now... let me preface this. I think some people may be upset with this post, but nonetheless this blog is a blog of honesty. A place for me to share my thought processes and get things out in writing so that I can better formulate my own opinion. This is my blog. Not yours.
And...
Here...
We....
GO!
Having been surrounded by Bible College life for (dear goodness) almost 4 years, I've fallen in love with some things and I've grown to hate some things.
I absolutely love, the heart for God that the people around me have.
I loved sitting in class and having my teacher pray over us before we take a test.
I love the bible studies and fellowship that goes on much of the time.
I love being able to have deep conversations with my brothers and sisters in a way that helps us to grow.
I hate debates.
I didn't used to, I used to thrive in arguments, pulling bible verses and quotes out of my library (and out of context) to prove the point that I was trying to make to whatever unfortunate non-(insert doctrine here) believing person I happened across. I was what I now hate.
(And let me make something perfectly clear, this blog is NOT written with anyone in mind, at all. And if you feel a little hurt or anything else or upset or frustrated, know that I don't hate you in any way, I hate the mindset, and again more importantly, I'm not writing about you.)
Becoming obsessed with Doctrine, in my honest opinion, works against the Gospel. I believe that dogma is ridiculously important and essential, but we are getting dogma confused with doctrine. Our emphasis to believers and non-believers should be love. That's what the end of Matthew 22 is completely about. It's about loving God and loving people. If we lose sight of that, we lose sight of the Gospel. Why in the world would any non-believer want to become a part of the family when all that we do is argue and bicker among ourselves whether this or that is right? Why would they ever believe that we love them when in reality we rarely show love to one another, unless of course we happen to be in a group where we all believe the same thing.
It's ridiculous. What about Jesus? I mean, honestly, what about the relationships that Jesus built with the people that he encountered. The UNBELIEVERS. The UNCLEAN. The UN(insert term for the religious here). He came and yelled and accused the RELIGIOUS of being evil and corrupt.
If all we have is a list of rules and beliefs then honestly what are we other then religious? What is it that separates us from the other religions of the world? Why would anyone ever see a difference in us or our lifestyle that would show them God?
Does God call us to be Holy? Absolutely!
Does Paul command Timothy to keep his doctrine close? YES!
Does Jesus tell us that we will be greater then Himself? yes.
We are called to do great things. But when we're filled up with head knowledge and think that we know right, it's hard to admit that we're wrong.
I'll admit.
I don't know.
anything.
I'm not wise in the eyes of my God.
but I believe that I can show His love to those around me.
because I love him
and He loves me
and I hope and pray that His love can pour out of me to all of the people around me, starting with my wife and trickling it's way down.
We are called to many things,
but to fully understand the Bible and God and how He has made everything to work,
I do not believe is one of them.
We need to be willing to question, to reexamine, to actually listen to what the other person in our deep conversations is saying and be able to admit that we're possibly wrong on whatever doctrinal topic is currently on the table, or we need to not talk.
I'm not saying for us to sway back and forth with the wind, but shouldn't we at least be able to bend in hopes of becoming stronger?
I'm a part of the problem.
I confess.
I know that I have differing views then many people that I know.
I love though before anything else.
You have your verses.
I have my verses.
We understand them the best that we can.
But in the end.
We're probably both wrong, as I believe that God has a much better understanding of His Word then I do.
And I'm okay with that.
Good day Conrad. I enjoyed reading your post and the honesty with which you wrote. I agree that the level of arguing and bickering present within Christian academia is sad and discouraging. I have been where you are now. I, at one time, became so disenchanted that I nearly walked away from it all, but praise God for His grace and a love that would not let me go.
ReplyDeleteMy journey out of the mire came when I began to focus less on those around me and fixed my eyes on Jesus and the Scriptures. As long as I was worrying about those around me who I perceived were going about it all wrong I could never really focus on what God wanted to do in my own heart. I had gotten to the point where my relationship with God centered upon being the "antithesis" of what I thought was wrong with the church and other Christians. I was quick to call out others for clinging to and fighting for their doctrine yet I was blind to the fact that I was doing the same thing. Sure my "doctrine" may have been "different" than theirs but I was quick to defend it and point out why mine was correct (and more enlightened) while theirs was incorrect (and unenlightened). I might not have been able to articulate my doctrine as clearly or firmly as they but I was sure mine was right and theirs was wrong.
God convicted me to stop struggling with the people around me and start struggling with Him. As I got into the Scriptures I realized that my struggle was not with those around me but ultimately it was with Him. By His grace He softened my heart and humbled me and began to teach me amazing things.
I have come through on the other side of that journey (one which I am still on) with stronger conviction and a firmer grip on "doctrine." Today I can honestly say that I love doctrine, not because I love to debate but because I love the God that doctrine reveals.
Just some thoughts.
Peace,
GL
I Totally get what you're talking about! I find it very easy to begin to dwell on the people around me and their view on everything. A while ago I realized that I needed to figure things out on my own, yes, I should talk to those around me to gain insights on where they are and what they believe, but I can't take what they say and make it law. I, personally, need to pursue God through His Word and figure out what I believe when I view His Word as a whole. I believe that Christianity is as much a conversation as a relationship.
ReplyDeleteChristianity thrives when we talk and discuss things when we re-examine what we believe, when we explore scriptures and really try to not dwell on any preconceived notions. It's hard to do, but I believe that that is how we really grow and push the conversation forward.
My heart isn't as frustrated and angry with these people arguing as it is with the shed blood and wasted time that's spent on arguing things over the centuries when there's so much more to do. Conversations are good, arguments are bad. It breaks my heart and burdens my soul to see non-believers turning away from God because we, His children, prohibit His personality and love from being seen through our actions and the way we interact with not only non-believers but each other. I desperately desire to be able to go places and not see "christians" picketing and yelling at people. That's leading down a different road then this blog was meant to travel upon, but I feel that that's where that thinking leads.
I remember sitting in one class my first semester at Bible college and having the professor open the class up for discussion for what techniques we can use to interact with non-believers. Have we so far removed ourselves from humanity that we can't relate with someone who doesn't believe the same things as us? Can we not build a relationship to just love them and to show them Love?
That's my fear with becoming overly obsessed with doctrine. That we remove ourselves entirely from the world that we are in and prohibit the opportunity to be able to relate to the people around us whom at one point we were exactly in the same place as.
In the end I'm responsible for me, and I pray that God will continue to bless me with wisdom to be able to understand His Word as effectively and as accurately as possible. I pray that He will continue to be burden my heart for the Lost and for the Christians who are stuck on doctrine and the Law. I, too, believe that putting our focus on Him will establish doctrine in our lives whether we mean to or not, and that that type of doctrine can be an amazing thing, I just wish that it wouldn't become the focus.
thanks for your thoughts.
looking forward to possibly reading some more.
much love.
rad.