In July 2010, an e-mail exchange with a Christian brother and Friend caused me to pause and think about the many differences in theology we find in Christian church fellowships today. Is that a problem? Does that mean that those who believe as I do are Christian, and all the others not Christian? No.
We do not need to have the exact same Biblical theology to be Christian brethren. So, how do we determine which Christians and which Christian fellowships we can, and should, join for worship and fellowship? And, which ones we should avoid?
Well, some wise person, long before I became a Christian, has given us a guideline, a way that we can weigh the teachings of any given church or Christian group or ministry to test if it is a fellowship or group we should join - or one we should avoid. It is similar thinking to Acts 17:11. This wise person laid out a set of Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines which are a must if we are to be Christ Followers. In other words, these are the Biblical/Christian Doctrines which we must believe, practice, and teach - if we are to be Christians, and if we are to be certain of our eternal salvation.
And, all other Biblical Christian doctrines, teachings, etc., fall into the category of Non-Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines - for they do not affect our eternal salvation. These do not affect our salvation, but they do help us to better understand God's Word and why the Essentials - are Essential.
So, what are the Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines, without which we cannot call ourselves Christian? Glad you asked.
With that foundation laid, some may ask, "But, Bill, how about all those other theologies? Are they Christian?" True, we see many theologies today - Calvinism, Arminianism, the Free Grace Movement, and literally dozens, maybe hundreds, of variations somewhere in between or in the same neighborhood. And, yes, if they believe and teach those Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines as being necessary to have eternal life in Christ - they are Christian.
That said, let's look at just the first three as a test bed for Christian fellowship. Where do I personally stand with Calvinism, Arminianism, and the Free Grace Movement? Please keep in mind that I have many Christian brethren who are pastors and/or members in church fellowships which teach these three theologies. And I am quite sure that they are just as saved, just as much a Christian, as you and I.
Since I became a born-again Christian believer in 1987, I have had the pleasure of personally knowing many devout pastors, hearing Biblical messages from many, and studying God's Word under many. With probably 99% of them, I have disagreed with them on some Biblical issue or some theological point. Does that mean that I am right and they are wrong? No. But, it also does not mean that I am wrong.
"Okay, Bill, how can both of you be right?"
Good question! You see, we are all flawed, imperfect humans - and, believe it or not, even Bill Gray can make a mistake! Okay, enough humor; let's get back to being serious.
The point I am trying to make is that God gave us His Bible as our guide to eternal life and His guide for our daily Christian walk. As we mature, we should become more knowledgeable of His Word and how to interpret the messages and teachings He has given us in His Bible. Properly interpreting the Bible uses a process called hermeneutics:
Proper hermeneutics is often synonymous with "exegesis" and the opposite of "eisegesis."
What it all boils down is: Exegesis is the practice of reading FROM the Bible the message God inspired to be written there. Eisegesis is the practice of reading INTO the Bible our own personal biases and preconceived theologies. Reading FROM the Bible tells us what God wants. Reading INTO the Bible tells us what man wants.
Why am I spending so much time on this discussion of Exegesis and Eisegesis? Because very often truly devout Bible teachers, pastors, theologians, scholars, and just plain old Christian believers like you and me - can easily slip from Exegesis into Eisegesis without even knowing it.
And, that is where I believe many of our differences occur. We are all reading the same Bible, why can't we all have the same understanding of the Bible? Because of our preconceived biases which creep into our study of God's Word.
So, where do we often go wrong? I believe that often happens when a theology is based upon topical verses or passages of the Bible - instead of being based upon the full 66 books of Scripture. In other words, if you have a doctrine or teaching which is based upon a particular Bible verse or passage - and there are other parts of Scripture which contradict that doctrine or teaching - you need to, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, dig deeper into Scripture. Again, think Acts 17:11.
I suppose an analogy could be: You are wearing a sweater which you and several other friends believe is brown; yet, another group of friends tell you that sweater is actually purple. You need to take a close personal look in the mirror, maybe expose the sweater to more light. Side note: My wife, Dory, did buy me a "brown" sweater - which, when seen in the sunlight, did indeed turn out to be a shade of purple. Moral of that short story: View Scripture, and your theology, only in strong Sonlight!
