Tag: Book

T0010 How Should Christians Respond to Conflicting Theological Views?

Posted on by John Mwafise Woloko

 

How Should Christians Respond to Conflicting Theological Views?

Regrettably, the world of Christian worldviews and movements is fragmented, with little consensus on numerous theological issues. These disputes have caused many people to form their own groups based on their personal convictions and inspirations. The outcome is that genuine seekers of truth encounter conflicting ideologies, contradictory perspectives, and clear divisions that impede cooperative work and shared research. Article T0009 stated that genuine believers benefit more from identifying as Christians than from pursuing denominational ties. Because many of God’s children are affiliated with certain denominations, your chief goal must be to pursue God’s will wherever you are. To do God’s will within those conflicting denominational factions, we must dedicate ourselves to particular Christian values that ensure we stay fruitful. Here are four rules to help us rise above the unnecessary theological segregation.

 

Engage in Personal Bible Study

A lot of Christians have developed the habit of substituting the Word of God with their preferred preachers. They no longer want to engage in personal Bible study. However, God’s primary desire is to build a personal relationship with each of His children. While He uses gospel ministers to teach us His will and support our spiritual development, the underlying aim is for us to attain maturity and rely on Him personally for every spiritual and physical need. Since God identifies Himself as the Word (John 1:1), we should treat His Word in the Bible with utmost importance (Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:37-38, Psalm 119:165).

 

Trust The Holy Spirit as Your Primary Teacher

We can read the Bible daily, yet we won’t grasp its meaning unless we seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance through meditation. The Bible depicts the Holy Spirit as the guide to all truths (John 16:13). It is not the place of any preacher or teacher to replace the Holy Spirit in the lives of their flock. Should we stop listening to our pastor, preachers, or inspired messages from other Christians? Absolutely not! But by doing so, we understand that they are vessels the Holy Spirit uses to support our spiritual development, discover God’s will, and practice an authentic Christian way of life.

 

Never Put Your Trust in Humans

It is understood that the word trust can be applied in a wider sense in our regular daily conversations. When we choose not to trust humans, we mean that we should first seek guidance from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word before believing anything from a human source. All gospel preachers around the globe should act as servants of God, not as substitutes for God in the lives of people. Their responsibility is to guide the flock to the Master. They support new converts until it is clear that they have brought them to a stage where self-reliance on God is possible, without acting as barriers to their progress. God doesn’t expect leaders to live the lives of their followers on their behalf. Similar to guiding a newborn from infancy through childhood to adulthood, seasoned Christians in the faith need to help new converts grow spiritually and allow them room to learn from God and follow His guidance themselves (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

 

 

If the Bile Doesn’t Say it, Don’t Believe it

It’s not merely a matter of faith but of properly handling the Word of truth. It is essential for all God’s children to do their best in acquiring basic Scripture interpretation skills and to trust the Holy Spirit to aid them in biblical interpretation. Whenever a preacher delivers the Word, we should embrace the Berean mindset and check if what the preacher says is accurate. The Bereans could sift through Paul’s teachings because they primarily trusted the Holy Spirit to guide their understanding of the Scriptures. If you adopt the Berean mentality, no one can trick, manipulate, cheat, exploit, or take advantage of you. In doing so, only God’s genuine revelations will flourish among us.

 

Furthermore, no individual is higher than the Bible. Are there spiritual matters beyond what the Bible covers? Without a doubt, the answer is yes. Is it our role to seek knowledge of these extra-biblical issues in today’s church era? Not necessarily, since the Holy Spirit gathered what is essential for this era in the Bible we possess. Many more mysteries are reserved for the future age, and when we reach that time, we will perceive things as they truly are. For the time being, we should appreciate what is available to us in the Bible. Moreover, truthfully, a lifetime isn’t sufficient to fully explore the present Bible, and the revelations we gather astonish many. Why should we stress over things we can’t completely understand right now?

 

By applying these principles in your life, you will readily recognize movements that depend on logical fallacies, those leaning towards religiosity, and those employing mind manipulation techniques to mislead people. Additionally, you will learn to differentiate falsehood from lies and trust the Holy Spirit to reveal an authentic way to accomplish God’s will in your context.

Share this message along to those in your community who wrestle with the connection between the Bible and theology.

Engage in study, conduct research, increase in wisdom, and be blessed in the Lord!

 

T0009 Can Christian Factions Disagree About Theology and Remain United?

Posted on by John Mwafise Woloko

 

Can Christian Factions Disagree About Theology and Remain United?

This is one of those questions that seldom enters our minds as we engage in different Christian activities within conflicting Christian movements. This question is particularly important because God builds a unified Christian movement called the Body of Christ, and demands that we dedicate considerable spiritual resources to maintain that Body’s unity and vitality. To respond to this question properly, we need to explore some important facts about genuine Christians that many overlook.

