! In Acts 17:11 it says of those in Berea: ‘Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.’ They did not just take Paul’s word for it, but they searched the Scriptures to see if his message lined up with the rest of God’s word. We must be familiar with the entire Bible. This takes time. We must read it for ourselves and we must learn to understand what makes for good hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the science and art of interpreting Scripture. If we want to be able to faithfully read and accurately interpret God’s Word we must learn proper hermeneutics and apply it in our study.
How does this apply daily? When we hear someone expounding on a verse or a passage, we should be considering what they are saying in light of what we already know. And if someone has a different view than you and is sharing that, we should consider their biblical evidence for such a view. Proverbs 27:17 tells us ‘Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.’ It is good to evaluate doctrine, and one verse or passage does not necessarily a doctrine make. For example: Should women be allowed to be teach or be pastors? One could read Judges 4 and come to one conclusion, and someone else could read 1 Timothy 2 and come to a different conclusion. Who is right? There are other passages that come into play to help get to the truth of the matter. Reading or preaching from select passages does not automatically make one correct. We have to consider different things when reading a verse. One of the main principles is Context. One of the easiest ways people misinterpret Scripture is by using a verse with no regard for the surrounding passage. I could write an entire blog on this subject alone. Just a quick example: Matthew 18:20, ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.’ How often have you heard this as a call for group prayer? The context is actually about the difficult area of church discipline. God always hears our prayers, however, He is promising special grace when seeking to faithfully administer an important aspect of church life. There are many, many examples of this. My point is that we must consider the entire passage and compare it with other passages that may have bearing and need to be reconciled, so that we have the “big picture” regarding the Truth.
This might all seem overwhelming, especially for those new to the faith or for those who have not been exposed to teaching that encourages deep study into the Bible. Don’t be discouraged! The life of a Christian is a life long process of learning. It’s never too late to start. And we are blessed to live in a time where we are surrounded by free resources that’s only as far away as our computer. There are books and commentaries out there that can assist you in your understanding after you have read the Scriptures for yourselves. Don’t be put off by those who would discourage you from the “teachings of men”. Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;” Christ gave us teachers to help equip us. To deny using these men to learn is to deny a gift for our benefit from Christ Himself! If we want to be sure that we are standing on truth, we should not be afraid of holding up our doctrine for inspection and considering the biblical support for opposing viewpoints. Just because great theologians disagree on major points does not mean that we should take for granted that we will never agree with other Christians on those points.
The fact of the matter is, some doctrines are more important than others, and what you believe is going to impact how you live your life, how you share the gospel, and how you disciple others. These are major issues and the truth is that the better we know God as He has revealed Himself in His Divine Word, the better we will be able to appreciate, worship, and serve Him. So we must realize that our entire Christian walk is impacted for better or worse on our understanding of what the Bible teaches.
In conclusion, my desire is to share biblical truth regarding a variety of topics. All I ask of you is to consider my views and the scriptural evidence I use to support them. And if you don’t agree or understand, please discuss it with me! I’m sharing truth to help edify and build up the body of Christ. If you think I’m wrong, I ask you to show me. Let us contend together for the sake of the truth! God Bless.