Back to the analogy: The same is true when a group of friends assure you that a Bible verse is teaching one thing - and another group of friends is telling that it teaches something different. You need to take a closer look in your spiritual mirror under greater Sonlight, the Bible. Once again, think Acts 17:11.
Now, back to my three test theologies: Calvinism, Arminianism, and Free Grace.
Calvinism tells me that before the Creation God "Predestined" one group of people, the Elect (yet to be born) to be saved and spend eternity in heaven. And, before the Creation He "Predestined" another group of people, the Reprobates (yet to be born) to be lost and spend eternity in hell - with no possible opportunity to be saved.
Even with a cursory reading of Scripture - that is not my God, not the God I find in my Bible, the sovereign God whose attributes of Love and Justice are equally balanced.
Five-point Calvinism (i.e. TULIP) also denies that we have the God-given gift of "Free Will" - the free will to choose to follow or to deny Jesus Christ.
Arminianism tells me that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that all people will be given the opportunity to choose (free will) to follow Him or to deny Him. Those who choose to follow Him, according to the Bible, have ETERNAL (never ending) life in Christ. Yet, my Arminian friends tell me that the person who has made the commitment to follow Christ - can then lose that gift of eternal life. If it is eternal, how can it end, how can you lose it? Eternal means "never ending."
First, eternal life is a gift from God. Would the God you worship give a gift of eternal life - and then take it back? Of course not. Second, even though the Arminians agree that belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ gives us ETERNAL life - they believe there is a sin which can make "eternal" no longer mean "eternal." That does not make sense. Once God has declared something to be eternal, that cannot be changed (Malachi 3:6, Numbers 23:19,1 Samuel 15:29, and Ezekiel 24:14). Why would God give us the gift of eternal life - and then make us continually spend our lives looking over our shoulders, afraid He will take that gift away from us?
The Free Grace Movement tells me that repentance plays no part in our salvation. Of course, they are defining "repentance" as a work - and I agree with them that we cannot "work" our way into heaven. They tell us that we are saved solely by believing in Jesus Christ. That I agree with also.
But, where we part way is when they define "repentance" as a work - but, they do not define "believing" as a work. To me, these are two inseparable bedfellows, both attitudes of the heart. Believing in Jesus Christ is an attitude situation. Before, I did not believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. But then I heard the true Gospel, began to believe, and was saved. In other words, I changed, or reversed, my heart position in regard to Jesus Christ.
In the Bible, the English word "repent" is from the Greek word "metanoeó" which in Strong's Concordance means: to change one's mind or purpose. In other words, to change one's heart or attitude regarding Jesus Christ, who He is, what He has done, and what He offers us.
Repentance is a spiritual change of attitude. Before, I was a lost "sinner" who followed the world and the world's corrupt society. Then, I believed and in my heart I did a 180 degree spiritual turn from following the world - and began to follow Jesus Christ. Now I am a forgiven "sinner" - saved by the grace of God.
How can those two - "repentance" and "believing" - be divorced? That makes as much sense as saying that two women can be married and have a baby - or that two men can be married and have a baby. No, my Friends, that does not happen! It takes the relationship between a man and a woman to make a baby. And, it takes repenting and believing to make a Christian believer.
I believe we can see that, in all three of those theologies, the people who established them were not taking all 66 books of the Bible into account. They went into Scripture with a preconceived theology - and found Scripture verses and passages to support that theology. And, that is why I believe so strongly in "expositional" teaching of the Bible instead of "topical" teaching.
When a church fellowship teaches expositionally through the Bible - starting with Genesis 1:1 and teaching, verse by verse, all the way to Revelation 22:21 - there is less chance that a "topically" determined theology can creep into that church's teachings.
That said, are all the churches which teach a Calvinist theology, an Arminian theology, the Free Grace Movement theology, and other theologies - Christian? If what they teach is based upon the "Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines" - then, "Yes. Absolutely! They are Christian." Saved is saved, regardless of the name above the door of your church.
The only problem is that they add layers of confusion on top of the simple Gospel of Salvation given us by Jesus Christ. They take a 3rd grade math type theology - and turn it into an advanced calculus theology. And, there is no need to do that.
This combined Scripture passage says it all. When we heard and believed the Gospel of our salvation (believed and turned in our hearts toward Him, i.e., repented) - we were saved through that faith, sealed in Him by the Holy Spirit - and that sealing, i.e., indwelling, will stay until the day of our redemption, the day we die or are raptured from this mortal body (John 10:27-29). In other words, once the Holy Spirit has taken up residence within a believer - NO ONE, in heaven or on earth, can evict Him.