 

All True Christians Belong to a Single Movement – The Body of Christ

Contrary to the common belief that everyone who calls themselves Christian shares the same identity, true Christians form one organization called the Body of Christ. In Ephesians 4:1-6, the Bible states, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” It is plainly obvious that anyone not acknowledged by God as part of this united body is not a true Christian. In light of this reality, labeling ourselves or identifying with any denominational affiliation is less important than meeting the obligations of belonging to that group. Sadly, many individuals caught in different Christian religious cycles feel compelled to defend their belief system instead of focusing on doing God’s will in their context. As a result, numerous so-called Christian organizations worldwide adhere to and promote conflicting doctrines, preventing unified progress.

 

 

All Genuine Christians are of the Same Mind

Genuine Christians belong not only to one body but also share spiritual unity with each other. Naturally, this is not obvious when observing the current chaos within the divided Christian groups we have formed. Attending a Catholic Church service will never leave you feeling the same as leaving a Pentecostal service. You also won’t have the same feelings and beliefs when you attend a Methodist, Charismatic, and Oneness Pentecostal fellowship. These movements not only exhibit diverse forms of worship but also contain conflicts within their core doctrines and schools of thought. As a result, leaders in these Christian groups hold their own unique agendas and interpretations of God’s message for the world. The encouraging news is that despite the chaos, God preserves a remnant that discerns and obeys His will, despite suffering under biased and subjective ideas and patterns in their system. God reaches out to sincere inquirers everywhere in the world, including among Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, pagans, and even scientists who deeply seek the truth but are unsure how to find it. By His mercy, He always finds a way to reveal Himself to these people and lead them to a community of true Christians who will help them develop spiritually.

 

 

 

 

The imperfection of human systems stems from our fallen state, yet this should not be used as a reason to pursue self-centered goals, as many theologians suggest. A few Christian denominations possess a real and concentrated manifestation of the Holy Spirit within their community. Others experience only a superficial presence of the Holy Spirit, influenced mainly by human theological methods and traditions that lean more towards religiosity than authentic worship of God. Of such the Bible describes as, “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Moreover, the Bible sternly warns, “And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:5). Most modern Christian groups are loosely formed assemblies guided by their own desires, with clear examples including inclusive, progressive, socialist, cults, occult, and new age Christian communities.

 

If genuine Christians were brought together from their various contexts to a single location, they would easily participate in any type of fellowship, like worship or prayer, something the current self-centered movements cannot achieve. This is because the Holy Spirit directs all genuine believers and inspires no kind of self-centeredness, contradiction, or conflicting ideologies among them. The Bible captures this in Revelation 7:9-10, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

 

Genuine Christians are not Many

Following Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 7:13-23, we see that throughout the whole church era, only a small portion of the world’s population is truly Christian. This is plainly obvious from today’s materialistic and selfish trends worldwide. Believing the common statistics on search engines that claim genuine Christians number in the billions would be a fatal mistake. These statistics overlook the Bible’s focus on genuine repentance and a life of obedience to God as key criteria. If you’re reading this article, you should aim to be one of the few chosen from the many who are called.

 

Answer

“Can two walk together, unless they agreed?” (Amos 3:3). “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:24). Based on what we’ve observed, Christian factions differ in their beliefs, disagree on theology, don’t share the same core doctrines for their spiritual journey, and aren’t always guided by the Holy Spirit. Because they differ on these core matters that define the authentic Christian movement, they are not united. For sincere inquirers, it is more beneficial to identify as a Christian rather than seek denominational affiliations. Since most true believers belong to various Christian denominations, your principal goal should be to follow God’s will wherever you are. Nonetheless, you are responsible for verifying that you belong to a fellowship with a genuine emphasis on the Holy Spirit and whose activities are inspired and led by Him.

Share this message with individuals in your community who find it challenging to understand the relationship between the Bible and theology.

Study, explore, gain wisdom, and remain blessed in the Lord!

T0007 How Can Christians Spot Bad Theology?

Posted on by John Mwafise Woloko

 

How Can Christians Spot Bad Theology?

Besides misunderstanding the role and purpose of theology, many Christians struggle to distinguish between the Bible and theology. As a result, it becomes difficult to recognize when a theology is undermining the faith. Let’s examine six approaches to spotting weak theologies that might jeopardize the faith of believers in various ways.

