There Are Some Things You Must Believe
I have been away so long because of school, but I can't be silent on this. I saw this article posted on social media and I couldn't stand by and let someone slander Christianity this way.
So here is what it should say:
You are either Christian or you're not.
It seems straightforward:
You accept Christ as your saviour
or you don't.
But people seem to think that it is okay to call themselves "Christian" and question Biblical truths.
Yes there are grey areas, like how old the earth really is, and whether the creation story is even meant to be literal. But if you believe that other parts of what the Bible says are 100% real and accurate, then it follows that you would believe the same thing about the rest of God's word.
And yet there are more and more people who say that you have to believe this or that or else you aren't Christian, and debates over these things are causing rifts in the body of believers.
Criteria about what one should believe, or how one is to pray, worship, etc. have separated out so many different branches of faith. People claim that there can be degrees of belief or that we can all believe different things and all still be Christian. We set so many "guidelines" for what a Christian is that people feel excluded or hated by God's people.
If you're like me, then you have gotten very fed up with this fighting. What we need to agree on is that there are some things that are Biblically supported, and that some of these facts are fundamental to our faith, while others still need to be debated and prayed about until we can figure out where we should stand on the issues.
The Bible tells us everything we need to know about our faith.
If you are a Christian you should believe... (please note that these points are specifically based on the ones in the blog post)
- that LGBTQ people, just like everyone else, were born sinners and need God's constant help to turn from our sinful ways
- that a lot of scientific discoveries are true and helpful in understanding the world, but some are in total opposition to God's word and His creation
- Hell does exist
- that there are no contradictions in the Bible, because His word is divinely inspired
- there is no "magical prayer" to escape eternal torment - all you need to do to be saved is believe that Jesus took your sins upon him and died in your place, and accept Him as your saviour
- that you can have non-Christian friends, and if you truly love them then you will share the gospel with them because you want them to be saved from eternal damnation
- that biology, archaeology, astronomy and psychology provide us with lots of evidence to support the Bible
- that we should point out pastors or churches who are slandering God's name or preaching false messages
- that dinosaurs did exist (because we have evidence of them, and the Bible even mentions some, lie the leviathan), but that the world is only about 6000 years old
- that you can vote for whatever political party you feel will most honour your values
- that other faiths can have some truth to them, but that there are many parts that are untrue because they are in complete disagreement with the Bible
- that there are true things not written in the Bible, but that everything in the Bible is true
- that we are not required to go to church every Sunday, but that it is good to fellowship with other Christians
- that if we have unresolved questions about major tenets of our faith, we should try to find answers (from God, the Bible, pastors, others)
- that Jesus is the Son of God and that he des to save us all from our sins, and that all we need to do to be saved is accept him as our personal saviour
The devil tempts people with power and false beliefs, and as a result a lot of these facts get debated and distorted. But we must not take people at their word. Instead, we must remember that God wants to communicate with us and have a relationship with us, and that He will listen to our questions and give us answers. He gave us the Bible and prayer so that we could know what He wanted us to know.
The devil is working in the hearts and minds of the people who write articles like the one I saw.
If someone tells you that you are not being a proper Christian, do not just take them at their word. People are not always qualified to say such things, but if they are concerned about your beliefs then maybe you need to pray about it and make sure that you are behaving as God would want you to behave. People are, after all, human and thus they are imperfect. That includes you. And that is why God gives us reasoning and resources to answer our concerns.
No one has a perfect faith, but God will always help you to strengthen it.
We are all a result of our circumstance, but more importantly we were made as individual beings by God. And it is God who can help us to rise above what we were told to believe and lead us to the truth.
Friends, despite what you have been led to believe, God loves everyone no matter their sins, and wants us all to have a personal relationship with him.
God is our creator and saviour.
All that is beautiful and good is of God.
And we get to live in and experience everything that he created.