That is a promise given to all people (not just the predestined elect) who will believe and receive Him. And, when the Holy Spirit seals us - no one can break that Holy Spirit seal, not even the believer, and cause us to lose our salvation. And, all this happened the moment we spiritually turned from following the world and turned to follow Him (repented).
Praise God for the simple avenue of salvation He has made available to all people. Let's not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by cluttering up the Gospel of Salvation with man-generated confusion and definitions.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
We do not need to have the exact same Biblical theology to be Christian brethren. So, how do we determine which Christians and which Christian fellowships we can, and should, join for worship and fellowship? And, which ones we should avoid?
Well, some wise person, long before I became a Christian, has given us a guideline, a way that we can weigh the teachings of any given church or Christian group or ministry to test if it is a fellowship or group we should join - or one we should avoid. It is similar thinking to Acts 17:11. This wise person laid out a set of Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines which are a must if we are to be Christ Followers. In other words, these are the Biblical/Christian Doctrines which we must believe, practice, and teach - if we are to be Christians, and if we are to be certain of our eternal salvation.
And, all other Biblical Christian doctrines, teachings, etc., fall into the category of Non-Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines - for they do not affect our eternal salvation. These do not affect our salvation, but they do help us to better understand God's Word and why the Essentials - are Essential.
So, what are the Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines, without which we cannot call ourselves Christian? Glad you asked.
The Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines are:
1. The Deity of Jesus Christ: Preexisting deity, God incarnate - fully man; yet, fully God. (John 1:1, 1:14, 4:26, 8:58)
2. The Trinity: God eternally existing; one God manifested (revealed) in three distinct persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1-2, 1:26, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:1)
3. The Bible: Is the inspired Written Word of God and is the sole authority for Christian faith, salvation, and to guide our Christian life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21)
4. Salvation & Eternal Life by Grace Through Faith: By grace you are saved through faith in Jesus Christ - plus nothing else. (Isaiah 51:6, John 3:16, 6:47, 10:27-29, John 11:25-26, Romans 6:23, 10:9, 10:13, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16, Hebrews 9:15)
5. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ: He rose from the dead, that we may also be resurrected into eternal life. (Matthew 28:1-8, Acts 2:24, 2:32, Acts 10:39-43, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 1 Peter 1:3)
6. The Gospel: The birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and imminent return of Jesus Christ according to Scripture. (Matthew 1:20-25, Luke 1:26-38, Acts 2:24, 2:32, Romans 8:33-34, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
7. Heaven and Hell: Both are real places and are the only two eternal destinations available to all mankind. (Psalm 139:7-8, Matthew 10:28, Mark 9:43-48, Luke 16:19-31, Acts 1:9-11, Hebrews 9:24)
All true Christian fellowships will teach these doctrines as necessary to be a Christian believer. To the extent that you, or your church fellowship, teaches something different - to that extent you have distanced yourself from the teachings of God's Word. And, personally, I want to draw closer to God and His Word, rather than drawing away from Him.
With that foundation laid, some may ask, "But, Bill, how about all those other theologies? Are they Christian?" True, we see many theologies today - Calvinism, Arminianism, the Free Grace Movement, and literally dozens, maybe hundreds, of variations somewhere in between or in the same neighborhood. And, yes, if they believe and teach those Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines as being necessary to have eternal life in Christ - they are Christian.
That said, let's look at just the first three as a test bed for Christian fellowship. Where do I personally stand with Calvinism, Arminianism, and the Free Grace Movement? Please keep in mind that I have many Christian brethren who are pastors and/or members in church fellowships which teach these three theologies. And I am quite sure that they are just as saved, just as much a Christian, as you and I.
Since I became a born-again Christian believer in 1987, I have had the pleasure of personally knowing many devout pastors, hearing Biblical messages from many, and studying God's Word under many. With probably 99% of them, I have disagreed with them on some Biblical issue or some theological point. Does that mean that I am right and they are wrong? No. But, it also does not mean that I am wrong.
"Okay, Bill, how can both of you be right?"
Good question! You see, we are all flawed, imperfect humans - and, believe it or not, even Bill Gray can make a mistake! Okay, enough humor; let's get back to being serious.