 

The Theology is Crafted to Defend a School of Thought

To keep it simple, a school of thought is the engine of every theology. It influences the way theology handles the Scriptures and shapes how a person or group interprets the Bible and develops doctrinal conclusions. Each worldview has its own school of thought that allows it to interpret the Bible. For example, Calvinists interpret the Bible believing that God exercises His absolute sovereignty through His grace rather than free will. Armenians believe that humans possess free will and can choose to accept or reject God. These two groups never reach a consensus. Other Christian groups approach the Bible with the perspective that Jesus is not God, or is simply a prophet or an ordinary human being. Others deny the trinity, opting for their preferred theory and reading the Bible through their unique lens. For anyone wanting an accurate interpretation of Scriptures, the sole guidance to depend on is the Holy Spirit. The Bible depicts Him as the sole guide to all truths (John 16:13).

The Theology Begins with an Assumption then Looks for Verses to Validate it

Assuming things or forming suggestions and theories in life is perfectly fine as long as we conduct sincere research. The sole purpose of assuming something or creating a theory should be to conduct research aimed at uncovering the truth. The research findings have the potential to validate or invalidate your thought. Here is where the difficulty usually occurs, since many engage in research to validate their theory or assumption at any cost, despite insufficient evidence. The appropriate response upon assuming something is to carry out sincere scientific investigation and concede when evidence is insufficient. Individuals who consider their viewpoint infallible and avoid critical evaluation are entirely mistaken. They are often the ones who create problematic theologies with contradictory interpretations of the Bible.

 

The Theology Relies on Selected Scriptures, not on the Entire Bible

A major issue in Bible interpretation within the Body of Christ today is depending on selected Scriptures to construct theologies for Bible doctrines. This is evident in various areas like marriage, tithing, sowing financial seeds, prosperity, healing, women ordained to lead men, the trinity, and more. Many randomly select Bible verses from both covenants, neglect to interpret them within their context, and construct theologies that inadequately explain the doctrines they aim to clarify. A lot of imbalances arise from this, as many prioritize their own desires and go their separate ways, neglecting the Bible’s calls for unity.

A major reason Calvinism and Arminianism will never agree is their reliance on selected Scriptures. We must not casually dismiss God’s sovereignty, nor assume that God created us as robots with no ability to make decisions. God’s sovereignty and free will operate side by side, a mystery we struggle to clarify. But He made things that way to ensure we remain humble. We can conduct a similar analysis for all the other aforementioned areas of misinterpretation. Christians who base their theologies on selected Scriptures seldom let the Bible interpret itself, unless it supports their preconceived beliefs.

 

The Theology Wants to Maintain Certain Christian Traditions

There is nothing wrong with having unique Christian customs and approaches to worship and service. God structured the Christian faith to ensure His gifts to us manifest in a variety of ways. Nevertheless, we need to be cautious in differentiating human traditions from God’s doctrines. Many Christians perceive their denominational loyalty through a traditional lens, believing it to be more scriptural than other denominations. The question emerges whether God is responsible for creating denominations with conflicting doctrines. Clearly, our different geographical locations and cultural backgrounds will lead to varied forms of worship and service. Nonetheless, these human and geographical diversities should not conflict with God’s doctrines. It is alarming when people mix cultural, geographical, and traditional alienations with the doctrines of the Bible. These kinds of actions always cause confusion since people focus more on their traditions and human patterns than on the Word of God. A major issue with such tendencies is that they result in extreme religiosity.

 

The Theology Doesn’t Distinguish Between the Old and New Covenants

We briefly mentioned this earlier by noting that the Bible has two covenants, and a Christian who fails to differentiate between them will face limitations in their spiritual journey. The Word of God in the Old Testament paves the way for us to understand the New. To genuinely understand the New Testament, we must first carefully analyze the Old. Although the Old Testament is considered obsolete, it is presented as a copy or subordinate version of the New, with many principles and doctrines repeated within the New. Undoubtedly, the New Testament can be confirmed as having a much greater standard than the Old. Not differentiating between the Old and New Covenants when interpreting the Bible inevitably results in misunderstanding and misinterpretation.

 

The Theology Doesn’t Point to Christ and Him Crucified

Theology that doesn’t center on glorifying Christ is pointless. Throughout the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, there is a unique message that directs attention to Christ. Our theologies should concentrate on research efforts that improve our understanding of that message. When theology emphasizes wealth and worldly achievements without Christ directing it for His purposes, it becomes nonsense. We are here on earth with one mission: to know God through Christ, by the Holy Spirit’s help, and to lead a holy life in obedience to His Word by carrying out His will. Hence, we can look forward to living forever with Him at His return, since we are merely temporary in this fading and corrupt world that holds no hope for the lost. Anything that doesn’t follow this line of thought is a waste of time on earth.

Don’t forget to share this message with anyone grappling with the relationship between the Bible and theology.

Delve into study, research, and meditation on the Word, increase in wisdom, and remain blessed in the Lord!

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