Eternal Approach

The specific words in the Bible and their specific meanings are absolutely critical to Salvation and to the life of faith that follows.

But this doesn’t seem to be a big concern for those Christians who tries to gauge the quality of their lives based upon their works, their performance, or their outward displays of “love”. Words just don’t carry as much weight in such lives.

In other words, a person can live a very “acceptable” life in the Evangelical church today. Acceptably moral, acceptably involved, acceptably generous, and acceptably loving.

And, at the same time, hold spiritual truth very loosely when it comes to doctrine and creeds.

So that, it is not uncommon today for a believer to profess a very generalized and vague faith in Who Jesus Christ is and What His salvation is really all about.

To understand this dangerous contradiction, we need to return to what “faith” really is according to the Bible. And not according to the world’s spiritual culture. And not according to even popular Evangelical culture.

The lost sinner is saved by believing the words of God.

Faith is about believing specific things about the Finished Work of Christ as well as about the character and Person of Christ. About very specific things that the words of God reveal to us.

And then Resting upon those things.

If the young believer will trust in the inerrancy and accuracy of those words, he will then learn to live the day-to-day Christian “life” – by faithfully resting in what God has said.

But the emphasis must always be on believing. Everything in our relationship to God is based on our believing what He has said.

Yet very little of the modern Evangelical or even Fundamental church truly lives or walks by faith. Or, maybe we should say, by what the Bible actually teaches about “faith”.

As opposed to works. As opposed to feelings. As opposed to shared, “common” experiences of salvation.

The Bible Tells Me So

Consider the statements that Andy Stanley, a very popular Evangelical preacher, said about what the basis of our faith is. He belittled the “old” idea that our faith should be based solely upon what the Bible says.

He denigrated that old song, “The Bible Tells Me So”.

Instead, he wants us to focus on the Resurrection of Jesus rather than the specific claims of scripture. So that we would not try to defend the Bible and its many “contradictory” and sensational claims.

Unfortunately, Andy is just one example of many popular teachers today who cast doubts on the absolute inerrancy and historicity of the Bible; and the absolute necessity of believing and keeping the specific words of God.

Specifics in Belief are Downplayed Today

This downward shift in our churches has been very subtle over the last few generations.

Which is evident in the decrease of our creeds and statements of faith being posted in prominent places in our churches anymore. Since the churches feel that they can move on to more important things.

And since they don’t want to offend anyone “unnecessarily” over specific beliefs. Over specific biblical words and their meanings.

Since doctrine is less critical now. Since leaders believe they’ve already covered all that “divisive” theological stuff.

Now, it’s all about our “relationship” with Jesus. And not about that nasty “religious” stuff. And not about dogmatics.

Now, love and good works and tolerance and vague “statements of faith” serve just as well. Much better than all that divisive doctrinal stuff of the past.

A creed today often looks more like a Mission Statement of a corporation. Dealing in love and service and tolerance and in social issues. Not so much in specific statements of belief.

The old doctrinal stuff is now, for all practical purposes, taught only in the “prospective-members” classes. It’s set aside for the “extra” classes. or for Wednesday nights, or for those who want to “go deeper”.

This way, once again, “unnecessary offense” is avoided for the “seekers”, for the “young families”, for the young people the leaders want to bring along gently.

The critical doctrinal foundations are very rarely taught in the main worship services on Sunday mornings.

Unless, of course, some famous Evangelical author has just released a new book or sermon series on some new perspective on a doctrinal belief. Some new idea that allows leaders to “touch on” some doctrinal issue in a more contemporary or middle-of-the-road way.

The Reality God Has Declared

Yet, the Lord calls “those things which be not as though they were.” (Romans 4:17).

Which is about the basis upon which a person is saved from His sins and is born again from above. And upon which he lives, moment by moment, in the new Resurrection life that God has put within him. 

There is no other basis of growth, obedience, or hope than in our having faith in what the Lord has said. By resting in the Reality that God has declared to be so. 

God’s declared reality deals with our true identity in Him. Which is based upon Who He Is and not upon what we do or don’t do. 

Biblical reality is all about our resting in the finished work of Christ. Not simply resting in His forgiveness and cleansing and regeneration for salvation but also resting in Him As Our Life.

Resting in Him as our Wisdom, our Righteousness, our Sanctification, and our Redemption. 

Which is all about our moment-by-moment confidence in His working within us in order that He might bring us to “an expected end“. (Jeremiah 29:11)

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

Image by Alexa from Pixabay