The point I am trying to make is that God gave us His Bible as our guide to eternal life and His guide for our daily Christian walk. As we mature, we should become more knowledgeable of His Word and how to interpret the messages and teachings He has given us in His Bible. Properly interpreting the Bible uses a process called hermeneutics:
Biblical hermeneutics is perhaps summarized best by 2 Timothy 2:15, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Biblical hermeneutics is the science of properly interpreting the various types of literature found in the Bible. For example, a psalm should often be interpreted differently from a prophecy. A proverb should be understood and applied differently from a law. This is the purpose of biblical hermeneutics - to help us to know how to interpret, understand, and apply the Bible. (http://www.gotquestions.org/Biblical-hermeneutics.html)
Proper hermeneutics is often synonymous with "exegesis" and the opposite of "eisegesis."
Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based upon a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text (of the Bible).
The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based upon a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants. (http://www.gotquestions.org/exegesis-eisegesis.html)
What it all boils down is: Exegesis is the practice of reading FROM the Bible the message God inspired to be written there. Eisegesis is the practice of reading INTO the Bible our own personal biases and preconceived theologies. Reading FROM the Bible tells us what God wants. Reading INTO the Bible tells us what man wants.
Why am I spending so much time on this discussion of Exegesis and Eisegesis? Because very often truly devout Bible teachers, pastors, theologians, scholars, and just plain old Christian believers like you and me - can easily slip from Exegesis into Eisegesis without even knowing it.
And, that is where I believe many of our differences occur. We are all reading the same Bible, why can't we all have the same understanding of the Bible? Because of our preconceived biases which creep into our study of God's Word.
The most important law of biblical hermeneutics is that the Bible should be interpreted literally. Literal Bible interpretation means we understand the Bible in its normal or plain meaning. The Bible says what it means and means what it says.
A second crucial law of biblical hermeneutics is that a verse or passage must be interpreted historically, grammatically, and contextually.
Historical interpretation refers to understanding the culture, background, and situation which prompted the text.
Grammatical interpretation is recognizing the rules of grammar and nuances of the Hebrew and Greek languages and applying those principles to the understanding of a passage.
Contextual interpretation involves always taking the surrounding context of a verse or passage (i.e., does that interpretation conflict with other parts of Scripture?) into consideration when trying to determine the meaning.
Some mistakenly view biblical hermeneutics as limiting our ability to learn new truths from God's Word or stifling the Holy Spirit's ability to reveal to us the meaning of God's Word. This is not the case. The goal of biblical hermeneutics is to point us to the correct interpretation which the Holy Spirit has already inspired into the text. (http://www.gotquestions.org/Biblical-hermeneutics.html)
So, where do we often go wrong? I believe that often happens when a theology is based upon topical verses or passages of the Bible - instead of being based upon the full 66 books of Scripture. In other words, if you have a doctrine or teaching which is based upon a particular Bible verse or passage - and there are other parts of Scripture which contradict that doctrine or teaching - you need to, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, dig deeper into Scripture. Again, think Acts 17:11.
I suppose an analogy could be: You are wearing a sweater which you and several other friends believe is brown; yet, another group of friends tell you that sweater is actually purple. You need to take a close personal look in the mirror, maybe expose the sweater to more light. Side note: My wife, Dory, did buy me a "brown" sweater - which, when seen in the sunlight, did indeed turn out to be a shade of purple. Moral of that short story: View Scripture, and your theology, only in strong Sonlight!
Back to the analogy: The same is true when a group of friends assure you that a Bible verse is teaching one thing - and another group of friends is telling that it teaches something different. You need to take a closer look in your spiritual mirror under greater Sonlight, the Bible. Once again, think Acts 17:11.
Now, back to my three test theologies: Calvinism, Arminianism, and Free Grace.
Calvinism tells me that before the Creation God "Predestined" one group of people, the Elect (yet to be born) to be saved and spend eternity in heaven. And, before the Creation He "Predestined" another group of people, the Reprobates (yet to be born) to be lost and spend eternity in hell - with no possible opportunity to be saved.
Even with a cursory reading of Scripture - that is not my God, not the God I find in my Bible, the sovereign God whose attributes of Love and Justice are equally balanced.
Five-point Calvinism (i.e. TULIP) also denies that we have the God-given gift of "Free Will" - the free will to choose to follow or to deny Jesus Christ.