So don't forget who God really is and what he has done for you. People will try to lead you astray and convince you that things are not so black and white. But God wants you to know His truth, and He has provided you ways to know the truth.
So here is what it should say:
You are either Christian or you're not.
It seems straightforward:
You accept Christ as your saviour
or you don't.
But people seem to think that it is okay to call themselves "Christian" and question Biblical truths.
Yes there are grey areas, like how old the earth really is, and whether the creation story is even meant to be literal. But if you believe that other parts of what the Bible says are 100% real and accurate, then it follows that you would believe the same thing about the rest of God's word.
And yet there are more and more people who say that you have to believe this or that or else you aren't Christian, and debates over these things are causing rifts in the body of believers.
Criteria about what one should believe, or how one is to pray, worship, etc. have separated out so many different branches of faith. People claim that there can be degrees of belief or that we can all believe different things and all still be Christian. We set so many "guidelines" for what a Christian is that people feel excluded or hated by God's people.
If you're like me, then you have gotten very fed up with this fighting. What we need to agree on is that there are some things that are Biblically supported, and that some of these facts are fundamental to our faith, while others still need to be debated and prayed about until we can figure out where we should stand on the issues.
The Bible tells us everything we need to know about our faith.
If you are a Christian you should believe... (please note that these points are specifically based on the ones in the blog post)
- that LGBTQ people, just like everyone else, were born sinners and need God's constant help to turn from our sinful ways
- that a lot of scientific discoveries are true and helpful in understanding the world, but some are in total opposition to God's word and His creation
- Hell does exist
- that there are no contradictions in the Bible, because His word is divinely inspired
- there is no "magical prayer" to escape eternal torment - all you need to do to be saved is believe that Jesus took your sins upon him and died in your place, and accept Him as your saviour
- that you can have non-Christian friends, and if you truly love them then you will share the gospel with them because you want them to be saved from eternal damnation
- that biology, archaeology, astronomy and psychology provide us with lots of evidence to support the Bible
- that we should point out pastors or churches who are slandering God's name or preaching false messages
- that dinosaurs did exist (because we have evidence of them, and the Bible even mentions some, lie the leviathan), but that the world is only about 6000 years old
- that you can vote for whatever political party you feel will most honour your values
- that other faiths can have some truth to them, but that there are many parts that are untrue because they are in complete disagreement with the Bible
- that there are true things not written in the Bible, but that everything in the Bible is true
- that we are not required to go to church every Sunday, but that it is good to fellowship with other Christians
- that if we have unresolved questions about major tenets of our faith, we should try to find answers (from God, the Bible, pastors, others)
- that Jesus is the Son of God and that he des to save us all from our sins, and that all we need to do to be saved is accept him as our personal saviour
The devil tempts people with power and false beliefs, and as a result a lot of these facts get debated and distorted. But we must not take people at their word. Instead, we must remember that God wants to communicate with us and have a relationship with us, and that He will listen to our questions and give us answers. He gave us the Bible and prayer so that we could know what He wanted us to know.
The devil is working in the hearts and minds of the people who write articles like the one I saw.
If someone tells you that you are not being a proper Christian, do not just take them at their word. People are not always qualified to say such things, but if they are concerned about your beliefs then maybe you need to pray about it and make sure that you are behaving as God would want you to behave. People are, after all, human and thus they are imperfect. That includes you. And that is why God gives us reasoning and resources to answer our concerns.
No one has a perfect faith, but God will always help you to strengthen it.
We are all a result of our circumstance, but more importantly we were made as individual beings by God. And it is God who can help us to rise above what we were told to believe and lead us to the truth.
Friends, despite what you have been led to believe, God loves everyone no matter their sins, and wants us all to have a personal relationship with him.
God is our creator and saviour.
All that is beautiful and good is of God.
And we get to live in and experience everything that he created.
So don't forget who God really is and what he has done for you. People will try to lead you astray and convince you that things are not so black and white. But God wants you to know His truth, and He has provided you ways to know the truth.
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