Arminianism tells me that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that all people will be given the opportunity to choose (free will) to follow Him or to deny Him. Those who choose to follow Him, according to the Bible, have ETERNAL (never ending) life in Christ. Yet, my Arminian friends tell me that the person who has made the commitment to follow Christ - can then lose that gift of eternal life. If it is eternal, how can it end, how can you lose it? Eternal means "never ending."
First, eternal life is a gift from God. Would the God you worship give a gift of eternal life - and then take it back? Of course not. Second, even though the Arminians agree that belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ gives us ETERNAL life - they believe there is a sin which can make "eternal" no longer mean "eternal." That does not make sense. Once God has declared something to be eternal, that cannot be changed (Malachi 3:6, Numbers 23:19,1 Samuel 15:29, and Ezekiel 24:14). Why would God give us the gift of eternal life - and then make us continually spend our lives looking over our shoulders, afraid He will take that gift away from us?
The Free Grace Movement tells me that repentance plays no part in our salvation. Of course, they are defining "repentance" as a work - and I agree with them that we cannot "work" our way into heaven. They tell us that we are saved solely by believing in Jesus Christ. That I agree with also.
But, where we part way is when they define "repentance" as a work - but, they do not define "believing" as a work. To me, these are two inseparable bedfellows, both attitudes of the heart. Believing in Jesus Christ is an attitude situation. Before, I did not believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. But then I heard the true Gospel, began to believe, and was saved. In other words, I changed, or reversed, my heart position in regard to Jesus Christ.
In the Bible, the English word "repent" is from the Greek word "metanoeó" which in Strong's Concordance means: to change one's mind or purpose. In other words, to change one's heart or attitude regarding Jesus Christ, who He is, what He has done, and what He offers us.
Repentance is a spiritual change of attitude. Before, I was a lost "sinner" who followed the world and the world's corrupt society. Then, I believed and in my heart I did a 180 degree spiritual turn from following the world - and began to follow Jesus Christ. Now I am a forgiven "sinner" - saved by the grace of God.
How can those two - "repentance" and "believing" - be divorced? That makes as much sense as saying that two women can be married and have a baby - or that two men can be married and have a baby. No, my Friends, that does not happen! It takes the relationship between a man and a woman to make a baby. And, it takes repenting and believing to make a Christian believer.
I believe we can see that, in all three of those theologies, the people who established them were not taking all 66 books of the Bible into account. They went into Scripture with a preconceived theology - and found Scripture verses and passages to support that theology. And, that is why I believe so strongly in "expositional" teaching of the Bible instead of "topical" teaching.
When a church fellowship teaches expositionally through the Bible - starting with Genesis 1:1 and teaching, verse by verse, all the way to Revelation 22:21 - there is less chance that a "topically" determined theology can creep into that church's teachings.
That said, are all the churches which teach a Calvinist theology, an Arminian theology, the Free Grace Movement theology, and other theologies - Christian? If what they teach is based upon the "Essential Biblical Christian Doctrines" - then, "Yes. Absolutely! They are Christian." Saved is saved, regardless of the name above the door of your church.
The only problem is that they add layers of confusion on top of the simple Gospel of Salvation given us by Jesus Christ. They take a 3rd grade math type theology - and turn it into an advanced calculus theology. And, there is no need to do that.
Ephesians 1:13, 2:8-9, 4:30, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise . . For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. . . Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
This combined Scripture passage says it all. When we heard and believed the Gospel of our salvation (believed and turned in our hearts toward Him, i.e., repented) - we were saved through that faith, sealed in Him by the Holy Spirit - and that sealing, i.e., indwelling, will stay until the day of our redemption, the day we die or are raptured from this mortal body (John 10:27-29). In other words, once the Holy Spirit has taken up residence within a believer - NO ONE, in heaven or on earth, can evict Him.
That is a promise given to all people (not just the predestined elect) who will believe and receive Him. And, when the Holy Spirit seals us - no one can break that Holy Spirit seal, not even the believer, and cause us to lose our salvation. And, all this happened the moment we spiritually turned from following the world and turned to follow Him (repented).
Praise God for the simple avenue of salvation He has made available to all people. Let's not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by cluttering up the Gospel of Salvation with man-generated confusion and definitions.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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